Westminster to Wit.
Being asked where he was at the time that the Rebellion first of
all broke out, he saith, that he was at his own Parish at Urquhart
aforesaid, where he continued from the Beginning to the end of the said
Rebellion without stirring from thence to the distance of 10 miles.
Being asked whether or no the Laird of Grant ever made him, the Exam^t,
privy to any Intention which he the Lord of Grant had of raising his
men for the Service of the Government, or ever sent for him to any
consultation about what measures were proper to be taken by the Grants
upon occasion of the Rebellion, he saith, that he was not either privy
to the Intentions of the said Laird of Grant, or was he ever sent for
to any place by the said Laird of Grant to give his advice or opinion
what was proper to be done about raising the Grants: He Saith, he
remembers that upon the breaking out of the Rebellion the Laird of
Grants Baillie who was at Urqhart where the Exam^t also was told the
Exam^t privately that the Laird of Grant was not determined, and would
not determine what to do, till he saw how matters were likely to turn
out or that effect and whoever should first attack his, the Laird of
Grants country whether but in general it was [_sic_]
[_sic_] Rebels or the Kings Forces He the Laird of Grant w^d raise
his men against them.
was told to the People of Urqhart that it was the said Laird’s desire
that the People should live peaceably. This was upon the first
appearance of the Rebellion when the Gentlemen in the Grant’s country
sent to the Laird of Grant to desire his assistance and advice, as they
were threatned with Fire and Sword by Lochiel, unless they would rise
and join the Pretender’s Son, and he saith that the Baillie aforesaid
told the Exam^t sometime afterwards privately the Laird would not be
averse to some part of his Clan’s joining the Pretenders son Privately
in order to save the Country. Being asked whether he was one of those
who opposed the Laird of Grant’s accepting the Company which was
first offer’d by the Lord President to the said Laird for raising the
Grants for the Government, he saith he was not, nor was he privy to or
advised with concerning the said company. He saith, that sometime in
November last a Party of the MacDonalds and Fraziers came to Urqhart
under the command of M‘Donald of Barrisdale and the Master of Lovat,
the whole amounting to about 4 or 500 men: that M‘Donald and the Master
of Lovat lodged at the Exam^{ts} house two or three Days at that time,
and the reason of which was, that the Exam^{ts} wife was related to
the Master of Lovat’s Family: that the Master of Lovat and another
person of the name of Frazer applied to the Exam^t to be Chaplain to
them, and promised to give him six and eight pence a day, if he would
consent thereto, to which the Exam^t answer’d, that if they would go to
Inverness to serve his Majesty King George, he would be their chaplain
with all his heart for one third of the money that he reproached them
for having taken up arms for a Popish Pretender, and shew’d them the
consequences of such Behaviour. That the Master of Lovat said, he was
acted upon, and as he was engaged so far, must go on still further:
That, whether they applied to him to be chaplain in Joke or Earnest, he
cannot say, tho’ he is well satisfied that they both knew the Exam^t
to be in a very different way of thinking from them: that, neither of
them used the Exam^t ill, or insulted him upon account of his being
steady to the Government: but that some of their men quarrelled with
the Exam^t on account of his having preached against the Rebellion, and
dissuaded them from it in the strongest terms he could use, and on
account of his having prayed publickly in the Church for His Majesty,
and told the Exam^t that it became him not to preach and pray in that
manner. He saith, that during the time the said Party was at Urquhart,
he made it his Business to declaim against the Rebellion, and whenever
he heard of any People who had an Intention to join the Rebels, he
went to them and used the most prevailing arguments he could to turn
them from their Design: that MacDonald and the Master of Lovat having
soon found that the Exam^t was determined not to engage with them,
did not open themselves to him about their Intentions at all: that he
several times was in Danger of his Life from MacDonalds upon account of
the aversion he constantly express’d upon all occasions in public and
private against their undertakings.
He saith, that after the said Party of the Macdonalds and Fraziers had
quitted Urquhart, other Partys of the Rebels were continually passing
and repassing thro’ the said County: that the Exam^t persevered in his
Endeavours to dissuade them from their engagements, and was very often
in Danger of his Life upon that account; that about the latter end of
the Month of February last the General Rendezvous of the Rebel army was
about a mile from his house, that there was a general cry thro’ all the
said Army that the Exam^t was not to be tolerated in the daring manner
in which he acted for the Government: that he received several notices
that his House should be plunder’d and burnt unless he desisted:
that his Life was also several times threatned; that the Highlanders
publickly declared that he deserved no other kind of Death than to be
beaten in Pieces with the Butt Ends of their Guns: and upon the 21^{st}
and 22^d of February he expected nothing but Death from them.
Being asked, whether he received or conveyed any Letters to or from
any Persons concerned in the Rebellion to or from any People concerned
in the same, he saith, he never was directly or indirectly concerned
in any thing of that sort, nor was he ever directly or indirectly the
Instrument of receiving or conveying any verbal messages to or from
any of the Persons concerned in the said Rebellion to or from their
accomplices.
Being asked, whether he ever willingly gave any Harbour or Protection
or assistance of any kind whatever to the Rebels; he saith, he never
did, on the contrary he saith, that he took all the methods he could
to prevent their receiving any Party where had or could exert his
Influence.
Being asked whether he was Privy to the Neutrality which was signed by
some of the Grants for the Rest whilst the Duke was at Aberdeen, he
saith, that he was not Privy to it in any shape nor any ways assisting
or advising in it.
Being asked whether if the Laird of Grant had exerted himself to the
utmost for the Government he might not have been of great service to
it, He saith, that his opinion is that if the Laird of Grant had been
so disposed he might have been of great service.
He saith, that he was informed by the Factor of the Earl of Stair, that
Glenmorrison told him, the said Factor, that he Glenmorrison went out
to assist the Pretender’s son with a Party of the Grants by the Laird
of Grant’s advice.
He saith, that with relation to the 84 Grants, who surrendered at
Inverness, they were indeed engaged to surrender before the Exam^t saw
them, but he strengthened and confirmed them in their Resolution.
He saith, that he never assisted the Rebels in any shape whatever;
never was privy to any of their Schemes or Plots: never served them
in any manner; but on the contrary opposed them, preached against the
Rebellion constantly, and constantly prayed for King George, to the
daily hazard of his life for several months: that he was so well known
and remarked for opposing them to the utmost, that he was the object
of their Hatred, and that it is next to a miracle that he was not
sacrificed to their Resentment.