eat from Stirling. But when, in the retirement of his prison
chamber, the unfortunate nobleman reviewed his conduct, and confessed
the errors of his life, he fully and satisfactorily cleared himself from
the heinous imputation implied in this work of destruction. When the
army of Charles were retiring from Stirling he was confined to his bed
ill of a fever. The first intimation that he had of the blowing up of
the tower of St. Ninian's was the noise, of which he never could obtain
a clear account. By the insurgents it was represented as accidental:
"this can I certainly say, as to myself, that I had no knowledge before
hand, nor any concurrence in a designed act of cruelty." Such was Lord
Kilmarnock's declaration to Mr. Foster.

Another instance of barbarity also laid to the charge of the Earl was,
his alleged treatment of certain prisoners of war who were intrusted to
his care in the church of Inverness. He was accused of stripping these
unfortunate persons of their clothes. Upon this point he admitted that
an order to deprive the prisoners of their garments for the use of the
Highlanders was issued by Charles Edward: that the warrant for executing
this order was sent to him. He did not, as he declared, enter the church
in person, but committed the office of execution to an inferior officer.
The prisoners, as might be expected, refused to submit to this
indignity; upon which a second order was issued, and their clothes were
taken from them. The well-timed remonstrance of Boyer, Marquis
D'Eguilles, who had been sent by the court of France in the character of
Ambassador to Charles Edward, arrested, however, the act of cruelty,
which not even extreme necessity can excuse. This nobleman had arrived
some time previously at Montrose, bringing in the ship in which he
sailed, arms and a small sum of money,[337] and his influence, which was
exerted in behalf of the captives, was happily considerable. He
represented to the Earl of Kilmarnock, that the rules of war did not
authorise the outrage which was contemplated. Lord Kilmarnock, convinced
by his remarks, repaired to Charles Edward, leaving heaps of the clothes
lying in the streets of Inverness, with sentinels standing to guard
them. By the arguments which he addressed to the Prince, these garments
were restored to their unfortunate owners; and a great stain on the
memory both of Charles and of his adherent was thus partially effaced.

Of such a nature were those imputations