Assert we serve a Parricide Or an Incendiarie; But we will murder, sham, and trick, But if they chance to temporize, And tell King James of their franchise, The rogues, and them beguile; This is in our author's best manner; but he is also capable of a more lofty and dignified strain, though his temperament perhaps, and probably still more the circumstances in which he was placed, habitually inclined him to" crack the satiric thong." The following stanzas well become the intrepid warrior who fought and died for the cause of Religion and of Liberty: they form part of a short poem, entitled, "Some few Lines composed by him for divertisement from melancholie thoughts, when travelling abroad. To the tune of Fancy free." "Through razing rage of cursed kings, Whom vicious souls admire ; Through unjust sentences which springs From avarice or ire; Or some such like infernall cause, Whence guiltless people quake Before his face, whose sword, whose laws, Should their oppressors shake; Through firie fevers, wasting wounds, Through melancholious want, Through sad distastures which abounds Through calumnies, through frauds and slights, That moveth mortals' mind, Through slandering tongues of brutish wights, To baser wayes inclined: If, when travers'd by all such fates, A soul may have a sure solace, Upon the whole, though William Cleland, compared with the great English poets of the preceding age,with Dryden, or even with his more direct prototype, the author of Hudibras, sinks into a rude and unskilful versifier; yet his poetical talents were unquestionably superior to any that the Tory party could then oppose to them; and if his genius be estimated (as it ought to be) rather from what it promised than performed,-and with due consideration of the lamentable state of poetry at that time in Scotland, and of all the peculiar disadvantages under which Cleland wrote,-the reader, we think, will be inclined to assign him a very honourable niche in our national Temple of Fame, not only as a Scots Worthy,' but like wise as a Scottish Poet. THE EXACT NARRATIVE OF THE CONFLICT AT DUNKELD, BETWIXT THE EARL OF ANGUS'S REGIMENT AND THE REBELS. Collected from several Officers of that Regi ment, who were Actors in, or Eye-wit nesses to, all that's here Narrated, in reference to these Actions. THE said regiment being then betwixt seven and eight hundred men, arrived at Dunkeld Saturndays night, the 17 of Au-.. gust, 1689, under the command of Lieutenant-Collonel William Cleland, a brave and singularly well accomplished gentleman, within 28 years of age. Immediately they found themselves obliged to lie at their arms, as being in the midst of their enemies.Sunday at nine in the morning, they began some retrenchments within the Marquess of Athol's yard-dykes; the old breaches whereof they made up with loose stones, and scaffolded the dykes about. In the after noon, about three hundred men appear'd upon the hills on the north side of the town, who sent one with a white cloth upon the top of a halbert, with an open unsubscribed paper, in the fashion of a letter, directed to the commanding officer, wherein was written, We the gentlemen assembled, being informed that ye intend to burn the town, desire to know whether ye come for peace or zwar, and do certifle you, that if ye burn any one house, we will destroy you. The Lieutenant-Collonel returned answer in writ, to this purpose, We are faithful subjects to King William and Queen Mary, and enemies to their enemies; and if you send those threats, shall make any hostile appearance, we will burn all that belongs to you, and otherwise chastise you as you deserve. But in the mean time he caused solemnly proclaim, in the mercat-place, his majesty's indemnity, in the hearing of him who brought the foresaid paper. Munday morning two troops of horse, and three of dragoons, arrived at Dunkeld, under the command of the Lord Cardross, who viewed the fields all round, and took six prisoners, but saw no body of men, they being retired to the woods. Munday night they had intelligence of a great gathering by the Fiery Cross; and Tuesday morning many people appeared upon the tops of the hills, and they were said to be in the woods and hills about Dunkeld more than 1000 men. About eight of the clock, the horse, foot, and dragoons, made ready to march out, but a detach'd party was sent before of fourty fusiliers, and fifteen halbertiers, under the command of Captain George Munro, and thirty horse with Sir James Agnew, and twenty dragoons with the Lord Cardross his own cornet; after them followed Ensign Lockhart with thirty halbertiers; the halberts were excellent weapons against the Highlanders swords and targets, in case they should rush upon the shot with their accustomed fury. They marched also at a competent distance before the body; one hundred fusiliers more under the command of Captain John Campbel and Captain Robert Hume, two brave young gentlemen; and upon the first fire with the enemy, Captain Borthwick, Captain Haries, with 200 musquetiers and pikes, were like wise commanded to advance towards them. The Lieutenant-Collonel having proposed by that method to get advantage of the enemy in their way of loose and furious fighting. The body followed, having left only an hundred and fifty foot within the dykes. The first detached party, after they had marched about two miles, found before them, in a glen, betwixt two and three hundred of the rebels, who fired at a great distance, and shot Cornet Livingston in the leg. The horse retired, and Captain Monro took up their ground, and advanced, fireing upon the rebels to so good purpose, that they began to reel and break, but rallied on the face of the next hill, from whence they were again beat. About that time the LieutenantCollonel came up, and ordered Captain Monro to send a serjeant with six men to a s house on the side of a wood, where he espyedra some of the enemies; upon the serjeant's!! approach to the place, about twenty of the rebels appeared against him, but he was quickly seconded by the captain, who beat them over the hill, and cleared the ground of as many as appeared without the woods; and upon a command sent to him, brought off his men in order. Thereafter all the horse, foot, and dragoons, retired to the town; and that night the horse and dragoons marched to Perth, the Lord Cardross, who commanded them, having received two peremptory orders for that effect. The se cond was sent to him upon his answer to the first; by which answer he told they were engaged with the enemy, and it was neces sary he should stay. In that action three of Captain Monro's s party were wounded, one of which died of his wounds. William Sandilands, a cadee, nephew to the Lord Torphichen, and aH very young youth, being of that party, dis- 1962 charged his fusie upon the enemy elevenw times. The prisoners taken the next day, told that the rebels lost about thirty men in that action. } After the horse and dragoons were march ed, some of the officers and souldiers of the Earl of Angus's regiment proposed, that they might also march, seeing they were in an open useless place, ill provided of alloy things, and in the midst of enemies, growing still to greater numbers (the vanguard an of Canons army having appeared before they came off the field). The brave Lieute. Ak nant-Collonel, and the rest of the gentlemen officers amongst them, used all arguments of honour to persuade them to keep their T post. And for their encouragement, and to assure them they would never leave them;s yftor they ordered to draw out all their horses, to be shot dead. The souldiers then told them, they needed not that pledge for their honour, which they never doubted. And seeing they found their stay necessar, they would run all hazards with them. Wednesday, with the mornings light, the rebels appeared, standing in order, covering all the hills about (for Canons army joyned the Athole men in the night before, and they were repute in all above 5000 men). Their baggage marched alongst the hills towards the west, and the way that leads into Athole, consisting of a train of many more than 1000 horses. Before seven in the morning, their cannon advanced downe to the face of a little hill, closs upon the town, and 100 men, all armed with back, breast, and head-piece, marched straight to enter the town, and a battalion of other foot of closs with them. Two troops of horse marched about the town, and posted on the onĜ south-west part of it, betwixt the foord of these river and the church; and other two troops, posted in the north-east side of the town, near the Cross, who in the time of the conAlict shewed much eagerness to encourage and push on the foot. The Lieutenant-Collonel had before possest some outposts with small parties, to whom he pointed out every step for their retreat. Captain William Hay and Ensign Lockhart were posted on a little hill, and the ensign was ordered with 28 men to advance to a stone-dyke at the foot of it; they were attack'd by the rebels, who were in armour, and the foresaid other battalion. And after they had entertained them briskly with their fire, for a pretty space, the rebels forc'd the dyke, and oblig'd them to retire, firing from one little dyke to another, and at length to betake themselves to the house and yard-dykes. In which retreat Captain Hay had his leg broken, and the whole party came off without any more hurt. A lieutenant was posted at the east end of the town with 18 men, who had three advanced sentinels ordered, upon the rebels close approach, to fire and retire, which accordingly they did; and the lieutenant, after burning of some houses, brought in his party. Lieutenant Stuart was plac'd in a baricado at the Cross, with 20 men, who, seeing the other lieutenant retire, brought his men from that ground, and was killed in the retreat, there being a multitude of the rebels upon them. Lieutenant Forrester and Ensign Campbell were at the west end of the town with in some little dykes, with 24 men, who fired sharply upon the enemies horse, until great numbers of foot attack'd their dykes, and forc'd them to the church, where were two lieutenants and about one hundred men. All the out-posts being forc'd, the rebels advanced most boldly upon the yard-dykes all round, even upon those parts which stood within less than fourty paces from the river, where they crowded in multitudes, without regard to the shot liberally pour'd in their faces, and struck with their swords at the souldiers upon the dyk, who with their pikes and halberts returned their blows with interest. Others in great numbers possest the town houses, out of which they fired within the dyks, as they did from the hills about; and by two shots at once, one through the head, and another through the liver, the brave Lieutenant-Collonel was killed while he was visiting and exhorting the officers and souldiers at their several posts. He attempted to get into the house, that the souldiers might not be discouraged at the sight of his dead body, but fell by the way. And immediately thereafter, Major Henderson received several wounds, which altogether disabled him, and whereof he died four days after. Captain Caldwal was shot The Lieutenant-Collonel being dead, and the major disabled about an hour after th action began (which was before seven in the morning), the command fell to Captai Monro, who left his own post to Lieutenan Stuart of Livingstoun. And finding th souldiers galled in several places by th enemies shot from the houses, he sent ou small parties of pike-men with burning fag gots upon the points of their pikes, who fir ed the houses; and where they found kep in the doors, lock't them and burnt all with in, which raised a hideous noise from thes wretches in the fire. There were sixtee of them burnt in one house, and the whck houses were burnt down except three, where in some of the regiment were advantagecu ly posted. But all the inhabitants of th town, who were not with the enemy or to the fields, were received by the souldie into the church, and sheltered there. Notwithstanding all the gallant resistance which these furious rebels met with, they continued their assaults uncessantly past eleven of the clock,-in all which time! there was continual thundering of shot from both sides, with flames and smoak, and hideous cries, filling the air. And which was very remarkable, though the house were burnt all round, yet the smoak d them, and all the shot from both sides, was carryed everywhere outward from the dyks upon the assailants as if a wind had blowa every way from the center within. At length, the rebels wearied with many fruitless and expensive assaults, and finding no abatement of the courage or dilgence of their adversaries, who treated them with continual shot from all their posts, they gave over, and fell back, and run to the hills in great confusion. Whereupon they within beat their drums, and flourished their colours, and hollowed after them, with all expressions of contempt and provocations, to return. Their commanders assay'd to bring them back to a fresh assault, as some prisoners related, but could not prevail; for they answered them, they could fight against men, but it was not fit to fight any more against devils. The rebels being quite gone, they within began to consider where their greatest dan ger appeared in time of the conflict; and for rendering these places more secure, they brought out the seats of the church, with which they made pretty good defences, es pecially they fortified these places of the dys which were made up with loose stones, poor defence against such desperate as sailiants. They also cut down some trees on a little hill where the enemy gall'd them under covert. Their powder was almost spent, and their bullets had been spent long before, which they supplied by the dili in the breast, and is not like to recover. Captain Borthwick was shot through the gence of a good number of men, who were arm going with succours to the church. imployed all the time of the action in cutAnd Captain Steil got a wound in the shoul- ting lead off the house, and melting the der, which he caused pance, and returned again to his post. same in little furrows in the ground, and bullets. They agreed, that in case the enemy got over their dykes, they should retire to the house, and if they should find themselves overpower'd there, to burn it, and bury themselves in the ashes. In this action 15 men were killed, besides the officers named, and 30 wounded. The account of the enemies loss is uncertain, but they are said to be above 300 slain, amongst whom were some persons of note. That handful of unexperienced men was wonderfully animated to a stedfast resist ance against a multitude of obstinat furies. But they gave the glory to God, and praised him, and sung psalms, after they had fitted themselves for a new assault. Amongst many who shewed extraordinary courage, some young gentlemen cadees deserve a special testimony and remembrance -as William Sandilands above named, James Pringle of Hultrie, William Stirling of Mallachen, James Johnstoun, a reformed lieutenent, and others. Diverse officers besides those above specified, viz. another Captain John Campbel, Captain Harries, Lieutenent Henry Stuart, Lieutenent Charles Dalyel, Lieutenent Oliphant, Lieutenent Thomas Haddo, Ensign William Hamilton, and most of all the officers, behaved very worthily at their several posts throughout the whole action, and deserve well to be recorded as men of worth and valour. And the whole souldiers did every thing with such undaunted courage, and so little concern, in all the dangers and deaths which surrounded them and stared them in their faces, that they deserve to be recommended as examples of valour to this and after ages, and to have some marks of honour fixt upon them. And it is expected his Majesty will be graciously pleased to take notice both of officers and soldiers. Upon the Saturday immediately after those actions, the young Laird of Bellachan came in to Dunkeld to treat for the benefit of his Majesties indemnitie for all those of Athole; and he declared that Lord James Murray was willingly to accept thereof. But Major General M'Kay (who by his gallant and wise conduct prevented the conjunction of ill-affected people with the rebels, and baffled all their designs upon the low countries) is now in the Highlands with a brave army. And with the blessing of God, will shortly give a good account of them all, and put an end to the troubles of this kingdom. Edinburgh, printed according to order, 1689. NOTICES CONCERNING THE SCOTTISH GYPSIES. (Concluded from page 161.) WHEN we printed the second section of our Gypsey Notices, we proposed to bring the Article to a close in the succeeding Number, after bringing down more completely the account of the Kirk-Yetholm community to the present time; with the addition of such other anecdotes and observations as we had collected respecting their more general history; and, perhaps, with some further remarks upon their separate language and supposed origin. The attention required by more pressing subjects, however, has hitherto prevented us from reverting to this; and it is, unfortunately, only in our power now to execute the least difficult, if not the least important, part of our original plan-namely, to present to the public the remainder of the miscellaneous anecdotes, with which we have been furnished from various sources, respecting this curious people. Records of the Court of Justiciary, We begin with some extracts from the and other judicial documents relating to trials of Gypsies. In May 1714, William Walker, Patrick Faa, Mabill Stirling, Mary Faa, Jean Ross, Elspeth Lindsay, Joseph Wallace, John Phennick, Jean Yorkstown, Mary Robertson, Janet Wilson, and Janet Stewart, were indicted at Jedburgh, as guilty of wilful fire raising, and of being notorious Egyptians, thieves, vagabonds, sorners, masterful beggars, and oppressors, at least holden in repute to be such. It appeared from the proof, that a gang of gypsies had burnt the house of Greenhead in Roxburgh. One witness swore, that "The deponent being in a barn at Hairstanes, on a morning, Janet Stewart, pannel, came into it, and prayed God's malison to light upon them who had put her to that trouble; and being asked who it was, she said it was Sir William Kerr of Greenhead, who had put her bairn in prison-and depones, that the same night after Janet Stewart uttered the words aforesaid, Sir William Kerr's house of Bridgend was burnt." Another witness swears, that- "The night after Sir William Kerr's house was burnt, about five o'clock, Patrick Faa, pannel, looked over the prison window, and asked if it were true that Sir William Kerr's house was burnt, and the deponent answering that it was but too true, Patrick Faa said, that the rest of the justices of peace would have set him at liberty, but Sir William would not consent; and that, if he had been at liberty, it would not have happened, for he would have cleansed the 1 country of these Egyptians and vagabonds jargon the declarant did not well understand, that were going about." The sentence upon Janet Stewart was, that she should be scourged through Jedburgh, and afterwards stand a quarter of an hour at the Cross, with her left ear nailed to a post. P. Faa, Mary Faa, Stirling, Lindsay, Ross, Robertson, Phennick, and York stown, were sentenced to be transported to the Queen's American planta tions for life. Patrick was, in addition, sentenced to be whipped through the town, and to stand half an hour at the cross with his left ear nailed to a post, and then to have both his ears cutted off. Phennick was banished furth of Scotland;' and Walker, Wallace, and Wilson, were acquitted. About the same time, three men and two women, all gypsies, were sentenced to be hanged at Edinburgh. In a precognition, taken in March 1725, by Sir James Stewart of Coltness, and Captain Lockhart of Kirkton, two of his Majesty's Justices of the Peace for Lanarkshire, "anent the murther of William Baillie, brazier, commonly called Gypsie," the following evidence is adduced: they fell a-squableing, when the declarant was in ane other room with some other company; upon the noise of which, the declarant ran in to them, where he found the said James Kairns lying above the said William Baillie, whose nose the said James Kairns had bitten with his teeth till it bled; upon which the declarant and his wife threatened to raise the town upon them, and get a constable to carrie them to prison; but Kairns and Pinkerton called for their horses, Wil. liam Baillie saying he would not go with them. Declares, that after the said Kairns and Pinkerton had got their horses, and mounted, they ordered the declarant to bring a chopen of ale to the door to them, where William Baillie was standing talking to them: that when the declarant had filled about the ale and left them, thinking they were going off, the declarant's wife went to the door, where Kairns struck at her with a drawn sword, to fright her in; upon which she ran in; and thereupon the declarant went to the door, where he found the said William Baillie lying with the wounds upon him, mentioned in John Meikle's declaration." "Thomas Brownlee declares, that upon the fourth of November last, being St Leonard's fair in Lanark, the said declar ant, with several others, comeing from Lanark fair towards Carlouk, at Cartland on the high road, David Pinkerton and James Kairns came riding straight upon the declarant and his company, upon which the declarant went off the way. They calling to hold off the way; the declarant said, The way is broad enough, hold off, folk: upon which James Kairns turned back the breadeth of one house, and then, haveing a drawen sword or shable in his hand (with blood upon it), came straight upon the declarant and cutt him upon the head, to the effusion of his blood, without any provoca tion. This was done about half ane hour before sunset," &c. "John Meikle, wright, declares, that upon the twelvth of November last, he being in the house of Thomas Riddle, in Newarthill, with some others, the deceased William Baillie, James Kairns, and David Pinkerton, were in ane other roume drinking, where, after some high words, and a confused noise and squabble, the saids three aspersons above named went all out; and the declarant knowing them to be three of those idle sorners that pass in the country under the name of gypsies, in hopes they were gone off, rose and went to the door to take the air; where, to his surprise, he saw Wil- "John Lightbodie in Belstaintown, &c. liam Baillie standing, and Kairns and Pin- declares, conform to the said Thomas Brownkerton on horseback, with drawn swords in lie, with this variation, that James Kairns their hands, who both rushed upon the said said-Know ye whom yow speak to ? James William Baillie, and struck him with their Kairns will not be quarreled upon the road, swords; whereupon the said William Bail--which he said, when none quarreled him further than to say, Ride off, folk." Another witness declares, lie fell down, crying out he was gone. Upon which Kairns and Pinkerton rode off: that the declarant helped to carry the said William Baillie into the house, where, upon search, he was found to have a great cut, or wound, in his head, and a wound in his body, just below the slot of his breast; and declares he, the said William Baillie, died some time after." Thomas Riddle, tenant and change keeper in Newarthill, &c.; declares, that the ⚫ deceased William Baillie, James Kairns, and "David Pinkerton, all idle sorners, that are knowen in the country by the name of gypsies, came to the declarant's house about sun-setting, where, after some stay, and talking a "That he had frequently seen Maxwell and Kairns in Bowridgemilne Kilne, with monly called gypsies and sorners, who took several others in company with them.com. hens and peats at pleasure also declares, that they had horses alongst with them, and for fear they had drawn his stacks or done the declarant was obliged to give them straw, other mischief to him," &c. Another witness states, that the said "Maxwell, tinker, sorher, and Egyptian," with his gang, frequently took possession, without any leave asked or |