was that the affair was concluded in this manner, as the necessity of turning their arms against their fathers, their brothers, and their friends, must have been in the last degree painful to the feelings of the soldiers, and dangerous to their discipline, setting their duty to their King and country in opposition to filial affection and brotherly love and friendship.

After passing the summer and autumn in marching and countermarching, in consequence of the riots and insurrections of their countrymen against their landlords, a circumstance somewhat novel in these regions, and one of the first symptoms of Highland civilization, the Royal Highlanders were, in the course of the following winter, as actively employed against the Lowlanders, who were rioting, and hanging, drowning, and burning the effigies of those whom they called their political oppressors;-a species of refinement in the expression of their sentiments towards their superiors, to which the ignorant Highlanders have not yet attained; but they are in full progress to this state of civilized and enlightened improvement, which must afford high gratification to those philanthropists and patriots, who have so materially contributed to forward, and bring into practice, "those blessed results of our labours in the vineyard," as is reported by some societies established for the religious and

I was a very young soldier at the time, but on no subsequent occasion were my feelings so powerfully excited as on this. To a military man it could not but be gratifying to see the men, in so delicate and trying a situation, manifesting a full determination to do their duty against whomsoever their efforts should be directed; while, to their feelings of humanity, the necessity of turning their arms against their friends and relations presented a severe alternative. Eighteen of the rioters were sent to Inverness for trial. They were eloquently defended by Mr Charles Ross, advocate, one of their own countrymen; but, as their conduct was illegal, and the offence clearly proved, they were found guilty, and condemned to be transported to Botany Bay. It would appear, however, that, though the legality of the verdict and sentence could not be questioned, these did not carry along with them the public opinion, which was probably the cause that the escape of the prisoners was in a manner connived at; for they disappeared out of prison, no one knew how, and were never inquired after or molested.

moral improvement of the Highlanders.

The inhabi tants of Perth, Dundee, and some other towns amused themselves with planting the tree of liberty, dancing round it, and threatening vengeance on all who should oppose them. The regiment was hurried South as rapidly as it went North; and, during the winter and spring, garrisoned the town of Dundee, and all the coast as far as Fort George.

Hostilities having been declared against France, the whole regiment was assembled at Montrose in April 1793, preparatory to a march southward. The establishment was ordered to be augmented to 750 men, but the regimental recruiting parties were not successful. The late transactions in Ross-shire began to show their baneful influence. It was not now, as in 1756 and 1776, when the regiment was completed to more than 1100 men in a few weeks ;---as quickly, indeed, as they could be collected from their distant districts. Nor was it, as in 1755, when the Laird of Mackintosh completed a company in one day. The same corps, in 1793, must have gone on service with little more than 400 nien, had not orders been issued for raising independent companies. Two of these, raised by Captains David Hunter of Burnside and Alexander Campbell of Ardchattan, were ordered to join the 42d regiment. On the whole, these were good men, but not of the same description with those who, in former times, were so ready to join the standard of the Black Watch.

• In the year 1755, when the establishment of the regiment was augmented, preparatory to the war, the Laird of Mackintosh, then a captain in the regiment, had the charge of all the recruiting parties sent from Ireland to the Highlands, and quickly collected 500 men, the number he was desired to recruit: of these he enlisted 87 men in one forenoon.

One morning, as he was sitting at breakfast in Inverness, 38 young men of the name of Macpherson, from Badenoch, appeared in front of the window, with an offer of their service to Mackintosh, their own immediate chief, the Laird of Cluny, being then in exile, in consequence of his attainder after the Rebellion. The late General Skinner of the engineers was at breakfast with Mackintosh that morning; and being newly arrived in that part of the country, the whole scene, with all its circumstances, made an impression on his mind which he never forgot.

In May, the regiment marched from Montrose to Musselburgh, and embarked there on the 8th for Hull. In that town the appearance of the Highlanders occasioned much interest and surprise, as no plaids or bonnets had as yet been seen in that part of Yorkshire. The people showed them great hospitality, and were so well satisfied with their conduct, that, after they embarked for Flanders, the town of Hull sent each man a present of a pair of shoes, a flannel shirt, and worsted socks; a very seasonable supply in a November encampment.

In August they reached Gosport, and remained there till the middle of September, when they sailed for Ostend, where they landed on the 1st of October, and, two days after, joined the army under his Royal Highness the Duke of York, then encamped in the neighbourhood of Menin. This camp was soon broken up; and his Royal Highness marched, with the combined armies, to join the Prince of SaxeCobourg, then before Maubeuge.

The 19th, 27th, 42d, and 57th regiments were ordered back to England, to join an expedition then preparing under their old commander in America, Lieutenant-General Sir Charles Grey, against the French Colonies in the West Indies. While those regiments lay on board in the harbour of Ostend, the enemy, who were then before Nieuport, pressed that town so vigorously, that it was necessary to send immediate relief. For this purpose, Sir Charles Grey and Major-General Thomas Dundas had come from England; and the 42d regiment, with the light companies of the 19th, 27th, and 57th regiments, were disembarked and marched to Nieuport. The place was then garrisoned by the 53d regiment, and a small battalion of Hessians under Colonel de Wurmb, who defended the place, with great courage and firmness, against a very superior force. The reinforcement now sent was very seasonable; for the works were so extensive, that the men were obliged to be on duty without intermission. The enemy kept up so constant and well-directed a fire, that upwards of 400 houses were destroyed or damaged. However, on the ap

pearance of this reinforcement, the enemy seemed to have lost all hopes of success. After keeping up a brisk fire of shot and shells during the whole night, they were seen at day-break, moving off with great expedition, leaving several pieces of cannon, mortars, and ammunition. This sudden retreat occasioned great disappointment to many young soldiers of the light infantry, and the Highlanders, who, having but very lately arrived in the seat of war, were thus disappointed of an opportunity of facing the enemy, when eager to make their debut under such men as Generals Sir Charles Grey and Thomas Dundas. Had the enemy waited another day, this opportunity would have been afforded, as it was resolved that General Dundas should attack the trenches; and, with the ardour of this gallant leader, and the spirit which animated the troops, there would have been little doubt of success. The loss of the garrison was inconsiderable; Lieutenant Latham, * 1 serjeant, and 2 privates, were killed; and Captain Ronald Ferguson, 1 serjeant, and 33 privates, wounded. Of this number the Highlanders had 1 serjeant and 1 private killed, and 2 privates wounded.

After the retreat of the enemy, the detachment marched back to Ostend, reimbarked for England, and arrived at Portsmouth, where the destination of the regiment was changed from an expedition to the West Indies, to another then forming against the coast of France, under command of the Earl of Moira.

At this time the command of the regiment devolved on Major Dalrymple, Colonel Graham, who had held the

The fate of Lieutenant Latham of the 53d deserves to he noticed as a warning to young officers. He was on the advanced picquet, which was protected by a small entrenchment, three feet in height. He was strictly enjoined not to show his men, as the enemy's sharpshooters were all around, picking off every man who appeared. But, in his eagerness to observe the motions of the enemy, he looked over the low parapet, forgetting a cocked hat half a foot higher than his head. An enemy took such correct aim at the hat, that he sent his ball through Mr Latham's forehead, and killed him on the spot.

command since the year 1781, being appointed to the command of a brigade. On the 30th of November, the expedition sailed in three brigades; the Highlanders being in the first, commanded by Brigadier-General Lord Cathcart. On the 1st of December, they reached the Coast of France, to the eastward of Cape la Hogue, and after cruising about for two days, put into Guernsey, where part of the troops landed, and remained till the 4th of January 1794, when On the 21st the the whole returned to Portsmouth. Highlanders were marched to Lymington, being still under the command of Lord Cathcart.

In this situation they remained till the 5th of June, when an encampment was formed at Netly, in Hampshire, under the Earl of Moira. On the 18th, the camp broke up, and the troops embarked on board the transports for Flanders.

During the preceding spring, France had made prodigious preparations, having raised a force of more than 200,000 men, provided with every necessary accompaniment of artillery and stores; the whole to be employed in Flanders. This, with the partial defection of Prussia, after having accepted the British subsidies, placed the allied armies in a very critical situation, particularly that small part under the command of the Duke of York. The French Convention sent into Flanders their ablest generals, Pichegru, Moreau, and Jourdan, who, exasperated by their defeats at Cambray, Landrecy, Cateau, and Tournay, determined to bring forward the utmost extent of force that they could command. In consequence of these preparations, the original destination of the force under the Earl of Moira was changed to this great theatre of the war, and again sailed, on the 22d, for Ostend, and landed there on the 26th of June. The amount of this reinforcement was 7000 men, and consisted of the following corps, 19th, 27th, 28th, 40th, Royal Highlanders, 54th, 57th, 59th, 87th, and 88th regiments.

Lord Moira had now to decide on his future movements,