which he would be ready, if it were requisite, to attest upon oath. From his mouth I wrote it down with the utmost exactness, and could easily believe, from the genuine and affectionate manner in which he related the particulars, that, according to his own striking expression, "his eye and his heart were always upon his honoured master during the whole time.”

On Friday, September 20, the day before the battle which transmitted him to his immortal crown, when the whole army was drawn up, I think about noon, the colonel rode through all the ranks of his own regiment, addressing them at once in the most respectful and animating manner, both as soldiers and as Christians, to engage them to exert themselves courageously in the service of their country, and to neglect nothing that might have a tendency to prepare them for whatever event might happen. They seemed much affected with the address, and expressed a very ardent desire of attacking the enemy immediately; a desire in which he and another very gallant officer of distinguished rank, dignity, and character, both for bravery and conduct, would gladly have gratified them, if it had been in the power of either. He earnestly pressed it on the commanding officer, both as the soldiers were then in better spirits than it could be supposed they would be, after having passed the night under arms; and also as the circum

* Just as I am putting the last hand to these memoirs, March 2, 1746-7, I have met with a corporal in colonel Lascelle's regiment, who was also an eye-witness to what happened at Preston-Pans on the day of the battle, and the day before and the account he has given me of some memorable particulars is HO exactly agreeable to that which I received from Mr. Foster, that it would much corroborate his testimony, if there were not so many other considerations to render it convincing.

stance of making an attack would be some encouragement to them, and probably some terror to the enemy, who would have had the disadvantage of standing on the defence; a disadvantage with which those wild barbarians (for such most of them were) perhaps would have been more struck than better disciplined troops, especially when they fought against the laws of their country too. He also apprehended, that, by marching to meet them, some advantage might have been secured with regard to the ground, with which it is natural to imagine he must have been perfectly acquainted, as it lay just at his own door, and he had rode over it so many hundred times. When I mention these things, I do not pretend to be capable of judging how far this advice was on the whole right. A variety of circumstances, to me unknown, might make it otherwise. It is certain, however, that it was brave. But it was overruled in this respect, as it also was in the disposition of the cannon, which he would have had planted in the centre of our small army, rather than just before his regiment, which was in the right wing; where he was apprehensive that the horses which had not been in any engagement before might be thrown into some disorder by the discharge so very near them. He urged this the more, as he thought the attack of the rebels might probably be made on the centre of the foot, where he knew there were some brave men, on whose standing he thought, under God, the success of the day depended. When he found that he could not carry either of these points, nor some others, which out of regard to the common safety he insisted upon with some unusual earnestness, he dropped some intimations of the consequences which he apprehended, and which did in fact follow; and submitting

to Providence, spent the remainder of the day in making as good a disposition as circumstances would allow.*

He continued all night under arms, wrapped up in his cloak, and generally sheltered under a rick of barley which happened to be in the field. About three in the morning he called his domestic servants to him, of whom there were four in waiting. He dismissed three of them with most affectionate Christian advice, and such solemn charges relating to the performance of their duty and the care of their souls, as seemed plainly to intimate that he apprehended it at least very probable he was taking his last farewell of them. There is great reason to believe that he spent the little remainder of the time, which could not be much above an hour, in those devout exercises of soul which had so long been habitual to him, and to which so many circumstances did then concur to call him. The army was alarmed by break of day, by the noise of the rebels' approach, and the attack was made before sunrise, yet when it was light enough to discern what passed. As soon as the enemy came within gunshot they made a furious fire; and it

* Several of these circumstances have since been confirmed by the concurrent testimony of another very credible person, Mr. Robert Douglas, late a surgeon in the navy, who was a volunteer at Edinburgh just before the rebels entered the place, who saw colonel Gardiner come from Haddington to the field of battle the day before the action in a chaise, being, as from that circumstance he supposed, in so weak a state that he could not well endure the fatigue of riding on horseback. He observed colonel Gardiner in discourse with several officers the evening before the engagement; at which time, it was afterwards reported, he gave his advice to attack the rebels; and when it was overruled, he afterwards saw the colonel walk by himself in a very pensive

manner.

is said that the dragoons which constituted the left wing immediately fled. The colonel, at the beginning of the onset, which in the whole lasted but a few minutes, received a wound by a bullet in his left breast, which made him give a sudden spring in his saddle; upon which his servant, who had led the horse, would have persuaded him to retreat: but he said it was only a wound in the flesh, and fought on, though he presently after received a shot in his right thigh. In the meantime it was discerned that some of the enemies fell by him, and particularly one man, who had made him a treacherous visit but a few days before, with great professions of zeal for the present establishment.

Events of this kind pass in less time than the description of them can be written, or than it can be read. The colonel was for a few moments supported by his men, and particularly by that worthy person, lieutenant-colonel Whitney, who was shot through the arm here, and a few months after fell nobly in the battle of Falkirk; and by lieutenant West, a man of distinguished bravery; as also by about fifteen dragoons, who stood by him to the last. But after a faint fire, the regiment in general was seized with a panic; and though their colonel and some other gallant officers did what they could to rally them once or twice, they at last took to a precipitate flight. And just in the moment when colonel Gardiner seemed to be making a pause, to deliberate what duty required him to do in such a circumstance, an accident happened, which must, I think, in the judgment of every worthy and generous man, be allowed a sufficient apology for exposing his life to so great a hazard, when his regiment had left him.* *The colonel, who was well acquainted with military history,

He saw a party of the foot, who were then bravely friting near him, and whom he was ordered to support, had no offeer to head them; upon which he said eagerly, in the hearing of the person from whom I had this account. "Those brave fellows would be cut to pieces for want of a commander;" or words to that effect: which while he was speaking he rode up to them, and cried out aloud, "Fire on, my lads, and fear nothing." But just as the words were out of his mouth, a Highlander advanced towards him with a scythe fastened to a long pole, with which he gave him such a deep wound on his right arm, that his sword dropped out of his hand; and, at the same time, several others coming about him, while he was thus dreadfully entangled with that cruel weapon, he was dragged off from his horse. The moment he fell, another Highlander, who, if the king's evidence at Carlisle may be credited, as I know not why they should not, though the unhappy creature died denying it, was one MacNought, who was executed about a year after, gave him a stroke, either with a broadsword or Lochaber-axe, for my informant could not exactly distinguish, on the hinder part of his head, which was the mortal blow. All that his faithful attendant saw

might possibly remember, that in the battle of Blenheim, the illustrious prince Eugene, when the horse of the wing he commanded had run away thrice, charged at the head of the foot. and thereby greatly contributed to the glorious success of the day. At least such an example may conduce to vindicate i hat noble ardour, which, amidst all the applauses of his country, some have been so cool and so critical as to blame. For my own part, I thank God that I am not called to apologize for his following his troops in their flight, which I fear would have been a much harder task, and which, dear as he was to me, would have grieved me much more than his death, with these heroic circumstances attending it.