BAILLIE, ROBERT, of Jerviswood, happily described as the Scottish Sydney; was a native Of Lanarkshire, and distinguished himself during the latter part Jibe reign of Charles II. by his bold opposition to the tyrannical misgovernment of the duke of Laud erdale. Having on a certain occasion (June, 1676) rescued a relative, the Rev. Mr. Kirk ton, from of archbishop Sharpe's principal informer, a wretched profligate of the name of Carstairs, who pretended that he had a warrant for the apprehension of the clergyman, but refused to show it, B. was actually prosecuted for interfering to pre- Vent the illegal capture of his friend. For this purpose an ante-dated 'Warrant was fur nished to Carstairs, signed by nine of the councilors. The marquis of Athole afterwards admitted to bishop Burnet that lie was one of the nine who lent their names to this infamous document. The case was therefore made out to be a tumult against the gov ernment. B. was tined in 6000 merks (E318). He refused to pay; and was sent to prison: but so strong was the indignation of the Scottish gentry that he was released at the end of four months, in consideration of payment of one half of his fine to Carstairs. In 1683, B. took a prominent part in a scheme of emigration to South Carolina, as lie saw no other refuge from the degrading tyranny of the government. About the same time, however, he entered into correspondence with the heads of the new puritan party in London, whose leaders were Russell, Sydney, and the duke of Monmouth, and subsequently repaired to that city to concert measures for a vigorous insurrection against the government, not, however, so far as lie was concerned, with a view to revolution, but as the only means of securing adequate reforms. On the discovery of the Rychouse plot, B. was arrested
and sent down to Scotland. Accused of conspiring against the king's life, and of being hostile to monarchical government, B. was tried at Edinburgh, and condemned to death upon evidence at One() insufficient and illegal. His bearing both on his trial and during his imprisonment was such, that his cousin, bishop Burnet, declared "it looked like the reviving of th. spirit of the noblest of the old Greeks or Romans, or rather of the prim itive Christians and first martyrs;" and the celebrated Dr. Owen speaks of him as a " great spirit," "a person of the greatest abilities I almost ever met with." The sen tence was carried into execution on the 24th Dec., 1684. It is to be regretted that so few opportunities were afforded B. of achieving anything really great, for he seems from all accouuts to have possessed a remarkable strength of character and noble fearlessness of spirit.