Sir, No. XXXIX. Lord Seafield to the Laird of Culloden. Dated Whithall, March 24th, 1702. I RECEAVED yo' kind and oblidgeing letter, in which you express yo' great concern for the success of his Ma's affairs; and I had certainly acquainted him with it, but he was ill att that time, and it was not proper to speak to him of business that could admitt of any delay; and now God has afflicted us by removing him by death, which is ane unspeakable loss to these Nations. Wee ow much to his Memory; and the best tribute wee can pay to it is, to follow out his measures, and to support the Queen, whose right is founded upon the same act of Settlement; and I truely believe she will give us full Protection in all our concerns. She has taken the Coronation Oath in presence of eleven of her Privy Council, and has assumed the Exercise of the Regall Government, and has, by the signed opinion of 32 of her Privy Council, adjourned the Parliať to the 26th of May, and has named the Duke of Queensberry to be Commissioner. Now I know you have zeal for yo' religion and Countrey, and this is a time to shew it; and let us not, who are of the same principles, differ, and promote annimosities, to the ruine of all that wee enjoy which is valuable. You know that after her Majesty's reign we have no Settlement; and I am afraid we shall fall into confusion, and become a prey to those who are waiting for our halting. For preventing this, the King did seriously and earnestly recommend the Union of the Two Nations; and since his death the queen has done the lyke, and the Whigg party have appeared to be very sincere for it, and I hope the other party will at last come into it. I must intreat that you be at Edinburgh precisely against the 26th of May, and I hope the Laird of Kilraick will also come; and it will give me great satisfactione if I see such as have interest and estates, and a value for Religion, act as they ought to doe on this occasione. I will endeavour to write again to you, some of yo' neighbours, before I part from this place. As for yo' Son in law, Burdsyeirds, I know him to be faithfull to the present Constitution of the Govern ment, & friendly to myself; & therefor my inclinations are to serve him if I can; but if wee doe levy Regiments there are but two of foot, which in all furnishes but 12 Capt", and there are a vast number putting in to be employed. As for what concernes yo'self, I shall leave till meetting. Give my service kindly to Kilraick. I only add, that I am, Sir, Cullodin. Your most faithfull & humble Servant, & SEAFIELD. No. XL Dear Cusine, ANONYMOUS to Duncan Forbes. Coll, 28 August 1714. JUST as I had sealed my Letters to the Brigadeer and you, The Letter with the Red wax came express from Kill: you perhaps cannot read it; But Grant, who is well acquainted with the hand, can. Some believes that this Gentleman, mentioned in the Letter, is the Pretender; and I am much of that Opinion, because of a certain Joy and Resolution that of late appears in the Countenances and Conversation of the Jacobites; which tho' somewhat reserved, yet they still are positive, and persevere that he will come, tho' the French should give him no assistance. Therefore, how soon soon this comes to hand, you are to advise it with the Justices, that Forces may be immediately ordered for this Country. I wish they come not too late. The Tories have one other piece of News buzzing amongst them; that if the Pretender can but let the French see that he has any thing like a party to back him, either in England, or Scotland, worth the while, that then the French King will assist him to the outmost of his power; and this thought is not improbable. Therefore I again desire, that you and Grant may be pressing with the Justices, that some speedy course be taken for the preservation of the peace and quiet of this Country. For, according to the old proverb, its better keep out than put out; the advice in this Letter is not to be slighted; for I assure you, the Highlanders have had very frequent meetings, and have been randezvousing their men this last week. I add no more, being weary; but hopes your diligence in this affair, and assures you that I am ever yours. You know the hand. Adieu. No. XLI. The Pretender's Declaration. JAMES R. JAMES the third, by the Grace of God King of Great Britain, France, and Ireland, Defender of the faith, &c. To all Kings, Princes, and Potentates, and our loveing Subjects, Greeting. IN such ane extraordinary and important conjuncture, in which not only our hereditary right to our Crowns is so unjustly violated, But the interest of all the Soveraing Princes of Europe is so deeply concerned, wee could not be silent without being wanting to our selffs and them. Every body knows, that the Revolution in the year 1688 ruined the English Monarchy, and laid the foundation of a Reipublickan Goverment, by devolveing the Soveraing Power on the People, who assembled themselves without any authority, voted themselves a Parl', and assumed a right of deposeing and electing Kings, contrarie to the fundamentall laws of the land, and the most express and solemn Oathes that Christians are capable of taking; and no body can be ignorant how unjustly the late King our Father, of blessed Memory, suffered by this unjustifyable Revolution. After his Demise, his Crowns, which the Prince of Orange had usurped, being then rightfully ours, according to the foundamentall laws of the Land, wee immediately claim'd our right to the same by a Declaration under our great Seall, dated att S' Germain's the 8th of Octb' 1704. And as soon as it pleased divine providence to enable us attempt the Recovery thereoff, we readylie embraced the occasion; And 'tis sufficiently known that the miscarriage of that expedition could not be imputed to us. When we found, affter this, that a treaty of peace was upon the point off being concluded, without any regaird had to us, we published our Protestation, Dated at St Germains, the 25th Aprile 1712, in the most solemn & authentick manner our circumstances would then allow of; asserting thereby our incontestable right to our Crowns, and protested against whatever might be stipulated in the s treatie to our prejudice. Tho wee have been obliged since that tyme to remove from France to a more remot place, wee have still continued to have our Kingdoms and our people in our view, to whom whom wee are convinced that God in his Mercy will sooner or later restore us; and, notwithstanding the malice and open Rebellion of some, and the forced complyance of others, wee have never ceased to hope that God would in tyme open our people's Eyes, and convince them not only of the notorious injustice done to the Crown and us, but of the dangerous consequences thereoff for themselves. It is not our Interest alone wee are concerned for; our naturall and unalterable love for our people is such, that as wee could not see without grieff their blood and treasure lavisht in the late Warr in opposition to our undoubted right, so wee cannot now with less sorrow see them exposed to be subjected to ane arbitrary power, and become a prey to foreingers. Besydes that the Elector of Brownswick is one of the remotest Relations wee have, and consequently one of the remotest Pretenders to our Crowns after us, it is evident that nothing is more oposite to the maxims of England in all respects then that unjust Settlement of the Succession upon his family. He is a forreinger, a powerfull prince, and absolute in his own Country, where he has never met with the least contradiction from his Subjects. He is ignorant of our laws, manners, customes, and language, and supported by a good army of his own people; besyds the assistance which a neighbouring State is obliged to grant him upon demand, and many thousands of Aliens refugd in England these 30 years past, who, haveing their dependence wholly upon him, will be ready to stand by him upon all occasions. Moreover, what can our Subjects expect, but endless Wars and divisions, from subverting so sacred and fundamentall a constitution as that of hereditary right, which has still prevailed against all usurpations, how successfull and for how long time soever continued; the Government finding still no rest till it returned again to its own Center. And how can they be ignorant of the just pretensions of so many other princes that are before the House of Hannover, whose right after us will be as undoubted as our own, and who neither want will nor power to assert it in their turns, and to entail a perpetuall warr upon our kingdoms, with a Civill Warr in their own Bowells, which their Divisions will make unavoidable. From all which it is plain, our people can never enjoy any lasting Peace or happiness till they settle the succession again in the rightfull line, and recall us, the immediate lawfull heir, and the only born Englishman now left of the Royall Family. This being certainly the true interest of Great Britain, we had reason to hope that a wise people would not have lost so naturall an occasion of recalling us as they have lately had, since they could not but see, by all the stepps we have hitherto made, that we had rather owe our restoration to the good will of our people, than involve them in a Warr tho' never so just; besides that they know, or might have known, the reiterated inviolable assurances we have given them under our hand, that whensoever it should please God to restore us, we would make the laws of the Land the Rule of our Government, and grant to our Subjects a generall Indemnity for whatsoever has been done contrary to the said Laws; And all the Security and Satisfaction they could desire, for the Preservation of their Religion, Right, Liberties, and Properties. Yet, contrary to our Expectations, upon the death of the Princess our Sister (of whose good intentions towards us we could not for some time past well doubt, and this was the reason we then satt still, expecting the good effects thereof, which were unfor tunately prevented by her deplorable death), we found that our people, instead of takeing this favourable opportunity of retrieving the honour & true interest of their Country, by doing us and then selves Justice, had immediately proclaimed for their King a forreign prince, to our prejudice, contrary to the fundamentall and incontestable laws of hereditary right, which their pretended Acts of Settlement can never abrogate. After After this height of Injustice, we then thought ourselves bound in honour and duty, and indispensibly obliged by what we owe to ourself, to our posterity, and to our people, to indeavour to assert our right in the best manner we could. Accordingly, upon the first notice sent us, we parted from our ordinary residence, in order to repair to some part of our Dominions, and there to put ourself at the head of such of our lawfull Subjects as were disposed to stand by us, and defend us and themselves from all forreign Invasion; but in our passing thro' France to the Sea Coast, we were there not only refused all succour and assistance, upon account of the Engagements that King is under by the late treaty of Peace, but we were even debarred passage, and obliged to return back to Lorrain. After meeting with such sensible disappointments on all sides, the only comfort left us is, that we have done our part at least to attain our just ends, and have nothing upon that score to reproach ourself with; and as our case is just, we doubt not but God will in his own due time furnish us with new means to support it; and that he will at last touch the hearts of our Subjects with a true sence of the crying injury that they have done us and themselves, and move them effectually to return to their duty. We likewise hope that all Christian Princes and Potentates, who are now in peace together, will reflect upon the dangerous example here given them, and ye formidable Effects they are threatened with from such an united force as that of England & Hanover; and that they seriously consider, weither the exhorbitant power that now accrews to the House of Brunswick be consistent with the balance of power they have been fighting for all this last Warr. And therefore we call on them for their assistance for the recovery of our Dominions; which their interest, as well as Honour, engages them to grant us, as far as they are able. In the mean time, in the Circumstances we are in, We have nothing left in our power to do at present, but to declare to the World, that as our right is indefeasible, so we are resolved, with the help of God, never to depart from it but with our life. And therefore we do here solemnly protest again, in the strongest manner we are capable of, against all Injustices that have been, or shall hereafter be done, to the prejudice of us, our lawfull heirs and Successors; Reserving and asserting, by these pšents under our Great Seal, all our rights, claims, and pretensions whatsoever, which do and shall remain in their full force and vigour; declareing, that after this we shall not think ourselves answerable, before God or Man, for the pernicious consequences which this new usurpation of our Crowns may draw upon our Subjects, and upon all Christendom. Given at our Court at Plombeirs, ye 29th Aug 1714. No. XLII. Lord Lovat to the Laird of Culloden. Much honoured and D' Sir, THE real frdship y' I know you have for my person & family makes me take the freedom to assure you of my kind service, & to intreat of you to join wh my other friends betwixt Spy & Nesse, to sign the adresse y Court requires, in order to give me my remission. Your Cousine James, who has generously expos'd himself to bring me out of Chains, will inform you of all steps & circumstances of my affaires since he saw me. I wish, D' Sir, from my heart, you were here; I am confident you would speak to the Duke of Argyle, & to the Earle of Isla, to let them know their own interest, and their reiterated promises to do for me. Perhaps they they may have, sooner than they expect, a most serious occasion for my service. But obliged, has writen to Foyers to give you his vote; & he is ane ungrat villain if he the 24th of Nov' 1714. I am Right Honourable, Your most obedient No. XLIII. M' Jo. Forbes to his Brother M' Duncan Forbes, Dated 18 Xber 1714. Dear Brother, I SEND you by this Express a packet, which if my Lord Ilay is at Edin1 you yourself are to deliver to him, and if still att London to forward carefully to him. It contains ane Address from the Frasers to the King; and likewise a full resignation of ther Clan to Argyle, as ther Chieff, Ther doing this at a jouncture when the other Clans are forceing through ane other Address in favours of the high Church, and I truly think pairtly levelled at Argyle, ought not to be forgot; for I can assure you there was no stone left unturn'd by the other Clans to divert them from it; even to that degree, that they were at daggers drawing about it. I therefore truely think the Duke should take them heartily by the hand, and support them now that they have cast out with all the Hylands on his Grace's accoumpt. Our aird Frasers viz' Relict, Dunballach, Belladrum, Kinnarids, and Dunballach's brethren, have subscribed the Hyland Address, with Fraserdealls; but Ahnagarn would not. Pray fail not to speak to my Lord Ilay, that he cause Streachen, who is now at the Colledge or with my Lady Duches at Diddiston, subscribe the Frasers Address before it's sent up. I send you also a Memorandum anent the Elections, which I doubt not you'll take care of. I know very well that neither Relict or Dunballach are in possession of 400lbs valued rent; and what else the old Retours of these two Barronies were, they are now so divyded that it's thought by every bodie they will not answer to separate fortie shill. lands as now possest. I entreat you'll be att pains in this thing; for if there's any life in it, I will certainly carry my election. Therfor send me ane authentick double of those Barronies, ther Lands, and Retours, in the termes of the note herewith sent you. I wonder much I hear no word from Grant. Col. A. M'Kynzie was at Inverness all this Week, and he's made a strong partie there for himself against Stewart; yett I'm hopeful Stewart may carrie it; only ther is one thing Stewart must doe, otherwise Killravock will not yield his pretensions; and that is, That he not only give his Vote as a Barron to young Killravock in the Shyre of Cromarty; but also he must deall with Argyle and Royston, to write to Sir Keneth to give his interest also to Killravock: so tell Will Stewart this, F i |