bold incurfion into England, one circumftance is remarkable, and, as far as we are able to recollect, unnoticed by our author, and that is, the uncommon regularity, and unexampled moderation, which were uniformly difplayed by the Highland troops. They, who take up arms against their lawful fovereign, are not ufually the men, from whom much regard is to be expected for the rights of the peaceful citizen; and the page of hiftory too faithfully informs us, that it is to the awful fcends of rebellion and revolution that we must look forexamples of the wildeft military licence, and the moft cruel and fhocking atrocities. To the immortal honour, however, be it fpoken, of the fpirit of clanfhip, and of the Highland character, no fuch examples occurred on this occafion, in a march through a country abounding in plunder, backwards and forwards, of more than 400 miles! The Highland army were utter ftrangers to military discipline; but its place was fupplied by implicit deference to the will of their chiefs, who were, many of them, men of education and urbanity. No fymptom of outrage, no cbullition of infolence was difcernible in the deportment of thefe lawlefs mountaineers: They regularly paid for every thing they got: They left behind them neither fick nor ftragglers; and we ourfelves can atteft, that, from the prince himself down to the private man, the correctnefs of their conduct was, many years after, recorded with applaufe, and advantageonfly compared with the excefles of the regulars, in the feveral towns through which both had palled. From thefe facts two things are apparent; first, the aftonishing influence and authority of the chiefs; and, fecondly, the humane and generous motives, by which they must have been actuated.* No army, except their own, could, in fimilar circumftances, have difplayed the fame virtuous moderation; and few armies of any fort, under all the regulations and reftraints of the ftrictett difcipline.-It may be accounted a trite, but it is a juft obfervation, that the greatest courage and the mildeft manners

*The moft eminent among the chiefs in the Highland army was undoubtedly Cameron of Locheil, a very amiable and accomplished character. Mr. Home, as ufual, fays little more of him, than that he was grandion to Sir Ewen Cameron; as the general practice, adopted by huorians, of bringing the reader fomewhat acquainted with the characters of their heroes, feems not at all to be his fyftem. The worth and courage of Locheil, his generous fentiments, and conciliating manners, we have heard, within our own remembrance, extolled with enthusiasm, in feveral of the places where the Highland army had been quartered. He was, indeed, as Lord Clarendon expreffes it, "a perfect gentleman."-After the battle of Culloden, where he was wounded, Locheil had the good fortune to efcape to France, and was made colonel of a regiment in the French fervice; but he lived only a few years after 1746. Upon the late generous, and welljudged reftitution of the forfeited estates by government, the property of this refpectable family, we believe, has once more come into the poffeffion of

his defcendants.

are

are commonly united; and it is from fuch a temper, in a better caufe, when the dreams of enthufiafin have paifed away, and given place to the knowledge, and the love of freedom, that we might justly look for the flower of our armies, and the heroes of Egypt.

We have dwelt, with greater minutenefs than might perhaps feem needful, on both the inactive refidence of the Pretender in Edinburgh, and his abortive progiefs through England, because we confider the line of conduct, purfued by the rebels on thofe two occafions, as the great hinge, on which the illue of the rebellion evidently turned. In Scotland, as we are informed, there are feveral valuable and unedited MSS. in the poffeffion of individuals, calculated to throw much fight on thefe, as well as other events of this period, and which have either cfcaped the diligence, or been inacceflible to the curiofity of Mr. Home. One of the molt fingular is reported to be the Memoirs of the late Earl of Wemyfs, well known, in the rebellion, by the title of "Lord Elcho;" who afterwards refided long in France, and died in that country, only about the year 1788. This MS is faid to contain a regular diary, or journal of the tranfactions, during the years 1745 and 1746, of the movements of Prince Charles's army, the deliberations of his council, (at both of which the noble writer affifled); together with free and original characters of men, and delineations of manners. For a good History of the Rebellion fuch a work must be regarded as among the most valuable materials, and, in fuch a view, it would prove an acceptable prefent to the public.

We fhall pass over, without comment, the well known tranfactions that took place, from the counter-march from Derby, to the battle of Culloden, as they feem to be recorded with fufficient fidelity by our hiftorian; viz. the action at Falkirk, in which the rebels were victorious; their retreat to the Highlands, on the approach of the Duke of Cumberland; together with the various attacks and encounters of a petty warfare, during the courfe of a winter and spring campaign. Of his merit in treating thefe tranfactions Mr. Home might fay, in nearly the words of a much greater man, Ubi ingenio. erat locus, curæ teftimonium promeruiffe contentus.

The battle of Falkirk, which was fought on the 17th of January, 1746, is defcribed by our author with extraordinary minutenefs; as he himfelt was prefent, as Lieutenant of the Edinburgh Volunteers, in the army of General Hawley, and taken prifoner in the engagement. To this account is added a narrative no lefs particular, and which we are perfuaded must intercft poterity, of the important efcape of the faid Liestenant of Volunteers, and four private men of his company, from the cattle of Down, where they were put into confinement. Befides a moft luminous view of the birth, parentage, &c. of thefe five heroes. we learn, that they courageoufly defcended, one by one, on a moon-light night, from the battlements of the aforefaid caftle, (which were above 70 feet high) by means of a rope, compofed of blankets; when, frange to relate! fome of them were

maimed,

maimed, and others efcaped uninjured; fome of them hopped off on one leg, and others walked on two, until they fairly got beyond the reach of their purfuers. One circumftance, and one only we have been able to difcover, that is omitted by Mr. Home, and of which, as a faithful hiftorian, he thould alfo have informed his readers, namely, the various effects, which we are convinced fear muft have produced upon himself and his companions, during fo horrible a fufpenfion, like crows in the air, and at fo tremendous a height above terra firma!

When the Duke of Cumberland had followed Prince Charles almost as far as Inverness, and the two armies came within 17 miles of each other, it was more than probable that an action would enfue: Yet, it was beyond all calculation of prudence to imagine, that the Prince would voluntarily have encountered the royal troops upon a level and open plain, confidering his inferiority in point of numbers, and, above all, his almost total want both of cavalry and heavy cannon. The rebels, however, with a ftrange infatuation, feemed anxioufly to wait their approach, on Culloden or Drummoffie Moor. During this critical fituation of the two armies, a night attack was projected on the royal camp at Nairn; which, had it been executed, by Lord George Murray, with the fame degree of vigour, as he had conceived it with boldness, and planned it with ability, it might have suspended, if it did not avert, the fate of the conteft. As the circumitances attending this important enterprize, are lefs known than they deferve to be, we fhall lay them before our readers as they are stated by Mr. Home.

"In the evening of the 14th (of April), Locheil joined the army with his regiment. That night, the Highlanders (who never pitched a tent) lay upon the ground among the furze and trees of Culloden wood. Charles and his principal officers were lodged in Culloden-houte.

"Next day, the army, joined by Keppoch and his regiment, was drawn up in order of battle, on Drummollie Muir, about a mile and half to the fouth-east of Culloden-houfe. When mid-day came, and the King's army did not appear, it was concluded that they had not moved from their camp at Nairn, and would not move that day, which was the Duke of Cumberland's birth-day. About two o'clock, the men were ordered to their quarters; and Charles, calling together the generals and chiefs, made them a fpeech, in which he propofed to march with all his forces in the evening, and make a night attack upon the Duke of Cumberland's army, in their camp at Nairn.

"At firft, nobody feemed to relish this propofal; and the Duke of Perth and Lord John Drummond expreffed their diliike of (to) it. Lochiel, who was not a man of many words, faid, that the army would be fironger next day, by 1500 men at leaft; but, when Lord George Murray role, and feconded the propofal made by Charles, infifting and enlarging upon the advantage of a night attack, that rendered cannon and cavalry (in which the fuperiority of the Duke of Cumberland's army chiefly confifted) of little fervice, it was agreed to make the attempt, as the beft thing that could be

done

done in their prefent (then) circumftances, for they were almost entirely deftitute both of money and provisions.

"When the officers went to their regiments, they found that a great number of the foldiers had gone to Inverness, and places adjacent, to procure provitions. Officers were fent from every regiment to bring the men back; but they refuted to come, bidding the officers fhoot them if they pleafed, for they would not come back, till they had got fome food. This happened between fix and seven o'clock in the evening; and, as the army was to march at eight, the absence of fo many men feemed to put an end to the defign of a night attack; but Charles was bent upon making the attack. He made the chiefs and colonels affemble what men they could, and, at eight o'clock, gave orders to Lord George Murray to march. Lord George put himself at the head of the army, and marched with great alacrity to execute the defign of a night attack, which he himself had formed; and it was to have been executed in the following manner.

"The river Nairn palles within half a mile of Drummoffie Muir, and runs from that ftraight caft towards the town of Nairn, which stands, as Culloden does, on the north fide of the river. Lord George Murray intended to march with the army in a body, till they were pait the house of Kilraick, or Kilravock; then to divide his troops, and crofs the river with the van, (making about one third of the army) which he himself commanded, at a place about two miles diftant from Nairn, and march on ; having two-thirds of the army on the north fide, and one-third on the south fide of the river, till both of them came near the Duke's camp, then to crofs the river again with his own divifion, and attack the king's army at once from the fouth and from the weft. This was the plan of the night attack; which, if it had been executed as it was projected, would, in the opinion of fome of the braveft officers in the Duke's army, have proved not a little dangerous.

"The Highland army marched from Culloden in a column, or rather in a long line of mach, with an interval in the middle, as if there were two columns, one following the other.

"Lord George Murray marched in the front of the first column, at the head of the Athol brigade. Lord John Drummond was in the rear of that divifion, or column: Charles and the Duke of Perth were in the interval between the two columns, that is, in the centre of the line of march. Two officers, and between twenty and thirty men of the Mackintosh regiment, who knew the road very well, for they lived in that part of the country, were diftributed along the line as guides.

"Soon after the Highlanders left Culloden, it grew very dark, and, as they kept no road, that they might avoid fome houfes on the high way to Nairn, they were obliged to march through fome very wet and deep ground, which retarded them very much, efpecially thofe that were in the rear: They had not marched far, when a meflenger came up to the front, defiring that the van fhould halt, for the other column was a great way behind. The van did not halt, but an order was given for the men to march flower: Notwithstanding this order, the rear till loft ground, and many meffengers were fent, infifting that the van fhould halt, and wait for them. "While they proceeded in this manner, a great deal of time was lost, and the night was far fpeut, before they reached Kilravock.

"The Highlanders had paled the house and wood of Kilravock, and the van of the army was about a mile from the place where Lord George Mur

ray

Home's Hiftory of the Rebellion in the Year 1745.

61

ray intended to cross the river, when Lord John Drummond, who had often come up before, and whispered Lord George Murray to order a halt, came up again, and faid aloud to Lord George, Why will you go on? There is a gap in the line half a mile long; the men won't come up.', Lord George Murray ordered a halt.

"Locheil, whofe regiment marched next to the Athol brigade, came up to the front, and joining Lord George Murray, Lord John Drummond, and General Sullivan, with fome volunteers, who had marched all night in the front, confulted what was best to be done: They knew, by their repeating watches, that it was two o'clock in the morning; and, as Nairn was more than three miles off, it was evident, from the time they had taken in marching hither, that it would be broad day-light before they could reach Nairn. Lord George Murray faid it was a free parlament, and defired every body to speak, and give their opinion, for they were all equally con

cerned.

"Most of them did peak, but they differed in opinion. Some advised a retreat, as day-light was 10 near, and they could not expect to furprize the enemy. Others declared themfelves for marching on to Nairn. Lord George Murray, provoked that his favourite design of a might attack was fruftrated, joined thofe who advised a retreat, and answered every perfon who spoke for going on, of whom the most determined was Mr. Hepburn, who urged Lord George Murray to lote no time, but order the men to march on to Nairn as fast as they could. While Mr. Hepburn was fpeaking, a drum beat -'Don't hear,' faid Lord Geo.ge, the enemy are alarmed; we can't furprize them.' I never expected,' laid Mr. Hepburn, to find them afleep; but it is much better to march on and attack them, than to retreat; for they will moft certainly follow, and oblige us to fight, when we shall be in a much worfe condition to fight them, than we are now.'

you

During this altercation between Lord George Murray and Mr. Hepburn, John Hay came up; and, hearing what they faid, immediately rode back to Charles, who was in the center of the line of march, and told him, that unlels he came to the front, and ordered Lord George Murray to go on, nothing would be done. Charles, who was on hor.eback, fet out inftantly; and, riding pretty faft, met the Highland army marching back to Culloden. Charles was extremely incenied, and faid Lord George Murray had betrayed him.

"The Highlanders marched back to Culloden in much lefs time than they had taken in marching towards Nain; or, befides the advantage of having day-light, which they had very foon, there was no occation to thun the houtes; and they took the belt and thorteft road.

"It was between five and fix in the morning when they got back to Culloden, fatigued and familied; the men had received no pay for a month; and, on the 15th, they had only one brcuit each man. The night march, backwards and forwards, had made matters worse, that were bad before. Many of the private men lay down to i eep; and no fimall number of them made the best of their way to Invernels to feek provifions”

What had been predicted by the judicious Mr. Hepburn,* accord

ingly

This gentleman feems to have been Mr. Hepburn of Keith, an ardent

and