FROM WILLIAM III. TO GEORGE Į. CLASS III. Descended from a junior branch of the ennobled family of Mackenzie, earls of Seaforth, and the second baronet. Sir George began life with great advantages from birth and connections; his own mind procured him what they only could never have accomplished, and made him an ornament to his country young and loyal, he viewed Scotland debased by the usurpation; willing to restore his sovereign, he accepted Charles II's commission to unite with general Middleton to throw off Cromwell's yoke; he withstood general Morgan, one of the best officers of England, for a year; defeated, he did not capitulate but upon honourable terms. At the Restoration his majesty rewarded his welltried services by naming him a senator of the college of justice, and a privy counsellor. His dislike was so great to Lauderdale, that he strenu ously opposed him, but he was too useful to be unemployed: he successively became justice-gene ral and lord register. Having always acquiesced under James, when duke of York, he was in his reign in unlimited power, and created viscount Tarbat, lord Macleod and Castlehaven, by letters patent, April 15, 1685. At the Revolution he came to William's court with great recommendation; Macky says, "his arbitrary proceedings had "rendered him so obnoxious to the people that "he could not be employed in that reign." certain, however, that he was restored to his place of registrar in 1692. Queen Ann sent for him, constituted him secretary of state in 1702, and, January 1, 1703, gave him the rank of an earl, She appointed him justice-general, but this place he resigned in 1710. His lordship died in 1714, in his eighty-fourth year.. It is This distinguished nobleman was of "singular "endowments, great learning, well skilled in the laws and antiquities of Scotland, and an able F 3 "statės FROM WILLIAM III. TO GEORGE I. CLASS III. "statesman." He wrote a treatise, in which he proved the legitimacy of Robert III. king of Scotland. His lordship was a great wit, and the pleasantest of companions. In person tall, handsome, and of a fair complexion *. He was succeeded by John his son, who was the father of the forfeited earl of Cromartie. Ann Sinclair, lord Cromartie's first lady, noticed in this work, was mother of the second noble lord of the title of Cromartie. Sir Kenneth Mackenzie of Cromartie, created a baronet with his father's precedency, and sir James Mackenzie of Royston, also created a baronet: he was one of the sena tors of the college of justice. She had also four daughters. Margaret Wemys was countess of Wemys in her own right, being sole heir of David Wemys, second earl of Wemys. She was widow of sir James Wemys of Caskieberry, a very distant relation, whom Charles II. August 18, 1672, created lord Burntisland for life, with all the privileges of a peer of parliament. The countess became lord Burntisland's widow in 1685, and died herself in 1705. She had no issue by lord Cromartie, but by her former husband David; third earl of Wemys a distinguished statesman in queen Ann's reign. GEORGE HAMILTON, earl of Orkney; A. Bannerman. GEORGE HAMILTON, earl of Orkney; in Birch's Lives. Houbraken. George Hamilton, the fifth son of William and Ann, duke and duchess of Hamilton, a faithful soldier I think Macky has mistaken lord Cromartie, or rather confused his history with the able lawyer, polite scholar, and celebrated wit, sir George Mackenzie, advocate to Charles II. and James II. F. R. S. who wrote much and upon various subjects, and who died in London in 1691. His works were published at Edinburgh and London, in 2 vol. fol. FROM WILLIAM III. TO GEORGE 1. CLASS III. soldier under William III. in Ireland and Flanders; distinguishing himself in every battle, he rose to be a brigadier-general. January 3, 1696, he had the earldom of Orkney given him. In Ann's reign he became a general, and was elected, in 1703, a knight of the thistle, and, in 1708, one of the sixteen noblemen to represent the peerage of Scotland, as he did in all the subsequent parliaments, and named a privy counsellor. George I. made him a lord of his bed-chamber, and governor of Virginia; and George II. field-marshal and governor of Edinburgh Castle. Dying in 1736, without male issue, he was succeeded by lady Mary, the eldest of his three daughters. She married William Obrian, earl of Inchiquin in Ireland.Great as lord Orkney's merit confessedly was, he gained his honours quite as much by the beauty of his wife as by his own prowess. She was Elizabeth, eldest daughter of Sir Edward Villiers, and sister of Edward earl of Jersey. She attracted the notice of William. The house of Nassau seemed as much inclined to the Villiers family as the Stuarts. They were charming women, but extremely condescending to royalty. Lady Dorchester, James II's favourite, who said and did any thing she chose, meeting the duchess of Portsmouth and lady Orkney in the drawing-room of George I. exclaimed, "G-d! who would have thought we three w-s "should have met here?" This was evidently speaking truth, but whether out or in season let the reader decide*, * Speaking of James's sultanas, "Why," says lady Dorchester," does ❝he chuse us? We are none of us handsome; and if we have wit, he has not enough to find it out." After the abdication of James she married sir David Collyer, by whom she had two sons; to whom she said, "If any body "should call you sons of a whore you must bear it, for you are so; but if ༈ :hey call you bastards, fight till you die, for you are an honest man's ་ sons." FROM WILLIAM III. TO GEORGE I. CLASS III. JAMES DALRYMPLE, viscount Stair; small fol. with armorial bearings. Lord Stair, though bred to the bar, took up arms for Charles I. but he made no figure in the field then, nor afterward when he declared for Charles II. Though necessity compelled him to submit to the usurpers, he scorned to take the oaths or acknowledge the legality of their govern ment. At the Restoration, he was viewed with great distinction, knighted, created a baronet, and ennobled by the title of lord Stair. He rose from vice-president to be lord president of the session; but vehement against the cruelties practised by the court, though he had so long contributed to them, he fell into disgrace. In disgust he went to the Hague, from whence he returned with William, who restored him to his office, and created him viscount Stair. His lordship died in 1695, in his seventy-sixth year. More learned than loyal, more selfish than superior to party. His abilities, at least after the Restoration, were prostituted to ambition and avarice. John, his successor, was raised to be earl of Stair. Sir James the antiquary, sir Hugh, and sir David, were three great lawyers, all of whom were created baronets. Thomas, the third son, like them, was learned; he became physician in ordinary to the kings of Scotland, JOHN SUTHERLAND, lord Strathnever, afterward earl of Sutherland; Chans p. P. v. Banc se. Lord Strathneyer, in his father's life-time, was of the privy council to William, and had a regiment of foot, at the head of which he followed his majesty in all his campaigns in Flanders. Queen Ann continued FROM WILLIAM III. TO GEORGE 1. CLASS III. continued him of the privy council. In 1703 he succeeded to the earldom of Sutherland. A commissioner of the union, he became one of the sixteen representatives of the Scottish peerage in the first British parliament. George I. appointed him president of the board of trade and manufactures, named him lord lieutenant of the counties of Inverness, Elgin, Nairn, Cromartie, Ross, Sutherland, Caithness, Orkney, and Shetland; knight of the Thistle, and he sat in this reign in three parliaments. He had a pension of 1200l. which he well merited. Dying in 1733, he was succeeded by his only son William, the nineteenth earl of Sutherland, whom he had by the first of his three countesses. "Lord "Sutherland," says Macky," is a very honest man, a great assertor of the liberties of the "people, hath a good rough sense, is open and free, a great loyer of the bottle and his friend; "brave in his person, which he hath shewn in ❝ several duels; too familiar for his quality, and often keeps company below it; is a fat, faircomplexioned man." IRISH PEERS, HENRY ROUVIGNY, earl of Galway; mez. P. de Graves p. 1. Simon sc. Son of the ambassador from France to Charles II. and who also came over to England, in 1685, to solicit pardon for his great nephew the unfortunate lord Russell. On the Revolution Henry and his brother offered their services in Ireland. William wished to decline them, because their father, the old marquis of Rouvigny, dying, he was con |