This List may soon be made up, and therefore I hope soon to have a return from as to this particular. you You cannot but know a great many of these in your bounds, who, not being landed men, were allowed, upon their surrender of themselves & arms, to return to their own homes, and to live peaceably without disturbance. Wherefore I am directed to let you know, that it is expected that you will call such persons before you, and examine them as to their knowledge of the persons aforementioned, their having been in arms in the Rebellion; and that you will be pleased to give me a particular Lift of those persons that are capable of giving Evidence against them; and that you would mark at every persone's name not only his name and surname, designation, and place, of abode, but also the persons against whom he is capable of giving Evidence. And in this I hope you will be at such pains, That I may be in a condition to give such report of your diligence to Court, as is suitable to the Office you are intrusted with. As to the List of the landed Gentlemen who have been in the Rebellion and are either fled or sculking, I desire that that may be sent up with all dispatch; seeing you need not wait the event of finding Evidence against them; That being to be done either upon your own knowledge or common fame. And as to the List of Evidence, I hope you will send it up so soon as it is possible to be got ready. Ed', 8th Nov 1716. I am, Sir, Your most humble & Obed' Servant, JA. STEUART. No. XC. Mr Duncan Forbes to his Brother M' John Forbes, Provost of Inverness, Dated Edinburgh 16th Nov" 1716. Dear Brother, I HAVE written once to-day already: the design of this is to acquaint you, that a contribution is a carrying on, for the relief of the Poor Prisoners at Carlisle from their necessitous condition. It is certainly Christian, and by no means disloyall, to sustain them in their indigent estate, untill they are found Guilty. The law has brought them to England to be tryed by foreign Jurys; so far it is weel. But no law can hinder a Scots man to wish that his Countrymen, not hitherto condemned, should not be a derision to Strangers, or perish for want of necessary defence or sustenance out of their own Country. Therefor, if any Contribution is carryed on for the above purpose with you, it is fit you should give it all the countenance you can, by exhortation and example. The King's best friends do not scruple it here. I am Yours, DUN. FORBES. No. XCI. Lord Lovat to Mr John Forbes. My dearest Lord Provost, (we must give you your title since its to last but short.) My dear General's letter and yours are terrible; but I was long ere now prepared for all yt could hapen me on yo illustrous Brothers' account. Ill stand by yTM to ye last ; & if I fall, as I do not doubt but I will, I'll receive yo blow w'out regret. But all I can tell you is this, yt we are like to see a troublesome world, & my General & useful; & I am ready to be with you till y last drop; for I am eternally Ferintosh, ye 27th of Debe 1716 will be yet you Your own LOVAT. My most humble duty to y' Lady. God preserve you both, & destroy yo Squade. My drest General, No. XCII. Lord Lovat to M' Duncan Forbes. AS I take a particular share in all that touches my d' Gen: so I am mightily griev'd at y' sister-in-law's Condition.-I do not think y' your d' brother will long outlive her; for he is so overwhelm'd w' grief, that he neither sleeps nor eats, & is very much alter'd. I do what I can to comfort him; but he gives way to his grief, in spight of what all his fds can say. I have several calls from London. Foyers assures me y y Squade have resolv'd to ruin me, du fond en comble; to break me as to my Commissions, & as to my Gift; & to sett up a Fraserdale in odium of Argyle, & of me as his partisan. Brig. Grant writs to me y' he never will belive y promise of a Courtier after what was said to him of ye Gift to Fraserdale. My L I.'s refined Politik has hindered his Brother to act for me in y' matter, which was most inaccountable befor God & Man; since they know I would go Wh ym tomorrow to Spain, if they bid me, & leave wife & kindred-But, my d' Gen. I never found y' any fid would do for me what I would for him, except my d' Gen. who is generous & great in his Soul above all the Dukes & Earles in Brittain.-If you think fit, I intreat you writ to ye Brothers, to do for me what they can. Brig. Grant desires me to go off as soon as possible to secure Fraserdale's busines; so I do intend to go in a week or two at most. In the mean tyme, I send this express, w' George Drummond's 140 p'; y' is, 132 I really owe him and 8 p for the time he was out of his money, that he might employ better. So being to send this express South, I call'd for Kinmiles & Castlehill, who knows y Conveyances of this Estate better than any of this Countrey, & Kinmiles has made the inclos'd Memorial to be sent you. I therefore most humbly beg of my d' General to employ Sir Walter Pringle, & whom els you please, & consult together of some legal way of my keeping possession of this Estate, besides y Gift, which I look upon as the most precarious thing on earth; & I most tell my Gen: that either I most keep violent possession, which will return me my old missfortunes, or I most abandon ye kingdoms, & a young Lady whom my fds have engadg'd me to marry. So, d' Gen: I beg you may give me some prospect of not being again forc'd to leave ye Kingdom, or to fight against the King's forces; the one or y other must be, if I do not find any legal pretence of possessing the Estate but by this Gift, which I now reckon as nothing. The thoughts of all this confuse my brain; soe excuse my writ & style; and believe me eternally, w'out reserve, The most faithfull & affectionat of all your Slaves, Beaufort, ye 28th of Janry 1717. LOVAT. I have fully reconcil'd myself to all my kindred on both sides, except Dunbalah's Brothers. I sign this day a submission to Killräch & Cullodin for what Capt. Hugh can demand. No. XCIII. Dear Brother, No. XCIII. Mr John Forbes to Mr Duncan Forbes. I TAKE the opportunity of Lovat's express, to tell you that my Wyffe is dead. It pleased God to call her Munday last, the 28th Instant, betwixt twelve and on o'Clock fornoon. She is to be interr'd Tuesday next, the 5th February. If my health will allow me to travell after that, my stay will not be long here, unless Parliat is either prorogued or dissolved. Inverness, 30th January 1717 JO: FORBES. My dearest General, No. XCIV. Lord Lovat to M' Duncan Forbes. I GOT y' long letter; & I am affraid its omenus, when you writ long letters & I short ones. I have nothing to say as to the law part, but a blind submission to y' will; only y' I am sorry my adversarys have employed ye best lawiers, except. my Gen': whom I look on as ye best of all. If you can secure Sir Walter Pringle, I beg you do it. According to my General's orders, I reviewd yesterday at ******** above thirteen hunder men. Col" Moray did me ye honor to go himself & review y", & thought ym lusty bodys of Men; but they lookd melancholly like, w'out Arms.-I have writ to the Chancellor & Secretarys about y" by the last Post; & to Baron Shallenburg, to say a word to ye King of my zeal. I think you should make a Paragraph about my review, & cause put it in your Currant. I do assure you, y' it is a terrification to ye Jacobites, & y' my staying here frights them. Yet y Brig. writes plainly to me, even since the Plot, y' its in my L Ilay's advice I should go immediately to London to save myself, since they could not publickly act for me. Y advice pusles me of my staying; but I will be determined by this day's post. If my fis from London continou to bid me go, Ile go imediatly; if they bid me stay Ile stay, sinc they most know there if ther is any danger so near: yet I am truly of Opinion y' matters will not end whout much blood. What you desired to know I got notice of it precisly last night; my Cusing Clanranald did land in his own Countrey w' a great number of arms, & sent a great packet to Glengary, who is to go to Knoydard on ye coast, to meet Clanranald, or Glendarroch, who is likewise come over. I had this from a Cusing of Glengary's, who was w' him when he got ye Packet; so you may be assured y' Glengary & Huntley are as much the Pretender's, & all ther Men, as any in Scotland. Adieu, mon cher General; je vous ecriray plus au long Vendredy au soir, par la post ordinaire; cecy est par un express pour porter les Rolles de ma Company. Mille respects au Prevost, a M. Drummond, et Nimbo; et me Croyer à vous, mille fois plus qu'à Moymeme, Inverness, ye 20th of Febr 1717. LOVAT. I have been mild to my kinsmen to excess, & I am affraid contrary to my interest; but I follow my General's orders: their all united to me as one Man, except Dunbalah's Sons, whose Conduct no man of Honor or frdship to me can justify; but I let y" alone. No. XCV. No. XCV. Mr John Forbes to M' Duncan Forbes, London, 20th June 1717. Dear Brother, YOUR Friend Obryan was with me Tuesday night last, who, by the help of some good wine, made me slip that post; and to the consequence of that night's drinking you may impute my making use of a borrowed hand; for yesterday and last night I was so verie ill, that this day I was obliged to take a good quantity of blood. ch For news, Lovat's gift run the Gantlet this day in the House of Commons, by reason of a resuming Clause in favours of Fraserdale's Lady, presented by Lord James Murray, and strongly supported by Cocburn, Halden, and the Squad; who in the Debat, wh lasted two hours, were pleased to belch out great many scurrilous reflections against Lovat; but all to no purpose; for the gift subsists as it did; and in a great Measure owing to Mr. Walpole, and honest Mr. Smith, who, notwithstanding y melancholy circumstances of his Family at present, would not desert Lovat. No. XCVI. Mr John Forbes to M' Duncan Forbes, Lond. 13th July 1717. Dear Brother, J. F. M' STANHOPE has this day kist the King and Prince's hands as Viscount Sussex and Lord Mohaun*. Its also storied that Malh has demitted all his posts in Favours of Cad[ogan], who is to be Duke of Ormond. Its true, that Mr. Poultnie was refused access to the King before he left this place; and also that Tom Earle has lost his place, as every oy' body that voted against Cad. must in a few dayes. The D. of Summerset has refused to serve the Court, till first the K. and P. are reconcilat. We are to have the Act of Grace Munday next; and its talk'd, that the Parliament will not only then be up, but dissolved; and that Rox. and all the Squad. goe for Scotland to make the Elections, whilst his Majesty goes a progress through the Coun trie. As to my tyme of down comeing, its uncertain, because I know not how long may be detained in Hampshyre, where I desyne to goe next Week; But in order to my home coming, its proper you write north and find Credite for a £100. sterling, which I must draw on George Drummond for before I leave this place'; since I take it for granted that our Commisso" are to have no Sallarie payed them. Pray mynd me kindly to honest Timothy. Its pritty hard that neither you or I can be of any use att this juncture to the good Town. I am att present a litle on the Crab, and cannot think of writeing to any body; Therefore please forward the substance of this to honest Mr. Baillie. I am just now told, that, in order to secure Elections for the Court, Wharton is made Duke of Wharton. I I had almost Forgott to thanke you for the kyndly way off living you propose to us. I lyke it extremely weell; but I should lyke it much better if you could think of provydeing yourself with ane honest lass that would be a comfort to you, and also take care a little of me. This would determine me to keep home and with pleasure, which * Viscount Stanhope, of Mahon in the island of Minorca. In the following year he was created Earl Stanhope. in any oy' event cannot be but pritty melancholie to me when allone. And I assure you that your comeing to some speedy and solide resolution in this thing, which perhaps you may take as a Joke, is the greatest obligation you can do Your affect. Brother, JO. FORBES. Honble Sir, No. XCVII. Provost Hossack to the Laird of Culloden. COLONEL Montague & some Horse, having this forenoon come in from Killichnimman, brought a great many Letters from our Army, which goe by this Post, and will confirm that the Troops attacked the Rebells in their most advantageous post, beat them from it not without loss, and were in pursute of them next day; the Spaniards having capitulat to surrender on the Afternoon thereof. Capt" Downs & 2 Lieu of Montags are killed; Capt Moor & Heighington, of Clayton's, wounded; as is Cullairn on the thigh, & the bone safe. It's said, Seafort is wounded in the Shulder, and Gordon in the Legg. This is what occurs for news now. I am, Honble Sir, Inverness, 13th June 1719. Yo' most faithful Serv JOHN HOSSACK This was the battle of Glensheal, fought on the 10th of June. No. XCVIII. Lord Belhaven to M' Duncan Forbes, London, March 18th, 1721. D' Duncan, THE Lord Straffoord desired me this day to write to some Lawer of my acquaintance in Scotland, and inclose this bit of Paper concerning on Hamilton, who, he's inform'd, is now in Scotland. If you can find out that he is there, he would gladly employ you in the recovery of his monie; so should be glade you would employ some body to find out whether such a man is there, or not; and be so good as to let me know as soon as possible. For news, we are here in the outmost miserie, haveing had nothing before our eies but a theme of Calamity; the people in rage, fury, and povertie, without doors; and carrying on their particular views and interests within; without any regard to the publick good. You have, no doubt, heard of the Lord Sunderland's being acquitted by three score and on Votes: the Secret Committee were next to have proceeded against owld Craggs; but he bit them, having, as it's believed, taken a large doze of laudenum, of which he died Yesterday Morning. As for Politicks, I am not much vers'd in them, nor are they at present much worth minding; but this I may say, in generall, that if we be not all blown up together, I'm of Opinion our friends here never had a fairer prospect than they now have. I long to see ***** return'd a member of Parliament.-Pray give my humble Service to George Drummond, Mr. Brent, and all other friends. I am, D' Duncan, Yours, BELHAVEN. No. XCIX. |