Series 3 > Papers from the collection of Sir William Fraser

208
SIR WILLIAM FRASER’S PAPERS
again in the right Line, and recall us the immediat Lawfull
Heir, and the onely born English-man now left of the
Royall family.
This being certainly the true interest of Great Britain
we had reason to hope that a wise People would not have
lost so naturall an occasion of recalling us as they have
lately had, since they could not but see by all the steps
we have hitherto made that we had rather ow our Restora¬
tion to the good will of our People than involve them in a
war tho’ never so just; Besides that they knew or might
have known the reiterated inviolable assurances we have
given them under our hand; that whensoever it should
please God to restore us, we would make the Laws of the
Land the Rule of the Government, and grant to our
Subjects a generall Indemnity for whatever has been done
contrary to the said Laws, and all the Security and Satis¬
faction they could desire for the Preservation of their
Religion, Rights, Libertys and Propertys.
Yet, contrary to our expectations, upon the death of
the Princess owr Sister (of whose good intention towards
us we could not for some time past well doubt,1 and this
was the reason we then sat still, expecting the good effects
thereof, which were unfortunately prevented by her
deplorable death) we found that our People instead of
takeing this favorable opportunity of retriveing the
honour and true interest of their Country by doing us and
themselves justice, had proclaimed for their King a foreign
Prince to our prejudice contrary to the fundamental! and
incontestable Laws of Hereditary Right, which their
pretended Acts of settlement can never abrogat.
After this height of injustice we then thought ourselves
bound in honour and duty and indissensably oblig’d by
what we ow to ourself, to our Posterity, and to our People,
to endeavour to assert our Right in the best manner we
could ; accordingly upon the first notice sent us we parted
from our ordinary Residence in order to repair to some
part of our Dominions, and there to put ourself at the
1 Vide Macpherson’s Original Papers, ii. 222 et seq., for a letter of May
1711 in which he asked the Queen to name him as her heir.