than their word in coming together so soon,
and I would fain hope it has been occasioned by some consort with
our friends further south, who are to join them, and that the Duke
of Ormond is in England before this time, as I have reason to
believe he is.

"My letters by M^{r}. E----ne[99] had not then reached those on the
boarder, but when they do, I hope it will put the project of
shooting themselves up in Tinmouth out of their thoughts; what good
could they do there? I have wrote so fully by M^{r}. E----ne upon
the subject of the way of their disposeing of themselves, that I
need say little of it now. You certainly know of the detachment of
two thousand foot, lying these severall dayes on the coast of Fife,
to get over, if possible; but now that there's five men of warr in
the Firth, I'm afraid it is not; however, they are stile about it,
and will do what they can: but for finding horse that way, you will
easily see is impracticable, unless the passage were open, and I
hope our friends on the boarder will not want horse from us. I was
very fond of the project of getting the passage of the whole armie
opened, when I wrote by Mr. E----ne; but since that time, beside
that of more men of warr comeing into the Firth, there's another
thing I know since, which makes me alter my thoughts about it, at
least of doing it soon, were it in my power. Mr. Ogilvie of Boin
arrived here from France on the sixth, as perhaps you have heard,
with my new commission, of which I send you a copie inclosed, and
letters from Lord Bolingbroke; but I know you have accounts of a
latter date at Edinb. so I need say the less of them. Lord
Bolingbroke tels me, that in all probability, the King wou'd land
very quickly in the north of Scotland; so until we be so happie that
he comes to us, or at least we hear from him again, which by those
letters I expect every day, I judge it were not prudent for me to
pass the armie at Leith or Queensferry, were it in my power, for
that wou'd be leaveing the enimie bewint the King and us, and he
might have difficulty in passing over to us, and being in danger of
the enimie; but this of passing the whole armie at any of these
places seems not likely to be in our power.

"Lord Huntly and Earl Marishall are come up to us with their people
in very good order, but Lord Seafort i