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For some days after the Highlanders resumed possession of
Edinburgh, a sort of tacit understanding existed between the garrison and them, under
which communication between the castle and the city continued open. A guard of Highlanders
was posted at the Weigh-house, an old square building, which stood at the head of West
Bow, at the distance of a few hundred yards from the fortress. This guard allowed
provisions of every description to pass, particularly for the use of the officers; and
matters might have remained for some time in the quiescent state, to the great comfort of
the inhabitants, had not the garrison one night, most unaccountably fired off some cannon
and small arms in the direction of the West Port. In consequence, it is believed, of this
breach of the implied armistice, orders were given to the guards, on the 29th of
September, to block up all avenues leading to the castle, and allow no person to pass. On
being made aquainted with this order, General Guest sent a letter, in the evening,
addressed to the Lord Provost, intimating, that unless the communication between the
castle and the city was renewed, and the blockade removed, he would be obliged to dislodge
the Highland guards with his cannon, and bombard the city. Nothing could be more
unreasonable and absurd than this threat. Though willing, the citizens had it not in their
power, either to keep up the communication with the castle, or to take off the blockade,
and though they were as unable to remove the Highlanders from the city "as to remove
the city itself out of its seat", or prevent them from acting as they pleased, yet
the citizens would be the only sufferers in the event of a bombardment; for the
Highlanders, if the city were destroyed, would only be obliged to change their quarters,
and neither the destruction of the one, nor the removal of the other, could be of any
service to the castle. These views were represented to the governor by a deputation from
the city; but Guest remained inflexible, and pleaded in his justification a peremptory
order, which he said he had received from the king himself, and which left him no
discretion. At the earnest solicitation of the inhabitants, Guest was prevailed upon to
grant a respite for one night. Next morning, six deputies waited on the prince, at the
palace, with General Guest's letter, which was in reality intended for him. After perusing
the letter, Charles returned an answer immediately to the deputies in writing, in which he
expressed surprise at the barbarity of the orders from the castle, at a time when it was
admitted, that the garrison had six weeks provisions on hand, - that, in pleading, as
Guest had done, the directions of "the Elector of Hanover", as an excuse, it was
evident, that the Elector did not consider the inhabitants of Edinburgh as his subjects,
otherwise he would not have made a demand upon them which they could not fulfil, - and
that, should he, the prince, out of compassion to the citizens, comply with the
extravagant demand now made, he might as well quit the city as once, and abandon all the
advantages he had obtained, - that, if any mischief should befall the city, he would take
particular care to indemnify the inhabitants for their loss, - and that, in the meantime,
if forced by the threatened barbarity, he would make reprisals upon the estates of the
officers in the castle, and also upon all who were "known to be open abettors of the
German government".
This letter was laid
before a meeting of the inhabitants, who sent deputies with it to General Guest. After
some altercation, he agreed to suspend hostilities till the return of an express from
London, on condition that the Highland army should, in the mean time, make no attempt upon
the castle. This condition was, however, infringed by the Highlanders, who, on the
following day, discharged some musket shots with the intention, it is supposed, of
frightening some persons who were carrying up provisions to the castle. General Guest,
considering that he was no longer restrained from executing his threat, immediately opened
a fire upon the guard stationed at the Weigh-house, by which some houses were damaged and
two persons wounded. Charles retaliated by issuing a proclamation next day, in which he
prohibited all correspondence with the castle, under pain of death. This proclamation was
followed by an order to strengthen the blockade, by posting additional guards at several
places about the castle. To revenge this step the garrison fired at every Highlander they
could discover from the battlements, and, by this reckless proceeding, killed and wounded
several of the inhabitants. A daring exploit was performed at the same time by a soldier,
who slipped down from the castle, set fire to a house in Livingston's yards, where a guard
was posted, and after shooting one of the guards dead upon the spot, returned safe to the
fortress. Shortly after this occurrence a party sallied out from the castle, killed some
of the guards stationed at the same place, took an officer and a few prisoners, and put
the rest to flight.
Meanwhile General Guest sent a message to the city, intimating that he meant to demolish
the houses where the guards were posted, but that care would be taken to do as little
damage as possible to the city. Accordingly, on the 4th of October, about two o'clock in
the afternoon, a cannonade was opened from the half-moon battery, near the Castle-gate,
which was kept up till the evening. When it grew dark the garrison made a sally, and set
fire to a foundry and a house on the Castle-hill which had been deserted. They then dug a
trench fourteen feet broad, and sixteen feet deep, across the Castle-hill, about half-way
between the gate and the houses on the Castle-hill, and along the parapet made by the
earth taken from the trench on the side next the castle, they posted 200 men, who
discharged some cartridge shot down the street, killing and wounding some of the
inhabitants. The bombardment was resumed next day, with more disastrous effect. No person
could with safety appear on the High-street, as the shots from the Castle-hill penetrated
as far down as the head of the old Flesh-market close, and shattered several houses. At
first, some of the better informed among the citizens were disposed to regard the threat
of bombardment as a mere device to induce the prince to discontinue the blockade, as they
could not bring themselves to believe that the government could have been guilty of
issuing the barbarous order alluded to by the governor of the castle; but the inhabitants
in general entertained more correct views, and before the cannonade commenced, the streets
were crowded with women and children running towards the gates, in great confusion, while
many of the citizens were to be seen carrying their most valuable effects out of the city.
During the two days that the cannonade laster, viz, the 4th and 5th of October, the utmost
dismay prevailed among the inhabitants, and multitudes of them left the city, without
knowing whither to flee or where to look for shelter.
To put an end to this disastrous state of affairs Charles issued a proclamation on the
evening of 5th of October, removing the blockade. In this document he stated that it was
with the greatest regret that he was hourly informed of the many murders which were
committed upon he innocent inhabitants of the city, by the inhuman commanders and garrison
of the castle, a practice contrary, he observed, to all the laws of war, to the truce
granted the city, and even exceeding the orders which the government, it was alleged, had
given upon the occasion, - that he might have, as he had threatened, justly chastised
those who had been instrumental in the ruin of the capital, by reprisals upon the estates
and fortunes of the supporters of the government; but as he though it noways derogatory to
the glory of a prince, to suspend punishment, or alter a resolution, if, by such a course,
he could save lives of innocent men, he had allowed his humanity to yield to the barbarity
of the common enemy. This proclamation was followed by a cessation of the cannonade; but
the garrison still continued to fire occasionally at the Highlanders whenever they made
their appearance in the neighbourhood of the castle.
The object of Guest, according to Mr Home, in thus annoying the town, and provoking the
Highlanders, was not to secure a supply of provisions, of which he had already an
abundance, but to prevent them from marching into England, by keeping them occupied in the
siege of the castle. To deceive Charles, he wrote in the beginning of the week following
the battle of Preston, several letters to the Duke of Newcastle, one of the secretaries of
state, aquainting him that there was but a very small stock of provisions in the castle of
Edinburgh, - that he would be obliged to surrender, if not immediately relieved, and
recommending that any troops sent to his relief, should be forwarded by sea, to Berwick or
Newcastle, for the sake of despatch. These letters, which were intended for the perusal of
Charles, were sent so that they might fall into his hands; but lest any of them might find
their way to London, Guest sent a letter to the Duke of Newcastle, by a sure conveyance,
giving him an account of the real state of the garrison, and informing him of the
deception he was endeavouring to practise upon the Highlanders. |
