ARTILLERY COMPANY IN SCOTLAND AT THE TIME OF THE UNION. 987 
no time in writing to Lord Teviot and airing his grievance. The 
equally irate Commander-in-Chief sent the following stinger to Captain 
Slezer |! who was sorrowing for his first-born in Holyrood House :— 
*“ LONDON, 
ISSIR, * March—1699. 
“JT thought you understood your duty better as to dis- 
obeying orders from such as command you which, in time and place 
convenient, we shall talk of; and now only once more command you 
to place that Crecutt who formerly was Lieutenant in Sir William 
Douglas’s regiment to be gentleman of the cannon” in the Artillery 
Company. It seems the Harl of Argyle will continue to meddle in 
business he is not concerned in which you may tell him he was not in 
this. You did very well. Know that a gentleman of the cannon never 
had the King’s commission and if it had been so it was not the Harl of 
Argyle’s to meddle with. 
Sivan Sir. 
“Your servant, 
“TEVvIOT.” 
On receipt of this epistle Slezer re-instated Lieutenant Crecutt and 
displaced Lord Argyll’s nominee. This action was speedily reported 
to MacCullum More who appears to have been a man of strong 
passions and indomitable energy. He went in person and tackled 
Slezer in the Court of Sessions,> where the gallant captain was a 
frequent visitor on account of summonses for debt, and taking Lord 
Teviot’s letter out of Slezer’s hand hurried off in a towering rage to 
Mr. Aitkin, the Secretary at War, who had the commission entry 
books in his office. From these books he took what he called 
“doubles” of certain commissions to prove that the King, who had 
the power of granting acts over all in the army, had given an act to 
Captain Slezer’s late son to be Master-Gunner as well as to other 
officers of hke rank.* Armed with these proofs Lord Argyll sat down 
and wrote a vituperative letter about Lord Teviot to the Rey. 
William Carstairs, Scottish chaplain to William III., who had the 
King’s private ear and who was consulted by his Majesty on all 
business connected with Scotch affairs—hence the court that the 
highest in Scotland paid this worthy chaplain who accompanied the 
King on his campaigns and who made a good use of the power he 
possessed. In order to lose no time Lord Argyll sent his letter to 
Mr. Carstairs, enclosing his “proofs”? and the identical letter sent 
by Lord Teviot to Captain Slezer, by Lord Lorne who set off for 
London post-haste. And he followed up this budget by another letter 
1 The sub-joined letter to Captain Slezer is given in the Carstairs State Papers, p. 470. 
2 The term ‘* Gentleman of the Cannon” as used by Lord Teviot is somewhat misleading for 
Slezer’s son was a Master-Gunner and is so noted in Lord Argyll’s letter to Mr. Carstairs, dated 
16th March, 1699. In the Low Countries where Lord Teviot had passed most of his military 
career Gunners and Master-Gunners were styled Stackyonkers or ‘‘ Gentlemen of the Cannon.” 
3 Lord Argyll to Mr. Carstairs. Carstairs State Papers, p. 469. 
4 «T send you,” wrote Lord Argyll to Mr. Carstairs, “a double of the King’s commission 
granted to George Calcleugh, immediate predecessor to Captain Slezer’s son who died last in whose 
place Teviot now has placed one.’’—Ibid. ' 
