[John Campbell, 4th Earl and 1st Marquess of Breadalbane.] Autograph Letter Signed to him from Archibald Campbell ('Archd. Campbell') of Edinburgh, reporting on matter relating to Breadalbane's Highland Fencible Corps, the Breadalbane Fencibles.

Author: 
John Campbell (1762-1834), 4th Earl and 1st Marquess of Breadalbane, Scottish landowner [Archibald Campbell; the Highland Fencible Corps; Breadalbane Fencibles]
Publication details: 
Edinburgh; 16 July 1798.
£140.00
SKU: 13990

3pp., 4to. Bifolium. Address, with two postmarks, on additional leaf. In very good condition, on lightly-aged paper. The letter contains references to Sir Ralph Abercromby, Sir Benjamin Dunbar, Lord McDonald, Lord Stonefield, the Duke of York, 'Mr. Geddes' and 'McGrigor'. It begins: 'Yesterday being Sunday I was prevented from doing any business, or leaving Town, before this day - I called on my friend Mr. Geddes to day, & communicated to him the reason of my absence from the Reg[imen]t. with my ideas respecting your Lordship spirited offer - He informed me that he did not hear of Sir Ralph Abercrombie's [sic] having received an answer to his letter on that subject, to the Duke of York; which he supposed would be owing to the Privy Counsel's [sic] taking sometime [sic] to deliberate thereon - previous to their giving an opinion - as Government was now making a distinction in the Levymoney granted to Colonels who are riseing [sic] new Fencible Corps'. I saw Mr John Campbell to day who heard nothing further, than what your Lordship already knows of, on the subject - | I would have called on Sir Ralph, to procure certain information for Your Lo[rdshi]p - did I not know of your aversion to appear sanguine in the affair'. He has made enquiry 'in all the Booksellers shops' for an English translation of a French pamphlet by , and for 'Capt. James of the York Militia's Publication on the emoluments arising from the Clothing of a Regiment', without success, and is ordering the first from London. 'I have procured & forwarded Your Lordship Picks collection of Marches &c - which I thought preferable to trusting to Mc.Grigor's Copying of a Set, as he is not fully master of it'. Postscript: 'Lord Stonefield is gone to England to see the Colonel - Airds is supposed to be in England by this time - His mother is I am sorry to find is [sic] very poorly at present AC'. Two regiments of the Breadalbane Fencibles had been raised in 1793, with a third battalion added a few months later. 2300 men were raised, of whom 1600 came from the Breadalbane estate. The first two Battalions were disbanded in 1799; the third was sent to Ireland in 1795, where it remained until its disbandment in 1802.