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Vol. 1
Account / narrative
Previous
Captain O Neil's Journal of the Prince's Retreat and Escape after April 16.
Next
Contents of this Volume.

Remarks, &c. and particular Sayings of some, who were concerned in the Prince's preservation. Leith-Citadel, July 20. 1747.

Metadata
Titles
Forbes
Remarks, &c. and particular Sayings of some, who were concerned in the Prince's preservation. Leith-Citadel, July 20. 1747.
Steuart
Remarks et cetera and particular sayings of some who were concerned in the Prince's preservation
Paton
Remarks and particular sayings of some who were concerned in the Prince's preservation
Pages
Forbes
Vol. 1, 188—218
Paton
Vol. 1, 108—124
Credits
Encoder (metadata)
Kaitlyn MacInnis
Transcriber
Jasmyn Bojakli
Proofreader
Leith Davis
Proofreader
Kaitlyn MacInnis
Encoder
Abigail Streifel
Encoder
Kaitlyn MacInnis
Status
Document
transcription proofed
Metadata
metadata done
Notes
Parts of this account were taken from Forbes's recollections and/or third-hand accounts: of what Felix O'Neil said “in the Castle of Edr &and after he was set at Liberty”
of what Flora MacDonald said aboard the Eltham and Bridgewater
of conversation(s) with Kingsburgh and his wife (and her account of parts of Flora MacLeod's and Malcolm MacLeod's narratives)
Settings
Date20 Jul 1747
Person Felix O'Neill
Person Flora MacDonald
PlaceCitadel of Leith
Place; likely at Lady Bruce's house
remediation
In Narrative of a Conversation betwixt Captain John Hay at Air and me Robert Forbes: “I gave him an Account (as exactly as I could) of that Narrative, given me by Mrs MacDonald of Kingsburgh [...] anent the Prince's desiring Malcolm MacLeod to have no Fear [...]”
“I then told the Company, that Malcolm MacLeod had said, that he never knew a Man, in all his Life, that had such a firm &and steady Trust in the Providence of God, as the Prince was remarkably blessed with.”
in Forbes
Related Documents
Active:
A Conversation with MacDonald of Kingsburgh anent the foresaid Journal, with his Corrections upon it, and some remarkable Sayings of Him and his Lady etc. (v01.0142.01): Mentions in footnote
(v01.0181.01#p181_n1): Mentions in footnote
Malcolm MacLeod's Journal; wherein likewise his own History and several very remarkable Particulars (v02.0228.01): Mentions in footnote
Narrative of a Conversation betwixt Captain John Hay at Air and me Robert Forbes (v03.0479.01): Mentions in metadata
Journal of Miss Flora MacDonald, etc. (v03.0524.01): Mentions in footnote
Copy of a long & particular Journal taken faithfully from the hand-writings of young Clanranald, Major MacDonald of Glenaladale & Captain Alexander MacDonald, Dalely's Brother (v03.0576.01): Mentions in footnote
Copy of Captain Oneille's Journal taken from a Copy attested by his Name subscribed with his own Hand, with several critical Notes upon the said Journal (v04.0670.01): Mentions in footnote
Narrative of the plundering, pillaging, burning, etc. of the Islands of Rasay and Rona, taken from the Handwriting of young Rasay (v05.0871.01): Mentions in footnote
MacDonald of Balshar's (in North Uist) Account of the Prince's distresses, wherein some remarkable Notes upon Sir Alexander MacDonald (v05.0911.01): Mentions in footnote
Passive:
A Conversation with MacDonald of Kingsburgh anent the foresaid Journal, with his Corrections upon it, and some remarkable Sayings of Him and his Lady etc. (v01.0142.01): Mentioned in footnote
Journal of Donald MacLeod, &c. (v02.0266.01): Mentioned in footnote
A particular Narrative anent Armadale taken from Captain John Hay at Air (v03.0458.01): Mentioned in footnote
Narrative of a Conversation betwixt Captain John Hay at Air and me Robert Forbes (v03.0479.01): Mentioned in transcription
Journal of Miss Flora MacDonald, etc. (v03.0524.01): Mentioned in footnote
Copy of a long & particular Journal taken faithfully from the hand-writings of young Clanranald, Major MacDonald of Glenaladale & Captain Alexander MacDonald, Dalely's Brother (v03.0576.01): Mentioned in footnote
Copy of Captain Oneille's Journal taken from a Copy attested by his Name subscribed with his own Hand, with several critical Notes upon the said Journal (v04.0670.01): Mentioned in footnote
An Account how I came by Oneille's attested Journal (v04.0692.01): Mentioned in transcription
Journal of Captain Donald MacDonald, alias, Donald Roy (v04.0709.01): Mentioned in footnote
Narrative of the plundering, pillaging, burning, etc. of the Islands of Rasay and Rona, taken from the Handwriting of young Rasay (v05.0871.01): Mentioned in footnote
MacDonald of Balshar's (in North Uist) Account of the Prince's distresses, wherein some remarkable Notes upon Sir Alexander MacDonald (v05.0911.01): Mentioned in footnote
John Mackinnon's Part of the Prince's Escape, as given by Walkingshaw to Elphinston. (v06.1218.01): Mentioned in footnote
Name of the Man whipped cruelly by Captain Ferguson (v07.1519.01): Mentioned in transcription
Leith, Friday, Octr 18th, 1751. At my own House, by ten o'Clock, Forenoon, taken down from the Mouth of Patrick Grant (commonly called Black Peter of Craskie) one of the famous Glenmoriston-Men, Donald MacDonald, Taylor in Edr, being Interpreter, as the said Patrick Grant could speak Nothing but Erse. (v08.1660.01): Mentioned in footnote
Transcription
The following Words omitted in yethe oyrother Page.

*
who thought themselves secure of any such At-
^ tempt, and, descending fmfrom his Horse, drew his
Sword, &and told ymthem, He would head ymthem to an Enemy
they had as often defeated as, &cetc.
Captain 189 (189)

Remarks, &c.etc. and particular Sayings of
some, who were concerned in the Prin-
ce’s
Preservation. Leith-Citadel, July 20. 1747.

‘Tis Pity, that CapnCaptain O Neil has not been
more particular in his Journal; for he has
not so much as mentioned the Necessity the
Prince was in to disguise himself in a
Female-Dress, which serves to explain
his Distress &and Danger as much as any Thing
can do. Besides, by studying too much Brevity,
he has altogether omitted several remarka-
ble
Particulars, which he minutely described
to those he conversed familiarly with both
in the✝ Castle of EdrEdinburgh &and after he was set
at Liberty. He used to tell, that, when He
was along with the Prince, they happen’dhappened
to be twice within a Gun-shot of Parties
of the Enemy, &and that he quite despair’ddespaired of
being any longer kept out of their Clutch-
ces
, &and that he failed not to represent to
the Prince the Impossibility of not falling
into the Enemy’s Hands. “The Prince (said
“he) always reproved me for my Despon-
“ding
Thoughts, &and endeavoured to encou-
“rage
me in Times of the greatest Dang-
“er
, by saying,”—“O Neil, Is this all yethe
“Faith &and Trust you have in God? Let us only

✝
Vol: 3. pag: 529.
190 (190)
“only take Care to have enough of Faith
“&and Trust in his Care ^^^Providence, &and there is no Fear
“of us at all. Pull up your Spirits, Man,
“never Despair.”— O Neil frankly own’downed,
that, in Place of his being useful to the
Prince, by endeavouring to comfort &and sup-
port
Him when Dangers thicken’dthickened upon
them, the Prince had the like good of-
fices
to perform to him, &and that he fre-
quently
exerted himself in different
Shapes to raise his spirits. One Time, hav-
ing
Nothing to eat, for about two Days, but
some mouldy dirty Crumbs in O Neil’s
Pocket, they luckily happened at last to
come to a very mean Cottage, where they
found only an old poor Woman, who re-
ceived
them kindly, &and gave each of them
two Eggs &and a Piece of Bear-bannocks;
but, having not so much in her Hut as a
Cup of cold Water to give them to put
down yrtheir Morsel, She told them, that
some Lasses had lately gone up the
Hill to milk the Goats, &cetc, and, that,
if they would follow them, probably they
might have a Drink of Milk from them.
The Advice was very seasonable, &and away
they went, the honest old Woman direct-
ing
them the Way they should go. The Prince
skipped so speedily up the Hill, that O Neil
could not keep up with him. The Lasses
gave them Plenty of Milk, &and poor O Neil
lay along upon the Grass, being quite un-
done
with Fatigue ^&and Fear. The Prince did all 191 (191)
all he could to rouse him up, both by
arguing &and joking with him; but all to
no Purpose. At last the Prince, turning
from him, said, “Come, my Lasses,
“what would you think to dance a High-
“land
-Reel with me? We cannot have
“a Bag-pipe just now; but I shall sing
“You a Strathspey-Reel.” The Dance
went merrily on, &and the Prince skipped
so nimbly, knacking his Thumbs and
clapping his Hands, that O Neil was
soon surprizedsurprised out of his thoughtful
Mood, being ashamed to remain any
longer in the Dumps, when his Prince
had been at so much Pains to divert
his Melancholy. He was sure, he said,
that the Prince entredentered into this FrolickFrolic
merely upon his Account; for that there
could be no Dancing at his Heart,
seeing at the Time they knew not
where to move one Foot.— The Captain
used to say, He believed, there was
not such another Man in all yethe World
as the Prince.
It is worth noticing too, that O Neil has
not mentioned his Going on Board wtwith
✝ O Sullivan, after parting with the Prince,
&and how he was taken Prisoner upon his
coming ashore again about Something
they wanted to have; how he was very
roughly used, particularly by some of yethe
Campbells, who took from him his Gold, &and


✝
Vol: 3. p: 528, 529. Vol: 4. p: 688, 689.
192 (192)
&and Watch, &and every valuable Thing about
Him; &and how he was striptstripped naked, &and threat-
ened
(if he would not tell where the
Prince was to be found) with being put
into that racking Machine, which Ba-
risdale
invented, &and made Use of, to
extort Confessions from Thieves, &and in qchwhich
one could not live above one Hour: But
perhaps the CapnCaptain reserves these &and some
other Points to be the Subject-matter
of another Journal, when he comes to
a Country, where he can make a plain
Declaration of all that he knows with
Freedom and Safety.
Vol: 4. p: 690.
CapnCaptain O Neil had very great Difficulty to
prevail upon Miss MacDonald to under-
take
being Guardian to the Prince. She was
not only frighten’dfrightened at the Hazards &and Dang-
ers
attending such a bold EnterprizeEnterprise; but
likewise insisted upon the RisqueRisk she would
run of losing her Character in a malici-
ous
&and ill-natur’dill-natured World. The Captain
was at some Pains to represent to her yethe
Glory &and Honour She would acquire by
such a worthy &and heroic Action, &and he hoped,
God would make her successful in it.
“You need not fear your Character (said he)
“for by this you will gain your selfyourself an im-
“mortal
Character; but if you will still
“entertain Fears about your Character,
“I shall (by an Oath) marry you directly,
“if you please.” After she had consent-
ed
, O Neil then thought it a proper Time to 193 (193)
to say Something for himself, &and earnest-
ly
begged, ytthat he himself might have
the Happiness of being taken under
her Tuition; but she positively refused
to grant his Request. At last he became
so pressing in his Suit, that he fell down
upon his Knees, &and prayed Her to consid-
er
his Case &and the Desire he had to
share in the Prince’s Fate, whatever
it should be. She steadily resisted all
his Importunities, &and judiciously remarked
to him, that the Safety of the Prince
depended much upon few being in Com-
pany
, that She could more easily un-
dertake
the Preservation of One than
of two or more; &and therefore She de-
sired
, that he might not insist upon
that Point, for if he should, She resolv’dresolved
not to embark in the Affair at all.
He found himself obliged to desist, &and
owned afterwards, upon Reflection, yethe
Wisdom of her Resolution. Her Step-
father
(Hugh Macdonald of Armadale
in Sky) did really serve her with a
Passport, although at that Time he was
Captain of Militia, &and had a Command
of SrSir AlexrAlexander’s Men in South-Uist in
Order to prevent the Prince’s Escape.
He is reckoned the strongest Man
of all the Name of MacDonald, as
I have more than once heard Kings-
burgh
declare; &and his Strength of Mind seems 194 (194)
seems to bear Proportion to the Strength
of his Body. He was obliged for some
Time to keep out of the Way, till the
Suspicion of the Passport began to be for-
got
; but every oneeveryone would not have
been desirous of the Task to lay Hands
on him; for he never quit with his
Arms when he was skulking; &and the
People in Sky stood in Awe of him.
Before they went to the Boat, the Prince
renewed the Request about O Neil’s
going along; but Miss wisely persisted
in her former Resolution, &and would
not hear of the Proposal, tho’though yethe Prince
pressed the Matter with great Earnest-
ness
.
In the Journal taken from the Mouths of
the Laird of MacKinnon, Malcolm MacLeod,
&c.etc. Miss MacDonald has omitted several
Things, which she particularly mentioned
to those who conversed with Her, when
she was lying in the Road of Leith, on
Board the Eltham &and the Bridgewater
Ships of War. She told, that, when yethe
Prince put on WomensWomen's CloathsClothes, he pro-
posed
carrying a Pistol under one of
his Petticoats for making some small De-
fence
in Case of an Attack; but Miss
declared against it, alleging, that, if
any Persons should happen to search
them, the Pistol would only serve to
make a Discovery. To which yethe Prince
replied merrily, “Indeed, Miss, if we 195 (195)
“we shall happen to meet with any, ytthat
“will go so narrowly to Work in search-
“ing
as what you mean, they will
“certainly discover me at any Rate.”
But Miss would not hear of any Arms
at all; &and therefore the Prince was ob-
liged
to content himself with only a
short heavy Cudgel, with which He
design’ddesigned to do his best to knock down
any single Person, that should attack him.
She us’dused likewise to tell, that, in
their Passage to the Isle of Sky, a heavy
Rain fell upon them, which, with for-
mer
Fatigues, distressed her much.
To divert Her, the Prince sung seve-
-ral
pretty Songs. She fell asleep, &and
to keep her so the Prince still conti-
nued
to sing. Happening to awake wtwith
some little Bustle in the Boat, she
found the Prince leaning over her
with his Hands spread about her
Head. She asked, what was the Mat-
ter
. The Prince told Her, that one of
the Rowers
, being obliged to do someqtsomewhat
about the Sail, behoved to step over
her Body (the Boat was so small); and
lest he should have done her Hurt
either by stumbling, or trampling, upon
Her in the Dark (for it was Night) he
had been doing his best to preserve
his Guardian from Harm. When Miss
MacDonald
was telling this Particular
Part of the Adventure to some Ladies, that 196 (196)
that were paying their Respects to Her
on Board the Bridgewater in Leith-Road,
some of them wtwith Raptures cried out,
“O Miss! what a happy Creature are
“You, who had that dear Prince to lull
“you asleep, &and to take such Care of you
“with ^his Hands spread about Your Head,
“when you was sleeping? You are sure-
“ly
the happiest Woman in the World!”
“I could (says ✝one of them) wipe your
“Shoes with Pleasure, &and think it my
“Honour so to do; when I reflect, that
“you had the Honour to have yethe Prince
“for your Handmaid. We all envy You
“greatly.”— Much about the same Time
a XLady of Rank ^andof Dignity being on Board
wtwith Miss MacDonald in yethe foresaid Ship,
a brisk Gale began to blow &and make the
Sea rough &and not so easy for a small Boat
to row to Leith. The Lady whispered to
Miss MacDonald, that She would wtwith
Pleasure stay on Board all Night, ytthat
She might have it to say, that She had yethe
Honour of lying in the same Bed wtwith ytthat
Person
, who had been so happy as to
be Guardian to her Prince. Accor-
dingly
they did sleep in one Bed ytthat Night.
ⓧSeveral Ladies made valuable Presents to

✝
Miss Mary Clerk.
X
Lady Mary Cochran.
ⓧ
My Lady Bruce,
Lady Mary Cochran, Mrs Rattray, Mrs Cheap, Miss Peggie
Forbes
, Miss Susie Graham, Miss Magdalen
Clerk
, Miss Mary Clerk, Miss Rachie Houston,
Miss Peggie Callander.
197 (197)
to Miss MacDonald, viz, Gowns, Shirts, Head-
sutes
, Shoes, Stockings, &cetc, &cetc. Commodore
Smith
made her a Present, when She
was in Leith-Road, of ^a handsome SuteSuit
of riding CloathsClothes wtwith plain Mounting,
&and some fine Linen for riding Shirts, as
also a Gown to her Woman (Kate Mac-
Doual
) &and some Linen to be Shirts for
poor Kate, who could not talk one
Word of English, being a Native of
Sky, &and who generously offered her selfherself
to Miss MacDonald, when She could get
not one, that ^would venture to go wtwith her.
The [] Prince gave to Miss MacDonald
the Garters he wore with the WomensWomen's
CloathsClothes, which were French of blue Vel-
vet
, covered upon one Side with white
Silk, &and fastened with Buckles. Miss Mac-
Donald’s
Brother
(Son of honest Armadale)
coming South to find a Passage for Hol-
land
, where he was to enter into the
Dutch Service, brought these Garters a-
long
with him, &and deposited them in yethe
Hands of a ✝ Friend in Leith, to be kept
for his Sister, till She should be so
happy as to return from London. He
said, his Sister had writ from the Road
of Leith
to Sky concerning the Garters,
intreatingentreating, they might be carefully
preserved; for that She put a great
Value upon them.
When Miss MacDonald was a Prisoner,
She happened, in coursing about from
Place to Place, to fall in luckily wtwith CapnCaptain

✝
My Lady Bruce of Kinross.
O Neil 198 (198)
O Neil, ^(then a Prisoner likewise) to whom She made up, and, giv-
ing
him a gentle Slap upon the Cheek
with the Loof1 of her Hand, said, “To ytthat
“black Face do I owe all my Misfor-
“tune
.”— The Captain wtwith a Smile re-
plied
, “Why, Madam, what you call
“your Misfortune is truly your greatest
“Honour; and, if you be careful to demean
“your selfyourself agreeably to yethe Character you
“have already acquired, you will in yethe
“Event find it to be your Happiness.”
She told him, She was much afraid,
they designed to carry her to London,
which She could not think of but with
the utmost Uneasiness, not knowing
what might turn out to be the Con-
sequence
. Upon this O Neil told Her,
that he would take upon him to com-
mence
Prophet in the Case, &and to fore-
tell
what would happen to Her. “For
“(said he) if you are carried to London,
“I can venture to assure You, it will be
“for your Interest &and Happiness, &and, instead
“of being afraid of this, you ought to
“wish for it. There you will meet with
“much Respect, &and very many good and
“great Friends, for what you have done.
“Only be careful to make all your Con-
“duct
of a Piece. Be not frighten’dfrightened, by
“the Thoughts of your present Circum-
“stances
, either to say or do any Thinganything,
“that may in the least tend to contra-
“dict
, or sully, the Character you are now [] 199 (199)
“now Mistress of, &and which you can never be
“robbed of but by your selfyourself. Never once
“pretend (through an ill-judg’djudged Excess of
“Caution &and Prudence) to repent, or be a-
“shamed
, of what you have done, &and I dare
“take upon me to answer for the Rest. I do
“not think (added he) that the Government
“can be so very barbarous &and cruel as to bring
“You to a Trial for your Life; &and therefore,
“I hope; you have Nothing to fear, &and that
“Things will happen to You as I have said.”
CapnCaptain O Neil was wont to tell those, who
visited Him in the Castle of EdrEdinburgh, that he
had been at the same Pains, as a Parent
would be with a Child, to lay down Rules
to Miss MacDonald for her future Be-
haviour
under the Misfortune of being
a Prisoner; &and that it gave him infinite
Pleasure to find, that Things had hap-
pened
to her hitherto according to his
Words, &and to hear, by all the Accounts
he could learn, that she had sacredly
observed the Advices he had given her.
He frequently expressed his heartiest
Wishes, that She might get free of all
her Troubles, &and arrive at that which
so justly She deserved.
When Miss MacDonald was on Board
the Bridgewater in Leith-Road, Accounts
had come, that the Prince was taken
Prisoner, &and one of the Officers had
brought the News of this Report on Board.
She got an Opportunity of talking pri-
vately
to some, who were then visiting
her, &and said, with Tears in her Eyes, “Alas!
“I am afraid, that now all is in vain that
“I have done. The Prince at last is in the 200 (200)
“the Hands of his Enemies!”— Though at
that Time great Fear was entertained
about the Truth of this Account, yet
those, that were with Miss MacDonald,
endeavoured all they could to chearcheer
her up, &and to dissuade Her from be-
lieving
any such Thing; but still
Fears haunted her Mind, till the
Matter was cleared up &and the Contra-
ry
appeared.
Miss MacDonald is Protestant, &and is de-
scended
of the Family of Clanranald
by her Father &and of an Episcopal Cler-
gyman
by her Mother. She is Daughter
of the deceastdeceased Ranald MacDonald of
Milton
in South Uist, in which Island
(when the Prince was skulking thereabouts)
She happened to be visiting her Brother-
German
, who had a little before taken
up House at Milton. She was not many
Days there till She was engaged in yethe
hazardous EnterprizeEnterprise; and, when She
Returned to her Mother in Sky, the ho-
nest
old Woman
was surprizedsurprised to see Her,
&and asked the Reason why She had made
such a short Stay with her Brother. Miss
replied, that Things being in a Hurry &and
Confusion in South Uist with such a
Number of military Folks, She was un-
easy
till She got out of it; but She
never once hinted at the Adventure she
had so successfully managed, of which
the Mother knew nothing at all till a Party 201 (201)
Party came to take the Daughter Priso-
ner
, although Miss had been wtwith her
Mother
eight or ten Days before She
was seized. Immediately Miss Flora
was hurried on Board of a Sloop of
War
without being allowed the Pri-
vilege
of taking Leave of her Mo-
ther
, or telling her any Thinganything of
the Matter, or taking along with her
^self
herself
one Stitch to change another. The
Sloop, ^called the Grey-Hound, or rather, the Furnace, was commanded by John Fer-
guson
X of Aberdeenshire, a Man re-
markably
rigid &and severe in his Way;
[b]ut One of too much greedy Sense to
have butchered the Prince, if he
[h]ad fallen into his Hands; for, qnwhen
he was asked by a✝ Friend of his
own
in EdrEdinburgh, what he would have
done with the / Prince, had he got
him into his Clutches; whether
or not he would have dispatched
Him; he answered, “No, (by G—[od]) []
[“]I would have been so far from do-
[“]ing
any such Thing, that I would
[“h]ave preserved Him as the Apple
[“]of mine Eye; for I would not take
[“]any Man’s Word, no, not the Duke of
[“]Cumberland
’s, for 30 000 £ sterling,
[“]though I knew many to be such Fools
[“]as to do it!”— Ferguson was more than

✝
Mrs Ferguson of Pitfour.
X
Vol: 5. p 873,
922. Vol: 4. p: 690.
202 (202)
than once ^(as he thought) within an Hour of catching the Prince,
so closely he pursued the R:Royal Wander-
er
, &and such an Anxiety he had to touch
the Price of Blood.
It was Miss MacDonald’s good For-
tune
to be soon removed out of the
Hands of Ferguson into those of the
polite &and generous Commodore Smith,
who, in the coursing about, obtained
Leave of General Campbell to al-
low
Miss to go ashore to visit her
Mother
, &and to seek a Servant to at-
tend
Her in the State of Confine-
ment
. Then it was, that poor Kate
MacDoual
generously made an Offer
to run all RisquesRisks with the Captive
Lady
, who gladly accepted.
One Day, in the Road of Leith, a✝ Lady
asking Miss if She had any Books
on Board, she said, she had only a
Prayer-Book, but regretedregretted much the
Want of a Bible, which that Lady
soon furnished her with in a Present
in two pretty Pocket Volumes hand-
somely
bound. That She might have
some innocent &and useful Employ-
ment
for her Time, Care was taken
by a X Lady to send her a Thimble, Nee-
dles
, White-thread of different Sorts, &c.etc. wtwith
some Linen &and CambrickCambric cut &and shaped ac-
cording
to the newest Fashions. This Piece of

✝
Miss Rachie Houston.
X
My Lady Bruce.
203 (203)
of Friendship Miss Flora admired as
much as any Instance of Kindness &and
Regard that had been shown Her; be-
cause
all the Time She had been in
Custody she was quite idle, having no
Work to do, &and yrebythereby Time pass’dpassed very dully on.
While She was in the Road of Leith,
[f]rom the Beginning of SeptrSeptember to the 7th of NovrNovember,
[S]he never was allowed to set her Foot
[o]nce on Shore; though in other Respects
[t]he Officers were extremely civil &and com-
[p]laisant
to Her, &and took it exceedingly
[w]ell when any Persons came to visit
Her. Sometimes they were so obliging,
[a]s to come ashore for good Company
[t]o attend Her, &and frequently declared,
[t]hat, if they knew any Person to come
[o]n Board out of Curiosity, &and not out
[o]f Respect for Miss MacDonald, that
Person should not have Access to Her.
This genteel Behaviour makes it to be
[p]resumed, that their Orders were so
[e]xceedingly strict, that they could not
dare to bring Her ashore. Commodore
Smith
(Commander of the Eltham) be-
[h]aved
like a Father to Her, &and tender-
[e]d
her many good Advices as to her
Behaviour in her ticklish Situation; &and
CapnCaptain Knowler of the Bridgewater
[u]sed Her with the utmost Decency &and
Politeness. When Company came to vi-
sit
Her, She was indulged the Privilege
[b]y both these human &and well-bred Gen-
[t]lemen
to call for any Thinganything on Board, as 204 (204)
as if She had been at her own Fire-side,
&and the Servants of the Cabin were obliged
to give her all Manner of Attendance,
&and She had the Liberty to invite ^any of her
Friends to dine with Her, when She
pleased. Her Behaviour in Company
was so easy, modest &and well-adjusted, ytthat
every Visitant was much surprizedsurprised; for
She had never been out of the Islands
of South Uist &and Sky, till, about a Year
before the Prince’s Arrival, that She
had been in the Family of MacDonald
of Largoe
in Argyleshire for the Space
of ten or eleven Months; and, during
her Confinement, she had been all along
on Board a Ship of War, till She went
to London.
Some, that went on Board to pay their
Respects to Her; used to take a Dance
in the Cabin, &and to press Her much to
share with them in the Diversion; but
with all their Importunity, they could
not prevail with Her to take a Trip.
She told them, that at present her danc-
ing
-days were done, &and She would not rea-
dily
entertain a Thought of that Diver-
sion
, till She should be assured of her
Prince’s Safety, &and perhaps not till She
should be bless’dblessed with the Happiness of
seeing Him again. — Although She
was easy &and chearfulcheerful, yet She had a ^certain Mix-
ture
of Gravity in all her Behaviour,
which became her Situation exceedingly well, 205 (205)
well, &and set her off to ^great Advantage. She
is of a low Stature, of a fair Com-
plexion
, &and well enough shap’dshaped. One
could not discern by her ConversaonConversation,
that She had spent all her former
Days in the Highlands; for She talks
English (or rather Scots) easily, &and not
[a]t all through the Earse-tone. She
[h]as a sweet Voice, &and sings well, and
[n]o Lady, Edinburgh-bred, can acquit
[h]er selfherself better at the Tea-table, than
[w]hat She did when in Leith-road.
Her wise Conduct in one of the most
[p]erplexing Scenes, that can happen
[i]n Life, her Fortitude &and good Sense
[a]re memorable Instances of yethe Strength
[o]f a Female Mind, even in those
[Y]ears that are tender &and unexperien-
[c]ed
. — She is the Delight of her
Friends, &and the Envy of her Enemies.
When the Prince came to Kingsburgh’s
[H]ouse
(^Sunday, June 29th) it was between ten and
[e]leven at Night
, &and Mrs MacDonald, not
[e]xpecting to see her Husband that Night,
[w]as making ready to go to Bed. One of
her Servant-maids
came &and told her, that
[K]ingsburgh was come home, &and had brought
[s]ome Company with him. —“What Company?
[s]ays Mrs MacDonald. —“Milton’s Daughter,
[“I] believe, says the Maid, &and some Compa-
[“n]y
with Her.” —“Milton’s Daughter, re-
[“p]lies
Mrs MacDonald, is very welcome to
[c]ome here with any Company She pleases to 206 (206)
“to bring; but you’ll give my Service to
“her, &and tell her to make free with any
“Thing
anything
in the House; for I am very sleepy,
“&and cannot see her this Night.”— In a little,
her own Daughter came &and told her in
a SurprizeSurprise, “O Mother, my Father has
“brought in a very odd, muckle ill-shaken-
“up Wife
2 as ever I saw! I never saw yethe
“like of Her; &and he has gone into yethe Hall
“with Her.”— She had scarce done with
telling her Tale, when Kingsburgh came
&and desired his Lady to fasten on her
Bucklings again, &and to get some Supper
for him &and the Company he had brought
With him. —“Pray, Goodman, (said she)
“what Company is this you have brought
“with You?”— “Why, Goodwife (said he)
“you shall know that in due Time; only
“make Haste, &and get some Supper in the
“mean timemeantime.”— Mrs MacDonald desired
her Daughter to go &and fetch her yethe Keys
she had left in the Hall. When the
Daughter came to the Door of the Hall
she started back, ran to her Mother, &and
told her, she could not go in for the
Keys; for the muckle Woman3 was walk[- ]
ing
up &and down in the Hall, &and she was
so frighted at seeing her, that She could
not have the Courage to enter. Mrs
MacDonald
went her selfherself to get the Keys,
&and I heard Her more than once declare
that, upon looking in at the Door, she
had not the Courage to go forward; for 207 (207)
“for (said she) I saw such an odd muc-
[“]kle
Trallup of a Carlin
,4 making lang
[“w]ide Steps through the Hall, that I could
[“n]ot like her Appearance at all.”—
[M]rs MacDonald called Kingsburgh, &and ve-
[ry]
seriously begged to know; what a lang
[o]dd Hussie
was this he had brought
[to] the House? for that She was ^so frighted
[a]t the Sight of Her; that She could
[n]ot go into the Hall for her Keys. —
[“]Did you never see a Woman before,
[“s]aid he, Goodwife? What frights You
[“a]t seeing a Woman? Pray, make haste,
[“&and] get us some Supper.” —Kingsburgh
[w]ould not go for the Keys; &and therefore
[h]is Lady behov’dbehoved to go for them. When
[s]he entredentered the Hall, the Prince happen’dhappened
[to] be sitting; but immediately he arose,
[w]ent forward, &and saluted Mrs MacDonald,
[w]ho, feeling a long stiff Beard, trembled
[to] think, that this behoved to be some
[d]istressed Nobleman or Gentleman in
d[]isguise; for she never dream’ddreamed it to
[b]e the Prince, though all along She had
[b]een seized with a Dread, she could not
[a]ccount for, from the Moment she had
[h]eard, that Kingsburgh had brought
[C]ompany with him. She very soon made
[o]ut of the Hall with her Keys, never
[s]aying one Word. Immediately she im-
[p]ortun’d
importuned
Kingsburgh to tell Her who
[t]he Person was; for that She was sure,
[by] the Salute, that it was some dis-
[t]ressed
Gentleman. Kingsburgh smiled at 208 (208)
at the Mention of the bearded Kiss, &and
said, “Why (my Dear) it is the Prince.
“You have the Honour to have Him in
“your House.” —“The Prince! cried
“she. O Lord! we are a’ ruin’druined and
“undone for everforever! We will a’ be
“hanged now!”—“Hout, Goodwife,5
“(says the honest stout Soul) we will
“die but ance; &and if we are hanged
“for this, I am sure, we die in a good
“Cause. — Pray, make no Delay, go,
“get some Supper. Fetch what is rea-
“diest
. You have Eggs, &and Butter, and
“Cheese, &c.etc. in the House; get them a[’]
“quickly as possible.” — “Eggs, and
“Butter, &and Cheese! says Mrs Mac-
“Donald
. What a Supper is that for
“a Prince?”—“O Goodwife (said he)
“little do you know how this good
“Prince
has been living for some
“Time past. These, I can assure You,
“will be a Feast to him. Besides, it
“would be unwise to be dressing a fo[r-]
“mal
Supper; because this would ser[ve]
“to raise the Curiosity of the Servan[ts],
“&and they would be making their Obser[-]
“vations
. The less Ceremony &and Work
“the better. Make Haste, &and see that
“you come to Supper.” —“I come to
“Supper! says Mrs MacDonald. How
“can I come to Supper! I know not how
“to behave before Majesty.”— “You must 209 (209)
“must come, says Kingsburgh; for he will
“not eat a Bit, till he see You at the
“Table; &and you will find it no difficult
“Matter to behave before him; so oblig-
[“]ing
&and easy is he in his Conversation.”
The Prince ate four roasted Eggs,
some Collops,6 Plenty of Bread &and But-
ter
, &c.etc. and (to use the Words of
Mrs MacDonald) “the Deel a Drap7
[“]did he want in’s Weam8 of twa
[“]Bottles of sma Beer. God do him
[“]good o’t; for well I wat,9 he had
[“]my Blessing to gae down wi’t
.”—
After he had made a plentiful Sup-
per
, he called for a Dram; and, when
[t]he Bottle of Brandy was brought,
[h]e said, he would fill the Glass
for himself; “for (said he) I have
["]learn’dlearned in my skulking to take a
hearty Dram.” He filled up a Bumper,
&and drank it off to the Happiness and
Prosperity of his Landlord &and Land-
Lady
. Then taking a crack’dcracked &and broken
Pipe out of his PoutchPouch, wraptwrapped about
with Thread, he asked Kingsburgh, if
[h]e could furnish him with some To-
[b]acco
; for that he had learn’dlearned like-
w[]ise
to smoke in his Wanderings.
Kingsburgh took from him the broken
[P]ipe, &and laid it carefully up with the
[B]rogs, &and gave him a new clean Pipe
[&and] Plenty of Tobacco.
The Prince &and Kingsburgh turn’dturned very familiar 210 (210)
familiar &and merry together, &and when yethe Prince
spoke to Kingsburgh, he, for the most Part,
laid his Hand upon Kingsburgh’s Knee,
&and used several kind &and obliging Expres-
sions
in his Conversation with the happy
Landlord
. — Kingsburgh remarked qtwhat
a lucky Thing it was, that he happened
to be at Mougstot (SrSir AlexrAlexander MacDo-
nald
’s House) &and that it was all a Mat-
ter
of Chance that he was there; for
he had no Design of being there that
Day; &and then he asked the Prince, what
he would have done if He had not
been at Mougstot. The Prince repli-
ed
,— “Why, Sir, you could ^not avoid be-
“ing
at Mougstot this Day; for Provi-
“dence
ordered You to be there upon
“my Account.”— Kingsburgh became s[o]
merry &and jocose, that, putting up his Hand
to the Prince’s Face, he turned off his
Head-dress, which was a very odd
Clout of a Mutch or Toy10; upon which
Mrs MacDonald hasted out of the Room
&and brought a clean Night-Cap for Him.
Both Kingsburgh &and his Lady said, ytthat
the Prince’s Face &and Hands were very
much Sun-burntburned; but they declared, he
had not a Spot of the Itch upon him,
though a silly Report had been raised
by his malicious Enemies, that he was
scabbed11 to the Eye-holes. His Legs,
they said, were hacked in some Parts,
which was occasioned by his walking
&and sleeping so often in wet Hose. Mrs 211 (211)
Mrs MacDonald used the Freedom to
put up the Sleeve of his Gown &and of
his Shirt (a very coarse Dud)12 “and there,
“said she, I saw a bonny ^clean white Skin in-
“deed
. The Deel a Lady in a’ the Land13
“has a whiter &and purer Skin than he has.”
Next Morning Mrs MacDonald
went to Miss Flora’s Bed-side, before
she got up, &and asked of her an Account
of the Adventure. Miss (among other
Things) told Her, that there was not
[a]ny other probable Way of saving the
Prince, but that single one which had
been used, &and that it had the Appear-
ance
of a desperate Attempt at best;
[t]hat Lady Clanronald provided them []
with WomensWomen's CloathsClothes for the Disguise.
&and that She had contribute all in her
Power for preserving the Prince out
of the Hands of his Enemies. Mrs
MacDonald
desired to know what was
become of the Boat &and the Rowers.—“They
[“]returned directly (said Miss Flora) to
[“]South-Uist.”— Mrs MacDonald de-
clared
great Concern to hear that, be-
cause
, upon their Return, they would
immediately ^to be seized by the Military,
&and harshly used to tell what they knew.
[“]I wish (said Mrs MacDonald) you had
[“]sunk the Boat, &and kept the Boatmen
[“]in Sky, where they could have been
[“]concealed, &and then we would have
[“]known the better what to have done
[“]with the Prince, because his Enemies, by 212 (212)
“by this Means, would have lost Scent
“of Him. But all will be wrong by their
“returning to South-Uist.”— “I hope
“not, said Miss; for we took Care to de-
“pone
them, before they parted from
“us.”— “Alas! (replied Mrs MacDo-
“nald
) your Deponing of them will not
“signifiesignify a Farthing; for if once the
“Military get hold of them, they will
“terrifieterrify them out of their Senses, &and
“make them forget their Oath.”— As Mrs
MacDonald
said, so it happened. The
Boatmen were made Prisoners instant-
ly
upon their landing in South-Uist,
&and threatened with Tortures, if they did
not declare every Thingeverything they knew,
which (to avoid Pain, and, perhaps,
Death it selfitself) they complied with.
From their Declaration, no doubt, it
happen’dhappened, that his Enemies could spe-
cifie
specify
the particular Parts of the Dress
the Prince was disguised in, even to
the Nicety of telling the Colour of
the Gown.
After Miss Flora had got up, Mrs Mac[- ]
Donald
told her, that She wanted
much to have a Lock of the Prince’s
Hair, &and that She behoved to go into
his Room &and get it for her. Miss Flo[-]
ra
refused to do as she desired, be-
cause
the Prince was not yet out
of Bed. —“What then? said Mrs
“MacDonald
. No Harm will happen
“to You.. He is too good to harm You or 213 (213)
["]or any Person. You must instantly go
["]in, &and get me the Lock.”— Mrs MacDo-
nald
, taking hold of Miss with one
Hand, knocked at the Door of the
Room with the other. The Prince cal-
led
, “Who is there?”— Mrs MacDo-
nald
, replied opening the Door, said,
[“]Sir, it is I, &and I am importuning Miss
[“]Flora
to come in &and get a Lock of your
[“]Hair to me, &and she refuses to do it.”
[“]Pray (said the Prince) desire Miss
[“]MacDonald
to come in. What should
[“]make her afraid to come where I am?
— When Miss came in, he begged Her
[t]o sit down on a Chair at the Bed-side;
[t]hen, laying his Arms about her Waist
[&and] his Head upon her Lap, he desired
[H]er to cut out the Lock with her own
[H]and in token of future &and more sub-
stantial
Favours. The one Half of
the Lock Miss gave to Mrs MacDonald,
&and the other she kept to her selfherself. I
[h]eard Mrs MacDonald say, that, when
Miss Flora at any Time happened to
[c]ome into the Room where the ^Prince was, he
always rose [] from his Seat, paid
Her the same Respects as if She had
been a Queen, &and made Her sit on
his Right Hand.
Kingsburgh visited the Prince before
[h]e got out of Bed, &and asked how He
had rested all Night. —“Never better,
“replied he; for I have rested exceed-ingly214(214)
“ingly well, having slept, I believe, nine
“or ten Hours without Interruption.” Then
it was, that the Conversation happened
about Lord George Murray &and the Land-
ing
of the French, &cetc.
Vol: 1. pag: 150. Vol: 2. pag: 236.
14
When the Prince had got himself dress’ddressed
in the Highland-CloathsClothes, at the Side
of the Wood, he embraced Kingsburgh
in his Arms, &and badbade him a long &and hap-
py
Adieu, most affectionately thank-
ing
Him for all his Services, &and assur-
ing
Him he would never forget them.
Then the Prince wept, &and some Drops
of Blood fell from his Nose. Kings-
burgh
could not refrain from weep-
ing
too, &and when he saw the Blood, he
expressed his Concern, dreading the
Prince not to be in Health with the
Fatigues, Fastings, &c.etc. he was oblig[- ]
ed
to undergo. The Prince assured
Him, he was in very good Health, &and
that this was no extraordinary Thing
with him at all. “This (said he) is on-
“ly
the Effect of parting with a dear
“Friend; &and ordinarily it happens to me
“in such a Case.15 — Alas! Kingsburgh,
“I am afraid, I shall not meet with a-
“nother
✝ MacDonald in my Difficulties.
— When Kingsburgh returned to his
own House
, he told his Lady, that, after
the Prince had got on the Highland-dress
&and the Claymore in his Hand, He was a
Soger-like Man indeed.
I

✝
Vol: 3. pag: 538, 600.
215 (215)
I heard Mrs MacDonald of Kingsburgh
say, that She had the following Par-
ticular
from Malcolm MacLeod’s own
Mouth before he was made Prisoner.
Malcolm went with the Prince and
MacKinnon to the Shore to see them
fairly boated for the Continent. When
he was about to take Leave of the
Prince, he spied some Ships coming
in Sight &and hovering about the Coast.
He intreatedentreated the Prince not to go on
Board for some time, but to wait, till
he should see how these Ships steer’dsteered
[t]heir Course; “for just now (said he)
[]the Wind blows so as to fetch them ysthis
Way, &and to hinder your Passing to the
Continent.”— The Prince replied,
[“]Never fear, MacLeod; I’ll go on
[“]Board directly. The Wind will change
[“i]mmediately, &and make these Ships steer
[“a] contrary Course. Providence will
“[t]ake Care of me; &and it will not be
[“i]n the Power of these Ships to look
[“n]ear me at this Time.” — Malcolm
MacLeod
declared, that the Prince’s
Words made him astonished, &and deter-
[m]in’d
determined
Him to sit down upon yethe Shore
[t]o see what would happen. He said,
[t]he Prince &and his small Retinue had not
[r]owed many Yards from the Shore,
[t]ill the Wind changed to a Point di-
[r]ectly
opposite to what it had been, and, 216 (216)
and, blowing pretty briskly, made yethe Ships
steer so as to be soon out of Sight.
Mr MacLeod affirm’daffirmed, that, in all the
Course of his Life, he had never
known any Man, that had such a
firm Trust &and well-grounded Confi-
dence
, as the Prince was remarkably
endued with.
Captain John Ferguson searched SrSir A-
lexander
MacDonald’s House
for the
Prince, and, in quest of him, he came
to Kingsburgh, where he examined
Kingsburgh &and his Lady, &and their Daugh-
ter
, Miss Nance MacDonald ^alias, Mrs MacAllastar, for she is married. Kings-
burgh
told his Lady, that CapnCaptain Fergu-
son
was come to examine Her about
some Lodgers she had lately in her
House
, &and desired her to be distinct
in her Answers. Mrs MacDonald,
looking Ferguson broad in the Face,
said, “If CapnCaptain Ferguson is to be my
“Judge, then God have Mercy upon
“my Soul.” — Ferguson asked, for qtwhat
Reason She spoke such Words. —”Why
“Sir (said she) the World belies You,
“if you be not a very cruel, hard-heart-
“ed
Man; &and indeed I do not like to
“come through your Hands.”— Fer-
guson
had nothing else to say for
himself but the common Saying, viz,
That People should not believe
All that the World says.
When 217 (217)
When Ferguson asked Kingsburgh,
where Miss MacDonald &and the Person
along with her in WomensWomen's CloathsClothes
lay all Night in his House, he an-
swered
, —“I know in what Room
[“]Miss MacDonald her selfherself lay, but
[“]where Servants are laid, when in
[“]my House, I know nothing of that
[“]Matter; I never enquire any Thinganything
[“]about it. My Wife is the properest
[“]Person to inform You about that.”
Then he had the Impertinence to ask
Mrs MacDonald, Whether or not She had
laid the young Pretender &and Miss Mac-
Donald
in one Bed? To which She an-
swered
, —“Sir, whom you mean by the
[“]young Pretender I shall not pretend
[“]to guess; but I can assure You, it is
[“]not the Fashion in the Isle of Sky to lay
[“t]he Mistress &and the Maid in the same
[“]Bed together.”— Then Ferguson de-
sired
to see the different Rooms where
[t]heir late Lodgers had slept; and, af-
[te]r
seeing them, he said, it was pretty
[r]emarkable, that the Room, in which
[t]he Maid had slept, seem’dseemed to look
[b]etter than the one where the Mis-
[t]ress
had been laid, &and this behoved
[t]o confirm Him in the Belief that it
[w]as the young Pretender in WomensWomen's
[C]loathsClothes, who had been along with
Miss MacDonald. Kingsburgh’s said,
Daughter said, it could not ^be the Person
he meant
in WomensWomen's CloathsClothes; for that 218 (218)
that she had heard that Person ask
Something [a Bottle of Water] from
Miss MacDonald in Erse. —“This (says
“Ferguson) confirms me more &and more in
“my Opinion; for I have often heard,
“that a Fellow went to Rome, some
“Years agoeago, on Purpose to teach the
“young Pretender the Erse–language.”
—This by the bye is a gross Mistake
in Ferguson; for the Prince could not
speak a Word of Erse, till he arriv’darrived
in Scotland; &and he knew but very lit-
tle
of it, till he was forced to com-
mence
Wanderer for the Preserva-
tion
of his Life, &and then he learned
to speak it pretty well, which prov’dproved
of very great Use to him.
When Kingsburgh &and Miss MacDonald
were made Prisoners, &and brought before
General Campbell (which happen’dhappened
at different Times) both of them ho-
nestly
own’dowed the Parts they had ac-
ted
; and, if I rightly remember,
Declarations were written from their
own Mouths, &and they subscribed them.
N: B: Miss Flora MacDonald called
her disguised Handmaid Bettie
Bourk ^or Burk
an Irish Name, &and made the
Dress of a Piece with the supposed Cha-
racter
, being a Hood with a long Man-
tle
almost down to the Heel.
Vol: 3. p: 525, [595.]

Robert Forbes; A:M:
Mr
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Citation
Forbes, Robert. “Remarks, &c. and particular Sayings of some, who were concerned in the Prince's preservation. Leith-Citadel, July 20. 1747.” The Lyon in Mourning, vol. 1, Adv.MS.32.6.16, fol. 106v–10v. The Lyon in Mourning Project, edited by Leith Davis, https://lyoninmourning.dhil.lib.sfu.ca/v01.0189.01.html.
Appendix
I.e., the palm.
Kaitlyn MacInnis
I.e., a large, ungainly woman.
Kaitlyn MacInnis
I.e., large woman.
Kaitlyn MacInnis
I.e., a large, ungainly woman.
Kaitlyn MacInnis
"Hout" being an interjection expressing irritation or dismissal.
Kaitlyn MacInnis
I.e., thick slices of meat.
Kaitlyn MacInnis
I.e., not a drop.
Kaitlyn MacInnis
I.e, belly.
Kaitlyn MacInnis
I.e., know.
Kaitlyn MacInnis
I.e., a rag-like cap in a woman's style.
Kaitlyn MacInnis
Probably in the sense of skin disease.
Kaitlyn MacInnis
I.e., a rag.
Kaitlyn MacInnis
I.e, not a woman in all the land.
Kaitlyn MacInnis
In darker ink.
Kaitlyn MacInnis
Charles's grandfather, James II and VII, suffered rather serious nosebleeds under the stresses of 1688.
Kaitlyn MacInnis

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