tachment forwards, they, acting incautiously, their enemies. Sunday, at nine in the were themselves surprised and captured by morning, they began some intrenchments the troops of Mackay, who having collected within the marquis of Athol's yard-dykes, his army together, again assumed the de- the old breaches whereof they made up with fensive. Cannon, afraid of Mackay's nu- loose stones, and scaffolded the dykes about. merous cavalry, immediately fell back upon In the afternoon, about three hundred men the hills, while Mackay, having had such appeared upon the hills on the north side of recent and sad experience of the danger of the town, who sent one with a white cloth risking his men among the mountain passes, upon the top of a halbert, with an open unkept to the plains. Either party thus moved subscribed paper in the fashion of a letter, about, watching their opponent, but without wherein was written as follows:-'We, the venturing upon any exploit of importance, gentlemen assembled, being informed that until information brought him by the Athol ye intend to burn the town, desire to know men, determined Cannon to strike what he whether ye come for peace or war, and do expected would be a decisive blow. certify you, that if ye burn any one house, The Cameronian regiment had now been we will destroy you.' The lieutenant-colonel marched to the scene of war, and their main Clelland returned answer in writ to this body, eight hundred men under colonel Clel- purpose:-'We are faithful subjects to king land, were posted at Dunkeld, while the re- William and queen Mary, and enemies to maining four hundred had been sent away their enemies; and if you who send these to Lorn and Cantyre to assist in protecting threats shall make any hostile appearance, the western coast from invasion. The Athol we will burn all that belongs to you, and men gave Cannon full information of the otherwise chastise you as you deserve.' position of the Cameronians at Dunkeld, But, in the meantime, he caused solemnly and of the temporary impossibility under proclaim in the market-place his majesty's which they were of receiving assistance if indemnity, in the hearing of him who attacked, and he determined by a sudden brought the foresaid paper. Monday mornadvance of his whole force to overwhelming, two troops of horse and three of them. Some intelligence of his march dragoons arrived at Dunkeld under comhaving been given, it was imagined that mand of the lord Cardross, who viewed the Perth was threatened, and lord Cardross fields all round and took six prisoners, but was sent to protect that town; but nobody saw no body of men, they being retired to seems to have thought of the perilous situa- the woods. Monday night, they had inteltion of the Cameronians, who were an object ligence of a great gathering by the fiery of especial hatred to the jacobites, and who, cross, and Tuesday morning many people on account of their uncomplying character, appeared on the tops of the hills, and they were not in high favour with the existing were said to be in the woods and hills about government. Left thus to their own re- Dunkeld more than one thousand men. sources, and opposed to the attack of a About eight of the clock, the horse, foot, force at least five times more numerous, and dragoons made ready to march out, but colonel Clelland and his soldiers were not a detached party was sent before of forty men to flinch from their duty, and they fusileers and fifteen halberteers under comresolved not to desert the post which had mand of captain George Monro, and thirty been entrusted to them. An account of the horse, with sir James Agnew, and twenty fierce engagement which follows, drawn up dragoons with the lord Cardross's own from the report of the officers engaged in cornet; after them followed ensign Lockit, has been preserved, and it is so graphic hart with thirty halberteers. The halberts and truthful, that we will give it without were excellent weapons against the highalteration or abridgment. landers' swords and targets, in case they should rush upon the shot with their accustomed fury; they marched also at a competent distance before the body. One hundred fusileers were under the command of captain John Campbell and captain Robert Hume, two brave young gentlemen; and upon the first fire with the enemy, captain Borthwic and captain Harris, with two hundred musketeers and pikes, were likewise

"The said regiment," we are told, "being then betwixt seven and eight hundred men, arived at Dunkeld on Saturday night, the 17th of August, 1689, under the command of lieutenant-colonel William Clelland, a brave and singularly well accomplished gentleman within twenty-eight years of age. Immediately they found themselves obliged to lie at their arms, as being in the midst of

commanded to advance towards them, the be shot dead. The soldiers then told them lieutenant-colonel having proposed by that they needed not that pledge for their honour, method to get advantage of the enemy in which they never doubted; and seeing they their way of loose and furious fighting; the found their stay necessary, they would run all body followed, having left only one hundred hazards with them. Wednesday, with the and fifty foot within the dykes. The first morning's light, the rebels appeared standing detached party, after they had marched in order covering all the hills about; for about two miles, found before them in a Cannon's army joined the Athol men the glen betwixt two and three hundred of the night before, and they were reported in all rebels who fired at a great distance, and above five thousand men. Their baggage shot cornet Livingstone in the leg. The marched along the hills towards the west horse retired, and captain Monro took up and the way that leads into Athol, consisting their ground, and advanced firing upon the of a train of many more than a thousand rebels to so good purpose, that they began horses. Before seven in the morning their to reel and break, but rallied on the face of cannon advanced down to the face of a little the next hill, from whence they were again hill, close upon the town, and one hundred eat. About that time the lieutenant-colo- men, all armed with back, breast, and head nel came up and ordered captain Monro to piece, marched straight to enter the town, send a sergeant with six men to a house on and a battalion of other foot close with them. the side of a wood, where he espied some of Two troops of horse marched about (round) the enemy. Upon the sergeant's approach the town, and posted on the south-west part to the place, about twenty of the rebels ap- of it, betwixt the ford of the river and the peared against him, but he was quickly church, and other two troops posted on the seconded by the captain, who beat them north-east of the town near the cross, who, in over the hill, and cleared the ground of as the time of the conflict, showed much eagermany as appeared without the woods, and, ness to encourage and push on the foot. The upon a command sent to him, brought off lieutenant-colonel had before possessed some his men in order. Thereafter, all the horse, outposts with small parties, to whom he foot, and dragoons marched to Perth, the pointed out every step for their retreat. lord Cardross, who commanded them, having Captain William Hay and ensign Lockhart, received two peremptory orders for that were posted on a little hill, and the ensign effect. The second was sent to him upon was ordered with twenty-eight men to adhis answer to the first, by which answer he vance to a stone dyke at the foot of it. They told they were engaged with the enemy, were attacked by the rebels who were in and it was necessary he should stay. In armour and the aforesaid other battalion, that action three of captain Monro's party and after they had entertained them with were wounded, one of which died of his their fire for a pretty space, the rebels forced wounds. William Sandilands, a cadet, the dyke, and obliged them to retire firing nephew to the lord Torphichen, and a very from one little dyke to another, and at length young youth, being of that party, discharged to betake themselves to the house and yardhis fusee upon the enemy eleven times. dykes; in which retreat captain Hay had his The prisoners taken the next day told the leg broken, and the whole party came off rebels lost about thirty men in that action. without any more hurt. A lieutenant was After the horse and dragoons were marched, posted at the east end of the town with men, some of the officers and soldiers of the earl who had three advanced sentinels, ordered, of Angus's regiment proposed that they upon the rebels' close approach, to fire and might also march, seeing they were in an retire, which accordingly they did; and the open useless place, ill provided of all things, lieutenant after burning some houses, brought and in the midst of enemies growing still in his party. Lieutenant Stuart was placed to greater numbers; the vanguard of Can-in a barricade at the cross with twenty men, non's army having appeared before they who, seeing the other lieutenant retire were off the field. The brave lieutenant- brought his men from that ground, and was colonel, and the rest of the gentlemen officers amongst them, used all arguments of honour to persuade them to keep their post; and for their encouragement, and to assure them they would never leave them, they ordered to draw out all their horses to

killed in the retreat, there being a multitude of the rebels upon them. Lieutenant Forrester and ensign Campbell were at the west end of the town, within some little dykes, with twenty-four men, who fired sharply upon the enemy's horse, until great numbers

of foot attacked their dykes, and forced which was very remarkable, though the them to the church, where were two lieu-houses were burnt all round, yet the smoke tenants and about one hundred men. All of them and of all the shot from both sides the outposts being forced, the rebels advanced was carried everywhere outward from the most boldly upon the yard-dykes all round, dykes upon the assailants, as if a wind even upon those parts which stood within had blown every way from a centre within. less than forty paces from the river, where At length the rebels, wearied with so many they crowded in multitudes without regard fruitless and expensive assaults, and finding to the shot liberally poured in their faces, no abatement of the courage or diligence of and struck with their swords at the soldiers their adversaries, who treated them with on the dyke, who, with their pikes and hal- continual shot from all their posts, they berts, returned their blows with interest. gave over and fell back, and run to the hills Others, in great numbers, possessed the town in great confusion. Whereupon they within houses, out of which they fired within the beat their drums and flourished their colours, dykes, as they did from the hills about; and and hallooed after them with all expressions by two shots at once, one through the head of contempt and provocations to return. and another through the liver, the brave Their commanders essayed to bring them lieutenant-colonel was killed, while he was back to a fresh assault, as some of the visiting and exhorting the officers and soldiers prisoners related, but could not prevail, for at their several posts He attempted to get they answered them they could fight against into the house, that the soldiers might not men, but it was not fit to fight any more be discouraged at the sight of his dead body, against devils. The rebels being quite gone, but fell by the way. And immediately there- they within began to consider where their after major Henderson received several greatest danger appeared in time of the wounds, which altogether disabled him, and conflict; and for rendering their places whereof he died four days after. Captain more secure, they brought out the seats of Caldwal was shot in the breast, and is not the church, with which they made pretty like to recover; captain Borthwic was shot in good defences; especially they fortified those the arm, going with succours to the church; places of the dyke which were made up and captain Steil got a wound in the shoulder, with loose stones, a poor defence against which he caused pance and returned again such desperate assailants. They also cut to his post. The lieutenant-colonel being down some trees on a little hill, where the dead, and the major disabled, about an hour enemy galled them under covert. Their after the action began, which was before powder was almost spent, and their bullets seven in the morning, the command fell to had been spent long before, which they captain Monro, who left his own post to lieu- supplied by the diligence of a good number tenant Stuart of Livingstone; and finding of men, who were employed in the time of the soldiers galled in several places by the action in cutting lead off the house, and enemy's shot from the houses, he sent out melting the same in little furrows in the small parties of pikemen with burning faggots ground, and cutting the pieces into slugs on the points of their pikes, who fired the to serve for bullets. They agreed that in houses, and when they found the keys in the case the enemy got over their dykes, they doors, locked them and burnt all within, which should retire to the house, and if they raised a hideous noise from these wretches should find themselves overpowered there, in the fire. There was sixteen of them burnt to burn it and bury themselves in the in one house, and the whole houses were ashes. In this action, fifteen men were burnt down except three, wherein some of killed besides the officers named, and thirty the regiment were advantageously posted. wounded. The amount of the enemy's loss But all the inhabitants of the town, who were is uncertain; but they are said to be above not with the enemy or fled to the fields, three hundred slain, amongst whom were were received by the soldiers into the church some persons of note. That handful of and sheltered there. Notwithstanding all the gallant resistance these famous rebels met with, they continued their assaults incessantly until past eleven o'clock; in all which time there was continued thundering of shot from both sides, with flames and smoke and hideous cries filling the air; and,

inexperienced men was wonderfully animated to a steadfast resistance against a multitude of obstinate furies; but they gave the glory to God, and praised him and sung psalms, after they had fitted themselves for a new assault.”

This gallant affair had an immediate and

decisive influence on the war, for it broke Cannon, they retired with him to the entirely the spirit of the highlanders, and, north, separating on their way until he was without any confidence in their commander, almost without an army.

CHAPTER IX.

SIR JAMES MONTGOMERY'S CONSPIRACY; MEETING OF PARLIAMENT; CHANGE OF POLICY OF THE COurt, FAILURE OF THE CONSPIRACY; RE-ESTABLISHMENT OF PRESBYTERIANISM; A GENERAL ASSEMBLY.

country, or by their advice, nor could he, being a stranger to the parties that divided his kingdom, be guided by any other rule than that of trusting those whom he had tried, till he became acquainted with others more worthy of his confidence." These and other reasons which were alleged in his defence were fair, and no doubt might have had their weight, but for the interested representations of men whose hopes were placed in the result of a new revolution.

THE political discontent had been increased difference in the political position of the by the sudden close of the first session of two kingdoms-that while in England there William's parliament, and presented a fa- had been merely an interruption of the vourable opportunity for agitation to the operation of a free constitution, there had different factions which had risen out of the been in Scotland the overthrow of a constirevolution. The abrupt and frequent pro-tutional tyranny, legalised by statutes and rogations of parliament led the exiles who acts of parliament; that they were indebted had returned from Holland to fear that to king William for the breaking of those there was no design to restore their forfeited bonds which they had forged themselves; estates; while the presbyterians began to and that if he had not yet been able to do suspect, from the slow and partial manner as much as he wished, they owed it to their in which their reclamations were attended domestic factions which had thwarted his to, that the king intended eventually to re-intentions. "His ministers," they said, establish episcopalianism. Their discontent" he had chosen either from among those was fomented by the intrigues and revenge who had suffered in the cause of their of some disappointed statesmen, especially sir James Montgomery, a fanatic of a restless and ambitious disposition, under whose lead had been formed a parliamentary opposition under the title of "the club," or country party. During the recess, Montgomery procured the consent of a majority of the estates to a remonstrance to the king, in which they reproached him, in terms of affected respect, with evading the claim of rights, and with choosing for his ministers and counsellors men who had been formerly their bitterest oppressors. Montgomery himself, with the earl of Annandale and lord Ross, undertook to present this remonstrance to the king, and, in despite of his majesty's injunctions to the contrary, they proceeded to London and obtained an audience. To defend himself against the aspersions contained or implied in this paper, the king published the instructions which he had given to his commissioner, the duke of Hamilton, for the opening of the parliament, and these showed clearly that his intentions had been good. His friends defended him by insisting on the blessings which had been procured by the revolution. They endeavoured to explain to people the

Montgomery and his colleagues, when they presented the remonstrance, had been so ill received by the king, that believing they had no chance of regaining the favour of king William, and urged on by their own ambition, they threw themselves upon the most desperate courses, with the aim of bringing about a counter-revolution, of which they hoped to share among themselves the credit and the reward. The conception of this plot originated with Montgomery, who had a great conceit of his own parliamentary influence, and imagined that by it he could restore James with as much ease as he had before been driven from the throne. He communicated it first to the earl of Annandale, his brother-in-law, and

next to lord Ross, who were both disap- contented, assuming liberal sentiments, and pointed at not having had a sufficient share crying out against the ingratitude of king in the favours of the new government, and William towards those who had raised him to embraced without hesitation a project which the throne. At length, advances were made was to gain them, under king James, that by the earl of Annandale to Balcarras and court favour from which they were excluded Dunmore, who were prisoners in Edinburgh under king William. James's partisans in castle, and a regular coalition was now atLondon entered into the design eagerly, tempted between the discontented presbyand promised money and other assistance. terians, led by Montgomery, and the jacoMontgomery received from them a con- bites, a coalition which was too monstrous siderable sum, which had been secretly sent in itself to have much chance of success. over from France, and which he gave to the It was the three original conspirators only, earl of Athol to carry with him to Scotland, however, who entered into correspondence but that nobleman is supposed to have ap- with king James, and their plans seemed to propriated the whole. Two noted plotters, him so plausible, that he granted all their Ferguson and Payne, were admitted as conditions, without any hesitation. These under-agents, the first to manage the in- were, that presbyterianism in its most rigid trigues at home, the other to carry on the form should be established in Scotland; correspondence with king James and his that a general indemnity should be granted, friends abroad. With regard to these, from which six persons only were excepted, Montgomery's plan appears to have been as the earl of Melville, the lord Leven, genfollows:-The leading conspirators in Eng-erals Douglas and Mackay, the lord advocate land and Scotland were to raise every political embarrassment in their power for William's government, and when the confusion in the three kingdoms was at its highest point, and William with his army was locked up in Ireland, a French fleet was to show itself in the channel. This was to be the signal for a simultaneous rising in the highlands and on the border. One division of James's army was to be transported immediately from Ireland to Scotland, while James himself, with his French auxiliaries, and another division of his Irish army, was to proceed to France, and from thence into England. Several of the Scottish nobles, who were wavering between the two parties, but saw no immediate prospect of reward from William, were induced, under feelings of disappointment and mortification, to join the conspiracy, such as the duke of Queensberry, the marquis of Athol, viscount Tarbet, and others. By dint of earnest entreaties, they obtained the liberation of the earl of Arran, who was confined in the Tower, and who, in return for this favour, entered zealously into the conspiracy. Montgomery appears to have been so eager to grasp all the honours and advantages for himself and his immediate friends, that he did not communicate the plot at first to the Scottish jacobites, who appear to have had one of their own, which was simply directed to the raising their partisans on the arrival of an army from abroad; but they saw the irritation against the government, which they laboured to increase, by mixing with the dis

sir John Dalrymple, and Gilbert Burnet, who was now bishop of Salisbury. Annandale was to be made a marquis, and appointed captain of Edinburgh castle and the king's commissioner to parliament; Montgomery and Ross were both to be created earls, and the former was to have the office of secretary of state for Scotland, while Ross was to be appointed colonel of the horse-guard. These conditions as well as the correspondence were carefully concealed from the rest of the conspirators; for James, who had a very easy conscience on the subject of breaking his word, and who cared not what promises he made to secure his object, was still fearful that the whole body of the jacobites would be disgusted if they knew that such men were to monopolise his favour, and Montgomery was naturally anxious to conceal the personal advantages for which he had bargained until he felt them safe within his grasp. The jacobites themselves were ready to join in any plot likely to lead to James's restoration. Montgomery's plan of proceeding was this. Knowing that the presbyterians were the majority in parliament, he proposed to move there the exclusive establishment of presbyterianism in its most rigid form, and he undertook to make this demand in such terms that king William would never grant it; while the presbyterians were smarting under the refusal, he would let them know of king James's engagement to grant what William refused; the majority in parliament were to refuse the supplies. until their de