New Spalding Club > Records of Invercauld MDXLVII - MDCCCXXVIII [1547- 1828]

41 8 RECORDS OF INVERCAULD.
difficulties had increased, as also a natural longing to be free to visit his
native land. He therefore addresses himself to a friend, whose name he
does not disclose. He has preserved a copy of this communication,
wherein he gives a full account of most of the important events that had
befallen him since his imprisonment in London. The letter is as
follows : —
" Dear Sir,
As I not only know your readiness in generall to do good
offices to any in distress, but I am sensible of your good wishes to m}'self
in particular, I take the liberty to acquaint you with my present
situation and to beg your advice and friendly assistance in extricating
me out of my difficulties.
" I was in hope to have been able before now to have seen you att
your own house and to have been in condition to do something towards
my own support, but in place of that I can as yet neither obtain my
liberty nor yet subsistance from those who detain me as others in the like
circumstances have done, of which I believe I am the first instance. Altho
the first part of my storey may be pretty well known to you j'et the last
of it probably is not, and therefore I shall give you the most materiall
particulars of it since, or a little before I left London and you may rely
on what I tell you for fact. About the beginning of April 1748, I was
discharged out of a messenger's hands in order to be sent into the
Countrie, att which time Sir Jas. Kinloch and I applied to the then Lords
Justicess for some money and their Lords, ordered ;£^IS0 for Sir Jas. and
^100 for me in name of travelling charges, and then both of us retired
into the Countrie in obedience to their Lords, order, where we have
remained ever since ; but before I left London most of said money was
expended on things absolutely necessary after so long a confinement.
In summer 1749 both of us applied for subsistance, and Sir Jas. friends
obtained .^100 for him, but I could not get a farthing notwithstanding of
my many repeated applications and altho I lived in a dear part of the
Countrie. In summer 1750 both of us renewed our applications and he
got i^ioo as formerly but I had no better success than before, till such
time as the Duke of B . . . d happened accidently to pass through this
town and, upon my obtaining an audience of, and laying my case before
his Grace, he advised me to petition the then Lords Justicess ; by which
I had some better success tho' even then I only got .£^50, and now I
understand there is a third ;£^ioo ordered for Sir Jas. this year, but not a
word of any for me. It is true I have not of late applied directly for
subsistance, for I had such bad success in my former applications for
money that now I am applying only for liberty, tho' the other is full as
much wanted, but as yet I can obtain neither. I am far from envying