Life of Flora Macdonald and her adventures with Prince Charles

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been brought up to, and understood. I never saw him in
time of action neither at Gladsmuir, Falkirk, nor in the last,
and his orders were vastly confused."
In this letter Lord George Murray made no secret of the
estimate which he had formed of the Prince's advisers, and
particularly of O'Sullivan. His lordship was greatly chagrined
at the unhappy course which events had taken, but attributed
the whole misfortune to the mismanagement of parties who
had usurped an authority which they were unable to exercise
with prudence. Lord Murray, disgusted with the whole pro-
ceedings, determined to incur no more responsibility in a
matter of such vast importance. He accordingly sent the
Prince a resignation of his command, remarking that he
hoped the great cause might still be attended with better
success. He had no idea that the war would then be
abandoned, seeing that nearly two thousand Highlanders
and others had assembled at Ruthven, expressing a deter-
mination to stand steadfast to the cause of their country and
Prince, and cordially to unite with chieftains and clansmen
who might come forward to commence the campaign again.
The Prince, as if diffident or ashamed to give prompt
orders to his Ruthven friends to disperse at once, com-
menced to palliate matters, by stating that he was too power-
less and weak to ensure success in the meantime, but that
if he got safely to France, he would, no doubt, receive effec-
tual aid in men and money to enable him to maintain the
struggle, until happily he might obtain the victory. His
communication, though couched in pleasing and plausible
terms, yet breathed an air of despondency ; and his friends
at once construed it, in the words of Chambers, " as the
death-note of the war. Accordingly, taking a melancholy
leave of each other, they dispersed — the gentlemen to seek