Series 1 > Letters and papers illustrating the relations between Charles the Second and Scotland in 1650

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Council in the circumstances, but such hitches were bound to
occur. They would see that there was a compensation. There
was one volume which would be ready in a few weeks—the Journal
of Colonel Erskine of Cardross. From his experience of that diary
he thought it would be a very interesting book. They knew
what a great success a recent diary issued by that Society had
been—the Memoirs of Clerk of Penicuik. It had attracted attention
everywhere, far beyond the bounds that were usually interested
in the publication of a historical society. (Hear, hear.) That
would be followed by a much larger book, and a composite book
—a Miscellany. This was a very rich book indeed. It went over
a large space of Scottish time, and consisted of a great variety
of papers, beginning with the library of James Sixth and in¬
cidents of the character of the young king when he was a boy,
and statements about his sayings, his remarkable wisdom, and
so on, coming down to the Rebellion of '45. He thought there
were nine separate articles, and he expected the book would be
very successful and very interesting. But they should keep in
view the propriety of now and then continuing this Miscellany.
He had himself found not infrequently a paper of extreme
historical interest, but too small to publish by itself. If the
Council were on the watch for these, he thought the Miscellany
of the Society might become a kind of institution. The pro¬
gramme for the following year was also extremely promising,
and he might point out to any who might be disposed to
remark on the delay last year, that one compensation would be
that for 1894-5, their funds allowing it, they hoped to present
an extra volume. He thought they might be satisfied with the
statements as to the general condition of the Society. They had
now, instead of fifteen candidates waiting for admission as last
year, thirty applicants waiting to be admitted, and that notwith¬
standing twenty deaths or resignations. Altogether they would
see that the Society was fulfilling its purpose. There had been a
great deal of new matter issued to the public by the Society
bearing on the history of Scotland, and the variety of its publica¬
tions had also to be observed. Sometimes it was of a documentary
character. That was varied by a Diary, giving anecdotes and