Copy of an Answer to Dr Burton's said Letter. June 19th, 1749.

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Copy of an Answer to the
preceedingpreceding Letter.

Dear Sir,

Your kind Letters, the one
of JanryJanuary 26th, the other of the tenth
instant,1 I received in due Course, &and am 1366 (1366)
am not a little surprizedsurprised, that Mr
G:Gordon had never advised you of the
Receipt of the Copies you sent him
of your Persecution. Had I thought,
he would have been so negligent, I can
assure you, I would not have failed
to acknowledge your Favours with
Thanks; but I depended upon him
to inform You in every Point about
them. I received 7 Copies, one for
my selfmyself, &and the other 6 I gave in
Presents to Clanranald, Boisdale,
Glenaladale, Kingsborrow, Bellfinlay
&and Malcolm MacLeod. As Bellfinlay
was to take Care of the Copies for
his Friends, I could not fail giving
him one for himself.

I have perused your late Perform-
ance, &and must own, that there is not
a single Fact (as to the Escape) that
can be called in Question; but then
the Circumstances are not so fully
&and exactly narrated as they might
have been. For Instance, How
have you happened to omit Donald
MacLeod’s comical Answer to Gene-
ral Campbell about the Priest’s Pray-
ing for the Pr:Prince when in Danger of be-
ing drowned; Kingsborrow’s noble and
heroic ~~Saying~~ Return to SrSir Everand
Fawkener, at Fort Augustus, about
the 30000[]£: the Pr—Prince’s falling so
deep into a BogueBog, that Malcolm MacLeod 1367 (1367)
MacLeod had much ado to help
him out of the Mire, which made
them stand in much Need of the
washing Bout? &cetc, &cetc, &cetc. — There
are several wrong Spellings of the
proper Names both of Persons &and Places,
&and there is one wrong Date; for (upon
strict Enquiry) I have at last found,
that the Day of parting with Mal-
colm MacLeod was Friday, the 4th
of July, in the Evening, when the Pr:Prince
embarked with old Nestor, &c.etc. for
the continent. The wrong Spellings
&and the mistaken Date are to be cor-
rected in the reprinted Copies, one
of which you are to have (as Mr G:Gordon
assures me) in a Frank2 by Post im-
mediately from the Press without Loss
of Time, so that you may happen
to have it once this Week, &and then
you’ll see the few Alterations
that are made. I have not made
any material Additions, as indeed
it would have required too much
Time (more than I can well spare)
to make up all the Omissions. Be-
sides (to be free &and plain with you) I
am still far from being satisfied as to
the Seasonableness of such a Publicati-
on; &and therefore I did not chusechoose to have
any hand in the Matter at all. It may
do well enough in England; but it
cannot fail to breed ill blood in Scot-
land among 1368 (1368)
among severals in Scotland. To omit
other Instances at present, which might
be pointed out, How much will it
expose honest old Palinurus to
the utmost Rage &and Fury of the
Laird; who already entertains no
small Grudge against the old Tro-
jan? However, though I have the
Misfortune to differ from you in my
my Opinion as to this Particular, I
am persuaded there will be a very
great Run upon your Performance,
as indeed it is the only valuable
Piece, that has ever yet appeared
upon the Subject, &and wants not any
Thinganything else to recommend it (forgive
my Freedom, Dear Sir) but a seasona-
ble Opportunity to render the whole
Narrative as safe &and well-timed as
it is true &and indisputable. All this I
mean of the Escape &and of those con-
cerned in it; for I pretend not to
be Judge of the other Particulars
insisted upon in the Pamphlet.

As I esteem your Person, &and revere
your honest Zeal for Truth, so I am
sorry (Dear Sir) that our Correspon-
dence should be so infrequent; &and yet
I know not well how this can be re-
medied, seeing I am unwilling to
correspond by Post, because a Custom
still prevails of opening Letters now
&and then at Post- Offices, &and I chusechoose not to
have my Trifles exposed at any rate; for 1369 (1369)
for I am not afraid of any Thinganything
I write, as I abhor the very Thoughts
of Treason. You have for once made
me get the better of this Backward-
ness by your Kindness in sending me
a Frank,3 which I have made the
proper Use of as speedily as possi-
ble — May we not correspond
by your Carriers from York?—

Just now a Limner4 is busy about
an original Picture at my Desire, u-
pon which he is to draw the follow-
ing Inscription. Ranaldus MacDonald
de Bellfinlay in Benbeculâ in Prœ-
lio Cullodino (Ætat: suæ 18) multo
vulnere saucius, nudatus, sub dio
circiter horas 22 restabat; sed tan-
dem humanitate (tunc temporis ad-
modum singulari) cujusdam Hamilto-
niÿ, Vicarÿ, de Legione Cholmondly-
acȃ salvus evasit dum vulneratos
Commilitones (referens tremisco) con-
sultò mactatos, miserrimè jugulatos
undique videbat; adeò ut contami-
nata esset Terra cædibus!

Monstrum! — Horrendum! — Ingens!—

The Limner assures me, he is de-
termined to work off a plate of it with
the same Inscription, not to cost above
a shill:shilling sterl:sterling prper Copy. As it is an
historical &and undeniable Proof of a
certain barbarous &and shocking Scene, so 1370 (1370)
so I doubt not but it may circulate
far &and near. Pray, Dear Sir, be at
Pains to count Noses, &and see what
demand may be for such a Commo-
dity in your Corner. You may have
as many Copies as you please, &and
you are sure there can be no coun-
terfeit, when the Plate is to be
done instantly, from the original
Picture.

Herewith you have a Copy of
Fraser’s Escape, which I was a-
fraid it would not be in my Pow-
er to procure for you.

All your Friends here are glad
to hear of your Welfare, and
make a Return to your Compli-
ments with much Kindness.

I ever am,

D:Dear S:Sir
Your affectionate
Friend, &and humble Servant,
Donald Hatebreeks.
Tartanhall, June 19th,
1749.

See in this Vol: pag: 1418.

Copy

Person	Donald Hatebreeks
Date	19 Jun 1749
Place	Tartanhall (Leith)
Place

Person	Dr.Doctor Burton
Date
Place