McDonald and narrowly missed him, and he resolvs to be very uneasie to Coll until he gett him apprehendel. Coll has made it his work in the night tyme to threatten the tennents and possessors of my land ther, boasting to take ther lives if they should offer to tile or sove any this yeare, and the fellowes being timorouse have not soven on pickle ther, yett are most willing to settle with me if Coll's person were either secured dead or alive. My kinsmen and I will, as soon as possible this summer, make in armes againest those rebells, but the trouth is ther is a great famine of wictuell and men in all our Highlands here, the wictuell being most scarce and dear, and many of the men dead, the lands being for the most pairt weast, yett, notwithstanding of all this, I trust we shall bring such ane good and formidable pairty to the fields as will be too hard for Coll and all that would joyne if they but face us." He again appeals for help in regard to the loss of his house, furniture, &c. (d) On 15th August 1698, Macintosh again writes from the Isle of Moy, having apparently in the interval obtained the Commission. "My freindes and I did goe to Keppoch on our Comissione with ane considerable pairtie off good resolute men, and we acted there as much as we could in so short a time by settling with some off the tenents who did take tacks from me. Severall others of them hes not as yett come in, but I beleive will come in end. Coll McDonald his threatning and affrighting off them did keep them unlabering their lands the last spring. We did send three or four severall pairties whyle we wer in Lochaber to have seased the persons and goods off these rebells and the person off Coll McDonald particularly, but the great mists upon the hills did marr that interpryse, since it was impossible while they wer abroad to see man or beast; and the last two onsetts we made did sease many of the rebells goods and cattle which occasioned that some off them came in and settled with me; and we did build three sufficient timber houses in Keppoch for the use of the companie which lyes there of the King's forces be order off counsell for keeping me in posessione off my interest there; and that and the Comissione proves terrible to these rebells and be time will doe, I hope, my busines. Only, the nixt summer, ther will be a necessitic for my building a little ston house ther for my own use, butt these three last years bygon, and especialy this last year, hath been so bade here that all our lands are allmost weist which has rendered such ane famin of both money and wictuall in thir places by reason off great dearth that I was not able to build a ston house there this year, my other Lochaber expensses haveing drawn so deep upon me," &c. He concludes by again reminding the Chancellor of his losses and claim for compensation. 211. Letter from Colonel Archibald Row to the Earl of Marchmont. "Edinburgh, 18th January, 1697-98." [So dated, but apparently written from London.] He had delivered the Chancellor's letter to Lord Tullibardine. "The kinge hes not yet had time to enter wpon the Scotts affaires, onely Major-General Ramesey is gon to command the troupes in Holland. The Parliament has settled 10,000 land forces and halfe pay to all the officers that are to be disbanded whoe are nattural borne subjects of England. They are about moddeling the mellitiae for defence of the countrey, but its thought they cannot make great progress in that. My lord Burlington dyed twoe dayes agoe and lefte 20,000li a yeare to his grandson, my Lord Clifford, with a stone better than all that; whocever weares it about there necke are not to dye till affter the age of foare score. He lefte y 78239. K MARCHMONT MARCHMONT annother brother of his, Hary Boylle, 4,000li a yeare and 6,000li in money," &c. 212. Letter, Sir James Ogilvie to the Earl of Marchmont. Whitehall, 15th February 1698. Inter alia he writes, "The first thing you will have to doe now will be the settleing of the garison of Fort William [where Colonel Hill's regiment had been disbanded and replaced by that of Brigadier Maitland]. Livetenent-Collonell Forbes will certainly be usefull to the Brigadeer ther, and if also some of the best of the former regiment be taken on and imployed in each companie they will have the benefeit of knoweing of the countrie almost as well as the former did, and the officers and souldiers of that regiment have the reputation of haveing behaved verie well upon severall occasions abroad. The sooner they are settled ther, it is the better, because of the many disbanded louse men that will be now in the Highlands, and it can not be thought that the former garison will be so cairefull as otherwayes they would be if they hade bein to continoue," &c. 213. Letter, the Earl of Tullibardine to the Earl of Marchmont. [Not dated, circa 20th February 1698.] A long letter commenting on the treatment of Sir William Hamilton, of Whitelaw, Lord Justice Clerk, whom the writer wished to be President of Session. ". Honest Cairstairs has been a great instrument with Earl Portland to obstruct this by which you may judge of the man, but if your lordship consider whom he has alwayes joined himself to, as Lord Stairs, Lithgow, Broadalbane, &c., its evident his designes are not good. I know I need not caution your lordship to be on your guard with Cairstairs; if you heare him, belive him not, for I assure you no man can be less trusted or is more capable to deceave. That a churchman should medle with Court and State is intollerable, and which never succeeded to the advantage of any nation or honest men, nor its likly ever will for they act without their spheare and God does not bless theire undertakings. This honest man, Carstairs, pretends he goes about private business, and Secretary Ogilvy sayes the same, but I have grounds to know that he has other affairs to manage; he is to try the puls of people and how some things will relish with the next Parliament," &c. [The writer proceeds to more general matters of less importance. This was almost the last letter he wrote, as Secretary of State, to the Earl of Marchmont, as on account of the appointment of Sir Hew Dalrymple to the presidency of the Court of Session he demitted office. There are several letters on the subject of the appointment, but they are not of sufficient importance to be reported on at length.] 214. Letter, the Rev. William Carstares [address wanting, perhaps to the Earl of Marchmont, then High Commissioner for holding the Scottish Parliament]. Dieren, 19th August 1698. "My Lord, the account your lordship honoured me with of what past as to the Affrican Companie did give me very much satisfaction, and so much the greater that the ending of that affair so smoothlie seems to have putt my Lord Commissioner above all his difficulties, that now I hope his Grace is in a capacitie to bring this session of Parliament to a very happie issue his Majestie is fulie satisfied with his zeal and care," &c. [In another letter, same place and date, to the Earl, Mr. Pringle, Under Secretary of State, writes, "His Majestie must certainlie be pleased with the issue of this affair of the African Companie, for I think our wishes could not have formed a more favourable on, and I doe heartilie congratulat the good success your Grace has had hitherto in your management which I hope shall continue till this session is brought to a happie close." On 15th September 1698, both Mr. Carstares and Mr. Pringle wrote from Loo, each almost in the same words congratulating the Earl of Marchmont on the happy issue of the Parliament, which was acceptable to the king ] 215. Letter signed "John Coventry," addressed to the Lord High Chancellor of Scotland. Edinburgh, 12th September 1698. Craving pardon for his presumption in writing to the Earl, he proceeds, "It has been (I hope I may say) my good fortune to have lived many yeares in East India, where I had the advantage of improving my time as well in informing myselfe in the nature of the commerce there, as in the manner and constitutions of their Governments, which may in some measure be serviceable to the country of my education, to which, vpon my return from India, being sattisfyed by the Act of Parliament of the great advantages, it might reape by an East India trade; and finding some as well of the nobility as of the gentry and merchants vpon discoursing with them inclined therto, I thought the only demonstrative way would be to erect or raise a scheme of a voyage thither, which, being done, gave such encouragement that my Lord Tarbat with some others have obtained a commission to send out a ship thither, as is intimated by the printed preliminarys presented [to] your lordshipp by myselfe." He desires the Chancellor to encourage the enterprise by being a subscriber to the scheme. 216. Letter from "Jo. Dalyell" to the Earl of Marchmont, Inverness, 6th September 1698. Intimating that he had sent a party to "Chanarie " to seize the person of Dr. Cornelius Con, without success, as Con had gone to Edinburgh. He asks for further orders. "December 217. Letter to the Chancellor from Dr. Cornelius Con. the 22nd, 1698. My Lord, I am those fifteen weeks close prisonour incapable to write to my countrey or friends for a supply, daily running in debt heare and not able to pay it, as I have signifyed in my petition to the Lords of the Treasury and has yett got noe answear or precept." He desires a judicious hearing that he may know the accusations against him. "I have been euermore dutifull to Gouerment which occationed my sufferings amongst wilde vnruly persons, and though I am a stranger in Scotland, yet am a loyal and real subiect to the King of Brittaine and therfore expects justice. I came of my free accord to give the Gouerment an account of my sufferings and of my persecutor against whome I libled on a bone, and did expect better encouragement then imprisonment." He asks to be set at liberty, have his wants supplied, or to be permitted to write to his friends. [The circumstances of Dr. Con's ill-treatment by the Earl of Seaforth and the hardships he endured are related in a letter reported on by the Commissioners in their Twelfth Report [Appendix, Part 8, p. 55] on the muniments of the Duke of Athole. On 18th January 1699, Con again wrote from Edinburgh Castle, complaining of the extremity to which he was reduced, and desiring to know how he had offended the Government. By the 4th of May in same year he, through the influence of the Chancellor, had more liberty. He writes on that day hoping he may get a certificate from the Council of his sufferings for the Protestant Cause. 66 this castle is a poor place for a weak purse, yet is a paradise to me in respect of the Papisticall Purgatory the eight years. I question if the Pope will so soon get out of his purgatory if he goes MARCHMONT MARCHMONT there." He then refers to the evidence he can produce against Lord Seaforth.] 218. Letter to the Earl of Marchmont from John [Paterson], bishop of Glasgow. Gogar, 24th January 1699. Asking the Chancellor's influence to procure his enlargement from his "long restraint and confynement. I suffer much in my litle concerns at law, thorow my incapacitie to attend them at Edinburgh, as also my poor children are at a great and sensible loss in their education thereby." He therefore pleads for liberation. 219. Letter from the Marquis of Winchester and Henry, Earl of Galway, joint Lords Justices of Ireland, to the Chancellor of Scotland. Dublin Castle, 4th February 1699. In answer to his application for a supply of meal and malt for the use of the garrison at Fort William, they say that they are very desirous to preserve a good understanding between the two kingdoms, but that "the whole [Irish] Councill have been of opinion that the exportation of any meal or graine, especially so great a quantity as has been desired, cannot at this time be permitted without the greatest inconvenience and clamour of the people, the scarcity here being already so great that the House of Commons in their late session desired we would renew the orders that have been given not to suffer any corne to be exported except the necessary provision for shipping." They remind the Chancellor that 350 barrels had been ordered in the previous year but never shipped, supply having been obtained elsewhere." 220. Letter from Sir Patrick Home [of Renton] to the Earl of Marchmont, Edinburgh, 20th April 1699. Informing the Chancellor that, in answer to complaints by the ministers as to Popish meetings, "the magistrates, upon Sunday last, sent a party of the Town Guard to the Duke [of Gordon's] lodgings in the forenoon, and the gates being closed when they came. But after some time, they being opened, the guard found above 40 persons conveened in the hous, no doubt in order to hear mass or sermon or both, and there was about 24 men and the rest were women. They were all mean persons, except only Clerk of Wrightshouses and a brother and a son of the Lord Glassfoords.” The men were all sent to prison, but when they were examined on the Monday there was not sufficient evidence of either mass or sermon, and they were set at liberty. [Sir Gilbert Eliot writes to the same effect.] 221. Letter from "George Gordon," King's College, Aberdeen, 26th April 1699. Referring in an indefinite manner to some one, probably a Roman Catholic, whom he has been asked apparently to apprehend. He does not doubt that if the person in question is in Strathbogie or the Enzie "my friends there will be able to find him out to me, or I shall be able to make the discovery myself. If I mistake not very much, beside the marks your Lordship gives me, he is likewise described by his broad way of speakeing, but whether he's ane Irish or Scotsman is what I cannot remember." He wishes information of the person's family or parentage, and will spare no pains to find him out. 66 (b) On 6th May 1699, the same writer, dating from "Rawes of Strathbogy," says, I have been here and at Fetternear, and some other places in this countray these foure or five dayes bygone, and most of my company is Jesuits and other Popish priests (who, by-the-by, are swarmeing in this countrey), most of them my German and Italian acquaintances. Some of them are very uppish upon a most flagrant report and noise of ane intended invasion, but Dr. Jamesone and Father Dunbar doe assure me (and I confess they are two of both best sense and intelligence among them) that not a man of their friends at St. Germains writes one word of this, nor are any of their King's friends acquainted with any such designe. However, they say that notwithstanding of this they will not hinder the propagation of it even among their owne accomplices, because they are satisfyed to have them beleeve that still theire is some life in the cause. I have as yet made no discovery of any laick stranger lately come to this countrey. Two Benedictine monks I met with t'other day, whom I knew formerly at Ratisbonne, who are come lately hither for propagation of the faith, but they talke of nothing save the Duke of Berwick's reception at Rome, which they are made beleeve in Germany portends some great matters, tho' others of them will have him allready returned againe to Dunkirk with vast remittances of money, &c., which I find the wiser sort of them smiles a little at. But whatever be in this, I find they are all perswaded that there is some great designe on the wheels. In the meane time I am a little difficulted for want of a commerad of sense and experience, and sufficient honesty to whom I might have imparted my designe and entred into concert with, which would have extreamely facilitat my business in case I hade been so lucky as to find out the gentleman I want. However, I have taken a resolution, which I judge necessary to impart to your Lordship timeously, and it is that in case I succeed I'l immediatly score out my owne name out of both warrands, and fill up the name of some officer or friendly and trusty magistrate in whose honesty I know I can confide. Of such I have allready two or three with whom I have setled correspondence, but have sayed nothing of this secret, and if I find that time will allow I'l cause seize, and take myself prisoner as well as my friend, by which meanes I can both secure myself against any outrage from the accomplices of such a villain, who I know would bogle at nothing, and may likewise continue in a capacity of doing the Government any other small service that lyes within my narrow and weake reach. But in case time and other circumstances will not allow this precaution, I am, through God's strength, resolved rather to venture my life than faile in the designe if it come to that push, which I wish with all my heart may be." If the Lord Chancellor disapprove this plan he is to inform the writer, who thus proceeds, "I doubt not but some of these with whom at present I am could give me some information of Sir George, his countrey, &c., but I dare not speake of his name least they smell a rat; however there's one of the most pragmatick among them that loves a bottle, and I designe to make a shift to get some water to the pump; but I'm much mistaken if the Duke of Gordon does not know him particularly, and I apprehend it were no difficult matter for your Lordship to get a particular account from him," which the writer hopes may be done as soon as possible. In a postscript he says, "I, haveing a colleague of my owne name, your Lordship may be pleased to cause designe me Professor of the Orientall languages," &c. •6 (c) The writer of the above was suddenly summoned to Aberdeen, whence he writes again on 15th May 1699. He had heard of some strangers who had gone up Deeside and had followed them, but found none of any note, save one, Bailie David Edie, who is lately come from France, where he declared himself Popish." The writer had still no success in his special mission. [From an allusion to "Sir George " in the second of the above letters, it seems not improbable that the MARCHMONT MSS. |