the diet of the Parliament or Convention: Likeas his Majesty, with consent foresaid, statutes and ordains, the whole heretors, liferenters, and wodsetters, within each shire and stewartry, to contribute for the charges of the commissioners thereof, according to their valuation, except only those who hold of noblemen, or bishops, or lands belonging to burrows royal in burgage, and also to the expences of the foot-man

tles.

The act 1690, cap. 11, " for an additional repre"sentation in Parliament of the greater shires in this kingdom," ordains,

That in all Parliaments, meetings and conventions of estates to be holden henceforth and hereafter, the barons and freeholders of the shires after mentioned shall add to their former representation the number of Commissioners after exprest, viz. the shire of Edinburgh two, the shire of Haddingtoun two, the shire of Berwick two, the shire of Roxburgh two, the shire of Lanerk two, the shire of Dumfries two, the stewartry of Kirkcudbright one, the shire of Air two, the shire of Stirling one, the shire of Perth two, the shire of Aberdeen two, the shire of Argile one, the shire of Fife two, the shire of Forfar two, and the shire of Renfrew one. And it is hereby declared, That this act shall take effect in the next session of this Parliament, and in all Parliaments and Conventions of Estates thereafter.

The act 12. of Queen Anne, cap. 6, declares,

That no conveyance or right whatsoever, whereupon infeoffment is not taken one year before the date of the warrant for making out a new writ for such election, shall, upon objection made in that behalf, entitle the person or persons, so infeft, to vote or be elected at that election; and that from and after the said day, it shall or may be lawful to or for any

of the electors present, suspecting any person or persons to have his or their estates in trust, and for the behoof of another, to require the preses of the meeting to tender the following oath to any elector; and the said preses is hereby impowered and required to administer the same in the words. following, viz.

I A. B. do, in the presence of God, declare and swear, That the lands and estate of for which I claim to give my vote in this election, are not conveyed to me in trust, or for the behoof of any other person whatsoever; and I do swear before God, That neither I, nor any person to my knowledge, in my name, or by my allowance, hath given, or intends to give, any promise, obligation, bond, back-bond, or other security, for redisponing or reconveying the said lands and estate, any manner of way whatsoever : And this is the truth, as I shall answer to God.

And in case such elector refuse to swear, and also to subscribe the said oath, such person or persons shall not be capable of voting, or being elected at such election.

Provided always, That notwithstanding such oath taken, it shall be lawful to make such other objections as are allowed by the laws of Scotland against such electors.

And be it further enacted and declared by the authority aforesaid, That no infeoffment taken upon any redeemable right whatsoever, (except proper wadsets, adjudications, or apprisings, allowed by the act of Parliament relating to elections in 1681,) shall entitle the person so infeft to vote, or be elected at any election in any shire or stewartry; and that no person or persons, who have not been inrolled and voted at former elections, shall, upon any pretence whatsoever, be inrolled or admitted to vote at any election, except he or they first produce a sufficient right or title to qualify him or them to vote at that election, to the satisfaction of the freeholders formerly inrolled, or the majority of them present; and the returning officers are hereby ordained to make their

returns of the persons elected by the majority of the freeholders inrolled, and those admitted by them, reserving always the liberty of objecting against the persons admitted to, or excluded from the roll, as formerly.

And be it further enacted by the authority aforesaid, That all sheriffs of shires, and stewarts of stewartries, shall be obliged, under the pain of fifty pounds Sterling, one moiety whereof shall be to the Queen's most excellent Majesty, her heirs and successors, and the other moiety to the person or persons who shall sue for the same, to be recovered before the Court of Session, by any action summarily, without abiding the course of the roll, to make the public intimations required by the laws of Scotland, at the several parish churches within their respective jurisdictions, at least three days before the diet of elections.

Provided always, That the right of apparent heirs in voting at elections by virtue of their predecessors' infeoffments, and the right of husbands by virtue of their wives' infeoffments, be and is hereby reserved to them, as formerly; any thing in this act contained to the contrary notwithstanding.

Provided also, That any conveyance or right, which by the laws of Scotland is sufficient to qualify any person to vote in the elections of members to serve in Parliament for shires or stewartries, and whereupon infeoffment is taken, on or before the first day of June, in the year of our Lord 1713, shall entitle the person or persons, so infeft, to vote at the elections of members to serve in the next ensuing Parliament; any thing herein contained to the contrary notwithstanding.

Provided always, and it is hereby declared to be the true intent and meaning of this act, That no husbands shall vote at any ensuing election by virtue of their wives' infeoffments, who are not heiresses, or have not right to the property of the lands on account whereof such vote shall be claimed.

The statute 1. of Geo. I. cap. 26, "to disable any person from being chosen a member, or from sitting "and voting in the House of Commons, who has any pension for any number of years from the Crown," declares,

That no person having any pension from the crown for any term or number of years, either in his own name, or in the name or names of any other person or persons in trust for him, or for his benefit, shall be capable of being elected, or chosen a member of, or for sitting or voting as a member of this present or any future House of Commons which shall be hereafter summoned.

And be it further enacted by the authority aforesaid, That if any person who shall have such pension, as aforesaid, at the time of his being so elected, or at any time after, during such time as he shall continue or be a member of the House of Commons, shall presume to sit or vote in that House, then, and in such case, he shall forfeit twenty pounds for every day in which he shall sit or vote in the said House of Commons, to such person or persons who shall sue for the same in any of his Majesty's courts in Westminster Hall; and the monies so forfeited shall be recovered by the person so suing, with full costs of suit in any of the said courts, by action of debt, bill, plaint, or information, in which no essoign, privilege, protection, or wager of law, shall be allowed, and only one imparlance.

By the statute 2. of Geo. II. cap. 2, no person convicted of wilful and corrupt perjury is capable of voting

in

any election of a member to serve in Parliament.

The act 19. of Geo. II. quoted on page 428 of Vol. I. under the title "Episcopalians," excludes certain persons who attend meeting-houses not sanctioned by law. By the statute 21. of Geo. II. cap. 19, no sheriff or

stewart depute can be elected, or vote in the election of a member of Parliament.-See title "Sheriff."

The statute 22. of Geo. III. cap. 41, "for better "securing the freedom of election of members to serve "in Parliament, by disabling certain officers employed "in the collection or management of his Majesty's re"venues from giving their votes at such elections," declares,

That no commissioner, collector, supervisor, gauger, or other officer or person whatsoever concerned or employed in the charging, collecting, levying, or managing the duties of excise, or any branch or part thereof; nor any commissioner, collector, comptroller, searcher, or other officer or person whatsoever concerned or employed in the charging, collecting, levying, or managing the customs, or any branch or part thereof; nor any commissioner, officer or other person concerned or employed in collecting, receiving, or managing any of the duties on stamped vellum, parchment, and paper, nor any person appointed by the commissioners for distributing of stamps; nor any commissioner, officer, or other person employed in collecting, levying, or managing any of the duties on salt; nor any surveyor, collector, comptroller, inspector, officer, or other person employed in collecting, managing, or receiving the duties on windows or houses; nor any postmaster, postmaster-general, or his or their deputy or deputies, or any person employed by or under him or them in receiving, collecting, or managing the revenue of the Post-office, or any part thereof; nor any captain, master, or mate of any ship, packet, or other vessel employed by or under the postmaster or postmasters-general, in conveying the mail to and from foreign ports, shall be capable of giving his vote for the election of any knight of the shire, commissioner, citizen, burgess, or baron, to serve in Parliament for any county, stewartry, city, borough, or cinque port, or for