SIR JOHN MAXWELL STIR 61. Commission by the Noblemen, Gentlemen, Heritors, and Justices LING MAXWELL. Of the Peace of the Shire of Linlithgow, empowering Sir Archibald Stirling, of Garden, knight, to meet on their behalf with the Commissioners of other shires at Edinburgh, on 2nd February next, and give in proposals for the relief of the nation, and as to grievances; and also, if necessary, to choose one or more Commissioners to treat with the Parliament of England or General Monck; or to do other things expedient. Linlithgow, 27th January 1660. Signed by twenty gentle men. 62. Letter of Protection by James, Duke of Buccleuch and Monmouth, etc., General of the Forces, strictly charging all officers, soldiers and others not to offer any violence to Sir John Stirling, his house, servants, or tenants at Keir, and forbidding them to take horses, cattle or goods, at their peril. Camp at Long Tyke (Lang Kype), 24th June 1679. Signed "Buccleugh." II. CORRESPONDENCE.-1641-1702. • 66 63. Letter from William Druinmond of Riccartoun to Sir George Stirling of Keir, knight, London, 12 May 1641. That he will write nothing particular in the meantime, so nowe ye shall only knaw that Strafort was "execut this day betuixt elevne and tuelfe, and immediatly therafter "the Kinge called vs, and truly wher I thought we shud haif fand him "melancholie and harse, we fund him in a very gud temper; and I "think ere it be longe our Treaty shall near close. The Parliament of "Scotland is to be prorogated till the 13 of July nixt, quhilk dyett the "Kinge hes woued to keepe except siknesse or deathe previne it.. "I shew you be my last that ther ver some hear who ve suspected to "haif beene upone ane vnlaufull plott; it is not yit fully discovered, "bot it is thought to haife been with the Frenche; already ther ar fiue "fledd, viz. Hary Persy, Hary Jermand [Jermyn], Sir Johne Sucklinge, "and uther tou who ar not considerable; it is thought ther will more "flee erre it be longe, whiche you shall hear of as occatione offerrs." The writer concludes by expressing a belief that now Strafford was gone the English Parliament would soon despatch the Scotch business. I am almost a sleepe all the vreatinge hearof, for I vas upe this morninge be two a cloacke to see Strafort execut." 66 66 64. Letter from General Thomas Dalyell of Binns. Carrickfergus, February 1643. "Honorable Sir,-Youers of the 23 of Januar I reseuit, "confesing that I am not able to requyt the smalist of youer innum"merable fauoris, not forgeting youer fauorable sensor you haue on the resons aledgit be me for not cuming to Sectland this vinter, aledging "I can ouer cum deficoltayis vhair I heve a mynd [to] try; onlay I "maist ingeniusle confes that if thair be not a griter kair had of this arme in tymis to cum nor hes bein hiderto, nather tempist nor ane "thing elis vil lock us ane loinger in ignorens and nessessate. For "this laist night six of the Lord Genoralis soiers did steil a boit from "the pier, and resoluit to expois tham seluis to the mersay of the sies "(vho ver after aprehendit in regaird non of them could roue) vho in "this poister intendit for Scotland, and ar nou sum of them to be "hengit. 66 “Thair is laitle sum prouision of meil cum in, so that the General Major intens shortlay to the fieldis, and as the euent prouis I sal aquent you; boit be all apirans ve ar not able to staye out abone eight SIR JOHN MAXWELL STIR "dayeis, in regaird ve vaint horsis for carieng our provision. So loith "to truble you, I rest, Youer moist oblidgit Seruant." (Signed) LING MAXWELL. "T. DALYELL." "I intreit you present my huble serues to youre Laday and all the rest of youer freindis." 66 66 65. Letter from Alexander (Leslie) first Earl of Leven. Newcastle, 17th August 1646. "Right Worshipfull-I reseavett ane laiter whairin yow desyr ane delation of tym for the paying of these monyes; I "showld be wiling to grant your desyr in what I could, bot in that poynt yow most exskooss mee in thatt, for that monyes is nather fre gift, nor ony pairt of my arreirs, bwtt moneyes deburst by me for the wss of the pwblict, which doose praiss [press] me so at this present "that I kan swffer no delay; whairfor I hop yow wil mak thankfwl payement, which shall be takin ass ane kowrtasie doon to-Your "asoored friend. (Signed) LEUEN.” 66 66 66 66. From John, Lord Areskine, afterwards fourth Earl of Mar, to Sir George Stirling. Stirling, 16 December 1647. I am "still desirous to knowe your wellfaer--the best niews I can hear from "thence; neithar haue I anie to send yow from this place, but that the "Commissioners are gowing on with the late Lord Napier's forfaltur, " and sueing hard to have that fine payed whiche I was surtie for him in at the Parliament at Perthe; it is but a little summe of 40,000 "marks, whereof 11,000 pounds is assigned to two advocatts for their "service doune the State. (Signed) J. ARESKINE." "The unfortunatt Marquess of Huntlie is taken; how the Commis"sioners will dispose of him God knowes." 67. William, ninth Earl of Glencairn, afterwards Lord Justice General and Lord Chancellor, to Sir Archibald Stirling of Garden. 1st December [c. 1656]. That he had obtained six months' liberty, and desiring Sir Archibald to act as one of his cautioners along with Lord Borthwick and others for 12,0007, sterling, "for I most haue the honour to be "double anie other, bot I most not contend." He begs this as a great favour. Signed "GLENCAIRNE." 66 68. From Sir Archibald Stirling, Lord Garden, to Sir George Stirling of Keir. Edinburgh, 24 May 1661. That the Parliament had been engaged for two days about the Marquis of Argyll's trial, and now "hes "pronunced the sentence of forfalture against him, and hes ordeined "him to be beheaded wpon Monday, and his head to be put wp wher "Montrose's wes. He receaved his sentence with resoluitione aniogh, "and is not lyk to acknouledge mutsh guilt altho it be found other. wayes. Yisterday in the verie tym when his advocates wer debeating against the depositions of the witnesses, their cam ane expresse from "Londoune, who broght six letters of his whilk he had wreatin to the "English whilest they commanded heir, soum wheirof wer to Major "General Deans, soum to General Monk, and one to Mr. Clerk, Monk's "secretarie, whilk geave mutsh cleirnes to the Parliament as to the "points whilk in the mein tym wer a debeatting; for soum thing "theirof was scairslie cleir provne till then whilk wes his joyning in "counsels with them: their be other gross things in them." The writer refers to the burning of the League and Covenant by the English Parliament, and to the King's marriage, which "is verie lyk to mak war "with Spaine," and concludes with private business. In a postscript he adds "Waristoune, Will. Dundas, and Jo. Hoome of Kello ar for"faulted also, and lyk the nixt week ye will heir of more." SIR JOHN MAXWELL STIR 66 66 69. Letter from Robert Leighton, Bishop of Dunblane, to Sir George LING MAXWELL. Stirling. Edinburgh, 20 March [n. y.]. "Honoured Sir,-Yow know "well how painful and vnusuall a thing it is to me to dispute these matters either by word or writt. I have wholly intrusted the clerk "with that buisinesse [the renewal of a lease of teinds], and not limited "him to any sume. If yow make it appear to him reasonable that yow "give nothing, nothing bee it; whatsoever is my meannesse of estate "and the ability God has blessed yow with, I am far from the meannesse of mind to plead that; but if the clerk inform yow that others "have given some acknowledgment for the very like buisinesse, and "that though no new advantage accreases to yow (for that is not vsuall "in any leases) but onely the continuance of the ease yow have, and securing yow from being scru'd higher for so many years; if vpon this you be pleasd to give him any thing, it will help to discharge some "little charities that I have left vpon him to doe for mee, but if that "please yow not, whatsoever yow doe shall not displease, Sir, your very "affectionate and humble servant, R. LEIGHTON.” 66 70. From George Stirling, Chirurgeon, Edinburgh, to Sir John Stirling of Keir. Edinburgh, 21 August 1673. Giving an account, from intelligence, of a battle betwixt the English and Dutch fleets. On 66 Monday the fleets ingadged in the morning a sharp conflict, the "Inglish haueing wind, which imediatlie changed so that a whole "squad surroundit Sir Edward Sprag, who was in the Royal Prince, " and so battared thair ship that he was forced to take thair boat shor "being rady to sink; by a shot thair boat was sunck and he and all "with him loast, one other captaine killed, and Captain Hay loast his "leg. The Royall Prince disriged. This continowed whill night, and "in the dark the Duch retired, haueing a ship or two sunk and five or "six brunt. The Prince retired to fitt the rigging of his ship which "coast Tewsday all day to fitt hir, and upon Wednesday went in search "of the Duch. Thes accompt is given to the King by on Sir John Littltoune, who was sent off with ane East India Duch ship that "mistook the Inglish fleitt for their oun, valeued to 100,000 lib. sterling; "bot as yet the Prince hath wreat no account to the King," &c. 71. From the same to the same, Edinburgh, 18 August 1675. "Rycht Honorabill Our news here is that the Bishop of St. "Androus (Sharp) and Seaforth arrived yesternight, who eschaped drouning about Holy Island, cam from thence overland, bot becaus "they are steatsmen I have got no share of their news. In that defeat "the Frenches gott neir Straitsbrugh, besyd the generall loas of the "armie, we have loased seven Scots captains in that batalione of Duglas reagement that was with De Turaine, viz., Douglas, Hay, Latuce, "Kernie, Barcklay, Cotbrine, and Lauless, your brother's captaine. "Whither George and Alexander was with him I cannot yet learne, "bot this list I sau in a letter wreaten from the camp, in Sir Williame 66 66 66 Sharp's chamber, since which Marachall de Coiquie his armie of 12,000 men are totalie cut off and himself ether killed or taiken by the Duch "of Lunengberg, who was beseaging the citie of Treaves. The "Marachall coming to relive the seage (in which there is also ane other "batalione of the Scots reagement) the Duke fell upon him and worsted "all. This is confirmed by three posts, and its now sayd Treaves is "taken. Last week there was ane uproar in London occationed by the weavers; its reported som person had found out an ingein by which ane man will perform mor work in on day then ten will do in the "ordinaire. This so offended that honest tread that they in a tumul 66 "tuarie maner puld downe the houses of thes that had the ingeins and 66 66 72. Letter (unsigned) to James Stirling of Keir. Glasgow, 13 June 1702. Giving intelligence as to the state of affairs in the Scotch Parliament, and also as to foreign news. "The King of Sweden is still at Warsaw and the King of Polland at Cracow with the army of "the Crown, expecting his Saxon forces to make head against the "Swedes. The King of Denmark has entered Germany with 17,000 "men, upon what design not at yet known. The Duke of Wendome "is at Goito, and intends to march against P[rince] Eugene who is strongly entrenched att Borgo forte, and has a bridge over the Po to keep communicatione with Modena, from whense he has his pro"visions. The allies made a vigorous attaque on the couterscarpe of "Keiserswart, and altho' it was defended seven French battalions in "two hours time with a great loss made themselves masters of it. It's "said they lost two Brigadiers Generals, two Major Generals, six Collonels, the two Scots Lieutenant Collonels and Major Hepburn, "with the entire loss of these two Regiments. It's thought that the "town has surrendered or [been] taken by storme by this time. "M. Bouflers with 50,000 men had almost surprised Athlone with "25,000 men, but by good luck and Wirtenberg's advise, he got under "the cannon of Nimegen, wher he posted his foot on the conterscarpe. "The French got most of the baggage and some cannon, and did them a great deall of damage in their rear. The French have blooked them up with 44,000 men, and are furraging the coutrie round with 6,000 "horse, and all the Duch boors in Brabant and about Utrich are running "before them. We have the Quen's letter to the Parliament. 66 66 "She has asseured them she will mentain the Prisbeterian government. "... For anything that I see the Kirk will be higher than ever, nor shall we be able to bear their pride. Adieu." 66 Edinburgh, 32, Castle Street, 20th July 1883. WILLIAM FRASER. SIR JOHN MAXWELL STIRLING MAXWELL. REPORT ON THE MANUSCRIPTS OF CHARLES STIRLING- The first division of this Report comprises letters and papers belonging to members of the family of Drummond of Blair-Drummond, descended from Walter Drummond, designed of Ledcreiff, third son of Sir Walter Drummond, Loid of Cargill and Stobhall, who lived in the reigns of King James First and King James Second of Scotland. He is represented in the elder line by the Earls of Perth. Walter Drummond was uncle to John first Lerd Drummond, from whom in 1486 he received a grant a 84067. F CHARLES STIR LING-HOME- MORAY, ESQ. CHARLES STIR- of the lands of Ledcreiff in the Shire of Perth. The grandson of Walter LING-HOME- MORAY, E Q. Drummond of Ledcreiff, George Drummond, third of Ledcreiff, was |