270 PATRICK BLAIR, SURGEON APOTHECARY.  [Szss. Lxx1. 
acquainted with the Earl of Mar to ask Mr. Petiver to call 
upon him. He tells him that the Earl “was a most curious 
person,” and would readily become a subscriber to his 
“Gazophylacium.” And further, Blair’s father, his brother, 
and, later on, his nephew, were all Stuart partisans, and both 
in 1715 and 1745 suffered for the cause, being amongst those 
excluded from the Act of Amnesty. The Doctor, perhaps, 
had other objects in view than sight-seeing and converse with 
medical men and botanists in that protracted journey of his 
back from London. That may be, though I doubtit. Certain 
it is, his next appearance in London is as prisoner in New- 
gate. In the “ Registrum de Panmure” an account is 
given of the Battle of Sheriffmuir, and the rescue of the 
Earl of Panmure, who was wounded, and had fallen into 
the hands of the Hanoverian troops. In the stirring story 
of this rescue, we learn that the Earl’s brother, Harry 
Maule of Kelly, was assisted by a Dr. Blair, who, both 
by Jervise and A. C. Lamb in “ Old Dundee,” has been 
identified with the Naturalist, and it was always a puzzle 
to me how Dr. Blair, if he was at Sheriffmuir, and accom- 
panied Panmure abroad, yet could about the same time be 
a prisoner in Newgate. The Stuart papers in the King’s 
collection at Windsor, published some time since in the 
Hist. MSS. Com. Reports, drew my attention to the 
fact that there was a Dr. John Blair—probably also a 
Dundee man—who was active in the cause, and to whom 
a commission was given as “ Physician to the King” (James 
VIIL). I got on the track of Dr. Patrick Blair when I 
found among the list of the officers of Lord Nairn’s battalion 
who surrendered at Preston, “ Patrick Blair, Chirurgeon.” 
As the surrender took place on the same day Sheritfmuir 
was fought (November 13th, 1715), it was evident the Dr. 
Blair of the rescue must be another person. From Preston 
the prisoners were removed to London, the journey being 
made in severe and wintry weather, and extending from 
3rd November to 9th December. It was made on horseback, 
the prisoners marching between troopers, with hands and 
arms pinioned. On their arrival in London the numbers 
were so large that they had to be distributed to various 
London prisons until they could be brought -to trial. Blair 
was placed in Newgate, and his trial took place on March 31st, 
