Series 2 > Seafield correspondence from 1685 to 1708

26
CORRESPONDENCE OF JAMES [may
falling on the church and steeple in Tarvar in Holland
destroyed it to the ground.
It is written from Edr, May 29, 1686, that the double
of the act anent the penal statutes, as it is prepared by an
Comittee of the Articles for the Articles and Parliat, is as
followes:—
That Papists shall be under the protection of his
Majesties government and laws, and shall not for the
exercise of their worship and religion in private houses
(all publick worship excepted) be under the hazard of
any sanguinary or other punishments contained in the
acts of Parliat. It is alwayes hearby expresly declared
that this immunity and forbearance to Papists shall not
import allowance or approbation of the Popish religion,
nor evacuate nor take away the laws agt them, but that
they shall remain in full force excepting in so farre as they
are heirby innovated and restricted.
Several estates being forfeited and dissolved from the
crown, the estate of Torwoodlie is gifted to the General,1
and the estate of Kennedy of Grainge to the Provost of
Edr. That yesterday a letter from his Majesty was read
ordering Sir Geo. Lockart to be president and advocate
both, whereby he may attend his Majesties concernment
and interest in all places, that his prerogative suffer no
detriment.
The three following letters from Mr. George Leslye, com¬
missioner for Cullen, give account of the proceedings in the
Scots Parliament. The feeling soon became so strong against
the remission of the penal statutes against Roman Catholics,
that a measure to remove these disabilities, though supported
by the King, was not even tabled by the court party; and Mr.
Leslye expressed the prevailing opinion when he declared in his
letter of June 12 that ‘ this Parliatt is the most renowned Parliatt
hes bein heir thir many yeirs, ffor ther resolutiones in standing-
fixt to ther religione.’
The date of Lady Balcarres’s death referred to in Mr. Leslye’s
letter of May 29, 1686, does not seem to be otherwise noted.
General Drummond.