Corpus of Modern Scottish Writing (CMSW) - www.scottishcorpus.ac.uk/cmsw/

Document : 565

Title: Letter Home from London on 1715 Uprising, No. 3

Author(s): Morthland, Mr Charles

D. Sr.


Lon
Octob 11 1715



I wrote to you Laſt poſt & by expreſs tueſday before both
which I hope are come to your hands. I shall now endeavour
to give you ſome ſketches of what has Occur'rd ſince.

Our Letters from france continue to give favourable accounts
and particularly of the good diſpoſitions of the Regent towards
our preſent happy settlement of the succeſsion in his Maj family, he
has acquainted the proper Nuncio that the ſupremacy is not to
take any place in France but that the Gallican Church is to be
governd by its own Biſhops, all the Diſgrac'd Biſhops are
returned to Court, where the Jeſuits have no Intereſt, and every thing
appears ready there for ſome Changes in matters of Religion,
Dr Alex told me Laſt day that there are ſeverall Doctrines
that dare aſsert in yr writings that neither tranſubſtantiation
nor Conſubſtatiation are eſsential to Chriſtianity & that the
Regent seems to favour the opinion, that its very Common to
find a New teſtament in the Roman Catholick familys &c all this
gives a very agreeable proſpect, if there were not ſo many both
att home and abroad that ſeem reſolved to exert themſelves ſo
obſtinately in oppoſition to all information, & to ſupport the antichristian
Intereſt, I am ſure the preſent Confusions are flaming Inſtances
of the wicked diſpoſitions of some people to Enſlave uſ under a
popiſh Tyrant and its to me an aſtoniſhment yt there should be
[a] proteſtant in this Iland not convinc'd of this truth when
he ſees the great promoters of the preſent Rebellion to be
open purpoſed papiſts. God be thanked that the work goes
backward in yr hands and that there is good hopes that a
Little time will bring all matters to a quiet and peaceable
ſtate again. Colonel Pepper has humbled a Little yt pride of
Oxford, & purg'd all of that Neſt of Jacobites that had retreated yr
for safety, and miſs'd only Coll: Owen the cheif raſscal
another Coll: has done the same at Bath where they have
alſo found out 13 cheſts of arms & a hogſhead of broadſwords

juſt as many as to furniſh a Regt of Horſe. Some honeſt gentlmen
and Clergymen of conſiderable Intereſt & note that have all along
acted zealouſly in the tory Intereſt, but who it ſeems have not
been Jacobiteſ, and now cur'd of their blindneſſ and beginn to ſee
the Danger of the Late Meaſures. Mr Lewis in Hampſhire a man
of 6 or 7000 lib p an: fortune, came Laſt week to a meeting of
the County where was the D of Bolton & Lieutenant and offerd his
ſervice in Defence of the King & Country, [telling] his Grace withall
that he waſ now perſwaded what tendency the tory measures
had & was reſolved to join them no more, the Duke made him
very wellcome but ſaid that he wiſhed he had been perſwaded
ſooner for the Management of that party had been too long
very obvious and plain for the pretender, Mr Lowy told his
Grace that he never believd it till Lately that they had
offerd him the aſsocciation to ſubscribe. I hear there is an Eminent
head of a Colledge in Oxford followed Mr Lowy's Exmple.
Genll Carpenter went down to Newcaſtle Laſt night
to ſuppreſs the Inſurrection that is Like to be among the
Roman Catholicks & 3 Regts of Draggoons are to [¿]
there, and we dont doubt but he'll be able to give a good acct
of ye Rebells yn Northumberland. They are headed I hear by the Earls of
Witherington & Derwentwater and the two Mrs Fooſters.

Mr Horace Walpole is Returnd from Holland and has not
been eight days gonne, his busineſſ was to negotiat the guarantee
troops, the Council of State have been ſo ready to ſay to his
Maj: that they have ordered theſe troops to be ready &
proposed tranſports and appointed yt Commanding officer to
take his orders from his Bailawick Maj whenever he pleaſd
to go to you and this that honeſt Concil have done without
Conſulting their principals, a very unuſual ſtep in ym.
ſo that thoſe troops ly ready to embarque when our King
George pleaſes. Beſides 17000 men that are actually
now ſtanding troops in England, the Government have provided
13000 french proteſtants, and other honeſt men whom they

can Confide in, in and about London, who are all regimented &
well armd, and ready at a call, so that you ſee without yt
Militia which is now in good hands we have 30000 men
in England in our ſervice. The Empr is very hearty
his Ambaſdor to the King is come to Utrecht and will be here
shortly, The pretender is ſtill at Barleduc, Lamenting the
death of the French King & saying Maſses for his soul.
The Duke had your Letter with the ſynods addreſs and is
extremely well pleaſd with it, he is an honeſt man, but
heartily vexd att the behaviour of ſome people he has done
so much ſervice to, but to whom I [allow] he'll do no more.
But this to your ſelf, I have wearied you with [¿].
The [¿] have ye reſt of the news, except that the honeſt
Earl of Lincoln has Got Mr Walpoles place of paymaſter
he needs ſuch a beneficial place, but which is better he
deſerves it.


adieu
pray for my [wife] often.