The Duke is to have offers here in England, and Tweddale is ftiffe, and neither defires, nor is defired, to come in. Ad to all this, that the Ministry having undertaken for the Parliament, will have nothing done but as they please, which has occafioned heats; for fome of them are for changes; others not, till at least a Seffion of Parliament be over. The inclination of the Court is absolutely for changes, and those will be verry thorough ones, whenever they shall have got over the difficulty about the taxes. Tarbat gave the Court hopes at firft that you would all pay the taxes; but is now uneafye about it. Your friend has not, directly nor indirectly, medled fince the adjournment that was fo downright contrary to the hopes given him, and the avowed purposes in calling a new Parliament; but he was convinced there is a fecret in [fome of] our affairs that he was not trusted with, and that by a&ting in the dark, he might run his head against a wall. My Lord Roxburgh, as well as my Lord Tullibardin, and Lord Blantyre, and Sir Alexr. Bruce, &c. have all affurances that they are to be employed, but it seems not till the Seffion of Parliament be over, in cafe it meets. Here, the Whigs reigne in the Houfe of Lords, and efpoufe the Bishops : The Toryes reigne in the House of Commons, and espouse the Lower Clergy; [fo] that the heats go high; but the great turn of fuccefs this last fummer muft overcome all rubbs amongst ourselves. Hitherto the penfions cannot be got Farewell.

done.

X. FROM THE SAME.

22d December 1702.

You will have had mine by a friend. Tweddale, yesternight, took his leave; told the Queen that he came hither in pursuance of her pleasure, and had waited to hear it, without troubling her, for that he came not to ask any thing for himself; that now he was going home, and was ready to receive her commands. Her Majefty told him, that she was not yet come to a refolution as to Scotland, but when she did refolve, she would have a particular confideration for him, and that though he had not gone along with the measures of the last Parliament, fhe hoped he would with those of this. He answered, that he could not approve of the measures of her Miniftry, but he would upon all occafions ferve her Majefty [in pur]fuance of her true [interests] and

those of the country, which he took to be the fame, and was perswaded it was her Majefty's inclination to have them the fame. She faid it was fo; and so they parted. He intends to leave this place the next week. I believe matters will continue as they are at prefent, and that my Lord Tullibardin will have noe compaynons. My Lord Tweddale has behaved himself with much honour and decorum, but has not had fair play. At Court they seem refolved not to push the raifing of the taxes; but that will depend on your Ministry, who, I am told, are very uneafye and fluctuating as to their measures. It's whispered that my Lord March is to have the Castle, and that [commif]fions for the Treasurer-Depute and Juftice-Clerk's places are drawn blank. Belhaven hoped to have the former two days ago; but I believe my Lord Boile will have it. My Lady Marleborough was yefternight pretty warm upon the Duke of Queensberry, for not fettling Mr. Johnftoun's fifter's penfion. If he knew what to ask for her, he would get it done. There are great diforders in the English Parliament. You should have had a letter directed to Sir A. H., whofe buffinefs I have no opinion of, if independence, or for lyfe, be expected. Farewell.

XI. FROM THE SAME.

31st December 1702.

THIS is my third fince I heard from you. Tweddale and Tullibardin being to part on Tewsday last, Tullibardin was bid stay till too-morrow by the Queen, and Marleborough fent to ftop Tweddale till he should see him. In the mean while, Tullibardin preffed Tweddale to be on the Treasury, and otherwise another friend would be put on it; fo that to refufe would be to give [offence] to the Queen; for Tweddale had said [to] him, that if other friends were [willing] he would be one, which he (Tullibardin) had told the Queen. Tweddale's meaning and words had alwyse been, that he would be one, in cafe of a majority there on their fide, to prevent all ruptures, and that the experiment might be allowed its full operation; for if you can believe them, others will quitt, in cafe Tweddale be there. For these purposes Tweddale was advyfed to yield, in general, that in cafe the new Treasury was fuch, that is, fo compofed, that he could effectually ferve the Queen in it, he would accept. But when Marleborough came, there paffed only general compliments, and [all that] the Marquis faid was, that [he was]

B

willing to serve the Queen in any poft in which he could fignify any thing. Noe doubt he will be put in the commiffion, and, it's like, one more of his way. Thus you fee he is every way free to advise with friends at home what to doe. He and Tullibardin leaves this place too-morrow. Some papers have been figned this day. I believe my Lord March is Governor of the Castle, and Tarbat's brother Lord of the Seffion and Juftice-Clerk; and Boile, Treasurer-Deput. They are, or will be; and Dunmore was, or is, to have the Ordinnance, if he will accept of it.

Farewell.

XII. FROM THE SAME.

13th February 1702-3.

I HAD your's laft week, and give you many thanks for the trouble you take in my buffinefs. I was much concerned at a paffage in one of your's, this winter, about your misfortunes in your own private affairs. I told you my mind then. I hope you are more easye at prefent. I write feldom, because I know little; for fince the adjourning of your Parliament beyond the time for raifing the taxes, I have shunned all talking with the English Miniftry on Scotch matters, and you know I feldom fee the Scotch. The English now leave the matter to them; but after all, their bottom is, to joine with thofe, whoever they be, that shall have the majority of the next Parliament; and upon this they fett up their reft, and think no further on the matter. The truth is, their own bufinefs leaves no room for your's. The Commons have overacted in every thing; fo that, inftead of breaking in upon the A& of Settlement, a bill this day passed in their House, making it treafon to act against the Succeffion, which is a great and unexpected blow to the Jacobite intereft, both here at home, and all over Europe. The Commons fent a bill to the Lords for allowing a new tyme to take the oaths: the Lords, who have loft noe advantage this feffion, returned the bill, with the addition as above, founded upon a precedent in the late reign, in favours of the Queen; for by their common law, or other law, Non est hæres inventus. Thus, the Commons must either agree to declare themselves Jacobites, which the people here will not bear; particularly, in cafe of a new Parliament, (which is talked of,) fuch men would not be chofen; and therefore, tho there was a divifion about another claufe, which, too, was carried for the Lords by one, the claufe of treafon and the other extending all to

Ireland, paffed unanimously. This, to my understanding, is of more confequence than any thing that has happened fince the King's death; for now the Whig party will be inquifitors upon the Jacobits, and the Court will be very fhie to pardon them. It's not my fault if you have not heard of the Archbishop of York's difcourfe, in a meeting of the English about the Union; that now the time was for reftoring Epifcopacy in Scotland, and that, if that was not intended by the Union, both the nation and church would be loofers by it, &c. My Lord Rochester faid, that he knew not when, if ever, it would be seasonable to restore Epifcopacy in Scotland; but that he was fure this was not the season to speak of it, &c. My Lord Nottingham trimmed; but my Lord Normanby was plain, that he had never met upon any other defigne, &c. The effects of my Lord Rochester's laying down will not appear till after the feffion is up. Tarbat's engaging that noe man would [be] for the taxes, and that the turning out of the Presbiterians would bring in all the Epifcopall party to pay them, has leffened him here. Methuen is coming home from Portugal, re infecta. It seems all that buffinefs was only to amufe with expectations. The Dutch are to blame for the progreffe of the Elector of Bavaria, for had they done 2 months agoe (which they might have better done then,) what they have done now, in fending fome of their troops to the High Rhine, for a month or two, he had been undone before now. My fervice to my Noble friend; he will remember, I hope, what I defired him to remember. Farewell.

XIII. FROM THE SAME.

27th August [1704 ?]

I HAVE your's of the 20th. Mistake not mine laft poft; it fuppofed you had another, which I find was left here, in which I told you, that your friend was abandoned, and his best friends, if he has any here, for Tarbat's being in his place, that one of them might have that claimed by him, who, they say, has the government of the Minifters. It's true, A' (Annandale ?) and Sld (Seafield?) would have your friend's place for themselves. Matters being thus, I did what you would have done-prefer our common friend. As to the buffinefs; the Ministry here not being of a piece, those for you got you defired up it was deliberately done, and not at all extorted. Nou others have [had] their pull, and have [had the] Commiffioners of the Union named ;

but at the fame tyme the other greater things they afked were all refused, in expectation of your coming. I am fenfible of your difficultyes, and am far from engaging for the event, in cafe you come; but I dare engage that if you come not, you will be abfolutely misunderstood by this Court, and thofe at it; for you will give way to measures that will throw you into inextricable difficultyes. You should, at least, write to Court your apologye, and fend fome of your number with it, by consent, if that can be, or any way rather than not. I think you are in the right not to come, if not preffed to it by your friends with you. The Queen will be 3 weeks at the Bath. Such hafte in naming the Commiffioners for the Union upon the authority of fuch a divided Parliament, is noe great proof that we here are more fincere in it than we used to be.

Farewell.

XIV. FROM THE EARL OF ROXBURGH.

I HAVE wrote to my Lord Chancelor an account of what was done in the Houfe of Lords yesternight, where the Queen herself was in person to take care of the Antient Kingdom. My Lord Treasurer did not only refute the arguments that were made ufe of against [our] A&ts, but declared that the paffing of the A&t of Security was abfolutely neceffary, and said, their medling in our bufinefs would do but harm; whereas if they would let it alone, he believed the Queen might eafily bring the affairs of that countrey to a happy fetlement, and had employ'd men that were both able and in earneft in't. The Bishop of Salisberry has done a great deal in this matter too. This affair is delay'd till Wedenfday by the means of K (Somers), in order to get a thorough conjunction betwixt E (the Lord Treasurer) and F (the Whigs) before that tyme. 6 (The Whigs) were modeft in this business, but G (the Tories) were mad. If it fails in N (the House of Lords), it will be tried in 14 (the House of Commons). But if it's done by 7 (the Tories), every body will know the meaning of it; fo it won't have fuch weight. Roxburgh was with E (the Lord Treasurer) yesterday, who seems weary of bufinefs. 36 (Seafield) has had no letters from 39 (the Duke of Hamilton), as 5 (the Lord Treasurer) faid; but if that bufinefs faile, t'other is entire. M M (Seafield) has had no medling with 37 (Queensberry), nor will it be now till 37 (Queensberry) ask it, or till there be more need for't. D (the Duke of Marlborough) and E (Lord Trea