1745.

THE BRITISH REDUCE CAPE BRETON.

209

the walls of his capital. It was in vain that the British fleet, now commanded by Admiral Rowley, endeavoured to effect a diversion, by battering and burning some towns on the Genoese coast. Don Philip, advancing to Milan in triumph, received the homage of the neighbouring cities; and the Queen of Spain already saw, in imagination, the Crown of Lombardy encircle the brow of her second son.

*

From America, at least, there came joyful tidings. The people of New England had formed a design for reducing Louisburg, the capital of cape Breton, a French port of great importance, and sometimes termed the Dunkirk of America.** The King's Government afforded its assistance to the enterprise. Early in the spring, about 4000 volunteers assembled at Boston: they were reinforced by a body of marines, and supported by Admiral Warren, with a squadron of ten ships of war. For their commander they chose Mr. Pepperel, a private gentleman, in whom courage and sagacity supplied the place of military skill. Landing with very slight loss in the bay of Chapeau Rouge, or as called by a local corruption Gabarus, about four miles from Louisburg, they invested the place by land while the fleet blockaded the harbour. The walls were newly repaired and the garrison mustered 1200 men, and a resolute resistance was encountered; but, nevertheless, on the 15th of June, after fortynine days' siege, the town and the whole island were compelled to surrender to the British arms.

*Coxe's Bourbon Kings of Spain, vol. iii. p. 366. ** Tindal's Hist. vol. ix. p. 156.

Mahon, History. III.

14

a

CHAPTER XXVII.

We are now arrived at that memorable period when the cause of the banished Stuarts flashed with brilliant lustre, then sunk into eternal darkness when the landing of seven men could shake an empire - when the wildest dreams of fiction were surpassed by the realities of history — when a principle of loyalty, mistaken indeed, but generous and noble, impelled to such daring deeds, and was followed by such utter ruin - when so many gallant spirits, lately exulting in hope or forward in action, were quenched in violent death, or wasted in the lingering agonies of exile. *

-

The spring of 1745 found the young Pretender still at Paris, harassed by the discords of his own adherents, and weary of leaning on a broken reed the friendship of Louis the Fifteenth. Since the failure at Dunkirk, the French professions of assistance were continued, but the reality had wholly disappeared. It seems that several Protestant Princes

the King of Prussia more especially — had remonstrated against the support which France was giving to the Roman Catholic party in Great Britain **, and that most of the French Ministers shrunk from offending their continental allies, while others wished every effort to be concentrated for Flan

* Of the rebellion of 1745 there are three separate histories, which I have consulted and found of great service. First, Mr. Home's, published in 1802; it is meagre, unsatisfactory, and by no means worthy the author of Douglas, but it contains several valuable facts and letters. Secondly, Sir Walter Scott's, in the Tales of a Grandfather an excellent and perspicuous narrative, but which, being written for his little grandson, is, of course, not always as well adapted to older persons. Thirdly, Mr. Chambers's very full and exact. The writer, though a warm partisan of the Stuarts, is always fair and candid, and deserves much praise for his industry in collecting the remaining local traditions.

** Mémoires de Noailles, vol. vi. p. 22. This passage has hitherto been overlooked, in reference to the conduct of the French Court upon this subject, but fully accounts for it.

1745. PRINCE CHARLES'S PROJECTS AND PREPARATIONS. 211

ders. Even the Irish Brigade, though consisting of Charles's own countrymen and partisans, was not reserved for his service. Even a little money, for his immediate wants, could only be obtained after repeated solicitation and long delay. Yet Charles's high spirit endured. He writes to his father: "I own one must have a great stock of patience to bear "all the ill usage I have from the French Court, and the "TRACASSERIES of our own people. But my patience will never "fail in either, there being no other part to take." And again, "Whatever I may suffer, I shall not regret in the "least, as long as I think it of service for our great ob"ject; I would put myself in a tub, like Diogenes, if neces"sary."

It had been intimated to Charles, through Murray of Broughton, and on the part of his principal Scottish friends, that they could do nothing in his behalf, nor even think themselves bound to join him, unless he came with a body of at least 6000 troops, and 10,000 stand of arms. These he had no longer any hope of obtaining, and he was therefore brought back by necessity to his first and favourite scheme, "having it always at heart," says he in a later letter, "to "restore my Royal Father by the means of his own subjects "alone."*** He wrote to Scotland, whither Murray had now returned, announcing his intention, at all hazards, to attempt the enterprise. Meanwhile he made every exertion for procuring arms, borrowed 180,000 livres from two of his adherents, and wrote to his father at Rome, concealing his real project, but requesting that his jewels might be pawned, and the money sent to him. "For our object," says he, "I would pawn even my shirt. ... As for my jewels, I should, 66 on this side the water, wear them with a very sore heart, "thinking that there might be made a better use of them.... "It is but for such uses that I shall ever trouble your Majesty "with asking for money; it will never be for plate or fine Letter, January 16. 1745.

** Letter, January 3. 1745.

Stuart Papers.

*** Instructions to Alexander Macleod, Edinburgh, September 24. 1745. See Home's History, Append. p. 324.

"clothes, but for arms and ammunition, or other things "that tend to what I am come about to his country." *

The announcement of Charles's intentions excited equal surprise and alarm among his friends in Scotland; all, with the single exception of the Duke of Perth, condemned his project; they wrote dissuasive letters which, however, came too late **, and they stationed Murray on the watch on the Highland coast, that if the Prince came, he might see him, and urge him to return. Murray remained on this station during the whole month of June, and then went back to his house in the south of Scotland, supposing the enterprise abandoned. But, on the contrary, the tidings of the battle of Fontenoy had decided Charles's movements, it seeming to afford a favourable opportunity, such as might never occur again. He made all his preparations with equal speed and secrecy. He was then at the Château de Navarre, near Evreux ***, formerly a favourite haunt of his great ancestor Henri Quatre, and since Charles Stuart, again the refuge of fallen grandeur in the Empress Josephine. In 1745, it was the seat of the young Duke de Bouillon, between whom and Charles a romantic friendship had been formed.† From Navarre, on the 12th of June, Charles wrote a most remarkable letter to his father, for the first time revealing his design. Here are some extracts: "Let me mention "a parable: a horse that is to be sold, if spurred it does "not skip or show some signs of life, nobody would care "to have him, even for nothing. Just so my friends would 66 'care very little to have me, if, after such scandalous usage "from the French Court, which all the world is sensible of, "I should not show that I have life in me. Your Majesty

*Letter, March. 7. 1745.

** Examination of Mr. Murray of Broughton, August 13. 1746. *** "Navarre, à une demie lieue d'Evreux, bâti par Monseigneur le "Duc de Bouillon, sur les ruines d'un château que les Rois de Navarre 66 avaient fait faire pour la chasse, 1702." (Copied from a MS., Bibliothèque du Roi, Paris.) Delille says, in Les Jardins,

"L'ombre du Grand Henri chérit encore Navarre."

See in the Culloden Papers, p. 205.; an intercepted letter from the Duke to Charles in Scotland, assuring him in the warmest terms of friendship that he may dispose of all his estate and blood.

1745.

LETTERS TO HIS FATHER.

213

"cannot disapprove a son's following the example of his "father. You yourself did the like in the year Fifteen; but "the circumstances now are indeed very different, by being "much more encouraging... This letter will not be sent "off till I am on shipboard.... I have sent Stafford to Spain, "and appointed Sir Thomas Geraldine to demand succours "in my name to complete the work, and I have sent letters "for the King and Queen. Let what will happen, the stroke "is struck; and I have taken a firm resolution to conquer or "to die, and to stand my ground as long as I shall have 66 a man remaining with me.......... Whatever happens unfor"tunate to me, cannot but be the strongest engagement to "the French Court to pursue your cause; nay, if I were sure they were capable of any sensation of this kind, if "I did not succeed, I would perish, as Curtius did, to save "my country and make it happy.... Your Majesty may "now see my reason for pressing so much to pawn my jewels, "which I should be glad to have done immediately, for I 'never intend to come back." *

To King Louis, or to the French Ministry, Charles gave no intimation whatever of his intended enterprise, having strong grounds to fear that he might else be forcibly detained. Nevertheless, he secured the assistance of one large French man-of-war, and had even hopes of a second. "It "will appear strange to you," writes he to James' Secretary, "how I should get these things without the knowledge of the "French Court. I employed one Rutledge, and one Walsh, "who are subjects:" (they were merchants at Nantes;) "the "first has got a grant of a man-of-war from the French Court to cruise on the coast of Scotland, and is luckily obliged "to go as far north as I do, so that she will escort me with"out appearing to do it." ** The ship of war thus obtained was named the Elizabeth, and carried sixty-seven guns: the vessel for Charles's own conveyance was a brig of eighteen,

*Letter, June 12. 1745.

** Letter to Mr. Edgar. June 12. 1745.