[153] This was in the year 1737. If Gordon of Glenbucket went over to Rome, so far as ever I could learn without having any authority from the Gentlemen in the Highlands, unless it was from his son-in-law Glengary and General Gordon,[651] praying the King to come to Scotland that all were ready to rise in arms; but His Majesty was too wise to give in to such a rash and inconsiderate a project and sent over Captain Will Hay[652] to have the Opinion of his friends by which he might judge how far what Glenbucket had said was to be credited. Mr. Hay sent for me then in Holland and insisted upon my coming which I did, but I believe found few people of Glenbucket’s Opinion save the late Lord Kinmore[653] who I went to the Country and brought to toun to see him; but the case was now greatly altered as all the World were becoming sensible of; that the Interest of Great Britain must ever be sacrificed to that of Hanover as long as this family continued upon the Throne; that Parliamentary Schemes were nothing but Chimerical, together with the few Troops that were left in the Island and the distance they were then from the Coast which prevented their coming in time before the Country was reduced; as likewise the miserable prospect of the Country being ruined by the vast standing Army that would necessarily follow upon a peace as the Levys during the War would be considerable and no prospect of a reduction after their Return but rather a Certainty of their being continued; this seeming the fairest opportunity to bring us under a military Government. These and many other reasons made L[ochie]l be of Opinion that now was the time to strike a bold stroke for the King, and by Sir A[lexander] M[acdonald]’s letter to the Duke of P[erth], it would seem these reasons did influence him and were sufficient Grounds for the proposal.
[154] John (Lindsay), 20th earl, born 1702. Entered Russian army; was badly wounded at Krotzka, 1739, fighting the Turks, and never properly recovered. First colonel of the 43rd (afterwards 42nd) Highlanders. Brig.-gen. at Fontenoy; maj.-gen. 1745. Came to Scotland February 1746, and commanded the Hessian troops under the Prince of Hesse in Stirling and Perthshire. Died 1749.
[155] Née Hon. Anne Stewart, daughter of Alexander, 6th Lord Blantyre. Died March 1743.
[156] i.e. John Murray.
[157] This is evidently the letter that Murray complains bitterly Traquair showed to Balhaldy, and on his advice destroyed (Murray’s Memorials, pp. 58-60).
[158] This Letter I wrote in the smoothest stile possible purposely to show him that the King’s friends were so far from having any Inclination to Dictate to him, that on the Contrary they wished by all means to have him Heartily to promote the Restoration, and shewed the letter to Lord T[ra]q[uai]r and L[ochiel]l before I gave it his Lordship to carry and they both approved of it.
[159] I had mentioned in my Letter to the King that the Ship by which our Letters used to come was much suspected and had been searched, so one of my Errands was to have a new Conveyance settled which was done from London to Paris by Mr. D[rummond] but could be so easily done from London here.
[160] His Grace the Duke of P[erth] when I had the honour of seeing him at York on my Road, desired I would acquaint his Majesty that he had a Scheme for taking Stirling Castle and desired His Majesty would impower him upon the Seizing of it to give a commission to whom he should think fitt to name as Governour for the Time it was garrisoned with his men as they would the more willingly obey if the Commander was named by him, but told me no particulars of his project neither did he since when I told him what the King had wrote.
[161] Mr. Edgar having wrote about it in a former Letter occasioned my telling him that it was borrowed by Lord T[ra]q[uair].
[162] A frequent cipher name for the Chevalier de St. George.