[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.

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.