me from
London with a design to assassinate the Prince; he is about twenty-seven
years old, black hair, of a middling stature, and talks fluently and
bluntly about his travels in the West Indies." This man, it was
suspected, afterwards changed his name to Geffreys. He was supposed to
have even been received by the Marquis of Tullibardine at his table, and
to have obtained a pass from him; but nothing more was disclosed, as far
as the correspondence informs us, touching this attempt.

Lord George continued in a fever of vexation and anxiety at the delay of
his brother, upon whose arrival at the camp, the march to England was to
begin. Public affairs in England favoured, as he justly thought, the
most decisive measures. "Everything," he writes to his brother, "is in
great confusion in England, particularly in London, where credite is at
a stand. The greatest banquiers have stopt payment; all would go to our
wish, if we could but march instantly. If you delay longer," Lord George
adds, "it will be the utter ruine of the cause. You should wait for
nobody but your own men." The arrival of supplies from France, of arms
and ammunition, though they were represented as being very inferior in
quantity to what had been expected, gave encouragement to the hopes of
the sanguine; and re-assured in some degree, even the anxious mind of
Lord George Murray.

Before finally quitting Perth, the Marquis of Tullibardine received a
compliment from the gentlemen prisoners of war there, which proved how
soldierlike and courteous his conduct towards them had been. They
inquired whether he would have morning levees, since they wished "to
wait upon him." To this the Marquis replied, with his thanks, that,
although not fond of ceremonious visits, he would always be "glad to
cultivate an acquaintance with gentlemen whose actions show they are
true Britons, by standing up for and supporting the ancient constitution
and liberties of well-born subjects, whose honour is engaged to shake
off the slavery of a foreign yoke."[63]

Notwithstanding all the remonstrances of Lord George, who had reiterated
his entreaties during the whole of the month of October, the winter was
far advanced before the Marquis left his castle of Blair to proceed
southwards.[64]

On the thirty-first of October, a considerable force took the road to
Duddingstone, a small village at the foot of Arthur's Seat; presenting,
before the Highland army poured in upon its serene precin