Page images
PDF
EPUB

time they were ready, the motions of the rebels in their own neighbourhood were become so alarming, that they had work enough without going to Stirling, as we shall see by and by.

His grace the duke of Douglas had also by this time his three hundred men completely equipped, officered, and trained, and the first hundred of them marched from Douglas for Stirling on the twenty-seventh of September, and reached Carluke the same day; but provisions beginning to be difficult to be procured at Stirling, the duke of Argyle sent an order for them to quarter somewhere on the north side of Clyde, where they might be in readiness when wanted. Their march was accordingly stopped, and they were ordered to stay at Douglas, and to be acquiring more perfection of discipline, till they should be called to the camp. However, his grace the duke of Douglas, Douglas of Cavers, Sir James Carmichael, Sir James Lockhart of Fallside, the laird of Lammington, and several other gentlemen in the upper ward of Clydesdale, set out for the camp at Stirling on the twentyninth of September.*

This array on the side of the government was of the happiest consequence, not only as it strengthened the camp at Stirling by additional numbers, but, as it drew a great concourse of armed men into Glasgow, or concentrated them in its neighbourhood, it prevented the disaffected in that quarter-and there can be no doubt but even there they were in considerable numbers-from moving, for fear of certain destruction, before they could assemble as many of their friends as might afford them protection. Nor were the friends of the government less vigilant in other quarters. Fife had for the most part fallen into the hands of the earl of Marr; yet, on the twenty-sixth of September, a party going to proclaim the pretender at Kinross were met by the earl of Rothes, and a detachment of dragoons, who put them to flight, made Sir Thomas Bruce of Kinross, who was upon their head, prisoner, and on the twenty-eighth carried him to Stirling castle. The same day there was seized on board a *Rae's History of the Rebellion, p. 232.

+ Lockhart Papers, vol. i. pp. 491–494.

Complete History of the Late Rebellion, p. 38.

ship in the Thames bound for Scotland, four hundred barrels of gunpowder, and forty chests of arms, all intended for the use of the Scotish rebels. The lord Polwarth, who had raised in Berwickshire four hundred militia, came at this same time with one third of them to be assisting to Argyle, by whose desire they were quartered at Linlithgow till there should be occasion for them.*

The earl of Ila, a firm friend to the protestant succession, had been all this while exerting his influence at Edinburgh, dispersing or apprehending all he could meet with that were known to be disaffected to his majesty's person and government, and a little before this had had the good fortune to baffle an attempt made by about one hundred armed Jacobites to overpower the town guard, and throw the city into confusion, by seizing Burnet of Carlops, and some other of the ringleaders at their place of rendezvous, only a few hours before their plot was to have been put in execution; but he was now sent to Argyleshire to assemble the vassals of his brother the duke of Argyle, and the other well affected gentlemen in those parts, for the service of his majesty, and to prevent the rising of the rebels in the west Highlands, as well as to secure the town of Inveraray. And to encourage the zeal of the nobility and gentry, as well as to legalise their measures, the following order was issued :-" John, duke of Argyle, general and commander-in-chief of his majesty's forces in North Britain, to the lords lieutenants, deputy lieutenants, and, in their absence, to the well affected heritors of the western and southern shires in Scotland, and in particular to the justices of peace, magistrates of burghs, and other officers, civil and military-Whereas, great numbers of well affected noblemen, gentlemen, and others, in the southern and western shires of Scotland, being in readiness to march to such places as they shall be appointed, may be desirous to have a particular order to that effect. These are, therefore, in his majesty's name, and by his authority, requiring, ordering, and authorizing, the lords lieutenants, lieutenants deputies, or, in their absence, all well affected heritors, and each of them in the western

* Rae's History of the Rebellion, p. 232.

and southern shires aforesaid, to march forthwith their fencible men, with their best arms, and what ammunition they have, and with forty days' provision, towards Glasgow, and to quarter there, or in the adjacent towns or villages on the north side of the river Clyde, in order to be ready to assist in the opposing and extinguishing the rebellion now raised against our laws, our liberties, and the protestant religion; given at our camp at Stirling, the second of October, 1715, Argyle."

[ocr errors]

In the meantime, the duke was exerting himself to the utmost to augment his army by filling up the companies to fifty men each, and adding two new companies to each regiment; but being in want of officers as well as men, few could be spared for this service, and the levies went on very slowly, which induced his grace to issue a second order to the noblemen and gentlemen, requesting them to be assisting to those employed in the levies, and promising that their services in that matter should be faithfully reported to his majesty; offering at the same time forty shillings sterling to every private entering his majesty's service, with a promise of being discharged upon two months' notice to his officer, and to have a pass to return to his place of abode within six months after the suppression of the rebellion, without being obliged to serve abroad, or against any foreign power. Liberal, however, as this offer, on the part of his grace, certainly was, it does not appear to have attracted much notice, or to have added in any material degree to the augmentation of his army. He however, reported faithfully to his majesty the state of the country, and solicited supplies suitable to the occasion; but the ministry were inflexible in their determination not to spare a man out of England. All he could obtain for the present, was an order for a regiment of dragoons, and two regiments of foot from Ireland, each of which happily arrived in time to join him before the battle of Dumblain.‡

The earl of Marr, as we have already seen, was now master of all the eastern coast of Scotland, from Bruntisland to the

* Rae's History of the Rebellion, p. 233.

+ Patten's History of the Rebellion, p. 174.

Campbell's Life of John Duke of Argyle, p. 160.

Moray Frith, an extent of better than one hundred and sixty miles. On the west he possessed the Isle of Skye; the Lewis, and all the Hebrides were his own; being, generally speaking, the estates of the earl of Seaforth, Sir Donald M'Donald, and others of the clans who were in his interest, so that from the mouth of the Lochy to Farohead, all the coast of Lochaber and Ross, even to the north-west point of Britain was in his possession. In short, he was now possessed of all that part of Scotland which lies on the north of the Forth, excepting the remote counties of Caithness, Strathnaver, and Sutherland beyond Inverness, and that part of Argyleshire which runs north-west into Lorn, and up to Lochaber, where Fort William was still in possession of his majesty's troops.* Resolving to profit of this large extent of territory for raising money to subsist his army, he, on the fourth of October, issued an order, "commanding and requiring every heritor, feuer, or wadsetter, now attending the king's standard, or that may be excused, or their factors or doers, in their absence, and likewise all liferenters, immediately to proportion and raise among their tenants and possessors of their respective estates and liferent lands, the sum of twenty shillings sterling on each hundred pound Scots of valued rent. And such heritors as do not immediately, nor shall betwixt and the twelfth of October instant, attend the king's standard, if not excused by him the said earl, [of Marr] immediately to proportion and raise out of their respective estates, the sum of forty shillings sterling for every hundred pound Scots of valued rent. Which several proportions, according to their respective cases aforesaid, he ordained to be paid in to his collectors by the persons above mentioned by the twelfth of the month."+ This was certainly very bold, and showed an astonishing want of good faith, as it was only in the preceding month he had assured his friends and the public, in one of his treasonable harangues, that he had been furnished with money to bear all the charges of the enterprise,

* Annals of King George, vol. ii. p. 52.

+ Patten's History of the Rebellion, pp. 170, 171.

for which neither individuals nor the public should be put to one farthing of expense.

When Marr and his faction were thus exercising all the prerogatives of power, and treating their own countrymen with such rigour as is but seldom exerted towards a conquered people, it was not to be expected but that presbyterians would be subjected to particular hardships. Their clergy especially, who had, generally speaking, displayed the most exemplary spirit of loyalty and affection to the government, were every where the objects of malice, and subjected to lawless abuse. Their houses were plundered, they were taken into custody as traitors, and one and all forbidden either to preach or pray against the pretended king James. Many were under the necessity of deserting their charges and seeking safety in flight, while such of their goods as they could not carry along with them fell a prey to their merciless enemies. The ministers, indeed, were so far from being intimidated, or awed into submission, that they warned their people, both publicly and privately, against the sin and danger of giving to the insurgents any countenance. The synod of Glasgow and Ayr, being met in the beginning of October, emitted a most earnest and seasonable admonition to persons of all ranks in the several congregations under their inspection, to beware of the madness of rebellion, and to quit themselves like men, for their king, for their people, and for the house of their God. The synods of Perth and Stirling, Merse and Teviotdale, Lothian and Tweedale, followed their example; and the synod of Dumfries, prevented by the rising of the rebels from preparing one of their own, contented themselves with reprinting that given forth by the synod of Glasgow and Ayr.*

It would not be easy to conceive of a situation more miserable than that of the counties which had fallen under the military misrule of the earl of Marr. No sooner had he imposed his cess, to be levied under the pain of military execution, than the duke of Argyle published an edict declaring,

Rae's History of the Rebellion, pp. 236, 237.

« PreviousContinue »