i^ THE LIF6 OF 



ture of the hufband fhe loved, and who doatea 

 upon her: nor was it an eafy talk to frame a letter 

 capable of producing fuch an effed, in a coun- 

 try where fhe knew not a face except the Du- 

 chefs, nor could make her delires known in thd 

 language of the place* I reprefented to her 

 that my ftay at the army would be but fhort ; 

 that my being in the fuite of the Prince would 

 infure me from much danger, even fuppofing 

 there lliould be any war, which I did not ima- 

 gine there would, for that certainly the Crimea 

 would^ be taken pofTefTion of without a fhot 

 being fired: finally, I promifed to fee her pre- 

 vious to my departure, and bring her to Narva, 

 where I had already fent to take a houfe. 



The fame courier carried a letter to the Du- 

 chefs, in a fomewhat more military flyle : I 

 dwelt upon the valour of Potemkin, and his 

 turn for entcrprize ; I declared that, not con- 

 tented with following where he would lead, I 

 would endeavour to be foremoft in the field of 

 glory ; for that I was determined to fhew the 

 Ruflians that a Scot was neither their inferior in 

 fupporting fatigue, nor encountering danger. 



The Duchefs betrayed the confidence I had 

 repofcd in her; for when my wife fhewed her 

 the letter fhe had received from me, and event 

 which was hardly enough to enable her to fup^ 

 port my departure, her Grace^ with that hypo- 

 critical 



