122 Transactions. 
a check at Annan water, no effort was made to oppose the rebels 
or to defend the burgh. Most of you are conversant with the 
incidents which took place in Dumfries at this time, but I think 
it will be of interest to hear Mr Fergusson’s account of them. 
On 18th December he wrote to the Duke as follows :— 
‘“Upon Monday last there was a meeting at Dumfries of the 
gentlemen and clergy, when we received intelligence that the 
Duke of Cumberland had come up with ye rebels near Lancaster, 
yt his vanguard had beat a party of ym and driven ym into yt 
toun, where he had ye main body inclosed, yt the Duke of Perth 
with 110 horse, among ym ye Pretender’s son and a good many 
of ye chiefs were said to be, had got away, and were come upon 
Saturday night last to Shap, yt an express was come to Penrith 
on Sunday morning from the Duke desiring the country might 
rise and take care of ye stragglers, and that he would take care of 
ye main body. This account yt was confirmed by several letters 
determined ye meeting to agree to raise a considerable body of 
the best men in this shire and the neighbouring parishes of the 
Stewartry of Kirkcudbright to secure all the passes in the county. 
The Presbytery of Penpont are to meet at Thornhill to-morrow, 
when I intend to make up a company of at least 100 men out of 
your Grace’s tenants in ye parishes of Kirkconnel, Sanquhar, 
Durisdeer, and Morton. These, I believe, will be sufficient at 
present, and are as many asI can get any way armed. 
‘“‘ A subscription was set on foot last week by some people at 
Dumfries for raising a sum of money to levy men for six months 
for recruiting ye regiments now in Scotland at ye expense of £4 
bounty money to each man. It was proposed to me to write to 
your Grace concerning it. I declined yt till ye scheme should be 
approven by a public meeting of ye gentlemen, and, indeed, I 
thought altogether unnecessary to give you the trouble of a letter 
concerning it, as the time fixed by ye proclamation—viz., to the 
25th inst.—for enlisting men to be discharged at the end of six 
months must be elapsed before any return from your Grace could 
be expected. I own I also disapproved the scheme. First, 
because I saw no probability of getting even ye small number 
which were proposed, being 120 men, to enlist in a place so thinly 
inhabited, and where there are so few manufactures as in this 
country ; secondly, because T thought it would take to enlist even 
yt number a sum yt in ye present scarcity of money could not 
well be spared here in case ye Militia should be ordered to rise ; 
