before this time, and I have hitherto Defered writting to your Lop. on that subject, that you might be able to sattisfie me; I now give your Lop. the trouble of this message, beging that without loss of time, I may know what I am to believe and Relie on, in respect to that matter, to the end I may proceed in my resolutions; or vary them according to circumstances; And on Supposition that the men have been dismissed, and are returned to their homes, what security I am to expect, that they shall not again be assembled, to give furder Disturbance to his Majestyes Goverment; that this may be Effectuated, with as little inconvenience to them or Disturbance to your Lop. as possible is what I ernestly wish, because I am, my Lord, your Lordships real friend and obedient humble Servant, LOUDOUN.

Scroll letter, Lord Lovat to Lord Loudon, 23rd Novr. 1745.
My Good Earl,

According to my promise to your Lop. to let you know any thing worth your while that happens in this Little Country I can now tell your Lop. with pleasure that there is not a man belonging to me or who are called my people, but are at home and peaceable in their own houses. The last of them came home Wednesday night from Urquhart, where they were with my son, who went to Urquhart of purpose to preserve the Grants in Urquhart from being opresst by the McDonells, and I am glad to hear he has behaved so well that he has the blessings of all that Country people and the Laird of Grants doers have promised to represent to their master, who is my sons Cousin germain, how kindly and oblidgeing The Master of Lovat behaved to all the Country. It was but his duty, but in the days that we are in it is very rare to find a man that does what he ought to do to a friend and Relation: happy is the man that lives with ane upright heart and ane affectionate inclination to serve his friend and relation. But it is true that ane easie temper and a mans too great readiness to serve his friends and relations Leads him often into many heavey misfortunes. But the comfort that he has in his own mind of doing what was right and what he ought to do, ballances all those misfortunes. This is plainly my case, my good Earl; I might have been the happyest Lord Lovat as to my circumstances that has been these 200 years past, if I had not meddled with Elections. The Estentiall Services that I had the good fortune to do for ye K the time of the Great Rebellion made me by chance and my assiduous attendance at Court I became the greatest favourite that my dear Mr. the Late K. G. had of a Scots

man. By that means I did improve my Estate very much and I was every year adding some little land to it and I did esential Service to severall of my freinds who now intirely forget it. But as my fate from my Infancy was to have a Sun Shine and a Cloud by turns a heavy cloud began to Eclipse my good fortune after the late Kings Death by my own fault and foolishly and madly meddling with Elections that I had nothing to do with. My first most unhappy appearance which I did repent off and will repent off while I have breath in me and which is the action of my Life I regret most, was against my worthy friend John Forbes of Culloden, to whom I owed more freindship than to any relation or man of my name who ventured his life for me when I was in distress. Its true I was threatned by great men to appear against him, or that I woud lose my Independent Company and any other Benefite I had from the Government, and I richly deserved what happend to me, which was, that I lost my Company and severall valuable things that I had from the Government only for my appearing against Culloden. For Mr Wade told myself plainly that he would break my Company for my appearing against Culloden which he at Last Effectuate when I was so unlucky as to assist with a high hand to sett up my Broyr. in Law Sir Jas. Grant to be member of Parliament. I lost a great many of my good freinds, particularly the Late Duke of Argyle, who woud not speak to me for a long time after tho he was before my Patron and most ready to serve me and I did his grace Considerable Services with the late King and the Dutches of Kindale who both had a very great freindship for me in the time that his graces malicious Enemys were attacking him. After the D. of Argyle was reconciled to me he told me plainly that my broyr. in Law Sir James Grant assisted my Enemys and sollicet spoke with them to the Minr. to Break my Company &c. When the Duke afterwards solicit me to give my Interest to this Laird of McLeod who is my nearest relation and head of my mothers family, I Easely granted his Graces request, I then put all Irons in the fire and Labourd as much as if it was to save my Life to make this Laird of McLeod member of Parliament. In this I succeeded, but gained to myself a great many Enemeys, and by assisting to make those two gentlemen members of Parliament Brought my Estate that was then flourishing into some disorder for I owe to the Bank and to other persons Severall Thousand pounds. Now my good Lord since I have presumed to give your Lop. a small sketch of my good and bad fortune since I came from France I beg leave to tell your Lop. a little of my opinion of these Gentlemen whom I have served well and of my Ld. President whom I acted against in the unlucky Circumstances

7

of his brothers Election, for which I have been sufficiently chastized. I dont at all blame my Lord President to be my enemy since I richly deserved it at his hands, and if he is not my enemy and is my freind, as I have great reason to believe, its a prooff of his vast generosity and goodness which I shall always have a gratefull

sense off. But as to the Returns I have mett with from the Lards of Grant and Mr McLeod I reffer ither acott. to the Judgement of anoyr. day. Since I thank God my people are all now at home your Lop. may be convinced that I will use all the Endeavours in my power to keep them at home. But as my son has 20 times more to say with the most of them than I have, if he should debauch them to do any mad foolish thing I hope your Lop. wont by no means blame me for it or harrass my poor Country. It would be the hardest Case, nay I may say the most unjust that I should be punished for my sons faults or the honest tenents that live peaceably at home for the mad foolishness of their neighbours, for every mans blood should be upon his own head and answer for himself, and as I am Innocent and designs to live a peaceable subject to be made a prisoner which is equall nay rather worse then to be shot through the head in the present melancholy situation if I am attackd in this little house I am in, full of pains, weakness, and sickness [manuscript worn] day Confinement would mak a dismall end of me, I do assure your Lop. that I will Defend myself, tho I am 68 year old, while I have a drop blod in my body with as much vigour and Resolution as if I was but 28 year old. So I hope my Good Earl that you will not Begin the Cruel part of the war in this Country with me for who knows for as old as I am but I may have a Sun Shine yet. But in all Situations of Life your Lop. will always find me with the outmost Esteem gratitude and Respect, my Good Earl, your Lops. most obedt. most oblidged and most faithfull humble Servt. and most affecttionate Cousin.

[LOVAT].

I have all the reason of the world to expect your Lops. protection in this little house, ffor shoud my son still persist in his mad project, which I hope in God he will not, your Lop. may depend upon it that I shall make his numbers much thinner than he expects.

Earl of Loudon to Lord Lovat, November 24th, 1745. My Lord,

Inverness, Novr. 24th, 1745.

The first part of the letter which you did me the honour to write to me of the 22nd, aquanting me that all your people had returned to their houses from Urchart, where they had

been along with your Son, protecting the Tenants of his Cousin the Laird of Grant from the Mcdonels, who are in arms against the Governmnt, gave me much pleasure, because I expected before I had done to have read that, to so good a step, the Master had added one more, the abandoning that Ruinous Enterprise, into which his youth had suffered him to be draged, and the giving all reasonable satisfaction that the Governmnt should meet with no furder Disturbance from your Clan. But I must Confess, My Lord, I was somewhat surprised that a letter which began so hopefully, should conclude with apprehensions that your Son may still persist and draw numbers of your Kinsmen with whom he has twenty times more to say than your Lops. alongest with him; And notwithstanding all this hoping that I will not blame your Lop. nor Harrass your poor Country, or begine what your Lop. calls the Cruel part in it.

That even to your Lop. there appears to be danger that this unhappy Young Man (for whom I have all the Compassionat Consearn possible) may draw the greatest part of your Clan after him into the Rebellion; Layes me under an absolut nessesity of trieing to Prevent it coute que coute. For I can not answere the suffering a Body of men who have been in arms attending a young Gentleman Whose Avowed Purpose it is to Lead them against his Majesty; To assemble again in the like manner. My Duty and the Oaths I am under forbid it, and I am confident of your Lop.'s inward approbation, as you are under the same Oaths. As to what your Lop. writes of begining a Cruel war in your Country, it is the thing in the world the furdest from my thoughts. The People have no more to do to be absolutly safe, But to be Quiet, and to give me reasonable satisfaction that they will continue to be so. But if they put, or continue themselves in a warlike posture, it is they that begine the War against his Majesty, and it is just they should expect the Consequances. For to tell your Lop. the Truth, when a Kindered is Illegaly assembled as your Lop. has been frequently of late, to Draught men, some for marching directly to make War upon the King, and others to stay at home to protect there country, the distinction between this classes of men in point of guilt or Innocence is too fine for me to persave. And were it the case of any other Clan other than your own, for whom your Lop. has so warm an affection, I am persuaded you would no more relish it than I do. And tho it be your own, when your Lop. Recollects how Barbarrously they use you, in siding with your Son against you, to the immenent Ruin of your Family, and even to the Danger of your person, should the Goverment

entertain Suspition and give Orders according to their Conduct, I should hope your Lop. will not feel for there sufferings, should that because of there obstinace be the Case, so much as you do at presant. But that I flatter myself, because I earnestly wish it, but all this may be prevented by there remaining Quiet, and giving me reasonable Satisfaction that they shall continue so, the nature of which I hope to have your Lop.'s ultimat thoughts of in answer to my last of the 22nd, at least in answer to this, for which I shall wait till to-morrow evening, unless what I am informed of, that the Strath Errick people continue assembled in two different places, notwithstanding of what your Lop. has assured me of, shall be confirmed, or that there shall be fresh gatherings of men in the Aird; in eather of which cases your Lop. will, I know, excuse me for doing what my duty requires of me, because where that does not absolutly interpose it will be a great satisfaction to me to show how much I am, My Lord, your Lordship's most obedient and most humble Servant, LOUDOUN.

Scroll letter Lord Lovat to Lord Loudon, 26th Nov., 1745.
My good Earl,

Your Lop.'s letter of Sunday's date was delivered to me yesterday morning. The bearer of it came here Sunday night after I was abed, for I had been extremely distressed all day with my cough and stich, which with the external misfortunes I groan under renders me incapable of thinking or writing upon any subject without great pain, and obliged me to keep the bearer so long, for which I beg your Lop.'s pardon.

I understand the letter I had the honr. to write in answer to yr. Lop.'s of the 22nd was not come to hand when you writt that now before me, ffor if it had I flatter myself your Lop. would have thought it all the ansr. that I or any man in my situation coud give. The men of this Country are still at home, and as I have writt to your Lop. once and again, I do assure you upon my honour that I shall use my outmost Endeavours to keep them so. This is the only satisfaction occurs to me that is in my power to give, For I own I do not comprehend what your Lop. means by proper satisfaction, unless this be it. If I did, as far as it was in my power, your Lop. should have had it ere now. But if your Lop. still persists that this is not Enough, Pray let me know articulatly what satisfaction you would have, or what you would call proper satisfaction, and if it is in my power or depends on me, I shall frankly give it. But if your Lop. shall think, as I hope you will, that this is all I can say or do in the matter, your Lop.