life to America. La Fayette became very much attached to Muir-"the brave Scottish Advocate," as he often called him-one singular proof of which fell under our observation in Paris many years ago, soon after the overthrow of the Bourbons, and when La Fayette returned to his country, and became the most popular man in France, which we may describe by and bye, without being chargeable, we hope, with undue vanity.

No sooner had Thomas Muir left Edinburgh for London and Paris, in pursuance of his lawful intentions, and as every British subject has surely right to do, than the officers of the Crown, by their messenger-at-arms, left for him at his father's house, at Huntershill, which he had just hurriedly visited to bid his parents good-bye ere he started on his journey, that odious bill of indictment, commanding him to appear before the Lords Commissioners of Justiciary, in Edinburgh, on the 2d of January,

1793.

Then at Paris, where he was feted, we may remark, with much respect, by Dubois, Milliard, Le Blauiff, and other eminent French Senators and Advocates, he found it impossible to return to Scotland in time to meet this huge Indictment. Unfortunately for Muir, WAR had then broken out between this country and France; and still more unfortunately for him, it happened that he arrived in Paris on the very evening of the day preceding the execution of Louis XVI. This was turned to woful account against Mr. Muir in this his native country. His enemies contrived, and did not fail to excite every conceivable sort of prejudice against him. He was a Commissioner forsooth, they said, from the "Black-nebs" and Republicans of Scotland, to hasten on the execution of Louis; while he had nothing more to do with that event

than the child unborn. He wrote to Scotland, earnestly expressing his desire to get back to Edinburgh to attend trial on the 2d of January. But in consequence of the War, a strict BLOCKADE came to be enforced between the two countries, never, we sincerely hope, again to take place between them: May Britain and France continue in peace and amity with each other, all the world over! From the above cause it became physically and morally impossible, as we have remarked, for Thomas Muir to return from France in time to meet his accusers on the day fixed by them. Not a few of the letters he wrote were intercepted on this side the channel, but they all breathed nothing but kindness for his family and friends, and his continued earnest desire to return home. The following extract may be given from one of these letters, the original of which we saw in the possession of Allan Fullerton, Esq., Woodside Place, Glasgow, not very long ago. It is dated from Paris, 13th February, 1793: Upon the evening of the 8th of this month (says Muir), I received letters from my father and from my agent, Mr. Campbell, informing me that an Indictment was served against me in my absence. War is declared between England and France, and there are requisites to be gone through before I can obtain my Passport. I will return to Scotland without delay. To shrink from dangers would be unbecoming my own character and your confidence. I dare challenge the most minute investigation of my public and private conduct. Armed with innocency, I appeal to Justice, and I disdain to supplicate. favours. (Signed) THOMAS MUIR."

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Is that, we may here ask, at the beginning, the letter of an innocent or a guilty man? Yet in the most per

fect knowledge of it, and of the facts we have above stated, the Law Officers of the Crown appeared in solemn array against him, before the Court of Justiciary, in January, 1793, and demanded from their Lordships a sentence of OUTLAWRY against him (in his absence, observe) which sentence was, of course, immediately pronounced. The effect of that sentence of outlawry was, to seize Thomas Muir wherever he could be found within the British dominions and to pistol, or shoot, or cut him down without hesitation and without remorse, if he dared to offer the least resistance; and another effect of it was, "to escheat and confiscate all his moveables, goods, and gear, for His Majesty's use." So we think the legal phraseology of it ran. But no matter.

Now comes the second eventful period in Muir's life. Exposed as he was while in Paris, to all the dangers and horrors of the first French Revolution, then rolling in its dreadful course through its streets, its palaces, prisons, and halls, he had the felicity on the morning of the 29th April, 1793, to receive a Passport from the Council-General of the Commune of Paris, countersigned by the French Minister of Foreign Affairs, to return home via Philadelphia. It occurs to us, from the insertion of the word Philadelphia in this Passport-an authentic copy of which is now before us, that Muir latterly entertained some thoughts of going to America, rather than meet the frowns and perils of the Justiciary Court in Edinburgh. But at all events the French Passport, though he was then a foreigner and an alien in France, speaks kindly of him indeed. We must dwell upon it for a moment or two. It minutely describes his handsome appearance, corresponding with the small miniature of him originally taken in Glasgow, and now in our hands. It says, "PERMIT Citizen Thomas

Muir to proceed on his voyage to Philadelphia, domiciled at Paris (au citoyen de Coudile, Hotel de Toulon, No. 1 rue des Foses du Temple) municipality of Paris, native of Scotland, a lawyer, 28 years of age, 5 feet 9 inches high, his hair and eye-lashes of a chestnut colour, bright blue eyes, aquiline nose, small mouth, round chin, high forehead, long and full face. Send him aid and assistance if in want. Signed by us, Ministers of Foreign Affairs, Paris, 29th April, 1793, second year of Republic,— LE BRUN; MAILLE GARAT; NICOLEAU Presid."

This friendly Passport brought him safely through France; and at one of the French ports he got on board the American ship "Hope," Capt. George Towers, ostensibly bound for Baltimore, but hailing for Belfast. In July 1793 he reached Belfast, landed, and hired a small vessel to carry him across to Portpatrick, in Scotland, with now the obvious and firm resolution to proceed to Edinburgh to meet his accusers at all hazards. From Portpatrick he posted on to Stranraer, and while reposing himself in one of the inns of that place, after his long fatiguing journey, openly avowing his name, and telling of his pursuits, Mr. Boniface of the inn, took alarm, beat up all the legal functionaries of the place, who, with others, soon assembled and bellowed around him, like a pack of furies or blood-hounds in full cry. Instantly the intelligence of his arrest at Stranraer, was sent to the law officers of the Crown in Edinburgh. It was joyful news to them, for they had their victim now, they thought, securely within their grasp; and the Lord Advocate lost not a moment in drawing out and placing his WARRANT in the hands of George Williamson, Messenger-at-Arms, in Edinburgh, who, with one or two trusty concurrents,

were ordered off to Stranraer, to bring from thence with "all expedition the person of the said Thomas Muir to Edinburgh, and to incarcerate him in the Tolbooth thereof, to answer for his crimes." Civilly, gently, and politely, Thomas Muir received this messenger-at-arms and his assistants; but they instantly handcuffed and placed him in irons, and in that condition he was driven in a post-chaise to Edinburgh. Pausing here for a moment, we much question whether such harsh treatment would be shown now to any murderer or murderess of the present day, either in the incipient or the condemned stages of trial. But infinitely more painful to him than this,— the Faculty of Advocates in his absence had previously, and while his back was literally at the wall, viz., on the 6th of March, 1793, erased his name, or struck it out from their rolls. They did even worse than this in another direction at a subsequent period. They absolutely took the gown from the honoured shoulders of the Right Hon. Henry Erskine, brother of the illustrious Lord Erskine, who by his eloquence in the case of Hardie and others, in 1793, actually saved (as is now admitted), the liberties of England. Aye, this then most rampant Tory Faculty of Advocates in Edinburgh, had, we must say, the unspeakable baseness to take the gown from Henry Erskine, their own most learned and honourable DEAN, because, and for no other earthly reason, he had become embued with "liberal principles." Can any Advocate, be he Whig or Tory of the present day, attempt to deny or justify this proceeding. Imprisoned and shackled now in Edinburgh, in vain did Thomas Muir's most respectable agent in Edinburgh, viz., the venerable Mr. Wm. Moffat, S.S.C., whom we have frequently seen, but he has been dead now for many years-in vain did