THE HONOURABLE Sir ARCHIBALD MACDONALD, Knt. His Majefty's ATTORNEY GENERAL Too low for a high Praise, and too little for a great Praise. Seeft thou not the air of court in these enfoldings? I am a courtier cap-à-pée. SHAKESPEARE, EXOTICS in the natural world, feldom root so well in any other as in their own ftrata; but in the moral world, we find it directly the reverse. We have daily examples of a drudging Scott-an impatient Irishman-and even an homely WELSHMAN, benefiting benefiting by transplantation; and we have been particularly led to this reflection, on clofe contemplation of the subject of this brief Page. SIR ARCHIBALD MACDONALD Would, most probably, have remained but a weak lip from the paternal Tree, perhaps productive of little fruit, nor remarkable for any ftriking foliage, had he been left to rot or ripen on the barren foil that first raised and nurtured him into existence. SIR ARCHIBALD is the son of SIR ALEXANDER MACDONALD, of Slatethe representative of the Kings and Lords of the ISLES-a title of more found than importance; yet tenaciously kept up, and vauntingly noted in the Archives of the family. The mother of the Attorney General was the LADY MARGARET MONTGOMERY, a daughter of the NOBLE HOUSE of EG LINTON, The family of Sir ALEXANDER may be justly esteemed amongst the most fortunate fortunate of his country, for every branch of it has been patronized either by natural or acquired favours. SIR JAMES, who afterwards fucceeded to the Baronetcy of his father, will be univerfally remembered as a prodigy of early abilities: but the full blown Flower of Genius failed, in a certain degree, to answer the promise of it's first opening. The fecond fon, ALEXANDER, by dint of application, and the force of merit, was created an Irish Baron in the year 1776; and Sir ARCHIBALD, of whom we are now fpeaking, has, by a fortuitous turn of circumftances, fucceeded to two the most important offices of his Profeffion,-those of Solicitor and Attorney General. If we view Sir Archibald's first practice at the Bar, a word fynonymous with legal Reputation, we shall find it to have been extremely fcant;-A Fee, now and then, in Scotch appeals, being the fummit of his Experience, or indeed expectations. His latter fuccefs has been owing, like fome others of his Brethren, more to the Pettticoat than to the Gown. SIR ARCHIBALD, it must be remembered, is connected, by marriage, with the House of STAFFORD, having efpoufed Lady GoWER, a daughter of the prefent noble MARQUIS. From the powerful intereft and influence of fuch an alliPreferment might naturally be looked for, nor has it been looked for in vain. On the first vacancy, we accordingly obferve Sir ARCHIBALD conftituted Solicitor General; and on the advancement of Sir PEPPER ARDEN, he fucceeded him as Attorney General, It had formerly been accepted as a maxim, That these great Crown Officers should ftand forth, as ftrong Minifterial Holds in the HOUSE of COMMONS ;-but moral and political data, as we have more than in this place obferved, have occafionally |