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Vol. 5
Account / narrative
Previous
Account of some Particulars, viz, a Search upon Sunday, September 28th, 1746, both in My Lady Bruce's House in Citadel of Leith, and in Mr Norwall's House of Boghall, for the Prince; a Search (December 20. 1746) for Ladies in Tartan throughout the Suburbs of Edinburgh; and My Lady Ogilvie's Escape out of the Castle of Edinburgh, her going to London, and her getting abroad
Next
Copy of James Gib's Accompts Master-household to the Prince, being an excellent Journal, interspersed with several curious Notes and Observations

Remarkable Saying of President Forbes on his Death-bed to one of his own Relations

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Remarkable Saying of President Forbes on his Death-bed to one of his own Relaons
Forbes
Remarkable saying of President Forbes on his Death-bed to one of his own Relations
Pages
Forbes
Vol. 5, 963—965
Paton
Vol. 2, 114—115
Credits
Encoder (metadata)
Alyssa Bridgman
Transcriber
Shauna Irani
Proofreader
Shauna Irani
Proofreader
Kaitlyn MacInnis
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Shauna Irani
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Kaitlyn MacInnis
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transcription proofed
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metadata done
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Date03 Jun 1748
Person Mrs. Rattray
Placethe room of Captain Hugh Clerk above his cellars in South Leith
remediation
in Forbes
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Active:
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Copy of a Note from the Reverend Mr Hay Inverness. October 20. 49 (v07.1442.01): Mentions in footnote
A Nota Bene containing an extraordinary Particular about President Forbes, in 1746. (v07.1443.01): Mentions in footnote
Passive:
Copy of a Paper relative to the Beginning of the Troubles, wherein of Lord Lovat, President Forbes, Laird of MacLeod, Seaforth, etc (v05.0883.01): Mentioned in footnote
A Nota Bene containing an extraordinary Particular about President Forbes, in 1746. (v07.1443.01): Mentioned in footnote
Transcription
963 (963)

Friday’s Afternoon, June 3d,
1748
, in the Room of Captain
Hugh Clerk
above his Cellars
in South-Leith there was a
Company taking a Glass of
Wine, when the Conversation
Happened very accidentally
to turn upon a Point well
worth the remarking.

The Company consisted
of the ^ten following Persons, viz, Cap-
tain
Hugh Clerk
, Frazerdale’s
Son
, commonly called Lord Lovat,
the Laird of MacLeod, Lady Mac-
Leod
, Laird of MacLeod’s two
Daughters,1 Mr. William Forbes,
Writer to the Signet, common-
ly
called Little Willie For-
bes
, Mrs Rattray, Wife of John
Rattray
Surgeon in Edinburgh,
&and Mrs Mary &and Helen Clerks,
Daughters of the aforesaid Cap-
tain
Hugh Clerk
.
A Health being asked of the said 964 (964)
said William Forbes, he drank
to “Scotland that once was.”
The Health went round in the
same Terms, &and the Laird of
MacLeod
said, “Scotland indeed
“can be no more, now that the
“President is dead!” To this
Mr William Forbes replied, that
one Day being with the Presi-
dent
, when on his Death-bed,
he [William Forbes] took an Op-
portunity
of regretting ^with Tears in his eyes what a
great Loss his Country would sus-
tain
by the President’s Death,
&and that the President made this
Return to him, “Were I to live
“longer, Willie, I could only
“mourn with you over my Country.”
As Mr Forbes's Toast was a
Home-thrust to the Laird of Mac-
Leod
for his Conduct in the late
Troubles, so his Narrating the Pre-
sident’s
Words upon his Death-bed
was a pointed &and silencing Returning to
the Laird for his Compliment
to the Memory of the President. The 965 (965)
The Laird made no Remark at
all upon the President’s words.
The above Narrative I heard
Mrs Rattray repeat to My Lady
Bruce
&and others after her return-
ing
to the Citadel from the Com-
pany
.
There is one obvious Remark
to be made from the President’s
Words to Willie Forbes, namely,
that the President himself has
been very sensible, it was not
in his Power to procure the
smallest Favour for his Country,
though he had done very extra-
ordinary
Services for the Go-
vernment
.
See in this Vol:
pag: 883 — 889. Vol: 6. pag: 1342 —
— 1347. Vol: 7. pag: 1443 — 1446.
Robert Forbes, A:M:

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Citation
Forbes, Robert. “Remarkable saying of President Forbes on his Death-bed to one of his own Relations.” The Lyon in Mourning, vol. 5, Adv.MS.32.6.20, fol. 50r–51r. The Lyon in Mourning Project, edited by Leith Davis, https://lyoninmourning.dhil.lib.sfu.ca/v05.0963.01.html.
Appendix
MacLeod had four daughters: one (Emilia) with his first wife and three (Elizabeth, Anne, and Mary) with his second wife. See Mackenzie, History of the Macleods, pp. 153-54.
Kaitlyn MacInnis

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