Series 2 > Origins of the 'Forty-five

SIR JAMES STEUART
425
presence. The Prince, who in the meanwhile had heard of the manner
of their visit, returned for answer, that if the Earl of Buchan and Sir
James Steuart came as willing partisans to befriend his cause, he should
be proud and happy to see them, but not otherwise. This bluntness,
though honourable to the Prince’s candour, displeased Buchan, whose
resolution, perhaps, had already begun to give way. He therefore made
■a low bow to the officer, and said : “ Please inform his royal highness
that I have the honour to be his most obedient humble servant ” ; after
which he instantly left the palace. Sir James, too much offended with
the government to retrace his steps, remained to see the Prince upon
the terms prescribed.’
There was something still more mysterious about his depar¬
ture. The following depositions were found in the Records
of the Sheriff Court of Kincardineshire by Dr. W. A. Mac-
naughton of Stonehaven,1 who kindly sent them to me. The
depositions were taken from witnesses in a civil action of
false imprisonment by James Grant against Alexander Garioch
of Mergie. Garioch acted as deputy governor of Stonehaven
for Prince Charles. Apparently the authorities took the
opportunity of interrogating the Jacobite witnesses about
Sir James. The portions of the depositions that refer to
Sir James Steuart only are here given.
1. Peter Barclay of Johnstoun2 . . . Being Interrogate concerning Sir
James Stewart Depones that some time about the middle of November or
a little before it, the Deponent had occasion to be at Stonhyve in a
Tavern with Mr. Garioch, that he saw a person who passed under the
Name of Brown, and who was called by Mergie to the Deponent a
Prisoner, but that there was no guard sett upon him and the Deponent
saw him at liberty to go out and in under no confinement that the
Deponent could observe, That the Deponent had had occasion about
sixteen years before to be in company with Sir James Stewart That when
the Deponent saw this person who was called Brown he thought he had
seen him before, but could not then recollect who he was That the day
after the Deponent had seen this person he was conversing with one
Menzies in the French service was enquiring who this person might be
and was positive he had seen him before. That Menzies said he did not
know who he was, but that some days before Lord Lewis Gordon had
been dining with him, and he observed that Lord Lewis was Drinking to
this person his health That upon this the Deponent recollected and said
he imagined him to be Sir James Stuart, Depones that when that person
was ordered to be taken on board of a ffrench ship by Mergie’s command
he took a formal protest in writing against Mergie for forcing him out
1 Author of Medical Heroes of the 'Forty-five: Glasgow, 1897.
2 Barclay acted as justice of the peace for Prince Charles, enlisted men, and
collected the excise.