The Calendar of Scottisli Crime.
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party. An evidence of the returning good will of the people had been given the pre ceding year, when a new county in the southeastern part of the State had been or ganized and named for him.
of eighty years, and died on December 9, 1862. In 1844, he was again honored by the people of the State by being elected governor on the Whig ticket over one of the most popular men in the Democratic
THE CALENDAR OF SCOTTISH CRIME. II. FEW events in Scottish history have been the subject of warmer discussion than the Earl of Cowrie's conspiracy against the life of James VI., and its leading features are so well known to all who have devoted any attention to that monarch's reign, that any thing more than a passing notice thereof may seem superfluous. Yet Mr. Pitcairn brought together such a large number of documents bearing on this remarkable tragedy, present ing it for the first time in successive scenes described by eyewitnesses, that it is difficult to resist the temptation to run over the chief points in the exciting story, — all the more so, perhaps, because it exhibits James VI., usually remembered as a somewhat pusillan imous pedant, in the light of an athlete and a man of spirit. The drama opens in the park of Falkland Palace, between six and seven o'clock on the bright morning of August 5, 1600. The huntsmen and hounds are on the green; the courtiers are waiting to mount till his majesty puts his foot in the stirrup; even the details of their clothing are known to us, from the pay ments entered in the treasurer's accounts in July, such as — for green cloth to make hunt ing dresses for the king and his suite, gold and silver lace to trim the same, and some stuff to " lyne the breikis of Robert Ker, the paige of honour." We learn that it was one of the finest days in the year, and that his majesty was impatient to be in pursuit of a
fine buck that was harboured near at hand. It was the realization of the well known vi sion in Tennyson's " Palace of Art :" For some were hung with arras green and blue, Showing a gaudy summer morn, Where, with puff'd cheek, the belted hunter blew His wreathed bugle-horn.
Just as the king was about to mount, Al exander Ruthven, the Earl of Cowrie's brother, arrived posthaste from Perth, and craved audience, on most private and urgent affairs. Now, although this Alexander's father, " Greysteill " Cowrie, had been be headed in 1584 for his share in the raid of Ruthven, James had restored the sons to their honours and estates, and thereafter treated the Ruthvcns with great favour and confidence. The king deferred his start till he heard what Ruthven had to say. It was a curious story. Ruthven told him that late on the previous evening, while " tak ing the ayre solitarie alone " on the outskirts of Perth, he had encountered a suspicious look ing fellow carrying something heavy under his cloak. Ruthven threw open the cloak and found in the man's arms a large pot full of gold coins, and, feeling confident that this, was treasure trove, marched the man into the town, bound him, and unknown to any body, shut him up in a secure place. Then, leaving Perth at four in the morning, he rode straight to report the matter to the king, whom he besought to ride into Perth with
