The History of England, from the Accession of James II Volume IV Part 33

[Footnote 207: Burnet, i. 418.]

[Footnote 208: Crawford to Melville, July 23. 1689; The Master of Stair to Melville, Aug. 16. 1689; Cardross to Melville, Sept. 9. 1689; Balcarras's Memoirs; Annandale's Confession, Aug. i4. 1690.]

[Footnote 209: Breadalbane to Melville, Sept. 17. 1690.]

[Footnote 210: The Master of Stair to Hamilton, Aug. 17/27. 1691; Hill to Melville, June 26. 1691; The Master of Stair to Breadalbane, Aug. 24.

1691.]

[Footnote 211: "The real truth is, they were a branch of the Macdonalds (who were a brave courageous people always), seated among the Campbells, who (I mean the Glencoe men) are all Papists, if they have any religion, were always counted a people much given to rapine and plunder, or sorners as we call it, and much of a piece with your highwaymen in England. Several governments desired to bring them to justice; but their country was inaccessible to small parties." See An impartial Account of some of the Transactions in Scotland concerning the Earl of Breadalbane, Viscount and Master of Stair, Glenco Men, &c., London, 1695.]

[Footnote 212: Report of the Commissioners, signed at Holyrood, June 20.

1695.]

[Footnote 213: Gallienus Redivivus; Burnet, ii. 88.; Report of the Commission of 1695.]

[Footnote 214: Report of the Glencoe Commission, 1695.]

[Footnote 215: Hill to Melville, May 15. 1691.]

[Footnote 216: Ibid. June 3. 1691.]

[Footnote 217: Burnet, ii. 8, 9.; Report of the Glencoe Commission. The authorities quoted in this part of the Report were the depositions of Hill, of Campbell of Ardkingla.s.s, and of Mac Ian's two sons.]

[Footnote 218: Johnson's Tour to the Hebrides.]

[Footnote 219: Proclamation of the Privy Council of Scotland, Feb. q.

1589. I give this reference on the authority of Sir Walter Scott. See the preface to the Legend of Montrose.]

[Footnote 220: Johnson's Tour to the Hebrides.]

[Footnote 221: Lockhart's Memoirs.]

[Footnote 222: "What under heaven was the Master's bya.s.s in this matter?

I can imagine none." Impartial Account, 1695. "Nor can any man of candour and ingenuity imagine that the Earl of Stair, who had neither estate, friends.h.i.+p nor enmity in that country, nor so much as knowledge of these persons, and who was never noted for cruelty in his temper, should have thirsted after the blood of these wretches." Complete History of Europe, 1707.]

[Footnote 223: Dalrymple, in his Memoirs, relates this story, without referring to any authority. His authority probably was family tradition.

That reports were current in 1692 of horrible crimes committed by the Macdonalds of Glencoe, is certain from the Burnet MS. Marl. 6584. "They had indeed been guilty of many black murthers," were Burnet's words, written in 1693. He afterwards softened down this expression.]

[Footnote 224: That the plan originally framed by the Master of Stair was such as I have represented it, is clear from parts of his letters which are quoted in the Report of 1695; and from his letters to Breadalbane of October 27., December 2., and December 3. 1691. Of these letters to Breadalbane the last two are in Dalrymple's Appendix. The first is in the Appendix to the first volume of Mr. Burtons valuable History of Scotland. "It appeared," says Burnet (ii. 157.), "that a black design was laid, not only to cut off the men of Glencoe, but a great many more clans, reckoned to be in all above six thousand persons."]

[Footnote 225: This letter is in the Report of 1695.]

[Footnote 226: London Gazette, January 14and 18. 1691.]

[Footnote 227: "I could have wished the Macdonalds had not divided; and I am sorry that Keppoch and Mackian of Glenco are safe."--Letter of the Master of Stair to Levingstone, Jan. 9. 1691/2 quoted in the Report of 1695.]

[Footnote 228: Letter of the Master of Stair to Levingstone, Jan. 11 1692, quoted in the Report of 1695.]

[Footnote 229: Burnet, in 1693, wrote thus about William:--"He suffers matters to run till there is a great heap of papers; and then he signs them as much too fast as he was before too slow in despatching them."

Burnet MS. Harl. 6584. There is no sign either of procrastination or of undue haste in William's correspondence with Heinsius. The truth is, that the King understood Continental politics thoroughly, and gave his whole mind to them. To English business he attended less, and to Scotch business least of all.]

[Footnote 230: Impartial Account, 1695.]

[Footnote 231: See his letters quoted in the Report of 1695, and in the Memoirs of the Ma.s.sacre of Glencoe.]

[Footnote 232: Report of 1695.]

[Footnote 233: Deposition of Ronald Macdonald in the Report of 1695; Letters from the Mountains, May 17. 1773. I quote Mrs. Grant's authority only for what she herself heard and saw. Her account of the ma.s.sacre was written apparently without the a.s.sistance of books, and is grossly incorrect. Indeed she makes a mistake of two years as to the date.]

[Footnote 234: I have taken the account of the Ma.s.sacre of Glencoe chiefly from the Report of 1695, and from the Gallienus Redivivus. An unlearned, and indeed a learned, reader may be at a loss to guess why the Jacobites should have selected so strange a t.i.tle for a pamphlet on the ma.s.sacre of Glencoe. The explanation will be found in a letter of the Emperor Gallienus, preserved by Trebellius Pollio in the Life of Ingenuus. Ingenuus had raised a rebellion in Moesia. He was defeated and killed. Gallienus ordered the whole province to be laid waste, and wrote to one of his lieutenants in language to which that of the Master of Stair bore but too much resemblance. "Non mihi satisfacies si tantum armatos occideris, quos et fors belli interimere potuisset. Perimendus est omnis s.e.xus virilis. Occidendus est quicunque maledixit. Occidendus est quicunque male voluit. Lacera. Occide. Concide."]

[Footnote 235: What I have called the Whig version of the story is given, as well as the Jacobite version, in the Paris Gazette of April 7.

1692.]

[Footnote 236: I believe that the circ.u.mstances which give so peculiar a character of atrocity to the Ma.s.sacre of Glencoe were first published in print by Charles Leslie in the Appendix to his answer to King. The date of Leslie's answer is 1692. But it must be remembered that the date of 1692 was then used down to what we should call the 25th of March 1693.

Leslie's book contains some remarks on a sermon by Tillotson which was not printed till November 1692. The Gallienus Redivivus speedily followed.]

[Footnote 237: Gallienus Redivivus.]

[Footnote 238: Hickes on Burnet and Tillotson, 1695.]

[Footnote 239: Report of 1695.]

[Footnote 240: Gallienus Redivivus.]

[Footnote 241: Report of 1695.]

[Footnote 242: London Gazette, Mar. 7. 1691/2]

[Footnote 243: Burnet (ii. 93.) says that the King was not at this time informed of the intentions of the French Government. Ralph contradicts Burnet with great asperity. But that Burnet was in the right is proved beyond dispute, by William's correspondence with Heinsius. So late as April 24/May 4 William wrote thus: "Je ne puis vous dissimuler que je commence a apprehender une descente en Angleterre, quoique je n'aye pu le croire d'abord: mais les avis sont si multiplies de tous les cotes, et accompagnes de tant de particularites, qu'il n'est plus guere possible d'en douter." I quote from the French translation among the Mackintosh MSS.]

[Footnote 244: Burnet, ii. 95. and Onslow's note; Memoires de Saint Simon; Memoires de Dangeau.]

[Footnote 245: Life of James ii. 411, 412.]

[Footnote 246: Memoires de Dangeau; Memoires de Saint Simon. Saint Simon was on the terrace and, young as he was, observed this singular scene with an eye which nothing escaped.]

[Footnote 247: Memoires de Saint Simon; Burnet, ii. 95.; Guardian No.

48. See the excellent letter of Lewis to the Archbishop of Rheims, which is quoted by Voltaire in the Siecle de Louis XIV.]

[Footnote 248: In the Nairne papers printed by Macpherson are two memorials from James urging Lewis to invade England. Both were written in January 1692.]

[Footnote 249: London Gazette, Feb. 15. 1691/2]

[Footnote 250: Memoires de Berwick; Burnet, ii. 92.; Life of James, ii.

478. 491.]

[Footnote 251: History of the late Conspiracy, 1693.]