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Vol. 8
Speech
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Copy of Ditto from Ditto about Ditto's last Speech as to the Prince's Protestantism. London, July 14th, 1753
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Copy of a Letter from Dr Archibald Cameron, under Sentence of Death, to his Son in France

Copy of what Dr Archibald Cameron intended to have delivered to the Sheriff of Middlesex at the Place of Execution; but qch he left in the Hands of his Wife for that End.

Metadata
Titles
Table of Contents
Dr Cameron's last & dying Words, &c. his Letter to his Son in France, & his Behaviour at the Place of Execution
Forbes
Copy of what Dr Archibald Cameron intended to have delivered to the Sheriff of Middlesex at the Place of Execution; but qch he left in the Hands of his Wife for that End.
Steuart
Doctor Cameron's last & dying words et cetera His Letter to his Son in France & his behaviour at the place of Execution
Paton
Last speech of Dr. Archibald Cameron before his execution
Pages
Forbes
Vol. 8, 1739—1749
Paton
Vol. 3, 132—137
Credits
Encoder
Kaitlyn MacInnis
Transcriber
Cairen Velasquez
Proofreader
Bo Pearson
Encoder
Abigail Streifel
Status
Document
transcription ready for proof
Metadata
metadata done
Notes
Written to be delivered at Tyburn, but dated at the Tower of London.
“On the first Slip of Paper, dated, Tower, 6th June, 1753.”
“On the second Slip of Paper”
“On a third Slip of Paper.”
Forbes comments in a footnote on Cameron's signature: “Mr Cameron [as was his Custom, qn interrupted] subscribed his Name [as he told his Wife] to make qt he had written ye more authentic, in Case he should not have an Opportunity of writing any more.”
“On a fourth Slip of Paper.--June 6. 1753.”
“On a fifth Slip of Paper”
“The Above is a faithful Transcript of my late dear Husband's dying Sentiments. Sic subr Jean Cameron.”
Settings
Date06 Jun 1753
Person (author)Dr Archibald Cameron
PlaceTyburn
remediation
in Forbes
Related Documents
Active:
Copy of a Letter from John Anderson my Jo about the Prince's Protestantism and Marriage. London, August 26. 1752. (v08.1731.01): Mentions in footnote
Passive:
A genuine & authentic Account of the Behaviour of Dr Archibald Cameron, at the place of Execution, on Thursday, June 7th, 1753. By an Eye and Ear Witness. (v08.1754.01): Mentioned in metadata
Transcription
1739 (1739)

Copy of what Dr Archibald Ca-
meron
intended to have delivered
to the Sheriff of Middlesex at
the Place of Execution; but qchwhich
he left in the Hands of his
Wife
for that End.

On the first Slip of Paper, dated,
Tower, 6th June, 1753.
Being denied the Use of Pen, Ink and
Paper [except in the Presence of one or
more Officers, who always took away the
Paper from me, whenever I began to
write my Complaints] &and not even al-
lowed
the Use of a Knife with which
I might cut a poor blunted Pencil, that
had escaped the Diligence of my Search-
ers
, I have, notwithstanding, as I could
find Opportunity, attempted to set
down on some Slips of Paper, in as le-
gible
Characters as I was able, what I
would have my Country satisfied of
with Regard to my selfmyself &and the Cause,
in which I am now going to lay down
my Life.
As to my Religion; I thank God, I die
a Member [tho’though unworthy] of that Church,
in whose Communion I have always
lived, the Episcopal Church of Scotland,
as by Law established before the most un-
natural
Rebellion
begun in 1688, which,
for the Sins of these Nations, hath con-tinued1740(1740)tinued to this very Day: And I firm-
ly
trust to find, at the most awful
&and impartial Tribunal of the Almigh-
ty
King of Kings, thro’through the Merits of
my blessed Lord &and Saviour Jesus Christ
that Mercy [tho’though undeserved] to my im-
mortal
Part, which is here denied to
my earthly by an Usurper &and his Faction,
tho’though it be well known I have been the
Instrument of preventing the Ruin &and
Destruction of many of my poor de-
luded
Countrymen, who were in their
Service, as I shall make appear be-
fore
I have done, if Opportunities
of writing fail me not.
On the Second Slip of Paper.
In order to convince the World of the
Uprightness of my Intentions while in
the Prince of Wales’s Army, as well
as to shewshow the Cruelty, Injustice &and
Ingratitude of my Murderers, I think it
proper, in the first Place, ^to take notice how much
better Usage I might have expected
of my Country, if Humanity &and good Na-
ture
were now looked upon with the
same Eyes as in the Times of our
brave &and generous Ancestors: But I’m
sorry to observe, that our present
Men in Power are so far sunk below
the noble Spirit of the ancient Bri-
tons
, as hardly at this Day to be dis-tinguished1741(1741)
tinguished
from the very basest of
Mankind. Nor could the present Pos-
sessor
of the Throne of our injured
Sovereign
, if he looked on himself
as Father &and natural Prince of this
Country
, suffer the Life of one to be
taken away, who had saved the Lives
&and Effects of more than 300 Persons
in Scotland, who were firmly at-
tached
to him &and his Party: But, it
seems, it is now made a Crime to save
the Lives of Scotchmen.
As neither the Time nor the poor
Materials I have for writing will al-
low
me to descend to a particular Enu-
meration
of all the Services I have
done to the Friends of the Usurper,
I shall therefore only mention a few
of the most known, &and such as can be
well attested.
In July 1745. soon after the setting up
of the Royal Standard, &and before our
small Army
had reached Corryarick, it
was moved by some of the Chiefs to ap-
ply
to the Prince for a strong Detach-
ment
of Clans to distress Campbell
of Invera’s
House &and Tenants in that
Neighbourhood
, which my Brother Lochiel
&and I so successfully opposed, by repre-
senting
to our generous Leader [who was
always an Enemy to Oppression] that such 1742 (1742) Such Proceedings could be no Way
useful to his Undertaking, that the
Motion was entirely laid aside to the
no small Mortification of yethe Proposers.
My Brother &and I likewise prevented
such another Design against Braid-
albin
, to the great Satisfaction of
our dear Prince; &and on our Return
from England to Glasgow ——
* Archibald Cameron.
On a third Slip of Paper.
My Brother &and I did Service to the Town
of Glasgow, of which the principal Gen-
try
in the Neighbourhood were then,
&and are to this Day, very sensible, if
they durst own the Truth: But that
might be construed as Disaffection to
a Government founded on, &and support-
ed
by, Lies &and FalshoodFalsehood.
On our March to Stirling, I my selfmyself
[tho’though I’m like to meet with a hanove-
rian
Reward
for it] hindered yethe whole
Town of Kirkintulloch from being de-
stroyed
, &and it’sits Inhabitants put to the
Sword, by my Brother’s Men, who were
justly incensed agtagainst it for the inhuman
Murder of two of Lady Lochiel’s ServtsServants, but

*
Mr Cameron [as was his Custom, qnwhen interrupted]
Subscribed his Name [as he told his Wife] to
make qtwhat he had written yethe more authentic, in Case
he should not have an Opportunity of writing
any more.
1743 (1743)
but two Months before. Here was
a Sufficient Pretence for Vengeance,
had I been inclined to Cruelty: But
I thank God, Nothing was ever farther
from my Nature, tho’though I may have
been otherwise represented. Mr
Campbell of Shawfield
likewise
owes me some Small Favours done
to himself &and Family, which at least
deserved some Return in my Behalf.
And Lady✝ Duncan Campbell of
Lochnell
, now in London, can, if she
pleases, vouch for the Truth of some
of the above Facts.
Archibald Cameron.
On a fourth Slip of Paper. — June
6. 1753
.

I thank kind Providence, I had yethe
Happiness to be early educated in the Principles

✝
SrSir Duncan Campbell waited upon the D.Duke of Argyll,
&and earnestly solicited his Grace to interceedintercede wtwith yethe Court
for yethe PreservaōnPreservation of Dr Cameron’s Life. The D.Duke of
Argyll
Spoke these or yethe like Words, “SrSir Duncan, were
“I to crawl on all Fours to these Men, they would not
“grant me ytthat Favour.”— AnoyrAnother Gentleman went to one of
yethe Secretaries of State
, &and interceededinterceded for Dr Came-
ron
’s Life. The Secretary gave for Answer; “Why come
“you to me? Why don’t you go to your Countryman, yethe
“D.Duke of Argyll? If he will ask the Favour, it will
“not be refused. He is our first Man in Scot-
“land
, and it is not our Interest to deny him
“a Favour, when he thinks proper to ask it.”
Let the World judge between yethe D.Duke of Argyll’s
Words &and the Secretary’s. — It is indeed generally
thought, that the Truth of the last Seems to be
the most probable of the two.
1744 (1744) Principles of Christian Loyalty, qchwhich,
as I grew in Years, inspired me wtwith
an utter Abhorrence of Rebellion &and
Usurpation, tho’though ever so successful;
&and when I arrived at Man’s Estate, I had
the Testimony both of Religion and
Reason to conform me in the Truth of
my first Principles. Thus my Attach-
ment
to the Royal Family is more
the Result of Examination &and Convicti-
on
, than of Prepossession &and Preju-
dice
. And as I am now, so was I then,
ready to seal my Loyalty wtwith my Blood:
As soon therefore as the Royal Youth
had set up the King his Father’s Stand-
ard
, I immediately, as in Duty bound,
repaired to it; &and as I had the Honour
from that Time, to be almost constant-
ly
about his Person till NovrNovember 1748.
[excepting the short Time after the
Affair of Culloden that his Royal
Highness
was in the Western Isles]
I became more &and more captivated wtwith
his amiable &and princely Virtues, which
are indeed in every Instance so e-
minently
great, as I want Words
to describe.
I can farther affirm [&and my present
Situation, &and that of my dear Prince too,
can leave no Room to suspect me of
Flattery] that as I have been his Compa-
nion
in the lowest Degree of Adversi-
ty
, that ever Prince was reduced to, so
I have beheld him too, as it were, on the
highest 1745 (1745) highest PinaclePinnacle of Glory, amidst yethe
continual Applauses, and, I had al-
most
said, Adorations, of the most
brilliant Court in Europe; yet he was
always the same, ever affable &and courte-
ous
, giving constant Proofs of his great
Humanity, &and of his Love for his Friends
&and his Country. What great Good to these
Nations might not be expected from
Such a Prince, were he in Possession
of the Throne of his Ancestors! And
as to his Courage; none that have ever
heard of his glorious Attempt in 1745.
can, I should think, call it in question.
I cannot pass by in Silence that most
unjust &and horrid Calumny, (viz, of giving
no Quarter to our Enemy) raised by the
Rebels under the Command of the
inhuman Son of the Elector of Hano-
ver
, which Served as an Excuse for
the unparallelledunparalleled Butchery committed
by his Orders in cold Blood after the
unhappy Affair of Culloden; which, if
true, must have come to my Knowledge,
who had the Honour to Serve my ever
dear Master
in Quality of one of
his Aides de Camp; And I hereby
declare, I never heard of such Or-
ders
. This above is Truth.
Archibald Cameron.
I
1746 (1746)
I likewise declare, on the Word
of a dying Man, that, the last Time
I had the Honour to see his Royal
Highness Charles Prince of Wales
,
he told me from his own Mouth, &and
bid me assure his Friends from
him, ✝that he was a Member of the
Church of England
.
Archibald Cameron.
On a fifth Slip of Paper.
To cover the Cruelty of murdering me
at this Distance of Time from pass-
ing
the unjust Attainder, I am accused
of being deeply concerned in a new
Plot against this Government, [which
if I was, neither the Fear of the worst
Death their Malice could invent,
nor the blustering &and noisy XThreatenings
of the ⓧtumultuous Council, no much less

✝
See pag.page hujus 1731, 1732, 1733, &cetc.
X ⓧ
Dr Cameron, while on his Examination,
was asked, “What had determined him to go to
“Rome (for that they had heard, he had been
“there) as it was a long Journey, &and travelling
“was expensive?” The DrDoctor honestly &and plainly
answered, “I went to see my old Master, &and
“to receive his Commands for my young Ma-
“ster
.” — “Did you see your young Master
“lately?” AnsAnswer. “Yes.” — “Where did you see
“him?” AnsAnswer.. “At Paris.” — [Here a conside-
rable
Pause was made, &and Orders were given
to note down ^exactly the Words of the DrDoctor, they imag-
ining
^now some mighty Discovery to be made by him.]
— Then it was asked, “When did you see your young
“Master
(as you call him) last at Paris?” — AnsAnswer. “In
1747 (1747)
less their flattering Promises, could
have extorted any Discovery of it
from me] but not so much as one
Evidence was ever produced to make
good the Charge; but it is my Busi-
ness
to submit, since God, in his
all-wise Providence, thinks fit to
Suffer it to be so. And I the more
chearfullycheerfully resign my Life, as it is
taken away for doing my Duty to God,
my King &and my Country
; nor is there
any Thinganything in this World I could so
much wish to have it prolonged for,
as to have another Opportunity of
employing the Remainder of it in
the same glorious Cause.
Archibald Cameron.
I thank God, I was not in the least
daunted at hearing the bloody Sentence,
which my unrighteous XJudge pronounced
with a Seeming Insensibility, till he came
to these Words, But not till you are dead; before

“In 1748.” — They were much inragedenraged at this AnsrAnswer,
as they conjectured, the DrDoctor would have condescend-
ed
upon some late Time, viz in 1751 or 1752.
The D.Duke of Newcastle in particular was so provoked,
ytthat he stormed furiously, &and bawled out, — “This
“is the Height of Insolence! most insufferable
“Insolence! Insolence not to be borne wtwith!
“&cetc, &cetc, &cetc.” — In a Word, such was the
Blustering, that Dr Cameron (as he ac-
knowledged
to a particular Friend) was
almost ready to Smile even in Presence
of the Council.
✝
Justice Lee, or, Lord Chief Justice Lee.
1748 (1748)
before which he made a Pause, and,
uttering them with a particular Empha-
sis
, stared me full in the Face, to
see, I suppose, if I was as much
frightened at them, as he, perhaps,
would have been, had he been in
my Place. As to the Guilt he said
I had to answer for, as having been
instrumental in the Loss of so many
Lives
, let him &and his Constituents
see to that: At their Hands, not
at mine, will all the Blood, that
has been Shed on that Account, be
required
.
God of his infinite Mercy grant, they
may prevent the Punishment, which
hangs over their Heads, by a Sincere
&and timely Repentance, &and Speedily re-
turn
to their Duty.
I pray God to hasten the Restora-
tion
of the Royal Family [without
which this miserably divided Nati-
on
can never enjoy Peace &and Happi-
ness
] &and that it may please him to
preserve &and defend the King, the
Prince of Wales, &and the ✝Duke of
York
, from the Power &and Malice of
their Enemies; to prosper &and reward
all my Friends &and Benefactors, &and to
forgive all my Enemies, Murderers and

✝
Dr Cameron frequently owned, ytthat he was
under particular &and personal Obligations to the Duke of York.
1749 (1749)
and false Accusers, from the Elector
of Hanover
&and his bloody Son, down to
✝Samuel Cameron, the basest of their
Spies, as I freely do from the Bot-
tom
of my Heart.
Sic subscrib.subscribitur Archibald Cameron
I am now ready to be offered, I
have fought a good Fight ———
All Glory be to God.
The Above is a faithful Transcript
of my late dear Husband’s dy-
ing
Sentiments.
Sic subrsubscribitur Jean Cameron.

✝
Brother to Cameron of Gleneavis, &and
a Lieutenant in Lord Lewis Drum-
mond
’s Regiment
in France. Upon
Mrs Cameron’s going over to France, af-
ter
her Husband’s Death, the said Sa-
muel
Cameron
was tried by a Court
martial, &and thrown into a Dungeon.
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Citation
Forbes, Robert. “Copy of what Dr Archibald Cameron intended to have delivered to the Sheriff of Middlesex at the Place of Execution; but qch he left in the Hands of his Wife for that End.” The Lyon in Mourning, vol. 8, Adv.MS.32.6.23, fol. 74r–79r. The Lyon in Mourning Project, edited by Leith Davis, https://lyoninmourning.dhil.lib.sfu.ca/v08.1739.01.html.
Appendix

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