The chiefs of Grant - Electric Scotland

3&G r>uiGADiKi;-c];.NKi;AL allxa.ndki: (;i;a.\t of gkant. [ITIC-
Coinmissioiis to Lordri-Tiirutenant of the Scolcli counties were issued,
and also, thouy;li at lirst jirolialily only as a eautioiiai'v measure, instructions
"were given for calling out nu'litia. On I'JlIi August 1715, Brigadier Grant
received a commission as Lord-Lieu'Lrnant of the cor.'-ies of Banlf and
J I'verness,' and on tlie 25tli of the sauic month instrm :
>ms
resiiectinii,' the
aj'pointnient of depurios, wh.. were unly to be clm^,. n Iron) those well
affected to King George's accession and the Protestauc religion, and the
calling out of such fencihle men as could conveniently he assembled,
making the same distinction. Each battalion of the latter was to consist
of aljout foiu' hundred private men, witli necessary oJlicers, and each troop
of horse, if such were expedient, to consist of about foily private men, with
officers. In the event of the militia of more than one shire being combined,
the Lords-Lieutenant were to comrjiand by the day alternately, according
to the place of the shire on tlie llolls of Parliament. The last of the eleven
Instructions is : "You are upon all occasions to execute tlie trust reposed
in you with as little expense to our subjects as possible."'
On 9th September 1715, John, Duke of Argyll, having been a].)]iointed
Connnanderdn-chief for Scotland, and received his Jinal instructions, left the
Court. He arrived In Edinljurgh on the 14th September, and the same day
went to the castle, inspected the garrison, tbrtiiicatious, and magazines.
He then appointed Brigadier Grant to be captain of tlie fortress, and to
reinforce the garrison with two comp)anies of his regiment.^
Nine days afterwards, Brigadier Grant received, and so far carried
out, certain orders from tlie Duke of Arg\"ll emjiowering him to seize all
boats and vessels on tlie Firth of Forth, and to biing tliem to Leitli, lest
they should fdl into the hands of the rebels, and be used against the
Government.^ Li terms of a warrant by Lord Islay, an exception was made
of the [)assage from Fife to Edinburgh, which, by the Duke's order, had
been wlioUy obstructed, ami the Brigadier w;is to " allow two passage
boats to sail from Leith each tide, the mastei's finding caution in Leith to
return the same tide, or by the first conveniency with passengers, without
touching ground on the Fife side." ^
' Coramisbion .it Castle Grant. •^ Vol. ii. of this work, j). ,32.
^ C