: If any one will reflect on the situation I was in, & consider what I had to do, he will soon be convinced, that the expence I lay'd out could not be small. So far as I could - command Money of my own, you will easyly believe it was employ'd without any hesitation; & of that I say nothing at present; but when the expedient proposed by the Marquis of Tweedale, of taking up Bills to be drawn on M' Pelham, fail'd, I had no resource but to take up money where I could find it, from well disposed persons, on my own proper notes. That Money so pick'd up was at the time of great service; & now that peace is restored, the Gentlemen, with great reason, expect to be repay'd. You can guess how ill I like a dun ; & I should hope, now the confusions are over, there can be no great difficulty in procureing me a remittance, or leave to draw on M Pelham, or some other proper person, to the extent of the sum thus borrowed, which does not exceed £1,500. I have on this subject wrote to the D. of Newcastle, M' Pelham, & Mr Scroope, whose letters you will forthwith deliver to the Duke & M' Pelham I have wrote also on the subject of the Indep' Companys, & mention'd you as their Agent: if the £1,500 is advanced me, it must be to account; & I shall find it a very troublesome matter to make up that account, particularly, without great loss; tho' I can, to the meerest trifle, what in gross I expended for the service. So soon as the Duke leaves this place, which will be in a day or two, I shall move Southwards; so that your Letters for me must be directed to Edin'; whether I shall remain there, or go further, I do not at present know. I am heartyly tired of the erratick course I have been in; but as the prevention of any future disturbance is a matter of great moment, & which requires much deliberation & some skill; if those on whom it lies to frame the scheme for that purpose imagine I can, with my knowledge of the Country, be of any use to them, I should not grudge the additionall fatigue of a journey; but it is not impoffible their resolutions may be already taken. You may speak on this subject to my good freind the Soll' Gen, & shew him this paragraph; & shall be glad to know how he does, & if poffible to hear from him. I doubt not you will look after the money article. I am, Dear George, Yours, &c. LIST of Officers of the Independent Companys raised in the North; specifying the dates of delivering to them their Commissions, their Companys being then complete. I hereby certify, that, pursuant to the trust reposed in me by His Majesty, Commis sions were by me delivered to the Officers of the Independant Companys above mentioned, on the days also mentioned; and that these Commissions were not delivered until their respective Companys were compleat. (Signed) No. CCCXIX. DUN. FORBES.. My Lord, Sir John Cope to the Lord President. Clarges Street, June 12th, 1746. I AM afraid of intruding on your Lordship's time, yet must send my congratulations on the troubles in the North being (I hope) perfectly ended. All mankind in these parts did your Lordship justice in your warm, active, and sincere Zeal for the Government; and that all was done that could be done by man in your unhappy Situation. The hardships I have and still do lie under is most cruel. I hope his Royal Highness from having seen the Country, and I flatter myself your Lordship and Lord Loudoun, have, in regard to my care and attention to the Service, endeavoured to put my Actions in a true light (and, indeed, I am informed your Lordships have done so); I say, from H. R. H. seeing the difficultys attending a march of troops into the Highlands, par-ticularly in carrying provisions, &c. and hearing truth from some who were eye-witnesses of my Actions during that unfortunate Campaign, that he will not come up in the same opinion, as, from misrepresentations, had been conceived of me before he left London. Being unfortunate, in this Country, is a Crime in the mouths of the envious, and those who are ready to defame a man when fashion is against him. I have the Comfort of an an honest man, that I neglected no part of my duty, and cannot reproach myself with any thing that ought to reflect on my Character. This has enabled me to stand the reproaches of others. I have been hardly and unjustly used by some of your Country, who I did not deserve it from, if truth only had been their guide (they being incensed at my having the Command in Scotland). I should not have wondered at their making use of truth; but false insinuations are base and cowardly, when made behind a man's back. I ask pardon; I will have done upon this Subject. The friendship your Lordp honoured me with in Scotland intitles me to claim a continuance of it, since I know not an Action of mine which should forfeit it. Four Battalions from hence, three from Perth, are ordered to prepare for Flanders, under the Command of Sir Jo Ligonier, M. G. Howard, Brigad' Mordaunt, & Douglas. St Clair's troops are embarked ready to sail on the expedition; y° 15 new-raised Regiments are to be forthwith disbanded. The destination of the Brest Squadron not yet known. Putting all these Circumstances together, people are amazed; and Lord Lonsdale has summoned the Peers, as this day, to consider of the State of the Nation, in order to oppose the sending abroad troops at this juncture, and the Lords are now in debate. Several mails are due from Holland, which probably will determine the above measures. The keeping Cape Breton, at all events, is become the favourite topick of the Town, and will become the popular cry for an opposition to work upon. To be sure, France is so subdued that we may make our own terms. If your Lordship has any commands in London for me, I shall gladly be employed. I have frequent opportunities of talking of your Lordship with Lord Harrington, who retains a high esteem of your Lordship's worth. I hear we have some probability of seeing your Lordship in London this year. George Drummond has been with me ever since we came out of Scotland; he is a perfect honest man, and one to whom I owe infinite obligations. He desires his best Respects to your Lordship, I am with the greatest truth and sincerity, My Lord, Your most obliged & faithful humble Serv Jno COPE. Note.-Except in proceeding northward to Inverness, instead of falling back to cover Perth, Stirling, and the Forth, when the Pretender had crossed the Corriarick Mountain, Sir John Cope does not appear to merit censure: he was, in fact, a man of moderate talents, and not fit for the conduct of affairs out of the ordinary routine of business. It need not here be stated, how much mifchief has been done by Generals of middling abilities, and fettered by antient prejudices, when opposed to men of genius unrestrained by obsolete theories. My Dearest F. No. CCCXX. From Mr. Murdoch to Mr. John Forbes. Stradishall, 14th June 1746. I HAVE this moment the pleasure, the long-looked-for pleasure of yours; for which I thank God, our gracious preserver. M' B. writes me this very day, that he is only to make a jaunt to Holland for a Month or so, where attendance may my be spared: so when you return to England you may find me snug in my little closet as formerly. have time to call in, you know you are to quit the great road at Caxton, and the difference will not be above twenty miles; but, my dear, I beg you may not hurry yourself on this account, or let your impatience to see me interfere with your affairs. You seem to have a good claim to preferment, if you had any body to support it; and If you I think I think you ought to bestir yourself. It gives me the greatest joy to hear that the worthy President has borne up under all his fatigues of mind and body. His life was always valuable to his Country; but we may now say, that he has saved it from Ruin and Infamy both. It is not to be imagined, how gross the ignorance and prejudices of people were, even of some from whom other things might have been expected. Almost every individual that had any relation to Scotland was looked on with an evil eye; but his character and behaviour supported our Spirits. We could show at least one Abdiel, whose faith the most wrong-headed themselves allowed to be uncorruptible. All this was most artfully and successfully fomented by the Jacobites, but will now I hope subside. Happy are you, my dear F. to have such a pattern to encourage and direct you. I make no doubt but you will closely copy him in all the essential parts of his Character, in Virtue, Honour, and Bravery. I have nothing to say of my own affairs; I pray for you all every day; and ever am, Dearest F. Your's, P. M. My Love to all friends, particularly M' W. Forbes, Hugo, G. Hamilton, & John Steil. My Lord, No. CCCXXI. The Earl of Dunmore to the Lord President. London, June 18th 1746. MY unhappy brother's being brought hither amongst the Rebells from Inverness, determines me, by the advice of all my friends here, to make the enclos'd application to His Royal Highness. After perusal of the Letter and Case inclosed, you'll be so good as deliver it; and should you think of any alteration proper or necessary to be made in the State of the Case, I hope you will be so kind as do it, and cause make a fair Copy of it. I have taken what care I can to prevent my Brother's tryall coming on till His R. H.'s arrival. And I flatter myself that you will have so far succeeded in your kind endeavours, as to make my part of it meet with that reception I so earnestly wish for. Some of your friends give me reason to expect your intercession will have success. Whether it has, or has not, your readyness in undertaking to serve me in a matter that concerns me so much shall always be most gratefully acknowledged by, My Lord, Your most obedient and most humble Servant, No. CCCXXII. The Lord President to Sir Everard Fawkner. D'S', no no concern for him; but I confess to you, I feel very smartly for his brother Lord Dunmore, who must be brought under the most painfull uneasiness by the frenzy of this unhappy man. As none of the Brothers have issue, excepting this William, Dunmore looked upon his Children as his own, & destined the eldest for his successor in his fortune, as in time he must succeed him in his honoures; little dreaming that the Knight-errahtry of his Brother, who by the bye shone in the Character of a civil officer only (never haveing been once tyed to a sword, or any other warlike weapon), would risk the corruption of his blood, & thereby intercept the descent of his (Dunmore's) honours to his nephews. Now as poor Dunmore, who detests his brother's treason, & must be infinitely provoked at his ungratefulness to him, as well as his undutifullness to the Crown, cannot submit to become an intercessor for so criminal a Brother ; & as at the same time it must give him very great uneasiness to see that his family, & the honours in it, must be sunk, should his brother meet with the punishment he deserves; I, who am connected with him by the tyes of friendship only, cannot abstain from beseeching you to lay his case before his Royal Highness, who, in it, will find (if I am not mistaken) a proper instance, in which compassion is to be exercised; not compassion to an offender, but to an innocent & very deserving man, who, by the folly of a weak brother, is like to become the last man of his own family, if good nature does not interpose. I know the Duke has on former occasions distinguished Dunmore by marks of his good will; & that no man liveing is more sensible of the honour he has by his Royal Highness's favour. Now should he owe deliverance from his present Distress to the Duke, which may easily be compassed by delaying the tryall of his Brother, I leave it with you to consider how sensible the obligation, how deep the impreffion must be. Had I had the honour to see his Royal Highness, after this view of the case presented itself to me, I should have presumed to have laid it before him; but as it may be uncertain when I may have that honour, & as this case may require a speedy resolution to be taken upon it, I take the liberty to intreat of you that you will lay the matter before him, trusting that he will forgive me for suggesting this hint; as my doing so proceeds from no other motive than what his nobleness of mind must approve of, and that you will also pardon the trouble I give you on the same score. Tho' I pity you on Acco' of the many hardships which I am sure you suffer in the villanous Situation in which you find yourself, yet as I observe with pleasure that the Duke is in the way of doing effectually his business, & as you all seem to keep your health, & keep up your spirits, your condition is the less to be lamented. You will, I hope, soon get out of it, and then "Olim meminisse juvabit." I insist upon it, that believe me to be, with perfect esteem, d' S', Your faithfull & very humble Serv you No. CCCXXIII. The Lord President to Mr. Geo. Ross. D. F. Dr G. Edr 24th June 1746. I HAVE received yours of the 17th, of the 18th, & of the 19th inst; the first and last by the post, the other by the express that brought the Earl Dunmore's. The last brought the Bill for £500, which shall be presented for acceptance. What you mean by telling me that the D. of Newcastle has wrote to me I know not; it's possible he may have said to Mr. M. that he intended to do so; but he surely has forgöt; a thing too incident to great men, when there is no immediate occasion for service. I am 7 still |