WILLIAM THE- THTRII.

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find a new Lord High Commissioner. The person selected was chap.John Hay, Marquess of Tweedale, Chancellor of the Realm, a — J(i ' 95 '_ ■man grown old in business, well informed, prudent, humane,blameless in private life, and, on the whole, as respectable asany Scottish lord who had been long and deeply concerned inthe politics of those troubled times.

His task was not without difficulty. It w'as indeed well inquiry

known that the Estates were generally inclined to support the slaughter, ... J , , Of Glen-

goyernment. Rut it was also well known that there was one coo.

subject which would require the most dexterous and delicatemanagement. The cry of the blood shed more than three yearsbefore in Glencoe had at length made itself heard. Towardsthe close of the year 1693, the reports, which had at first beencontemptuously derided as factious calumnies, began to begenerally thought deserving of serious attention. Many peoplelittle disposed to place confidence in any thing that came forthfrom the secret presses of the Jacobites owned that, for thehonour of the government, some inquiry ought to be instituted.

The amiable Mary had been much shocked by what she heard.AVilliam had, at her request, empowered the Duke of Hamiltonand several other Scotchmen of note to investigate the wholematter. But the Duke died: his colleagues were slack in theperformance of their duty; and the King, who knew little andcared little about Scotland, forgot to urge them.*

It now appeared that the government would have donewisely as well as rightly by anticipating the wishes of thecountry. The horrible story repeated by the nonjurors perti-naciously, confidently, and with so many circumstances asalmost enforced belief, had at length roused all Scotland.

The sensibility of a people eminently patriotic was galled by thetaunts of southern pamphleteers, who asked whether there wason the north of the Tweed no law, no justice, no humanity,

* See the preamble to the Commission of 1695 .

3 *