time employed their outmost cunning and policy to render his negociations useless. They observed that the Chiefs were by the Indemnity circumscribed to the first of January, though they were positive not to take the benefite of it untill the return of their commissioners from King James. All they had to doe, in such a scituation, was to contrive means to get that time over, without their submitting in the terms prescribed. To effect this, they artfully raise rumours of a powerfull invasion soon to be made by the King of France in favours of King James. Many Letters are shown from pretended correspondents, abroad and att home, confirming these agreeable news, and often condescending on particulars that carryed ane air of probability. They contrive methods to impose upon others in the same manner, so that Locheill had many letters sent to him from different hands, who were all catched in the same snare, and really believed as they wrote, diswading him from entering into any measures with the Government. That the reader may the better see into their management and policy, whereby they imposed upon many who were affected to that interest, though otherways not over credulous, I shall here insert one of these letters, which was directed to Locheill from one Charles Edwards, late Chaplain to the Viscount of Dundee, but it neither bears the date nor place from which it was wrote: "SIR,-Your good and great friend commanded me to shew yow that Breadalbane designes to ruine King James his interest and all that belongs to him, particularly yourself. He entreats yow not to trust to his fair pretences, for his intentions are palpable and clear to all the world now. All the fair storys he told yow att Achalader against the Government were on purpose to deceive yow; therefore, meddle no more with him, neither directly or indirectly, for there never was any thing that troubled the King more than the late cessation, which yow may expect to hear from himself very soon. Your friend desired me to shew yow that he expects yow will stand it out now as well as yow did in the late troubles, and not to make any manner of capitulation untill yow receive commands from your master: And, withall, he says yow can never receive your master's countenance, friendship, or favour, if yow make any capitulation till yow receive his orders, for now there are eleven of the confederats broken off. Munster has declared for France, Denmark has called home his forces, Sweden has given his answer, that the reason why he has raised so many forces is for the peace of Christendome. The Pope has given a vast sum of money to King James, which yow may expect to have a share of very shortly. This yow may assure your self of from," &c.* (Signed) "CHARLES EDWARDS." Though all the forces of the kingdome were either dispersed in garrisons through the Highlands, or quartered on their confines in order to fright them, yet not one of the Chiefs tooke the benifite of the Indemnity till the arivall of their commissionars from King James. They returned by London, as they had engaged themselves by the treaty, before they were allowed to sett out in a vessell belonging to the Government; and Brigadeir Barclay haveing shown King James his Letter to the Ministers of State, the Secretary keept the principall, and sent a double, attested by the brigadeir and Major Meinzies, to General Buchan, to whom it was directed. Major Meinzies was charged with this commission; and haveing come post from London, arrived att Dunkell eleven days after setting out from Paris, and some few days before the Indemnity expired. He was so fatigued that he could proceed no further on his journey, but was obliged to send it by ane express to General Buchan, who was then att Glengary, and who did not send Locheill his coppy till about thirty hours before the time was out. King James his letter is as follows: "JAMES R. Right trusty and well-beloved, we greet yow well. We are informed of the state of our subjects in the Highlands, and of the condition that yow and our other officers there are in, as well by our trusty and well-beloved Sir George Barclay, brigadeir of our forces, as by N.B.-The original of this and several others is still extant. our trusty and well-beloved Major Duncan Meinzies: And therefore we have thought fitt hereby to authorize yow to give leave to our said subjects and officers, who have hitherto behaved themselves so loyally in our cause, to doe what may be most for their own and your safety. For doeing whereof this shall be your warrant: And so we bid yow farewell. St Germans, this 12th day of December 1691, and in the seventh year of our reign. "By his Majesty's command, Directed," To our trusty and well-beloved "Melford." So far from being true were the rumours and storys spread abroad by Glengary, that his scituation att St Germans was not very good. He sent no other private instructions to his friends, but that he did not incline any of them should cross the seas into France, but the Generals Buchan and Canon, and Sir George Barclay, who then chose to reside att London, where he had some rich friends. Locheill gott to Inverary the very day on which the Indemnity expired, where the Sherriff of the shyre resided, and with great reluctance tooke the benefite of it; which, though it saved him from a prosecution, yet King William made use of this long delay as a pretence to defraud him (as he did all the other Chiefs) of his share of the L.20,000 sterling, promised and due to him by the treaty, and of the superiority of his estate, which he stood engaged to purchass in the manner I have related. Though Locheill cannot be said to have suffered much by Glengary's resentment against Breadalbane, since he was from the beginning determined not to submitt without King James his consent, except we shall suppose it trew, as it was suspected, that General Buchan keept up his Majestie's Letter by that gentleman's influence for several days, on purpose to defraud him of the benefite of the Indemnity, yet it is certain that the poor country soon thereafter felt the terrible effects of that mischiveous policy; for not onely the Chiefs, but many of the inferiour gentlemen and commons, were so buyed [buoyed] up with these false storys, that they did not submitt within the limited time, in expectation of more agreeable employment; and though the King's Letter opened their eyes, yet it came so late to their hands that it was of no use to them. Major Meinzies, who, upon his arrival, had observed the whole forces of the kingdome ready to invade the Highlands, as he wrote to General Buchan, forseeing the unhappy consequences, not only begged that General to send expresses to all parts with orders immediatly to submitt, but allso wrote to Sir Thomas Livingston, praying him to supplicate the Councill for a prorogation of the time, in regard that he was so excessively fatigued that he was obliged to stop some days to repose a little; and that though he should send expresses, yet it was impossible they could reach the distant parts in such time as to allow the severall persons concerned the benefite of the Indemnity, within the space limited; besides, that some persons haveing putt the Highlanders in a bad temper, he was confident to perswade them to submitt, if a further time were allowed. Sir Thomas presented this Letter to the Councill on the 5th of January 1692, but they refused to give any answer, and ordered him to transmitt the same to Court. King William, who thought himself no further bound by the capitulation than suited his interest, returned for answer ane order to Sir Thomas to destroy and cutt them off without mercy, and, att the same time, sent the following Letter to the Councill: "WILLIAM R. "RIGHT TRUSTY, &c.-Whereas we haveing signifyed the outmost of mercy, gentleness, and compassion, to these Highlanders who have continued so long in open rebellion, whereof many of their leaders stand convicted by our parliament and condemned as traitors: Now, that all of them have refused the favourable and advantageous offers we made them, and several of their Chieftanes and many of their Clans have not taken the benefite of our gracious Indemnity, we consider it indispen 2 R sible for the well of that our kingdome to apply the necessary severitys of law. To that end, we have given Sir Thomas Liveingston orders to employ our troops (which we have already conveniently posted) to cutt off these obstinate rebells by all manner of hostility; and we doe require you to give him your assistance and concurrence in all other things that may conduce to that service; and because these rebells, to avoyd our forces, may draw themselves, their familys, goods, or cattle, to lurk or be concealed among their neightbours: Therefore, we require and authorize you to emitt a proclamation to be published att the mercat crosses of these or the adjacent shires where the rebells reside, dischargeing, upon the highest penaltys the law allows, any resett, correspondence, or intercommuneing with these rebells. You will know, before these come to your hands, who have taken the benefite of the Indemnity, and are thereby safe, and who have not, that the names of the leaders, in particular, and their clans and tenants in general, who have been all engaged and involved with them, may be expressed, that nobody through ignorance may be insnared. And not doubting of your care in what may concern the vigorous execution of this our service, we bid you heartily fairwell. Given att our Court att Kengsingtoun the 11th January 1691-2, and of our reign the 3d year. "By his Majesty's command, "Jo. DALRYMPLE." By this Letter, it appears that the first design of King William and his Councellors was to destroy all the Highlanders who had not submitted before the time fixt in the Indemnity, without regard to the treaty; whereby they were not obliged to lay doun their arms untill they had King James his permission. But King William designed that treaty (as we have formerly observed) onely as a lure to decoy them into his snare; and it is more than probable that the effects of the barbarous policy of these times had been more generall, if the horrour wherewith all Europe was struck att the bloody beginning of it in Glencoe, and the hardy and desperate resolution that the Chiefs entered into of uniteing for the common defence, had not putt ane early stop to it: For it is clear from that Letter, that the cruell design was not onely to extend |