124 Transactions. 



anything whicli might tend to disunite us at this time, so I joined 

 in the subscription with others, though ye lirst project of enlisting 

 was not quiet conclusive in case more money could be got than 

 to answer ye present exigency. My present view, and which I 

 flatter myself your Grace will approve of, is to have nothing to 

 do with tliat money in paying ye above number of men, ych I 

 propose to raise upon yt emergency. I expect a good many will 

 come out on their own charge, and to ye i-est I propose to give 8d 

 per day, ych will amount to no great sum, as I don't suppose we 

 can be long together, nor would it indeed be proper we should, 

 as we have no person of authority to conduct us." 



Tlie skirmish which Mr Fergusson refers to in tlie beginning of 

 his letter was probably that at Clifton which T have already 

 mentioned, but his information represented a rather more favour- 

 able result for the Government forces than was actually the case. 

 We also learn from this letter that some of the members of the 

 committees of the Presbytery and county gentlemen appointed in 

 September previous were not satisfied with the resolution not to 

 arm the county, and that they took some independent and informal 

 steps to this end, only to meet with * discouragement at head- 

 quarters. 



Of the meeting of the Presbytery of Penpont referred to by 

 Mr Fergusson, there is no mention in the records of that body ; 

 but we get some evidence of the " meeting at Dumfries of the 

 gentlemen and clergy," which, when writing on 18th December, 

 he states as taking place on Monday last, which was the 16th. 

 That meeting was organised by a Standing Committee of the 

 Synod of Dumfries appointed with special reference to the then 

 existing condition of ali^iirson 8th October, 1745, but the actings 

 of that Committee do not appear in the minutes of the Synod. 

 In the minutes of the Presbytery of Dumfries, however, there 

 occurs under date 11th December, 1745, the following entry : — 

 " It being represented that a meeting of the Standing Committee 

 of Synod that it had been agreed that the ministers of the bounds 

 should join with the gentlemen of the town and country in an 

 association for the defence of the King and the present happy 

 Constitution against the Popish Pretender, in whose favour the 

 Rebellion was now carried on by Papists and other disaffected 

 persons in the kingdom, headed by the said Pretender's son, and 

 it being represented that the said association was now opened in 

 town, and a subscription of money begun in support of the said 



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