correspondence 'twixt Edin^{b} and this, and acquaint me with it.

"I heard to-day that my letters to our friends in the West,
desireing they might go immediately South to join Lord Kenmore, came
safe to hand, so I hope they will be with him soon. I have sent you
some of the manifestos which were printed at Aberdeen, and are
finely done: I wish they may come to you saif. I also send you
encloset a letter to Sir Rich. Steele, which I leave open for you to
read and take a copie of. Pray seal it and get it put into the
post-house; and I wish you could get it printed at Edinburgh, tho'
let me not seen it; and if you send a copie to any of your
correspondants at London and Newcastle, to get if printed there it
would do no hurt. I'm endeavouring to get a correspondence settled
by barks from the point of Fife to Newcastle, which may be of use
to us, especially if the communications twixt us and Ed^{r} should
be stopt."

On the very day of the Earl's arrival at Perth, Mr. James Murray, second
son of Lord Stormont arrived from St. Germains, bringing assurances of
support, and letters from the Chevalier, who had appointed him Secretary
of State for the affairs of Scotland. Mr. Murray is said also to have
presented the Earl of Mar with a patent, creating him Duke of Mar,
Marquis of Stirling and Earl of Alloway: "And though," observes an
historian, "there was little more said about it, yet the relation seems
justified by this, that in some of the papers printed at Perth, he is
styled the Duke of Mar."[100]

Extensive preparations were also declared to be in progress for the
invasion of England. Twelve large ships were actually at that time at
anchor in Havre, St. Malos, and other places. These vessels, with
several frigates of good force, were loaded with ammunition, and manned
with generals, officers, and soldiers. A particular account of the
"Pretender's Magazine" is extant. But these preparations were all
frustrated by the remonstrances of the Earl of Stair at the Court of the
Regent of France. Admiral Byng was sent with a squadron to cruise on the
coast of France, and the ships ready to sail for the enterprise against
England were obliged, by command of the Regent, in order not to
implicate the French Government, to declare that they were thus
employed without the sanction or knowledge of the Regent. Thus, even
whilst Mr. Murray was raising the sanguine hopes of th