pleased with what had been done, that he refused to accept what Willes offered; observing, that he ought to have the glory of finishing the task, since he had the merit of commencing it. With the increased forces which Willes now had under his command, the town was immediately invested on every side, and more formidable preparations were made for a renewed assault.

Forster, however, completely lost heart, on seeing Carpenter's troops added to those who formerly threatened him; and, about two o'clock that afternoon, he sent out his principal adviser, Colonel Oxburgh, to ask terms of surrender. This step,

it must be observed, was taken without the advice, and even without the knowledge, of the leading men in the army: it was the result alone of the timidity of Forster himself, Lord Widdrington, Colonel Oxburgh, and some others. The Highlanders, instead of entertaining any such notions at the moment, were agitating a proposal for breaking through the King's troops, sword in hand, and then endeavouring to regain their native country. They were indeed so adverse to the idea of a surrender, that, according to the report of a person present with them that day, they would have unquestionably shot Colonel Oxburgh as he was passing out to the royalists, if they had been aware of his errand.

When Oxburgh was first introduced to General Willes, he experienced a reception very different from what he had expected. Instead of finding the General eager to make a bargain, as circumstances had led him to hope, he himself was with difficulty permitted to make a proposal. Willes told him that he would not treat with rebels: they

had killed a great number of his Majesty's subjects, and they must expect to undergo the same fate. Oxburgh used many entreaties, and obtested the General, as a man of honour and an officer, to show mercy to people that were willing to submit. Willis then condescended to say, that, if they would lay down their arms, and surrender themselves prisoners at discretion, he would pre vent the soldiers from cutting them in pieces till further orders. For the consideration of this offer, he proposed to allow an hour. Oxburgh immediately returned, and reported the result of his mission. It is not known what effect it produced upon the minds of those who heard it. But, before the hour was expired, Mr Dalziel, brother of the Earl of Carnwath, was sent out to inquire what terms General Willes would allow to his countrymen in particular. Willes answered, that he would give no other terms than those already offered through Colonel Oxburgh. Dalziel then requested that his constituents might be allowed till seven o'clock next morning to consider the best method of delivering themselves up. The General said that he might do so, on condition that they should give him satisfactory hostages against their throwing up new intrenchments, or suffering any of their number to escape. Dalziel having expressed no hesitation on this score, General Willes sent Colonel Cotton back with him to town, to bring out the hostages.

The Earl of Derwentwater, and MacIntosh of Borlum, being selected for this service, Colonel Cotton soon after returned to his General's tent, having previously received the parole of all the noblemen and gentlemen, that they would observe

the proposed conditions. During that afternoon, the most violent disputes raged amongst the various component parts of the insurgent force. The Highlanders, enraged to the last degree at the dishonour about to be brought upon them, were in a state of absolute mutiny. Several individuals were killed, and a great many more wounded, in the course of their disturbances. As for Mr Forster, if he had appeared on the street, he would have been slain, though he had had a hundred lives. An attempt was made upon his life, even in his own chamber. A Mr Murray, who had entered to remonstrate against the surrender, was so enraged as to fire a pistol at him, the ball of which would certainly have pierced his body, had not Mr Patten, his chaplain, struck up the arm of the intending assassin, just at the moment of the discharge.

Next morning, at seven, Forster sent a messenger to General Willes, informing him that the gentlemen assembled in Preston were disposed to submit according to the terms proposed. Brigadier MacIntosh, one of the two hostages, was in the tent when this message was delivered, and could not help remarking, that he did not believe the Scots would yield on such terms. They were people, he said, of desperate fortunes; and he, who had been a soldier himself, knew what it was to be a prisoner at discretion. "Then go back to your people again," exclaimed Willes; " and I will attack your town, and not spare a man of you. MacIntosh went into the town, as desired; but immediately came back with an assurance that Lord Kenmure and the rest of the Scots

would surrender on the same terms with the English. 6

The English army then entered Preston in two detachments, and meeting in the market-place, where the whole of the insurgents were assembled, took possession of their arms, and formally made them prisoners. Among the captives were seventy-five English, and a hundred and fortythree Scottish noblemen and gentlemen, all of whom were disposed under guards in the principal inns. The common men, amounting in all to fourteen hundred, whereof a thousand were Scotch, were confined in the church. It might have been expected, from the great accessions they had received during the last few days, that there would have been more prisoners; but, probably, many of the rustics had made their escape during the day of the blockade, or were not distinguished by the soldiers at the surrender. Seventeen of their number had been killed in the defence; while, of the assailants, there were between sixty and seventy killed, and as many more wounded.

Thus ended, with a most humiliating surrender, one grand division of the insurrection of 1715.7

CHAPTER VII.

ARRIVAL OF THE CHEVALIER IN SCOTLAND.

And I shall sing a ranting sang,

That day our King comes ower the water.

Lady Keith's Lament.

THE partial defeat of Sheriffmuir, and the absolute rendition of Preston, were not the only inju ries which the Jacobite cause sustained at the fatal point of time now under view. Almost on the same day with both of these unhappy incidents, the insurgent garrison of Inverness was reduced by the Whiggish clans, under Duncan Forbes of Culloden and Lord Lovat; the last of whom had recently seen fit to appear on the government side, for the purpose of establishing his somewhat questionable title against the pretensions of a lady whose husband had joined the opposite interest. The loss of Inverness was of great consequence to the insurgents; for it caused the Earl of Seaforth and the Marquis of Huntly to leave the camp with most of their men, in order to protect their respective countries from the new garrison; and it supplied the enemy with a sort of point-d'appui, by which to annoy and check all the in