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Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software. The text has not been manually corrected and should not be relied on to be an accurate representation of the item.
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to the best of my memoTy you may depend on the truth of it . For my part I absconded to the house of a very honest man in Drurylane , where I remained till I was assured of my Lord ' s safe arrival on the continent . I then went to the Duchess
of Buccleugh ' s , { every body thought till then that I was gone off with my Lord , ) to tell her that I understood I was suspected of having contrived my Lord ' s escape , as was very natural to suppose , that if I could have been happy enough to have done it , 1 should have been flattered to have the merit
of it attributed to me ; but that a bare suspicion , without proof , would never be sufficient ground for my being punished for a supposed offence , though it might be motive for me to provide a
place of security ; so I entreated her to procure leave for me to go with safety about my business : so far from granting my request , they were resolved to secure me if possible .
After several debates , Mr . Solicitor Genera ] , who was an utter stranger to me , had the humanity to say , that since I shewed so much respect to the government as not to appear in public , it would be cruel to search after me .
On which it was decided , that if I remained concealed , no farther search should be made , but that if I appeared either in England or Scotland I should be secured . But this was not sufficient for me , unless I could submit to expose my son to beggary .
My Lord sent for me up to town in such haste , that I had no time to settle any thing before I left Scotland . I had in my hands all the family papers and dared not trust them to any body . My house might have been searched without warning , consequently they
were far from being secure there . In this distress I had the precaution to bury them under ground , and nobody but the gardener and myself knew where they were ; I did the same with the other things of value . The event proved that I acted prudently , for after my departure they searched the house ,
and God knows what might have transpired from those papers . All these circumstances rendered my presence absolutely necessary , otherwise they might have been lost , for though they , retained the highest preservation after one very severe winter , ( for when 1 took them up they were as dry as if
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they came from the fireside , ) yet they could not possibly have remained so much longer without prejudice . In short , as I had once exposed my life for the safety of the father , I could not do less than hazard it once more for the fortune of the son .
I had never travelled on horseback but from York to London , as I told you , but the difficulty did not now arise from the severity of the season , but fear of being known and arrested .
To avoid this I bought three saddlehorses , and set off with my dear Evans and a very trusty servant , whom I brought with me out of Scotland . We put up at all the smallest inns on the road that could take in a few
horses , and where I thought I was not known , for I was thoroughly known at all the considerable inns on the north road . Thus I arrived safe at Traguaine , where I thought myself
secure , for the Lieutenant of the county being a friend of mine would not permit any search to be made for me , without sending me previous notice to abscond . Here I had the assurance
to rest myself for two whole days , pretending that I was going to my own house with the leave of the government . I sent no notice to my own house , lest the magistrates of Dumfries might make too narrow inquiries about me . So they were ignorant of my arrival in the country
till I was at home , where I still feigned to have permission to remain . To carry on the deceit the better , I sent to all my neighbours and invited them to come to rny house . I took up my papers at night and sent them to Traguaine . It was a peculiar . stroke of Providence that 1 made the
dispatch 1 did , for they soon suspected me , and by a very favourable accident one of them was overheard to say to the magistrates of Dumfries , that the next day they would insist on seeing my leave from government . This was bruited about , and when I was told of it , 1 expressed my surprise that
they had been so backward in corning to pay their respects ; but I said better late than never ; be sure to tell them that they shall be welcome whenever they choose to come . This was after dinner , but I lost no time to put every thing to readiness with all possible sec res y , and the next morn * ing before day-break I set off again for
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Z * ady Nithsdale ' s Relation of Lord Nith $ dale * s Escape . 465
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vol . xii . 3 o
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Citation
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Monthly Repository (1806-1838) and Unitarian Chronicle (1832-1833), Aug. 2, 1817, page 465, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/mruc/issues/vm2-ncseproduct2467/page/17/
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