Scotland, union, and the cost of an independent state

If Scotland had remained in a dual monarchy rather than joining Great Britain, what would have happened to its navy and government?

A financially weak Scottish state would depend on English money and security, while its small navy would lose personnel to larger services instead of developing into an independent great-power fleet.

This counterfactual begins with Scotland's financial weakness before the Acts of Union 1707. Under the dual monarchy, the royal court spent most of its time in England, drawing ambitious nobles south and leaving a weaker governing elite in Scotland. A financially weak independent state could fall into special measures and become dependent on English support. Without enough revenue for its own army, English troops might provide security while London used funding to influence Scottish policy. The small Scottish naval establishment associated with the failed Darien scheme would struggle to become an autonomous great-power fleet; individual officers and sailors were likelier to enter Royal Navy or Russian service. Separate coinage could continue, but meaningful economic and military independence would remain limited.