OS1/19/10/121

Continued entries/extra info

[Page] 121
Parish of Fetteresso

[continued from page 120]
is fully justified, as will be seen afterwards, by the express words of the historian, in Saying that the Scene
of action must have been near to the Sea. Pennant had also supposed that the attack upon the ninth legion took
place at Dealgin Ross or Victoria, which is still by much the most probable Supposition. But Mr Chalmers
is Still farther mistaken in saying that all the operations of the former Campaign were in Fife, whereas it is
highly incredible that an experienced officer, as General Roy observes, (Military Antiquities P. [Page] 82) would
have endangered his whole army, by allowing them to be shut up in a peninsula, or cul de Sac, as Agricola,
So early as the third year of his command discovered Fife to be. For this too there could be no manner of oc-
casion, having already with his fleet explored all the Shores of the Friths of Forth and Tay, as well as the contiguous
Sea Coasts, and making frequent incursions into the country for the purpose of alarming and plundering
the inhabitants. 'Praemissa classe quae pluribus locis praedata mgnum et incertum terrorem faceret -
'ad Montem Grampium pervenit, quem jam hostes insederant.' Of there being no evidence of Agricola having
ever reached the Tay, or that the Tau of Tacitus was the Solway Frith, it is unnecessary at present to make
any remarks, but it must be observed upon what he calls the loose conjectures and Sophistry of Mr Maitland,
Lord Buchan, and General Roy, that there is far more probability, if not truth, in them, than in all which
he and many others have written on the Subject, notwithstanding their imputed ignorance of the operations of
of Lollius Urbicus, and Severus, 'on that arduous theatre of war'. It is now time however after thus far clearing
the way, to state seriously the objections that occur to the author for Lindum, or Ardoch, not being the Scene of
this famous battle. The first is, that this Station is far too remote from the Grampian Hills, 'ubi hostes jam
'insederant', being more than a dozen miles from the nearest part of them immediately above Crieff. Again,
if this objection is not insurmountable, another presents itself, which if possible is still more decisive
of the point at issue. For, from the situation of Ardoch there is no view at all of the Sea, and, therefore the Roman
fleet could not have been seen from it, even had it Sailed up the Forth as far as Stirling. How then could
Tacitus have made Galgacus affirm to his brave compatriots, that the Roman fleet was not only in Sight
but near at hand, 'immenente nobis classe Romana?' Surely Mr Chalmers has either overlooked or mis-
understood this passage, otherwise he could not have obstinately maintained an opinion So untenable.
Other arguments against it, if more were necessary, might be urged from the immense works thrown
up [continued on page 122]