in my power to make him safe, but I hope Providence will protect
him. I sent one for France this morning, and I hope he may sail in a
day or two, but let that not keep you from writeing there too. I
would fain hope that the Regent has altered his measurs, and is
comeing into the K----'s intrest, else I do not see how it had been
possible for him to get thro' France: if so, I have good hopes, and
I wish he may come to us; but if not, and that England do nothing, I
wish he were safe again where he formerly was, for we shall never be
able alone to do his bussiness, and he will be in the utmost danger
after starveing a winter in the Highlands. Lord Huntley is still
very much out of humour and nothing can make him yet believe that
the K----'s a-comeing. He intends to go north, under the pretext of
reduceing Lord Sutherland, and his leaving us at this time I think
might have very bad effects, which makes me do all I can to keep
him. The Master of Sinclair is a very bad instrument about him, and
has been most to blaim of any body for all the differences amongst
us. I am plagued out of my life with them, but must do the best I
can. I expect now to hear every day of the K----'s landing; but
should he be any time of comeing, and the Duke of Argyll get his
powers and send us word of it before he come, our old work will
begin again, and I am sure I shall be deserted by a great many. Some
people seem so farr from being pleased with the news of the K----'s
comeing, that they are visiblie sorry for it; and I wish to God
these people had never been with us for they will be our undoing!
and what a plague brought them out, since they could not hold it out
for so short a time? I shall be blamed, I know, over all Europe for
what I am entirely innocent of. It will be my own ruin beside, but
if that could advance the K----'s affairs I am contented. In time I
shall be justified when my parte in all this affair comes to be
knowen, and I bless God I have witnesses enough who have seen all;
and if accidents do not happen them, my papers will show it to
conviction, for I have been pretty exact in keeping copies and a
journall.
"Since I have wrote so fully to you, I do not write to Mr. H----ll,
for which I hope he'll forgive me.[122]
"I am anxious to know if my brother got my note that was inclosed to
you in that of the twenty-seventh, which was to caution him in a
thing that I was affraid his over great concern for me might make
him do, and which would vex me extreamly if he did.
"I long to hear from you again, as I suppose you will from me; and
as soon as I know of what you'll expect to hear of from me, you
shall. Adieu."
In a few days afterwards Lord Mar had gained more precise intelligence
of the Prince's movements; on the delay at St. Maloes he puts the
favourable construction of the vessel's having been wind-bound, as will
be seen by the following letter. The dissensions in his counsels, aided,
as he hints, by the influence which the Master of Sinclair exercised
over the Marquis of Huntley, were, still, not among the least of his
difficulties.
"December 6th, 1715.
"Sir,
"Last night one of the messengers I had sent to France returned, and
there came with him to Montrose, Mr. Charles Fleeming and General
Eclin; but they are not yet come here, nor some money that came
along with them. I have a letter from the King, the fifteenth of
November, N. S. from St. Malos; severall from Lord Bolingbroke, the
last of which was the twenty-seventh, and he belived the King then
to be saild, and he had been wind bound there three weeks; but he
did not sail, as I understand from the messenger til the eighteenth
inst., he having seen a letter from Col. Hay at St. Maloes, to Mr.
Arbuthnot, two dayes after he sailed. God send him safe to us, for
which I have done all in my power! It is in the hands of Providence,
and I hope God will protect him. It is not to be known where he is
to land, and indeed it cannot be known certainly. Even this has not
quite cured all the whims amongst us. Lord grant a safe landing, and
I hope that will. The Duke of Ormond is gone to England, and I
believe he has some troops with him and arms and ammunition.
"I hear from Fife to-day that there landed at Leith on Sunday last
four hundred of the Dutch troops. I hope that's all that are comeing
by sea. I have the King's Declaration, which is to be reprinted
here, and shall be dispers'd in a few days. The less that it be
spoke that the King is to land soon, I believe the better, until he
actually does, for that but make the Government more alert. Were he
but once landed, I have reason to belive that there will be a new
face of affairs seen abroad as well as at home in the King's favour,
which is all I dare yet adventure to trust of it to paper; but I
hope in God were the King once with us all will be well.
"There are more officers comeing to us from abroad different wayes,
so it's likely they may be dropping in every day. The Duke of
Berwick stays behind for a very good reason, and is to follow. The
King has been pleased to confer new honours on me, but I do not
think it fitt to take it on me til he comes, and if it pleases not
God he come to us safe, I am indifferent what becomes of all I ever
had, and this may go with the rest. It is goodness in him, and more
than I askt or deserve. I will long to hear from you; and tho' I
desire you not to let the news I write you be much talkt of, yet I
suppose it will be no secret, for I am obliged to communicate what I
get to so many that it cannot possible be keept, and yet I cannot
help this. Tho' Lord Huntley said little to me to-day upon my
shewing him my letters, yet I know it from good hands he is not a
bitt in better humour and that he will now positively go north;
which I suppose he'll write of to me to-morrow, for 'tis seldom now
he'll either see me or let me see him, tho' I take all the ways I
can to please and humour him, but all will not do: however, I hope
will not have many followers. Master of Sinclair is gone this day to
see his father upon a sharp letter he had from him yesterday about
his behaviour. Some others are ashamed of the part they acted, but
if the King come not soon all of them will relapse again. The clans
stand firm, and I hope will to the last.
"Pray try to get notice of what private letters from London say upon
our proposeing terms, and let me know as soon as you can. Adieu."
It is curious to trace the revival of the Earl's hopes, and the increase
of his confidence. The following letter contains, among other
circumstances, a reference to the supposed attempt of the Earl of Stair,
in France, to assassinate James.
"December 10th, 1715.
"Sir,
"Yesterday I had yours of the fourth and fifth, for which I thank
you. I wrote to you on the eighth, which I hope you got safe, and
in it I told you of one of the messengers I had sent to France being
returned, and with him General Eclin and Mr. Charles Fleming, and
some money: since that Doctor Abercromby is returned and Lord Edward
Drummond is come with him and brought some more money. They come off
the same day with the others, and landed the same day at Aberdeen
the others did at Montrose. They only brought duplicates of the
dispatches I had by the others, and a letter to me from the Q----
with a pacquet from her to the K----, by which you may be sure he is
sail'd, and we hourly expect to hear of his landing. Since those
people came, those amongst us who had been uneasy, are now comeing
to be in good humour again, particularly Lord Huntley; and I have
agreed to his going north with some of his horse to get all his
people there together to suppress those about Inverness, and also to
have them in readiness against the K. comes. Pray God send him safe
and soon, and then I do not despair of things going right still. Our
whole prisoners almost, I mean the private men, are like to take on
since they heard of the K----g's being certainly a-comeing; and
since they saw the two enclosed papers, they say that were he once
come, there will be news of their armie and all those prisoners.
Even those who do not lift with us, pray openly for the K----, and
that God may keep him out of the hands of his enimies.
"The two enclosed are sent about to a great many places: it is
better to delay dispersing the K----'s declaration til he arrive,
since I hope that is near.
"I admear we hear no certain accounts of the Duke of Ormond, for the
fifteenth inst. the K---- and Q---- too write to me that he was
saild a second time for England.
"Pray God it may be well with him, and if he do not, then I wish he
may come here with all my heart.
"We have heard nothing as yet of the Duke of Argyle's return from
London, and I imagine we shall hear nothing from him upon it, when
he does get it and I hope he shall never be askt for it more by us.
The Duke of Atholl will himself send his men against Crafourd.
"I believe I forgot to tell you in my last that Colonel Hay mist
very narrowly being murdered in France, takeing him for the K----
(being in one of his cheases), by Lord Stair's gang, and in their
pockets Lord Stair's orders were found to go to such a place, and
there obey what orders they should receive from Count Douglass[123]
(Lightly), let them be never so desperate. This is something so
horrid that I want words to express it. I tell it you just as those
from France tell me. The fellow was imprisoned by the government
there and reclaimed by Lord Stair. Lord Clairmont was actually
reclaimed by the Regent before they come away; so his being brought
to England after, may work something. I have just now a packet of
news sent me by A. M., for which I thank you. Notwithstanding this
great new General's being come, I see not how they can do anything
at Stirling till the Dutch join them, and that cannot be yet for
some time; pray Heavens the K---- come before them! I know by other
accounts as well as yours, from abroad, that they are not above four
thousand complete and some of these are lost. Our Highlanders have
got in their heads a mighty contempt for them, which may do good.
This goes by the Hole,[124] from when your packet yesterday was sent
me. I have nothing further to add now, but I hope soon to send you
agreable news. Pray give my service to I. H. and desire him to make
my compliments to his landlady and tel her, I hope she is now right
with her son, which I am exceeding glad of. Adieu."
At length, on the twenty-second of December, James landed at Peterhead,
after a voyage of seven days. His arrival dispelled many doubts of his
personal courage, since, after all his deliberations, he adopted by no
means the least hazardous course by traversing the British ocean, which
was beset by British men-of-war. He had sailed from Dunkirk in the
small vessel in which he had embarked, and which was followed by two
other vessels, containing his domestics, and stores for the use of his
army. His immediate attendants were disguised as French officers, and his
retinue as seamen. It had been the Chevalier's original intention to
have landed in the Frith of Tay; but observing a sail which he suspected
to be unfriendly, he altered his course, and landed at Peterhead, where
the property of the Earl Marischal was situated. The ship in which the
Chevalier sailed was, however, near enough to the shore to be able, by
signals, to make signs to his friends of his approach. At Perth the
intelligence was received with the utmost joy, and produced a most
favourable effect, even among the prisoners of war, which Lord Mar
describes in the following letter. Up to the twenty-eighth of the month
he had not seen the Prince:
"The 28th December.
"Yours of the twenty-second I have got just now by the Hole, and I
sent one that way to you yesterday from our friend here, in which
you have the joyfull news of the King's safe arival, which I hope in
God will effectually sement what you recomend to us. Our friend went
yesterday morning to meett his master, who I hope will be here with
us again Friday; I pray God turn the hearts of his enemies, both for
the sake of him and their poor country! It will be a monstruous
crime never to be forgiven, if they now draw their swords against
him, since he has been pleased to give them a most gratious
indemnity for all that is past, without exception. All will now soon
be dispersed in the North that opose him. Sutherland's men are
deserting him, and the Frasers are all gone home. I make no doubt
but that we are masters of Inverness, and so consequently the whole
North before this time. I make no doubt but that the King's presence
will forward everything: it has already had great effects here: and
those that were for separate measurs have reason to be ashamed, and
I hope they will make amends by their future behaveor. We have sent
over some of the declarations, and ane other paket of them is gone
this night. Now is the time for every body to bestir themselves, and
that all resort here to their master. I ame persuaded you'l not be
idle. Those that made a pretext of the King's not being landed, are
now left unexcusable; and if those kind of folks now sit still and
look any more on, they ought to be worse treated than our worst
enemies. I beg of you to send us what accounts you can learn on your
side, and what they are now to do upon this news. I hope in God we
shall now be soon ready to give them a meeting! It will be of
consequence for us to hear often from your side, and we have little
other accounts than from you. I have sent yours by ane express this
day to our friend, and I hope to hear from you soon in return to the
last that went on Munday. The K---- lay on Saturday night at the
Earl of Marischall's house; he had a very good and safe passage,
and has given them fair slip, for I supose they did never rekon on
his comeing the near way. I hear there is a great resort to him,
since he landed, of all ranks.
"The Duke of Athol[125] sent a pairty of two hundered of his men
yesterday morning, under the comand of his brother Lord Edward, and
his son Lord James, to Dunkeld to have surprised our garison there,
which consisted of about one hundred men of the clans; but it seems
the garison had notice of it some hours before they came, and gave
them such a warm reception, that they retired in great haste with
the loss of two men killed by our out-sentinels and five or sixe
wounded. I belive his Grace's men had no good will to the work, and
were brought their against their inclinations. They had nott then
gott the account there of the King's arival, els I belive they had
not atempted it. I wish our garison were now at Brunt Island, but I
hope that loss soon be made up. I hope you'll omitte no occasion in
letting us hear from you. Adieu.
"The above is writte to H. S.,[126] but it will serve you both to
forward it to him. I got the money and the cloas safe. I expect to
hear from you soon. I have yours of the twenty-third. I have sent
over a paket to be dispersed, and some ane other way. Your letters
are longer be the way than they need so order it. Fall on some
proper way to gett the enclosed delivered by some person, but be not
seen in it yourself. If ane answer can be got, send it."
The Chevalier slept in the town of Peterhead on the first night of his
landing, but on the second he was received at Newburgh, a seat of the
Earl Marischal; and the adherents who welcomed him as their Prince, had
there an opportunity of forming a judgment of one whom they had hitherto
known only by the flattering representations of those who had visited
the young adventurer, at his little Court in Lorraine.
In person, James is reported by the Master of Sinclair to have been
"tall and thin, seeming to incline to be lean rather than to fill as he
grows in years." His countenance, to judge by the most authentic
portraits[127] of this Prince, had none of the meditative character of
that of Charles the First, whom the Chevalier was popularly said to
resemble: neither had it the sweetness which is expressed by every
feature of that unhappy Monarch, nor had his countenance the pensiveness
which wins upon the beholder who gazes upon the portraits of Charles.
The eyes of the Chevalier were light-hazel, his face was pale and long,
and in the fullness of the lips he resembled his mother, Mary of Modena.
To this physiognomy, on which it is said a smile was rarely seen to
play, were added, according to the account of a contemporary, from whose
narrative we will borrow a further description, "a speech grave, and not
very clearly expressive of his thoughts, nor over much to the purpose;
his words were few, and his behaviour and temper seemed always composed.
"What he was in his diversions we know not; here was no room for such
things. It was no time for mirth. Neither can I say I ever saw him
smile. Those who speak so positively of his being like King James the
Seventh, must excuse me for saying that it seems to say they either
never saw this person or never saw King James the Seventh; and yet I
must not conceal that when we saw the man whom they called our King, we
found ourselves not at all animated by his presence; and if he was
disappointed in us, we were tenfold more so in him. We saw nothing in
him that looked like spirit. He never appeared with cheerfulness and
vigour to animate us: our men began to despise him; some asked if he
could speak. His countenance looked extremely heavy. He cared not to
come abroad among us soldiers, or to see us handle our arms to do our
exercise. Some said the circumstances he found us in dejected him. I am
sure the figure he made dejected us; and had he sent us but five
thousand men of good troops, and never himself come, we had done other
things than we have done. At the approach of that crisis when he was to
defend his pretensions, and either lose his life or gain a Crown, I
think, as his affairs were situated, no man can say that his appearing
grave and composed was a token of his want of thought, but rather of a
significant anxiety grounded on the prospect of his inevitable ruin,
which he could not be so void of sense as not to see plainly before
him,--at least, when he came to see how inconsistent his measures
were--how unsteady the resolution of his guides, and how impossible it
was to make them agree with one another."[128]
* * * * *
It was at Glammis Castle, the seat of the Earl of Strathmore, that the
Earl of Mar drew up a flattering account of the Prince, which he caused
to be printed and diligently circulated.[129] The whole is here given,
as affording an insight into all that was going on:--
"I have had three of yours since I left Perth, but I wonder I have
no letters from London. I mett the King at Fetteresso on Tuesday
se'night, where we stayed til Friday; from thence we came to
Brichan, then to Kinnaird, and yesterday here. The King designed to
have gone to Dundee to-day, but ther's such a fall of snow that he
is forced to put it off til to-morrow, if it be practicable then;
and from thence he designs to go to Scoon. There was no haste in his
being there sooner, for nothing can be done in this season, else he
had not been so long by the way. People every where as we have come
along, are excessively fond to see him and express that duty they
ought. Without any compliment to him, and to do him nothing but
justice, set aside his being a prince, he is realie the finest
gentelman I ever knew. He has a very good presence, and resembles
King Charles a great dele. His presence, tho', is not the best of
him; he has fine partes, and dispatches all his buissiness himself
with the greatest exactness. I never saw any body write so finely.
He is afable to a great degree w^{t}out looseing that majestie that
he ought to have, and has the sweetest temper in the world. In a
word, he is even fitted to make us a happie people, were his
subjects worthie of him. To have him peaceablie settled on his thron
is what these kingdomes do not deserve; but he deserves it so much,
that I hope ther's a good fate attending him. I am sure ther's
nothing wanting to make the rest of his subjects as fond of him as
we are, but thus knowing as we now have the happiness to do. And it
will be odd if his presence amongst us, after his running so many
hazards to compass it, do not turn the hearts of even the most
obstinat. It is not fit to tel all the particulars, but I assure
you, since he arived, he has left nothing undone that well could be
to gain every body, and I hope God will touch their hearts. His
Majestie is very sensible of the service you have done him and he
desires you may continue, for which he hopes he may yet be able to
reward you. He wrote to France as soon's he landed, and sent it with
the shipe he came in, which we hope got safe there long ago. It is
not often that we can have opportunity of writeing or sending there,
and the Queen and others will be mighty impatient to hear
frequently; therefore his Majestie expects you should write there
frequently, and give them all the accounts you can. I have reason to
hope we shall very quickly see a new face on affairs abroad in the
King's favour, which is all I dare comitt to paper. The Government
will nott certainly send all the strength against us they can, but
e'er long, perhaps, they may have ocasion for their troups else
where.
"I belive one wou'd speak to you lately of a kind of comisary of the
Dutch, that may be spoke to, which by no means ought to be
neglected, and he being on your side the watter, it is left to you,
and you must not stick at offering such a reward as he himself can
desire, which I shall see made good: there should no time be lost in
this, and I'll be glad to know soon if there be any hopes that way.
"Tho' the way of sending letters betwixt us be now much more
difficult than ever, yet you must write as often as you possiblie
can get any probable way of sending of them safe; and pray give us
all the accounts you can. I have ordred some of the King's
declarations for England to be sent you, and when they come to your
hands you wou'd get some way of sending them to London and other
places of England. Send the enclosed for my wife under a cover, as
you used to do; by my not hearing from her, I am affraid my last has
not come to her hands. When any comes from her for me, pray take
care that you send them a safe way. We long to know what effects the
news of the King's arivall had at London, Stirling, and Edinburgh. I
suppose you still hear from Kate Bruce. I do not understand what she
means by going to the country, which she mentions in her letter to
you.
"I see in one of the prints that Lawrance is come off from London,
so by this time he must certainly be in Scotland; pray let me know
what you hear of him. If he be come, I suppose he'll understand
himself so well as our prisoner, that he will immediately give
himself up to us again.
"The King wears paper caps under his wige, which I know you also do;
they cannot be had at Perth, so I wish you could send some on, for
his own are near out.
"We are in want of paper for printing; is there no way to send us
some from your side?
"Pray, send my wife one of the Scots and one of the English
declarations at the same time my letter goes, but under another
cover. Adieu.
"Since writeing I have yours of the thirty-first and first, for
which I thank you, and am just going to read them to my master."
Little dependance can be placed on the entire accuracy of either of
these varying descriptions,--the one penned by a disappointed, and
perhaps wavering, adherent, the other by a man whose personal interests
were irrevocably involved with those of James. We must trust to other
sources to enable us to form a due estimate of the merits of this
ill-starred Prince.
James Stuart was at this time in his twenty-seventh year. From his very
cradle he had been, as it might seem to the superstitious, marked by
fate for a destiny peculiarly severe. His real birth was long disputed,
without the shadow of a reason, except what was suggested by a base
court intrigue. This slur upon his legitimacy, which was afterwards
virtually wiped away by the British Parliament, was nevertheless the
greatest obstacle to his accession, there being nothing so difficult to
obliterate as a popular impression of that nature.