My Dear Lord, No. CCXCV. Lord Lovat to the Lord President. I RECEIVED your Lop's most kind letter, of the 11th of this Month by the Bearer; and my heart is as full of thanks and gratitude as any Man's can be. I beg your Lop a thousand pardons for not dispatching the Bearer sooner; but the truth is, that I had almost died the night before I received your Lop's letter. I had taken, the night of the 10", my vomit as usual; but I no sooner was in Bed, then I was seized with a most terrible stitch in my left side. I could not speak nor draw my breath, but upon the least movement I was tormented most horridly. I continued so all y' night, and am very little better ever since; so that I am in a very bad way. I caused rub some warm Brandy to my side before day-light this Morning, which has given me some Ease; or then I would not be able to dictate this letter; but my Stitch still continues; and if it does not go off, it will soon make an end of me; and then I'll be no further troublesome to my dear Lord President, or to any other of my friends; and the mad Youth will be then Lord Lovat, as well as Colonel of his Rebellious Regiment. I do assure you, my dear Lord, that I will not regret dying at this time, that I may not see the Evils that threatens my family, which was always regarded as ane honest brave family in this Country. I am very easy about my obstreperous and unnatural Son, and the mad people that feed him in his false ambition; but the thoughts and fears of seeing the honest Family of Lovat demolish'd and extinguish'd in our days, pierces my heart and soul with the most melancholy thoughts; which would be enough to kill me, tho' I had no stitch nor pains in my Body, considering what I have done and suffered to restore it, and bring it out of the hands of the Mackenzies. I give your Lop a thousand thanks for speaking to the Earl of Loudon in my Favours. I would expect civility and friendship from his Father's Son, who was my good and intimate friend. It is certain, my dear Lord, that while you please, and the Earl of Loudon, I will be safe and unmolested in this little Hut; for the Ministry will never give a Warrant against me, or against any Man in this Country, but on your Lop's representation, or the Earl of Loudon's. So that, as long as I have the honor and good fortune of having you two my Friends, I'll fear no molestations in this troublesome and dangerous Conjuncture. As to my Clan, I wish with all my heart that the villains and rascals of them that were guilty of any illegal, base, and barbarous Actions were seized and severely chastized and punish'd; but I believe they are marched South, in the Regiment of that unhappy Youth, to screen themselves from Justice; and I would be very glad that the fifth Man of them were hanged. But, my dear Lord, as to the honest Gentlemen and Tenants that have stay'd at home for love of me, and for love of Peace and Quietness, it would be the hardest case in the world, that those honest people should be molested in their persons or effects, since they have done no harm, and that they are fully resolved to live peaceably & quietly with me in my Country, and be as obedient and submissive to the King & Government as any people in the North of Scotland; which I will answer for, or renounce any Protection to myself or to my people from the Government. I therefore most humbly beg, my dear Lord, you may save those poor people that staid at home for love of me, notwithstanding of the Threats and Menaces that was used against them. As to what the Earl of Loudon says, of dragging Men out of their Beds, to force them to the Rebellion, it's what I never heard of, till I had the honour of his [your] Lop's letter. I truly think it was not done in this Country, otherwise I would have heard of it; and I was told every day, that the Fellows was madly inclined themselves to go, without any Force. Force. I was likewise told, that several young fellows from other Countrys came and offered themselves as volunteers to my Son, that he never saw before. As to the news that the Gentlemen of the Highland Army endeavoured to spread, they are so very foolish, ignorant, and ridiculous, that no man in his senses or judgement can believe them, or take notice of them. Your faithful Servant, and my honest Relation, Tho' of Gortuleg, has been my Companion in Affliction; for he has been since Wednesday last lying in the next room to me at death's door, with his old cruel horrid distemper, an Inflamation in the Kidneys. He was let blood, which I believe saved his Life; for my friend Doctor Clark told me (who is much subject to that terrible Distemper), that letting much blood, when he was attack'd with it, was the only thing that saved his Life. Gortuleg and I, sick as we are, offer our most affectionate and dutiful respects to your Lop; and I am, while I have any remains of Life, with unalterable Zeal & Gratitude, I HAVE not heard from you since your letter of the 11th of October, which came long ago by the Sloop. Since that time, many things have happened on this Side, of which I should have ben very glad, from time to time, to have talk'd to your Lordship; because I am very well assured, that your end and mine is the same; viz. the Greatness and Happiness of this Nation in general, and of our Country in particular; free from the little Views of Party, which have unluckily prevailed too much. Till within these few days, I had not heard that the Sloops with Money and Arms were arrived at Inverness. Till they came, and till it was a little plain how the Young Pretender's Affairs were like to go at Edin', I suppose several Leaders of the Highland Clans would endeavour to keep themselves in a manner unengaged, that they might be the more at Liberty to follow whatever Party they should find most advantageous to themselves. At present, when the Nation of Scotland sees that the Young Pretender is unable, in the first place, to support himself at Edinburgh, and in the next place unable to force himself into England with any appearance of Success, I do not at all doubt but that you will find plenty of Highlanders, both to accept, and to fill up your Commissions; but you will soon foresee that you are to meet with Difficulties of another kind. As long as the whole was in great danger, there was no body found to say, that they were not very glad that your Lordship was in the Way, to struggle and to hinder the whole Highlands from falling into the Hands of the Pretender, and so, by consequence, their whole united strength to be brought to Edinburgh, in the Way to England, where the appearance of such an united Strength might probably have encouraged France and Spain to send very considerable Supplys of Money, Arms, and Men, to their Friends in Britain and Ireland, both by Diversion and otherwise. At present, when Things seem to be taking a different turn, much less dangerous to the Public, as to the overturning the whole Machine of our Government, you you will find that the great Question will be, not what is to be done, but by whom. This is what for some days I have foreseen; in the mean time, I am anxious to know the Steps that Lord Loudoun and you have taken, the number of Commissions that you have given out, and in what manner you have posted, and do propose to employ the Highlanders raised, and to be raised. I should think it might be in such a manner, as to cut the Communication between that Part of the Highlands where the Rebellion was raised, and the Pretender in the South. I should be very glad, when I have the pleasure to meet with You, to learn a great many Particulars relating to the Behaviour, both of the Clans and of particular persons in the Clans, which are subjects not proper to be freely treated of in Letters; and on my part I shall have a great many curious things to say to you. In the mean time, according to the best of my Understanding, I shall go on my Road straight; which, God knows, has no other End than the happiness and Independency of my Country, and of the King that governs us. This letter goes by your Son, who sails from hence in a Sloop appointed to carry every thing that is necessary and ready for the E. of Loudoun's Regiment. Henceforth I hope we shall have a free Communication with Inverness, and the Country on that Side, by the way of Edinburgh. I am ever most faithfully and affectionately, at all times and in all places, Y' Serv1 STAIR I cannot send my Letter without telling you, that it is impossible to speak of you with more Esteem, Value, and even Friendship, than his Majesty has done of you frequently. London, 18th Nov 1745. No. CCXCVII, My Lord, Sir Andrew Mitchell to the Lord President. Whitehall, 19th Nov 1745. SINCE I had the honour of yours of the 10th October, I have with the greatest impatience expected the return of one of the Sloops that sailed with Arms, & for Inverness on the 7th October. Soon after I had the pleasure of your letter, a report was spread here, that you had been atacked in the night between the 16th and 17th Octr by about two hundred of the Frasers, and that your Lop was actually a Prisoner in their hands. I need not tell you what concern this gave me in particular, because, in general, every body that wished well to the present establishment appeared affected with the news, and the loss of you was considered as the loss of the Northern part of Scotland. We were in a few days relieved from this anxiety, by the accounts of the defence you made from your house, & of the Rebels failing in their attempt. I will not pretend to guess who was at the bottom of this infamous scheme, because I am morally certain, that without the consent, & perhaps contrivance, of a certain person, whom no tyes can bind, nor no favours oblige, that Clan had never dared to endeavour to seize your person. I need not describe to you the Effects the surrender of Edinburgh, & the progress the Rebels made, had upon this Country. I wish I cou'd say that they were confined to the lower sort of people; but I must fairly own, that their betters were as much touched as they. The reflections were national; and it was too publickly said, that all Scotland were Jacobites; the numbers of the Rebels and their adherents were magnified for this purpose; and he that in the least diminished them, was called a secret jacobite. Your Lop, I think, is the only person that has escaped this national scourge; but if you have escaped this, you have been attacked from another another quarter; the particulars of which would be so like scandal, that I am ashamed to write them. Some people now begin to see that they have gone too far, and been too severe; for, after all, considering the unexpected and great success of the Rebels, it begins to be matter of surprise that they marched from Scotland only 7000 or 8000 strong, & being joined by almost nobody of note, is likewise a proof of the Jacobite interest being by no means so formidable as it was represented. I will not trouble your Lop with accounts of any thing that has happened in Scotland, as you will probably be informed of them before this can reach you. 'Last Saturday, it was said, there was an end of the Rebellion; for, the bravery of the Mayor of Carlisle had obliged the Highlanders to retreat to Brampton, 7 miles N. E. of that town; & that they wou'd certainly disperse immediately. This gave great spirits, even to some in high rank; but all this brave defence happened to be no more than the firing a few cannon from the Walls on an advanced party that came to reconnoitre; for they returned the day after, and the town of Carlisle capitulated on the 15th, to pay £2000 to avoid being plundered. The 2 Companies of Invalids, and some of the Militia, have retired into the Citadel, under Colonel Durand. On the news of the Rebels investing Carlisle, M. Wade proposed to march from Newcastle on Saturday the 16th to Bywell, on Sunday to Hexham, Monday to Grindon, and on Tuesday to Haltswesel, which is about 9 miles from Brampton. He has with him 10 English and 8 Dutch batalions of foot, and 2 Reg" of Horse, and one of Dragoons; but I hardly believe the Highlanders will stay for him, unless they should think fit to attack him on his march. S' John Ligonier sets out to tomorrow; the Rendezvous of his troops to be at Litchfield on the 25th. He has with him 9 old Batalions, 2 Reg" of Dragoons, & part of his own Reg' of Horse. I send your Lop a paper enclosed, with the names of the Corps. I am sorry I cannot at present give an exact list of the staffs, as there has been chopping & changing among them. The raising of 13 new Reg's of foot, and 2 of Horse, has occasioned great debates and division in the H. of Commons, and some severe reflections against some of the noble Lords who are to command them; tho' it is certain, that no Job was intended by those who made the first proposal; but your Lop knowes this Country too well to believe, that in the time of public danger any man would attend to his own private advantage. What gave most disgust was, the insisting for rank to the Officers of the Corps, which is certainly a hardship to the Officers in the Army; but that too was carried, with great difficulty, and some Art, in the House of Commons. For the numbers in the Division, I refer you to an inclosed copy of the most material questions that have yet been moved in Parliament. Your Lop will likewise observe in the same Paper, that an enquiry into the Causes of the progress of the Rebellion in Scotland has been moved for; and tho' every Man in the House agreed as to the reasonableness & necessity of it, yet it was thought improper to begin it while the Rebels were actually in possession of Edinburgh; but I hope the time will soon come to have that matter cleared. The Advocate, I hear, spoke well on this occasion. Mr. H. Campbell has lately moved for a Bill to indemnify the Judges for the Court of Session for not meeting on the 1" of Nov', &c. I can find no Act of Parliament that subjects them to Penalties; but he seems to have taken Scotland under his protection. It is delayed for 10 days, and surely never can pass in the shape it now is. Affairs in the House of Commons are not now carried on in the manner they were when your Lop sate in Parliament; their proceedings now are like the operations of an Army composed of different nations, where all the leaders must be satisfied; and where 2 where there is properly no Commander in Chief; tho' the influence of some be great, yet in many points they must yield to their new Allies, &c. In the Cabinet, I fear, there is as little harmony as elsewhere; the consequence of which must be, an unsteadiness of Councils, and want of all scheme or plan of action. By this the publick must unavoidably suffer; and all the opportunities of doing good that may arise, even from our misfortunes, will be neglected. But I hope your Lop will seriously think of this matter, and give your opinion of what may, of what ought, to be done for our distressed Country. I am thoroughly sick of publick life from what I have seen, and what I could not have believed had I not seen it. I took the liberty to mention, in one of my former, M' H. Gordon, who goes along with Capt" Forbes, on purpose to offer his service. His Brother says he can raise Men in Aberdeenshire; and if your Lop has not already filled up the Commissions, I once more recommend him to you. He has made a campaign in Flanders, and is a deserving young man; and I have a great regard for his Brother & him. As it is now very late, I shall not trouble you with an Apology for the length of this. My Lord Tweeddale desires his Compliments, but delays writing to your Lop till he hears again from Inverness, which is expected hourly. I beg leave to offer my Comp" to Lord Loudon; and I hope you will continue to believe, My Dear Lord, AND". MITCHELL. P. S. If I had not lived long enough in England to know the natural bravery of the people, particularly of the better sort, I should, from their behaviour of late, have had a very false opinion of them; for the least scrap of good news exalts them most absurdly; and the smallest reverse of fortune depresses them meanly. My Lord, No. CCXCVIII. The Lord President to Lord Lovat. I HAD the honor of your Lop's letter of the 19th, with an account of your Son's proceedings in Urquhart, according to the Information you had received. That account gave me no small surprise; and I must confess to your Lop it would have given me no small satisfaction if I could have depended on its being true; because it would have been evidence of the Master's giving up the desperate cause into which he had been unhappily seduced; and so early a change, before any considerable mischief was done, would, I should hope, in a reign so clement as what we have at present the happiness to live under, obliterate the past errors of a youth, whose want of years and experience might make him an easy prey to designing men. But then, my Lord, before I can permit myself to receive any real pleasure from this prospect, or to depart from the resolutions with which I acquainted your Lop in my last, I must be thoroughly satisfied that the Information your Lordship received is true; that the Master has return'd to his duty; and that all the men who had been brought together are return'd to their habitations. Of the certainty of these things your Lop must be sufficiently inform❜d before this time; and I have hitherto defer'd writing to your Lop on that subject, that you might be able to satisfy me. I now give your Lop the trouble of this Message, begging that, without loss of time, I may know what I am to believe and rely on in respect to those matters; to the end I may proceed in my resolutions, or vary them ac cording |