d this, that he may do all he can in this mater. We have a Storie att Inverness, notwithstanding of what you wrote me of the 2a Xber, That Argyle and the Squadron are not in good termes; and as a proof of this they say, That Montrose has wrote to the town in favour of Col McKynzie; and if they cannot carrie him, any Man rather than Stewart; but I cannot believe this. Glendarnell has been in this Countrie, and very active in promot the Hyland Address; and also medling all he could in our Elections. I wonder much, that the Goverment does not take notice of such Incendiaries. He assures very confidently, that we are to have Warr with France; and that the Chevalier will be with us in the spring, and that the House of Commons will be Torie by a great majority; and then he hopes this Ministrie will turn out as fast as ever they turn'd in; and yet, for all these stories, he doubts not in the least but on the presenting his Hyland Address to be repon'd to his Commission. I think, if he were right served, he should rather gett a healter. Killravock intreats, that how soon the parliament is dissolved, you call for the Writts of the Shyre of Ross, and lett them be sent to him or me with all possible speed; you may easily guess our meaning, if you think on Channerie. You are lykewise to be the more active in sending me the returns I call for, that att writteing hereof I am certainly informed that my worthie friend and dear Comrade Brodie is dead; and therfore send me by the bearer my black Cloathes that lyes in Mr. Monroe's. This man's Death is a very considerable loss to us. May the Lord himself prepare us. Our Mother and all friends are weel. I am Coll. 18th Xber 1714. No. XLIV. Mr. Duncan Forbes to the Laird of Culloden. Yours, JO. FORBES. Dear Brother, Edinburgh, 31 December 1714. THIS Christmas season is more a time of conjecture than of News. Dyer formerly was wont to prophecy what was to happen from the Plots that were laid down at this time; but that is now over, and there is not so much as a Whisper of any project, Whigg or Tory, further than that of Elections for the ensuing Parliament; which, it is said by people who pretend to understand, will be Whigg, by some Majority; and indeed one thing is certain, that the Mobb of London, and in proportion that of the rest of England, is come to much juster sentiments of our King than those they formerly entertained; in so much that some of those audacious Sermons which you might have heard preached, concerning the danger of the Church, and the King's title, at London, met with contempt instead of applause from the hearers; and the persons who held forth in Sacheverell's stile, had abundance of difficulty to escape without afronts. Our new Commission of Police, as they call it, is come down: the Commissioners are, Tweddale, Sutherland, Buchan, Marchmont, Bute, Delorrain, Glenagies, Thomas Kennedy, and M' Charles Airskin (Buchan's Brother). Their business is, to present Ministers to such Kirks as the King is Patron of; to notice nonjurors, papists, Highland Clans, the poor of the nation, Highways, Ports, and navigable Rivers, &; and their Sallarys are, Twedale, President, £1200; every Peer £800; each Commoner £400. Upon Information that Beaufort, alias Lovat, is at London and intends to come down, Fraserdale has been at the Justice Clerk, requiring ane Extract of the process and sentence against him. How far Argyle is privy to his comming I know not. DUN. FORBES. Show this to my Mother, and excuse me for not writing to her, No. XLV. T No. XLV. MEMORIALL for the President of the Session in Scotland, 1714. To the King. MEMORIALL for Sir Hew Dalrymple, of North Berwick, President of His THE Court of Session is the supreme ordinary Judicator in Scotland, of great authority, wherein the Kings, his Maties Royall Predecessors, before the union of the two Kingdoms in the Person of King James the first of Great Brittaine, were in use to sitt. The President of that Court had not only ane equall share of the Provisions settled upon the Lords of Session; but our Princes were furder pleased to grant ane extraordinary Sallary to the President, to enable him to live according to the Caracter of that Office; wherein regaird was had to the circumstances of the person promoted to that Dignity; as in the case of Sir George Lockhart, who was taken from a very lucrative imployment at the Bar. He got a Pension of £1200, as President, besydes his Sallary as one of the ordinary Lords of Session, wth the usuall Present of Wines allowed by the Treasurie: in all about £1500. And the President of the Session that now is, being in lyke maner advanced from the Bar, he had a Pension of £700. as President, and the lyke Present of Wynes, besydes a share of the provision of the ordinary Lords: in all, £1000. The expence of living increasing, and the Parliament of Scotland judging the Provision of the President and Ordinary Lords of Session not to be suitable to the Dignity & caracter of these Offices, did in the last Session of the Parliament, wherein the treaty of Union was ratified, humbly and in a most particular maner adress her late Matie of Glorious memory, in Behalfe of the President & Remanent Lords of Session, for additional Sallaries. Her Matie, in complyance with that Address, by a Letter under her Royall hand to the Lords of Session, was graciously pleased to declare her intention to make up to each of the Lords £500. and to the President of the Session £1,000 yearly; whereby the President was entitled to £1,000. as President, and £500 as one of the Lords: £1,500. in all. Nevertheless, when the Establishment came to be made out, in pursuance of the Adress of Parliament, & her Maties Letter, The President did not receive the benefitt intended; for hitherto, in place of £1,000., he hath only received £800. as President, and hath not bein allowed any share of £300. regularly payed to each of the other Lords of Session ever since the Union. The President did furder continue to receive his share of the old Sallary of £200. belonging to him as one of the Lords of Session. But that can never be reckoned to make up a part of the £1,000 mentioned in her Maties Letter; Because that old Sallary belonged to him, not as President, but as one of the Lords, and was not issued out of the Treasurie of Scotland before the Union, nor of Great Brittaine since, but did arise from the Interest of a Stock of Money, and other appropriated funds, given by Parliament to the Lords of Session. This £800. allowed to the President, is very litle if any thing better then what he had formerly; for before the Union he had £700. as President, and a Present of Wines allowed him by the Treasurie, and the old Sallary of £200. as one of the Lords; F 2 Lords; £1,000. in all; so that what hes bein hitherto received is no better then his former Settlement, unless the said Wines be reckoned less valuable then £100. which must be so inconsiderable as not worth noticing: so that the Adress of Parliament, and her Maties gracious letter, have hitherto been altogether ineffectuall to the President : which certainly was never intended; for, 1°-The Adress is in behalfe of the President, for ane additional Sallary to him. 2o-Her Maties pleasure was, that each of the Lords should be made up £500. and the President £1,000; whereof the plain meaning is, that the Lords as Lords, and the President as President, should have these respective settlements. And the Lord Justice Clerk and Clerk Register (who have since that Adress and Letter bein Lords of Session) had their shares as Lords, besydes their full Sallaries belonging to their Offices ; and soe it hes allwayes bein formerly in the case of the President, or any other Office enjoyed by a Lord of Session. 3-It pleased her late Mafie to take care of all the other Judges of Scotland; and the President does belive that no mark of distinction was intended to the prejudice of him personally, or to the prejudice of his office. 4to —If all that is proposed were granted in behalf of the President, His Sallary of £1,500. would yet be but suitable, considering the bounty of the Giver, and the greatness of the Government of the United Kingdom in which he serves; and that the Office of President of the Session was allwayes the first in rank of the Judges, ane Imployment of great weight, requiring ane assiduous and closs application; for which reason it had allwayes a Sallary above that of the Lord Register, Justice Clerk, or King's Advocat, or any other Judge; and the Sallaries of the other Lords being raised from £200. to £500. the addition proposed to the Lord President's Sallary is no more, then proportionall. How soon the late establishment was Publick, My Lord President did cause lay a Memoriall before the Earle of Godolphine, then Lord Treasurer, setting furth his Claim; and he is well informed that my Lord Treasurer was convinced there was a mistake in the Establishment, and made some steps towards a rectification, as well with relation to the tyme past as to come; which was then put off till some other particulars relating to Scotland should be considered, and thereafter obstructed by the great alterations which happened in the Treasurie & other public affaires. The wholl is most humbly offered to his Maties consideration, that such directions may be given thereupon, both with relation to what is wanting for the tyme past, and in tyme coming, as shall appear most suitable to Justice, and to His Maties Royall Bounty. No. XLVI. Mr. Munro to the Laird of Coulodden. Dated Foules, 17th Feb' 1715. Dear Sir, I HAVE yours of yesterday's date at twelve o'clock this day. It is not possible. I can have any Account of the Proceedings at Wick yesterday, befor Saturday next at the soonest. I shall endeavour to informe you of the event therof when any Account of it shall come to my knowledge. Coulraine is with my Son in Caithness; and I shall disspatch ane express to meet him in Sutherland with your Letter, with one from myself to him, & another to Captan Robert Munro, that he may doe with his Brotherin-law as he promised me heir. I doubt not but that Coulraine will meet with Captan Monro in Sutherland, & will use his outmost endeavour with him to perform his engadgment to Coulraine & me. I find the Jacobits are werie uppish, both in Edbr & in England; so that if ye go to the Parliament as I hope ye will, you will recommend to some trustie faithfull frend to take care of your House of Coulodden; & leave Orders with your people at Ferintosh to receive directions from me, or from your Cousen George (my Son as you are pleased to call him); which you may be sure will be calculat to the support of your Interest in subordination to the public Cause as possiblie I can. I offer my affectionat humble duty to your Lady. All here joyn with me in giving you the tender of our most afectionate respects; being, Dear Sir, Your most humble Servant, & afectionat Uncle, J. B. MUNRO. The vanitie, insolence, arogance, & maddness of the Jacobits is beyond all measure unsupportable. I bleeve they most be let blood. They still have a trick of presuming upon the lenitie of a moderat Government. It seems, God either destines them for destruction, or infatuates others to allow them to be pricks in our sides & Thornes in our Eyes. I have account from verie good hands from Edbr that to their certan knowledge Saidles were making in that Citie for Dragounes to serve the Pretender; & that all the Popish Lords and verie manie Popish and Jacobits Gentlemen are assembled there now; so that all friends and Loyall subjects to his present Majestie are advysed to be upon there Guard from thence against ane Invasion or Insurrection, which is suddenly expected, which the Jacobits pretend will interrupt the meeting of the Parliať. Dear Brother, No. XLVII. Mr. John Forbes to his brother Mr. Duncan Forbes.. Adieu.. THE hurrie I was in last week made me neglect answering your Letters; but I bid M' Baillie tell you how matters past. I cam to this place last night in companie with McIntosh, who I hope will return a kyndly answer to my Lord Ilay's Letter. I thought it needless to deliver Cromartie's Letter, because the Election for that Shyre was over before it came to my hand, and also because of the disappointment Killravock mett with, after a great many Promises and Protestations off friendship. And I truly think, if the Duke of Argyle desyres any Favours, he should be advysed to bestow them better then on such as never can be hearty for the present Government, nor firm friends to his familie. You may make what use of this you please. You say you say you have no newes; but we abound with them in this Countrie. The Pretender is expected every moment, and his friends all raddie; but since our steatsmen takes no notice of this, I lett it allone, and wishes they may not repent it when they cannot help it. Áne other Storie we have is, That Argyle and the Squadron are att dagers-drawing; and notwithstanding of what you have wrote me I wish it be not found too true; For if his Grace be supporting Carnwath, M' Murray, and such People as these, in ther Elections, as it is confidently storied here, I must beg leave to say, it is a proof to me that there are differences amongst you which I most heartily regreate. I wish to God they would remember, that a House divided against itself cannot stand. Please give my service to all friends; lett [me] know when the Parliat is to meet, and believe me to be yours, Castle Grant, 4th March 1715. JO. FORBES. Give my service to Capt Monro, and mynd him to write to me as he promised. The Brigadier's return and myne were sent Express, Monday last, to M' Stewart,, to be forwarded. Inquier about them that they be not neglected. No. XLVIII.. I DELIVER'D your Letter to the Marquis of Lothian, and made his Lordship the best compliment I could for the favour done you; and ane apologie, by way of Ly, as you desyred, for your Letters not haveing come sooner to hand; all which his Lop. received most graciously. In my last, I have answer'd the material pairt of yours anent my niece Marie. You put it now on the foot of obedience to me: You very weel know I never was a matchmaker; and as I desyre not the half mark, so I mean not to have the ***** When Foy's made that proposall to me, I thought it reasonable; because if his circumstances are such as he represented them, she might live like a Gentlewoman, and this I suppose her father & you are satisfied in ere now. But, whatever my Opinion be in the matter, I will not impose it on any, much less on Marie; nor doe I desire that she should in the least cross her inclinations under a pretence of pure obedience to me; and this much I told her att parting. Therfore if you her father and oy' friends does not think Foy" a suitable match, and if she has no inclination to it, it is an easie matter to put it off; for I never proposed it on any other terms, than that it should be with the good lykeing of the parties concern'd; so that there need beno compliment of pure obedience to me in the matter, nor can her marrieing or not marrieing Foy in the least alter my affection from her. So I leave it intyrely to her to chouse a husband for herself. If, on the oy' hand, she will marry Foy", I think it needless to postpone matters. The terms I wrote you in my last. I am to give Five thousand marks, payable year and day after marriage; and if you doe not think fifty pounds sterline of Annuity a sufficient return, take what more you think fit, and the man can spaire: For the oy' Clauses, Lett them be in Comon Forme. Thus you have my mynd fully of that matter, so you and oy' friends may doe in it as you think most proper. I need not trouble I need not trouble you with my private affairs, because I have wrote a long Letter to Ahnagarn, which he will show you. As for your Hyland neighbours, ther trysts and meetings, I know not what to say. I wish we be not too secure. I can assure you, the Tories here were never hyer in their looks or hopes, which they found upon a speedie Invasion. Whatever be in the matter, lett things be so order'd, that my House be not surprysed. M Walpole has been very ill, and recovers but slolie; and I'm told we will not have the reporte of the secrete Committee before us till he be in condition to come to the House. But I am also told, that the maladministration of the late Ministerie is so clearly proven, that they cannot escape. Mind me to my mother and my Wyffe, and to Marie. I am yours London, 30th Apryle 1715. Mr Baillie gets the prints weekly. JO. FORBES. No. XLIX. Madam, To the Honble My Ladie Collodin yo' at Collodin. YOU can'nt be a Stranger to the Circumstances I have put myself in at the tyme, and the great need I have of my own Men & followers wherever they may be found. Wherfor |