Signed as befor and dated 14th, 1743.
In the first letter I wrote to Mr. Edgar after my return home I told him that the Packet for Bishop Rattrae was still in my Custody being informed that he intended to be soon in town so thought it fitt to delay doing any thing in it till he should come, accordingly whenever I heard of his arrival I went immediately to the Country where the Cypher Mr. Edgar mentioned there was, and brought it to town with me but to my Surprise found it did not answer. Yett I nevertheless resolved to deliver the Packet to him att the same time reading the paragraph in mine concerning it so sent for Mr. Rae[164] one of the Presbyters in Edinburgh and told him I wished to see Mr. Rattrae and desired he would go to him and acquaint him with my intention and make an appointment for me which he agreed to do next mourning. He came to me on the morrow and told me had missed him but would indeavour to find him sometime that day upon which he left me and found him dinning with his daughter Mrs. —— so delayed it till next morning, but when he went was informed by his daughter Mrs. Clark in whose house he lived that he had been taken ill the night before of an Epidimical Distemper that at that time raged almost all of over Europe of which he died in three or four days illness, by which means that Packet still remains in my Custody, never since having gott any directions about it. From that time I have keept my Resolution of never having any more to do with the Clergy, for when I was asked some few days after by Mr. Rae what I thought they should do in their present situation, I told him I thought they should draw up a full and distinct state of their [affairs] without neglecting the least thing and send it to the King leaving him to determine without any further representations, but shunned writting or taking any Commissions about it, nor do I since know any of their procedure none of them having ever spoke to me on the subject.
About this Time the Duke of P[erth] came from England and as L[ochie]l and [I] had often Schemed together what we ourselves were able to do in the present posture of affairs and seemed to agree in Opinion that should the french disapoint us we were more able to restore the King by our own strength during the absence of the Army than with the Assistance of 10,000 men were our Troops once returned, for which reason did the English fail to give the assurances to the french they required, but we should gett the people at home to take it in hand by themselves. With this View I had already wrote Mr. Edgar on that Strain and now we agreed to sound the Duke of P[erth] on the same Subject which we did and found him abundantly forward. He was then going to the Country and Sir A[lexander] Mc[Donal]d[165] was with his brother-in-law A[irl]y so desired the Duke would try him and some days after had a letter from hime wherein he said that he had spoke to him as was agreed and found him very keen that he said the sooner it was done the better and in place of 700 men which his Uncle carried with him in the year 1715 he would now bring 1200. At the same time when his Grace was talking to us in Edinburgh on this subject he said the people in that part of the Country where he had come from very honest and that the Mayer and Aldermen had spoke to him in the strongest terms, which he then told us, and desired I might acquaint the King of it, so I desired his Grace would putt it in writting and that I should not fail to transmit it to his Majesty; upon which he went to another room and brought me a sheet of paper mostly write which I did not care to transmitt in his own words but abridged it; however shall say no more of it here as I will putt down the letter I wrote the King and another to Mr. Edgar. I must only observe that I read the Duke’s memorial to my L[ord] T[ra]q[uai]r att his own house upon giving him some paper he had putt in my custody att his leaving Scotland, at which time his Lordship and I agreed to put it in the fire as the letter I had wrote and which I att the same time read to my Lord contained the substance of it, this I have frequently repented since, as his Grace’s memory did not seem to serve him exactly to what he had wrote. In answer to his Majesty’s I wrote the following, Dated July 5th, 1743:—
Murray to the Chevalier
Sir,—I had the honour of your Majesty’s commands some weeks ago of the 11th of March. I communicated the paragraph of your Majesty’s relating to the certainty of General Keith’s coming to Scotland to the Duke of P[erth] and L[ochie]l who are equally well satisfied with what your Majesty is pleased to say on that subject. Your Majesty’s Declaration with regard to the Scotts Vassals and the Liberty you are most graciously pleased to grant of insinuating so much to them give L[ochie]l extream pleasure being convinced it will tend greatly to promote your Majesty’s interest. The Duke of P[erth] desired me to acquaint your Majesty that the Mayer and Aldermen of York had freely opened their minds to him on the Subject of the Restoration and gave him a Commission humble to Represent their Loyalty and firm attachment to your Majesty’s cause. They engage that upon hearing of your Majesty’s aproach with a Sufficient Body to support them they will raise 10,000 men in that County and have no doubt of an equal Number from the Countys Adjacent. There are two gentlemen one of them a present member the other was last parliament but declined it these have the Sole management of the County and did they appear would certainly be followed by every one in it. His Grace had not the good fortune to see them they being at London but left them his Compliments by some of their friends who assured him they were ready upon your Majesty’s desire to enter into any Scheme to promote your Majesty’s interest. His Grace desired me likewise to inform your Majesty that he is fully convinced and may almost affirm that upon shewing an order from your Majesty to treat with them they will sign any declaration or assurance of whatever Nature shall be thought most for your Majesty’s interest and to have the Mayer and Aldermen, at least those of them upon whose Secrecy they can the most depend to do the like. In the Duke’s Memorandum to me he neglected the two Gentlemen’s names. As the Election of their Mayer goes by Rotation it falls next year upon a Whig which his grace thinks can be of no consequence as none of that Kidney have any Interest, in the town, but he was told that notwithstanding the custom, if your Majesty desired it they would indeavour to have another chosen. I shall incroatch no further upon your Majesty’s time having wrote to Mr. Edgar but beg leave to subscribe myself with the greatest Veneration and Duty your Majesty’s, etc.
Letter to Mr. Edgar, dated July 5th, 1743.
Murray to Edgar
Since I had the pleasure of receiving your last letter the Duke of P[erth] returned from York after having gott a very possitive and harsh Refusall from the Lady to whom he was making his addresses, during his stay there he had some commissions from the Mayer and Aldermen to the King with which I had the honour to acquaint the King by the enclosed amongst others they begged he might offer their humble Duty and assure him of their unalterable Regard to his Interest. They intended to send his Highness the Duke[166] the freedom of their toun in a Gold Box as the highest mark of their regard for his Highness who does them the honour to bear the Name of their Town but being afraid least a discovery should be made by Workmen or others who would render them the less usefull to his Majesty they must humbly beg his Highness would look upon the Compliment as real and Honour them with his Acceptance.
L[ochie]l and I spoke to the Duke upon the supposition we should obtain no assistance from France how far he thought it would be prudent at this juncture to undertake the King’s Restoration ourselves. Upon his Grace’s approving of the scheme, I proposed when he went to the Country he should talk to Sir A[lexander] M[acdonal]d upon the same, which he accordingly did, and sent an answer to L[ochie]l wherin he says that found him entirely of the same Opinion, that he seemed to think there was a necessity for it, and that it ought to be done as soon as possible and that in place of 700 men his Uncle brought with him in the year 1715 he would engage to bring 1200. I could not fail to acquaint you with his Opinion, he being the most reserved cautious man I ever knew, and the least apt to say or do anything rashly, everybody is of Opinion the Government designs by all methods to Ruin the Highlands which to be sure makes the Gentlemen fond to have something done before it be out of their power to be of service, especially as there are some of them whose Estates are so low such as G[lengar]ry C[lanranal]d A[p]pn C[ap]p[oc]h that they will be obliged either to sell their lands or conform to the Government through necessity; and am very credibly[167] informed that Ca[p]p[oc]h was this Winter at London on a Scheme of raising an independent Company. Since Mr. Smith came to this place he has insisted with Lo[chie]l to go over to see Lord Marshall who he tells him has had several different accounts of the State of the Highlands so that he is very anxious to talk to him upon that head. L[ochie]l excuses himself from going but told me Mr. Smith supposed his Lordship was informed of everything by the King and that the State given in by Mr. Drummond was just he is certain; but now things are much better and that Mr. Drummond rather erred in making the number too small[168] being determined to advance nothing but what he could answer for. I had a letter lately from my L[ord] T[ra]q[uai]r wherein he seems to hint that his Majesty’s friends in England are in a way of acting with more vigour and unanimity than they have hitherto done. I hope they are now become sensible of their weak and groundless prejudices against Lord Semple (a Catalogue of which I sent you in my last) as well as of the necessity there is to act Vigorously and Resolutely for his Majesty’s Restoration. It would seem L[ord] T[ra]q[uai]r and Mr. Drummond have not judged it fitt to send my letter to L[ord] Marshall (a Copy of which I sent you in my last) for I have never had the smallest hint of it from Mr. Smith neither has L[ord] T[ra]q[uai]r taken occasion to mention it in any of his Letters to me. Upon Bishop Rattrae’s coming to town I went immediately to the Country for the Cypher when I found it did not in the least correspond to that Coll. Urquhart must certainly have been mistaken. I nevertheless resolved to deliver the letters att the same time showing him the paragraph in mine relative to him and to tell him the cause of the mistake, but this day I sent one of his Brethern to acquaint him that I would wait on him in the afternoon, he was abroad and the next day when I sent again found he was taken ill of a Pluirisy of which he died two days after[169] which to be sure is a very great misfortune and not the less so that Mr. Keith is now Senior Bishop, what they are now doing or intend to do I don’t know I have sent you the Cypher inclosed but retained the Letter till further Orders.
We had great rejoicings some days ago on account of a Battle said to be gained by the Allies in Germany,[170] but by latter Accounts, the Case seems to have been that the Army of the Allies had gott too far into the Country and finding a Scarcity of provisions (especially amongst the English) they resolved to return from whence they came when they were attacked by a body of French to the number of 25,000 or thereabouts, some write they intended to attack their rear and harrass them on their march, others they proposed intercepting 12,000 Hannoverians and Hessians that were on their march to join the Army, but whatever was their Intention they attacked our foot. Whereupon a very smart engagement ensued, wherein both partys seem to have suffered severely. The French repassed the river and we continued our march and are now gott near to frankfort where its said the Emperor is and talks of a Suspension of Arms I wish too good a peace may not ensue. You certainly cant help laughing when you consider with what Vigour and Success we carry on our war with Spain. Never was a poor Country in so miserable a Condition as we are in att present, neither Money nor Trade nor Credit, nay nor so much as the smallest degree of honour or Character left us. The Duke of P[erth]’s Stay here was so short that I could not gett him to explain his Scheme of Seizing Stirlling Castle, but I wont neglect the first opportunity to have it from him. I am Still obliged to continue the old Cannal of Correspondence not being able while att London to find any Safe Conveyance from thence, but I hope Lord T[ra]q[uai]r will have effectuated that before his return; I have now write everything that occurrs to me I wish may not already have tired you.—So with hearty prayers for the familys wellfare and all friends with you and that we may soon meet on a Solid and happy footing, I beg that you would believe that I ever am, etc.