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"from this place at the post appointed them. "It will be necessary that the avenues minded "by Lieutenant Campbel on the south side be "secured; that the old fox nor none of his "cubs get away: the orders are, that none be spared, nor the government troubled with prisoners; and the copy of this last order "is produced under Lieutenant-colonel Hamil"ton's own hand, and accordingly the slaugh"ter of Glenco and his poor people did ensue "the next morning, being the 13th of February, 1692, in the manner narrated.*

"The author of the Memoirs of the Massacre of Glen"co says, that he had copies of Dalrymple's nine letters 66 (viz. to Colonel Hamilton, two dated 1st and 3d December, "1691; to Sir Thomas Levingston five, dated 7th, 9th, 11th, "16th, 30th January, 1692; and to Colonel Hill, two dated on the same days with the last two to Levingston) which "were produced respecting this massacre; but I do not observe that he states from them any new matter, unless it be "the following passages :

"The winter is the only season in which we are sure the "highlanders cannot escape us, nor carry their wives, bairns, "" and cattle to the mountains.

"It is the only time that they cannot escape you, for 66 'human constitutions cannot endure to be long out of "houses. This is the proper season to maul them in the "‹ cold long nights.

"I expect you will find little resistance but from the 66 6 season.

"And upon the whole matter, it is the opi"nion of the commission; First, That it was a

great wrong that Glenco's care and diligence, "as to his taking the oath of allegiance, with "Ardkinlas's certificate of his taking the oath "of allegiance on the 6th of January 1692, "and Colonel Hill's letter to Ardkinlas, and "Ardkinlas's letter to Colin Campbel, sheriff

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clerk, for clearing Glenco's diligence and "innocence, were not presented to the lords of "his Majesty's privy council, when they were sent into Edinburgh in the said month of Jacc nuary; and that those who advised the not presenting thereof were in the wrong, and "seem to have had a malicious design against "Glenco; and that it was a further wrong that "the certificate, as to Glenco's taking the oath "of allegiance, was delete and obliterate after "it came to Edinburgh; and that being so ob"literate, it should neither have been presented

1 am confident you will see there are full powers given you in very plain terms, and yet the method left very "much to your own discretion.

66 'Till we see what is done by the chiefs, it is not time to "receive their tenants, or admitting them to take the oaths "or hoping for pardon, till they give evidence that they are willing to pay their rents to you, and to take tacks for <6 'their former duties. Who will not do so, and were in the rebellion, must feel the dismal consequences of it.'"

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"to, or taken in, by the clerk of the council, "without an express warrant from the council. Secondly, That it appears to have been known at London, and particularly to the Master of Stair, in the month of January, 1692, that "Glenco had taken the oath of allegiance,

though after the day prefixed; for he saith in "his letter of the 30th of January to Sir Tho"mas Levingston, as is above remarked, I am

glad that Glenco came not in within the time "prescribed. Thirdly, that there was nothing "in the King's instructions to warrant the com"mitting of the foresaid slaughter, even as to "the thing itself, and far less as to the manner "of it; seeing all his instructions do plainly

import, that the most obstinate of the rebels "might be received into mercy, upon taking "the oath of allegiance, though the day was "long before elapsed, and that he ordered "nothing concerning Glenco and his tribe, but "that if they could be well separated from the "rest, it would be a proper vindication of the "public justice to extirpate that set of thieves: "which plainly intimates that it was his Majes"ty's mind that they could not be separated "from the rest of these rebels, unless they still "refused his mercy by continuing in arms and refusing the allegiance; and that even in that

"case they were only to be proceeded against "in the way of public justice, and no other

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way. Fourthly, That Secretary Stair's letters,

especially that of the 11th of January, 1692, "in which he rejoices to hear that Glenco had "not taken the oath, and that of the 16th of January, of the same date with the King's "additional instructions, and that of the 30th "of the same month, were no ways warranted by, but quite exceeded, the King's foresaid "instructions; since the said letters, without

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any insinuation of any method to be taken "that might well separate the Glenco men "from the rest, did, in place of prescribing a "vindication of public justice, order them to "be cut off and rooted out in earnest, and to purpose, and that suddenly, and secretly, and quietly, and all on a sudden; which are the 66 express terms of the said letters; and com66 paring them and the other letters with what "ensued, appear to have been the only warrant "and cause of their slaughter, which in effect "was a barbarous murder, perpetrated by the

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persons deponed against. And this is yet "farther confirmed by two more of his letters, "written to Colonel Hill after the slaughter "committed, viz. on the 5th of March, 1692, "wherein, after having said that there was

"much talk at London, that the Glenco men "were murdered in their beds after they had "taken the allegiance, he continues, For the "last I know nothing of it; I am sure neither

you, nor any body impowered to treat or give "indemnity, did give Glenco the oath; and to "take it from any body else after the diet elap"sed, did import nothing at all; all that I re"grate is, that any of the sort got away, and "there is a necessity to prosecute them to the " utmost. And another from the Hague, the "last of April, 1692, wherein he says, For the 66 people of Glenco, when you do your duty in a thing so necessary to rid the country of thieving, you need not trouble yourself to "take the pains to vindicate yourself by shew

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ing all your orders, which are now put in the "Paris gazette; when you do right you need "fear nobody; all that can be said is, that in "the execution, it was neither so full nor so "fair as might have been. And this their hum"ble opinion the commissioners, with all sub

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mission, return and lay before his Majesty, in discharge of the foresaid commission.

"Sic Subscribitur, TwEDDALE, ANANDALE (now marquis of Anandale, and presi

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dent of the privy council). MURRAY