forable meaning, as any of thofe which have rendered the knight of La Mancha immortal 34.

THE Pretender's affairs wore a better appearance, for a time, in the North of England. Mr. Forfter, a gentleman of fome influence in Northumberland, with the lords Derwentwater, Widrington, and other Jacobite leaders, there took up arms, and affembled a confiderable force. But as their troops confifted chiefly of cavalry, they wrote to the earl of Mar to fend them a reinforcement of infantry. This request was readily complied with. Brigadier Mackintosh was ordered to join them, with eighteen hundred Highlanders. In the mean time, having failed in an attempt upon Newcastle, and being informed that Mackintosh had already croffed the Forth, they marched northward to meet him. On their way, they were joined by a body of horse, under the earls of Carnwath and Wintoun, the viscount Kenmure, and other Jacobite leaders. They paffed the Tweed at Kelfo; and having formed a junction with Mackintosh, a council of war was called, in order to deliberate on their future proceedings.

In this council, little unanimity could be expected, and as little was found. To march immediately toward the Weft of Scotland, and prefs the duke of Argyle on one fide, while the earl of Mar attacked him on the other, feemed the most rational plan; as a victory over that nobleman, which they could fearce have failed to obtain, would have put the Pretender at cnce in poffeffion of all North Britain. Such a propofal was made by the earl of Wintoun, and

34. Id ibid.

agreed

LETTER
XXIV.

A, D. 1715

A.D. 1715.

PART II. agreed to by all the Scottish leaders; but the English infifted on repaffing the Tweed, and attacking general Carpenter, who had been fent, with only nine hundred horfe, to fupprefs the rebellion in Northumberland.'

Nov. 12.

FROM an uncomplying obftinacy, mingled with national jealousy, the rebels adopted neither of those plans, nor embraced any fixed refolution. The English-infurgents perfifted in their refufal to penetrate into Scotland. Part of the Highlanders, equally ob. ftinate, attempted in disgust to find their way home; and the remainder reluctantly accompanied Mackintofh and Fofter, who entered England by the western border, leaving general Carpenter on the left.

THESE leaders proceeded, by the way of Penrith, Kendal, and Lancaster, to Preston, where they were in hopes of increasing their numbers, by the rifing of the catholics of Lancashire. But before they could receive any confiderable acceffion of ftrength, or erect proper works for the defence of the town, they were informed that general Willis was ready to inveft it, with fix regiments of cavalry, and one battallion of infantry. They now prepared themselves for refift ance, and repelled the firft attack of the king's troops with vigour; but Willis being joined next day by a reinforcement of three regiments of dragoons, under general Carpenter, the rebels loft all heart, and furrendered at difcretion 35. Several reduced officers, found to have been in arms against their fovereign, were immediately fhot as deferters; the noblemen and gentlemen were fent prifoners to London, and

35. Willes's Dispatches. Duke of Berwick's Mem. vol. ii.

com

committed to the Tower; while the common men were confined in the caftle of Chefter, and other fe cure places in the country.

THE fame day that the rebellion in England was extinguished, by the furrender of Forfter and his affociates at Preston, the rebels in Scotland received a fevere fhock from the royal army. The earl of Mar, after having wafted his time in forming his army, with unneceffary parade, at Perth 37, took a refolution to march into England, and join his fouthern friends. With this view he marched to Auchterarder, where he reviewed his forces, and halted a day, before he attempted to cross the Forth. The duke of Argyle, who lay on the fouthern fide of that river, inftead of waiting to difpute the paffage of the rebels, marched over the bridge of Stirling, as foon as he was informed of their defign, and encamped within a few miles of the earl of Mar, with his left to the village of Dumblaine, and his right toward Sheriff Muir. His army confifted only of two thousand three hundred infantry, and twelve hundred cavalry; that of the rebels, of about nine thousand men, chiefly infantry. They came in fight of each other in the evening, and lay all night on their arms.

Ar day-break Argyle, perceiving the rebels in motion, drew up his troops in order of battle. But, on the nearer approach of the enemy, finding himfelf outflanked, and in danger of being furrounded, he was under the neceffity of altering his difpofition, by feizing on certain heights to the north-eaft of Dumblaine. In confequence of this movement, which 37. Duke of Berwick's Mem. vol. ii. li

VOL. IV.

was

LETTER

XXIV.

A.D. 1715

Nov. 13

A. D. 1715.

PART II. was not made without fome degree of confufion, the left wing of the royal army fell in with the centre of the rebels, compofed of the Clans, headed by Glengary, Sir Donald Macdonald's brothers, the captain of Clanronald, Sir John Maclean, Glenco, Campbel of Glenlyon, Gordon of Glenbucket, and other chieftains. The combat was fierce and bloody, and the Highlanders feemed at one time difcouraged, by the lofs of one of their leaders; when Glengary, waving his bonnet, and crying aloud, "Revenge! revenge!" they rushed up to the muzzle of the mufkets of the king's troops, pufhed afide the bayonets with their targets, and made great havoc with their broad-fwords. The whole left wing of the royal army was inftantly broken and routed; general Witham, who commanded it, flying to Stirling, and declaring that all was loft.

MEANWHILE the duke of Argyle, who conducted in perfon the right wing of the royal army, confifting chiefly, of horse, had defeated the left of the rebels, and purfued them with great flaughter, as far as the river Allen, in which many of them were drowned. This purfuit however, though hot, was by no means rapid. The rebels, notwithstanding their habitual dread of cavalry, the shock of which their manner of fighting rendered them little able to refift, frequently made a ftand, and endeavoured to renew the combat. And if Mar, who remained with the victorious part of his army, had poffeffed any tolerable fhare of military talents, Argyle would never have dared to revisit the field of battle. He might even have been overpowered by numbers, and cut off by one body of the rebels, when fatigued with combating the other. But no fuch attempt being made, nor the advantage on the left properly improved, the duke returned triumphant

XXIV.

triumphant to the scene of action; and Mar, who had LETTER taken poft on the top of a hill, with about five thoufand of the flower of his army, not only forebore to A. D. 1715. moleft the king's troops, but retired during the following night, and made the best of his way to Perth 38. Next morning the duke of Argyle, who had been joined by the remains of his left wing, perceiving that the rebels had faved him the trouble of diflodging them, drew off his army toward Stirling, carrying along with him the enemy's artillery, bread-waggons, and many prifoners of diftinction 39. The number killed was very confiderable, amounting to near à thousand men on each fide.

THIS battle, though by no means decifive, proved fatal, in its confequences, to the affairs of the Pretender in Scotland. Lord Lovat, the chief of the Frafers, who seemed difpofed to join the rebels, now declared for the established government, and feized upon the important poft of Inverness, from which he drove Sir John Mackenzie; while the earl of Sutherland, who had hitherto been over-awed, appeared openly in the fame caufe. Against these two noblemen, Mar detached the marquis of Huntley and the earl of Seaforth, with their numerous vaffals. But the rebel chiefs, instead of coming to immediate action, fuffered themselves to be amufed with negociations; and both, after fome hesitation, returned to their allegiance under king George. The marquis of Tullibardine alfo withdrew from the rebel army,

38. London Gazette, Nov. 21, 1715. Duke of Berwick's Mem. vol. ii. Account of the Battle of Dumblaine, printed at Edinburgh in 1715, and Tindal's Contin. of Rapin, vol. vii.

39. Ibid.