one hand, and in the other liberty of conscience, and the "most solemn promises to grant whatever a free Parliament "shall propose for the happiness of the people. I have, I "confess, the greatest reason to adore the goodness of Al"mighty God, who has in so remarkable a manner protected "me and my small army through the many dangers to which "we were at first exposed, and who has led me in the way "to victory, and to the capital of this ancient kingdom, "amidst the acclamations of the King my father's sub"jects...... As to the outcries formerly raised against the "Royal Family, whatever miscarriages might have given "occasion for them have been more than atoned for since, "and the nation has now an opportunity of being secured "against the like for the future. That our family has suf"fered exile during these fifty-seven years every body "knows. Has the nation during that period of time been "the more happy and flourishing for it? Have you found "reason to love and cherish your governors as the fathers "of the people of Great Britain and Ireland? Has a family, "upon whom a faction unlawfully bestowed the diadem of a rightful prince, retained a due sense of so great a trust "and favour? Have you found more humanity and con"descension in those who were not born to a Crown, than “in my Royal forefathers? Have they, or do they, con"sider only the interest of these nations? Have you reaped "any other benefit from them than an immense load of "debts? If I am answered in the affirmative, why has their government been so often railed at, in all your public "assemblies? Why has the nation been so long crying out "for redress? "The fears of the nation from the powers of France and "Spain appear still more vain and groundless. My expedi"tion was undertaken unsupported by either. But indeed "when I see a foreign force brought by my enemies against "me, and when I hear of Dutch, Danes, Hessians, and "Swiss, the Elector of Hannover's allies being called over "to protect his government against the King's subjects, is 1745. NEW ACCESSIONS TO HIS FORCE. "of foreign powers 265 "it not high time for the King my father to accept also of "assistance? Who has the better chance to be independent he who, with the aid of his own sub"jects, can wrest the government out of the hands of an "intruder, or he who cannot, without assistance from "abroad, support his government, though established by all "the civil power, and secured by a strong military force, "against the undisciplined part of those he has ruled over "for so many years? Let him, if he pleases, try the ex"periment: let him send off his foreign hirelings, and put "all upon the issue of a battle, and I will trust only to the "King my father's subjects!"* This spirited proclamation was not, we may presume, without effect in drawing more recruits to Charles's standard - the great object to which all his measures were directed. Many volunteers joined him from the Lowlands, and new tribes of Highlanders poured down from their mountains. Lord Ogilvie, eldest son of the Earl of Airly, brought 600 men, mostly of his own name, from Forfar. Another regiment of 400 from the hills of Aberdeenshire came under Gordon of Glenbucket. In the same country Lord Lewis Gordon, brother of the Duke, declared for Charles, and undertook to raise the vassals of his house. Macpherson of Cluny, having gone from Perth to levy his followers, returned with about 300. Lord Balmerino, a bold, bluff, harddrinking veteran, of the old Scottish stamp, took up arms again, as he had in 1715. Another still more important accession was gained in Lord Pitsligo, a man also in advanced years, of gentle temper, and peculiar wariness and prudence. "I always observed him," says Dr. King, "ready "to defend any other person who was ill-spoken of in his "company. If the person accused were of his acquaintance, * Murray of Broughton, in his secret examination (August 13. 1746), says, that this proclamation was drawn up by Sir Thomas Sheridan and Sir James Stewart. No doubt it may have been corrected as to the language, and must have been as to the spelling; but the style appears to me very much to resemble that of Charles's letters, allowing for the difference between a studied and a hasty composition. "my Lord Pitsligo would always find something good to say "of him as a counterpoise. If he were a stranger and quite "unknown to him, my Lord would urge in his defence the "general corruption of manners, and the frailties and in"firmities of human nature!"* From this cautious temper, which he was known to possess, the gentlemen of his neighbourhood in Banffshire deemed him a safe leader, and were the more easily persuaded to join him when he espoused the Stuart cause: they formed with their retainers about 150 cavalry under his command; besides which, he also brought a small body of foot. With Sir Alexander Macdonald and MacLeod the Stuart cause found less favour. Only three days after the battle Charles had despatched to them a messenger, exhorting them, but in vain, to join his standard.** Lovat likewise, though strongly urged in Charles's letters, continued to waver between his hopes and fears. For some time he brooded over a scheme of collecting a new Highland army at the Corry Arrack, which should affect neutrality, and side at last with the victorious. But finding this impracticable, and afraid of losing all credit with the Pretender's party, he finally adopted the dastardly middle course, of exposing his son's life to protect his own. He privately directed that son, the Master of Lovat, to march towards the Prince at the head of seven or eight hundred of his clan, protesting all the while to his neighbour, the Lord President, that the march was made to his infinite sorrow and against his repeated orders. But his previous hesitation had lasted so long, that the Frasers did not arrive at Perth until after the Prince had entered England. And it may be alleged, with great show of truth, that the defection or delay of these three chiefs, MacLeod, Macdonald, and Lovat-who could, had they heartily engaged, have brought a further force of 4000 men turned the nearly balanced * Anecdotes of his own Time, p. 145. ** See his Instructions in Home's Appendix, p. 324. 1745. CAMP FORMED AT DUDDINGSTONE. 267 scale against the success of the English expedition, and the triumph of the Jacobite cause. Notwithstanding these drawbacks, Charles's army, within six weeks after his victory, mustered nearly 6000 men. These were encamped at Duddingstone, and supplied with tents, partly from the requisition upon Edinburgh, and partly from the spoils of Cope. The hardy mountaineers, however, were not easily prevailed upon to sleep otherwise than in the open air, and only yielded at length, as they said, out of respect to the Prince's orders. Charles came daily to visit or review them, and sometimes passed the night in the camp, lying down without taking off his clothes. He formed the cavalry, besides Lord Pitsligo's, into two troops as guards; the first to be commanded by Lord Elcho, the second by the Earl of Kilmarnock. Great pains were taken in like manner to equip and discipline the infantry; their rations being punctually supplied, and their pay fixed at sixpence a day for the common men, and a shilling for those of the front ranks in the Highland regiments. But with every care the camp still presented an irregular and uncouth appearance. A spy, who was sent from England about the middle of October, reports as follows: "They consist of an odd medley of grey beards "and no beards, old men fit to drop into the grave, and "young boys whose swords are near equal to their weight, "and I really believe more than their length. Four or five "thousand may be very good determined men; but the rest are mean, dirty, villanous-looking rascals, who seem more "anxious about plunder than their Prince, and would be "better pleased with four shillings than a Crown." * Yet we may observe that, in spite of such forbidding looks, their acts of outrage or depredation to the country-people were at this time extremely few. It was not uncommon, indeed, for them to stop some respectable portly citizen as he passed along, levelling their muskets at him with savage and This spy *MS. Report quoted in Chambers's Hist. vol i. p. 214. obtained an audience of the Prince as a pretended partisan, and was asked many questions as to the number of troops and the state of public feeling in England. threatening gestures; but, on being asked by the trembling townsman what they wanted, they usually answered “a baubee," that is, a halfpenny! Several more serious robberies that had been at first imputed to them were soon clearly traced to some professed thieves a class abounding the more, since the insurgents had every where opened the public jails, and who now assumed the Highland dress and the white cockade as a convenient disguise for their misdeeds. Against these mock Highlanders Charles issued a proclamation*, and succeeded in recovering and restoring a part of the stolen property. Money was scarcely less needful than men to the young Pretender, and this he obtained in three modes — free gifts, forced contributions, and foreign supplies. Several gentlemen, too aged or too timid to take up arms, displayed their zeal for him in purse instead of person; thus, for example, the old Earl of Wemyss sent 5007. The public revenues and the King's-land rents were levied throughout the greater part of Scotland, as by a regular and established government, and all arrears of them called in.** Forced loans, also, were imposed upon some places, as Glasgow; and the factors of the estates forfeited in 1715 were commanded to render their accounts, and pay their balances ***; all under the threat of military execution, with fire and sword. The goods in the custom-houses at Leith and other ports having been seized, Charles forthwith converted them into money, by selling them back to the smugglers, from whom they had been taken. Less invidiously was his treasury replenished from a French ship, which anchored at Montrose, with 50007. on board. Three other ships coming to the same coast brought 10007. more; they also conveyed about five *Collection of Declarations, p. 33. It is amusing to find the Jacobite newspaper allege the jails flung open by themselves as a proof of public virtue. "Among the observables of this time, one is that there is not in "the city jail one single prisoner for crime, debt, or otherwise. The like, "perhaps, never could have been said before!" Caledonian Mercury, October 2. 1745. **Proclamation, October 15. 1745. *** Circular letter to the Factors, September 30. 1745. |