On reading this affecting narrative, two feelings contend for mastery-indignation at the deliberate, and oh! most cruel murder; and admiration for the poor widow, whose bravery, arising from a sense of duty, is almost beyond belief. The cottage and its surroundings are all long since removed from their place, but the traveller who bends his steps to the scene of the tragedy will find it marked with a stone, upon which is inserted:

"Clavers might murder godly Brown,

But could not rob him of his crown;

Here in this place from earth he took departure,
Now he has got the garland of the Martyr."

Kloqa Qaqdonald.

"And she, that ever thro' her home had moved
With the meek thoughtfulness and quiet smile
Of woman, calmly loving and beloved,

And timid in her happiness the while,
Stood brightly forth, and steadfastly, that hour,
Her clear glance kindling into sudden power.'

DURING the extended and eventful reign of George II., no incident will be longer remembered than the landing and fitful career of Charles Edward Stuart, the young Pretender, and the incidents connected with his ill-advised attempt at the conquest of Scotland and of England. Landing a stranger, with only seven followers, he yet within a few months had called around him a kingdom, fought and conquered at the battles of Preston and Falkirk, stood beside the stoutest of the Highland chiefs in the thickest of the fight with fearless courage; and then, when the battle was done, won the hearts of fair damsels by the charm of his conversation, by the elegance of his deportment, and by his graceful gait in the dance. We are told that in his later life he was a disgraced drunkard, an illtempered and soured husband, and, with all, a tyrant. How strangely altered he must have been! Charles Stuart, when he landed in Scotland in 1745, won all hearts by the fascination of his manners. And although his ill-timed

venture cost Scotland the lives of some of the

most cherished of her sons, yet to this day "Prince Charlie" is the popular "darling."

In 1745, then, as we have said, Charles Edward Stuart, taking advantage of the internal dissensions which agitated the kingdom, landed from a small vessel with a few Scotch and Irish gentlemen who had embarked with him in the adventure. Unfortunately, another vessel, in which was stored his supply of arms, was compelled to put back to France owing to its being disabled in an engagement with an English vessel of war. The time of the landing seemed favourable on many accounts. The King was in Hanover; the Duke of Cumberland, with the best part of his troops, was in Flanders and the Ministers and Parliament were divided by vehement political disputes. These advantages were considerably neutralised by the loss of the French vessel with the needed arms, and also by the absence of a number of military gentlemen who were on board of the vessel when it was attacked, and whose experience and knowledge would have been of incalculable advantage to Charles.

;

The landing of the Young Pretender produced an immense sensation in the kingdom, and, contrary to the expectation of Charles, the political disputants forgot their animosities, joining and making common cause against the Jacobites. When the King returned, which he did with all speed, he sent out a proclamation offering £30,000 for the apprehension of Charles Edward. The young aspirant, in retaliation, offered the same price for the head of the "Elector of Hanover." Charles, meanwhile, after a considerable force had been collected, made his way to Edinburgh, of which he succeeded in obtaining possession, but could not take the

castle. Sir John Cope, who commanded the King's forces in Scotland, hastened to its relief, encamping at Prestonpans, about nine miles distant. The next morning, Charles, at the head of his half-armed Highlanders, attacked the troops with such fury as utterly to rout them in a few minutes. This victory put Charles in possession of arms, ammunition, and a train of artillery; and the King of France, marking his success, sent him a further supply of arms and officers, and promised to aid him by landing a large body of troops in the south of England. Upon this assurance Charles made his way towards London, raised a regiment of Englishmen at Manchester, and then proceeded as far as Derby. Here, instead of pushing on at once, considerable time was wasted; the Scotch officers, hearing no tidings of the French landing, and being afraid of being hemmed in on all sides, determined upon retreating, much against the will of Charles. They succeeded in marching to Carlisle without loss, and then entered Glasgow. From thence the Prince advanced to Stirling, where he was reinforced by considerable additions of men and money. He then by siege attempted to take the castle, but did not succeed. General Hawley, with a considerable force, advanced to the relief of the besieged castle as far as Falkirk; here he was met by Charles at the head of the Highlanders, the first charge of which put Hawley's forces into confusion. The horse retreated with precipitation, and fell upon their own infantry; while the Highlanders following the blow, the greatest part of the royal army retreated in confusion to Edinburgh, leaving Charles in possession of their tents and artillery. Subsequently the Duke of Cumberland put himself at

the head of the King's army, which then amounted to 14,000 men. With these he proceeded to Aberdeen, where he was reinforced by several of the Scots nobility who were attached to the House of Hanover. Charles and his Highlanders, owing to considerable diversity amongst his leaders, retired as the royal troops approached. After considerable discussion, they finally decided to await their pursuers upon the plains of Culloden, about nine miles from Inverness. Charles and his 8000 men were totally routed by the royal troops in less than thirty minutes. When it was over, little mercy was shown. The Duke of Cumberland ordered immediately thirty-six deserters to be executed. The wounded and helpless on the field of battle were slain without mercy; and the whole country round was one dreadful scene of plunder, slaughter, and desolation. These cruelties, ordered and permitted by the Duke of Cumberland, caused his name to be execrated throughout Scotland, and have fixed an indelible stain upon his memory. It is said that, in a district of nearly fifty miles round Lochiel, there was, in the course of a few days, neither house nor cottage, neither men nor beasts to be seen-so complete was the ruin, silence, and desolation. The jails of England were filled with prisoners, many of whom were executed, while others were shipped to America. Lords Balmerino, Kilmarnock, and Lovat, with Mr. Radcliffe, the brother of Lord Derwentwater, were beheaded in London, the last persons in England who suffered that mode of being put 'to death.

But meanwhile what had become of Charles "the young and princely chief of this illfated enterprise "-the new Charles of this