Manuscripts and Special Collections
Ne C 1656 : 'Account of the State of Scotland'; 20 Oct. 1745.
Lord Strathallen and four Irish Officers; and the Remainder by
another Privateer on the 15th at Stonehive (near Aberdeen) with a like
number of Officers - one of whom passed for a natural Son of the late Lord
Marishall's. - In their March from the West to
Edinburg they observed strict Discipline, used no Violence, nor took
the smallest Triffle unpaid for. But the Men raised in the Duke of
Gordon's Interest by old Glenbucket (during his Grace's Indisposition
and to his inexpressible Sorrow), especially about 100 of them under one
Hamilton Committed Outrages wherever they passed. They came to
Aberdeen the Day appointed for the Election of Magistrates, which they
violently stopp'd (as indeed there are few Magistracies this Year in Scotland),
hauled the Lord Provest (Mayor) & Aldermen to the great Cross, and
offered them many Indignities, while they were proclaiming the Pretender,
and reading their rebellious Manifesto & Declaration. Then, under Pre
tence of Searching for Arms, the following Night they sent Parlys Men into
the Town, dragg'd the well affected Inhabitants out of their Beds, seized their
Arms and riding Furniture, and made great Search for Mr Blackwell,
one of his Majestie's Professors, remarkable for his wa[-] Attachment
to his King and Country: But not finding him, they C[-] into the Uni
versity, burst open his Doors, insulted his Servants, se[-] Fowling Pieces
and committed great Disorders. - In fine the [-] Abettors
now in Arms, besides the barbarous Highlanders, consist of the Scum
of Scotland, collected mostly by Men of desperate Fortunes, not without
some few of our late Patriots, such as S[i]r James Stewart and the Mayor
of Edinburg. If this suffer any Exception, it must be such as the unfor
tunate Lord Pitsligo, a Man of excellent private Character, with a Sett
of Gentlemen his Neighbours, who allured by his Name, and misled like
himself by false Notions of Iure divino & Hereditary Indefeazible Right
have unhappily followed his Fortunes. These, and perhaps some few like
