As narrated in the french manuscript of my great-grandmother, and slightly paraphrased in translating, in places as where in the original such a title as the "Pretender" is never given to the King who claimed to be James the VIII, of Scotland and the III of England. (With such slight alterations or additions,) the translation is almost literal.

Regarding the horror in which the title of "Pretender" was looked upon by the Jacobites of even our own days. I now proceed with the Family history. The surname of "Forbes" is well known to all who are acquainted with Scottish History, dating from before the time of William the Lion, King of Scotland, and claiming nobility from the time of King Alexander II, in the 13^th century.

The surname of "Mitchell" is also of considerable antiquity, having flourished in the central counties of Scotland, where their ancestors held the rank of lesser barons from the time of King Robert Bruce. The direct ancestor of our branch of the family of Mitchell was Thomas Mitchell, Esquire, of Tilligrege, Aberdeenshire, who died in 1650, leaving issue of two sons, Andrew and Thomas.

Thomas, the second son became Provost of Aberdeen from 1698 -1700, and again from 1702-1704. During this time from 1700, to about 1717, he purchased the lands of Easter Beltie and Arensley from Sir Robert Forbes, of Learnie, and those of Thainstone, on Donside, from the family of Forbes of Tolquhon. He married a daughter of Patrick Leslie, Esquire of Eden, Provost of Aberdeen, and by her had issue of Thomas, who seceded to the above estates at his fathers death in 1719. He Thomas, married a daughter of Sir John Forbes, Baronet of Monymusk, and dying in 1721, left an only daughter, Barbara, his heiress.

The oldest son, Andrew was my great great grandfather. He became laird of Tilligrege on the death of his father in 1650, and was Provost of Aberdeen 1687. But on the accession of the Prince of Orange to the throne of England, he was removed by the crown because of his loyalty to the House of Stuart. He married a lady named Elizabeth Hunter, and left issue three sons, William, Alexander, and John.

William the eldest son entered the Church and became incumbent of the High Church, Edinburgh, and Chaplin to the King for Scotland. He married Margaret, daughter of Sir Hugh Cunningham of Craigend, and had a son, Andrew, born 15^th April 1708, who married his second cousin Barbara, only daughter and heiress of Thomas Mitchell Esquire of Thainstone. She died in 1728, having a daughter Barbara, her heiress, who died in childhood on which the property fell to her father who served as heir to his daughter about 1741. He was a member of the Middle Temple and of the Royal Society ans was called to Bar in 1738. In 1742 he was appointed Under Secretary of State for Scotland and held the office till after the '45, when in 1746 it was abolished. He was M.P. for the county of Aberdeen from 1747-1753 and for Elgin Boroughs in 1754, which he retained until his death in January 1771. In 1751 he was appointed one of the Commissioners at Brussels for the treaty with Austria and Holland, and in 1756 Ambassador and Minister Plenipotentiary at the Court of Frederick William, the Great, of Prussia, whom he attended through all the actions of the Seven Years' War. For his great services he received the Order of the Bath, and died at Berlin, 28^th January 1771, leaving the lands of Thainston etc to Sir Arthur Forbes, Baronet of Craigievar, whose third son Duncan Forbes, under deed of entail, assumed the name and arms of Mitchell of Thainston, in memory of Sir Andrew Mitchell, K.B., from whom he inherited the lands of Thainston.