98 QUALIFICATION TO VOTE AT COUNTY ELECTIONS

ander the Third of Sootland, and preserved in documents,called “ Retours of the Services of Crown Vassals,” were en-titled to vote in the election of a commissioner or represen-tative in Parliament . But as, after the Reformation, churchlands, of which a large proportion of the kingdom consisted,had not previously afforded a qualification to a freeholder,and the new proprietors could not produce the evidence of aretour, excepting where there remained a retour, previous tothe gift of the lands to the church; it was thought proper,to give a right of voting to the proprietors of church lands,whose yearly rent was ten chalders of grain, or L. 1000 Scotchin money. Afterwards, when a new valuation of the wholekingdom came to be made, in cases where the lands couldnot be ascertained by retours to be forty shilling lands ofold extent, the right of voting w'as given, by an act (1681,c. 21) to those, who were infeft in, and possessed of lands,whether in property, or superiority, holding of the Crown orPrince, to the amount of L.400 Scotch of valued rent. Thisright is enjoyed by the vassal, whether he holds of the crowneither feu, or blanch.

It is singular, that the qualification of 40s. in land, shouldbe the same in Scotland as in England; but the Scotch le-gislature thought it advisable, to fix the value, at the limewhen their right was established ; and it does not admit ofany variation, in consequence of the decrease in the value ofmoney.

The single exception to these enactments is found in thecounty of Sutherland. As by far the greater proportion ofland in that county holds of the Earldom of Sutherland, ithas been found necessary, to give to the vassals of that earl-dom, as well as to the vassals of the crown, the privilege ofvoting; and, in consequence of the inconsiderable number ofsmall proprietors in that district, the qualification of the free-holder is reduced to L. 200 Scotch of valued rent.