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CHAMBERS'S

POCKET MISCELLANY.

THE GREAT STIRLING CASE.

ABOUT the year 1825, a respectable-looking elderly gentleman made his appearance in Edinburgh, where his habits and pretensions created some degree of curiosity. He lived generally in lodgings, genteel, but not aristocratic. He seemed to be a man of very moderate income, and did not mix in high society, yet he called himself Earl of Stirling. This title was an old and respected one in Scotland, and its assumption did not create much surprise; for poor gentlemen with contested claims to ancient titles of nobility, are not very uncommon in the Scottish metropolis. With regard to the person describing himself as Earl of Stirling, some spoke doubtingly of his pretensions, others treated him as an impostor. What he really was, will appear, after giving certain preliminary explanations.

Sir William Alexander of Menstrie, a poet and statesman of the reign of King James I. of England, had entered into that sovereign's project for colonising the borders of the Gulf of St Lawrence. He was gifted by charter with a large territory, nearly identical with the

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same which is still called Nova Scotia, but containing a considerable portion of Canada; and he and his heirs were appointed hereditary lords-lieutenant of the district, with something very like sovereign powers. A territory without people on it is, however, of little value either to sovereign or proprietor. To induce British subjects, especially Scotsmen of rank, to take land in the district, the new dignity of Baronets of Nova Scotia was created. It was to be conferred on acceptable persons, who paid for and received a grant of 16,000 acres of land in the colony. The Earl of Stirling's son becoming involved in difficulties, sold his American privilege to a French colonist; and by the treaty of St Germain in 1632, these North American British colonies were all ceded to France. At the treaty of Utrecht in 1713, they became again a British possession, but on a new foundation, as if they had never belonged to Britain before. Perhaps the government might have restored any family claims of a reasonable kind that could have been shewn to be lost by the French conquest, but the Alexanders, as we have seen, had disposed of their right. Though some persons were from time to time spoken of as representatives of the distinguished family, no one made a serious attempt to resume the title and its privileges, until the present century, when the individual above mentioned, laid his plans in the remarkable manner which we are now going to describe.

The name of the gentleman in question was Alexander Humphrys or Humphreys. His first step was, in 1824, to obtain a royal licence to assume the name of Alexander. He stated in his application, that he had a maternal grandfather of that name, and he wished to assume it, as well out of grateful respect to his memory, as out of respect for the wishes oftentimes expressed by his deceased mother.' It is believed that any person may obtain a licence of this sort who states any such plausible reason, and pays the necessary fees. It could have no effect in a legal point of view. But the expression royal licence' has a great influence on common minds-a secret known very well to second-rate inventors, who always announce their

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wares as authorised by Her Majesty's Royal LettersPatent.'

His next step was to shew his descent from the old Stirling family, and get it in some way judicially certified. The connection he tried to establish was this: his father, William Humphreys of Birmingham, had married Hannah Alexander, granddaughter of the Rev. John Alexander. This reverend John was the son of another John Alexander, of Donaghadee, in Ireland; and he was said to be a son of the Honourable John Alexander, fourth son of the Earl of Stirling. There had long existed in Scotland certain formalities, by which a person could obtain a public and judicial certificate of his pedigree, or his connection with the succession to certain property. Without entering into any technical particulars, it may be sufficient to say, that until certain improved practices were established, these 'services,' as they are called, used to be carried through as mere matters of routine. A narrative was made out, and some documents read; and then the persons assembled, taking for granted that everything was regular, certified their belief in it. If the whole be a tissue of lies and forgeries, which is sometimes possible, it has generally to be examined afterwards, as in the present case, when there is an attempt made to obtain any property or other advantage, and the attempt is resisted. The reader will perhaps remember that in the novel of Guy Mannering, when young Bertram is discovered, a process of this kind is adopted by Pleydell, as the first step for asserting the young heir's right. Colonel Mannering says: “Well, have you carried through your law-business?'

'With a wet finger,' answered the lawyer; 'got our youngster's special service returned into Chancery. We had him served heir before the macers.'

'Macers! who are they?'

"Why, it is a kind of judicial saturnalia. You must know, that one of the requisites to be a macer, or officer in attendance upon our supreme court, is, that they shall be men of no knowledge.'

'Very well.'

"Now, our Scottish legislature-for the joke's sake, I suppose have constituted these men of no knowledge into a peculiar court for trying questions of relationship and descent, such as this business of Bertram, which often involve the most nice and complicated questions of evidence.'

The ease of getting through with such ceremonies will account for the circumstance, that before any steps were taken against him, Mr Humphreys had, undisturbed, possessed himself of the documents thus certifying his pretensions. He first certified in this way his descent from the Irish Alexanders. He next certified his descent through them from the first Earl of Stirling. He made himself out to be heir to the property and honours of that nobleman by further proceedings; which not only certified that he was descended from him, but that other and nearer branches of the family had all become extinguished. It was appointed in the original charter of Nova Scotia, that Sir William Alexander and his descendants were to go through the mere formal process of investment by a ceremony in Edinburgh Castle, and this ceremony was gone through.

Still, there was besides the circumstance that the American estates had been disposed of, another serious difficulty to be overcome. The earldom and the estates were both united to heirs- male, and Mr Humphreys represented a female descendant. To get over this, a document was produced, which purported to be a copy of a charter granted by Charles I. in 1639, which renewed the grants to the Earl of Stirling, and widened their character, so that they embraced heirs-female as well as male. We shall see in the end into what a position this document plunged Mr Humphreys and his claim.

Mr Humphreys now gradually assumed the title of Earl of Stirling, spoke of his mother as the late countess, and gave his other immediate relations the usual term of Honourable' So and So. In an election of a Scottish representative peer, which took place on the 2d of June 1825, the first person who appears on the roll of voters is

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