Copy of a Letter to Mr Hugh MacDonald of Balishair in North Uist January 18. 1748.

Transcription

Show Deletions Show Regularizations Diplomatic Transcription

784 (784)
Copy of a Letter to Mr
Hugh MacDonald of Bali-
shair in North Uist.

Sir,

You may be justly sur-
prizedsurprised at the Receipt of a Letter
from one, whom you know Nothing
about; but the Happiness I have
lately met with of being introduc-
ed to your Brother’s Acquaintance,
&and of conversing with him easily
&and freely upon some certain Subjects,
will, I hope, be sufficient to apolo-
gize for me at your Hands, espe-
cially as he is pleased to take the
Trouble of covering this with one
from himself.

For some Time past I have been
using my poor Endeavours to make
up a Collection of Journals and
other Papers relative to the im-
portant &and extraordinary Occurenc-
es of Life, that happened within
a certain Period of Time, &and which
will serve to fix a distinguish-
ing Mark upon that Period as a
most memorable ÆraEra to all Posterity. I 785 (785)
I thank God, my Endeavours in that
Way have already been bless’dblessed
with a Success even beyond my
Expectations, as your Brother can
inform You. As I have a great
Anxiety to make the Collection
as compleatcomplete &and exact as possible,
for the Instruction of future
Ages in a Piece of History the
most remarkable &and interesting
that ever happen’dhappened in any Age
or Country, so I gladly embrace
every seasonable Opportunity
of making my Addresses to such,
whose Situation in Life has, at
any Time of the ÆraEra (so full
of Wonders!) rendered them ca-
pable of knowing or discovering
the true State of Facts, &and there-
by of being useful in the Cause
of Truth.

For this Reason it is, Sir, that
I give you this Trouble, begging
the Favour of You to transmit to me 786 (786)
me in Writing, by any sure private
Hand that comes in your Way, all
that you either know, or can have
well vouched from others, anent
the uncommon Dangers &and Distress-
es &and the surprizingsurprising Escapes of a
certain Young Gentle-
man. Your name is already
made mention of in my Collecti-
on with Respect; &and it this my
Request be liable to the Impu-
tation of Indecency or Presumpti-
on, let your own good Charac-
ter bear the Blame; for, if You
had not a Place in the List of
the never enough to be admired
Highland Worthies, I
should never have attempted
to Solicit your Correspondence.
I know, that Clanranald, &and his
Lady, &and Boisdale (who are all
frequently mentioned in my Col-
lection much to their Honour)
can be very useful in promot-
ing the good Design, by giving a full 787 (787)
full &and plain Account of all that
they know; &and I hope, you will
employ your good Offices with
them, in particular, to comply
with a Request, that affords them
an Opportunity of doing such a
remarkable Service to the Cause
of Truth. Most respectfully I
salute them &and all the other
Worthies in the Long Isle, who
had the Courage &and Integrity of
Heart bravely to despise the
tempting Bait of thirty thous-
and Pounds sterling. May
they live &and be happy, and en-
joy all they wish and all they
want; for never was there a
more amiable Instance of He-
roic Virtue.

If you honour me with a
Return, please, direct for me
at the House of My Lady
Bruce of Kinross in the Cita-del788(788)
del of Leith, near Edinburgh.

With much Respect and Ve-
neration

Citadel of Leith,
JanryJanuary 18th,
1748.
I am,
Sir,
A constant Admirer
of Highland He-
roism, your most
affectionate Friend,
&and very humble ServtServant,
Robert Forbes.

See Vol: 5. pag: 911, 912, &c.etc.

Copy

Person	Robert Forbes
Date	18 Jan 1748
Place	Citadel of Leith
Place