Lice are Beetles, but that they may be, or—­a—­a—­a—­a—­resemble Beetles.  I am therefore for sending the process to the Ordinary to ascertain the fact, as I think it depends upon that whether there be—­a—­a—­a—­a—­convicium or not.  I think also the petitioner should be ordained to—­a—­a—­a—­produce his Beetle, and the defender an Egyptian Louse or Pediculus, and if he has not one, that he should take a diligence—­a—­a—­a—­against havers to recover Lice of various kinds; and these may be remitted to Dr. Monro, or Mr. Playfair, or to some other naturalist, to report upon the subject.

     “Agreed to.”

This is clearly a Reminiscence of a bygone state of matters in the Court of Session.  I think every reader in our day, of the once famous Beetle case, will come to the conclusion that, making all due allowance for the humorous embellishment of the description, and even for some exaggeration of caricature, it describes what was once a real state of matters, which, he will be sure, is real no more.  The day of Judges of the Balmuto-Hermand-Polkemmet class has passed away, and is become a Scottish Reminiscence.  Having thus brought before my readers some Reminiscences of past times from the Courts of Justice, let me advert to one which belongs to, or was supposed to belong to, past days of our Scottish universities.  It is now a matter of tradition.  But an idea prevailed, whether correctly or incorrectly, some eighty or a hundred years ago, that at northern colleges degrees were regularly sold, and those who could pay the price obtained them, without reference to the merits or attainments of those on whom they were conferred.  We have heard of divers jokes being passed on those who were supposed to have received such academical honours, as well as on those who had given them.  It is said Dr Samuel Johnson joined in this sarcastic humour.  But his prejudices both against Scotland and Scottish literature were well known.  Colman, in his amusing play of the “Heir at Law,” makes his Dr. Pangloss ludicrously describe his receiving an LL.D. degree, on the grounds of his own celebrity (as he had never seen the college), and his paying the heads one pound fifteen shillings and threepence three farthings as a handsome compliment to them on receiving his diploma.  Colman certainly had studied at a northern university.  But he might have gone into the idea in fun.  However this may be, an anecdote is current in the east of Scotland, which is illustrative of this real or supposed state of matters, to which we may indeed apply the Italian phrase that if “non vero” it is “ben trovato.”  The story is this:—­An East Lothian minister, accompanied by his man, who acted as betheral of his parish, went over to a northern university to purchase his degree, and on their return home he gave strict charge to his man, that as now he was invested with academical honour, he was to be sure to say, if any one asked for the minister,