Michael Linning WS (24 September 1774 [2] - 17 February 1838) was a Scottish solicitor and the probable author of The First Book of Napoleon. He was the son of Thomas Linning and grandson of the Rev. Thomas Linning, Minister of Lesmahogow. [3] He attended Glasgow College from 1788 to 1793. [4]
The First Book of Napoleon is a pseudo-biblical work written under the pen name "Eliakim the Scribe". A pre-publication manuscript copy at the State Library of New South Wales identifies Michael Linning as the author. [5] As a Writer to Her Majesty's Signet, Linning's role was very similar to the ancient biblical role of scribe. In addition, the pen name "Eliakim" may be a semordnilap of Michael (i.e. "Mikaile").
In February 1810, the British Critic said they readily admitted that the language adopted by this book would be peculiarly effective on the minds of those pious Christians, in humble life, who were accustomed to read and revere their Bibles; but they thought that such persons stood, perhaps, in less need of the admonitions contained in this book than any others; while the price at which a book so elegantly printed could be sold would prevent it from falling into the hands of such persons. The British Critic said that they really regretted this circumstance because the book gave, in language with which such persons were best acquainted, a just view of the principles which led to the French Revolution, to the elevation of Buonaparte to the throne of the Bourbons, and to all the miseries under which Continental Europe had so long groaned; contrasting those miseries with the happiness Britons enjoyed under the mild government of George III. [6] In 1908, The Nation described this pamphlet as being "very curious as well as rare". [7]
Linning also was Secretary of the Royal Association of Contributors to the National Monument of Scotland, which he in 1816 proposed as a memorial to Scottish soldiers and sailors who died fighting the Napoleonic Wars. [8]
In a history of the parish of Mid-Calder, historian Hardy M'Call describes Linning and his work on peat moss conversion to fuel: [9]
Mr. Linning was a man of inventive mind. Among his many projects, which were to have united the welfare of mankind at large with the development of his own estate, was a scheme for the conversion of peat into portable fuel... The scene of these experiments is marked by a stone chimney, which still remains on the lands of Colzium, though partially shattered by the memorable thunderstorm of 12th August 1884.
The patent application is recorded in February 1837. [10]
Admiral Sir Robert Calder, 1st Baronet, was a British naval officer who served in the Seven Years' War, the American Revolutionary War, the French Revolutionary Wars and the Napoleonic Wars. For much of his career he was regarded as a dependable officer, and spent several years as Captain of the Fleet under Admiral Sir John Jervis. However, he is chiefly remembered for his controversial actions following the Battle of Cape Finisterre in 1805 which resulted in his court-martial. Though he was removed from his sea command, he was retained in the Navy and later served as Commander-in-Chief of the base at Plymouth.
The Law Society of Scotland is the professional governing body for Scottish solicitors. Its goal is to promote excellence among solicitors through the support and regulation of its members. It is also committed to promoting the interests of the public in relation to the profession. The Society seeks to contribute to the shaping of the law for the benefit of both the public and the profession.
John Eadie was a Scottish theologian and biblical critic.
Benjamin Bathurst was a British diplomat who disappeared in Prussia during the Napoleonic Wars. He was the third son of Henry Bathurst, Bishop of Norwich, and his sister was the poet Caroline de Crespigny.
Sir William N. Fraser, was a solicitor and notable expert in ancient Scottish history, palaeography, and genealogy.
Oliver Remigius, Count von Wallis, Baron von Carrighmain, the scion of the distinguished Irish Walsh family in Habsburg military service, served in Austria's wars with the Ottoman Empire (1787–1791), and in the French Revolutionary Wars (1791–1800). He died of wounds received in action at the First Battle of Zürich.
Thomas Hardy FRSE was a Scottish Minister, Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland in 1793 and Professor of Eccesiastical History at Edinburgh University. He was also Dean of the Chapel Royal and Chaplain in Ordinary to the King.
Hégésippe Moreau was a French lyric poet. From birth, he was called by the last name of his biological father (Moreau) and took on the pseudonym Hégésippe when he first began publishing poetry in 1829. In the imagination of the French romantics and the 19th century public, the difficulties of Hégésippe Moreau's life and his untimely death made him a romantic equivalent of the earlier poets Thomas Chatterton, Nicolas Joseph Laurent Gilbert and Jacques Clinchamps de Malfilâtre. This romantic myth was solidified by the publication of his complete works, together with the works of Gilbert and a list of poets who died of hunger, in 1856; the 1860 edition of his works included an important biographical preface by Sainte-Beuve.
The Royal Faculty of Procurators in Glasgow is a professional body of legal practitioners based in Glasgow and providing services to lawyers in the city and the surrounding area. The Faculty owns and operates the largest law library in the West of Scotland as well as a small branch library at Glasgow Sheriff Court, and runs a programme of continuing professional development (CPD) seminars.
Robert Cox WS (1810–1872) was a Scottish lawyer, known as a writer of several works on the question of the Christian Sabbath, and a phrenologist.
The Society of Advocates in Aberdeen is an independent non-regulatory professional body of solicitors in the northern Scottish city of Aberdeen and its surrounding area. It is a membership organisation providing a library, continuing professional development (CPD) courses and social events for its members, as well as engaging in representative activities, similar in form to the Society of Writers to Her Majesty's Signet in Edinburgh and the Royal Faculty of Procurators in Glasgow. The Society has its base in the Advocates Hall, located on Concert Court behind the Sheriff Court.
Patric Park was a Scottish sculptor.
The Record Commissions were a series of six Royal Commissions of Great Britain and the United Kingdom which sat between 1800 and 1837 to inquire into the custody and public accessibility of the state archives. The Commissioners' work paved the way for the establishment of the Public Record Office in 1838. The Commissioners were also responsible for publishing various historical records, including the Statutes of the Realm to 1714 and the Acts of Parliament of Scotland to 1707, as well as a number of important medieval records.
William Cuninghame of Lainshaw (c.1775–1849) was a Scottish landowner, known as a writer on biblical prophecy. He dated the beginning of the reign of Antichrist to 533 A.D., to coincide with a claimed date at which Justinian I gave universal rule to the Papacy, by subtracting 1260 years from the date after the French Revolution at which it was seen to turn against the Roman Catholic Church.
Events from the year 1838 in Scotland.
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John Spreul was a town clerk in Glasgow who was educated at the University of Glasgow, where he completed his Master of Arts degree in 1635. His father was the Provost of Renfrew and an MP for Renfrew. After university, he thought about becoming a church minister but could not, in good conscience, sign the Five Articles of Perth. He was converted after hearing a sermon from David Dickson in 1644. He was a writer which is a Scottish term for a lawyer. For example William Lin is described as a Writer to the Signet which would make him a senior lawyer. He became unpopular with some Glaswegian magistrates because of his opposition to Hugh Binning. According to rumours, he potentially fought for the Covenanters at the Battle of Kilsyth. Spreul and John Graham fought together at the Battle of Philiphaugh in September 1645. Spreul became town clerk of Glasgow on 21 October 1645. He fought for the Scottish Covenanters in the Battle of Dunbar. He is reported to have had a very long beard and to have been mocked for it before the Privy Council of Scotland.