Manuscripts of a French Officer named La Rochette, who appears to have been acting, at least in 1763, in the services of the Duc de Nivernais, then Ambassador at St James, in connection with Acadian and other French prisoners.
Scope and Contents
In a note on folio i the officer is called Colonel de la Rochette; on folio 42 he describes himself as being addressed as General.
The manuscripts consist of notes and drafts (some of these latter in several versions), chiefly on the following subjects. Some or all may have been intended for the Duc de Nivernais.
(i) The campaigns of Agricola and Roman antiquities in Scotland, with some notes on early Britain in general. (Folios 1-42, 45-47, 58, 63.)
(ii) A journey to Scotland, taken by order of the Duc de Nivernais, 1763. (Folios 42-43, 48-49, 52-57.) Disembarking at Falmouth, the writer travelled by Carlisle and Annandale to Edinburgh, of which he gives a long description including a mention of a conversation with David Hume (folio 57), and then to the Roman camps in Perthshire.
(iii) Jerusalem artichokes and potatoes. (Folios 50-51, 65.)
(iv) The Highlanders. (Folio 62.)
(v) A projected work or works on England, with accounts of London in particular. (Folio 66-74, 78-81.)
(vi) French canals. (Folios 75-77.)
Dates
- Creation: Mid 18th century.
Conditions Governing Access
Normal access conditions apply.
Conditions Governing Use
Normal reproduction conditions apply, subject to any copyright restrictions.
Extent
82 Leaves ; Folio.
Language of Materials
Undetermined
Arrangement
i + 81 folios.
Custodial History
The manuscripts were bought by the National Library of Scotland with the aid of the Reid Fund.
The manuscript is said (folio 1) to have been owned by George Chalmers.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Bought, Dowell's, 2 November 1949, lot 278.
Genre / Form
- Title
- National Library of Scotland Catalogue of Manuscripts
- Author
- National Library of Scotland Archives and Manuscripts Division
- Description rules
- International Standard for Archival Description - General
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
Repository Details
Part of the National Library of Scotland Archives and Manuscripts Division Repository
Archives and Manuscript Division
National Library of Scotland
George IV Bridge
Edinburgh EH1 1EJ
0131 623 3700
manuscripts@nls.uk