persons who, of their own accord, either for the service of their prince, or out of the esteem they have for their general, serve in the army without being enlisted, to gain honour and preferment, by exposing themselves in the service.

Such are the volunteers who have been long known in the army; but the present age has witnessed whole regiments of volunteers arming themselves for a still more laudable purpose. In consequence of those democratical principles, which, in 1793, had been imported into Scotland from the Jacobins of France, a number of gentlemen in Edinburgh, eminent for their rank and respectability of character, associated themselves for the purpose of preserving the internal peace of the city. Making their object known to government, they were, in 1794, embodied in a regiment, called THE ROYAL EDINBURGH VOLUNTEERS, with officers appointed by his majesty; and so assiduous were they in learning the manual exercise of the army, that, without incurring the imputation of national prejudice, we may venture to affirm, that there is not in the king's service a regiment better disciplined or more alert in their evolutions than the Edinburgh Volunteers, who consist of lawyers, physicians, and opulent tradesmen, attached to their king and the constitution of their country. They amount at present (1796) to 850. The example of the metropolis was quickly followed by many of the other towns in Scotland; and in Glasgow, Aberdeen, Stirling, and Perth, &c., there are now volunteer regiments, which have certainly contributed to preserve the internal peace of the country, and are prepared to repel any foreign invasion should an enterprise so daring be ever attempted. Similar armaments have been formed, we believe, in many of the towns in England; and Great Britain, at present, can boast a mighty force, which, without receiving the pay of soldiers, is ready to fight pro aris et focis.