New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1850-12-14
The r.cape of Queen Mary from ocaleven
EY AGhEs srRIcKLAh0.

III AIhEs SIKItkLAaD.
The escape of Mary. Queen Of Scots, from Loeb
leven Castle, ls one OF the most striking passages
ain the history Of female royalty The time, the
place, the beauty and exalted rank Of the illustci
Gus heroine her wrongs and her distress the chiy-
airy and courage of the gallant spirits VINO had
undertaken to effect her deliverance, the peril OF
the enterprise and its success combine all the ci-
emeDts OF & romance. Yet the adventure creates
more poWertuli impression related in the graphic
simplicity OF truth as it really befe, than when
wotked up with Imaginary circumstances into
tale OF fiction, even By the magic pen OF Scott IN
the pages Of The Abbot"
The fatal confederation OF events, which had
the effect OF entanglng the royal victim IL the
tolls of her guieiul foes cannot be developed here
The broad outline OF the outward aud visible facts
is famiiarto almost every reader bat to expose the
undercurrent TO view By documentary evidences,
and to make manifest the hidden workings Of
iniquity, requires a wider field than these brief
pages cap afford | must therefore, refer the
public to my long promised Life Of Mary Stuart,
which will shortly appear in my new series Of
royal female biographies based on dOoU nentary
sources, for particulars which can scarcely fail Of
removing the oboquy with which mercenary wri
ters the ready tools OF selfnterested calumna-
tors, have endeavored TO blecken the name Of this
hapless lady
The confederate lords into whose hasds Mary.
confding in their solemn promises 20 treat her
with all honor and reverence as their sovereign,
rashly surrendered herself at Carbery bill, not
only sharpelessly violated then pact, but alter ex
posing her to the most cruel insults from the very
affects Of the people. incarcerated her IN the
gloomy fortress Of Lochleven, under the jallorsbp
of the mother Of her egitimate brother, the Earl
of Murray, and the wardership Of the sons that
person had had by her late husband Sir Robert
Douglass, Of LOchieVen ior the Lady OF Lochle
ven was a married woman when the Earl OF Muir
ray was born.t
1t is scarcely possible to imagine more doleful
abiding place for the falenqueen, n her atilctlon
! than that which had been thus iniuriousy and bya
refinement OF malice, selected tor her BY her per
/ dious foes. The castle, Which!s OF extreme anti
0uitv said indeed to have been founded BY Con
gal Pictish king, s of rude architecture consist
lug OF a square dopion keep, Eanked with turrets,
and encompassed with q rampant 1t ls built on
small island almost in the center OF the wild eX.
panse of the deep aud oft times stormy waters OF
The locb which is fifteen miles in circumference,
The castle island consists OF i've acres, now over
grown with trees and brushwood., In the midst
Of this desolation tradition points out one ancient
stem Of fantastic growth, said to have been plant
ed by the royal captive as 4 memorial Of her com
/ pulsorY residence in the castle. The bows OF this
! tree which ia called Queen Mary Thorn are
! constantly broken and carried away relics by
the visitors whom the interest attached to the
memory o. that unhappy princess attracts TO the
spot, which her suiferings have rendered an his
toric site Of melancholy celebrity
The events d the long dreary months which
| Mary wore away ia tins wave-encrcled prison
| house, bereit OF regal state, deprived OF exercise
and recreation, and secluded from every friend
save hertwo faithful ladies, and little maiden OF
ten years old, the voluntary companions OF her
durance, as we'll ms the occupations wherewith
she endeavored to beguile her sorrowiul hours,
will be found very fully detailed in my biography
! Of that unfortunate queen. with many recently
discovered facts.
Toward the end OF March, George Douglas the
youngest son of the Lady of Locheyen, whose
| manly heart had been touched with generous
sympathy, or, as some assert with deep and en-
during passion for his fair Inflated sovereign made
bold and almost successful attempt to convey
her out Of the castle, in the disguise OF laundress
The Queen, however, being identified by the
whteuess and decacy of her hands, which she
| had raised to repel one Of the rude boatmeR, who
endeavored to remove her hood and muller to get
| sight of her face, she was brought back, and Geo
| Douglas was expelled from the castle with dis
grace. But though banisbed from his house he
urked concealed in the adjacent village, wherehe
| had friends and coniederates, and, doubtless IN
! spired many an honest burgher and peasant with
sympathy for the wrongs OF their captive sover-
elem by his description OF the harsh restraint to
which she waa subjected within the grim fortress
of Lochleven AT Kinross he was joined by the
! faithful John BetOn, and other devoted servants OF
| the Queen. who were associated tor the enamel
patton of their royal mistress, and had long been
! lurking in various DISCUSSES, among the western
Lomopds, to watch for favorable opportunity OF
| eiecting their object
DOUGLAS had left, withal, an able coadjutor
within the castle boy Of tender years, OF mys-
terious porentage and humble vocation, who was
destined to act the part OF the mouse IN tEsops
beautiful fable This unsuspected confederate
was youth Of fifteen, who waited on the Lady
of Lochleven in the capacity OF page he IS known
in history by the names OF Willie Douglas, and
Little Douglas; in the castle he was called the
Lad Willie, the Orphan Willie, and the Found
ling Willie1 for he was found, when n babe, at
the castle gates. Home, of Godscroit says, he
was the natural brother of George Douglas y a
statement perfectly reconcileabe with the story
Of his first Introduction into the family ofthe Laird
of Lochleyen Such incidents are not OF unlre-
ouent occurrence in the daily romance OF HE, aud
often has it happened that the appeal made to the
parental feelings ei prcttIgate seducer' IN oehSii
of guiltless child OF sin and sorrow, has a"aA-
ened feelings of feminine compassion IN the DO
som of the Injured wife, and the torlorn stranger
has received home and nurture through her
charity. This appears to have been the case with
regard to Little Willie and the Lady OF Loch'
loven; for, whether she suspected his connectloh
with the laird her husband or not, ne was taken
IN, and brought up under her auspices, ana as AZ
tendant on her person. Frail as she had been IN
her youth and cruel and vindictiye IN her treat
mont of the lawful daughter OF her roya! seducer'
whom it irked her pride to consider as her soye'
reign it is neyerthe less pleasant to trace out the
evidence Of some good in the harsh Lady OF Il OCH
leven.
The Founding Willie remained in the castle,
after the death Of the old laird, m orphan Deepen
dent in the family. but his subsequent actions
prove that he had received the education of
gentleman; for not only could he read and write,
but he understood enough of French and other
languages to be sent on secret missions to foreign
princes To these requirements Willie added
courage, firnness and address, seldom paraleled
in OF his tender years,
There is not any circumstances IN the course OF
Mary Stuart's career more striking than the fact
that, in this dark epoch Of her life, when deprived
Of all the sttr;hntss Of rcxalty nnnresssa. Calum