Copy of a Letter from the Reverend Mr John MacLachlan in Argyleshire, August 24. 1748.

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1129 (1129)
Copy of a Letter from the RevdReverend
Mr ✝John MacLachlan in Argyle-
shire to me R:Robert F:Forbes

[
My dear Sir,

Yours of AprileApril last
i9th19th came safe to hand, but I had
not the Pleasure of receiving it till
the 20th instant; and I’m affraidafraid this
too may be long on the Way, because
sent by a private Hand, whose Moti-
on I’m uncertain of, tho’though I’m confi-
dent of Fidelity.

It gives me much UneasynessUneasiness that
I cannot afford you that Assistance
you are pleas’dpleased to ask, and I woudwould
be fond to give if I cou’dcould, to forward
your very commendable Undertak-
ing: But my Situation was Such, that
after the Battle of C- -[ullode]n, I was o-
blig’dobliged to run to Lochbroom, where
I sculk’dskulked for about three Months
without Pen, Ink, or Paper, or seve-
ral other Conveniences of Life;
Nay, I lurk’dlurked in such a wild Place
that I saw no News-paper, nor knew
but little of what was a doing in
the Shire I was in, to wit, Ross-
shire. In Harvest 46 I creep’dcreeped by
Degrees towards Dingwal, accompa-
ny’daccompanied by my Brother Mr Stewart (whose agreeable

✝
See Vol: 4. pag: 844.
1130 (1130)
agreeable Conversation did very much
alleviate all alongstalong the Irksome-
ness of SculkingSkulking) but continu’dcontinued still
in very uneasy Circumstances, so
that I cou’dcould not think of plying
any Business.— In Spring 47 my
dear Comrade Mr Stewart was
kidnap’dkidnapped and laid up in Prison;
upon which I betook my selfmyself (tho’though
every way ill provided, yet to di-
vert Melancholy) to write somewhat
of a different Nature from what
you have in Hand, as our Brother
Mr W:William Harper1 can inform you,
by whom, I suppose, this will be
deliver’ddelivered to you. When the general
Indemnity indulg’dindulged me the Freedom
of coming to Inverness, I engag’dengaged our
Brother✝ Mr Hay, as having been con-
stantly in Inverness, near the main
Scene of Action &and Centre of Intelli-
gence, to make up the best Collecti-
on he cou’dcould possibly of all Occur-
rences &and Transactions in that Shire
during the Hurry— and, if you fall
on a safe Way of Conveyance, I’m
perswadedpersuaded he can furnish you some-
what considerable. On my Way home-
ward last October, I employ’demployed a Gen-
tleman in Lochaber to the same Pur-pose

✝
In this Vol: p:1120.
1131(1131)
pose; but he has not been so kind
as to let me hear from him as yet.

As to this Shire, The Campbells
rais’draised a powerful Militia to serve
the Government, and I suppose you’ll
not trouble yourself much about
them. — But then, if you are to in-
sist on particular Persons, I hope
you’ll take Notice of CollonelColonel Mac-
lachlan of that Ilk, whom the
News-papers &and Magazines neglec-
ted: ‘Tis true, he got but few of
his Clan rais’draised, because most of
them are situated amidst the Camp-
bells; However, he attended the
Prince at Gladsmuir, and march’dmarched
with him to Carlyle; from whence
he was detach’ddetached by the Prince
with an ample Commission &and i616
Horses to lead on to England the
3000 Men that lay then at Perth;
but My Lord Strathallan (who was
GovernourGovernor of Perth) refus’drefused to com-
ply with the Prince’s Orders, tho’though the
Men were willing. The CollonelColonel
join’djoined us again at Stirlin, and when
we retir’dretired to Inverness, the Prince
made him Commissary of the Army— At 1132 (1132)
At the Battle of Cul—[lode]n he had a Re-
giment of 300 Men, whereof ii5115
were his own People, &and i82182 were
Mackleans, who chose to be under
his Command, Seeing their Chief
was not there: The sdsaid CollonelColonel
being the last that received Or-
ders from the Prince on the Field
of Battle, he was shot by a CanonCannon-
ball as he was advancing on Horse-
back to lead ^on his Regiment, which
was drawn up ~~by the~~ between the
Macintoshes &and the Stewarts of Appin.

If you’ll make Mention of a-
ny of our Clergy that were in that
Army, I expect you’ll not forget
your writing Friend, who was the
only Clergyman at the Battle of
Gl--[ladsmui]r, &and who can get several
Gentlemen to attest, That if his
Project and Example had been
follow’dfollowed, neither Cope nor any
of his Horses had escap’descaped; which
wou’dwould have made the Victory still
more compleatcomplete: He attended the
Prince to Darby, &and back again; was
at the Battles of Falkirk and Cul-
loden; acted Chaplain to the Prince &and 1133 (1133)
&and had a Commission to be Chap-
lain general to all the loyal
Clans- - -

I heartily wish you great good
Success to your laudable loyal En-
terprizeEnterprise, and beggbeg to hear of
your Progress from Time to Time,
when a sure private Occasion offers,
whereof Mr Harper2 can best ap-
prizeapprise you. Make my kind Comple-
mentsCompliments to your Colleague Mr Law,
&and to your Namesake our Brother
in Fisher=raw. If you get soon an
Opportunity, pray acquaint me,
What common Measure our Clergy
have concerted to ward off the thun-
dering Force of that Act of Par—[liamen]t
that is to bolt out against our
Mission at MichaelmassMichaelmas next.—
I live for the most Part now, like
a HermiteHermit; because all my late
Charge almost, were kill’dkilled in Bat-
tle, scatter’dscattered abroad, or are cow’dcowed
at home; and the People of this
Country are generally so bigot in
WhiggerieWhiggery, &and so insolent on their
late Success, that it is vastly morti-
fying to me to live amongst them—
My great Comfort is, The Testimony of 1134 (1134)
of a good Conscience, &and Confidence
in a most righteous Lord; Who, tho’though
He be long-suffering patient, yet
will not neglect to convince the
World that He is just: Mean timeMeantime,
the pinching Hardships we suffer,
&and are more &and more threaten’dthreatened with,
make me often recollect that old
Saying, Man’s Extremity is God’s
Opportunity - - - Pardon the Length
&and Blots of this abrupt Epistle; and
notwithstanding my being discourag’ddiscouraged
by the PublickPublic, &and discountenanc’ddiscountenanced by
Neighbours, assure your selfyourself I shall
always boldly own my selfmyself every
honest Man’s faithful Friend, and
particularly,

My dear RevdReverend
sir
Your most affect:affectionate Brother
and most humble Servant
Sic subrsubscribitur Jo: Macl- - - [achlan].
Aug:August 24. 1748—

N: B: On Sunday, NovrNovember 20th, 1748,
I received the Original of the
Above, which is to be found a-
mong my Papers.
Robert Forbes, A: M:

Copy

Person	John MacLachlan
Date	20 Apr 1748
Note	“April last 19th came safe to hand, but I had not the pleasure of receiving it till the 20th”