Prince Charles Edward arrives at Eriska-Lands at Borodale-His interviews with chiefs of clans-The gathering at Glenfinnan-Military resources of the government-Sir John Cope-Highland army marches to Perth-Preparations for defence at Edinburgh-Charles Edward at Holyrood-house-Cope's army lands at Dunbar-Battle of Preston-PansCharles Edward's sojourn at Edinburgh-Siege of the Castle-English opinions of the Rebellion. Note on the Highland Costume. ON the 23rd of July, 1745, a French vessel, carrying sixteeen guns, is lying off Eriska, one of the small Western isles between Barra and South Uist. An eagle is hovering over the ship, as if watching the unwonted disturbance of the solitude of these dreary regions; and the presence of the king of birds is hailed as a welcome to a royal stranger who is on board. Prince Charles Edward is on board, with seven friends, or attendants, one of whom is the marquis of Tullibardine, called by the Jacobites, duke of Athol., The "Jacobite Memoirs," p. 9. VOL. VI. 122 PRINCE CHARLES EDWARD IN SCOTLAND. [1745. prince has been eighteen days at sea, in La Doutelle, the little vessel which he has hired to make a descent upon the kingdom which he deems his patrimony; proposing, with a few hundred muskets and broad-swords, and with four thousand louis-d'ors, to overthrow an usurping government, which kept his father and himself from the enjoyment of their bereditary rights. The prince has had some perilous incidents in his voyage from Belleisle. A large French shipof-war, which was his convoy, has been disabled in an engagement with an English man-of-war; and La Doutelle has been chased by other hostile cruisers. The arms, ammunition, and money are at last put on shore at Eriska; and the prince and his followers land on the dreary island. The night is wet and stormy. They find shelter in the house of Angus MacDonald, the tacksman; but this house, the best of the district, belonging to the principal proprietor, was unprovided with any other vent for the peat smoke than the accustomed hole in the roof. Charles Edward, reared in Italian palaceshe who had lately parted with the luxurious accommodations of the Château de Navarre, the seat of the duke de Bouillon, at Evreux,-was choked with the cloud that arose from the fire in the centre of the room. To the inhabitants of the hovel that smoke was pleasurable warmth. The prince again and again sought the open air. The indignant host, unconscious of the rank of his visitor, at length exclaimed, "What a plague is the matter with that fellow, that he can neither sit nor stand still, and neither keep within nor without door."* From this rough retreat messengers were sent to various persons of consequence in those remote districts. With the exception of Tullibardine, who was attainted in 1715, there was no man of mark with the royal adventurer. His companions were chiefly Irishmen, "drawn into Scotland by the allurement which the enterprise held out to them of making their fortunes." The first Scottish gentleman who came to Charles Edward, and saw him on board La Doutelle, was MacDonald of Boisdale, brother of the chief of Clanranald. This prudent adviser, who was accused by the Jacobites of "playing the game of the government,"-earnestly discountenanced the attempt to raise an insurrection without better means than the prince could show. He exhorted him to return home. "I am come home, sir," replied the prince ;-he would not go back he relied on his faithful Highlanders.‡ : The little vessel now made sail for the mainland, and anchored in the Loch Na Nuagh, a small arm of the sea between the districts of Moidart and Arisaig. The journal of a Highland officer § describes the appearance of the adventurer, as he presented himself on the deck of La Doutelle, where a tent had been erected. The prince, the young chief Clanranald, and MacDonald of Kinloch Moidart, had been for three hours in the cabin of Charles, they arguing against his project, he resolutely combating all their objections. "Clanranald returned to us, and in about half-an-hour after, there entered the tent a tall youth of a most agreeable aspect, in a plain black coat, with a plain shirt not very clean, and a cambric stock fixed with a plain silver buckle; a fair round wig out of the buckle; a plain hat, with a canvas string having one end fixed to one of his coat buttons; he had black stockings, "Jacobite Memoirs," p. 11. This speech is doubtless a paraphrase of the Gaelic. § "Lockhart Papers," vol. ii. p. 479. |