Only yesterday I lit upon a caricature, an English caricature, I need hardly say, of the date of 1780—you see, ten years after the time I am speaking of, when the current coin was so small in number. It represents a Scotsman only half clad—the caricature is quite decorous—(laughter)—with his shoes on his one shoulder, and an essential part of his dress on the other—(laughter) page 10 —barefooted, on his way to England, And underneath it is written:—

Tho' Sawney's breeks are on his shoulders,
So plainly seen by all beholders,
Half-starved, half-naked, but one shoe,
Yet, by and by, he "ll ride o'er you,

Yes, our great-grandfathers—my great-grand-father at any rate was living at that time, and in possession of his estate—our great-grandfathers did great things in those days on a mess of pottage. They had no more. But with it they helped to mould the Empire. They maintained their poor without legal compulsion. They sought nothing from external help, and they laid in their nakedness and their barrenness the foundations of the prosperity which reigns in Scotland at the present moment. (Applause.) I should not care to live, we none of us would care to live, as they did. Some of the poorest in our country would shrink from the manner of life which was endured by some of the noblest in these days. We should not care to share their privations; but we should not be unwilling to be convinced that we possess their independence, their self-reliance, and their self-respect. (Applause.)