A letter from George Keith, 10th Earl Marischal to Charles Edward Stuart on his efforts at the French court to get agreement for French troops to go to Scotland to support the Jacobite cause, 30 November 1745 (SP 36/74/61).
Transcript
Sir
The bearer will inform your Royal Highness of the state of your affairs at the Court of France since a gentleman has gone from hence to inform him more at length than could well be by letter. For my own part I cannot pretend to have been able to do you much service, [though] I have honestly used my endeavours: other folks had the confidence of the Ministers, who either did not believe what I said, or seemed not to believe it,
([though] I said nothing but truth and on good ground) because it did not perhaps agree with their views.
I at first demanded six thousand foot and five hundred dragoons to go to Scotland, and after some contest the French Ministry seemed to agree it, [though] they made great difficulty as to the passage. Two or three days after I had made that first demand, there came a person from the party in England and by
And of those with you has already done is as much as was possible for men, and I do not know what a like instance of victory is to be found in history, but unless they support the affair well from hence, all who wish you well and the country must be in the greatest concern. I shall trouble your Royal Highness no more at present but only ad that I have the honor to be with the greatest respect,
Sir
Your Royal Highness’s
Most humble and most obedient servant
Marischall