Note C.

COLONEL AND MRS DE PEYSTER.

Colonel Arentz Schuyler de Peyster, who commanded the Royal Dumfries Volunteers during the troublous times of the end of the eighteenth and opening of the nineteenth centuries, was descended from a Huguenot family which had settled in America. He was in the Regular Army, and during the Seven Years' War he commanded at Detroit, Michilimacinac, and in Upper Canada. It was his great tact and decision that enabled Colonel de Peyster to break the Indians from the French service. For some time he commanded the 8th Regiment, and as a Colonel he retired to Dumfries, the native place of Mrs de Peyster, who was a sister of Mr John M'Murdo, one of Burns's great friends and fellow-Volunteers, and Chamberlain to the Marquis of Queensberry. To the Colonel's home, Mavis Grove, Burns was always a welcome visitor, and the fact that the Colonel also courted the Muses formed a further link with the National Poet. The social unrest and the threatened invasion by the French were the causes of the old war-horse again taking up the sword, and although he was over sixty when he took command of the Dumfries Volunteers, he very soon had the Regiment in a state of great efficiency. From the Minute Book of the Corps, which has been so freely quoted from in this work, we take this extract from a Minute of 20th February, 1795: "That Colonel de Peyster shall be Major Commandant of the Corps, who, being present, accepted thereof." At a meeting on the following day called for the selection of officers, the Colonel said he was truly sensible of the honour done him in electing him Major Commandant; and to show her appreciation Mrs de Peyster would provide a stand of colours to be embroidered "with such figures and emblems of loyalty as the Volunteers shall suggest.' Mrs de Peyster requested that they would accept the flag as a free gift from her. The meeting considered that a great honour had been conferred on the Corps. The colours were presented with great

ceremony on the Square of Dumfries, on the King's Birthday, in 1795. The Rev. Dr Burnside, after prayer, congratulated the Corps on its splendid discipline, for which Colonel de Peyster's persistence in drilling had to be thanked.

Note D.

RULES AND REGULATIONS SIGNED BY VOLUNTEERS ON TAKING THE OATH.

On the 28th March, 1795, in the Old Assembly Rooms, the Deputy Lord-Lieutenant, Mr David Staig, presided over a meeting of fifty-nine members (including Robert Burns) who took the oath of allegiance.

The following "Rules, Regulations, and Bye-laws. for conducting themselves in a military capacity, which they fully considered," were adopted and signed by those present:

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1st. All resolutions of the Corps, in a body, are to be decided by a majority of votes by ballot.

"2nd. Every member admitted must take the oaths to His Majesty, previous to having his arms delivered to him. And he is expressly debarred from wearing his side-arms except when called out for the purpose of drilling, or upon other duty; and no member to appear at the drill in any degree the worse of liquor.

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"3rd.—The dress of the Corps shall remain as fixed in the offer of service-at least no alteration shall be made therein without concurrence of four-fifths of the Corpsand as an exact uniformity in this respect is obviously necessary, no deviation from it can be permitted, excepting that white cassimere breeches, buckled at the knee, and half-gaiters conform to a pattern now shown by Colonel de Peyster, shall be substituted in place of white Russia tweel trousers, as formerly agreed on.

"4th. The Corps shall wear their uniforms on general field days, and may wear them on Sundays or on public

occasions, such as the King and Queen's Birthday, assemblies, &c., and on any other occasion they may think proper.

"5th. The Corps may provide themselves with short blue jackets, and with red shoulder-straps, capes and cuffs, to be worn in the mornings or on ordinary occasions, with white vests and nankeen trousers buttoned at the ankle ; and the whole to be uniform.

"6th.--The uniform of the officers, non-commissioned, and private shall be the same, with this distinction, that the officers shall wear swords and epaulets; and the sergeants, drummers, and fifers, swords only. And when there are no military in town, the drums and fifes to beat the morning and evening duty.

"7th. The colours (which have been presented to the Corps by Mrs de Peyster) shall be placed in the custody of the Major Commandant.

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8th. Every member of the Corps obliges himself to turn out, for the purpose of drilling, when his attendance is desired by the commanding officer, such musters, however, not to exceed two hours in each day, nor two days in each week; and the hours most likely not to interfere with business to be appropriated for these purposes; and the days of meeting to be Friday and Saturday at six in the evening.

"9th.--The Corps when arrived at such a state of discipline as to think themselves entitled, by a majority of votes, to demand to be reviewed by an officer of such rank as generally presides on such occasions, after being so reviewed, or qualified to meet it, shall not be called above one day in each fortnight or more than two hours in that day, for the purpose of drilling.

"10th. The Corps shall appoint a new committee, consisting of the two captains and four lieutenants and of eight non-commissioned officers or privates, to be elected; the major commandment or senior officer present to preside on all occasions, and to have the casting vote in case

of an equality; and nine to be a quorum. The committee to continue three months.

"11th. This committee shall have jurisdiction in all matters of offence committed against the Corps by any of its members, the punishment to extend only to fine, censure, or expulsion from the Corps; and in certain cases, may extend the punishment to publishing his name and offence in the Dumfries Weekly Journal.

"12th. This committee shall deliberate on all matters respecting the Corps. In cases of fine and censure its resolutions to pass by a majority of votes and be decisive; but in questions of expulsion, &c., by the concurrence of three-fourths of the committee, or quorum present-and in this case an appeal to lay to the whole Corps, on the application of the dissenting members.

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13th. When the Corps is called out on ordinary field days, for the purpose of drilling, defaulters or absentees on such musters who cannot assign a just and necessary cause of absence to his commanding officer shall be fined in the following sums, viz., non-commissioned officers and privates one shilling for the first offence, and one shilling and sixpence for every offence thereafter; commissioned officers of every rank, two shillings and sixpence for the first offence, and five shillings for every subsequent offence, but these fines shall not operate against members confined by indisposition, or on journeys of more than seven miles from Dumfries.

"14th. That the fines so levied shall be paid to the commanding officer of each Company, and an account of their amount to be kept by the sergeant-major; such amount to be submitted once a month to the inspection of the committee, who shall direct the expenditure thereof.

"15th. The commanding officer to be bound to call a meeting of the committee on the application of any five members in writing.

"16th. The Corps, in case of riot, insurrection, accidental fire, public rejoicing, or other necessary occasions

to be bound to turn out under arms, on the call of the commanding officer for the time, on an application to him by the civil magistrates of the town or on requisition of the Lord-Lieutenant of the County, or his deputy for this district, in case the service of the Corps is required in the country as stated in their offer of service; and in cases of fire the beat of the town drum to be the signal for every member to repair under arms to the alarm post, which the commandant will appoint, dressed in their morning jackets.

17th. Any member of the Corps guilty of insolence to his superior officer, whilst on duty, to be subject to fine or censure, or expulsion, if the committee consider the case to merit it.

"18th. Any officer guilty of tyrannical behaviour towards any member of the Corps, whilst on duty, to be punished by fine and censure at the discretion of the committee.

"19th. Any centinel or private quitting his post when called out upon duty, to be liable to the highest penalty that can be inflicted; and any officer or private abandoning his post when on duty to be subject to the same.

"20th.-Any centinel or private suffering himself to be surprised on duty, or losing his arms, to be subjected in the same manner.

"21st.-Any member exciting others to neglect their duty, or raising cabals in the Corps, to be subject to the same. "22nd. No discharge shall in future be granted to any member unless he pay twenty guineas towards the incidental expenses of the Corps, except such as from unavoidable causes shall be obliged to remove their residence, in which case they are virtually discharged.

"23rd. Any member having occasion to be absent from town for the space of one week or more, and who upon that account cannot attend the muster during that time, shall be bound to give notice thereof to the Commanding Officer of his Company, upon pain of being fined as in the case of unnecessary absence.