Dated July 5th, 1743.
P.S.—I had almost neglected to tell you that while I was att London I ordered a Countryman of ours to work Six pair of the finest Silk-Stockens he could possibly make, which as they are home manufactory and finest I believe were mad in the Island I have ventured to send them by Mr. Smith to Rome hoping the Prince will do his Country and me the honour to accept of them.
My Lord T[ra]q[uai]r having now been three months att London and we all that time receiving no Material accounts of Success things looked as if this Summer would be Spent as well as the former without any Resolution taken of coming to Blows in the Autumn or Winter which made all those of the concert very uneasy but particularly my Lord L[ova]t, so that he seemed to give up all hopes of the Schemes ever succeeding and wrote to L[ochie]l several Letters wherein he resolved to settle his affairs and go to London where, after he had sollicited an appeal he intended to lodge against Chisholm, he would then go over to France with his son. L[ochie]l was so good as show me the most of his Letters and from some things he said, but particularly a paragraph in one of them we had reason to conjecture he proposed to end his days in a Religious house; this we were the more easily induced to believe as his Lordship had now lived to a great age during the most of which he had acted a part in the world not looked upon by the Generality of Mankind in a favourable light. We therefore agreed that L[ochie]l Should write him dissuading him from his design but at the same time he seemed so positive that it was thought Necessary to acquaint the King of it as his Majesty’s orders appeared to us the only mean whereby to prevent his journey, knowing that his leaving the Country would be of the worst Consequence as there was not a man in that part of the Country capable to manage it but himself and in general that his appearing publickly in Arms for the King must be of great Service, for which Reasons the first Occasion that occurred I wrote to the King dated September 5th 1743:
Murray to the Chevalier
Sir,—I had the honour to write to your majesty the 5th of July last which I hope is come Safe. I have of late seen several Letters from Lord L[ovat] to L[ochie]l wherein he Express great Anxiety and impatience that things are not like to come to a conclusion. I take it to be upon that account that he has settled his affairs att home and is now taking leave of his friends with a Resolution of going this Winter to London there to solicite an appeal and from thence to France with his Son. Your Majesty will see at first View all the inconveniencys that may attend such a procedure more readily than I can express, he being the only man in the Country capable to manage that part of the Country alloted him, and indeed I am afraid from a paragraph in one of his Letters that he has some thoughts of Ending his days in a monastry Since he thinks he cannot do it in your Majestys Service. Affairs abroad seem now to tend more and more to a War with france which Should it happen will I hope putt a Stop to his journey, but failing that I am apt to believe nothing will do save your Majestys orders, etc.
To Mr. Edgar.
September 5, 1743.
Murray to Edgar
Sir,—I gave you the trouble of a pretty long Letter the fifth of July last, since which I have not had the pleasure of hearing from you. Lord T[ra]q[uai]r is still att London but proposes to be soon down here, which I heartily wish, some folks being vastly anxious for his return expecting upon that Event to be intirely satisfied as to what may be hoped for from the Kings friends in England. Upon the Highland deserters being shott att London,[171] which has greatly disobliged their Countrymen, I took it upon me to acquaint some of the Gentlemen that it was his Majestys pleasure they should endeavour to prevent as much as possible any of their followers from inlisting in the Service of the present Government. This I thought the more necessary as a great many of them have been carried out of the Country for some years past, the Dutch having gott several hundreds upon their last Augmentation.[172] My Lord K[e]n[mur]e is returned from Portugall perfectly recovered. I said some obliging things to him in his Majestys Name of gaining the Cameronians (amongst whom he lived) to his Majestys Interest. I am very sensible what a fickle Sett of people they are and how difficult an undertaking of this kind may prove. Yett as Sir Th[oma]s G[ord][o]n of E[arls]t[o]n,[173] a leading man amongst them two years ago, spoke to the late Lord of the precarious Situation of the present Government, and in case of a Restoration begged his protection, this Lord seemed the fitter person to learn his present Sentiments. Your Friend Sir J[ames] S[tewar]t[174] who deservedly well liked by all his acquaintances is to be married to Lord W[emy]ss eldest daughter, a Match made by Lord E[lcho][175] who left this the beginning of Summer and I understand, is now at Boulogne, so that I had no opportunity to deliver the Compliments his Majesty and the Prince honour him with. I beg you will believe me, etc.
Some time in the month of August the Laird of Mc[Leo]d[176] came to Edinburgh and told L[ochie]l on his way here, who desired he might see him, and that he had several Commissions to us, so desired he would make an appointment with me. When L[ochie]l spoke to me of it I agreed to ride out with him on the Saturday to Peggie Vints where he proposed to dine and see a son of Lord L[ovat]s who was then at the School of Preston,[177] but we were both afraid from his saying that he had several Commissions that his Lordship had been too open with him, contrary to the engagement all these of the Concert had come under to one another; for which reason we resolved to be very cautious and determined, in case we found it as we suspected, to say nothing of it to him. We according mett, dined in the Country and adjurned to the Tavern in Edinburgh where we resolved to give him leave to say or ask as few questions as possible and took occasion to speak a good deal on the present miserable Situation of the Country, and tell him that we thought him one of the fittest Persons we knew to instigate the English to join heartily for promoting the Kings interest, being both a highland man and one of power in the Country; and at the same time told him it was his Majestys pleasure that the Chiefs of the Clans should allow none of their men to leave the Country. To which he answered that he and Sir A[lexander] Mc[Donal]d had taken care to let none of theirs inlist, and said a good deal of his readiness to serve the King so soon as an occasion should offer, and that he had already during his being att London made it his business to incite and encourage the English to every thing that cou’d conduce to his Majestys interest; and as to Lord L[ova]ts commissions, they turned out only to inquiring about Lord T[ra]q[uai]r and what news or good hopes he had. From this time nothing passed worthy the noticeing, I had some compliments from Lord L[ova]t in his letters to L[ochie]l wherein he acquainted him with the success he had in a Circuit he made over the Country and then gott a Letter or two from himself on these subjects and desiring his Majesty might be acquainted with it and at the same time saying he was resolved to continue at Home in expectation of something satisfactory upon my Lord T[ra]q[uai]r’s return. Upon this I wrote the following Letter to Mr. Edgar, dated October 28th, 1743.