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mouth; but Mr. Humphreys scizing her, and two persons coming up, she was conducted to the watch house, where the guinea was found in her mouth, as above mentioned, by the constable of the night.

At her trial it was proved that she had called the men, one of whom knocked down the prosecutor; so that there could be no doubt of her being an accomplice with them; whereupon the jury brought her in guilty.

After conviction she appeared to have a proper idea of her former guilt, and the horrors of her present situation. In fact she was a sincere penitent, and lamented that pride of heart which had first seduced her to destruction.

Martha Tracy was hanged at Tyburn, on the 16th of February, 1745, behaving with the greatest decency and propriety to the last moment of her life.

The fate of this woman affords a striking lesson to girls against the taking pride in those personal charms which, the more brilliant they are, will be only the more likely to lead them to destruction. The idea she had formed of making a conquest of a man in a rank of life superior to her own served only to assist towards her ruin; but we cannot help thinking that he who could be base enough to seduce her

under solemn promises of marriage was still more guilty than herself, and in some degree an accessory to all the crimes she afterwards committed.

It seems strangely unnatural that the father should take away the child, and leave the mother to perish, or to subsist only in a most infamous manner, for which she had been qualified by the gratification of his passions!

In the gay hours of festivity men may triumph in the advantages they have gained over women in their ungarded moments; but surely Reflection must come, with all her attendant train of horrors. Conscience will assert her rights; and the misery the wicked seducer suffers in this life he ought to consider only as a prelude to the more aggravated torments he has to expect in the next.

If any one of the readers of this narrative has been guilty of the enormous crime we are now reprobating, it will become him to think seriously of the great work of reformation; and to repent, in the most unfeigned manner, while Providence yet permits him the opportunity of repentance. It ought to be remembered, by offenders of every class, that the God of mercy is also a God of justice.

THE EARL OF KILMARNOCK AND THE LORD

BALMERINO,

BEHEADED FOR HIGH TREASON.

HAVING given the history of the principal offenders who were exccuted for being concerned in the rebellion in 1715, our readers will naturally expect an account of those who suffered for the share they had in the subsequent insurrection; in which we shall be as particular as the limits of our plan will allow;

and, in our narrative of the unfortunate offenders, endeavour to divest ourselves of party prejudice as much as possible.

Great Britain being at war with France, and having an army in Flanders, the French thought that by making a descent in the north of Scotland, and fomenting a rebel

lion, the court of London would think it necessary to withdraw the troops from Flanders, which would enable the French to act with more effect against the allied army.

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That our government was not apprized of the preparations making to assist the Pretender is evident from the king's speech on the 2d of May, 1745, at the very time they were going on, wherein he informs his parliament, That the posture of affairs abroad had received a very considerable alteration, to the advantage of the common cause, and that thereby the influence of France was much weakened and diminish. ed, and a way opened to restore that strength and power to our ancient and natural allies which would tend greatly to the re-establishment and security of the balance of Europe.' On the 10th, the king, having placed the government of the nation in the hands of John, Lord Archbishop of Canterbury, and nineteen other privy counsellors, embarked at Harwich, on a visit to Hanover.

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The first notice which the British public had of the proceedings of the Pretender was from a paragraph in the General Evening Post, which said,The Pretender's eld. est son put to sea July 14, from France, in an armed ship of sixty guns, provided with a large quantity of warlike stores, together with a frigate of thirty guns, and a number of smaller armed vessels, in order to land in Scotland, where he expected to find twenty thousand men in arms, to make good his father's pretensions to the crown of Great Britain. He was to be joined by five ships of the line from Brest, and four thousand five hundred Spaniards were embarking at Ferrol.'

The young Pretender, followed by about fifty Scotch and Irish ad

venturers, came incog, through Normandy, and embarked on board a ship of war of eighteen guns, which was joined off Belleisle by the Elizabeth, and other ships. They intended to have sailed northabout, and have landed in Scotland. On the 20th they came up with an English fleet of merchant-vessels, under convoy of the Lion man of

war,

of fifty-eight guns, commanded by Captain Brett, who immediately bore down upon the French lineof-battle ship, which he engaged within pistol-shot five hours, being constantly annoyed by the smaller ships of the enemy. The rigging of the Lion was cut to pieces; her mizen-mast, mizen-topmast, mainyard, and fore-topsail, were shot away; all her lower masts and top masts shot through in many places, so that she lay muzzled on the sea, and could do nothing with her sails. Thus situated, the French ships sheered off, and the Lion could make no effort to follow them. Capt. Brett had forty-five men killed; himself, all his lieutenants, the master, several midshipmen, and one hundred and seven foremast men, wounded. His principal antagonist, the Elizabeth, with difficulty got back to Brest, quite disabled, and had sixty-four men killed, one hundred and thirty-nine dangerously wounded, and a number more slightly. She had on board four hundred thousand pounds sterling, and arms and ammunition for several thousand

men.

The French court, the expedition thus miscarrying, pretended ignorance of the circumstance.

Meanwhile, the Camerons, the Macdonalds, and many other clans, were in arms, in expectation of their friends from France. They came down into the lowlands in parties, carried off by force many

men to fill their ranks, and committed various other disorders.

The Pretender, having embarked in another ship, again sailed from France, and eluded the English cruisers so as to give him an opportunity of landing, which he effected with his followers on the Isle of Sky, opposite to Lochabar, in the county of Inverness, about the end of the month of July, taking up his residence at the house of a papist priest, with whom he remained three weeks, while his emissaries were raising men for his service. At length, at the head of about two thousand, he began his march, under a standard on which was the motto Tandem triumphans'—'At length triumphant.'

The rebels now marched towards Fort William, where the young Pretender published a manifesto, which his father had signed at Rome, containing abundant promises to such as would adhere to his cause; two of which were, a dissolution of the union between the two kingdoms, and a payment of the national debt.

This circumstance induced many of the ignorant country people to flock to his standard, till at length his undisciplined rabble began to assume the appearance of an army, which struck terror to the wellaffected wherever it came.

These transactions, however, had not passed so secretly, but that the governor of Fort William informed the Lord Justice Clerk of Edinburgh of all he could learn of the affair, on which the latter dispatched an express to the north, ordering the assistance of all officers, civil and military; and this express arrived about the time that the Pretender erected his standard.

The governor of Fort William, having received these orders, dispatched two companies of St. Clair's

and Murray's regiments of foot to oppose the rebels. These were attacked by a far superior number of Highlanders, which they contended against until they fired away all their ammunition ; after which they were attacked in front, flank, and rear, and near half their number killed before they surrendered. Captain Scott, their brave commander, was wounded; but the rebels gave him and his remaining officers their parole of honour, while the private soldiers were sent to prison.

In the interim the Lord Justice Clerk directed Sir John Cope, commander-in-chief of the forces in the south of Scotland, to march against the rebels; but, in making the circuit of the immense mountains of Argyleshire, the two armies failed to meet; on which Sir John went to Inverness, to refresh his troops after the fatigue of the march.

The armies having thus casually missed cach other, the rebels proceeded to Perth, and, having taken possession of that place, the Pre.. tender issued his orders for all persons who were in possession of public money to pay it into the hands of his secretary, whose receipts should be a full acquittal for the same.

The rebel numbers had now greatly increased, and in September the Pretender issued a proclamation. The provost and magistrates left the city, and others were immediately appointed in their room. Here the rebels were joined by a person calling himself the Duke of Perth, Lord George Murray, Lord Nairn, the Hon. William Murray, Messrs. Oliphant, father and son, of Gask, George Kelly, Esq. (who, with the late Bishop of Rochester, was committed to the Tower, and thence escaped), and several other Scotch gentlemen of influence, with

their followers, making a formida- House. The money in the bank of

ble army.

The official papers distributed began thus: Charles, Prince of Wales, and Regent of Scotland, England, France, and Ireland, and of the dominions thereto belonging.' In the mean time General Cope sent from Inverness an express to Aberdeen, for the transport-vessels in that harbour to be ready to receive his troops; and, embarking on the 18th of September, he disembarked them at Dunbar.

During these transactions General Guest, who commanded the castle of Edinburgh, gave the magistrates of that city several pieces of cannon for the defence of the place; and Colonel James Gardiner repaired from Stirling thither, with two regiments of dragoons; but, learning that General Cope had landed at Dunbar, which is twenty-seven miles east of Edinburgh, he proceeded to effect a junction with that general.

On the 7th of September another party of rebels took possession of the town of Dundee, proclaimed the Pretender, searched for arms, and levied money on the inhabitants, giving receipts for the same. They seized a ship, and steered her to Perth, supposing there was gunpowder on board. On the 11th they left Perth, and marched that day to Dumblaine, twenty miles; but the next day only two, to Down. Their army crossed the Forth at the fords of Frews on the 13th (General Blakeney having destroyed the bridge), and directed their course towards Glasgow; but they shortly after turned to the eastward, and marched by Falkirk to Callington, four miles from Edinburgh.

The following day the Pretender proceeded through the Royal Park, and took possession of Holyrood

Edinburgh, and the records in the public offices, were now removed to the castle for security, and the gates of the city were kept fast during the whole day; but five hundred of the rebels, having concealed themselves in the suburbs, took

an opportunity, at four o'clock the next morning, to follow a coach which was going in, and, seizing the gate called the Netherbow, they maintained their ground while the main body reached the centre of the city, and formed themselves in the Parliament Close.

Thus possessed of the Scotish capital, they seized two thousand stand of arms, and, on the follow. ing day, marched to oppose the royal army under the command of General Cope; and the two armies being within sight of each other, near Preston Pans, on the evening of the 20th, Col. Gardiner earnestly recommended it to the general to attack them during the night; but, deaf to this advice, he kept the men under arms till morning, though they were already greatly harassed.

At five in the morning the rebels made a furious attack on the royal army, which was thrown into unspeakable confusion by two regiments of dragoons falling back on the foot. Colonel Gardiner, with five hundred foot, behaved with uncommon valour, and covered the retreat of those who fled; but the colonel receiving a mortal wound, the rebels made prisoners of nearly all the rest of the king's troops.

The following account of this disaster was issued from Whitehall, London:

By an express arrived this morning, we are informed that Sir John Cope, with the troops under his command, was attacked by the rebels on the 21st instant, at day

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break, at Preston, near Seaton, seven miles from Edinburgh; that the king's troops were defeated; and that Sir John Cope, with about four hundred and fifty dragoons,

had retired to Lauder.'

The loss sustained by the king's troops was:-killed, three hundred; wounded, four hundred and fifty; taken prisoners, five hundred and twenty; total, one thousand two hundred and seventy.

The rebels did not lose more than fifty men.

Flushed with this partial victory, the insurgents returned in high spirits to Edinburgh. They now sent foraging troops through the country, with orders to seize all the horses and waggons they could find ; and, in the interim, a party of them attempted to throw up an intrenchment on the castle-hill. Hereupon the governor, necessitated to oppose the assailants, yet anxious for the safety of the inhabitants, sent a messenger in the night to intimate to those who lived near the castlehill that they would do well to remove out of danger.

As soon as it was daylight the battery of the rebels was destroyed by a discharge of the great cannon from the Half-moon, and thirty of them killed, with three of the inhabitants, who had rashly ventured near the spot.

The governor being greatly deficient in provisions, a gentleman ordered above fifty fine bullocks to be driven into the city, on a pretence that they were for the use of the rebels; and the persons who drove them leaving them on the castle-hill, the governor and five hundred men sallied forth, and drove them in at the gate, while the rebels played their artillery with unremitting fury.

While these misguided men continued in Edinburgh, which was about seven wecks, some noblemen

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The officers taken at the battle of Preston were admitted to their parole, but the privates were ill treated. Their allowance was only three halfpence each per day, and their prison filthy, and destitute of accommodations. This was prac tised in order to induce them to enlist under the banners of the Pretender, and they were tampered with, promised the best treatment, new clothing, and five guineas per man, on their taking St. James's Palace.' One hundred and twenty, oppressed by hunger on the one hand, and tempted by hope of gain on the other, were not able to withstand these double incentives, and turned rebels and papists, thus forfeiting both their honour and their lives.

About this time some ships from France arrived in the Forth, laden with ammunition ; and a person who accompanied the Pretender was dignified with the title of ambassador from his Most Christian Majesty.

General Wade had now the command of some forces which had

reached Yorkshire; and some Dutch troops being sent to augment these, he marched to Newcastle, with a view to deter the rebels from entering the southern part of the kingdom.

That celebrated prelate, the late Dr. Herring, Archbishop of York, distinguished himself gloriously on this interesting occasion. Joining with the high-sheriff to assemble the freeholders, the archbishop preached an animated sermon to them; and then the several parties agreed to assist each other in support of

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