The Manchester Rebels of the Fatal '45Ainsworth, William Harrison
History
The Manchester Rebels of the Fatal '45
Ainsworth, William Harrison
Great Britain -- History -- George II, 1727-1760 -- Fiction; Jacobite Rebellion, 1745-1746 -- Fiction
It contained four persons, all of a certain importance. Chief among
them was Lord Pitsligo, than whom no one in the Highland army was more
beloved and respected. The venerable Scottish nobleman was in full
military costume, and would have ridden at the head of his regiment,
had not his infirm state of health prevented him.
The next person whom we shall mention was Mr. John Murray of
Broughton, a gentleman of great ability, who acted as the prince's
secretary and treasurer, and managed all his royal highness's affairs
extremely well. Mr. Murray had a sharp intelligent countenance, and
wore a suit of brown velvet with a tie-wig.
Opposite to him sat the prince's tutor and adviser, Sir Thomas
Sheridan, one of the numerous Irish gentlemen who had attached
themselves to the cause of the Stuarts. Sir Thomas, who was a strict
Roman Catholic, exercised almost as much influence over the prince as
Father Petre once did over the prince's grandsire, James the Second.
Next to Sir Thomas sat a very brilliant personage, wearing a rich suit
of sky-blue cloth trimmed with silver, laced ruffles, a laced cravat,
and a three-cornered hat, likewise laced with silver. This was the
Marquis d'Eguilles, an envoy from Louis the Fifteenth, who had brought
over a large sum of money and nearly three thousand stand of arms from
his royal master. The marquis had the refined and graceful manner of a
French courtier of the period, and carried a diamond snuff-box, which
was always at the service of his companions.
As the persons we have described crossed the bridge, they looked with
some interest at the town they were just entering, and bowed in return
for the shouts of the crowd, who had rushed out to greet them.
Seeing such a large and handsome equipage attended by an escort, the
townspeople naturally supposed it must be the prince himself, and when
they found out their mistake, they did not shout quite so loudly.
The carriage drove to the market-place, where Lord Pitsligo and the
others descended at the Bull's Head. A substantial repast had been
prepared for them by order of Sir John MacDonald, to which they at
once sat down.
Before breakfast was over, Colonel Townley arrived, and at once joined
the party. Several Jacobites likewise repaired to the inn and
volunteered their services to Mr. Secretary Murray, who received them
very affably, and introduced them to Lord Pitsligo.
Amongst the new-comers were Dr. Deacon and Dr. Byrom. Mr. Murray's
first business was to find a suitable residence for the prince during
his stay in the town, and after consulting the two gentlemen we have
named, he went out attended by Colonel Townley, the Marquis
d'Eguilles, Sir Thomas Sheridan, and Dr. Byrom, to inspect the
principal mansions in the place. Half a dozen soldiers went with them
to keep back the crowd.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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