Series 4 > Miscellany of the Scottish History Society

150
MISCELLANY X
good luck to have all my mony pay’d me nixt day in new Louis d’ors.
Which is so rare a thing that Mr Cuninghame1 who is going for Venice
told me that he could not get 20 Louis in 8 days. I dyned the nixt day
with my l. Stairs2 who was very civil to me and has offered to present
me to the Regent.31 found the posture of affairs was such that waiting
on him was necessary. For my L. of Ormond is gone hence the 25th
but none knows where; and my Lord sayes he is not sure but that the
pretender may be upon his way. Do not writ any more till I give you
a new direction. My harty and humble service to Mr Cuninghame.4
Tell him there are more curious books at Paris than I imagined. I have
not yet got a lodging and shal have great difficulty to settle my self to
any kind of ease or conveniency. All things are excessively dear and
bad. Adieu.
Andrew Fletcher to his nephew
Paris, 2nd Novem: 1715
I get very exact accounts of what passes in Scotland from my l.s. But I
belive that now by the rising in Northumberland all intelligence will
be very much interrupted. However I am glad that these people, after
having amused themselves to [word illegible] upon Cocket water,5 are
gone south, for if they had marched into Merse and Louthian we
should have suffer’d very much; my L. Mar at the same time having
possesed himself of the coast side of Fife; or at least endevouring it. I
have no letters from your father. Pray let me know what you have. I
hear the first rencounter was in e. Louthian between 20 horse send by
my l. Tweddal, and Keth with as many, which last were beat, and
Keth’s 2nd son killed.6 The D. of Orm: as I told you in my last is gone
from hence and ’tis thought landed in En: some days ago. His first
appearance will tell us much. I wonder I have not received an account
1 Alexander Cunningham (1654-1736), historian, appointed British envoy to Venice,
1715. 2 John Dalrymple, and Earl of Stair, the British Ambassador at Paris.
3 Philip, Duke of Orleans, Regent of France.
4 Alexander Cunningham (i655-?I73o), the critic. All further references to Mr
Cunningham in the correspondence are to this Alexander.
5 The Earl of Derwentwater, the leader oftheEnglishJacobites, assembled his forces
on October 6th at Plainfield, near the river Coquet, in Northumberland, before
marching for Warkworth and Hexham.
6 The action took place on 8 October, at the House of Keith, in Haddingtonshire.
See ‘A Full and true accotmt of the Action at Keith upon the Eight day of October
1715’ (Public Record Office, s.p. 54-9, fo. 84).