The Tuesday thereafter General Bland arrived in town with the van of the Army under the Duke of Cumberland, and his Royal Highness on the Thursday thereafter. The Burgesses lined the streets all the way from the Duke’s entry into the town to his lodgings. He was immediately waited on by the nobility and gentry of town and county, and next day by the Colleges and Clergy who had assembled in a Synod _pro re nata_ and had all the honour to kiss his hand. Mr. Osborne, Principal of the Marischal College, made a short congratulary speech to his Highness in name of the colleges, as did Mr. Theodore Gordon, Moderator of the Synod in name of the Clergy, and both had gracious returns. _More of Fitzjames’ Dragoons land in Buchan_ Soon after this another of the Transports with Fitzjames’ Dragoons having got information on the coast, of the Duke’s being at Aberdeen, landed in Buchan[372] and then very narrowly escaped from the Duke’s Picquets who were ordered out to intercept them. _Lord Ancrum[373] marches to Curgaff_ As to Lord Ancrum’s expedition to Curgaff, a house belonging to Forbes of Skeleter in Strathdon (vid. _London Gazette_, March 11th), Glenbucket was then with a few men within a few miles of Strathdon. But his numbers were greatly magnified, and his being actually at hand was so artfully insinuated to a minister’s wife in the neighbourhood, that with the honestest intention in the world, she gave a false alarm which made his Lordship in such a hurry that though he destroyed the powder, yet he only scattered the ball, broke a few of the arms, and carried off a very few, the rest falling all into the hands of the country people. And yet one might imagine that, as his dragoons were not to gallop off and leave the Foot, there had been no miss in making them dismount and walk for a few miles and loading their horses with the Arms, till they should come to some place where country horses might have been got. _Bland[374] at Old Meldrum_ When part of the army under General Bland advanced to Old Meldrum, Barrels and Price’s under Lieutenant Rich[375] lay at Inverury which is on the ordinary Post Road to Strathboggy (where about 3000 of the Rebels under Roy Stuart were with the Hussars) and about 100 Grants that came to escort their Laird to Aberdeen[376] formed an advance guard on this road, as the Campbells did from Old Meldrum, where they were very alert and watchful, so that the Rebels never once offered to disturb either the Generals or Lieut. Rich’s Quarters. And indeed if they had, all possible care was taken to give them a warm reception. There was a bridge of boats thrown over the Ury on the road from Inverury to Old Meldrum, and a Guard midway betwixt the two Garrisons who could observe a blaze in the night time at either of them or anything happening extraordinary, and by a blaze could give information of it to the other, and the Light Horse, too, were quartered betwixt so as to form a line of communication.