I will make a selection of merchandise for the ship which you intend to be sent to Martinique, whether your own or another. I will send it to Messrs. Grou and Lebault, who will cut it down or add to it as they may judge to be most for our benefit.

I think you would do well to get rid of your Dutilley, and instead of buying another ship you might simply hire one of a greater size, which we would send to Grenada. Send your opinion about this to Messrs. Grou and Lebault.

Mr. MacCarthy has been here the last two days. He hopes to be with you as soon as possible.

You will oblige me if you find opportunity to employ usefully M. Perville Salles; he is my correspondent, an active and intelligent

man.

The die is cast, the Prince of Wales has penetrated into England in spite of the superior forces which surround him from every side. There must be one of two things, either he has been called by a powerful party, or he has taken a desperate step; in the first case, we cannot fail to hear of the rising of Westmoreland, of Lancaster, and of Wales. God grant it.

I greet you with all my heart; my family present their respects to you. Friendly compliments to my brother if you see him. L'Apollon and l'Anglesea chased by a terrible gale have happily anchored in the roads of Port Louis, I mean that they have entered the port of Lorient. The Apollon, as you will see by the enclosed, which you will return if you please, has lost her three cables, which will have to be renewed. D'HEGUERTY.1

Inclosed with this is the copy of a letter arrived this morning from London.2

London, 24th Decber. 1745.

THAT which I can inform you with certainty about the ‘Rebels' is that they marched to Kendal on the morning of the 16th, and that the Duke of Cumberland arrived there the evening of the 17th, by which means you see they gained two marches upon him. It is 2 [The name of the writer is not given.TR.]

1 D'Heguerty, merchant at Paris, and Walsh's correspondent, belonged to Charles Edward's little Court.

presumed that the 'rebels' entered Carlisle the evening of the 18th; as regards the Duke, he arrived the same evening, 18th, at Clifton, 3 miles from Penrith, where there was a party of 'rebels' to the number of about 70, commanded by a captain.

2

H.R.H.,1 reduced to the necessity of forcing this little troop in this village in order to be able to find quarters (or screen?) for all his cavalry, together about 3000 men, ordered his Dragoons to the attack dismounted; after an hour's resistance and night approaching, the 70 men retired, apparently in good order, for out of that number we only made one wounded officer a prisoner, though we had 40 men killed or wounded besides 4 officers.

One cannot understand what induced the 'rebels' to leave nothing but so feeble a force to stop the march of our cavalry. It is true the success even exceeded their expectation, but it is fortunate for the Duke of Cumberland that the party was not more considerable; however it may be, their war manœuvre was not well weighed,3 leaving so small a troop, which in reality could not stop the march of 3000 cavalry, yet it did so happen, for H.R.H. remained till the 19th in that village.

Since this affair no news of the Duke has been published, though every day one or two expresses have arrived from him at Court. I have been told that H.R.H. will not pass beyond Carlisle if the 'rebels' continue their march towards Scotland, as is thought, so that we shall see this prince back here in a few days. What a pity after pursuing the 'rebels' that he has not been able to get up to them, nor even force them to abandon their baggage or their cannon; what affects us still more is the fear that this cavalry corps which has pursued them may be out of condition to serve for the rest of the season; the men can recover from their fatigue, but the poor horses will perish.

We are in the greatest perplexity about the preparations which the French are making at Dunkerque to attempt an invasion in Essex, Kent, or Sussex; for myself I cannot imagine that they can intend to make an invasion so far from Scotland, where at present is the only force of the 'rebels.'

1

[Duke of Cumberland.—TR.]

2 [Mettre à couvert.'-TR.] 3 [Mesurée.'--TR.]

I cannot deny that things are here in great confusion, money is very scarce, and our credit seems to be running down.

'DE PAR LE ROY'

THE Captain commanding the ship le

is ordered to put

to sea immediately and to conform exactly to the orders given to him by M. Wailsh: His Majesty ordering the said Captain to follow the said orders as if they had been addressed straight to him, under penalty of disobedience.

Given at Versailles the 27th March 1746.

LOUIS. PHÉLYPEAUX.

[The Fleet so carefully prepared never effected a landing on British Shores, and the defeat of Prince Charles's army at Culloden in April 1746 caused a change in King Louis xv.'s projects, although the Peace of Aix-la-Chapelle was not signed till 1748.-TR.]

NOTE. Mr. Hussey Walsh on this subject remarks: 'Few details are at hand as to the real cause of the failure of the expedition beyond Walsh's Memoir, that seeing what a bad turn affairs were taking, he returned to Paris, where both Comte d'Argenson and Cardinal Tencin accused him of having deceived the King in making him believe that there was a strong party in England attached to the House of Stuart. A long letter from Anthony Walsh to the Cardinal ignores the reproaches against himself, but seeks to excuse the English. The following passages may here be quoted, "Every one knows that it was impossible to incorporate them with Scottish Highlanders whose methods of fighting, in which they have been educated from childhood upwards, are peculiar to themselves. On the other hand, the peasantry of England are without arms, and the nobility are without a military education." And again, "It is an established maxim with the English not to move without regular forces. Hence it may easily be concluded that my conduct deserves no blame, but that I have only asserted what was true."

[The two following letters relate to Colonel Warren's successful efforts to bring Prince Charles Edward safely back from Scotland to France. They belong to a large collection in the possession of the Duc de la Trémoïlle and are supplied for the present work by V. Hussey Walsh, Esq., The Athenæum Club, London. -TR.]

MONSIEUR WALSH [H.W.]

Matignon, 29th August 1746.

WOULD you believe, my dear Wailsh, that instead of 4 frigates which I ought to have received, there are only the two belonging to Mr. Butler, and that perhaps without his help we should not have received any at all. Well, we must have patience. My star will guide me. I have great confidence that I will bring our hero back safe and sound. It is a happiness which I hope Heaven reserves to me; and with this object before me, I embark to-morrow on the Heureux, under Captain Baulien, with 36 guns and 275 men; the other is the Prince de Conty, under Captain Marion, with 30 guns and 225 men.

We go round Ireland and return by the Bristol Channel, if our pilots are able to undertake the work, and the winds permit it. I thank you for your 'log.' Butler doubtless will put it on board. He is with us. A thousand compliments to my good friend Archer. Good-bye. Remember me and that I am ever yours.

I will take care of M. de Valois.1

MONSIEUR WALSH [H.W.]

R. DE WARREN.

10th October 1746.

I had the

MY DEAR WAILSH,-I have only just arrived. happiness to find H.R.H. in Scotland and to bring him back with me in the frigate L'Heureux.

He starts to-morrow for Paris; as for me I am going immediately to see the King. I will write to you from Versailles.

M. de Valois is a nice young man who behaved admirably. I am extremely satisfied with him. I presented him to H.R.H., and I am going to send him a sword on H.R.H.'s account. Goodbye, my dear Walsh. Embrace my friend Archer for me, and always believe me ever yours,

Monday, at Roscof, 10th Octr. 1746.

DE WARREN.

1 One of the Spanish Walshes-son of Philip Walsh of Cadiz,

LETTER FROM THE CHEVALIER DE SAINT-GEORGES (KING

JAMES VIII.) TO HIS SON PRINCE CHARLES EDWARD.

WHATEVER care you have taken, my dear son, to hide from me what has passed between the Court of France and you, since the signature of the preliminaries, I am, however, aware of everything, and I own to you that I could not read without real surprise and pain your letter to the 'Duc de Gesvres' of the 6th of this month. Neither you nor any one could suppose that you could remain in France in spite of the King. Your resistance therefore to conforming yourself to his intentions on this occasion cannot be with the object of continuing to live in his kingdom, and when you speak of regret and of being forced by your interests to act as you are doing, you show that it is not your own opinion and will that you are following, but that of others. God knows who they are, but can they be truly your friends in giving you such counsel? For it is manifest that in resisting on this occasion the intentions of S. M. T. C., there can be no other object but to break in gaiety of heart with the King and to draw upon you justly his anger and indignation. And certainly no wise or reasonable person, however inimical he might be otherwise to France, if really desiring your good, could ever counsel you, especially in the condition in which you are, to break with a power which makes itself respected throughout all Europe.

However little you may think of what has occurred for some years, you must feel that your conduct towards me has not been such as it ought to have been, and you know also with what patience and moderation I have acted towards you. You know the entire liberty which I have given to you, and that I have not ceased to write to you by every post, although you made me see only too plainly that it was not from me that you would take advice, and therefore for some time I have rarely given it to you, seeing the little effect which my letters produced upon you. But in the present case, I cannot be silent. I see you on the edge of a precipice and ready to fall down it, and I should be an unnatural 1 [Sa Majesté très Catholique.-TR.]