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Whilst the prince and his partisans were thus spreading the
seeds of insurrection, and endeavouring to improve the advantages they had gained, the
ministry of Great Britain, aroused to a just sense of the impending danger, took every
possible measure to retard the progress of the insurrection. King George had returned to
London on the 31st of August. He met with a cordial reception from the nobility and gentry
in the capital, and loyal addresses were voted by all the principal cities, and towns and
corporations in the kingdom. A demand was made upon the states-general for the 6,000 men
stipulated by treaty, part of whom were landed at Berwick the day after Cope's defeat.
Three battalions of guards, and seven regiments of foot, were ordered home from Flanders,
and a cabinet council was held at Kensington on the 13th of September, which directed
letters to be sent to the lords-lieutenant and custondes rotulorum of the counties of
England and Wales to raise the militia. Marshal Wade was despatched to the north of
England to take the command of the forces in that quarter, and two regiments, of 1,000
each, were ordered to be transported from Dublin to Chester. A number of blank commissions
were, as had been before stated, sent to the north of Scotland to raise independent
companies; the Earl of Loudon was despatched to Inverness to take the command, and two
ships of war were sent down with arms to the same place.
As popery had been formerly a serviceable bugbear to alarm the people for their religion
and liberties, some of the English bishops issued mandates to their clergy, enjoining them
to instil into their people "a just abhorrence of popery" and or arbitrary
power, both of which they supposed to be inseparably connected; a proceeding which formed
a singular contrast with the conduct of their brethren, the Scottish Protestant Episcopal
clergy, who to a man were zealously desirous of restoring the Stuarts. The clergy attended
to the injunctions they had received, and their admonitions were not without effect.
Associations were speedily formed in every county, city, and town in England, of any
consideration, in defence of the religion and liberties of the nation, and all persons, of
whatever rank or degree, seemed equally zealous to protect both.
The parliament met on the 17th of October, and was informed by his majesty that he had
been obliged to call them together sooner than he intended, in consequence of an unnatural
rebellion which had broken out, and was still continued in Scotland, to suppress and
extinguish which rebellion he craved the immediate advice and assistance of the
parliament. Both houses voted address, in which they gave his majesty the strongest
assurances of duty and affection to his person and government, and promised to adopt
measures commensurate with the danger. The habeas corpus act was suspended for six months,
and several persons were apprehended on suspicion. The Duke of Cumberland, the king's
second son, arrived from the Netherlands shortly after the opening of the session, and on
the 25th of October a large detachment of cavalry and infantry arrives in the Thames from
Flanders. The trainbands of London were reviewed by his majesty on the 28th; and the
persons who had associated themselves in different parts of the kingdom as volunteers,
were daily engaged in the exercise of arms. Apprehensive of an invasion from France, the
government appointed Admiral Vernon to command a squadron in the Downs, to watch the
motions of the enemy by sea. Cruisers were stationed along the French coast, particularly
off Dunkirk and Boulogne, which captured several ships destined for Scotland with
officers, soldiers, and ammunition for the use of the insurgents.
The birth-day of George II, which fell on the 30th of October, was celebrated throughout
the whole of England with extraordinary demonstrations of loyalty. Many extravagant scenes
were enacted, which, though they may now appear ludicrous and absurd, were deemed by the
actors as deeds of the purest and most exalted patriotism. In Scotland, however, with one
remarkable exception, the supporters of government did not venture upon any public
display. The exception alluded to was the town of Perth, some of whose inhabitants took
possession of the church and steeple about mid-day, and rang the bells. Oliphant of Gask,
who had been made deputy-governor of the town by the young Chevalier, and had under him a
small party, sent to desire those who rang the bells to desist; but they refused to
comply, and continued ringing at intervals until midnight, two hours after the ordinary
time. Mr Oliphant, with his small guard and three of four gentlemen, posted themselves in
the council-house, in order to secure about 1,400 small arms, some ammunition, &c,
belonging to the Highland army, deposited there and in the adjoining jail. At night seven
north-country gentlemen, in the Jacobite interest, came to town with their servants, and
immediately joined their friends in the council-house: when it grew dark the mob made
bonfires in the streets, and ordered the inhabitants to illuminate their windows, an order
which was generally obeyed, and the few that refused had their windows broken. About nine
o'clock at night a party sallied from the council-house, and marching up the street to
disperse the mob, fired upon and wounded three of them. The mob, exasperated by this
attack, rushed in upon the party, and disarmed and wounded some of them. After this
recontre the mob placed guards at all the gates of the town, took possession of the
main-guard and rung the fire-bell, by which they drew together about 200 people. They
thereupon sent a message to Mr Oliphant, requiring him to withdraw immediately from the
town and yield up the arms, ammunition, &c. Mr Oliphant having refused, they rang the
fire-bell a second time, and hostilities commenced about two o'clock in the morning, and
continued about three hours. The people fired at the council-house from the heads of
lanes, from behind stairs, and from windows, so that the party within could not look out
without the greatest hazard. About five o'clock the mob dispersed. An Irish captain in the
French service was killed in the council-house, and three or four of Mr Oliphant's party
were wounded. Of the mob, which was without a leader, four were wounded. To preserve
order, about 60 of Lord Nairne's men were brought into the town next day, and these were
soon after joined by about 130 Highlanders. |
