justly desirous to know what we in this country have learn'd on the subject, to the end you may take the most proper measures for the preservation of the peace of the country; I have presumed to send you this note, to let you know, from the various reports we have had, what to me appears the most probable. tn I take it to be certain, that 12 or 14 days ago, that young Gentleman landed on the coast of Arisaig, belonging to the Capth of Clanranald, from ane armed vessel of war of 18 guns, with 20 or 30 or 40 persons along with him. Some reports make the number 300; but the most credible mention the number I first spoke of; & if there has been but one ship, which is commonly agreed to be the case, there could not well be any more. Amongst these, the Marquis of Tullibarden & Old Lochiel are said to be; & they publish, that they expect a further force to follow them; which again has not the most probable air; as, beginning in that corner, unless the country was universall to favour them, would seem to be beginning at the wrong end. end. Those persons have hitherto keept themselves very quiet; nor do I hear of any one who has join'd them. Sir, Alex' Mac Donald & Mac Leod, I am satisfy'd, will discourage any such phrensy; & I should hope that Glengary & Lochiel will not suffer themselves to be seduced, tho' the rumors over this country insinuate the contrary. I have some confidence in my old friend Glenbucket's prudence & temper, that, if he hear of the thing, he will give Glengary good advice, to prevent his certain destruction; & I doubt not he will be ready to take it. The allarm which this attempt has already given the Government, will occasion the immediate march of a body of troops into the Highlands. Two companys came to Blair the night I lay there, & these are to be follow'd by a considerable body of foot & drag", at the head of which Sir John Cope will put himself if there shall be occasion. With this force, any insurrection that is likely to be attempted will probably be suppress'd, & the adventurers obliged to leave the country; but as it is made in the King's absence, probably with intent to divert the attention of the Government from the affairs on the Continent, & thereby to make some diversion in favours of the ambitious views of France, it would, in my apprehension, be of great service to the publick, & could not fail of being exceedingly well taken at present, if men of fortune & figure were to show their dislike to this attack (I may say) upon the libertys of Europe, as well as the libertys of this country, by putting themselves & their followers in such a posture as should leave no hopes of success to those rash adventurers. The Duke of Atholl has call'd the Gentlemen that depend on him together, & has directed them to have some hundred of men listed, & ready to act at ane hour's warning when required; and they have also directions to have the whole posse ready in case of need. How far your Grace may not think it improper to make some such disposition, I leave with yourself. This note my Lord Lyon has undertaken to forward to your Grace by express. If any thing furder arrive, worthy of your Grace's being acquainted with in heast, I shall have the honour to acquaint you with it in the same manner. am, with hearty wishes, &c. I Dear Sir, No. CCCCI. The Lord President to Sir John Cope, K. B. AFTER what I wrote to you from Airdmore, of the 12th at night, I should not have given you the trouble of another letter so soon, were it not for the note I had from Caulfield to-day by your orders, inclosing a copy of the Governor of Fort Williams's letter of the 7th, which talks of the arrival of several transports with a number of troops on the west coast. It was his duty to give you notice of any intelligence that he believed to be true; & his advice possibly may be so. But it is my duty to acquaint you, that, tho' I have heard rumors of that kind, I could not meet with any reasonable authority for them; on the contrary, all the credible pieces of information I have been able to pick up from the neighbourhood of the coast, where these troops are supposed to be landed, of later date than the 7th, take no notice of any ship but one; or of any persons landing, but the few that came with that ship. Had there been any such second landing, it is far from being probable that it would not have made noise enough amongst the well-wishers of that cause in this neighbourhood; and I think I could not well have fail'd to be inform'd of it, by such as I have already sent for, & conversed with, who are not a few. But as what I can say on the subject amounts to little more than negative evidence, I dare not desire you to rely absolutely on it. When the return of the expresses which I have dispatched shall come to hand, I . shall be able to say with greater certainty. In the mean time, I thought it proper to let you know that our apprehensions are not such as they were at Fort William on the 7th Tho' my present belief is, that there has been no second landing, yet I give ear to other reports, which say that there is reason to fear that several of the Macdonalds of Clanranald, & Glengarry, are convocating in arms; & that the Camerons are also assembling; & that between them they are endeavouring, by threats, to force their neighbours, the Grants of Glenmoristone & Urquart, to join them in arms. That Lochiell should play the madman in this manner surprises me; & I have still some faint hopes it is not true, tho' I have been by some well-wishers of his informed that he has absconded for some time, upon hearing that a warrant was out against him. I wish no such warrant had ever been granted. Yesterday my Lord Lyon, who came hither upon hearing the night before that I came home, acquainted me with the Duke of Gordon's great desire of knowing what truth was in the various reports that were flying about, to the end he might take the proper measures for showing his zeal for the Government; & I by express acquainted him with the attempt upon the western coast, together with your intended march with the troops, & the resolutions which the Duke of Athole had taken, which I hope his grace will follow. This day the Lord Lovat came to dine with me. He said, he had heard with uneasiness the reports that were scattered abroad; but that he look'd on the attempt as very desperate; that tho' he thought himself but indifferently used lately, in taking his company from him, yet his wishes still being, as well as his interest led him, to support the present Royal Family; that he had lain absolutely still, & quiet, lest his stirring in any sort might have been misrepresented or misconstructed; & he said, his business with me was, to be advised what was proper to be done on this occasion. I approved greatly of his disposition, & advised him, untill the scene should open a little, to lay himself out to gain the most certain intelligence he could come at, which the situation of his clan will enable him to execute, & to prevent his kinsmen from being seduced by their mad neighbours; which he readily promised to do. If what I have before mentioned is true, that the Highlanders who have joined the Adventurer from France are beginning to use threats to compel their neighbours to join them, it will naturally occur to you that the immediate presence of the troops is necessary. I am, Sir, &c. Culloden, 15th Aug. 1745. DUN. FORBES. P. S. This moment I have an express from the Isle of Skye, from the person whose leiter I shewed you the morning I left Edin'. It is dated 11th ins'; it takes notice of no second landing, & mentions only apprehensions that the Macdonalds of the family of Clanranald, & Glengarry, are in hazard of playing the fool, as I have already hinted. The bearer of that letter says, he heard nothing of any shipping or landing, except the first. No. CCCCII. The Lord President to Sir John Cope, K. B. Dear Sir, Culloden, 17th August 1745. THO' I have nothing worth troubling you with since my last, which was from hence the 15th at night; yet, as the post goes from Inverness this day, I drop you this note, that you may know I have not learned any thing with certainty since that time; except that Lord Fortrose has sent me a letter, which he had from Glenelg, dated the 12th; by which it appears, that there was no second debarkation, such as you heard of from Fort William. Upon the rumor that those who had got together in arms were resolved to compell their neighbours, by threats and force, to join them; the Lord Lovat has dispatched orders to such of his kindred as are nearest to those that are said to be in arms, to put them on their guard against any such attempt. You see, Sir, tho' I mention those precautions, I treat the thing, intended to be obviated, only as a rumor; because I have not hitherto had any certain information; the Messenger whom I dispatched to gain intelligence not having hitherto returned; and it is for that reason that I cannot at present, with any certainty, tell you what truth there is in another report, that the Highlanders, whom I mentioned in my last as assembling in arms, are, on Monday next the 19th, to meet their young chief on the west coast, near Arisaig; and there and then to set up his standard, as they call it. This report comes to me from several quarters; and tho' I cannot assert it to be true, yet I believe you will not think it improper to quicken your march, as if it were. The sloop is arrived, and the arms are lodged in the Castle. I wish some more may without loss of time be sent; since, without them, Gentlemen, however zealous, can do no more than talk for the Government, and not even that with confidence. I wish all the letters I have wrote to you, which are three in number before this, may have come safe to hand. N. B. This and the two last went under cover to the D. of Athol. My Lord, No. CCCCIII. M' McPherson, of Cluny, to the Lord President. I AM sorrie to acquaint your Lop that, much contrary to your expectation and inclination, it is now beyond all doubt, that the generality of the Highlanders to the west of us are in arms, and forming themselves into a body, betwixt Gleninven and the head of Lochiel; and I have this morning got intelligence, to crown all, that Keappoch, with his people, Thursday last intercepted three companies of the regular troops (I mean the three that march'd thorrow this country from the South lately) at Highbridge, who, as I am told, immediately on the Highlandsmen appearing on the Fort William William side of the bridge, turn'd directly back, in order to make Fort Augustus, and were pursued by the rebells; and in their re-passing thorrow Achedroum, the Glengarrie men shew'd themselves in their way to Fort Augustus; who sent the troops message to surrender, which was refused, and at the same time the troops fir'd upon the Glengarrie men, as is said; who all this while kept at such a distance, that the fire did them no hurt, and the military continued in that way, till they were run out of ammunition. Upon which, the rebells fired upon them, and wounded one of their officers, and kill'd three of the private men; in consequence of which, the troops surrendered, and were carried prisoners to Achnicarry. This is all I have to say that is worth notice. We have had such deludges of rain here these few days past, and the rivers and small burns were so impetuous, that it greatly stopt our communica tion. It is generally believed, that the Highland armie will come in a body, in, upon the braes of this country, tho' at the same time I have no good authority for this. I leave it to your Lop to judge what condition this country will be in if that happens, as you may believe there are severall amongst them that are not quite well affected to us here, on account of their not being allow'd these two years past to run on in their ordinary practices. I read your Lop's letter to Killihuntly in his own absence; and it is certain that Glenbucket pass'd thorrow this country in his way to Glengarrie Wednesday last; he being seen and convers'd by severall of the countrymen in his march that day; and Peter Gordon, some time the Duke of Gordon's bailie and factor in this country, went along with him, and he is not yet return'd. He commonly acted here as Bailie Deput; but we have at this time neither principall or deput; which is of very great loss to us, especially just now when the troops are passing. Not a man by authority we have in Badenoch that can regulate carriages, &c.; so that your Lop sees we are ill off in different respects. Breakachic is not yet returned, which makes me believe he did not find Lochiel at home; but upon his arrival shall inform your Lop what further I am acquainted of. Cluny, 18th August 1745. I am, w great regard, My Lord, Your Lop's most obliged & most obedient Serv', P. S.-I have it just now confirm'd, that to-morrow is the day that the pretended King's standard is to be display'd, and he himself proclaimed, at Gleninven. No. CCCCIV. Mr McPherson to Sir John Cope, K. B. AT my Lord President's desire, I have sent a Gentleman on a message to the Laird of Lochiel, with his and my serious friendly advice for making him withdraw from the Pretender's Son's partie, who now begins to be formidable pretty closs in this nighbourhood. All the answer I have is the inclos'd prints. The reason, therefore, of my giveing your Excellency the trouble of this express is, to show you that all the information I have (and that from good authority) is, that that this Gentleman (I mean the Pretender's Son) is this day in a place they call Gleninven, not far from Fort William; I believe w'in much less than a day's march of it; where he displays that which he calls the Royall Standard; that most of all the Highland Chieftains are there; that they propose forthwith to march southward, and burn and slay in all such countries as will not immediately join them. If the forces do not march towards them before they have time to become more formidable, it will goe very hard with such as lie in their way, and particularly with this country of Badenoch, against which the greatest threatenings are already. All I have to say is, that I thought it incumbent on me to give your Excellency this information, of which you'll make the use you shall judge most proper for his Majestie's interest. I presume your Excellency has been already inform'd how a partie of about an hundred men of the King's forces, that were to reinforce the garrison of Fort William, were seized by a body of the Rebells on the sixteenth of this month, w' the loss of three men of the forces, and one of the officers wounded. I am, &c. My Lord, No. CCCCV. Mr McPherson of Cluny to the Lord President. BREAKACHIE is just now return'd, and the inclos'd prints is all the answer I have from my friend. As he's now dip'd far enough, I find the fate of the Gentleman that publishes these papers (be what it will) he resolves will be his. In the mean time, my Lord, I wish you wou'd take my case, and that of my poor country, to consideration: Probably this army, more or less as it is, will march immediately southward. This country, as you know, lies directly in their way; and if the Government does not forthwith protect us, they must either be burnt or join. I have this from undoubted authority, and there is no reason to doubt of it. At the same time I hear that the King's forces are to incamp at Stirling; that is a help far from us; and what to do, so as to save this poor country from immediate ruin, is a very great question to me. All on Spey side have a great chance of running the same risque in this country; tho' it's very certain we must be the first sufferers. But, be it as it will, I have nothing more for it, than to run this express for your advice; and at the same. time to aske of you, that you may represent our situation to the Government, that they may fall on means for our preservation. Our case being so very bad, I may say w'in a day's march (of the invaders) to ruin; for my part, I cannot pretend to give advice in ane affair of so very great moment; but I humblie beg leave to give my oppinion; which is, that the King's troops shou'd immediately march Northward, so as to intercept this body; which I take to be the only way not only to save a good part of the North from the impending danger, but to crush this invasion and conjunction, which promises to be pretty formidable if not prevented in the bud. My friend told Breakachie, that Sir Alex' McDonald and McLeod will be at displaying of what they call the Royall Standard this day; and if so, that their men will join, will be depended upon. What this country, the rest of Spey side, or even more countries in this North of the kingdom, may do when force is at their doors, I leave your Lop to judge, as force has often made people to committ that which was no choice; but, to save them from a necessity that may be fatall, I heartily wish the Government did in time, for their own good and ours, look to our and |