“The second detachment, consisting of 300 men, commanded by Sir Andrew Agnew, Lieutenant-Colonel of the Royal North British Fusiliers, was sent by the route of Dunkeld, through the Pass of Killiecrankie, to take post in Blair Castle, the seat of James, Duke of Athole—a very faithful subject of his Majesty. The garrison was frittered away in small detachments, for the purpose of intercepting traitorous correspondence. Early on the morning of the 17th March, the rebels, in a considerable body, surprised and made prisoners of several of the outposts, and by break of day closely invested the castle on all sides, firing upon the out-picquet, which retired with some difficulty, bringing with it some horses belonging to the officers, and a small quantity of provisions. Blair Castle was a very high, irregular building, the walls of great thickness—having what was called _Cumming’s Tower_ projecting from the west end of the front of the house, which faces the north. Adjoining the east gable of the old castle, a square new building had been begun, but only carried up a few feet above the beams fixed for the first floor. The great door in the staircase having been barricaded, and a small guard placed at it, the garrison was mustered and found to consist of about 270 rank and file, having only nineteen rounds of ammunition per man. The men were immediately posted throughout the castle in the manner best adapted for its defence, with instructions not to fire unless actually attacked. For the protection of the new, unfinished building before mentioned, to which the only communication from the castle was by ten or twelve steps of a ladder, from a door in the east end; a platform of loose boards was hastily laid on the joists, and Ensign Robert Melville (afterwards General Melville) of the Twenty-fifth regiment, with 25 men, was posted on it, who was not relieved during the whole of the blockade, which ended 1st April. On the 17th March, a little after noon, Lord George Murray, a general to the Pretender, wrote a summons of surrender to Sir Andrew Agnew, which he could not find a Highlander to deliver, on account of the well-known outrageousness of Sir Andrew’s temper, but a pretty girl, who was acquainted with the garrison, undertook the task, but could hardly find an officer to receive it, for the reason before mentioned; however, after much entreaty, one was bold enough to convey the summons, when Sir Andrew, in so loud a voice, that he was heard distinctly by the girl outside the castle, desired him to be gone, and tell Lord George that the ground would, before long, be too hot for him to stand upon, and any future messenger would be hanged or shot if sent upon such an errand. Lord George took the hint, sent no other messenger, but endeavoured to reduce the castle by famine, knowing it was short of provisions. The rebels had two field-pieces, from which they fired hot shot upon the castle, with so little effect that, though