came and joined us next day,
and in the evening held a council of war to resolve what was to be done.
The Earl Marischal first asked to know what commissions each had, that
the command might be regulated, and Lord Tullibardine not owning his
late commissions, the command remain'd in him as eldest Major General.
It was then disputed whether it was fit to go immediately to the main
land of Scotland, or to continue in the island where we were till we
had advice of the Duke of Ormonde's landing in England. This last party
was much insisted on by Lord Tullibardine and Glenderuel, but all the
rest being against it, because we might easily be block'd up in the isle
by two or three of the enemies ships, it was resolved to follow the
project which the Earl Marischal had proposed to the Cardinal, to land
as soon as possible in Scotland, and with the Spaniards and Highlanders
who should first join us, march straight to Inverness, in which there
were not above 300 of the enemies foot, who would be in no condition to
oppose us, and to remain there till we should be joined by such a body
of horse and foot as should put us in a condition of marching to the
more southern parts of the Kingdom. The council of war being at an end,
the Spanish troops were order'd to debark that they might refraich
themselves after a voyage of 42 days, and it was resolved to sail for
the main land three days after....

We had no sooner debarked the troops and ammunition,[75] than the Earl
Marischal and Brigadier Campbel proposed marching straight to Inverness
with the Spaniards and 500 Highlanders, whom the Marquess of Seafort
promised to give us, to surprise the enemies garison, who as yet had no
accounts of us; but the same demon who had inspired them with the design
of staying in the Lewis, hinder'd them from accepting this proposition.
We were all in the dark what could be the meaning of these dilatory
proceedings, which was discover'd to be the effects of the measures they
had already taken, for before the Earl Marischal's arrival, they (not
knowing but that he might have a commission superior to the Marquess of
Tullibardine's) had wrote letters in a circular manner to most of their
friends, acquainting them that it was the King's intentions that no body
should take arms till the Spanish troops were landed in England; and
therefore the Marquess declared that till then he would not stir from
where he was, nor even allow any detachments to be made; and so