ithout hazarding a battle,
and that a defeat would be attended with the inevitable destruction of
himself and all his adherents; and he had received information that
his friends and officers had assembled a body of forces in the North,
superior in number to those by whom he was attended. He called a council
at Derby; and proposed to advance towards London: the proposal was
supported by lord Nairn with great vehemence; but, after violent
disputes, the majority determined that they should retreat to Scotland
with all possible expedition. Accordingly, they abandoned Derby on the
sixth day of December, early in the morning, and measured back the
route by which they had advanced. On the ninth their vanguard arrived
at Manchester; on the twelfth they entered Preston, and continued their
march northwards. The duke of Cumberland, who was encamped at Meriden,
when first apprized of their retreat, detached the horse and dragoons in
pursuit of them; while general Wade began his march from Ferry-bridge
in Lancashire, with a view of intercepting them in their route; but
at Wakefield he understood that they had already reached Wigan; he
therefore repaired to his old post at Newcastle, after having detached
general Oglethorpe, with his horse and dragoons, to join those who had
been sent off from the duke's army. They pursued with such alacrity,
that they overtook the rear of the rebels, with which they skirmished in
Lancashire. The militia of Cumberland and Westmoreland were raised and
armed by the duke's order, to harass them in their march. The bridges
were broken down, the roads damaged, and the beacons lighted to alarm
the country. Nevertheless, they retreated regularly with their small
train of artillery. They were overtaken at the village of Clifton,
in the neighbourhood of Penrith, by two regiments of dragoons. These
alighted, and lined the hedges, in order to harass part of the enemy's
rear-guard, commanded by lord John Murray; who, at the head of the
Macphersons, attacked the dragoons sword in hand, and repulsed them with
some loss. On the nineteenth day of the month, the highland army reached
Carlisle, where the majority of the English in the service of the
pretender were left, at their own desire. Charles, having reinforced the
garrison of the place, crossed the rivers Eden and Solway into Scotland,
having thus accomplished one of the most surprising retreats that ever
was performed. But the most remarkable circumstance of th