THE RISING OF 1719. 409 



to embark upon the enterprise. He found the Marquis of 

 Tullibardine at Orleans ; he met Seaforth, Campbell of 

 Glendaruel, and a brother of Lord Duffus* in Paris. Sea- 

 forth was at first unwilling to take part in such a doubtful 

 venture, but on pressure being brought to bear upon him, 

 apparently by the Chevalier's agent, General Dillon, he 

 yielded. James Keith's party embarked at Havre on 8th 

 Marcht in a small vessel of twenty-five tons, bound for 

 Lewis, where they were to meet the Earl Marischal and 

 his companions. They had a lucky escape from capture 

 when off Land's End. They passed, unobserved, through 

 an English fleet, which at first they took to be Ormonde's 

 ships, but which turned out to be a squadron of King 

 George's warships, employed in carrying troops from Ire- 

 land to England to repel the expected invasion. On 24th 

 March, James Keith and his party arrived at Lewis, landing, 

 apparently, at Loch Roag. On inquiring about the Earl 

 Marischal, Keith discovered that his brother's frigates had 

 not yet arrived, nor could he ascertain any news about 

 them. After a lapse of some days, intelligence reached 

 Keith that the frigates had arrived via Barra on the east 

 side of Lewis. He immediately set out to meet his brother, 

 only to find, from a " gentleman of the country," that the 

 ships had gone on to Stornoway, " the only toun, or rather 

 village, on all the island." The two brothers exchanged 

 confidences, the younger telling the Earl Marischal that he 

 had discovered a feeling of dissatisfaction among some of 

 his associates, on account of the way the Duke of Mar had, 

 in their opinion, been slighted. James Keith also told his 

 brother that just before embarking, Tullibardine received 

 from General Dillon a commission, the nature of which 

 had not been disclosed to him ; but that the Marquis had 

 declared to him that he was ready to obey any one who 

 had a higher commission than his own. This was the first 



* Lord Duffus himself, after his release from the Tower, where he was 

 confined till the passing of the Act of Indemnity, went abroad and died 

 an Admiral in the Russian service. 



t The dates given in connexion with this expedition are " old style " 

 throughout. 



