MY Lord ANGƲS's Death is generally Regrated by all, which occasions some that are better acquaint with his Circumstances to Reflect a little more freely on his going to this Campaign to serve under King William; And on that part you are supposed to have had in it: For they say, that my Lord Mar­quess and his Family were particularly obliedged by King Charles the Second, and King James his Successour: For such was King Charles his Concern and care of that Noble and Ancient Family, that in the year, 1682. He wrote to the Lord Chancellour, and Theasurer of Scotland to know it's present condition, shewing that in regard of many signal services performed by that Family to his Royal Predecessours, he would not only see to its standing, but to its continuance, in a splendid and plentiful condition. And that in the mean time he would take care of the breeding of the Marques's Son: For which effect in the Year, 1684. There was realie granted to my Lord Angus a Pension of two hundred Pound Sterling▪ And this pension King James in the Year, 1686. Was pleased to continue, and also to order all the Arrears thereof to be payed, with two hundred pound Sterling more, by way of advance: Which were certainly singular marks of the Royal Bountie of these two Kings: And a very promising ear­nest of far greater things, that my Lord Marquess might have expected from them. To this it is also added, That my Lord Angus himself was not so forward to have gone to this Campagne, but did rather incline, to prosecute his Travells; and that he wrote to you to obtain his Father's leave: Which as the Event hath happened, had been in­deed his wiser and better Course. However, these things do a little burden both the Marquess and you: And some are pleased to express themselves more freely, by de­claring that they cannot comprehend what could have moved the Marquess to be so for­ward in this Affair; seing that notwithstanding of the eminent Character of his Fa­mily, and that he himself was amongst the first to advance King William's Interest in Scotland, and did both venture his Son to the Army, and put himself, without regard to the low condition of his Fortune, to a considerable expence for his Equippage: Yet [Page 2] it is visible enough, that since the late Revolution to this day, the Marquess hath been acknowledged in nothing, and neither Place nor Pension conferred upon him. It's like the Marquess may be unwilling that this last part should be noticed, as knowing, That King William, a Stranger, cannot be blamed for this Omission: And that the distribution of Favours depends often as much upon the Ministers, as upon the Prince. But seing these things do furnish discourse, I should be content to hear from you such a clear and satisfying Account, as might inable me to do my Lord and you the service in this occasion, that you may very justly expect from,

I Take it very kindly, that you do so far concern your self in this Affair, touching my Lord Angus, his Loss, if he be lost, (which you may be sure we are loath to believe) is indeed irrepairable, and never enough to be regrated: And thence you and all Equitable Men, may very well conclude, That my Lord, his Father, had never ventured him, if the thing could possibly have been evited: But as he was the only Son, and hope of the Family, and had from his Fathers extream Care and Tenderness, received a sutable Education; So you see that his Ripening years, with the concurrence of other things, did present to him this occasion, which not only he himself, but all acquainted with the condition of his Family judged very proper, to recommend him to the Kings Notice and Favour, And to introduce him to those Advantages, which his Family stands so absolutely in need of. The only demurr that stood in his Fathers way, was the hazard of his Person; And that did weigh so much with him, and the principal Friends of the Family; That tho my Lord Angus was ex­ceedingly earnest to have made the last Summers Campaigne; Yet his Father did re­strain him: But as that Restraint could not be made effectual without some insinuation of Hope for the ensuing year, from those that were imployed to deal with him: So both together wought so powerfully upon his boyling Spirit, Aspyring so Vehement­ly to shew himself worthy of his Noble Progenitors, That at the Return of this Campaign, it was utterly impossible to make him defer any longer. And I am per­swaded, that had the severest of his Friends known his Earnestness in this matter, as well as his Father and I did, They would this day have been very far from adding to his Fathers affliction, the least censure of his proceeding. I cannot tell you all particu­lars, But here is one, I think may answer for all, Which is the coppie of the Letter he wrote to his Father with his own hand, in January last, which indeed broke his Father to a consent, and without which it is probable, he had never been broke. This Letter I do therefore transmit to you, Not doubting, but since it was so powerful upon a ten­der Father, and all that see it, to prevail for their consent; it will now be satisfying, to answer all the murmuring that may arise on so sad an Event. I could acquaint you with other Letters and Passages, whereby you might be convinced, that his Desire, if not complyed with, had certainly broke out into some more desperate Resolution: But this Letter alone was too perswasive to need any other support. It hath pleased GOD, in his high Soveraignty, to Dispose otherwayes nor was hoped: But this only requires our Submission. And I am perswaded, when all things shall be considered, all Men will conclude, That my Lord Angus's Conduct in this whole Affair, was so Rational in every Respect; That it remains only to be lamented, That so fair Appearances should have been prevented by a Death, which, thô most Honourable, could never be too late. And thus I leave you, to peruse his Letter herein inclosed;

I Cannot express the Extreme Trouble and Grief it is to me, to be so long without hearing from your Lordship, since it is now near four moneths, that neither Mr. Crans­toun nor I, have had the honour of one Letter, tho we have wrote several times both of us; So I'm assured our Letters must have been miscarried, since the circumstan­ces I am now under, are so difficult, and of so great im­portance, both to me, and (if I dare say) to your Lord­ship also, and the Family, I have the Honour to belong to; That if you had got my Letters, you would not have been so long of letting me know your Commands: This made me take the Resolution some dayes agoe, to write to my Lord Drumlangrig, and the Master of Stair, and to intreat that they together with the Duke of Queensberry, Melvil, Tarbat, and Carmichael, being all at Court, would consider upon my Case; And upon what might be the properest course for me to take; Give your Lordship Advice of their Opinion in a Letter. My Lord, I know too well your Lordships Goodness and Kindness to me, beyond most of Fathers, and much beyond what ever I shall be able in my life to acknowledge, with that dutifulness that becomes me; And therefore can protest to you, that I had no other, neither Design nor Prospect in Writing to London, than simply this, That these Persons being the near­est Relations of our Familie, and these whom I have alwayes observed most concerned, both in your Lordship and in me: I was perswaded that being all at Court, they would have a further view of things, and be more able to Judge truely what would be fittest for me to do, then either they themselves, or your Lordship could do, being only in Scotland, where they could not so narrowly see the state of things. I know not whi­ther they will be so good as to do what I desired of them; But I'm sure, my Lord, That all that I can ever expect or pretend to hereafter, my honour in the eyes of all the World, and all that ought to be dear to a Gentleman, are most deeply concer­ned in my Conduct at this time. I have been assured both by my Lord Drumlangrig, and others, That if I had been in the Campaigne last year, when Leiutenant General Dowglas died, I had gotten the Regiment of Guards: And tho thats a Post more ho­nourable and lucrative, than any I can expect to get in many years to come; Yet, my Lord, if you knew the censures past upon my absence. I'm perswaded you would be­lieve my missing of that preferment is not the greatest loss I suffer by it. The Mr. of Stair particularly can inform your Lordship, how much to my dishonour, all the Ge­neral Officers of the Army, all the Court; And I may say, all perhaps that knew me in the Army, spoke of my being here; while others that were both younger, Men of Qualitie, and only Sons as well as I, were there serving as Volunteers, tho they had not half the Obligation to do it that lyes upon me, considering my Regiment was there in actual service: And how these Reflections went so far as to be spoken in the Kings Bed Chamber, and even in his Majesties own hearing, till the King had the goodness to take it upon himself, and to tell the Company, That he had commanded me for this year to follow my Studies. Tho this was a great goodness in the King to me. Yet my Lord, I may say, it sav'd but little of my Honour, since even my Lord Portland, the Kings own Favourite; Notwithstanding he both knew at the Hague, the King had discharged me, and heard his Majesty own it again in the Campt; Yet after that spoke seriously of it both to my Lord Drumlangrig, and Sir John Dalrimple, and fell a laughing at their alleadging the Kings Commands, as a thing either procured ex­presly by my Friends from the King, or at best commanded by his Majesty out of meer Bounty and Goodness; Because he observed my Relations averse from my serv­ing of him. And Portland told them further, that these sort of Commands were not to be obeyed by a Young Man like me. And that however the King had command­ed me not to make the Campaign; Yet to be sure, He would not be ill pleased to see me disobey him, and that I would find it would be my great Interest as well as Ho­nour to do it. Besides when the King spoke to the Master of Staire last Spring, at the Hague, to discharge me from coming to the Fields, he told him expresly, he would not hinder me the next Year; Which coming from the King, any Man will interpret as a positive command, Lievtenant General Dowglas, tho but few Dayes in the Campt, was pleased both to his Nephew, and Sir Robert Dowglas in that time, to show a great concern in me, and spoke of my absence in so strong Terms, that he told them it had been better for me to have been there, tho I should have come bare-foot, and without a whole Coat; And was pleased to say, that the next year, he would come himself, and pull me from Ʋtrecht to the Campt, tho he should be obliged to seek a Contribution from my Friends that are Officers in the Army for my Subsistence there, since it was the only way I had▪ both to make my own Fortune, and Contribute to the estab­lishing [Page] of the Family I belonged to. And Major General Talmash spoke of my absence with great heat to my Lievtenant Collonel, And told him, I would ruin my self and Family by it: Notwithstanding, he knew that the King had commanded me to stay here.

When these People who are all my Friends have spoke of my being from the Cam­paign, your Lordship may be pleased to consider, what other persons, both Princes and General Officers of the Allyes Army, to most of whom I have the Honour to be known at the least, in a general acquaintance, will say of it; And with what freedom they will pass their Censures on me. I'm not capable to make those deep Reflections upon my own Interest that your Lordship and others of your Relations, who are much wiser then I, can do; But it seems obvious to me, that considering the low Circumstances of our Family, it will be impossible for me ever to raise my self, or indeed to live as your Son ought to do, unless I have the Kings Favour, and be able to obtain both His Majesties Protection, and some Pension or place, to help me, and releive your Lord­ship of the burthen of maintaing me hereafter. And I find that the wisest of those about the Court, think not only, that the making a Campaign will be the surest way to get some part in his Majestie good Graces; But that unless I do it, I can never have the Face to pretend hereafter at Court to any thing, nor any of my Friends the confidence to solicite for me. And for my own part, if I can make but this Compaign, as I hope it will remove the foule Censures that have past on my last years absence, So if I do not make it, I do not see, that I can ever without Shame and Confusion look any Man of Honour in the Face hereafter, either at Home or Abroad; And I have reason to appre­hend. I'le bee looked upon by all Men as a Coward, and one that is a dishonour to your Lordship, and to the Family: And I believe, the only part that will be left fittest for me after it, will be, that your Lordship should call me Home, and let me spend my Life as a private Geutleman in the Countrey. I hope your Lordship will not con­demn me for it, if the sense of this touch me so near, since all that ought to be dear to a Man upon Earth seems to be lying at the Stake with me in it: And when People consider the Race I am come off, and the Illustrious things done by our Predecessors; It will serve to heighten my shame and confusion, and increase the Worlds contempt of me. Therefore I earnestly beg, my dearest Lord, by all your Lordships goodness to me, and by all the kind Affection you have been pleased to shew to me all my life hi­therto; That you would consider on this as a thing concerns your own Honour, and the Honour of the Family of DOWGLAS, as well as mine in particular; And that if it be possible in any way of the World, you would let me wait upon the King this Summer, tho I should do it in never so poor and mean a way.

I know your Lordships straits, & the difficulty you may have to live, much less to fur­nish me money upon this Occasion; And I confess I do not see well how it can be done, but if there were any possibility of it, I am perswaded it will be laying out money the most profitable way that ever I can spend it, even in point of interest; And that it will be a fair, if not certain way of giving me Access to obtain things hereafter of the King: that may do much more then make up what has been given out on this Occasion. And besides, I have heard both my Lord Drumlangrig and the Mr. of Stair say, as well since the Campaigne, as last Spring, while we were upon this subject, That if your Lordship consented once freely to my making a Campaign, they were perswaded there might be some sum of money got from the King, to help to put me in a Condition to do it with; And I perswade my self, that both they two, and my Lord Carmichael, would need but to be desired by your Lordship, to do something for me in it. But the Season is now so far advanced, that I know not what to do, since its very like the King himself will be in the Fields before eight or nine weeks at the farthest; And however small an Equippage I have, there will be still many things that will be of an absolute necessity for me, in case you allow me to go, and which I will have but a very short time to prepare. I intreat therefore, your Lordship will let me know your Commands so soon as possible, for there is now no time to lose; And I'm sure you will be satisfied, that it is necessary I be determined to one thing or another before the King comes over here; since if I be not to make the Campaigne, I can neither ap­pear at Court, nor stay at this place, without the Kings knowing himself that I am here: If I am to make the Campaigne, I believe it will not do ill, so soon as your Lordship comes to a Resolution in it, if you should write to the Secretary and Drum­langrig, to see if they can fall upon a way to obtain any thing from the King, to help me to make an Equippage. I only long to hear from your Lordship, I know you will command me nothing but what shall be the fittest for me to do; so I trust to it, and shall strive above all things while I live, to Carry alwayes as becomes,