Manuscripts and Special Collections
Ne C 1656 : 'Account of the State of Scotland'; 20 Oct. 1745.
The Body of the Rebels consists of about Eight thousand Men
mostly Highlanders, few Gentlemen of Estates, and fewer Inhabitants of
Cities or Burrows [Boroughs] having joined them. They crossed the Forth & came
to Edinburg with scarce three thousand Men: The well-affected Citizens,
and a Body of brave Volunteers were resolute and keen to defend the Town;
which was artfully betray'd by the chief Magistrates, who chicaned every
Proposal, and traiterously shuffled in every vigorous Measure until it
dropp'd into the Enemie's Hands: So that the Stain of Rebellion brought
upon North Brittain by its Capital, lies at the Door of one Man.
As to the other Parts of the Country, the North and North-East is kept
in it's Duty, by the truly Hon[oura]ble Duncan Forbes Lord President, who has
done effectual Service, and prevented the Macleods & Mackintoshes from
rising. From the north-West came the Strength of the Rebels, the Camerons
Macdonnalds, Stuarts &c. Glasgow is zealous for his Majesty & our
happy Establishment and wou'd have instantly raised 8000 Men to defend
themselves, had there been Arms in the City. It was with the utmost Difficulty
that the Magistrates restrain'd 6000 of the Trades from arming as they cou'd,
tho but with Pitch-forks & Scythes, which must have drawn the Highlanders
upon them in their Passage, and destroy'd the most flourishing and by far
best-affected Town in Scotland. From the other Towns, about a dozen
Common indigent Fellows have gone to join the Rebels from Inverness
4 from Banff - 3 from Portsoy (from whence a Merchant too, carried a
Purse of 500 Guineas to the young Pretender) 18 from Aberdeen As
many from Montrose - 8 from Brechin - 3 from Perth - 20 from Dundee -
10 from Stirling and about 50 from Edinburg, all of them the Refuse
of these Towns. The Body of Men therefore from the Low-Country is
made up of Peasants and their Sons forced out by their Landlords, the
Duke of Perth, Lord George Murray, and (as they are called) the Lords
