and rescued others who were destined to inferior punishments, many of which had already taken place.

The army which the Duke commanded consisted of twelve squadrons of horse and fourteen battalions of infantry; but several of them had suffered much in the late action, and the whole were far from being complete. Every effort had, however, been made, to repair the losses which had taken place on Falkirk Moor; and it may be said, the Duke of Cumberland was at the head of as gallant and well-furnished an army as ever took the field. Hawley, who was a personal favourite with the King, continued to act as Lieutenant-General under the Duke; and Lord Albemarle held the same situation. The Major-Generals were Bland, Huske, Lord Semple, and Brigadier Mordaunt.

In a council of war held at Edinburgh, it was resolved that the troops should march the next morning towards Stirling, in order to raise the siege of the castle, and give

battle to the rebels, if they should dare to accept of it, under better auspices than that of Falkirk Great pains had been taken, in previous general orders, to explain to the common soldiers the mode in which the Highlanders fought,-a passage so curious, that I shall extract it from the orderly-book for your amusement. Perhaps the most comfortable part of the instructions might be the assurance, that there were but few true Highlanders in the Prince's army.*

*

"Edinburgh, 12th January, 1745-6-Sunday. "Parole 1.-Derby.

"Field-officer for the day, to-morrow, Major Willson. The manner of the Highlanders' way of fighting, which there is nothing so easy to resist, if officers and men are not prepossessed with the lyes and accounts which are told of them. They commonly form their front rank of what they call their best men, or True Highlanders, the number of which being allways but few; when they form in battallions, they commonly form four deep, and these Highlanders form the front of the four, the rest being Lowlanders and arrant scum. When these battallions come within a large musket-shott, or three score yards, this front rank gives their fire, and immediately thro down their firelocks

and come down in a cluster, with their swords and targets, making a noise, and endeavouring to pearce the body, or battallion, before them, becoming 12 or 14 deep by the time they come up to the people they attack. The sure way to demolish them is at three deep to fire by ranks diagonally to the centre where they come, the rear rank first, and even that rank not to fire till they are within 10 or 12 paces; but if the fire is given at a distance, you probably will be broke, for you never get time to load a second cartridge; and if you give way, you may give yourselves for dead, for they,* being without a firelock or any load, no man with his arms, accoutrements, &c. can escape them, and they give no quarters; but if you will but observe the above directions, they are the most despicable enemy that are."

CHAP. V.

Retreat of Prince Charles's Army from Stirling into the Highlands-The Rout of Moy-Arrival of Hessian Troops to the assistance of Government-Council held at Edinburgh by the Duke of Cumberland and the Prince of HesseCassel-Disappointment of Prince Charles's Hopes of Assistance from France-Lord George Murray seizes the Military Posts in Atholeinvests the Castle of Blair-but is forced to raise the Siege for want of Men enough to prosecute it-The Prince's Suspicions of Lord George Murray's Fidelity.

THE insurgents did not reap such advantages from the battle of Falkirk as might have been expected. The extreme confusion of their own forces, and their consequent ignorance respecting the condition of the enemy, prevented their pursuing Hawley's army, which might, in all probability, have

been an easy prey. Had they done so, they might, on the spur of the moment, have again obtained possession of the capital, with all the eclat attendant on such

success.

But the Chevalier, who had kept his word in convoking no councils since the retreat from Derby, saving that held on the field of battle, acted only by the advice of his secretary Mr Murray, his quarter-master John Hay, Sir Thomas Sheridan, and the Irish officers, who were suspected of being less ready to give unbiassed advice to the young Prince, than willing to echo back his own opinions. On this occasion he conceived, that raising the siege of Stirling would be a disgrace to his arms, and resolved, therefore, to proceed with it at all events. This proved an unlucky determi

nation.

The French engineer who conducted the siege, was imperfectly acquainted with his profession. He constructed a battery upon the Gowan Hill; but opening it when only