i^ THE LIFE OF 



ture of the hufband fhe loved, and who doated 

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

 capable of producing fuch an eifed, in a coun- 

 try where fhe knew not a face except the Du- 

 chefs, nor could make her defires known in thd 

 language of the place. I reprefented to her 

 that my ftay at the army would be but fliort j 

 that my being in the fuite of the Prince would 

 infure me from much danger, even fuppofing 

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

 gine there would, for that certainly the Crimea 

 would be taken pofTeffion of without a (hot 

 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 enterprize ; I declared that, not con- 

 tented with following where he would lead, I 

 would endeavour to be foremoft in the field ^f 

 glory ; for that I was determined to fhew the 

 Ruffians 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 Ihe had received from me, and even 

 which was hardly enough to enable her to fup- 

 ^, port my departure, her Grace, with that hypo- 

 critical 



