The volunteers began in the year 1793, when the democrats in Paris
threatened the downfall and utter subversion of kings, lords, and
commons. As became us who were of the council, we drew up an address to
his majesty, assuring him that our lives and fortunes were at his
disposal. To the which dutiful address, we received, by return of post,
a very gracious answer; and, at the same time, the lord-lieutenant gave
me a bit hint, that it would be very pleasant to his majesty to hear that
we had volunteers in our town, men of creditable connexions, and willing
to defend their property.
When I got this note from his lordship, I went to Mr Pipe, the
wine-merchant, and spoke to him concerning it, and we had some discreet
conversation on the same; in the which it was agreed between us that, as
I was now rather inclined to a corpulency of parts, and being likewise
chief civil magistrate, it would not do to set myself at the head of a
body of soldiers, but that the consequence might be made up to me in the
clothing of the men; so I consented to put the business into his hands
upon this understanding. Accordingly, he went the same night with me to
Mr Dinton, that was in the general merchandising line, a part-owner in
vessels, a trafficker in corn, and now and then a canny discounter of
bills, at a moderate rate, to folk in straits and difficulties. And we
told him--the same being agreed between us, as the best way of
fructifying the job to a profitable issue--that, as provost, I had got an
intimation to raise a corps of volunteers, and that I thought no better
hand could be got for a co-operation than him and Mr Pipe, who was
pointed out to me as a gentleman weel qualified for the command.
Mr Dinton, who was a proud man, and an offset from one of the county
families, I could see was not overly pleased at the preferment over him
given to Mr Pipe, so that I was in a manner constrained to loot a sort a-
jee, and to wile him into good-humour with all the ability in my power,
by saying that it was natural enough of the king and government to think
of Mr Pipe as one of the most proper men in the town, he paying, as he
did, the largest sum of the king's dues at the excise, and being, as we
all knew, in a great correspondence with foreign ports--and I winkit to
Mr Pipe as I said this, and he could with a difficulty keep his
countenance at hearing how I so beguiled Mr Dinton into a spirit of
loyalty for the raising of the volunteers.
The ice being thus broken, next day we had a meeting, before the council
met, to take the business into public consideration, and we thereat
settled on certain creditable persons in the town, of a known principle,
as the fittest to be officers under the command of Mr Pipe, as
commandant, and Mr Dinton, as his colleague under him. We agreed among
us, as the custom was in other places, that they should be elected major,
captain, lieutenants, and ensigns, by the free votes of the whole corps,
according to the degrees that we had determined for them. In the doing
of this, and the bringing it to pass, my skill and management was greatly
approved and extolled by all who had a peep behind the curtain.
The town-council being, as I have intimated, convened to hear the
gracious answer to the address read, and to take into consideration the
suggesting anent the volunteering, met in the clerk's chamber, where we
agreed to call a meeting of the inhabitants of the town by proclamation,
and by a notice in the church. This being determined, Mr Pipe and Mr
Dinton got a paper drawn up, and privately, before the Sunday, a number
of their genteeler friends, including those whom we had noted down to be
elected officers, set their names as willing to be volunteers.
On the Sunday, Mr Pittle, at my instigation, preached a sermon, showing
forth the necessity of arming ourselves in the defence of all that was
dear to us. It was a discourse of great method and sound argument, but
not altogether so quickened with pith and bir as might have been wished
for; but it paved the way to the reading out of the summons for the
inhabitants to meet the magistrates in the church on the Thursday
following, for the purpose, as it was worded by the town-clerk, to take
into consideration the best means of saving the king and kingdom in the
then monstrous crisis of public affairs.
The discourse, with the summons, and a rumour and whispering that had in
the mean time taken place, caused the desired effect; in so much, that,
on the Thursday, there was a great congregation of the male portion of
the people. At the which, old Mr Dravel--a genteel man he was, well read
in matters of history, though somewhat over-portioned with a conceit of
himself--got up on the table, in one of the table-seats forenent the
poopit, and made a speech suitable to the occasion; in the which he set
forth what manful things had been done of old by the Greeks and the
Romans for their country, and, waxing warm with his subject, he cried out
with a loud voice, towards the end of the discourse, giving at the same
time a stamp with his foot, "Come, then, as men and as citizens; the cry
is for your altars and your God."
"Gude save's, Mr Dravel, are ye gane by yoursel?" cried Willy Coggle from
the front of the loft, a daft body that was ayefar ben on all public
occasions--"to think that our God's a Pagan image in need of sick
feckless help as the like o' thine?" The which outcry of Willy raised a
most extraordinary laugh at the fine paternoster, about the ashes of our
ancestors, that Mr Dravel had been so vehemently rehearsing; and I was
greatly afraid that the solemnity of the day would be turned into a
ridicule. However, Mr Pipe, who was upon the whole a man no without both
sense and capacity, rose and said, that our business was to strengthen
the hands of government, by coming forward as volunteers; and therefore,
without thinking it necessary, among the people of this blessed land, to
urge any arguments in furtherance of that object, he would propose that a
volunteer corps should be raised; and he begged leave of me, who, as
provost, was in the chair, to read a few words that he had hastily thrown
together on the subject, as the outlines of a pact of agreement among
those who might be inclined to join with him. I should here, however,
mention, that the said few words of a pact was the costive product
overnight of no small endeavour between me and Mr Dinton as well as him.
When he had thus made his motion, Mr Dinton, as we had concerted, got up
and seconded the same, pointing out the liberal spirit in which the
agreement was drawn, as every person signing it was eligible to be an
officer of any rank, and every man had a vote in the preferment of the
officers. All which was mightily applauded; and upon this I rose, and
said, "It was a pleasant thing for me to have to report to his majesty's
government the loyalty of the inhabitants of our town, and the unanimity
of the volunteering spirit among them--and to testify," said I, "to all
the world, how much we are sensible of the blessings of the true liberty
we enjoy, I would suggest that the matter of the volunteering be left
entirely to Mr Pipe and Mr Dinton, with a few other respectable
gentlemen, as a committee, to carry the same into effect;" and with that
I looked, as it were, round the church, and then said, "There's Mr
Oranger, a better couldna be joined with them." He was a most creditable
man, and a grocer, that we had waled out for a captain; so I desired,
having got a nod of assent from him, that Mr Oranger's name might be
added to their's, as one of the committee. In like manner I did by all
the rest whom we had previously chosen. Thus, in a manner, predisposing
the public towards them for officers.
In the course of the week, by the endeavours of the committee, a
sufficient number of names was got to the paper, and the election of the
officers came on on the Tuesday following; at which, though there was a
sort of a contest, and nothing could be a fairer election, yet the very
persons that we had chosen were elected, though some of them had but a
narrow chance. Mr Pipe was made the commandant, by a superiority of only
two votes over Mr Dinton.