much abused) Lady, upon assurance of pardon, in all probability he will ruin both himself & friends. 'Tis not long since he was here, & promised me other things; but since he has run a quite contrary course, and stands neither to his own, nor the proposals of any other, I have sent down 200 Men, & had sent more, if just at the same time Orders had not come from the King & Council to reduce my Regiment to the Number of an ordinary Battalion, which is 57 in each Company (whereas they were before 77); which I have done; & the many out Garrisons I have, take up so many men, that just at present I could send no more. My Lieu' Coll. went to London, to see to the Affairs of my Regiment; & (finding that the King would settle all conforme to his own pleasure ere he came over,) went to the Hague; but I think the orders were come away before he got thither; soe I have the favour to stand whilst my betters fall. I think you begin to forget me, or to think I live too long; for it's once in a small age that I can have the favour of a line from you; but soe you be well and happy, it makes me so too, who am as you have obliged me, Dear Sir, Your most affectionate faithful humble Servant, Fort William, 7th Nov. 1697. No. XXXII. FROM Simon Fraser (afterwards Lord Lovat) to the Laird of Culloden. Dated Nov' ye 23d 1697.* * Sir, I PRAY you receive ye inclos'd acompt of my busines, & see if your own conscience, in sight of God, doth not convince you y' it is literally true. I hade sent it to you upon Saturday last, but you were not at home; however I sent it yt day to ye Laird of Calder, who I hope will not sitt down upon me, but transmitt it to my best friends; & I beseech you, Sir, for God's sak, y' you do ye like. I know the Chancellour is a just man, notwithstanding of his friendship to my L' Tilliberdine. I forgive you for betraying of me; but neither you, nor I, nor I hope God himself, will not forgive yTM yt deceived you, & causd you do it. I am very hopful in my dear Wife's constancy, if they do not put her to death. Now I ad no more, but leaves myself to your discretion, & rests, Sir, Your faithful Friend & Servant, No. XXXIII. The Lord Chancellor (Earl of Marchmont) to Culloden. Dated London, 28th April 1698. Sir, IN the beginning of this month I wrott to Sir Alexander Monro upon the Publick occurrences and changes in our affairs; and becaus I had not then time to write to you, I laid it upon him to acquaint you what I had written, and did not intend to * This letter regards the marriage said to have been entered into between Lord Lovat and the Dowager Lady Lovat. For the early history of this Nobleman, see the Memoir written by himself up to the year 1714; and Macpherson's and Carstairs' State Papers. have written myself till I could [have] given you some fuller account of matters then I yet can. Now, finding that matters go slowly at Court in the fashion which you and I are well enough acquainted with, I would not delay longer. I do believ you, nor other honest men with whom I have sometimes assisted to bear a weight and get through difficulties of Bussiness, shall not have matters which have lately past in a true light till we meet togither. You will be the more easily perswaded of this, when you understand, that till I had been sometime here I was in the Dark, and did not descern naither the motives, the means, nor the designes which now are pritty clear to me. The argument which I would press upon you, and, by you, upon other worthy men who knows us well, and whom we know, with whom you may have occasion to converse, is, that it is no wayes fitt to draw conclusions, far less to form resolutions, upon premises and suppositions not well discovered, examined, and found to be true in fact, and sound in their subject matter. I shall, God willing, when we meet, treat honest Men honestly and truly, and pretend to prevail no more upon them in reasoning, then they find the strenth of reason to oblige them. You know I am no young man, nor a novice at this Court; and I hope many more know that I will never debase myself to manege a trick, tho' I were dealing with persons of weak understanding. But, as all they upon whom I can pretend to have any influence are persons of understanding, and worth, and truth, so I hope to approve myself of the like sort towards them; and becaus Storys, by telling and retelling, takes strange shaps in a long course, I shall be glad that honest Men be armed against them. I have been only thrice in the King's Closet with him; the tyme I had was wholly upon Publick Bussiness; as to which, his Mat proposed nothing but what was very moderate, and what he gave good reasons for, of which I doubt not to be able to satisfie all discreet Men, well affected to the King and the establisht Goverment. His way towards me has been very gracious and obligeing; but he is so much taken up at present with the forrain Ambassadours and Ministers, and with the Bussyness of the Parliament here, now drawing near to a close, that it occasions some delay in ordering the matters of Scotland; yet I hope to be at Edinburgh in the beginning of June; and, for ought I yet know, the Parliament may meet in the beginning of July; but what happens you shall know, either from me or from Sir Alexander Monro. My Wife & I kindly salute you, your Lady and famyly; and I remain your very humble Servant and faithful friend, No. XXXIV. MARCHMONT. Mr. John Forbes to his Brother, The Right Honorable Duncan Forbes, dated Fort Right Honourable, I HAVE yours of the 21st of October, and humbly thanks your Excellencie for causing my desyres to be proposed to the King. But the other man you mentione will be noways agreeable to me by what I am informed of him; and I will know how to make the best choyse of officers well enough, if it com to ly att my Door. But I humbly pray your Excellencie's favor to have the major of my own choise, of which I writ in a former. I am infinitely obleidged to you for your great care of me, and kindness to me, in every thing; and particularly about the Armès, which were of absolute necessity. As for the reforming those Companies before they come here, I gave my reasones in my last by Capt. Forbes, and by ane other since, and shall not be so 1 troublsome as to repeate. I have writen the inclosed as my humble opinione; which is too large, but that a pairt of the discourse was necessary to usher in the particulars designed. Please to pardon errors and excuse frailties. I judge you most right as to the most feasible way of reduceing these Countries, if it be approved; and then the fittest instruments may be piched upon; but then things will be found much as I have stated theme, upon the French assistance, or not. The moneth's pay that came up hear for the Men was punctually payed out to them, and I believe it far spent ; and these Comp' newly come have nothing. Ther is not 2 pence now not amongst a dozen Subalternes. I was fain to lend them a litle out of my own purse, to help Glencarne's Men from deserting; For I find no Souldiers that come here will undertake to live on Meall only, and they can have nothing else without money; and I have only 100 lbs. which the Commissars sent from Leith, the money for the Works being expended, and can goe no furder without more. If my Lord Argyle's expeditione were ower, I would send for Orbrey for that more; for I have no timber to goe on with the Work; they sent Deales, but no Timber. I can now have both fir, and Oake, and Plank for Platformes and the Bridge, and have ordered it to be gotten, but have not Money to pay for it; otherwayes it will be cheaper than any they can send, besydes saving the fraught. We have made our Batteries as strong as we can to the Sea, so that our greatest Gunes can be all planted ther. For Captan Ross, I lyke him well enough; but his Men ar nought, and not induceable as my former acquanted you. Weeme's Men will not stay. For y' of Ardbindloss and others I humbly referr to my last. I hop the tyme is drawing near y money will be coming in; and without that, if these men come up, they will run all away. The Meall we hade is almost run out; I wish it last till the Ship come about from Glasgow. God forgive all that would oppose your just endeavours for the publick good. I know the Lord will have a care of them that trust in him, and of his own cause it is well he governes the World. I humbly thank your Excellency for the freedome you'r pleased to use, and the trust you give me; it argues great favour and kindnes, whereof I am truly sensible, and for which I ame thankfull; and can assure you, my heart is with you in every good thing, without Byess or Selfend. So God may have Glory, his Cause carried on, and the King's intrest served, I shall never allow any thing that may concern myself, but in all things follow his providence. It is well that God is the searcher of all hearts, and knowes who are upright; that's a good Man's Satisfactione, tho [men] censure him neversoe severly. I beseech your Excellency to believe that I am, with great sincerity, Your most obedient, most humble, No. XXXV. JO. FORBES. Sir, LORD Seafield to Colloden. Dated from Whitehall, Oct 24th 1699. I HAVE now yo' 3d Letter, and you shall find me very ready to do you the kindness you propose. I am not as yet in waiting; but how soon I can have an opportunity of doing Business, I will remember the other particular you recommend. I am very sensible that a great many are ready to lay the misfortune we have had at Darien upon His Maj's Proclamations; & I am truly sorry that thos that are disaffected have this handle to lay hold on; but we in Scotland little consider how his Maj" was engaged both with England & Spain; & that, notwithstanding the Proclamations, the Colony would have had provisions, had they had either Money or Credit. They had also divisions amongst amongst themselves, & they had non of authority enough amongst them to keep them in order. I am obliged to you for writing so kindly concerning myself. I shall say nothing but this, that God knows that on all occasions I have been ready to do for them what was in my power; and as to my carriage in that matter befor the last Parliament, I was so happy of having the occasion to give an Acc which I think was satisfying to most that heard me, and you may remember it; and as for what has past since that time, My Lord Carmichael, My La President of the Session, & the Advocate, can bear witness that I did with all the earnestness & zeal in me for the service of the Company, and for which I had the Company's thanks when I was last in Scotland. So I cannot understand what they can say of me upon this occasion; which is all I shall trouble you with at present. I am, Sir, Your most humble Serv SEAFIELD. No. XXXVI. FROM M' Duncan Forbes to his brother Col' Forbes, dated Edinburgh, 6th Febry 1700; Giving an Account of a Great Fire in Edinburgh. Dr Brother, I KNOW not if this comes to yo' hand, because it goes in the Aberdeen's Bag, ther being none going off for Inverness with the Mounday's post. My last was with humbleng news, & this with news more humbleng. Upon Saturday's night, by ten a Clock, a fyre burst out in M' John Buchan's closet window, towards the Meall Mercate. It continued whill eleven a clock of the day with the greatest frayor & vehemency that ever I saw fyre do, notwithstanding that I saw London burne. Ther are burnt, by the easiest computation, betwixt 3 & 400 familys; all the pryde of Eden' is sunk; from the Cowgate to the High Street all is burnt, & hardly one stone left upon another. The Commissioner, President of the Parl', Pres' of the Session, the Bank, most of the Lords, Lawyers, & Clerks, were all burnt, & many good & great familys. It's said just now by S' John Cochran & Jordan-hill, that ther is more rent burnt in this fyre then the whole City of Glasgow will amount to. The Parliament House very hardly escapt; all Registers confounded; Clerks Chambers, & processes, in such a confusion, that the Lords & Officers of State are just now mett at Rosse's Taverne, in order to adjourneing of the Sessione by reason of the dissorder. Few people are lost, if any att all; but ther was neither heart nor hand left amongst them for saveing from the fyre, nor a drop of water in the Cisternes: twenty thousand hands flitting ther trash they know not wher, & hardly 20 at work. These babells, of ten & fourteen story high, are down to the Ground, & ther fall's very terrible. Many rueful spectacles, such as Corserig naked, with a Child under his Oxter, happing for his lyffe; The Fish Mercate, & all from the Cow Gate to Pett Street's Close, burnt; The Exchange, waults, & Coall Cellars under the Parliament Close, are still burneing. This Epitome of dissolution I send you, without saying any more, but that the Lord is angry with us, & I see no intercessor. Tell your Wyffe her friends are weell; & if this come to hand, send it to my Wyffe howsoon you have read it. I bid you adieu, and am, Y' Los bro to serve you, I have heard nothing from you, nor from home, since I left D. FORBES. E 2 you. No. XXXVIL Sir, No. XXXVII. Earl of Argyll to Culloden. Dated Edinburgh, Sept 5th, 1700. IN complyance with your desyre, and a great many other Gentlemen, together with my own inclination to endeavour a piece of Justice, I have made it my chief concern to obtain Beaufort's (now I think I may say Lord Lovatt's) pardon, & the other Gentlemen concerned with him in the convocation & seizing of prisoners, wh are crymes more immediately against his Matie wch I have at last obtain'd, and has it in my custody. I designe tomorrow for Argyllshyre; and, ther' not being a Quorum of Exequer in Town, am oblidged to delay passing the remission till next Moneth. We have all had lyes enuf of his Mate before: his goodnesse in this will, I hope, return my friend Colloden to his old consistency, and make E. Argyll appear to him as good a Presbiterian, and a weel wisher to his Country in no lesse degree then Tullibardine, who plundered my Land some tyme agoe, & Colloden's lately. Pray recover the same spiritt you had at the Revolution; let us lay assyde all resentments ill founded; all projects we may shake our foundation; let us follow no more phantasms (I may say rather Divells), who, with a specious pretext leading us into the Dark, may drown'd us. I fynd some honest Mens eyes are opened, and I shall be sorie if Colloden's continue dimm. You have been led by Jacobitt Generalls to fight for Presbiterie, & the liberty of the Country. Is that consistent? If not speedily remeded, remember I tell you the posteritie of such will curse them. Let me have a plain satisfactorie answer from you, that I may be in perfect Charitie with Colloden. No. XXXVIII. `Adieu. Lord Seafield to the Laird of Culloden. Dated Whithall, Decem' 30th, 1701. Sir, I HAVE receaved yo' Letter, and I have since concurred with the Earle of Hynfoord in presenting the Address of the Commissioners of the Northern Justiciary. It was very acceptable to his Ma", to have renewed assurances of their Loyalty and Fidelity to him in this Juncture; when the French King has, contrary to his own treatties and his Ma' unquestionable right, owned the pretended Prince of Wales as King of His Ma" dominions; and as this does give us a clear view of the dangers to which wee are exposed, so I hope it will unite all honest men to support his Ma' government, which, under God, is the great Security of our religion, laws, and liberties. His Majesty did impower both my Lord Hynfoord & me to return the Commissioners his hearty thanks; and to assure them of his Protection, and that nothing will render them more acceptable to him than that they fall upon effectuall methods for secureing the peace of the Countrey, and extirpating thefts & Robberies; and he was very well satisfied when I informed him, that the Commission and Highland Companies had allready been of very great use for those ends. You may communicate what I have written to those who concurred in the Address; and you may believe that I am, Sir, Your most faithfull & most humble Servant, No. XXXIX. |