IZCy 



Dr. G lag's Bepljj to Mr.-Laing, relative to [Sept. I,' 



oUicr wrirk ; r.-Iiich lie lins'grofsly mifrc- 

 picl'eulttl ill lii? Cftiidpondence withlMr. 

 iNaies, ;iu(i of >vliich, that 1 may de- 

 lirrvf liiai fi;r ever oi this cii(;inc of mir- 

 t:liicf, 1 btj; u avc, tiirougii the channel- 

 t>i' j'uui' Mai^.i/iof, to fubmit to tlie pub- 

 lic tjic t'iilowiiit; aulltr.tic dctdi!. 



i am iiidcfd t!;c author or' the letter, 

 r ai( b, uuiler the lii-iiature of " Grciror 

 >lacSiih," wa^pubhditdin the Monthly 

 Jlai:y/hie for July (ii;jt Augulrj 11Q{); 

 {>ucl It ifi like wile tine that, without fub- 

 fciihhig It, I adopted I lie apolopy for that 

 IcUcr wliich was publiihcd u\ the M;ca- 

 zine for May 1800. It is, however, fo tar 

 from bvin^tiiic that iny inotivts for writ- 

 ing the firll of thcfe papers ■were Aich as 

 iiv, Laing has hccii ))lfatcd to reprcfent 

 thtin in hi? cnu( r|'(,iitlciice v.itti Mr. 

 ?Sarc:., tluit 1 lluiU never ceafe to ti;ink 

 ll)Oiu, what they have been thought by 

 others, motives of iimiianity. The cafe 

 ■was hrietly as follows: — 



Mr. rionrlerleath," the recruit, wliom," 

 a.< Ml". I.aiiiii truly obferves, "an officer 

 (the ( onnuandcr) of the Clan-Alpine 

 rrf^tinerit of Tencibles had refufc.d to dil- 

 iiuis'.'it my re(|ueli," was the fun of a 

 Ctiitlenian, whom I had the plcaiure, 

 while he lived, to call my friend. Ij(^ 

 liadhirni'elf been an oliicer in the lii:e; 

 but, hecomina; diliipaled, had difpifed 

 of his cummiflion. Reduced to extre- 

 mity, and his father havii-.jj died in em- 

 LarralVed cireumihinces, he had, in l.on- 

 tlon, enlifuil as a eonunou foldier in the 

 Cian-.'Mpiue re;;in:ciit then raillnu;, of 

 ■»vhicli fl.e head--|uariers were at ^tn-linpf. 

 ilis \^ idowed )nolh(r, w ho had not he-ai'd 

 of iiim for many monlhs, was in an ■■)%r,~ 

 ny of diitrefs ou his siccount^ doubtful 

 v.hetlur he wa> aiixe or dead, till l)y one.' 

 of my iVjnily.to whom he iKirl been kiiyv ii 

 frwin his infancy, he wivs ae(;identiiiJy met • 

 in the fiveet of btirlins;. Iii the- mean • 

 time, fome friends, whom in his better 

 flays he had uuide for himielf, liad pro- 

 cured for him a connuillioa in the New 

 IJ.onu'.ey regiment of reneible C^avalry ; 

 niul llrat regiment he was re(^uired, wlnle 

 ju Stirlinir, to join Viy a ceitain day. 



'Ibefe cireunili-.uices, which can l;o 

 proved bv the nioft incontrovertible e\ i- 

 dcnce, ] tiated to the commander of the 

 (kin-Alpine reuiuient, paintinc; in ns 

 firikinn co!our> as- I conld tlie diitrefs of 

 ^h■^. I'lenlerlenth, who liad been in Stir- 

 I'dc to fee ler lc.n^-lo(l fon; and when I 

 concluded "ifh hicsiina; the yoiinc; man 

 oil', 1 wa? indeed ftaprifed at the terms 

 ill which my petition was rejccied. That 

 fiirprile wa.-. aggravated and combined, 

 v.jvh iiidi^uation, whui foon afterwards 



I learned, that Mr. flendcrleath, vi)ir» 

 had iione to vilit his mother, amltoecfuip 

 himfelf for rejoinii'.frkis rei7,iment, whicli, 

 if my memory does not dercive me, was 

 then' Rationed in Ireland, had been 

 brousht back to Stirlinij as a dtfeitrr, 

 and threatened, as fuch. with punilh- 

 mcul*. I had a Hiort time before read 

 the liiftorvof tiie Clan ]\[(ic-G regor, pub-' 

 liflied in the linl vohmie cf the work en- 

 titled Till' Ra'enpe <jl' Siotif/iid ; and the 

 curious: iuFi)rmatiouw!iich I had received 

 there op'eratinf; on the indignation which 

 I now felt, prompted me to write and 

 fend to the puhlliher of the ]\fonthly Ma- 

 gazine the letter lubfcribed " Gkeoor 

 M.\c Nab." 



It is iiot, however, trae, as Mr. Lain;; 

 alleys, that wlieii challcniicd as the au- 

 thor, I " at tirf} denied tdJ knowledce of . 

 the liht!, with folemn protellations oi'iny 

 innocence, and of my inviolable refpect^ 

 tor the clan and name of Mac-Gr^-aor." 

 The circumfianccs of the denial were aS" 

 follow : 



'' i'lie letter fubfcribed " Gregor Mac • 

 Nab" was lent from Stirlino; about tha 

 middle of MaiV l?f)9, and contained, at 

 the eiul oY it, a Ihoit note to the )>iib- 

 liiher of the Maj;a/ine, re(]uetiin;i him to 

 lay the manufcript before a mutual friend 

 — a man of letters, who would aid him 

 in forminij; a dccilion on the propriety of 



* I muft rcqueil it to he undcrftood, that [ 

 mean rot to tlirou- the Ihghtcft bhime on the 

 adtual condtft .of tlie commander of the re- ■ 

 gimcnt. He afl'iired me th.t he could not, 

 \\ithout the nuthority of the (,'ommandcr in 

 Chief, di.'"mifs .1 recruit ; tliough another offi- 

 cer h;iH afTuutl me that he could not keep as 

 a [comfnon (r)'i(li£r, a man who had the com- 

 miflion of cornet in another resimrnt. Tak- 

 ing it for grjnired, that tlie jud^'ment of the 

 colonel was mui> t<» be depended on, and 

 dreading the ccnfeuuence to Mr. Pli-ndvr- 

 Icath, (hould le be compelltii, whilft a com- 

 miflioned otficcr in one regiment:, to undergo 

 an infpcftion r,s a common recroit in another 

 not yet embodied ; I aliilled him In driiwing 

 up a mcmc>rial on liis. Cjfc to th^ late Sir 

 Ralph Abercromby, then Ccunmandcr in Chief 

 of the iorces in ScotUnd. The menioiial was , 

 prefentcd to that amiMble and gallant otliccr 

 on the dav before the Clan- Alpine recruits 

 were infpeAtd and cmliodicJ in a regiment ; 

 the young man was treated by him with great 

 kip"nc(V and corrpaPiion, and l»y hij Jircrtion 

 dilmiU'ed frojTi the regiment. He then joined 

 the regiment ot cavalry in whicli he was an 

 officer J when it was reduced, be went to Ben- i 

 gaj, where he obtained a commiffion in the , 

 third regiment of nat.vc cavalry ; and in the . 

 late war,. with HQU,;ir fell in battle,- frglitiirg 

 gallantly for hit king ajid coi^utry. • ::'1\ 



1 |>utjlilLiB^ 



