self the honour of waiting on you. Your Lop will easily guess what occasion'd it; and I hope you'll not think me guilty of a fault when I was doing the greatest penance, tho' not for sins of my own. I wish to God those unhappy differences betwixt you and Brodie had never had a being; and next to that, that there may soon be an end to 'em. 'Tis now a great many years since I told your Lop of what consequence your friendship was to my Daughter and me; and tho' I know you do us the honour to value us, yet we should be still much happier if you and the Lyon were as you have been, and if you could forget all the cross accidents that have happened, and only remember the great friendship there was, and the relation there still is, betwixt you. My heart is so full of this unlucky subject, that I could not write to you without mentioning it. If 'tis impertinent, I beg you'l forgive it; and be pleased to believe, that no body has a greater respect for your merit, nor a truer gratitude for your favours, than, My Lord, Your Lordship's obliged and most Obedient humble Serv1 I would have done myself the honour to write to your No. CLXXII. The Lord Advocate to M" Isabella Sleigh, dated Culloden, 24 October 1735Madam, IT was with very great pleasure I saw by the Letter I had the honour to receive from you of the 29th September, that our unlucky dissentions in this Country have not been able to dislodge me from the place I was so proud of possessing in your esteem. Those dissentions produced abundance of uneasiness; but none I felt so sensibly, as the being locked out from the Conversation of Ladys to whose good will I owed so much, and for whom I had so true a respect. And if the nature of the disputes, and the manner of carrying them on, had not put it absolutely out of my power, you may be sure no slight incident, no matter of form, would have ever prevailed with me to mortify myself so much, as to pass by Brodie House whilst you and your daughter were in it. But those unhappy differences were begun, and have been carried on, in such a manner, as leaves it impossible for me (I say it with great concern), in any consistency with the maxims I have laid down to myself for the Government of my life, to forget, or even to seem to forgive hastily, the usage I apprehend I have met with. I say the usage I apprehend, only, I have met with; because I would not, if it might be had for a wish, desire that either you or M" Brodie were convinced of the Injustice of it. Since, if one of us must be in the wrong, it is much more eligible, and will tend much more to your quiet, that I should be thought the faulty person, than that M' Brodie should deserve the Blame. But let those Contentions run as high between the Lord Lyon and me as Indiscretion on either side may push them, I do assure you, with the greatest sincerity, that nothing can give me greater pleasure than to have it in my power to do you or your daughter any reall service; and that upon every occasion wherein your honour or Interest may be concerned, I shall delight in shewing how much I am, Dear Madam, Your very faithfull and most Obedient humble Servant. Dear Sir, No. CLXXIII. The Lord Advocate to M' Scrope. IT was not my intention to have given you any trouble at this time; but the Report made to me by my Nephew, John Munro, of your kindness to him, is so strong, that I cannot forbear expressing my thankfulness. It is true, that, recollecting the whole tenor of your conduct towards me, I had reason to expect your good offices to such as I had any near concern in : but the neglect I have for some time past met with, from those whom I have always served with great affection and fidelity, places your goodness in such a light, as draws from me all that my present condition can afford; to wit, wishes that it may be in my power to return your friendship to yourself, or to any in whom you are any way interested. As for me, my situation is such as you may guess; disabled to do good, unwilling to do harm, I live as much as I can the life of a Philosopher; hopeful, from the lucky turn the Newspapers say our Forreign affairs have taken, that faction and virulent opposition will be so far quelled at home, that I, who am incapable of leaving my friends in times of difficulty, may have leave, without imputation or reproach, to enjoy a little quiet at home, and to retire from a situation for which it seems I am not fit, and in which I never enjoyed much comfort. But, whatever my situation may be, you & yours shall ever find me a most faithfull . & most humble Serv'. Edinburgh, 18th Nov 1735. My Dear Lord, No. CLXXIV. M' Speaker Onslow to the Lord Advocate. I AM much beholden to your Lordship for the favour of your Letter, & have a thousand pardons to ask of you for the trouble I give your Lordship in this matter; & to shorten it as much as I can, at present, I will only inform Y' Lordship, that I have just now recd the linnen, wch shall remain as it came, till I have the honour to kiss your hands here; when, I am sure, you will suffer me, in some shape or another, to make a return by way of present for this wch the Royal Burghs have sent me. I know your Lordship will think this right when you & I talk together of it; & then I'm sure of your assistance in it. I am, with all imaginable respect, my Dear Lord, Your most affectionate, and ever faithfull Humble Servant, AR. ONSLOW. Leicester-street, Dec' the 18th, 1736. S I'll do all I can for poor M' Anderson; but fear my success. No. CLXXV. My Dear Duncan, St Clair to the Lord Advocate. No date [probably Jan' 1737.] BY last night's post I had your kind Letter. Our poor Friend Mr Fenwick is no more. I have given Farquhar an account of her death, which I make no doubt he he communicated to you; so, I reckon, a repetition of that mellancholy storie is unnessisary all we that were acquainted withe her have made an irreparable loss; but she, poor Woman! had suffered so much in hir longe ilnese, that, in kindness to hir, one shou'd not be sorry she is released, since their was no prospect of hir being restored to hir health. Not half an hour before she dyed, she received a letter from George Clark, which she oppened and read with a seeming satissfaction. The Day befor she sat donne at the head of hir owne Table at Dinner, and in hir usewall way mind'd all your healths, and in short caryed every thing out to the last with ane uncommoune spirit. I returne you my hearty thanks for the care you take in assisting my Brother in his Burgh; as also for makeing your Brother John's peace with the Kirk, without giveing him the Trouble of longe conferrences and treatys. I reckon your preliminarys have been better adjusted and understood than those that shall be nameless. M' Ross has had his affair finished on the plan you left it on; and, I think, was convinced that Sir Robert cou'd do no more then he did for him, in the matter of the Rank twixt him and the Duke of Argyle, which he now aquiesses too. Thier was a project of the E. of Islay's agreed too by S' R, for Peter Halden's being Commissioner of the Customs in the roome of him whom Vahan has succeeded too; and that the 1500 pound a year, which is the sallery of a Commissioner of the Customs and Excise, shou'd be equaly divided betwixt Peter and the Master of Ross. When this came to be mentioned to his Maj- it's said he was in a great passion with the Knight, and ordered him to tell Peter, that he, nor no such Rascall, ever shou'd have any imployment from him. On this, I heare, Peter has walked for Scotland, with an intent to sacrifyse the remainder of his days for the good of his Country in a private way. S' Robert had done nothing in my affair befor his goeing into Northfolk, but has promised to speake to the Queen of it as soone as he returnes; which if he do's, and that I see no apperance of the Prince's comeing soon over, it's verry possible I may visit you in the month of Sep", when my waitting as Field Officer will be out. I do not heare when the Duke is to sett out on his reviewing. I have not seen Lord Grange since he had his first heareing before the Chancelour; but I take it for granted, he will lose his plea. We have been told here, that the President was at the last gasp*; and I think it's allowed by every body, that you may be his successor if you please. I have said so much to you on that head, that I shall trouble you with nothing now upon it; but assure you, that all your friends will have great cause to be dissatisfied with you if you refuse it. The King is now at Hampton Court, and will stay there about three Weeks longer; from thence he returnes to Richmond, and will live privatly till the middle or end of August; then he goes to Windsor. I am, my Dear Duncan, most Affectionately yours, JA. S' CLAIR. Sir Hugh Dalrymple, Bart. of North Berwick, Lord President of the Session, died Feb. 1, 1737 No. CLXXVI. My Lord, No. CLXXVI. Mr Ruddiman to the Lord Advocate. I AM sorry I am obliged to inform you, that at five o'Clock this Afternoon, I was served with an Order from the House of Peers, to appear as an Evidence before them with relation to a Bill disabling our Lord Provost, &c. against the third of May next. It is not unknown to your Lop that besides my advanced Age (I being some Months gone in my grand Climacterick) I have been accustomed to a sedentary kind of life; in so much that I have no prospect that it will be practicable for me to arrive thither against that time. I am therefore advised by some of my good Friends here to have recourse to your Lop, that in case I do not come up in time, as I am perswaded I will not be able to do, you will be so good as to represent my Circumstances to such great persons as you shall judge proper. To shew my Obedience, I design to set out the Morrow forenoon; but sure no Orders can be so strick & peremptory as to oblige a man to anything that is inconsistent with his health, & far less what is above his power. Your Lop's known generosity & goodness, of which I have hade many instances, will excuse this trouble, & prevail with you to represent my case so favourably that I may not incur any hazard by arriving later than the time appointed. I am, with all dutifull Respect, Edin' 23 April 1737. My Lord, Your Lop's most obliged & THO RUDDIMAN. No. CLXXVII. M' Scrope to the Lord President of the Session. * August y 13th, 1737. My Dear Lord, I HAVE y honour of yours of y 2d; y substance of wch I communicated to S' R. W. who spoke of you wth great respect, & I am confident will do any thing to make you easy. At present, little is thought of here, but ye incident wch lately happened at Court. Ye removing y Princess from Hampton Court, whout ye knowledge of y K. or Q. after there were certaine indications of her being in labour, hath much increased y uneasyness y' was there before; & I see no prospect of it's being better. What y Consequence of it will be, God knows. I intend next week to go wth my nephew to his House in Somersetshire, where I hope to be quiet, & am resolved to be troubled wh no news but what is in y prints, wh is so seldom true y' I shall not regard it much. I believe little will be done about Scotland till my return. I don't find any thing is determined in what you hint at about the Customes; nor is it talked of in y man' it was when you left us; wch makes me think they will go on in y° channel they are in. As to poor Bowles, I don't know what to say: he is so secreet in every thing y' relates to himself, that I can never guess what would be agreeable to him; & y unfortunate affaire of the Isle of Wight hath created such a prejudice agst him, y' I am affraide to mention his name; but this I dare not let him know. It being uncertaine where this will wait on you, I will only add, y' I am wth y° utmost regard and esteem, My Dear Lord, Yor most affectionate faithful humble Serv', J. S. * Mr. Duncan Forbes was appointed Lord President June 21, 1737- No. CLXXVIII. My Lord, No. CLXXVIII. M' Henry Fane to the Lord President. The 13th Sep 1737 I TAKE the liberty to acquaint you, that Lord Harrington has talk'd wth M' Solenthal, the Danish Minister, ab the Affair of M' Wightman, who has promised to write home to his Court; & my Lord has wrote to M' Titley to use proper instances for obtaining satisfaction. In the mean time, the last subsidy is stopp'd; and I think a line from you to my Lord & S' R. W. may make the matter more easily finished. My Uncle & I returned Sunday from a progress to Lyme, & my Brother's house in Somersetshire; where we left him very well. There was a great scour yesterday at St James's, to get the P. & Princesse's Baggage out of the house, pursuant to the order he rece'd Saturday by the D' of Grafton, Richmond, & the E. of Pembroke, to be gone by yt time. The message they delivered was long, & I hope to send you a Copy of it next Post. Every one is forbid paying court to them, under the penalty of non-Admittance into their Majesties Presence. The Duke of Argyll to the Lord President, Dated Adderbury, O&t' ye 9th 1737Dear Duncan, I HAVE last post receav'd your Letter, & doe not doubt but you will believe that I am most sincerely thankful for ye vast trouble you have been at to doe me good. I am very fare from not having my expectations answered; for, upon my word, I took it for granted, from the Sheriff's way of stating the affairs of that Country, that things would turn out as you found them; & believe me, I think myself well off on the foot that you have put them; & I am fully perswaded, if you had not given yourself the trouble you have done, some Gentlemen had brought about their ends whose duty it was to serve me better. When you have time, my curiosity makes me wish to know your observations on Teree. I have strange notions of that Island. I fancy you don't expect news from me, who have nothing to doe with Patriots, & almost as litle to doe with Ministers. I had a Letter by this last post from M' Wishart y Minister at Edingbourg, by which I see that many of those Gentlemen are as mad as ever, &, to my great surprize, that he is of the number. This, Duncan, I think proves plainly that the method I proposed for conducting those Gentlemen was much better then what was taken. My Brother did us the favour of a visit last week; to what end I am not able to conceive; for in the three days he pass'd here, the only news he told me was, that he knew nothing: he did, indeed, doe me the favour to let me see Extracts out of some Letters which I and every body in this County had seen before in full & in print. Receive y compliments of ye Dutchess & y young Gentlewomen, who are all well. I am most faithfully yours, ARGYLL & GREENWICH. No. CLXXX. |