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IMIapa, plataa. charta, ate., may ba fiimad at diffarant raduction ratios. Thoaa too iarga to ba antiraiy includad In ona axpoaura ara fiimad baginning In tha uppar laft hand cornar, laft to right and top to bottom, aa many framaa aa raquirad. Tha following diagrams illuatrata tha mathod: Las cartaa, planchaa, tablaaux, ate. pauvant Atra filmte k daa taux da rAduction diff^rants. Lorsqua la documant aat trop grand pour Atra raproduit an un aaui cllchA, II ast film* A partir da I'angia aup4riaur gaucha, da gauche A droita, at da haut an baa, an pranent ia nombra d'imagas nAcassaira. Laa diagrammas suivants illuatrant la m^hoda. palure. >n« 1 2 3 1 2 3 4 5 6 i ntw i BY DONALD McLEOD'S GLOOMY MEMORIES IN THE i||teilii if pifti: ♦ > ■VBHSXTS MRS. HARRIET BEECHER STOWE'S SUNNY MEMORIES In {Enigland) a Foreign Land : OR A FAITHFUL PICTURE OF THE ^xtxxi^nim of t\t €dtk |laa FKOM THE HIGHLANDS OF SCOTLAMD. <' ni fares the land, to hastening ills a prey, Where vei^th aconmnlates and men decay : Princes or Lords may flourish or may fade, A breath may make them as a breath has made : But a bold peasantry, their country's pride When once destroyed can never be supplied." PRINTED FOR THE AUTHOR, BY THOMPSON & CO., COLONIST OFFICE, KING ST., TORONTO. 18S7. >-i.P^j; n't viou \' 1' v'Ad *> -t •* ■\\'\\-i V;H[J»Mi ■•■ rJ Erratum.— In page 11 of Introduction, instead of '' ^300,000 were subscribed," read £300,000, currency. ',, r; '■ •* fi -'v} . ■; '.■ . ' •■ •1 imm:i'i0 :«rti ■ : , i uj . INTBODUCTION. po Donald Matiieson, Esq., M. P. P., for North Oxford, Canada West, and William Manson, Esq., Gaptun of the Highland Guards, New York, Scottish Highlanders, and their descendants in the Oanadaa, and in the United States of America. Gentlemen, — In dedicating the following narrative to you, the author las not the vanity to suppose that vou will bo honored thereby, containing tt it does a narration of painful facts, connected with the suffering and [epreciation of a once mighty race of people, who had largely contributed p the renown of Britain as a nation, and instrumental in raising her to jer present proud position among the nations of the earth. It is not tho Ibject of the author to dilate hero upon the antiquity and character of tho Celtic race, but expose the cruelW and injustice to which they have been ibjected by the Aristocracy of Great Britain, and tolerated by the Gov- ernment, seemingly with the avowed intention to extirpate them root and branch from the land of their birth and home of their forefathers, and to convert the fertile valleys of Caledonia, " the land of the brave," into lunting and sheep walks. Doubtless tho cruel dealings of Highland aris- 3cracy to the down-trodden sons and daughters of Caledonia, will find apologists, and even at the present time they have procured an American literary luminary, who promises well to whitewash their foul deeds, partiou- jlarly the Sutherlandshire depopulators (of the long purse) ; and endeav- Lounng to make it appear that all tho author and others have written about jthe Sutherlandshire clearances, were malicious accusations and groundless [grievances j but she will not get Scot free aicay with it. I know, [experimentally, that the advocates of the poor man's rights do labor under jman^ disadvantages ; still the author of this work rejoices that he has it [in his power to appeal to hundreds of his countrymen to attest the veracity [)f all the statements he advances, and has confidence in his own abilities bring home every charge of cruelty and oppression practised upon the Sutherlandshire Highlanders by their ruthless and tyrannical lords of the oil, and their underlings. This unvarnished narrative, imperfect as it lay be, in regard to its literary character, is however, inscribed not from jkny mercenary motives, but as a humble tribute of regard for your well known sympathies for the wrongs of your oppressed countrymen : trust- ing, that a liberal allowance will be made for the limited literary attain- lents of Yours respectfully, Woodstock, 20th Feb., 1857. DONALD M'LEOD. u Gentlkmen and Fellow Countrymen: — him. a* > ■The time It is true, u many of you said, that we havo had at one Umo a nativitaitify yon. and a native country, to which wo and our forefathers woro married ai loved — where we have kindred feclingn and associations, as sacred to oi memory as almost our very existence. It is true that we aro the genuii descendants of a race oi whom wo have much cause to be proud, ai boast of — for we may turn up the pages of antiquity, and ransack modei and ancient history in vain, to una out a race of^^ people, among whoi bravery and jpatriotism existed equal to the Celtic race, or among whoi Civilization, Science, Literature, Morality, Benevolence, and Humanity made such progress, as among the Celtic, who occupied the Highlands Atanoe, wh Scotland. But alas, alas ! It is true, that all that they were— -all thiftes posses Uiey havo done for ungrateful Britain, went for nothing, when their enr^ mies got the upper hand of them. It is now a lamentable truth, that th' Highlands of Sootlands, (Toir mo graidh, Teir na boaun, na Glean s* i Gaisgach) which the Roman army in their victorious days failed to conqu( — which the brutal Edwards, and Cromwell, and many other formidabi >perty, m( land, ill itory, I th time pt en out oe histor funda d, via :— invaders, failed to subdue — aro now converted to a howling solitary wildcl ness, from which joy and rejoicing are fled for ever. Where the martil his retui 'ors, and various 1 cxpeditii become appointe< land. 1 ditions m purchaw a perfec ious to cu '68 ; wise t no right perity ; r gravel pi that in i notes of the bag-pipes, echoed by mountains and glens, ceased to heard — and where no sweeter strains to cheer the stranger who may happcj to travel there, are heard, than the yell of shepherds and foxhunters, thi bleating of sheep, the barking of colly dogs, and the screeches of the o and eagle It is true my friends, that I have devoted all my spare time and mean)! for the last thirty-four years, expostulating, remonstrating with, and ex_ sing the desolators of my country, and extirpators of my race, from t land of their birth, and advocating the cause of the suffering people, du ing theso trying, murdering, and desolating times — considering Uiat HHftt a man oi could not serve God in a more acceptable way, than to help those whijjThere are could not help themselves. Thousands of my countrymen ic this countrjMrld, and to and elsewhere, will bear me witness in what I have suffered at the handAsses I kno of the scions of Highland aristocracy, for performing what I considercflem took it my incumbent duty. • Not knowing my position in life, especially my pecuniary circnmstanc many of my countrymen in the Canadas, say — Why not come out Donal M'l^OD with your long promised Highland Cabin, that the cruel oonducti and ungodly oppression of Highland oppressors, may be immortalized i the Canadas. Your importunities are most agreeable to me, for I bear in my mind ai undoing desire to gratify you, and I hope in the course of some time, tha I will accomplish it. The only excuse I can plead for the delay, is my circumscribed oircum stances. I have been peeled and plucked so often, that there was scarce!; a feather in my wings when I left Scotland, and they are but slowly pre gressing as yet — ^but there is hopes of their restoration. To solicit ai was hitherto foreign to my mind, but now I am old and have learnt, (nac sluadgh duin na aoner) that one man is not a people. 8, and pre enclosed i perty— pi panions i iiUd not G Houses >ct them banishme; n the pr all, but rer co-pK imselves fi e presen lei in the i it the iml m at I considercJ [The time ig now oomo when I coDHidor I have to perform my pitrt to itify yon. The conflicting opinions and ideu reg^ing the rigfut of bperty, more eepeciAlIy property in land, and what constitutOH property [Und, ia a great barrier in my way : all who road and believe sacred ■toiy» I thimc will agree with mo, that the wholo oruatiua of God waa at e time public property. How in the most p.iAt of God's creation now ten out of his hands, and converted to individual private property ? ice history took notice of the movement of nations, [ can trace only Be fundunental feasible laws, which constitute ri^Ut of property in id, via : — the laws of discovery, of conquest, and of purohoHo. For btanoe, when a seafaring captuin discovers a contineot, or an island, ho ^es possession of it in the name of his Sovereign and Government. his return he is rewarded. Government transports, with soldiers, sur* ^ors, and pioneers, &c., are dispatched to ascertain tho mineral wealth various resources of the land, and all expenses for discovery, and of expedition, are paid out of thepublio treasury, hence the discovered d1 becomes national property. Ilmigration will follow, commissioners I appointed by government, (and paid out of tho public purse) to sell land. The land is sold, but under certain stipulations, and these iditions must be observed, or the purchase right is forfeited. Though purchased the land legally, and pay for it punctually, still government a perfect right, (at least should have) to compel the obstinate and sious to cultivate, or use the land for the greatest good or benetit of the ;es ; wise governments do in all cases retain for themselves the power It no right of property in laud shall be a barrier to public good and sperity ; railways and canals can be driven through your land, quarries gravel pits can be opened in your corn-fields, whether you will or not, that in my opinion land cannot be, nor should bo, private property It a man can do what ho pleases with it. iThere are many vicious, inhumane, and unconstitutional men in this |rld, and to be found among land owners in greater ratio than any other ses I know or read about. Now supposing that one or any number of em took it into their heads to convert their estates into hunting parks, ^8, and preserves of wild and destructive animals, which could neither I enclosed nor prevented from depredatory inroads upon other people's pperty — purposely to afford themselves, their rich friends, and favourite ipanions amusement, or to let their domains upon rent to sportsmen, kuld not Government interfere. But to find these men boldly entering Houses of Parliament with a bill demanding an Act of Parliament to eot them in their wicked and unconstitutional scheme, and to punish l^banishment or long imprisonment, any one who would even trespass 'hn the preserves or lays of these animals to annoy them. But this is all, but an act whereby they could seize upon the property of their orer co-proprietors and neighbours, burn down their habitations, banish Bmselves from the land, and add their property to their own extonsive le preserves. You surely would consider this effrontery without a par- lel in the annals of plunderers ; and I am sure you wUl agree with me It the imbecillity, yea, insanity of the Legislature or Government who i 4 IT would enact such laws and grant such liberties, are beyond the oompre< hension of rational beings ; likewise that the shortsightedness, culpable carelessness, and cowardice of a nation boasting of their civilisation, intel- ligence, and Christianity, who would tolerate such, unwise and ungodly proceedings, are beyond description. But ^ou say, Donald are you raving, where did such enormities taJce place ? I tell you in Scotland ; yes in beloved and never-to-be-forgotten Scotland, in Caledonia, Tire nam beaun, na gleuun na *8 Gaisgachf — "the land of the mountains, the cataracts, and heroes" still worse than this took place, and I will make it as clear as noonday to you in mv narrative, — ^yes, after the union of England and Scotland, far more insane and unconstitutional laws were enacted, and to the everlasting disgrace of the British Parliament and nation, are still allowed a stain upon the statute book, and in full opera- tion, to rob the poor to make the rich richer — to gratify a few avaricious minions who, constitutionally speaking, forfeited their rights of property, (with very few exceptions) their rights and privileges of communion with christians^ and who should long ere now be arraigned before the highest tribunal of the nation, and dealt with as conspirators and traitors. Men who have neither bravery, ancestry, virtue, or honor to boast of ; men who cannot claim the rights of discovery, of conquest, of defending, nor of purchase to the land they now hold as their private property, and consider- ing their rights to these lands sacred. Very tew Historians, however unprincipled and partial, ever attempted to deprive the Celtic race of their right of discovery to Scotland, and we have ample proof in history of how the Celts defended Scotland from every invader from the first invasion of the Romans down to the ignoble union or alliance with England ; so that Scotland stands alone among the nations of the known world unconqucred. No doubt the Lowlands of Scotland have been invaded and conquered more than once ; but when these powerful invaders came to exchange blows' with the (unmixed in blood) Celtic Caledonians, they met with more than their match, were repelled, had to retrace their steps, and often not many of them left to retrace their steps. If this is admitted, (and who can deny it) I maintain that the lineal descendents of the discoverers and defenders of Scotland, are the real proprietors of the land, and that every one of that lineage from John 0' Groat to Maiden Kirk, has as good a right to a portion of the lanel as the Dukes of Roxburgh, Bucleuh, Hamilton, Athol, Argyle, Gordon, or Sutherland, who (along with other nine or ten Earls, Mar- quises and Jjords) hold more than the two-thirds of Scotland, as their private property, exclusively for themselves and their families' agrandize- ment, luxury and amusement, and three-fourths of their domains devoted to rear brute animals. How the legitimate heirs or children of the soil were dipr»ossessed and expelled, and how aliens and cruel bastards got posseseiuQ of the Scottish soil, is to be explained. To trace the history of the Celtic race down from the Garden of Eden to Cape-wrath, iu Sutherlandshire, would be the work of supererogation, hence I must con- fine myself to the time since history took hold of their movements and system of Government; and however complicated, conflicting, and partial icord who I would Lould all txtant, tho ►y them — iivilization EcoUand b I am tir fuoted, wh lothing is i %atins, it 4oclared th lot impartc irn. So le youths lan twent le same B lelts undei 'wenty Se< mder the c most sang ;em gained No" said the Ron !aledonian£ lard your bravest enei (fore they lirongholdis td the Cs [riven into lany survi^ line of tho }ith a little kany of th( jem were ] I deprive £ (thers. I : jraries wh !>out then d the oompre« 0688, culpable ilization, intol< and ungodly ncUd are you I in Scotland ; aia, Tire nam le mountains, ad I will make the union of onal laws were arliament and in full opera- few avaricious tsof property, mmunion with re the highest braitors. Men it of ; men who nding, nor of , and consider- iver attempted )tland, and we Scotland from to the ignoble )ne among the i Lowlands of 36 ; but when (unmixed in • match, were f them left to it) I maintain 8 of Scotland, t lineage from )ortion of the thol, Argyle, 1 Earls, Mar- land, an their iea' agrandise- mains devoted ren of the soil bastards got kce the historj ape-wrath, in oe I must con- lovements and ig, and partial istorians are upon the genealogy, customs, and government of this ace, it is evident that braver men never existed, and no other race on ecord who excelled them in literatiure, science and civilization. I would in particular solicit the attention of my readers to what they hottld all know — ^the chain of Scottish historians, whose works are still ixtant, though suppressed and locked up from those who should be edified )y them — works siifficient to convince the most obdurate, that learning and ivilization always followed our race from the earliest ages, not only in Icotland but in other nations where they made a distinguished figure. ' I am tired" says Julius Leichton, '' of hearing the Boman authors f noted, when the commencement of our civilization is spoken of, while othing is said of the Celts or of our obligation to them. It was not the ^atins, it was the Gauh, who were our first instructors. Aristotle declared that philosophy was derived by the Greeks from the Gauls, and ot imparted to them. The Gauls were truly of sharp wit, and apt to rn. So much did the Briton Celts excel in profound learning, that e youths of the continent came hitherto to study by a course of no less an twenty years' probation." See Tacitm's life of Agricola. Read e same Roman historian's admiration and description of the Caledonian elts under the command of Corbred the Second, surnamed Galgacus and wenty Second King of Scotland, when they confronted the Roman army nder the command of Agricola, at the foot of the Grampian hills, where most sanguinary battle was fought ; and though the Romans by strata- em gained a partial victory, and when Agricola proposed to pursue them, No" said Tacitus (his son-in-law) " be content that you have so many the Roman soldiers to lead off the field that if you pursue the defeated aledonians one league further you shall not have one Roman soldier to ard your person going home. These are the most formidable, and ravest enemy that ever Rome had to confront, every one of them will die fore they yield, they are true patriots, Agricola, make all haste to your rongholdis, or you are done." So the Romans had to retrace their steps, d the Caledoniaus pursued them until the Romans were ultimately riven into the sea. Columbia burned many of these Celtic records, yet any survived his ravages. St. Patrick burned one hundred and eighty- ine of those works, at Tara, Ireland, all written in the Gaelic language, ith a little mixture of Latin. Edward the First, of England, destroyed any of them, and after the ignoble union with England, what portion of em were preserved extant from these ravages, are now suppressed so as deprive Scotland of their Celtic record and of the history of their grand- thers. I find thirty-seven of these records suppressed, and locked up in raries where only a few favorites arc admitted, and those say very little out them, except what they say to mutilate and violate them. To umemte all the works in the Gaelic, Latin, and English language, now ppressed, would require more room or space than I can spare in is small narrative. Among these works, we find the ancient annals of Gotland ) the Pictish Chronicle of high antiquity ; the register of St. ndrew, beginning with 827, when that university was founded by the rimitive Celtic christians of Scotland; the works of Nenius in the Tl seventh century; the Annals of Dunbarton, beginning with the Columl bian period; the Chronicle of Melrose, partly written in Gaelic, ani partly in Latin ; the Obituary and Chartularly of Glasgow; the Histoij of Scotland, by Vennandus, Arch-Deacon of St. Andrew, in 1079 Hector Boethius, first principal of Aberdeen College, his history cut deej and is on that account abhorred by the English, (on the sayage char given by Edward the First to his no less savage son, to boil him after ^ was dead, and to carry his bones with him to frighten the Scots) — ^Boethiu remarks t aat after he was boiled " few would sup the broth." The blacS book of Paisley, the last part of which is a continuation of Scots* Chron| con. Also Lord Elibank's Treatise on the Scottish League with Franc in the reign of Charlemagne ; and the vast collection of Scottish Anna collected by Sir James Balfour, still preserved, particularly his registe^ of Scoone and Cambuskneth, now locked up in the Advocates' Librar ' Edinburgh, besides his history of Fergus the First to Charles the First* together with the Monastic Chronicles, under the appropriate title Scottish Annals. But all these and as many more are suppressed, and locked up, but st extant; besides this we have about one hundred manuscript volumes in til Gaelic language, collected and in the possession of the Highland Societji Edinburgh, some of which were transcribed in the fifth century, and allowed by competent judges, to be the oldest document written in anj living language ; the document itself is sufficient to prove its author. Hi was named Fiihil, rector of the High School of lona. The volume cod! sists of two poems, inculcating the only true guide to well-doing here, and eternal happiness hereafter, viz. : that u^otless morality which is alonj founded on the word of God ; there is also a critical dissertation on singular poem. Tain Bo, or the cattle spoil, an event which happened onl? five years after the Ascension. All of these Gaelic volumes consists o ; treatises on Botany, Anatomy, Astronomy, Astrology, Theology, Economj| Science, Literature, and Politics ; all in the Gaelic language, but all (as '. said before) suppressed or lying useless, locked up in universities' anci societies' libraries. It is a very natural enquiry : — Why are these work| suppressed or locked up ? or by whom, and what is the cause for it?- They are suppressed by the British Government, and the cause is obviouf^j but ignoble in the extreme. Previous to the miscalled union of Scotland and England, it is evideo| that England could never conquer Scotland until the Caledonians wenl subdued ; they often made bloody attempts, but were as often defeated ; k1 England had recourse to intrigues, her favorite weapons, and after 'secui ing her alliance with Scotland, she found it a very easy task to conquer What her arms, and her bloody and murderous kings and generals coukj never achieve, her treacherous intrigues and money did for her. She goi Scot to fight against Scot, Caledonian against Caledonian. She thci| laughed in her sleeve, and exulted like the lion in the fable when hi! saw the two Bulls in the same park with him quarrelling and fighting; knowing they would soon become his prey, for she (stretxihed upon coiich of down) had her soul satisfaction to see the two d Ktupic| same now vu lottish bulls fighting between doatb and life until they ultimately con* Icred, and Bubdued one another In 1746, upon the murderous and unfor- tiate field of ^ lUoden, when the English insatiable Lion seized upon 9m both, Siur otland, who, before this, was the pride and protectoress faithful }i / of all the reformed christian nations of the world, and terror of Eugiand, and all other cruel ambitious nations, her name same now Icfuibod, her glory departed, she forfeited her proud position Long nations, and ceased forever to be numbered among them or recog- ^ed as a nation. England seized her Government, her Laws, and in )rt her all. The duped, affected, and the disaffected, shared alike, doubt the Duke of Cumberland, the most obnoxious, cowardly monster, i^t ever disgraced humanity, commissioned his followers to acts of mur- *!, plunder, and violence. Thank God, unprecedented in the histories of ions (excepting England) plunder which some of them do enjoy to this k Argyle among the noblest of them. In that unfortunate year the sk Act was enacted, which deprived the Caledonians of their national jrb, of their arms, and which forbade the G^telic language to be taught ier the pains and penalties of heavy fines, long imprisonment, and iging. This nefarious act was in force and strictly watched for thirty irs, which is equal to a generation. Our poets, the reprovers of evil TOrdly deeds, and the recorders of the deeds of valiant men, were jnced, and many of them made a narrow escape from the gallows, for 3ir pensive memoirs of the fallen at CuUoden, on the day when Scot- id was prostrated at the foot of her avowed enemy, a day pregnant with (gradation, slavery, and the desolation and misery I have to record ; all [e Gaelic manuscript and history that could be discovered, by hook or crook, was seized, destroyed, or locked up, among which was the ^tional records, from Fergus the First to William the First, and none 10 understood the language were admitted to see them ; and after the ipse of thirty years of this lieign of Terror very few were found to ^ruse or understand the language. There were various motives for these outrageous proceediugs, against the lledonians in particular, and they answered their various designs to the istocrats heart's desire. England knew that the most effectual way to ^bdue the Celts, was to crush their loyalty to their legitimate sovereign, crush their kindred feelings, habits and customs, and extirpate the ktriarchial system of government from among them; but there was pther primary cause, viz. : the Celtic history of Scotland recorded the idal brutality of English invaders in Scotland, which is indeed too rrifying to speak of, hence would need to be suppressed, that England's rbarity might be obliterated, and that Scotland and Ireland might be Idled with all her sins. Moreover that Scotland might be left defence- from the attacks of England's hired historians, to defame her in her >vernment and her chivalry, in her patriotism, her customs, her science, id literature, and to make everything that was great and good, English. is a notorious fact that so far as the ingenuity of these hired emmisaries )uld go, they were faithful to their employers; and that these noteJl Uumniators of Scotland were chosen from among her own treacherous Tin andtl Iptaing, ki [)perty, am ds from but b [lowed tb< ion with on a BOT sons, beginning with Robertson, under the dictation and eommand Horace WalpoTe, the notorious Dupe of Ghaterton, down to infamou Babington Maoaully. Limits will not permit me to detail the injustiofttire their done to Caledonians b^ these hired literary scourges, yet with all that theAd they va have done, there is still extant of the history of our noble race, enough tiM property make these mutilators blush, and more than enough to make their spuriouAw, a very saracasm and unfounded calumny stink in Scottish and in the world' nostrils. Five hundred years before the Christian Era, the Celts tool possession of Scotland, and down from that period they goyemed then; selves under the Patriarohial system, until the last remnant of it Wi destroyed upon the unfortunate muir of CuUoden ; they had their kin^ and chieftains, who were intrusted with their government, not by hereditar rights, but as they were found competent to discharge their duties. Theetited, and obeyed and ardently loved and respected their kings and chieftains whiliooly that th they behaved themselves, but no further ; never allowed them to interferftUb necessar with the rights of the land any farther than to parcel it out to theiiiii|B this san followers impartially, and the people parcelled out to them what they con wrs lying sidered sufficient to keep them comfortable and respectable. TIkmA the poo chieftains or captains were amenable to the king in all their proceedings ;^ep there , when a dispute arose between the people and their chief, that could nowlicitor. Si be settled otherwise, it was submitted to the king as their umpire ; hismind it, an decision was final. Stherlands When the king required men to defend the nation, each chief had tcBical Estot appear with so many trained men, in proportion to the number entrusted states ; wc| to them; and in proportion as they distinguished themselves on the battbfl Session v field, they were honored and rewarded by the king. According to ouiSighland la Celtic annals, the founder of the noble family of Sutherland (after whidipr Duncan now an Englishman takes his name, and who will make a oonspicuoui "^ figure in my narrative) flourished in the year seventy-six, and fought under Galgacus, the hero of the Grampians, (see Nicholl's Scottisli Peerage) and we find another of that noble family of Thamefc, Barons and Earls, who kept their history unsullied from any acts of cruelty or injus- tice for more than nineteen hundred years, and their memory dear to those under them for ages. I say we find him joining Robert Bruce upon tkB the only memorable field of Bannockburn, leading a powerful and resolute body offtwever ch his retainers to the field of slaughter ; upon this great occasion they distiuftincan lik( guished themselves so well that the king complimented their noble leadetfler Sir J( upon the field of battle, and shortly afterwards presented him with a c/tarferBiinburghj of lands in Morrayshire, Caithness, and Sutherland Shires ; but upon the W^ much 1 express conditions that he would attend to the military discipline of those iniisgrace i brave men, and that he and his offspring, and they and their offspring, iioper plac would possess those lands while he and them continued loyal subjects, and Mid landk attached to the crown of Scotland ; many similar distinctions were made IBong estal and charters granted by Robert Bruce after the battle of Bannockburn, but all on the same conditions. Many of the Scotch Kings and Queens who succeeded Bruce were still more strict upon the chiefs or captains ; they were restricted to only a few acres of pleasure ground, and no piece of land susceptible of cultivation was to remain uncultivated, or unoccu- d to pre] m ruin ai hie bill, Hows and se, heapc ith House! eign Ian hohadnc sides the e rest of e pauper IX i in the world ) the Celts tool gOYemed them Qoant of it wi had their kin lotbyhereditain ad eommand (Ad, and the mountains and forests were free to all. Kings, queens, and >wn to infamouSptains, knew that men, faithful adherents, who had an interest in the soil, ail the injusticAre their safeguard and protectors in the hour of need and of danger, ^th all that thedd they valued their services. This is the fundamental Patriarchial kws ! race, enough w property in land in Scotland. How were these laws reversed, and that ke their spuriousw, a very few men claim every inch of land, in Scotland, as their private tperty, and their rights to these sacred ? Have they purchased their ds from the rightful owners ? No. Have they got it from Heaven f ; but by taking the advantage of the revolts, and revolutions which llowed the dethroning of the legitimate Sovereigns, and the treacherous ion with England, they mani^ed to plunder the people of it. After the . _jon a new sacied penshable parchment right of projJerty was conse- r duties. Theo^ted, and not a vestige of right or of protection was left for the people ^i.,^**.: i.;i X* ^ ^j^^^ ^g Ij^j ^^ bound to maintain the disabled poor in so much of necessaries of life as was considered sufficient to sustain life, and so far this same vestige neglected, that it was for one hundred and twenty lying under dust, unmolested, in the Advocates Library, Edinburgh, the poor throughout Scotland perishing and dying in want, and might p there yet, was it not for that Godfearing man, Mr. Charles Spence licitor. Supreme Court, at the entreaties of many, made a search, and nd it, and took an active part in putting it in force. I myself went to therlandshire and supplied Mr. Spence with seventy-two eases of the cal Estate, besides what I supplied from the neighboring Counties and itates J we took action in some of them and were successful, the Court Session was crowded with poor cases, there the hue and cry got up, ccording to oui9ighland landlords will be ruined and Lowland landlords will not escape. nd (after whicli||r Duncan MacNeil was then Lord Advocate for Scotland. He was soli- e a conspicuous ||bed to prepare a poor law bill to parliament to save Highland landlords ix, and foughtlijm ruin and bankruptcy. Sir Duncan went to work, prepared an admi- jholl's Scottisliliii^e bill, or rather a compilation of complications, of crook and straights, QCfc. Barons andljfcllows and holds, short and long, mockery and realities, sense and non- iruelty or injusanse, heaped up in a voluminous volume, he hurried the bill through ry dear to thosenth Houses of Parliament, and behold th(, result ; the poor were deprived Bruce upon th«« tlie only vestige of right they had, and poverty made a crime, no man •esolute body of||wever charitably disposed can interfere in their behalf now ; but Sir ncan like a wise philosopher secured a luxurious situation for his bro- r Sir John, who sits at the head of the Board of Supervision in inburgh, gauging the stomachs of the Scottish poor to know to a nicety J much food they require to sustain life. The operation of this bill is isgrace to Christianity, as you will see when I come to shew it up in its per place. But sinful and unjust as this bungling bill is, yet High- d landlords found a loophole to get rid of it untouched. They had ong established law by which they could expel the poor of the soil, to reign lands, or to large towns when they had to be sustained by people gs and Queens #ho had no right to do it, and who had no hand in impoverishing them, and fs or captains; Ipsides they have an arbitrary power, (which none durst contend) to tax , and no piece #ie rest of their retainers, who in most cases are not much better off than ied, or unocou- pe paupers, they are taxed for their maintenance ; but they dare not chieftains whili hem to interfen it out to theii I what they con )ectable. TIu sir proceedings; , tnat could noi eir umpire ; his jh chief had tc imber entrusted es on the battle lion they distin 3ir noble leader a with a charter ', but upon the eipline of those their offspring, il subjects, and ions were made Bannockburn, wh'iHpur u oumpluint or ufF thoy go ; in thirt way tho Highland miniooN {fot of iScct free, liut thoir uulmllowod ochomofl arc oonstitutod iu thoir cdiuts forbidding marriogoM on tlioir oHtatos. I hiivo hero bofuro nio a letter from a friend Htuting thai thoro arc in thu Parinh of Clyno, Huthorlandshiro, H pariHh of Hinall size, Movonty-fivo bauholorH, tho oldust of thorn oovouty Uvo yearn ; and tho youDgost of thoiu thirty-iivo yoarH of ago, only two niurringoH, and throu baptiuniH rugiHtorod ; in another parish ono baptism no marriage, and bo on. It is not very likolv that thoy would toll MrK. H. Stowo, or thatHho on(|uirod about this edict, in order to give it a placo in her Hunny meniorioo, but sho must have it. More of thi8 afterwards. In 184(1, tho result of expelling the peo[)lo from thoir fertile valleys and straths, and liuddling them (^those who could not make thoir escape to foreign laud or elsewhere) together in motley groups upon patclies of barrou moors, prccipiucs, and by ooriiors upon tho sea shore, exposed to all the easualtios of the seasons ; places with few exceptions never designed by (iiod for cultivation, nor for the abode of man, without tho least cnoour ngemont for improvement, idl tenants ut will, ready to be turned away for the least offenco, or when- a grazier or huntsman envied their places. This is a eursed scheme which was adopted by every Highland landlord, fronj Oapcwrath to the Mull of Kintyre, with one or two honorable oxccp tious, (^it would bo more applicable if I called the rest Highland scourges) 1 say HI the year 18 t(i-'47, when the miserable unnourishing potatoc crop whicli was reared upon thcgc patches failed, then the cry of famine in tho lliglilands got up like the voice of thunder, sounded and resounded to tho outmost skirts of Europe, India, and America ; public meetings wore called, to see what could bo devised and done to save the people Tho first meeting was held in the Music Hall, Edinburgh, the Lord IVovos* lilaok, presided ; the llev. Norman M'Lcod, junior, moved the first resolution, whicli ran nearly thus : — " As it pleased God in hi:) mysterious providence to visit the Highlands and Islands of Scotland witli Famine on account of their sin, that it behoved Christians of all denomi- nations who were blessed with tho means to come forward liberally that the Highknders might be saved." The resolution was seconded and supported, when his Lordship rose to put it to the meeting, I got up and announced that I had a few words to say before it was put to the meeting, being in my moleskin working dress, every eye was fixed upon me, the same as if J was a wolf that sprang up ; however I got a hearing and said that I was a Highlander, and knew tho cause of distress and famine in the Highlands, and that I devoted all my spare time for many years back proclaiming it publicly in their cars, and the ears of the nation, predict- ing that ultimately it would arrive at this fearful crisis, and now I cannot sit quiet in this great assembly of learned men, and hear the sins and heavy guilt of Highland proprietors saddled upon my God, and that b; his well paid servant. Will the Rev. mover of this resolution tell me what cause he supposes the Lord has against the poor Highlanders for su long a time (for they were not in a much better state for the last twenty six years than they are now), that he would send a famine among them to destroy them ; or do the leaders of this movement consider ihemselTus id with h do; metli llamity for iprietors, lan sinners ithors of tl id, and sh loy are stoi 'id not CO le proccedi ilt from th( fttnine entai G(od is not c ^s day, an Hfstocrats, i aijid upon th Bossity of [f that the ition, and iponded t< ited Htat precedent this distn bscribed, ; d, two the trdon, fol lormous su t!||bution; I ^land, was int gift of r rigged iglishman, irs. The ' lings, who kpt alive u] Insidered 1 lieved witl eir willing wages f .1 to eacl meal wa i|t it. Yes ipd aged wi It was th( rould get i lew best w be in pi XI hland miniuns itutod in tUoir iuro mo a lottcr ithorlandshirc, thorn BOVODty age, only two ono bapt'iHin uo ould toll MrK. gtvo it a place iiM afterwards. ;ilo valluyM nrnJ thoir cscapo to )oa patches of , oxpuHcd to all never designed 10 least enoour irnod away for ir places, iland landlord, anorablc oxccp and scourges), ■ishing potutoc cry of famine md resounded, ublio meetings vc the people, rgh, the Lord ior, moved the 3d God in his ' Scotland with of all denomi- l liberally that seconded and ;, I got up and the meeting, upon me, the iaring and said 1 famine in the' my years back lation, predict- I now I cannot r the sins and ), and that bjf )lution tell me hlanders for su le last twenty- le among them der themselre.'' re humane and moroiful than God, or that puny man or men can eon- d with him in doing what ho in his myHtorious pruvidenoo, purposed do ; mothinks, that if God was Ui visit sinners with famine or any othor ilamity for thoir sins, that ho would begin in JiOndonand with Highland prietors, and not with the poor people who wore moro sinned against an sinners. Highland landlords aro the logitimato parents, and tho guilty thors of this and of former distress and famine in tho Highlands of Scot- d, and should be made responsible for it and for future calamities which oy are storing up for the unfortunate victims of their boundless avarice, did not come to this meeting, my Lord Provost, with a view to obstruct e proceedings, for 1 rejoice to see such steps taken to save the people, i|t from the famine God spnt among them to destroy thom, but from the fttjniiue entailed upon them by their wicked unworthy landlords, liut if Qipd is not exonerated from the charge brought against him, publicly hero H^s day, and entirely separated from an ungodly association of Highland 4|{stocrats, who were bout for years upon the destruction of Highlanders, iw|d upon the extermination of the race from the soil, 1 will bo under thu ;o.s.sity of proposing a counter resolution." His Lordship pledged him- f that the committee would take it into consideration. I did not press my tion, and the meeting proceeded. The appeal went forth, and yran ponded to in a manner creditable to the nation, the oolonies and the itod kStatoH of Amcricn. In loss time than could be expected, th # which ever has been recorded, and that it would be the astonishment o ^I^^mine mankind, how could men professing Christianity and of good standing iii|fc>verbial, society, be hardened so much as to commit such villany, or how couldwy little g they ever afterwards have the effrontery to shew their face in society. At»n. The the closing up of the affair the public requested the trustees and offi«ial^ to render an account of their stewardship. Accountants were employe' I I] o suffer i the mis ^ ii ! zm 4 re find, that Loij tioB, what he hi| t not sav that irnforhisde2,00 d hunting bootlj ins, and he maij srnesA, a distan his gamekeeper 1 only as rare asj le Sutherlandef casions strange j •s. H. B. Stowei futura Memori^ Dg times a lar^ e» and entrust il \vas conoeale month, and us«| le so rotten, tin , then men wen tten blue lum] le the poor wen a grave oharjt at all hazardj 1 Canada, and n{ I. Whether h^ ted, or at les equired to malij ly whom I wi| not, at presenti ile Tom's CabiH that very littll ersonages, alonij e collectively lon justice anj ; is evident, tlij eproach remaiil er. Black an! ir precedents iii u will see as w of the distribii >1 ay of the monei Most disgracefB astonishment o 9od standing in] T, or how couldi in society. Ai ees and offiiial^^ were employed j months examining their books. It was fonnd out that six or seven psand pounds sterling were wanted that oonld not be accounted for at and their accounts and disbursements so much confounded and con- ed that scrutiny was given up, and the infamous affair hushed up, and wholesale plunderers allowed to escape with the booty, unblushingly to with society. This is all the satisfaction the liberal contributors got, aver will, excepting Highland Dukes, Lords, &c., no doubt satisfactory them, for they got for cortainty the benefit of one hundred and thirty kusand pounds of it ; take along with this Captain Elliot, with his crew [marines and sailors, him receiving his d£l 10s. per day, and his subor- lates receiving equd sums, according to their rank, and a host of agents officials on full pay, you may easily believe that a very small portion ^^this extraordinary public bounty ever reached the stomachs of the , for whom it was intended. Indeed it is a question with me if the realised any benefit at all from it, except those who had been trans- 3d to Canada and other colonies with it. I know for a certainty that ^r the funds were exhausted, that the people were in a worse state than were before, and that the misapplication of these funds sealed the )lic bowels of compassion against them in future. For many years I expostulating with the late and present Dukes of Sutherland in my humble way, for their policy towards their people. In 1841 I pub- i3d so many of my letters in the form of a pamphlet, which is hero |»rinted — some may think that I have some particular private spleen liinst the House of Sutherland, when I lay so heavy at them. To ibuse the mind of such, permit me to say (honestly) that I have no bh private spleen to gratify, and that I have no more animosity towards House of Sutherland than I have towards all other Highland depopu- )rs. That I was persecuted and suffered much at the hands of the lerlings of the house of Sutherland, I do not deny, nor conceal. But ijs the ten-times cursed system which desolated Caledonia, beggared and " iperised the people, which broke down and scattered to the four winds [heaven the best portion of the materials of our national bulwarks, which (bed the people of their righteous rights, and left them the victims of sir avaricious spoilers and defamers. This is the system to which I will an avowed enemy and antagonist while I breathe the breatli of life. |u have now my former productions before you. l\\ INTKODUCTION TO MY FIRST PAMPHLET. .>., , ''amine and destitution in the Highlands of Scotland have become )verbial, and if not altogether continuous, are at least the rule, while little gleams of improvement or partial alleviation form the excep- >n. There are, however, there, as elsewhere, a considerable number \o suffer few of the evils that flesh is heir to, but who thrive and fatten the miseries of their victims — the poor natives, whom they insult, XIV :( oppress, and expatriate, without, apparently, the least oompanotion tne extreme distress they occasion. Every effect must have a cause, and that cause I shall only glance! hero, as it will be sufficiently apparent in the course of my narration. I During the Peninsular war an uncommon demand for provisions of| descriptions arose, and when, on the return of peace, this temporary mand was subsiding, the landlords, being the legislators, contrived I keep up the extravagant war prices, by a system of prohibitions agaij all foreign produce, so as to make a permanent artificial scarcity, tl consequent dearth throughout the country, that they might continue! pocket the increased rents the war prices had enabled them to reall in a depreciated currency. This, then, was the moving spring whi led to tnat general conspiracy of landlords against the before unc^ puted rights of the inhabitants, to a residence on their paternal h* which they had so often defended with their blood, and to a subsisteiT from its produce, in return for their industry. Hence the severitl exercised in the most reckless manner, against the aborigines of Highlands in general, and those of Sutherlandshire in particular : sev<^ ties which have almost annihilated that habitual fidelity to, and resj for his superiors, for which the Gael was always so remarkable, which formed the leading moral trait in his character, and was identifi with his very existence. These bonds have been rudely severed; immediate descendants of those serfs and retainers whose attaohmij to their chiefs was a passion, and for whom they were, at any time, xei to lay down their lives, have been robbed, oppressed, and driven awl to make room for flocks and herds to supply the intense demand of tl English market, excited by the legal prohibition of continental produff and the wants of a rapidly increasing population. The motive of the landlords was self-interest ; and in the Highlands' has been pursued with a recklessness and remorselessness to which ih^^ proverbial granny and selfishness of that class elsewhere furnishes ^6 ^^ *■* ' lis state Bss in all [greatest kher Mo ivance j>ating ships ai I Canadas voung |land, wl i farmers ompete , in coi object! orphans, helples joined th lipped, ot of th Thee BC consta attentio iries, lesi iry bo re| lent inqi stion to a ff knowi of cou they h Itution. rly awai ial dialec ined, w el — ^men for then and r I parallel. Law and justice, religion and humanity, have been eitli! totally disregarded, or, what was still worse, converted into instruments oppression. The expulsion of the natives and the substitution of strange advi turers — sheep farmers, generally from England and from the Engl: border — being, as it were, simultaneously agreed upon by the Highli proprietors, instruments were readily found to carry their plans im effect, who soon became so zealous in the service — not, however, forgi ting to profit by the plunder in the meantime — ^that they carried tb atrocities to a height which would have appalled their employers thei selves, had they been witnesses of them. Every imaginable means, sht-.,. of the sword or the musket, was put in requisition to drive the nativ?"*^'?^?'® 8* away, or to force them to exchange their farms and comfortable Ji8bit^'^~,|^S®d ^ tions, erected by themselves or their forefathers, for inhospitable rocks *' " """"" the sea shore, and to depend for subsistence on the produce of the wate: element in its Wildest mood, and with whose perils they, in their hithe pastoral life, were totally unacquainted and unfitted to contend ing to t [bounds I ighlan tress, no ssed wi favorab nouncin luxiliarie eed. Tl ihall only glance) my narration, 'or provisions of| ihb temporary itors, contrived I rohibitions agaij Boial scarcity, might continue! »d them to real( ring spring wh) the before unc'^ heir paternal ») nd to a subsisteiT nee the severitll aborigines of particular: sevt? ity to, and resi ) remarkable, Etnd was identi£ dely severed; whose attachmej at any time, rea , and driven awi Dse demand of t| ntinental produ' 1 the Highlands' 1C88 to which t?! lere furnishes lave been eitll ito instruments I of strange the advd rom the Englil bytheHighla their plans ioi however, forg^ they carried tk employers thei^ able means, sh(f irive the natiV >mfortable habit! )spitable rocks ( ice of the wate:) in their hithen intend. lis state of things, which I have reason to know, has prevailed more BBS in all the Highland districts for more than 20 years, was carried to I greatest height in Sutherland. That unfortunate country was made ^her Moscow. The inhabitants were literally burnt out, and every rivance of ingenious and unrelenting cruelty was ci^erly adopted for jating the race. Many lives were sacrificed by famine and other ships and privations; hundreds, stripped of their all, emigrated to ICanadas and other parts of America; great numbers, especially of young and athlethic, sought employment in the Lowlands and in Hand, where, few of them being skilled workmen, they were obliged — i farmers who had lived in comparative affluence in their own country — }mpete with common labourers as hewers of wood and drawers of r, in communities where their language and simple manners rendered objectd of derision and ridicule. The aged and infirm, the widows Orphans, with those who could not think of leaving them alone ia ' helplessness; and a number whose attachment to the soil which ^ined the ashes of their ancestors, and the temples where they had lipped, in hopes of some change for the better, were induced to Dt of the wretched allotments offered them on wild moors and barreu These and their offspring remain in the country and form the poor y Be constant destitution and periodical famine is beginning to exercise attention, than is agreeable to those who have been the cause of their ries, lest many dark and infamous deeds should, by an authorised iry be revealed in open day. Hence the violent opposition to a Gov- lent inquiry conducted by impartial pci'son?. The lairds have no stion to an enquiry to be conducted by themselves and the resident knowing, that m that case, they would be quite safe, and the report of course lay all the blame on the inveterate sloth, and vicious they have unceasingly labored to assign as the causes of Highland Itution. Such a course of dark and inhuman policy as that so long on in the Highlands, could not have existed if the public had been arly aware of it, but among a simple illiterate people, speaking a pro- [ial dialect, it was easy for landlords, clergy, factors, and new tenants >ined, who constituted the local administrators of both the law and [el — ^men possessed of wealth, influence, talents, and cduoation — it was I for them to effect their purposes, and stifle all enquiry, while the mild re, and religious training of the poor Highlanders, prevented their ting to that determined resistance and wifd revenge which sometimes ^unds to the rapacity of landlords and clergy in the sister island. nLighlanders had not language to make his wrongs known through ^ress, nor did he resort to the ruthless deed ; hence he has been bssed with impunity, while his persecutors hold up their heads as rable gentlemen and godly ministers ! I am truly sorry that truth obliged me to represent the character of these latter gentlemen in such ifavorable light, but I am convinced that had they done their duty, enouncing the wrongs perpetrated before their eyes, instead of becom- luziliaries, the other parties would, in most cases, have been unable to ^eed. The oppressors always appealed to them for sanction and justi- 1 t' (!l ! i ,u\l STIl {To fication and wore not diMppointed. The fouleet deeds were glosaod o' and all the ovil which could not be attributed to the natives Uiemsch] such as Mvoro seasons, famine, and consequent disease, was bj then gentlemen ascribed to Providence, as a punishment for sin — the oti parties who wore enriching themselves, of course > '^ ror sinned, for t!;{ were rolling in wealth and luxury at the oxtenso of ihe poor sinnc:, Such was the holy teaching of those learned clerks. They had always 1 ear and confidence of the proprietors, and I put it tC' their conscience say how often, if ever, they exerted that influence in favor of the o] To the tribunal of that master whoso servants the^ pretend to be I . them, whore hypocrisy and glaring perversions will not avail ! At ^ same tribunal also I might arraign those unjust men who perverted ^ • ^ *° judgment seat, and made what should have been a protection, su i.^- Hli'its of tl ment of oppression. But at present I must beg the reader's atteui or ' ^ propri the following narrative, in which I have endeavored, by a recital of nn( *^|^' ^ seats tradicted and undeniable facts, to bring these parties to Lire bar oi -.ulKWbdeed w opinion. Hitherto, during all the time that has pulsed hx <^e pabUc:it' of these letters, no attempt has been made to deuy the fucts I havoalKi' though I have repeatedly challenged such contradiction. Instead of my narrative exceeding truth, it has in reality fallen far 8l of it ; for no language that I am able to use, can convey an adequate i of the wrongs and sufferings of my unfortunate countrymen. Whil' feel myself called on by a sense of duty to bring these wrongs and sul ings before the public, I regret that the subject has nut fallen into a1 hands ; but, silence, in the face of such a ma.ss of cruelty and iniqu! would be enough to make the very stones cry out ! Having by the kl ness of the Editor of the Edinburgh Wcchhj Chronicle been furni.'* with a vohich^ and assisted by other kind friends and corrcspondc' these letters havo already met the public eve iu the columns of excellent paper, to the Editors and Proprietors of which I and countrymen are so much indebted. I am now induced to oomply the urgent request of great numbers of my countrymen and other- re-publish the letters in the form of a pamphlet. I have engaged in undertaking in the full confidence of the kind support of ray country and fellow-sufferers and their descendants, in whatever place or couu here or across the Atlantic, divine Providence may have fixed their dest in the fervent hope that He — " Who sees with eoua' py?^. a^? Lord of all, The hero perish and tiio sparrow fall," will so overrule events as to brirr •l.^^Iniat . good out of the severe t? which He hath permitted to overtake my dear country, and that — ' ' Though harsh and bitter is the root; Yet sweet will be the flower !" )\v i pon the see cal ive yea ut remo ind burni ime imn gs, and Sheriffm ho susta roes of I , trampl( lantic; of all tb ion who alour an hese can re to be part of ence, as ranny of tment, 1 I knt] Highlan ptions, I efits del spcecheg WlMscal the ] •ejhe authoi Hfteceiving iilals ] and and hup Barce wh Fou done. i! wero gloMod oi atives Uionuch, waa hj thefl for sin — the otl )r sinned, for t!; .ho poor sinnc: hey n»d alwajR heir oonsciencc- [)r of the oppress etend to be I H STITUTION IN SUTHERLANDSHIEE. W^^^^MA^Wvi^^ •"--■ LETTER I. L^ (^To the Editor of the Edinburgh Weekly Chronicle.') who Derrertc*! ^^ '• — ^ *™ * native of Sutherlandshiro, and remember when the in )tootiou an ,,n.'»iil'>t8 of that country lived comfortably and happily, when the man < t; proprietors and the abodes of factors, magistrates, and ministers, lie seats of honor, truth, and good example — when people of auality deed what they were styled, the friends and benefactors of all who pon their domains. But all this is changed. Alas, alas ! I have > see calamity upon calamity overtake the Sutherlanders. For five ive years, on or about the term day, has scarcely anything been ut removing the inhabitants in the most cruel and unfeeling man- d burning the houses which they and their forefathers had occupied ime immemorial. The country was darkened by the smoke of the gs, and the descendants of those who drew their swords at Bunnock- Sheriffmuir, and Killiorankie — the children and nearest relations of ho sustained the honor of the British name in many a bloody field — roes of Egypt, Corunna, Toulouse, Salamanca, and Waterloo — were trampled upon, dispersed, and compelled to seek an asylum across ilantic ; while those who remained from inability to emigrate, de< of all the comforts of life, became paupers — beggars — a disgrace to ion whose freedom and honour many of them had maintained by to oomplv tW^*^*^'*'' *^^ cemented with their blood. and otlier^^*^®''® causes the destitution and misery that exists in Sutherland- ive"enffa(red in Iff^'^® *^ ^® ascribed ; misery as great, if not the greatest to be found of rnvMuntrvlK P^'** ^^ *^® Highlands, and that not the fruit of indolence or im- Dr place or oouuB®'^*'®' ^ ^^™® would allege, but the inevitable result of the avarice ' fixed their deflt«'**'*'*y ^^ *^® landlords and factors for the last thirty or forty years ; tment, T presume to say, without a parallel in the history of this I know that a great deal has been done to mitigate the sufferings Highlanders some years back, both by Government aid and public ptiote), but the unhappy county of Sutherland was excluded from aefits derived from these sources, by means of false statements and speeches, made by hired agents, or by those whose interest it was M)«beal the misery and destitution in the country of which themselves •e Jhe authors. Thus the Sutherlandshiro sufferers have been shut out aiteceivint the assistance afforded by Government or by private in- iiilals ; and owing to the thraldom and subjugation in which this once |i and huppy people are to factors, magistrates, and ministers, they **Tcarce whimper a comphunt, much less say plainly, " Thus and thus ou done." oader's :ittcu( oi' r a recital of nnc^ Lire bar oi '^u! 1 '11 *\q public:!' acts I havoalUi:' 1. ility fallen far bI !y an adequate i^ itrymen. Whil' I wrongs and su! ut fallen into nl uelty and iniqu' Laving by the kil cle been furni.'^ md corrospondc I columns of i which I and ' ed uen ,"! - 11, of the severe t? and that — ^^ > 'ii c «i 2 On the 20th of last April, a meeting of noblemen and gentlemen, coil nected with different districts of Scotland, was held in the British Hotej) Edinburgh, for the purpose of making inquiry into the misery and deu titution prevailing in Scotland, and particularly in the Highlands, with| view to discover the causes and discuss means for meeting the prevailis evil. Gentlemen were appointed to make the necessary inquiry, and committee named, with which these gentlemen were to communicate, this meeting a Sutherlandshire proprietor made such representations r| garding the inhabitants of that county, that, relying, I suppose, on mere assertions, the proposed enquiry has never been carried into thi district. Under these circumstances, I, who have been largely a suffer and a spectator of the sufferings of multitudes of my countrymen, woi have felt myself deeply culpable if I kept silence, and did not take meai to lay before the committee and the public the information of which I possessed, to put the benevolent on their guard respecting the men wl undertake to prevert, if they cannot stifle, the inquiry as to the causes ai extent of distress in the shire of Sutherland. With a view to dischargii this incumbent duty, I published a few remarks, signed ''A Highlander) in the Edinburgh Weekly Journal of 29th May last, on the afores proprietor's speech ; to which he made a reply, accusing me of singu ignorance and misrepresentation, and endeavouring to exonerate himsej Another letter has since appeared in the same paper, signed, " A Suthi landshire Tenant," denying my assertions and challenging me to pro] them by stating facts. To meet this challenge, and to let these part know that I am not so ignorant as they would represent ; and also to affoj information to the before-mentioned committee, it being impossible fj those gentlemen to apply an adequate remedy till they know the ri cause and nature of the disease, I addressed a second letter to the ediiii^ „ ^^^ , of the Weekly Journal', but, to my astonishment, it was refused ins9«|Bct its dut tion ; through what influence I am not prepared to say. I have, in coi^e of Suthe sequence, been subjected to much reflection and obloquy for desertin: cause which would be so much benefitted by public discussion ; and failing to substantiate charges so publicly made. I have, therefore, no\f| request, that, through the medium of your valuable and impartial pa the public may be made acquainted with the real state of the case ; an pledge myself not only to meet the two opponents mentioned, but to pi duce and substantiate such a series of appalling facts, as will sufficienHhe people account for the distress prevailing in Sutherlandshire ; and, I trust, ha\'«t necessary tendency towards its mitigation. . l^ave menti nidation of t ^ .^^ ^ ,y|1 and milit; r%u supplie LETTER II. #Pe and Nc ^in from ou: Sir, — Previous to redeeming my pledge to bring before the Publiilred to sup series of facts relating to the more recent oppressions and expatriatioD|BgricuItural the unfortunate inhabitants of Sutherlandshire, it is necessary to takimin, the m brief retrospective glance at the original causes. H^'^^l supp, 'own from herlandsh n the fan ect to th( chief in p habitual] g was do inion on 1 late tenan ee of con^ and its cc Ice a found followed, of almost he origioa peculiar revolting ties. e first at< about thi he tenanti tion. Th ts do nol ters of c] pts; the ve or acti to such ices, and of humai eir name, they gav( d it to be prompters on their oy 8 )owii from the fedual times, the inhabitants of the hills and straths of kherlandshire, in a state of transition from vassalage to tenancy, looked |>n the farms they occupied from their ancestors as their own, though ject to the arrangements as to rent, duties and services imposed by chief in possession, to whom, though his own title might be equivocal, habitually looked up with a d^egree of clannish veneration. Every ig was done ''to please the Laird." In this kind of patriarchal union on the one side, and obedience and confidence on the other, did i late tenantry and their progenitors experience much happiness, and a ree of congenial comfort and simple pastoral enjoyment. But the late and its consequences interfered with this happy state of things, and Ice a foundation was laid for all the suffering and depopulation which I followed. This has not been peculiar to Sutherlandshire ; the general of almost all the Highland proprietors of that period being to get rid ^he original inhabitants, and turn the land into sheep farms, though peculiar circumstances this plan was there carried into effect with revolting and wholesale severity than in any of the surrounding ities. le first attempt at this general clearing was partially made in Ross- about the beginning of the present century ; but from the resistance |he tenantry and other causes, has never been carried into general ition. The same was more or less the case in other counties. Bts do not occur without cause, nor do men become tyrants and sters of cruelty all at once. Self-interest, real or imaginary, first ipts ; the moral boundary is overstepped, the oppressed offer either ^ve or active resistance, and, in the arrogance of power, the strong to such means as will effect their purpose, reckless of conse- |ces, and enforcing what they call the rights of property, utterly feet its duties. I do not pretend to represent the late Duchess or |e of Sutherlandshire in particular, as destitute of the common attri- of humanity, however atrocious may have been the acts perpetrated ^eir name, or by their authority. They were generally absentees, and they gave-in to the general clearing scheme, I have no doubt they sd it to be carried into effect with as little hardship as possible. But prompters and underlings pursued a more reckless course, and, intent Ion their own selfish ends, deceived these high personages, represent- Ihe people as slothful and rebellious, while, as they pretended, every- necessary was done for their accommodation. lave mentioned above that the late war and its consequences laid the iation of the evil complained of. Great Britain with her immense and military establishments, being in a great measure shut out from m supplies, and in a state of hostility or non-intercourse with all fpe and North America, almost all the necessaries of life had to be from our own soil. Hence, its whole powers of production were [red to supply the immense and daily increasing de^nand j and while ''ricultural portions of the country were strained to yield an increase lia, the more northern and mountainous districts were looked to for Konal supplies of animal food. Hence, also, all the speculations to Ill get rid of the human inhabitants of the Highlands, and replace tli with cattle and sheep for the English market. At the conclusion of war, these cifects were about to cease with their cause, but the corn hi and other food taxes then interfered, and by excluding foreign ani| food altogether, and grain till it was at a famine price, caused the incit^ ing population to press against home produce, so aa still to make it j interest of the Highland lairds to prefer, cattle to human beings, and encourage speculators with capital, from England and the south of Scotlal to take the lands over the heads of the original tenantry. Thus Highll wrongs were continued, and annually augmented, till the mass of guiltj the one hand, and of suffering on the other, became so great as alul to exceed description or belief. Hence the difficulty of bringing it fJ before the public, especially as those interested in suppressing inquiry | numerous, powerful, and unsparing in the use of every influence toi the mouths of the sufferers. Almost all the new tenants in Sutherlandsb have been made justices of the peace, or otherwise armed with author] and can thus, under colour of law, commit violence and oppression wheuci they find it convenient — the poor people having no redress and scaf daring even to complain. The clergy also, whose duty it is to denou the oppressors, and aid the oppressed, have all, the whole seventeen paij ministers in Sutherlandshire, with one exception, found their account; abetting the wrongdoers, exhorting the people to quiet submission, lil ing tu stifle their cries, telling them that all their sufferings came f| the hand of God, and was a just punishment for their sins ! In manner these reverened gentlemen were benefitted by the change, bribed thus to desert the cause of the people, I shall explain as I proca The whole county, with the exception of a comparatively small pail one parish, held by Mr. Dempster of Skibo, and similar portions on" outskirts of the county held by two or three other proprietors, is no? the hands of the Sutherland family, who, very rarely, perhaps only \^ in four or five years, visit their Highland estates. Hence the impu afforded to the actors in the scenes of devastation and cruelty — the wli sale expulsion of the people, and pulling down and burning their habitatij which latter proceeding was peculiar to Sutherlandshire. In my subseql communications I shall produce a selection of suca facts and incident] can be supported by sufficient testimony, to many of which I was an [ witness, or was otherwise cognizant of them. I have been, with] family, for many years, removed, and at a distance from those scenes,! have no personal malice to gratify, my only motive being a desire to vi' cate my ill-used countrymen from the aspersions cast upon them, to i public attention to their wrongs, and, if posssible, to bring about a I inquiry, to be conducted by disinterested gentlemen, as to the real cal of their long-protracted misery and destitution, in order, that the pu sympathies may be awatened in their behalf, and something effected! their relief. With these observations I now conclude, and in my letter I will enter upon my narration of a few of such facts aa can be I authenticated by living testimony. IR, — In ni [general c its com \&\ remova of Arm id mratively farms, v chose to cattle, w above me I's proper^ jLarg. Tl ig them s] ^om 10 to [iture thith from tres le autumn [also much lies and ca jssions, wl ind in the might be of their le effects > on the Wl lives, an( iring the *' Golspie, { ' turned oi ig. Ever lade then |to those w =, were of to imposs hly away. [Young, a 5r-Faetor, i"0 commu in order ^es, the fo tic works i ^s, and on , a larj le of two ( the miser continue md replace tbj conclusion of lut the corn la^ g foreign aniij aused the incrij AM to make it | lan beings, and Bouth of Scotlal Thus Highll Q mass of guilti so great as aluj f bringing it fl •easing inquiry! y influence to i' in Sutherlandsa .ed with author] »pression wheufl redress and scaj it is to denoi le seventeen pai| i their account| submission, Iii ferings came tl iir sins ! In r the change, plain as I proc^ ively small paii lar portions on^ )prietors, is no^ perhaps only * ence the impi ruelty — the wli g their habitat! In my subseqf ;s and incident^ hich I was an ve been, with! a those scenes,! g a desire to vi! ipon them, to I bring about af s to the real caj cr, that the pu ething effectedj ;, and in my acts as can be I LETTER III. I[R, — In my last letter, I endeavoured to trace the causes that led to [general clearing and consequent distress in Sutherlandshire, which B its commencement from the year 180T. Previous to that period, lal removals had taken place, on the estates of Lord Reay, Mr. llouey- of Arraidale, and others : but these reraovtils werf* 'indcr ordinary and jaratively favourable circumstances. Those who were ejected from * farms, were accommodated with smaller portions of land, and those chose to emigrate had means in their power to do so, by the sale of cattle, which then fetched an extraordinary high price. ]}ut in the above mentioned, the system commenced on the Duchoss of Suthor- I's property; about 90 families were removed from the parishes of Farr iLarg. These people were, however, in some degree provided for, by ig them smaller lots of land, but many of these lots were at a distance km 10 to 17 miles, so that the people had to remove their cattle and jiture thither, leaving the crops on the ground behind. Watching this from trespass of the cattle of the incoming tenants, and removing it le autumn, was attended with great difficulty and loss. Besides, there [also much personal suffering, from their having to pull down their pes and carry away the timber of them, to erect houses on their new Bssions, which houses they had to inhabit immediately on being covered ^nd in the meantime, to live and sleep in the open air, except a few, might be fortunate enough to get an unoccupied barn, or shed, from of their charitable new come neighbours. le effects of these circumstances on the health of the aged and infirm, ^ on the women and children, may be readily conceived — some lost lives, and others contracted diseases that stuck to them for life. iring the year 1809, in the parishes of Dornoch, Rogart, Loth, Clyne, *' Golspie, an extensive removal took place; several hundred families turned out, but under circumstances of greater severity than the pre- ig. Every means were resorted to, to discourage the people, and to lade them to give up their holdings quietly, and quit the country ; jto those who could not be induced to do so, scraps of moor, and bog 3, were offered in Dornoch moor, and Brora links, on which it was to impossible to exist, in order that they may be seared into going bely away. At this time, the estate was under the management of [Young, a corn-dealer, as chief, and Mr. Patrick Sellar, a writer, as \r-Factor, the latter of whom will make a conspicuous figure in my re communications. These gentlemen were both from Morayshire ; in order to favour their own country people, and get rid of the jres, the former were constantly employed in all the improvements and h works under their direction, while the latter were taken at inferior bs, and only when strangers could not be had. lus, a large portion of the people of these five parishes were, in the be of two or three years, almost entirely rooted out, and those few who the miserable allotments above mentioned, and some of their descend- continue to exist on them in great poverty. Among these were the 6 3d by f( iry, and heard to e carna^ were dif having taken, diamay( and se< widows and orphans of those heads of families who had been drowny| i The the same year, in going to attend a fair, when upwards of one hui individuals lost their lives, while crossing the ferry between Sutherlan Tain. These destitute creatures were obliged to accept of any spot vj afforded them a residence, ^om inability to go elsewhere. Fi'om this time till 1812 the process of ejection was carried on ann in a greater or less degree, and during this period the estates of Goi bush and Uppet were added, by purchase, to the ducal property, anj the subsequent years, till 1829, the whole of the county, with the exceptions before mentioned, had passed into the hands of the family. i^ they s In the year 1811 a new era of depopulation commenced j summons^ fate, removal were served on large portions of the inhabitants. The lands ge body of then J I which they calii jass on to the Ini The latter 1 jasures of seven recourse. IJow concerted plan lager on one ol] sued by some oij rs LETTER IV. i ; but on their )le, to their asto; and sent to Don ! The people, lid not sufier ai' . Without fu a thing quite the month of March, 1814, a great number of the inhabitants of the ihes of Farr and Kildonan were summoned to give up their farms at lay term following, and, in order to ensure and hasten their removal their cattle, in a few days after, the greatest part of the heath pasture set fire to and burnt, by order of Mr. Seller, the factor, who had taken lands for himself. It is necessary to explain the effects of this pro- ng. In the spring, especially when fodder is scarce, as was the case e above year, the Highland cattle depend almost solely on the heather, persed and retuii«#oon, too, as the grass begins to sprout about the roots of the bushes, found the prcHKinimals get a good bite, and are thus kept in tolerable condition. De- in pretended alfled of this resource by the burning, the cattle were generally left d sent an expr&^Bout food, and this being the period of temporary peace, during lion in SutherllBnaparte's residence in Elba, there was little demand for good cattle, accustomed to m much less for these poor starving animals, who roamed^about over t burnt pasture till a great part of them were lost, or sold for a mere tri The arable parts of the land were cropped by the outgoing tenants, as^ customary, but the fences being mostly destroyed by the burning, the cat| of the incoming tenant were continually trespassing throughout the sumuj and harvest, and those who remained to look after the crop had no she! even watching being disalowed, and the people were hunted by the w herdsmen and their dogs from watching their own corn ! As the spring been severe, so the harvest was wet, cold, and disastrous for the pi people, who, under every difficulty, were endeavouring to secure residue of their crops. The barns, kilns, and mills, except a few ncc sary to the new tenant, had, as well as the houses, been burnt or otherwii to, or o destroyed and no shelter left, except on the other side of the river, ngikr a few overflowing its banks from the continual rains ; so that, after all tlitf^ral chi! labour and privations, the people lost nearly the whole of their crop, they had already lost their cattle, and were thus entirely ruined. But I must now go back to the May term and attempt to give so account of the ejection of the inhabitants ; for to give anything like adequate description I am not capable. If I were, the horrors of it woi^ exceed belief. The houses had been all built, not by the landlord as in the low count: but by the tenants or by their ancestors, and, consequently, were their pi perty by right, if not by law. They were timbered chiefly with bog which makes excellent roofing but is very inflammable : by immemoi^ usage this species of timber was considered the property of the tenant whose lands it was found. To the upland timber, for which the laird the factor had to be asked, the laird might lay some claim, but not soj^"j|[jj^'"^j the other sort, and in every house there was generally a part of both. ,01^^ to' hi In former removals the tenants had been allowed to carry away tl»f the hous timber to erect houses on their new allotments, but now a more sumniarfi^'s inotht mode was adopted, by setting fire to the houses ! The able-bodied nil|| f^"'*^,^ were by this time away after their cattle or otherwise engaged at a dl " tance, so that the immediate sufferers by the general house-burning ttj now commenced were the aged and infirm, and the women and childre! As the lands were now in the hands of the factor himself, and were to occupied as sheep-farms, and as the people made no resistance, they d pected at least some indulgence, in the way of permission to occupy thi houses and other buildings till they could gradually remove, and meanwhS look after their growing crops. Their consternation, was, therefore, tl greater when, immediately after the May term day, and about two montl after they had received summonses of removal, a commencement was ma( to pull down and set fire to the houses over their heads ! The old peopl'^JP^in five < women, and others, then began to try to preserve the timber which tht^ could were entitled to consider as their own. But the devastators proceedljiper to co with the greatest celerity, demolishing all before them, and when thl||astation, had overthrown the houses in a large tract of country, they ultimately slyized c.)i file to the wreck. So that timber, furniture, and every other article thflPtitution id not b royed. hese pr most air and ting fe Sellar > is subse ed froi rived of to the an eye-1 ts, not ent at tl u such a cases of ever, ju )llection, rigill, in )and, to lence, ta open ail g in a fe aid Mac] e of thi e. On n unfit too Ion blankets out. SI were ] ed whil her mot h I sh id^about over tl Id for a mere tri ;oing tenants, mn d not be instantly removedi was consumed by fire, or otherwise utterly Toyed. _ _ ,^'hese proceedings were carried on with the greatest rapidity as well as burning, the cain^ most reckless cruelty. The cries of the victims, the confusion, the ighout the sumu^l^air and horror painted on the countenances of the one party, and the :op had no shelt(j||ilting ferocity of the other, beggar all description. In these lunted by the w As the spring trous for the p ing to secure 3xcept a few neci scenes Sellar was present, and apparently, (as was sworn by several witnesses is subsequent trial,) ordering and directing the whole. Many deaths led from alarm, from fatigue, and cold j the people being instantly rived of shelter, and left to the mercy of the elements. Some old men ^_^ to the woods and precipices, wandering about in a state approach- burnt or otherwiBi to, or of absolute insanity, and several of them, in this situation, lived ! of the river, ii|||^ a few days. Pregnant women were taken with premature labour, and bat, after all thi^ioeral childern did not long survive their sufiFerings. To these scenes I of their y ruined crop, impt to give soi e anything like horrors of it woi an eye-witness, and am ready to substantiate the truth of my statc- ts, not only by my own testimony, bat by that of many others who were ent at the time. n such a scene of general devastation it is almost useless to particularize cases of individuals — the suflfering was great and universal. I shall, ever, j ust notice a very few of the extreme cases which occur to my Uection, to most of which I was an eye-witness. John McKay's wife, igill, in attempting to pull down her house, in the absence of her and, to preserve the timber, fell through the roof. She was, in con- ence, taken with premature labour, and in that state, was exposed to open air and the view of the by-standers. Donald Munro, Garvott, g in a fever, was turned out of his house and exposed to the elements. J . , .^.wald Macbeath, an infirm and bed-ridden old man, had the house unroofed lairn, ^^^^0* ^°»Vjtor him, and was, in that state, exposed to wind and rain till death put a part or both. ,01^^ to jjjg suflFerings. I was present at the pulling down and burning to carry away tlrf ihe house of William Ghisholm, Badinloskin, in which was lying his a more summafi^'s mother, an old bed-ridden woman of near 100 years of age, none of able-bodied niiW^ family being present. I informed the persons about to set fire to the in the low count: tly, were their pi liefly with bog 5: by immemoi y of the tenant rhich the laird engaged at a di ouse-burning thl nen and childnf f, and were to ■ distance, they o| m to occupy thd re, and meanwhi ms, therefore, tl about two montH icement was ma(< The old peopW mber which thf* -tators proceedj and when thd ley ultimately 1 other article tb se of this circumstance, and prevailed on them to wait till Mr. Sellar |e. On his arrival I told him of the poor old woman being in a con- )n unfit for removal. He replied, " Damn her, the old witch, she has too long ; let her burn." Fire was immediately set to the house, and i blankets in which she was carried were in flames before she could be (out. She was placed in a little shed, and it was with great difficulty were prevented from firing it also. The old woman's daughter red while the house was on fire, and assisted the neighbours in remov- her mother out of the flames and smoke, presenting a picture of horror sh I shall never forget, but cannot attempt to describe. She died lin five days. could multiply instances to a great extent, but must leave to the ier to conceive the state of the inhabitants during this scene of general istation, to which few parallels occur in the history of this or any orher lized c.mntry. Many a life was lost or shortened, and man^ a strong Btitution ruined ; — ^the comfort and social happiness of all destroyed ; i I '; liii ': and their prospects in life, then of the most dismal kind, have, genei speaking, oeen unhappily realized. Mr. Sellar was, in the year 1816, tried on an indictment for a par^^ these proceedings, before the circuit court of Justiciary at Inverness. ^ a LETTER V. tors, re. in con ht bo d sent 'oi*'the coui li^cicnt ca nf a man iously iple. made iter to igations lortant t c '^su ty L L. T LOBD,- ont occas ur Lord! bor of tei ady Staf ged to e spring this CO At the spring assizes of Inverness, in 1816, Mr. Seller was broughi trial, before Lord ^itmilly, for his proceedings, as partly detailed in last letter. The indictment, charging him with culpable homicide, raising, &o., was prosecuted by his Majesty's advocate. In the reporiA" of the the trial, published by Mr. Sellar's counsel, it is said, " To this meas^ mds of his lordship seems to have been induced, chieily for the purpose of saif fying the public mind and putting an end to the clamours of the countrt^ If this, and not the ends of justice, was the intention, it was complei successful, for the gentleman was acquitted, to the astonishment of natives and of all who understood anything of the true state of the c: and the oppressors were thereby emboldened to proceed in their subsequ operations with a higher hand, and with perfect impunity, as will be Si in the sequel. It is a difficult and hazardous attempt to impugn proceedings carried' by his Majesty's advocate, presided over by an honouroble judge, ^ decided by a jury of respectable men ; but I may mention a few circij^ stances which might have a tendency to disappoint the people. Ou forty witnesses examined at a precognition before the sheriff, there viewed to rei only (jleven, and those not the most competent, brought forward for ^^ "^"^ J"s crown ; and the rest, some of whom might have supported material Ph^have rec of the indictment — as, for instance, in the case of Donald Monro — \}J^ she ah never called at all. Besides, the witnesses for the prosecution,^ being simjattinntes, illiterate persons, gave their testimony in Gaelic, which was interpreteiA|ike proper the court ; and, it is well known, much depends upon the translal whether evidence so taken, retains its weight and strength or not jury, with very few exceptions, was composed of persons just simili circumstanced with the new tenants in Sutherlandshire, and consequen might very naturally have a leaning to that side, and all the exculpat< witnesses were those who had been art and part, or otherwise interesi in the outrageous proceedings. Mr. Sellar was a man of talent, an ex lawyer, and a justice of the peace, invested with full powers, as factor i; law agent to a great absentee proprietor, and strongly supported by clergy and gentry in the neighbourhood : he was also the incoming tej! to the lands which were the scene of his proceedings — too great d against a few poor simple Highlanders, who had only their wrong plead, whose minds were comparatively uncultivated, and whose pecuDisj| means were small. The immediate cause which led to these legal proceedings was, t! several petitions from the expelled tenants had been sent to the noble << I would af ess to th( loldened t presentei [o this CO ry last, i HisL( Lady Sti the tenai rtially a directioi CSS befc ted by A: llifeheriff-de on after with his nts. Mi nts mean titue, US th of Jul I! 11 ind, have, genei]|g|tors, representing the illegal and cruel treatment they had received j M, in consequence of the answers received expressing a wif ' ♦hat justice jtment for a par|jj|ht bo done, the case was laid before the sheriff-depute, M. Oranstoun, •y at Inverneas. ^ sent an express injunction to Mr. Robert M'Kid, sheriff-substitute the county, to take a recognition of the case, and if there appeared cient cause, to take Mr. Sellar into custodv. The sheriff-substitute a man of acknowledged probity, but from the representations he had iously received, was considered unfavourable to the cause of tho iple. On examining the witnesses, however, a case of such enormity eller was brought^ made out as induced him to use some strong expressions contained in irtly detailed in^^fitter to Lord Stafford, which I here subjoin, and which, with some false ►able homicide, y^gations, were urged against him on the trial, so that, under the direc- e. In the repori^^ of the court, the advocate-depute passed from his evidence on the inds of mail je and unduly expressed opinion, and thus Mr. M'Kid's ^ortant testimony was lost. On the whole, this caso furnishes an in- -^ successful chicanery, u idue influence, and the " glorious uncer- l, "To this mem he purpose of urs of the countr D, it was completi [Stonishment of lie state of the c; 1 in their subsequ nity, as will be sn Law. >> TO LORD STAFFORD. IJiKKTOWN P. GOLSPIE, 30th May, 1815. Y Lord, — I conceive it a duty I owe to your Lordship, to address you upon the lent occasion, and a more distressing task I have seldom had to perform. ur Lordship knows, that in summer last, an humble petition, subscribed by a oceedinss carried>^^°^ °^ tenants on Mr. Sellar's sheep farm in Farr and Kildonan, vras presented inuroble iuds'e *'l'^*^y StaflFord, complaining of various acts of injury, cruelty and oppression, . / =. ' lltf ged to have been committed upon their persons and property, by Mr. Seller, sntion a tew circle) Ji^ gp,.ing and summer of that year. he people. Ou: 5|o this complaint, her ladyship, upon the 22d of July last, was graciously e sheriff, there wl^Ssed to return an answer in writing. In it, her Ladyship, with her usual can- 'ht forward for ^""^ ^^^ justice, with much propriety observes, "That if any person on the estate tirted material B''*^ receive any illegal treatment, she will never consider it as hostile to her if MM F'h«* have recourse to legal redress, as a most secure way to receive the justice maid Monro---Vyj|Jj^ she always desires they should have on every occasion." Her Ladyshiy also iUtion,^ being simiittl&ntes, " That she had communicated the complaint to Mr, Sellar, that he may 1 was interpretecaake proper inquiry and answer to her." would appear, however, that Mr. Sellar still refused, or delayed, to aflFord that ess to tho removed tenants to which they conceived themselves entitled, which loldened them to approach Earl Qower with a complaint, similar to the ene they presented to Lady StaflFord. ;o this complaint his Lordship graciously condescended, under date 8th Fe- ry last, to return such an answer as might have been expected from his Lord- His Lordship says that he has communicated the contents to your Lordship Lady Stafford, who as his Lordship nobly expresses himself, "Are desirous, the tenants should know, that it is always their wish that justice should be rtially administered." His lordship then adds, that he has sent the petition, directions to Mr. Young, that proper steps should be taken for laying the ^^ Incss before the sheriff-depute ; and that the petitioners would therefore be „g ^QQ great c**^**'''^ ^^ ^^^' ^^""S» if they desired it, in having the precognition taken before 9 , . o ^liilBheriff-depute, according to their petition. L J if '"^ wrongs j|oon nftej receipt of Earl Gowev's letter, it would appear that a copy of the peti- id whose pecUDiij^jl, with his Lordship's answer, had been transmitted to the sheriff-depute by the w|fcnt3. Mr. Cranstoun, in answer, upon 80th March last, says, " that if the oceedings was, t'^P^"*^ mean to take a precognition immediately, it will proceed before the sheriff- lit to the noble iiff*^*"^» "^^ ™y engagement will not permit me to be in Sutherland until the pon the transki^ ength or not. rsons just similsj , and consequeDl all the exculpati herwise interesi of talent, an ex^ owers, as factors y supported by) he incoming tej" ^ :i "11 In eoBteqnenoe of tbeie proo«ed&ig8, on an eiprosa injnnetion from his MajeRt adTOoate-depute, and a similar one from the sheriff-depute, I was compelled enter upon an investigation of the complaints. With this view I was induced to go into Strathnave., where, at considerable p sonal inconvenience and expense, and with much patient perseverance, I exatnii[ about forty evidences upon the allegations stated in the tenants' petition ; and it. with the deepest regret I have to inform your lordship, that a more numerous en: logue of crimes, perpetrated by an individual, has se'dom disgraced any count or sullied the pages of a precognition in Scotland. This being the case, the laws of the country imperiously cull upon mo to or' Mr. Sellar to bo arrested and incarcerated, in order for trial, and before t: reaches your Lordship this preparatory legal stept must be put in execution. No person can more sincerely regret the cause, nor more feelingly lament i, effect, than I do ; but your Lordship knows well, and as Earl Gower very propt> observed, "Justice should be impartially administered." I have, in confidence, stated verbally to Mr. Young my fears upon this distn ing subject, and I now take the liberty of stating my sentiments also to your lo: ship, in confidence. The crimes of which Mr. Sellar stands nccust d are, — 1. Wilful fire-raising ; by having set on firCj and reduced to ashes, a poor mn whole premises, including dwelling-house, bam, ^:.ln, and sheep-cot, attended w most aggravated circumstances of cruelty, if n^f murder. 2. Throwing down and demolishing a mill, nlsc a capital crime. 8. Setting fire to and burning the tenants' henih pasture, before the legal of removal. 4. Throwing down and demolishing houses, whereby the lives of sundry n and bed-ridden persons were endangered, if not actually lost. 6. Throwing down and demolishnlg bams, kilns, sheep-cots, &c., to the gi hurt and prejudice of the owners. 6. Innumerable other charges of lesser importance swell the list, pties; I }y of u have of th be nee Duohei coded the ti 785 sh they equeut rior m er Hig he plu ir cldes ceded i the Di he fan •filler of e to th( lied acc( the pi d be gc ship's information, and have the 1 cdoux to be, &c., ik* "u !? (Signed) ROBT. M'KIdM.'^® **' Here, then, I must part with Messrs. Youn» and Sellar as agents ;^ the r the noble family of Sutherland, for about this time they ceased to act^qj^ M. P. such. I shall in my next, proceed to describe the devastating removJ||, Suthei of 1819 and '20 — those which happened in the intermediate years r ^ ^' tween these and the year 1815, being similar in character to the remov I have already described. Mr. Seller shall hereafter only figure in narrative as a leviathan tenant, who individually supplanted scores ox worthy small fanners of the parish of Farr. LETTER VI. er. H Tal ad\ izant € lork enti quia ol te of Si eedingi '(0, scarce ol^rfered ; er his his SO] nihe Cha: Sib, — The integrity manifested by the sheriffs, Cranstoun and M'K led to their dismissal from oflftce, immediately after the trial. This d^. ,„^ ^„„ missal operated as a sentence of banishment and ruin to Mr, M'Kid — Qfiellent*v business in Sutherlandshire was at an end ; he retired to Caithness witlyEticg an( large family, and commenced business as a writer, where every inaliguj^ySted'teni influence followed him from the ruling powers in the former county. K Highls is to be hoped that this upright gentleman has since surmounted his ' isuse( Ijijl «' It don from his Majest e, I was oompelled' ties ; he must at all events have enjoyed a high reward in the (esti- y of a good conscience. have hitherto given the noble proprietors the title they bore at the uf the occurrences mentioned, but in order to avoid ambiguity, it be necessary to {;ive a very brief historical sketch of the family. The Duchess of Sutherland, premier peeress of Scotland, in her own right, Mcuedcd to the estates of her father, William, 21st Earl of Sutherland, j|pi the title of Countess, in the year 1766, being then only one year old. ' 785 she married the Mdrquis of Stafford and took his title in addition. the year 1833, the Marquis was created a Duke, and his lady was lequcutly styled Duchess-Countess of Sutherland. She was a lady of rior mind and attainments, but her great and good qualities were lost er Highland tenantry, from her being non-resident, and having adopt- he plan of removing the natives, and letting the lands to strangers. ir eldest surviving son. Lord Leveson Gower, also an eminent person, ceded to the titles and estates of both parents on their decease, and is the Duke of Sutherland. he family mansion, Dunrobin Castle, is situated on the southern icr of the county, and in the rare case of any of the noble family ing to the Highlands during the period of the removals, they only e to the castle and stopt there, where the old tenants were strictly ied access, while the new occupiers had free personal communication the proprietors. When any memorial or petition from the former d be got introduced, there was no attention paid to them if not signed , . . . 1 jflf 1^ minister ; and this was next to impossible, as the clergy, with one jec , or your "m^po^i-able exception, had taken the other side. In every case it appeared ROBT M ^^'^ maladies peculiar to females. So that the new and un* od had been su(4«||ortublo dwellinga of this lately robust and healthy peasantry, " their one instance ciiii>4[|||try'8 pride/' were now become family hospitals and lazar-houscs of )W, she has not }4|iick and the dying ! Famine and utter destitution inevitably fol- , with a terrific toiffd, till the mi^^cry of my once happy countrymen reached an alarming I" lyit, and began to attract attention as an almost national calamity, hen they found tjpen Mr. Looh in his before-mentioned work, has been constrained to powers. The iiuii|it the extreme distress of the people. He says, (page 7<>,) *' Their avated, though, |l|chednc8H was so great, that after pawning everything they possessed, )artial till the yo> ijle fishermen on the coast, such as had no cattle were reduced to come xpulsion and sufTyi^ from the hills in hundreds, for the purpose of gathering cockles on eller, almost immUlhore. Those who lived in the more remote situations of the country nvcnient to occiiM| obliged to subsist upon broth made of nettles, thickened with a little >btained posscsssiijjfteal. Those who had cattle had recourse to the still more wretched ex- these forty familiinnt of bleeding them, and mixing the blood with oatmeal, which they emove them in tMwards cut into slices and fried. Those who had a litiic money, came only ho contentlWi and slept all night upon the beach, in order to watch tl e boats re- &c., but did not, uipng from the fishing, that they might be in time to obtain a part of they leaving t}i(ll|| had been caught." This gentleman, however, omits to mention, ^16) will be reuK'iMiBhare he had in bringing things to such a pass, and also that, at the nter commenced 4M time, he had armed constables stationed at Littleferry, the only ober, and continiikM|(B where shell-fish were to be found, to prevent the people from iipossibility — of tiillliering them. In his next page he gives an exaggerated account of tlicir crops, may ifrielief afibrded by the proprietors. I shall not copy his mis-statements, tcasts employed tliproceed to say what that relief, so ostentantiously put forth, really con- eep, watching tlidftia of. As to his assertion that " £3,000 had been given by way of p of the incomiiMI to those who had cattle," I look upon it to be a fabrication, or, if the able in such a casion^y really was sent by the noble proprietors, it must have been retained nty miles, to tlief iliose intrusted with ita distribution j for to my knowledge, it never grain and potatoWIW to the hands of any of the small tenants. There was, indeed, a con- ^ ' ' ' '"'^'ble quantity of meal sent, though far from enough to afford effectual but this meal vepresented to be given in charity, was charged at bllowing Martinmas term, at the rate of 50s. per boll. Payment was ously exacted, and those who had cattle were obliged to give them up ihat purpose, bi\t this latter part of the story was never sent to the papers, and Mr. Loch has also forgotten to mention it ! There was During labour arl( they had to subsii na as they could, i dwellings ! Whi e succeeding eaci it be seen carryir! iduce, under whicwderable quantity of medicine given to the ministers for distribution, in a fainting statr^^"*^ "" '"^"'*~" "'"" — "^^ """^ *^' *' ^~'~ ^ " " " In some very ra? by the shepherd irhich no charge was made, and this was the whole amount of relief led. unfeeling master the imagination ( revious and subsf iseases made theiJ 1 among the Higl Imonary complaiuH LETTER VIL . e honourable acquittal of Mr. Sellar, and the compliments he re- ed in consequence from the p»esiding judge, with the dismissal of the iffs, had the desired effect upon the minds of the poor Sutherlanders, those who took an interest in their case. Every voice in their behalf h I 16 ! I was silenced and eveiy pen laid down — ^in short, every channel for redress or protection from future violence was closed ; the people were prostrated under the feet of their oppressors, who well knew how to take advantage of their position. It appeared, that, for a considerable interval, there were no regular sheriffs in the county, ind that the authoritv usually exercised by them was vested in Captain Kenneth M'Kay, a native of the county, and now one of the extensive sheep farmers. It was by virtue of warrants granted by this gentlemen that the proceedings I am about to describe took place, and, if the sheriff-officers, constables, and assistants, exceeded their authority, they did so under his immediate eye and cogni- zance, as ne was all the time residing in his house, situated so that he must have witnessed a great part of the scene from his own front windows. Therefore, if he did not immediately authorize the atrocities to the extent committed (which I will not assert), he at least used no means to restrain them. At this period a great majority of the inhabitants were tenants-at-will, and therefore liable to ejectment on getting regular notice ; there were, however, a few who had still existing tacks (although some had been wheedled or frightened into surrendering them), and these were, of course, unmolested till the expiration of their tacks j they were then turned out like the rest ; but the great body of the tenantry were in the former con- dition. Meantime, the factors, taking advantage of the broken spirit and prostrate state of the people — trembling at their words or even looks — betook themselves to a new scheme to facilitate their intended proceedings, and this was to induce every householder to sign a bond or paper contain- ing a promise of removal : and alternate threats and promises were used to induce them to do so. The promises were never realised, but, notwith- standing the people's compliance, the threats were put in execution. In about a month after the factors had obtained this promise of removal, and thirteen days before the May term, the work of devastation was begun : they commenced uy setting fire to the houses of the small tenants in ex- tensive districts — ^part of the parishes of Farr, Rogart, Golspie, and the whole parish of Kildonan. I was an eye-witness of the scene. This calamity came on the people quite unexpectedly. Strong parties, for each district, furnished with faggots and other combustibles, rushed on the dwellings of this devoted people, and immediately commenced setting fire to them, proceeding in their work with the greatest rapidity till about three hundred houses were in flames ! The consternation and confusion were extreme; little or no time was given for removal of persons or property — the people striving to remove the sick and the helpless before the fire should reach them — next, struggling to save the most valuable of their effects. The criea of the women and children — the roaring of the affrighted cattle, hunted at the same time by the yelling dogs of the shepheids amid the smoke and fire — altogether presented a scene that completely baffles description : it required to be seen to be believed. A dense cloud of smoke enveloped the wJ^le countiy by day, and even ex- tended far on the sea ; at night an awfully grand, but terrific scene pre- sented itself— all the houses in au extensive distriot in flames at once I I Bine name, b 17 ormer con- yself ascended a height about eleven o'clock in the evening, and counted wo hundred and fifty blazing houses, many of the owners of which were ly relations, and all of whom I personally knew ; but whose present con- ition, whether in or out of the flames, I could not tell. The conflagra- ion lasted six days, till the whole of the dwellings were reduced to ashes r smoking ruins. During one of these days a boat lost her way in the ense smoke as she approached the shore j but at night she was enabled reach a landing place by the light of the flames ! It would be an endless task to give a detail of the sufferings of families nd individuals during this calamitous period ; or to describe its dreadful onsequences on the health and lives of the victims. I will, however, at- empt a very few cases. While the burning was going on, a small sloop rrived, laden with quick lime, and wni.c discharging her cargo, the skip- ler agreed to take as many of the people to Caithness as he could carry, n his return. Accordingly, about twenty families went on board, filling eck, hold, and every part of the vessel. There were childhood and age, ale and female, sick and well, with a small portion of their effects, saved rom the flames, all huddled together in heaps. Many of these persons ad never been on sea before, and when they began to sicken a scene in- escribable ensued. To add to their miseries, a storm and contrary winds revailed, so that instead of a day or two, the usual tiire of passage, it was ine days before they reached Caithness. All this time, the poor crea- ures, almost without necessaries, most of them dying with sickness, were ither wallowing among the lime, and various excrements in the hold, or ing on the deck, exposed to the raging elements ! This voyage soon roved fatal to many, and some of the survivors feel its effiects to this day. uring this time, also, typus fever was raging in the country, and many a critical state had to fly, or were carried by their friends out of the urning houses. Among the rest, a young man, Donald M'Kay of rumbmorr, was ordered out of his parents* house ; he obeyed, in a state f delirium, and (nearly naked) ran into some bushes adjoining, where he y for a considerable time deprived of reason ; the house was immediately flames, and his effiects burned. Robert M'Kay, whose whole family ere in the fever, or otherwise ailing, had to carry his two daughters on is back, a distance of about twenty-five miles. He accomplished this by rst carrying one, and laying her down in the open air, and returning, id the same with the other, till he reached the sea-shore, and then went ith them on board the lime vessel before mentioned. An old man of the me name, betook himself to a deserted mill, and lay there unable to ove ; and to the best of my recollection, he died there. He had no sus- nance but what he obtained by licking the dust and refuse of the meal rewed about, and was defended from the rats and other vermin, by his ithful colli/, his companion and protector. A number of the sick, who )uld not be carried away instantly, on account of their dangerous situa- on, were collected by their friends and placed in an obscure, uncomfor- ible hut, and there, for a time, left to their fate. The cries of these ictims were heart-rending — exclaiming in their anguish, "Are you 3ing to leave us to perish in the flames?" However, the destroyers B 18 inil passed near the hut, apparently without noticing it, and consequently thi remained unmolested till they could be conveyed to the shore, and put board the bef ore-men timed sloop. George Munro, miller at Farr, residi within 400 yards of the minister's house, had his whole family, consist! of six or seven persons, lying in a fever ; and being ordered instantly remove, was enabled, with the assistance of his neighbours to carry thei to a damp kiln, where they remained till the fire abated, so that they coi be removed. Meantime the house was burnt. It may not be out of pl^fBIraHlv "it here to mention generally, that the clergy, factors, and magistrates, weiff x^ ' ^ xl cool and apparently unconcerned spectators of the scenes I have been de cribing, which were indeed perpetrated under their immediate authoriti The splendid and comfortable mansions of these gentlemen, were reddem with the glare of their neighbours' flaming houses, without exciting m\ inerous and Iccessfully ap s towards tl ated spot of Ipport of a fa the new ter provement c en expended erested persi en brought ich have se( d rank, and compassion for the sufterera , uo spiritual, temporal, or medical aid wM^j {jj„ 'j^i^ ^^ nfFrLt^AaA +liAT« • nn/1 fViia fitiiA fVlAxr urnrn nil rlriTrnn Qurotr 'inV/Zi^iif / hn'ia^m ® . ^, aflfbrded them ; and this time they were all driven away without bei allowed the benefit of their outgoing crop ! Nothing but the sword w wanting to make the scene one of as great barbarity as the earth evi witnessed ; and in my opinion, this would, in a majority of cases, hai been mercy, by saving them from what they were afterwards doomed endure. The clergy, indeed, in their sermons, maintained that the who! was a merciful interposition of providence to bring them to repentam rather than to send them all to hell, as they so richly deserved ! Ai here I beg leave to ask those Rev. gentlemen, or the survivors of thei and especially my late minister, Mr. M'Kenzie of Farr, if it be true, was generally reported, that during these horrors I have been feeW endeavouring to describe — there was a letter sent from the proprietoiB^gj^"" '"llV '' addressed to him, or to the general body, requesting to know if <»bsistence bv removed tenants were well provided for, and comfortable, or words to tli" - - - effect, and that the answer returned was, that the people were quite coi fortable in their new allotments, and that the change was greatly for thi benefit. This is the report that was circulated and believed ; and tl subsequent conduct of the clergy affords too much reason for giving it ci dence as I shall soon have occasion to show terials for ci nt prosperity ,ce, easily led ent, there cai IS been done, irdens of Irel e soil, receiv her successoi a whole peop reference to ounds were 1< LETTER VIII. The depopulation I have been treating of, with its attendant horr and miseries, as well as its impolicy, is so justly reasoned upon by Genci Stewart, in the work formerly alluded to, that I beg to transcribe a pai graph or two. At page 168 he says : — " The system of overlooking eir former ha V acre lots, lithout regulai pportedton o be, that, " o |ble, the coast rving inhabi issess the swa rt of life in t ility and char ws, with the acres ''f bi odation, a cal y the rent of e herrincr fisi s original occupiers, and of giving every support to strangers, has be rivations'thev much practiced in the highland counties ; and on one great estate (t Sutherland) the support which was given to farmers of capital, as \r in the amount of suiob expended on improvements, as in the lih abatement of rents, is, I believe, unparalleled in the United Kingdo ^.^ dgcav and and affords additional matter of regret, that the deluiions praotioed "^ id are sequest I others, and e still a few 19 , . .1 ^nerous and public-spirited landholder, have been so perseveringly and lequently ''"•gcessfully applied, that it would appear as if all feeling of former kind- ■e, and P^J.^Bss towards the native tenantry had ceased to exist. To them any uncul- J)arr, residiB^^^gj gp^^ ^^ moorland, however small, was considered sufficient for the uy, consistiiMpp^j^ ^^ ^ family ; while the most lavish encouragement has been given Q instantly iH ^^^ jj^^ tenants, on whom, and with the erection of buildings, the to carry the«pj.pygj^gQt of lands, roads, bridges, &c., upwards of £210,000 has hat tneycoiil^gP expended since the year 1808. With this proof of unprecedented )e out 01 P'^tBterality, it cannot be sufficiently lamented, that an estimate of the ardcter of these poor people was taken from the misrepresentations of erested persons, instead of judging from the conduct of the same men en brought into the world, where they obtained a name and character ich have secured the esteem and approbation of men high in honour d rank, and, from their talents and experience, perfectly capable of dging with correctness. With such proofs of capability, and with such terials for carrying on the improvements, and maintaining the perma- nt prosperity of the county, when occupied by a hardy, abstemious — ce, easily led on to a full exertion of *heir faculties by a proper manage- 01 cases, '^"■ent, there cannot be a question but that if, instead of placing them, as rds doomed «g j^^g^ done, in situations bearing too near a resemblance to the potato- that the wno«^.^gjjg ^f Ireland, they had been permitted to remain as cultivators of to repentancjg g^jj^ receiving a moderate share of the vast sums lavished on their gistrates, wei lave been di iate authoriti were reddeni .t exciting an] edical aid w without bcii the sword w the earth evi sserved ! An ivors of thei it be true, been feet he proprietoi 7e vere quite coi jreatly for th« eved ; and t )r giving it ci 01 cher successors, such a humane and considerate regard to the prosperity a whole people, would undoubtedly have answered every good purpose." I reference to the new allotments, he says ; " when the valleys and higher ounds were let to the shepherds, the whole population was driven to the - - :a shore, where they were crowded on small lots of land, to earn their know II tl ibsistence by labour and by sea fishing, the latter so little congenial to r words to tli ^jj. former habits." He goes on to remark, in a note, that these one or vo acre lots, are represented as an improved system. "In a country ithout regular employment and without manufactures, a family is to be pportedton one or two acres ! !" The consequence was, and continues be, that, " over the whole of this district, where the sea shore is acces- ble, the coast is thickly studded with wretched cottages, crowded with arving inhabitants." Strangers " with capital" usurp the land and dis- )ssess the swain. " Ancient respectable tenants, who passed the greater irt o^' life in the enjoyment of abundance, and in the exercises of hospi- lity and charity, possessing stocks of ten, twenty, and thirty breeding >ws, with the usual proportion of other stock, are now pining on one or tendant horn ^^ j^^^gg ^f i^^^ j^^j^j^ ^j^j^ one or two starved cows; and for this accom- pon by (renci oration, a calculation is made,*that they must support their families and anscribe a pa ^^ ^.y^g ^.g^j^ ^^ their lots, not from the produce but from the sea. When jverlookmg t ^Q herring fishery succeeds they generally satisfy the landlords, whatever igers, has be rivations they may suffer ; but when the fishing fails, they fall in arrears reat estate (t j^j ^^^ sequestrated, una their stock sold to pay the rents, their lots given others, and they and their families turned adrift on the world. There . e still a few small tenants on the old system ; but they are fast falling iited Kingdo ^^ decay, and sinking into the class just described." Again, " we oannot I praotioed -■■ •" i 20 UDI Buffioiently admire their meek and patient spirit, supported by the powerft influence of moral and religious principle." I need not go further, bi again beg the reader's attention to this most valuable work, especially tli article " Change of Tenancy," as illustrative of the condition and exponeij of the character and feelings of my poor countrymen, as well as corrobo'- tive of the facts to which T am endeavouring to call public attention, causes of the distress and destitution still prevailing in Sutherlandshire. By the means described, large tracts of country were depopulated converted into solitary wastes. The whole inhabitants of Kildonan parisi (with the exception V three families), amounting to near 2,000 soul were utterly rooted and burned out. Many, especially the young ani robust, left the country j but the aged, the females and children, were obi ged to stay and accept the wretched allotments allowed them on the s( shore, and endeavour to learn fishing, for which all their former habii rendered then? unfit ; hence their time was spent in unproductive toil act misery, and many lives were lost. Mr. Sage, of evergreen memory, w the parish minister — "Among ;.he faithless, faitliful only he !" This gentleman had dissented from his brethren, and, to the best of power, opposed their proceedings ; hence he was persecuted and despiseJ by them and the factors, and treatjed with marked disrespect. After tkl burning out, having lost his pious elders and attached congregation, went about mourning till his demise, which happened not long after. Ilij son had been appointed by the people minister of a chapel of ease, parisl of.' Farr, and paid by them ; but, when the expulsion took place, he reiucl ved to Aberdeen, and afterwards to a parish in Ross-shire. On accoiml of his father's integrity he could not expect a kirk in Sutherlandshire. After a considerable interval of absence, I revisited my native place ij the year 1828, and attended divine worship in the parish church, noil reduced to the size and appearance of a dove-cot. The ^hole congregatiol consisted of eight shepherds, with their dogs, to the amount of between 21 and 30, the minister, three of his faiiiilj, and myself ! I came in after thl first singing, but, at the conclusion, the 120th psalm was given out, anl struck up to the famous tune, "Bangor;" when the four-footed heareii bet'ame excited, got up on the seats, and raised a most infernal chorus oi howling. Theiv masters then attacked them with their crooks, which onlj made matters worse ; the yelping and howling continued till the end of tliJ service. I retired, to contemplate the shameful scene, and compare it witlj what I bad previously witnessed in the large and devout congregations fori merly attending in that kirk. What must the worthy Mr. Campbell havl felt while endeavoring to edify such a congregation ! The Barony 4 Strathnaver, parish of I'arr, 25 miles in length, containing a population! numerous as Kildonan, who had been all rooted out at the general conflagl ration, presented a similar aspect. Here, the church no longer founf necessary, was razed to the ground, and the timber of it conveyed to All naharrow, to be used in erecting an Inn (one of the new improvcmenul there, and the minister's house converted into the dwelling of a fox-huol lad the minis 21 >T. A woman, well knowu in that parish, happening to traverse the (trath the year after the burning, was asked, on her return, what news ? Oh," said she, " Sgeul bronach, sgeul bronach ! sad news, sad news ! have seen the timber of our well attended kirk, covering the Inn at litnaharrow ; I have seen the kirk-yard, where our friends are mouldering, Bled with tarry sheep, and Mr. Sago's sLudy room, a kennel for Robert junn's dogs ; and I have seen a crow's nest in James Gordon's chimney [cad !" On this she fell into a paroxysm of grief, and it was several days lefore she could utter a word to be understood. During the late devasta- loiis, a Captain John M'Kay was appointed sab-factor, under Mr. Loch, ])T the district of Strathniiver, This gentleman, had he been allowed his m way, would have exercised his power beneficially; but he was subject to ersons cast in another mould, and had to sanction what he could not pprove. He did all ho could to mitigate the condition of the natives, by nving them employment, in preference to strangers, at the public works [id improvements, as they were called; but finding their enemies too owcrful and malignant, and the misery find destitution too great to be ven partially removed, he shrunk from his ungracious task and went to Lmerica, where he breathed his last, much regretted by all who knew him both sides of the Atlantic. LETTER IX. I have already mentioned that the clergy of the Established Church none other were tolerated in Sutherland), all but Mr. Sage, were consent- g parties to the expulsion of the inhabitants, and had substantial reasons r their readiness to accept woolly and hairy animals — sheep and dogs — place of their human flocks. The kirks and manses were mostly situa- id in the low grounds, and the clergy hitherto held their pasturage in mmon with the tenantry ; and this state of things, established by law and ge, no factor or proprietor had power to alter without mutual consent, ad the ministers maintained those rights, they would have placed in any cases, an effectual bar to the oppressive proceedings of the factors ; r the strange sheep-farmers would not bid for, or take the lands where 6 minister's sheep and cattle would be allowed to co-mingle with theirs, ut no ! Anxious to please the " powers that be," and no less anxious to Irive advantageous bargains with them, these reverend gentlemen found rogations for icans to get their lines lip'd " in pleasant places," and to secure good and onvenient portions of the pasture lands enclosed for themselves : many of c small tenants were removed purely to satisfy them in these arrange- lents. Their subserviency to the factors, in all things, was not for nought. esides getting their hill pasturage enclosed, their tillage lands were extend- longer founi d, new manses and offices were built for them, and roads made specially ir their accommodation, and every arrangement made for their advantage, hey basked in the sunshine of favor ; thoy were the bosom friends of the tctors and new tenants (many of whom were soon made magistrates), and 22 bad the honor of occasional visits, at their manses, from the propriefe themselves. They were always employed to explain and interpret to i assembled people the orders and designs of the factors ; and they did J spare their college paint on these occasions. Black was made white, i white black, as it answered their purpose, in discharging what they callj their duty ! They did not scruple to introduce the name of the Deiti representing him as the author and abettor of all the foul and cruel pi ceediugs carried on j and they had at hand another useful being readyj seize every soul who might feel any inclination to revolt. Indeed, tJ manifest works of the latter in their own hands, wore sufficient to pn/ his existence; while the whole appeai'ance of the country, and the state I its inhabitants at this period, afforded ample proof that the principle I evil was in the ascendant. The tyrannv of one class, and the wrongs i sufferings of the other, had demoralising efi'ects on both ; the natioij character and manners were changed and deteriorated, and a comparativ{ degenerate race is the consequence. This was already manifest in the jJ 1822, when George IV. made his famous visit to Edinburgh. The braf athletic and gallant men, who, in 1745, and again more recently, in 18(| rose in thousands at the call of their chief, were no longer to be traced] their descendants. When the clans f?;athered to honour His Majesty i the latter occasion, the Sutherland turn-out was contemptible. Some tj or three dozen of squalid-looking, ill-dressed, and ill-appointed men, ml all that Sutherland produced. So inferior, indeed, was their appearatl to the other Highlanders, that those who had the management refusedl allow them to walk in the procession, and employed them in some dtf out of public view. If their appearance was so bad, so also were tiij accommodations. They were huddled together in an old empty hoiij sleeping on straw, and fed with the coarsest fare, while the other claj were living in comparative luxury. Lord Francis Levesou Gower, Mr. Loch, who were present, reaped little honour by the exhibition of til Sutherland retainers on that great occasion. Moral degradation also! some extent, followed that of physical. Many vices, hitlxerto aliuj unknown, began to make their appearance ; and though the people iiei resorted to " wild savage justice," like those of Ireland in similar circiJ stances, the minor transgressions of squabbling, drunkeness, and incoil nency became less rare — the natural consequence of their altered conditi j Religion also, from the conduct of the clergy, began to lose its 'loldl their minds — and who can wonder at it ? — when they saw these holy ml closely leagued with their oppressors. " Ichabod," the glory of Sutll land had departed — perhaps never to return ! LETTER X. I now proceed to describe the "allotm. ats" on which the erpelled a burnt-out inhabitants were allowed to locate during the pleasure of i factors. These allotments were generally situated on the sea-coast, i intention being to force those who could not or would not leave i [precipices, n 23 Bouotry, to draw their subsistence from the sea by fishing ; and in order deprive them of any other means, the lot. were not only made small, j[ varying from one to three acres) but their nature and situation rendered ^hem unfit for any useful purpose. If the reader will take the trouble to examine the map of Sutherlandshire by M'*. Loch, he will perceive that ^he county is bounded on the north by the Northern Ocean, on the south by the county of Ross, on the west by thf Mynch, on the north-east by t!aithness, and on the south-east by the Moray Frith. To the sea-coasts, then, which surround the greatest part of the country were the whole Imass of the inhabitants, to the amount of several thousand families, driven Jby their unrelenting tyrants, in the manner I have described, to subsist las they could, on the sea or the air; for the spots allowed them could not Ibe called land, being composed of narrow stripes, promontories, cliffs and Iprecipices, rocks, and deep crevices, interspersed with bogs and morasses. IThe whole quite useless to the superiors, and evidently never designed by Inature for the habitation of man or beast. This was, with a few exceptions, I the character -of these allotments. The patches of soil where anything Icould be grown, were so few and scanty that when any dispute arose about [the property of them, the owner could easily carry them away in a creel on his back and deposit them in another place. In many places, the spots the poor people end'^avoured to cultivate were so steep that while one was delving, another hau to hoM up the soil with his hands, lest it should roll into the sea, and from its constant tendency to slide downwards, they had (frequently to carry it up again every spring and spread it upon the higher parts. These patches were so smah that few of them would afford room for more than a few handfuls of seeds, and in harvest, if there happened to be any crop, it was in continual danger of being blown into the sea, in that bleak inclement region, where neither tree nor shrub could exist to arrest its progress. In most years, indeed, when any mentionable crop I was realised, it was generally destroyed before it could come to maturity, by sea-blasts and mildew. In some places, on the north cost, the sea is forced up through crevices, rising in columns to a prodigious height and scattering its spray upon the adjoining spots of land, to the utter destruc- tion of any thing that may be growing on them. These were the circum- stances to which this devoted people were reduced, and to which none but a hardy, patient and moral i"ace, with an ardent attachment to their country, would have quiety submitted ; here they, with their cattle, had to remain for the present, expecting the southern dealers to come at the usual time (the months of June and July) to purchase their stocks j but tiie time came and passed, and no dealers made their appearance ; none would ventui'e into the country ! The poor animals in a starving state, were continually running to and fro, and frequently could not be prevented from straying towards their former pasi ^re grounds, especially in the night, notwithstanding all the care taken to prevent it. When this occurred, they were immediately seized by the shepherds and impounded without food or water, till trespass was paid ! this Avas repeated till a great many of the cattle were rendered useless. It was nothing strange to see the pinfolds, of twenty to thirty yards square, filled to the entrance \rith horses, cows, :U sheep and goats, promiscuously for nights and days together, in that starvini; state, trampling on and goring each other. The lamentable neighin<;, lowing, and bleating of these creatures, and the pitiful looks they cast on their owners when they could recognize them, were distressing to witness; and formed an addition to the mags of suffering then prevailing. But thiii was not all that beset the poor beasts. In some instances when they had been trespassing, they were hurried back by the pui-suing shepherds or by their owners, and in running near the precipices many of them had their bones broken or dislocated, and a great number fell over the rock* into the sea, and were never seen more. Vast numbers of sheep and manj horses and other cattle which escaped their keepers and strayed to a distance to their former pastures, were baited by men and dogs till thoj were either partially or totally destroyed, or become meat for their hunters. I have myself seen many instances of the kind, where the animals were lying partly consumed by the dogs, though still alive, and their eyes picked out by birds of prey. When the cattle were detained by the shepherds in the folds before mentioned, for trespass, to any amount thoilatter thouglit proper to exact, those of their owners who had not money — and they were the majority — were obliged to relieve them by depositing their bed and body-clothes, watches, rings, pins, brooches, &c., many of these latter wcu the relics of dear and valued relatives, now no more, not a few of whom had shed their blood in defence of that country from which their friends were now ignominously driven, or treated as useless lumber, to be got rid of at any price. The situation of the people with their families and cattle, driven to these inhospitable coasts, and harassed and oppressed in ever) possible way, presented a lamentable contrast to their former way of life. While they were grudged those barren and useless spots — and at high rents too — the new tenants were accommodated with leases of as much land as they chose to occupy, and at reduced rents ; many of them holding farms containing many thousand acres. One farm held by Messrs. Atkin- son and Marshall, two gentlemen from Northumberland, contained an hundred thousand acres of good pasture-land ! Mr. Sellar had three largo farms, one of which was twenty-five miles long ; and, in some places, nine or ten miles broad, situated in the barony of Strathnaver. This gentleman was said to have lost, annually, large quantities of sheep j and others of the new tenants were frequently making complaints of the same kind ; all these depredations, as well as every other, were laid to the charge of the small tenants. An association was formed for the suppression of sheep- stealing in Sutherlandshire, and lar^d rewards were held out — Lord StaflFord himself offering £30 for the conviction of any of the offenders. But though every effort was used to bring the crime home to the natives (one gentleman, whom, for obvious reasons I will not name, said in my hearing, he would rather than £1000 get one conviction from among them) : yet, I am proud to say, all these endeavours were ineffectual. Not one public conviction could they obtain ! In time, however, the saddle came to be laid on the right horse ; the shepherds could rob their masters' flocks in safety, while the nativef got the blame of all, and they were evidently no way sparing ; but at last they were found out, and I have 25 reason to know that sevcrul of them were dismissed, and some had their own private stocks confiscated to their masters to make good the damage of their depredations. This was, however, a!l done privately, so that the odium might still attach to the natives. ' concluding this part of the subject, I may observe that such of the cattle as strayed on the ministers' grounds, fared no better than others ; only that, as far as 1 kiuiw, these gentleiiicn did not follow the practii 3 of the shepherds in working the horses all diiy and returning theni to the pinfold at night : and 1 am very happy in being able to give this testimony iu favour of these reverencd gentlemen. 1. must not omit to mention here an anecdote illustrative of the state of things prevailing at that time. One of the sheplierds on returning home one Sabbath evening, after partaking of the Lord's Supper, in the chui<',li of Farr, observed a number of the poor people's sheep and goats trespassing at the outskirts of his master's hill-pjisturago, and, with the assistance of his dogs, which had also been at the kirk, drove them homo and impounded them On Monday morning he took as many of the iambs and kids as he thought proper, and had them killed for the use of his own family ! The owners complained to his master, who was a magistrate ; but the answer was, that they should keep them off his property, or eat them themselves, and then his servants could not do it for them, or words to that effect. One way or other, by starvation, accidents, and the depredations of the shepherds and their dogs, the people's cattle to the amount of many hundred head, were utterly lost and destroyed. n I , -I! LETTER XL I have now endeavoured to shadow forth the cruel expulsicm of my " co-mates and brothers in exile," from their native heaiths, and to give a faint sketch of their extreme sufferings and privations lu conse,(ucnce. Few instances are to be found in modern European history, aod scarce any in Britain, of such a wholesale extirpation, and with such revolting circumstances. It is impossible for me to give more than an outline ; the filling up would take a large volume, and the sufferings, insult, and niiseiy, to which this simple, pastoral race were exposed, would exceed belief. But if I can draw public attention to their case, so as to promote that authorised inquiry, so much deprecated by Highland proprietors, my end will be attained. If the original inhabitants could have been got rid of totally, and their language and memory eradicated, the oppressors were not disposed to be scrupulous about the means. Justice, humanity, and even the laws of the land, were violated with impunity, when they stood in the way of the new plans on " Change of Tenancy ;" and these plans, with more or less severity, still continue to be acted upor, in several of the Highland counties, but more especially in Sutherland, to this day. But there is still a number left, abject, " scattered and peeled" as they are, in whose behalf I would plead, and to whose wrongs I would wish to give a tongue, in hopes that the feeble remnant of a once happy and estimable 11 people, may yot find some rodrcsfl, or at leant the comfort of publie sympathy. 1 now proceed to give bouio account of the state of the Sutherlanders, on their maritime " allotments," and how they got on in their now trade of fishing. People accustomed to witness only the quiet friths and petty heavings of the sea, from the lowland shores, can form little conception of the gigantic workings of the Northern sea, which, from a comparatively placid state, often rises suddenly without apparent cause, into mountainous billows; and, when north winds prevail, its appearance becomes terrific beyond description. To this raging element, however, the poor people were now compelled to look for their subsistence, or starve, which was the only other alternative. Tt is hard to extinguish tho love of life, and it was almost as hard to extinguish the love of countiy in a Ifighlundmaii in past times ; so that, though many of tho vigorous and enterprising pursued their fortunes in other climes, and in various parts of Scotland and England, yet many remained, and straggled to accommodate them- selves to their new and appalling circumstances. The regular fishermen, who had hitherto pursued the finny race in the northern sea, were, from the extreme hazard of the trade, extremely few, and nothi» g could exceed the contempt and derision — mingled sometimes with pity, even in their nigged breasts — with which they viewed the awkward attempts and sad disasters of their new landward competitors. Nothing, indeed, could seem more helpless, than the attempt to dniw subsistence from such a boisterous sea with such means as they possessed, and in the most complete ignorance of all sea-faring nmtters ; but the attempt had to be made, and the success was as might be expected in such circumstances ; while many — very many — \os\ their lives, some became in time, expert fishermen. Numerous as were the casualties, and of almost daily occurrence, yet the escapes, many of them extraordinary, were happily still more frequent ; their disasters, on the whole, arose to a frightful aggregate of human misery. 1 shall proceed to notice a very few cases, to which I was a witness, or which occur to my recollection. William M'Kay, a respectable man, shortly after settling in his allot- ment on the coast, went one day to explore his new possession, and in venturing to examine more nearly the ware growing within the flood mark, was suddenly swept away by a splash of the sea, from one of the adjoining creeks, and lost his life, before the eyes of his miserable wife, in the last month of her pregnacy, and three helpless children who were left to deplore his fate. James Campbell, a man also with a family, on attempt- ing to catch a peculiar kind of small fish among the rocks, was carried away by the sea, and never seen afterwards. Bell M'Kay, a married woman, and r other of a family, while in the act of taking up sai*; water to make salt of, was carried away in a similar manner, and nothing more seen of her. Robert M'Kay, who with his family, were suffering extreme want, in endeavouring to procure some sea-fowls' egf s among the rocks, lost his hold, and falling from a prodigious height was dashed to pieces, leaving a wife, and five destitute children behind hin. John McDonald, while fishing, was swept off the rocks, and never seen more. 27 It is not my intention to swell my narrativn, by reciting tho " moving accidenta" tlut befell individuals and boats' ercws, in tlioir new and hazardous oceupation ; suffice it to say, they were many and deplorable. Most of the boats were such as the regular lishermen had cast off as unserviceable or unsafe, but whieh these pour creatures were obliged to purchase and go to sea with, at the hourly peril of their lives ; yet they often not only escaped the death to which others became a prey, but were very successful. One instance of this kind, in whieh T bore a part myself, 1 will here relate. Five venturous young men, of whom I was one, having bought an old crazy boat, that had long been laid up ns useless, and having procured lines of an inferior description, for haddock fishing, put to sea, without sail, helm or compass, with three patcbcd oars J only one of the party ever having been on sea before. This apparently insane attempt gathered a crowd of spectators, some in derision cheering us on, and our friends imploring us to come back. However, Neptune being then in one of his placid moods, we boldly ventured on, human life having become reduced in value, and, after a night spent on the sea, in which we freshmen suffered severely from sea-sickness, to the great astonishment of the people on shore, the llrdllur-hoat, as she was called, reached the land in the morning — all hands safe, with a very good take of fishes. In these and similar ways, did the young men serve a dangerous and painful apprcntiship to tlie sea, " urged on by fearless want," and in time b. :;amc good fishermen, and were thereby enabled in some measure to support their families, and those dependent on them : but owing to peculiar circumrtances, their utmost efforts were, in a great degree, abortive. The coast was, as I have said, extremely boisterous and destructive to their boats, tackle, &c. They had no harbours where they could land and secure their boats in safety, and little or no capital to procure sound boats, or to replace those which were lost. Tn one yeiw on ,he coast, between Portskcrra and Rabbit Island, (.ibout .30 miles) upwards of one hundred boats bad been either tottlly destroyed or nmterially injured, so as to render them unserviceable; and nmny of their crews had found a watery grave ! It is lamentable to think, that while j£210,00't were expended on the so-called improvements, besides £500 subscribca by the proprietors, for making a harbour, the most needful of all ; not a shillitiy of the vast sura was ever expended for behoof of the small tenantry, nor the least pains taken to mitigate their lot ! "Roads, bridges, inns, and manses, to be sure, were provided for the accommoda- tion of the new gentlemen tenantry and clergy, but those who ixpoke the ixaelic tongue were a proscribed race, and everything was dono to get rid of them, by driving them into the forlorn hope of deriving subsistence from the sea, while squatting on their miserable allotments, where, in their wretched hovels, they lingered out an almost hopeless existence, and where none but such hardy " sons of the mountain and the flood" could have existed at all. Add to this, though at some seasons they procured ab\xndance of fish, they had no market for the surplus ; the few shepherds were soon supplied, and they had no means of conveying them to distant towng, so that very little money could be realized to pay rent, or procure "M il 28 other ncccflnarien, fiHbin^ tackle, ^c, and when the finny race thought proper to desort their shores (as, in thoir caprice, they often do,) their misery was eoiiiplcte ! Hesides those h)cated on the sea-shore, there was a portion of tht additional favour for those who were enjoying the lands from whiiih th»7 had been so cruelly expelled. These testimonials were presented at a splendid entertainment, and many high-flown compliments passed between the giviirs and receiver : but, of course, none of the poor victims were present ; no compliments were paid to them; and it is questionable if her ladyship ever knew that one of them subscribed — indeed, 1 am almost certain she never did. Three years after, she made a more lengthened visit, and this time jthe took a tour round the northern districts on the sea-shore, where the poor people were located, accompanied by a number of the clergy, the factors, &c. She was astonished and distressed at the destitution, nakedness, and extreme misery which met her eye in every direction, and made inquiries into their condition, and she ordered a general distribution of clothing to be made among the most destitute ; but unfortunately she conlined her in(|uii'ics to those who surrounded her, and made them the medium for distributing her bounty — the very parties who had been the main cause of this deplorable destitution, and whoso interest it was to conceal the real state of the people, as it continues to be to this day. At one place she stood upon an eminence, where she had about a hun- dred of those wretched dwellings in view j at least she could .see the smoke of them ascending from tl . horrid places in which they were situated. She turned to the parish minister in the utmost astonishment, and asked, *' Is it possible that there are people living in yonder places i"' — '' yes, my lady," was the reply. "And can you tell me if they are any way comfortable?" "Quite comfortable, my lady." Now, sir, I can declare that at the very moment this reverend gentleman uttered thesv3 words, he was fully aware of the horrors of their situation ; and besides that, some of the outcasts were then begging in the neighbouring county of Caith- ness, many of thera carrying certificates from this very gentleman, attest- ing that they were objects of charity ! Her ladyship, however, was not quite satisfied with these answers. She caused a general warning to be issued, directing the people to meet her, at stated places as she proceeded, and wherever a body of them met her, she alighted from her carriage, and questioned them if they were com- fortable, and how the factors were behaving to thera ? [N.B. The factors wero always present on these occasions.] But they durst make little or no complaints. What they did say was in Gaelic, and, of course, as in other eases, left to the minister's interpretation ; but their forlorn, haggard, and destitute appearance, sufficiently testified their real condition. I am quite I certain, that had this great, and (I am willing to admit, when not misled) good woman remained on her estates, their situation would have been materially bettered, but as all her charity was left to bo dispensed by those who were anxious to get rid of the people, root and branch, little benefit resulted from it, at least to those she meant to relieve. As I mentioned above, she ordered bed and body clothes to all who were in need of them, but, as usual, all was entrusted to the ministeirf and factors, and they managed this business with the same selfishness, injustice, and partiality, that had marked their conduct on former occasions. Many of the most needy got nothing, and others next to nothing. For an instance of the latter, several families, consisting of seven or eight, and in great distress, got only a yard and a half of coarse blue flannel, each family. Those, however, who were the favourites and toadies of the distributors, and their servants, got an ample supply of both bed and body clothes, but this was the exception j generally speaking the poor people were nothing benefitted by her ladyship's charitable intentions ; though they afforded hay-making seasons to those who had enough already, and also furnished matter for glowing accounts in the newspapers, of her ladyship's extraordinary munifi- cence. To a decent highland woman, who had interested her ladyship, she ordered a present of a gown-piece, and the gentleman factor who was entrusted to procure it, some time after sent six yards of cotton stuff not worth 2s. in the whole. The woman laid it aside, intending to show it to her ladyship on her next visit, but her own death occurred in the meun- time. Thus, in every way, were her ladyship's benevolent intentions frustrated or misapplied, and that ardent attachment to her family which had subsisted through so many generations, materially weakened, if not totally destroyed, by a mistaken policy towards her people, and an undue confidence in those to whose management she committed them, and who, in almost every instance, betrayed that confidence, and cruelly abused that delegated power. Hence, and hence only, the fearful misery and " destitution in Sutherlandshire." LETTER XIII. Sir, — In the year 1832, and soon after the events I have been describ- ing, an order was issued by Mr. Loch, in the name of the Duke and Duchess of Sutherland, that all the small tenants, on both sides of the road from Bighouse to Melness (about thirty miles), where their cottages were thickly studded, must build new houses, with stone and mortar, according to a prescribed plan and specification. The poor paople, finding their utter inability, in their present condition, to erect such houses (which, when finished, would cost £30 to £40 each), got up petitions to the proprietors, setting forth their distressed condition, and the impos- sibility of complying with the requisition at present. These petitions they supplicated and implored the ministers to sign, well knowing that other- wise they had little chance of being attended to; but these gentlemen »t misled) lave been I by those le benefit lentioned of them, and they )artiality, the most ce of the distress, Those, and their this was )enefitted 7-making latter for y munifi- ladyship, who was stuff not how it to he mean- ntentions ly which :ened, if h and an iiem, and ty abused sery and describ- ike and i of the 3ottages mortar, finding houses ;ions to irapos- is they other- tlemen 81 could be moved by no entreaties, and answered all their applications by a contemptuous refusal. The petitions had, therefore, to be forwarded to London without ecclesiastical sanction, and, of course, effected nothing. The answer returned was, that if they did not immediately begin to build, they would be removed next term. The very word removed was enough; it brought back to their minds the recollection of former scenes, with all their attendant horrors. To escape was impossible, they had no where to go j and in such circumstances they would have consented to any thing, even to the making " bricks without straw," like their oppressed prototypes of old. In the midst of >opeless misery, then, and many of them without a shilling in their pock.cs, did they commence the task of building houses, such as I have mentioned, on the barren spots, and without any security of retaining them, even when they were built. The edict was law; supplication or remonstrance was in vain ; so to it they went, under circum- stances such as perhaps building was never carried on before, in a country called Christian and civilized. Plans and specifications were published, and estimates required by the factors, directing the whole proceedings, and, as usual, without consulting the feelings of the poor people, or inquiring into the means they had for carrying them into effect. All was bustle and competition among masons and mechanics, of whom few resided in the country ; most of them were strangers ; and when they commenced work, the people were obliged to feed them, whether they had anything themselves to eat or not, and to pay them, even if they had to sell the last moveable for that purpose. Some of the masons, however, showed great lenity, and are still unpaid. Previous to this, in the year 1829, I and my family had been forced away like others, being particularly obnoxious to those in authority for sometimes showing an inclination to oppose their tyranny ; and therefore we had to be made examples of, to frighten the rest, but in 1833 I made a tour to the districts, when the building was going on, and shall endeavorx to describe a small part of what met my eye on that occasion. In one district (and this was a fair specimen of all the rest), when the building was going on, I saw fourteen different squads of masons at work, with the natives attending them. Old grey-headed men, worn down by previous hardship and present want, were to be seen carrying stones, and wheeling them and other materials on bar- rows, or carrying them on their backs to the buildings, and, with their tottering limbs and trembling hands straining to raise the stones, &c., to the walls. The young men also, after toiling all night at sea, endeavour- ing for subsistence, instead of rest, were obliged to yield their exhausted frames to the labours of the day. Even female labour could not be dispensed with ; the strong as well as the weak, the delicate and sickly, and (shame to the nature of their oppressors !) even the pregnant, bare- footed, and scantily clothed and fed, were obliged to join in these rugged, unfeminine labours, carrying stones, clay, lime, wood, &c., on their backs or on barrows, their tracks often reddened with the blood from their hands and feet, and from hurts received by their awkwardness in handling the rude materials. In one instance I saw the husband quarrying stones, and II 'i I the wife and children dragging them along in an old cart to the building. Such were the building scenes of that period. The poor people had often to give the last morsel of food they possessed to feed the masons, and subsist on shell-fish themselves when they could get them. The timber for their houses was furnished by the factors, and charged about a third higher than it could be purchased at in any of the neighbouring sea-ports. I spent two melancholy days witnessing these scenes, which are now present to my mind, and which I can never forget. This went on for several years, in the course of which, many hundreds of houses were erected on inhospitable spots, unfit for a human residence. It might be thought that the design of forcing the people to build such houses, was to provide for their comfort and accommodation ; but there was another object, which I believe was the only true motive, and that was, to hide the n?'sery that prevailed. There h^d been a great sensation created in the public mind, by the cruelties exercised in these districts ; and it was thought that a number of neat white houses, ranged on each side of the road, would take the eyes of strangers and visitors, and give a pratical contradiction to the rumours afloat ; hence, the poor creatures were forced to resort to such means, and to endure such hardships and privations as I have described, to carry the scheme into eflFect. And after they had spent their all, and much more than their iill, on the erection of these houses, and involved themselves in debt, for which they have been harassed and pursued ever since, they are still but whitened tombs ; many of them now ten years in existence, and still without proper doors or windows, destitute of furniture, and of comfort ; merely providing a lair for a heart-broken, squalid, and degenerated race. 'ill! LETTER XIV. During the period in which the building was going on, I think in the year 1833, Lord Leveson Gower, the present Duke of Sutherland, visited the country, and remained a few weeks, during which he had an opportu- nity of witnessing the scenes I have described in my last ; and such was the impression made on his mind, that he gave public orders that the people should not be forced to build according to the specific plan, but be allowed to erect such hoi'.ses as suited themselves. These were glad tidings of mercy to the poor people, but they were soon turned to bitter disappointment ; for no sooner had his lordship left the country, than Mr. Loch or his underlings issued fresh orders for the building to go on as before. Shortly after this (in July, 1833) his Grace the first (and late) Duke of Sutherland, who had been some time in bad health, breathed his last in Dunrobin Castle, and was interred with great pomp in the family burying- place in the cathedral of Dornoch. The day of his funeral was ordered to be kept as a fast-day by all the tenantry, under penalty of the highest success, waj 88 displeasure of those in auttorit;, though it was just then herring-fishing season, when much depended on a day. Still this was a minor hardship. The next year a project was set on foot, by the same parties who formerly got, up the expensive family ornaments presented to her Grace, to raise a monument to the late Duke. Exactly similar measures were resorted to, to make the small tenantry subscribe, in the midst of all their distresses, and with similar results. All who could raise a shilling gave it, and those who could not, awaited in terror the consequences of thei? default. No doubt, the Duke deserved the highest posthumous honours from a portion of his tenantry — those who had benefitted by the large sums he and the Duchess had lavished for their accommodation ; but the poor small ten- antry, what had been done for them ? While the ministers, factors, and new tenantry, were rich and luxurious, basking in the sunshine of favour and prosperity, the miseries and oppressions of the natives remain unaba- ted; they were emphatically in the shade, and certainly had little for which to be grateful to those whose abuse of power had brought them to such a pass — who had drained their cup of every thing that could sweeten life, and left only . , " A mass of sordid lees behind I" Passi *^e next two years, I now proceed to describe t]ie failure of the harves ' 36, and the consequences to the Highlands generally, and to Suthe . ^ I iQ particular. In this year the crops all over Britain were deficient, having had bad weather for growing and ripening, and still worse for gathering in. But in the Highlands they were an entire failure, and on the untoward spots occupied by the Sutherland small tenants there was literally nothing — at least nothing fit for human subsistence ; and to add to the calamity, the weather had prevefited them from securing the peats, their only fuel ; so that, to their exhausted state from their dispro- portionate exertions in building, cold and hunger were now to be super- added. The sufferings of the succeeding winter, endured by the poor Highlanders, truly beggar description. Even the herring-fishing had failed, and consequently their credit in Caithness, which depended on its success, was at an end. Any little provision they might be able to procure was of the most inferior and unwholesome description. It was no uncom- mon thing to see people searching among the snow for the frosted potatoes to eat, in order to preserve life. As the harvest had been disastrous, so the winter was uncommonly boisterous and severe, and consequently little could be obtained from the sea to mitigate the calamity. The distress rose to such a height as to cause a universal sensation all over the island, and a general cry for government interference to save the people from . death by famine ; and the appeal, backed by the clergy of all denominations throughout the Highlands, (with the exception of Sutherland) was not ^ made in vain. Dr. M'Leod of Glasgow was particularly zealous on this occasion. He took reports from all the parish ministers in the destitute districts, and went personally to London to represent the case to government and implore aid, and the case was even laid before both houses of parliament. m 84 In consequence of these applications and proceedings, iuoney and provi- sions to a great amount were sent down, and the magistrates and ministers entrusted with the distribution of them : and in the ensuing summer, vessels were sent to take on board a number of those who were willing to emigrate to Australia. Besides this, private subscriptions were entered into, and money obtained to a very great amount. Public meetings wen. got u. a all the principal cities and towns in Great Britain and Ireland^ and Lrge funds collected ; so that eflfectual relief was afforded to every place that required it, with the single exception of that county which, of all others, was in the most deplorable state — the county of Sutherland ! The reason of this I will explain presently; but first let me draw tu. reader's attention for a moment to the new circumstances in which the Highlands were placed. Failure in the crops in those northern and north- western parts of Scotland was a case of frequent and common occurrence ; but famine, and solicitations for national aid and charitable relief, were something quite new. I will endeavour to account for the change. Pre- vious to the " change of tenancy," as the cruel spoliation and expatriation of the native inhabitants was denominated, when a failure occurred in the grain and potato crops, they had recourse to their cattle. Selling a few additional head, or an extra score of sheep, enabled them to purchase at the sea-ports what grain was wanted. But now they had no cattle to sell j and when the crops totally failed on their spots of barren ground, and when, at the same time, the fishing proved unprosperous, they were imme- diately reduced to a state of famine ; and hence the cry for relief,^ which, as I have mentioned, was so generously responded to. But, I would ask, who were the authors of all this mass of distress ? Surely, the proprietors, who, unmindful that " property has its duties as well as its riehts," brought about this state of things. They, in common with other landed legislators, enacted the food taxes, causing a competition for land, and then encouraged strange adventurers to supersede the natives, and drive them out, in order that the whole of the Highlands should be turned into a manufactory, to make beef and mutton for the English market. And when, by these means, they had reduced the natives to destitution and famine, they left it to the government and to charitable individuals to provide relief! Language, is scarcely adequate to characterize such con- duct ; yet these are the great, the noble, and right honorable of the land ! However, with the exception of my unfortunate native county, relief was afforded, though not by those whose right it was to afford it. Large quan- tities of oatmeal, seed oats, and barley, potatoes, &c., were brought up and forwarded to the North and West Higllandt, and distributed among all who were in need; but nothing of all tl is for the Sutherlanders. Even Dr. M'Leod, in all the zeal of his charitable mission, passed from Storno- way to the Shetland Islands without vouchsafing a glance at Sutherland in his way. The reason of all this I will now explain. It was constantly asserted and reiterated in all places, that there was no occasion for govern- ment or other charitable aid to Sutherland, as the noble proprietors would themselves take in hand to afford their tenantry ample relief. This story was circulated through the newspapers, and repeated by the clergy and 86 factors at all public meetings, till the public was quite satisfied on the subject. Meantime the wretched people were suffering the most unpar- alleled distress j famine had brought their misery to a frightful climax, and disease and death had commenced their work I In Iheir agony they had recourse to the ministers, imploring them to represent their case to government, that they might partake of the relief afforded to other coun- ties : but all in vain ! I am aware that what I here assert is incredible, but not less true, that of the whole seventeen parish ministers, not one could be moved by the supplications and cries of the famishing wretches to take any steps for their relief ! They answered all entreaties with a cold refusal, alleging that the proprietors would, in their own good time, send the necessary relief; but, so far as I could ever learn, they took no means to hasten that relief. They said in their sermons " that the Lord had a controversy with the land for the people's wickedness ; and ;s appropri- ation shall be explained in my next. ^ LETTER XV. Sir, — In my last I quoted an expression current among the clargy at the time of the famine '* that God had a controversy with the people for their sins," but I contend — and I think my readers in general will agree with me — that the poor Sutherlanders were " more sinned against than sin- ning." To the aspersions cast upon them by Mr. Loch, in his book (written by an interested ^arty, and evidently for a purpose), I beg the public to con- trast the important work by General Stewart before mentioned, and draw their own conclusions. The truth is, that the Sutherlanders were examples of almost all the humble virtues; a simple and uncorrupted, rural, and pastoral population : even the unexampled protracted cruelty with which they were treated, never stirred them to take wild or lawless revenge. During a period of 200 years, there had been only three capital convic- tions, and very few crimes of any description ; the few that did occur were chiefly against the excise laws. But those who coveted the lands, which in justice were their patrimony, like Queen Jezebel of old, got false witnesses to defame them (in order that a pretext might be afforded for expelling them from the possessions which had been defended with the blood of their forefathers). It was the factors, the capitalists; and the 86 !!;i!i clergy, that had a oontroversy with the people, alid not the Almighty, as they blasphemously asserted. The Sutherlanders had "always been a religious, a devout, and a praying people, and now their oppressors, and not Divine Providence, had mi.de then a fasting people. I proceed to give some account of that mockery of relief which was so ostentatiously paraded before the public in the newspapers, and at public meetings. I b^ 'f already observed that the relief afforded to the Highland districts genera! by the government, and by private charity, was not only effec- tual ii. /'^jeting the exigency, but it was bona fide charity, and was forthcoming in time ; while the pittance doled out to the 8utherlanders, was destitute of those characteristics. How the poor people passed the winter and spring under the circumstances before mentioned, I must leave to the reader's imagination ; suffice it to say, that though worn to the bor<^ by cold, hunger, and nakedness, the bulk of them still survived. The Highlanders are still proverbially tenacious of life. In the latter end of April, 1837, when news reached them that the long-promised relief, consisting of meal, barley, potatoes, and seed oats, had actually arrived, and was to be immediately distributed at Tongue and other stated pluces, the people at once flocked to those places, but were told that nothing would be given to any, till they produced a certificate from their parish minister that they were proper objects of charity. Here was a new obstacle. They had to retu m and implore those haughty priests for certi- ficates, which were frequently withheld from mere caprice, or for some alleged offence or lack of homage in the applicant, who if not totally refused, had to be humbled in the dust, sickened by delay, and the boon only at least yielded to the intercession of some of the more humane of the shepherds. Those who were in the fishing trade were peremptorily- refused. This is the way in which man, religiousi man, too ! can trifle with the distress of his famishing brother. The places appointed for distribution were distant from the homes of many of the sufferers, so that by the time they had waited on the minis- ters for the necessary qualificatiun, and travelled again to places of distribution and back again, with what they could obtain, on their backs, several days were consumed, and in many cases from 50 to 100 miles traversed. And what amount of relief did they receive after all ? From 7 to 28 Ifos. of meal, and seed oats and potatoes in the same proportion ; and this not for individuals, but for whole families ! In the fields^ and about the dykes adjoining the places where these pittances were doled out, groups of famishing creatures might be seen lying in the mornings (many of them having travelled the whole day and night previous^ waiting the leisure of the factors or their clerks, and no attention was paid to them till those gentlemtn had breakfasted and dressed, &c. ; by which time the day was far advanced. Several subsequent distributions of meal took place ; but in every new case, fresh certificates of continued destitution had to be procured from the ministers and elders of the respective parishes. This was the kind, and quantity, of relief afforded, and the mode of dispensing it ; different indeed from what wad represented in the glozing fiilsehoods so industriously palmed n public creduility. 3T In the month of September, her Grace being then on a visit in the country, the following proceedings took place, as reported in the public papers of the day, which afforded a specimen of groundless assertions, olerical sycophancy, and fulsome adulation, for which it might be difficult to find a parallel : — " The Presbytery of Tongue, at their last meeting, agreed to present the follow* ing address to the Duchess of Suthurland. Hev Grace being then at Tongue, the Presbytery 'waited on her ; and the address being read by the Moderator, she made a suitable reply : — '* Mai/ it please your Grace. "We, the Presbytery of Tongue, beg leave to approach your Grace with feelings of profound respect, and to express our joy at your safe arrival within our bound*;. « Wo have met here this day for the purpose of communicating to your Grace the deep sense which we entertain of your kindness during the past season to the people under our charge. " When it pleased Providence by an unfavourable harvest to afflict the Highlands of Scotland with a scarcity of bread, and when the clergymen of other districts appealed to public charity in behalf of their parishoners, the confidence which we placed in your Grace's liberality led us to refrain from making a similar appeal. " When we say that this confidence has been amply realised, we only express the feelings of our people ; and participating strongly in these feelings, as we do, to withhold the expression of them from your Grace, would do injustice alike to our< selves and to them. " In their name, therefore, as well as in our own, we beg to offer to your Grace our warmest gratitude. When other districts were left to the precarious supplies of a distant benevolence, your Grace took on yourself the charge of supporting your people ; by a constant supply of meal, you not only saved them from famine, but enabled them to live in comfort; and by a seasonable provision of seed, you were the means, under God, of securing to them the blessing ol the present abun- dant harvest. " That Almighty God may bless your Grace, — that he may long spare you to be a blessing to yoiir people, — and that he may finally give you the inheritance which is incorruptible, undefiled, and that fadeth not away, is the prayer of, " May it please your Grace, '* Tub Membebs of the Pbesbttebt of Tongue. (Signed) " HUGH MACKENZIB, Moderatw." The evident tendency of this document was to mislead her Grace, and by deluding the public, to allay anxiety, stifle inquiry, and ooncetd the truth. However, her Grace made a " suitable reply," and great favour warf shown to the adulators. About a year before, the very clergyman whose signature h appended to this address exchanged part of his glebe for tiie lands of Diansad and Inshverry ; but in consenting to the change, he made an express condition that the present occupiers, amounting to eight families, should be " removed," and accordingly they were driven out in a body ! To this gentleman, then, the honour is due of having consum« mated the Sutherland ejections ; and hence he was admirably fitted for signing the address. I must not omit to notice " the abundant harvest," said to succeed the famine. The family " allotments" only afforded the sowing of from a half firlot to two or three firlots of oats, and a like quantity of barley, which, at an average in good seasons, yieldisd aboaft' • I 88 . three times the quantity sown ; in bad years little or nothing ; and even in the most favourable cases, along with their patches of potatoes, could not maintain the people more than three months in the year. The crop succeeding the famine was anything but an abundant one to the poor people ; they had got the seed too late, and the season was not the most favourable fo" bringing it to even ordinary perfection. Hence, that "abundance" mentioned in the address was like all the rest of its groundless assumption. But I have still to add to the crowning iniquity — the provision distributed in charity had to be jpaid for I but this point I must postpone till my xxSi X. LETTER XVI. Sip, — It would require a closer acquaintance with the recent history of Sutherlandshire than I am able to communicate, and better abilities than mine, to convey to the reader an adequate idea of the mournful contrast between the former comfortable and independent state of the people and that presented in my last. They were now, generally speaking, become a race of paupers, trembling at the very looks of their opuressors, objects of derision and mockery to the basest underlings, and fe'^' by the scanty hand of those who had been the means of reducing them to their present state ! To their capability of endurance must, in a great measure, be ascribed their surviving, in any considerable numbers, the manifold inflictions they had to encounter. During the spring tnd summer many of the young and robust of both sexes left the country in quest of employment ; some to the neighbouring county of Caithness, but most of them went to the Lowlands, and even into England, to serve as cattle drivers, labourers, and in other menial occupations. No drudgery was too low for their accep- tance, nor any means left untried, by which they could sustain life in the most frugal manner, and anything earned above this was carefully trans- mitted to their suffering relations at home. When harvest commenced they were rather better employed, and then the object was to save a little to pay the rent at the approaching term ; but there was another use they had never thought «f, to which their hard and scanty earnings had to be applied. Not long after the termination of the Duchess* visit (during which the address given in my last was presented), I think just about two months after, the people were astonished at seeing placards posted up in all public places, warning them to prepare to pay their rents, and also the meal, potatoes, and seed oats and barley they had got during the spring and summer ! This was done in the name of the Duchess, by the orders of Mr. Loch and his under-factors. Ground-officers were despatched in all directions to explain and enforce this edict, and to inform the small tenants that their rents would not be received till the accounts for the provbions were first settled. This was news indeed ! — ^astonishing intelli- ;"'U 89 and even toes, could The crop the poor )t the luost once, that rest of its ag iniquity t this point t history of )ilities than ul contrast people and ', become a I, objects of icanty hand 3sent state ! be ascribed ictions tliey the young nent; some vent to the jourers, and ;heir accep- a life in the 3fully trans- commenced save a little ler use they s had to be 5 which the two months in all public the meal, spring and he orders of tched in all a the small mts for the hing intelli- gence this — that the pitiful mite of relief, obtained with so much labour and ceremony, and doled out by pampered underlings with more than the usual insolence of charity, was after all to be paid for I After govern- ment aid and private charity, ho eiTectually aiforded to other Highland districts, had been intercepted by ostentatious promises of ample relief from the bounty of her Grace ; after the clergy had lauded the Almighty, and her Grace no less, for t\mt bonnti/ ; the poor creatures were to be concussed into paying for it, and at a rate too, considerably above the current prices. I know this, to persons unacquainted with Highland tyranny, extortion and oppression, will appear incredible ; but I am able to substantiate its truth by cloud .^ of living witnesses. The plan adopted deserves particular notice. The people were told, " their rents would not be received till the provisions were first paid for." By this time those who had procured a little money by laboring elsewhere, were returning with their savings to enable their relatives to meet the rents, and this was thought a good time to get the *' charity" paid up. Accord- ingly when the people, as usual, waited upon the factor with the rent, they were told distinctly that the raeal, &c., must be paid first, and that if any lenity was shown, it would be for the rent, but none for the provi- sions ! The meaning of this scheme seems to be, that by securing pay- ment for the provisions in the first instance, they would avoid the odium of pursuing for what was given as charity, knowing th.^t they could at any time enforce payment of the rent, by the usaal summary means to which they were in the habit of resorting. Some laid down their money at once, and the price of all they had got was then deducted, and a receipt handed to them for the balance, in part of their rent. Others seeing this, r« non- strated and insisted on paying their rents first, and the provisions after- wards, if they must be paid ; but their pleading went for nothing, their money was taken in the same manner, (no receipts in any case being given for the payment of the " charity,") and they were driven contemptuously from the counting-table. A few refused to pay, especially unless receipts were granted for the '' charity," and returned home with their money, but most of them were induced by the terror of their families to carry it back and submit like the rest. A smaller portion, however, still continued refractory, and alternate threats and wheedlings were used by the underlings to make these comply; so that gradually all were made to pay the last shilling it was possible for them to raise. Some who had got certificates of destitution being unable, from age or illness, to undergo the fatigue of waiting on the factors for their portion, or of carrying it home, had to obtain the charitable assistnace of some of their abler fellow sufferers for that purpose, but when there was any difficulty about the payment, the carriers weie made accountable the same as if they had been the receivers ! Hitherto, the money collected at the church doors, had been divided among the poor, but this year it was withheld ; in one parish to my personal knowledge (and as far as my in- formation goes the refusal was general), the parish minister telling them that they could not expect to get meal smd money both, signifying that the deficient payments for the provisions had to be made up from the 1 1 . 1 r i '" 40 ohuroh ooUeotions. Whether this was the truth or not, it served for a pretext to deprive the poor of this slender resource ; for, ever since — now four years — tney have got nothing. This is one among many Hubjeots of enquiry. Verily there is much need for light to be thrown on thiH corner of the land ! A rev. gentleman from the west, whose failing it was to transgress the ten commandments, had, through some special favour, obtained a parish in Sutherlandshire, and thinking probably that charity should begin at home, had rather misapplied the poor's money which was left in his hand, for on his removal to another parish, there was none of it forth- coming. The elders of his new parish being aware of this, refused to entrust him with the treasurcrahip, and had the collection-money kept iu a locked box in the church, but when it amounted to some pounds, the box was broken up and the money was taken out. The minister had the key of the church. Owing to the complete exhaustion of the poor people's means in the manner I have been describing, the succeeding year (1838) found them in circumstances little better than its predecessor. What any of them owed in Caithness and elsewhere, they had been unable to pay, and con- sequently their credit was at an end, and they were obliged to live from hand to mouth ; besides, this year was unproductive in the fishing, as the years since have also been. In the earlier part of this correspondence, I have treated of the largo sums said to have been laid nut on improvements, (roads, bridges, ints, churches, manses, and mansions for the '.ow tenants); but I have yet to mention a poll-tax called road-money, amounting to 4s. on every male of 18 years and upwards, which was laid on about the year 1810, most rigorously exacted, and continues to be levied on each individual in the most summary way, by seizure of any kind of moveables in or about the dwelling till the money is paid. To some poor families this tax comes to £1 and upwards every year, and be it observed that the capitalist posses.s- ing 50,000 acres, only pays in the same proportion, and his shepherds arc entirely exempt ! Those of the small tenantry or their families, who may have been absent for two or three years, on their return are obliged to pay up their arrears of i>nis tax, the same as if they had been all the time at home J and payment is enforced by seizure of the goods of any house in which they may reside. The reader will perceive that the laws of Suther- landshire are different, and differently administered, from what they are in other parts of the country — in fact those in authority do just what they please, whether legal or otherwise, none daring to question what they do. Notwithstanding this burdensome tax, the roads, as far as the small tenants' interests are concerned, are shamefully neglected, while every attention is paid to suit the convenience and pleasure of the ruling parties and the new tenantry, by bringing roads to theii;;^ very doors. !P 41 LETTEll XVII. X comes to Sir, — In my last letter I mentioned soniethinji; about the withholding and misappropriation of the money collected at church doors for the poor ; but let it be unaerstood that notwithstanding the iiiiijuitous conduct of persons so acting, the loss to the poor was not very great. The High- lander abhors to be thought a pauper, and the sum allurdi'd to each of the few who were obliged to accept of it, varied from Is. (id. to r)s. a year : the congregations being much diminished, as I had before occasion to observe. It is no wonder, then, that the poor, if at tUl able, flee from such a country and seek employment and relief in the varivus maritimo towns in Scotland, where they arrive broken down and exhausted by previous hardship — meatless and moneyless ; and when unable to labour, or unsuccessful in obtaining work, they become a burden to a community who have no right to bear it, while those who have reduced them to that state escape scot-free. Any person acquainted generally with the statistics of pauperism in Scotland will, I am sure, admit the correct- ness of these statements. The Ilighhfhd landlords formerly counted their riches by the number of their vassals or tenants, and were anxious to retain them ; hence the pocni of Burns, addressed to the Highland lairds, and signed Beelzebub, by which the ever selfish policy of those gentlemen is celebrated in their endeavouring, by force, to restrain emigration to Canada. But aince then the ease is reversed. First the war, and then the food monopoly has made raising of cattle for the English markets, the more eligible speculation, against which the boasted feelings of clanship, as well as the claims of common humanity have entirely lost their force. Regarding the poll-tax or road money, it is also necessary to state, that in every case when it i.s not paid on the appoint jd day, expenses are arbitrarily added (though no legal process has been entered) which the defaulter is obliged to submit to without means of redress. There are no tolls in the county; the roads, &c., being kept up by this poll-tax, paid by the small tenants for the exclusive benefit of those who have superseded them. In this way very large sums arc screwed out of the people, even the poorest, and from the absentees, if they ever return to reside, cj that if the population are not extirpated by wholesale, a considerable portion of the sums laid out on improvements will ultimately return to the proprietors, from a source whence, of all thers, they have no shadow of right to obtain it. I have now arrived at an important event in my narrative ; the death of an exalted personage to whom I have often had occasion to refer — the Duchecs-Countess of Sutherland. This lady who had, during a long life, maintained a high position in courtly and aristocratic society, and who was possessed of many great qualities, was called to her account on the 29th of January, 1839, in the 74th year of her age. Her death took place in London, and her body was conveyed to Sutherland by way of Aberdeen, and finally interred with great pomp in the family vault, beside the late Duke, her husband, in the Cathedral of Dornoch. The funeral was attended to Blackwell by many ,■'■;! 1 i of tho first nobility in England, and afterwards by her two grandsonii, Lord Edward Howard, and tho Honourable Fmncis Egcrton, and by hiri friend and confidential servant, Mr. Loch, with their respective suitcft Tho procoHsion was met by Mr. Sellars, Mr. Young, and many of lur i underfactors and subordinate retainers, together with the whole bodyofi tho now occupiers, while the small tenantry brought up tho rear of the! solemn cavalcade. She was buried with the rites of the Church of En;;. land. 3Ir. George Guun, underfactor, was the only gentleman native nf I tho county who took a prominent part in the management of tho funeral, | and who certainly did not obtain that honour by tho exercise of extraor- dinary virtues towards his poor countrymen : the rest were all those uhoi had taken an active part in tho scenes of injustice and cruelty which I have been endeavouring to represent to the reader, in the previous part of my narrative. The trump of fame has been seldom made to sound [ a louder blast, than that which echoed through tho island, with the virtues of the Duchess; every periodical, especially in Scotland, was for a time I literally crammed with them, but in those extravagant encomiums few or none of her native tenantry could honestly join. That she hud many great and good qualities none will attempt to deny, but at tho samel time, under the sanction or guise of her name and authority, were con- tinually perpetrated deeds of the most atrocious character, and her people's I wrongs still remain unredressed. Her severity was felt, perhaps, far beyond Ium- own intentions ; while her benevolence was intercepted by the instruments she employed, and who so unworthily enjoyed Iut favour and confidence. Her favours were showered on aliens and ctrangers ; while | few, indeed, were the drops which came to the relief of those from whom she sprung, and whose coeval, though subordinate right to their native I soil, had been recognised for centuries. Peace to her manes ! I am sorrj- it is not in my power to render unqualified praise to her character. The same course of draining the small tenants, under one pretext or another, continued for some time after her Grace's decease ; but exactions must terminate, when the means of meeting them are exhausted. You I cannot starve a hen, and make her lay eggs at the same time. The factors, having taken all, had to make a virtue of necessity, and advise the Duke to an act of high-sounding generosity — to remit all arrears due by the small tenantry. Due proclamation was made of his Grace's bonevolent | intentions, with an express condition annexed, that no future arrears would bo allowed, and that all future defaulters should be instantly removed, and their holdings (not let to tenants, but) handed over to their next neighbour, and failing him, to the next again, and so on. This edict was proclaimed under the authority of his Grace and the factors, in the year 1840, about a twelvemonth after the Duchess's decease, and continues the law of the estate as regards the unfortunate natives, or small tenantry as they are generally called. It will be perceived that I have now brought my narrative to an end : I may, however, with your permission, trouble you with a few remarks iu your naxt publication, by way of conclusion. I: I It > grandsons, and by luri stivo Buiti'.i lany of lur I ole body of rctir of the f •ch of En;'. n native of | the funeral, , of extraor- those nho| ty which I, ious part of e to sound the virtues s for a time miunis fcv at she hud at the same | y, were con- her people's I )erhap8, far pted by the ' favour and gers ; while from whom their native I am sorry cter. ! pretext or ut exactions ated. You The factors, se the Duke due by the bonevolent ture arrears )e instantly )ver to their This, edict 3tors, in the d continues all tenantry I to an end : remarks in 48 LETTKR XVIII. Sir, — In concluding my narrative, allow mo to cxprcMK— or rather to declare my iimbility to express — the deep sense I entertain of your kind- ness in permitting me to occupy so large a space of your columns, in an attempt to pourtray the wrongs of my countryiueii. I trust tlu^se ftidings will bo participated by those whose cause you have thus enaldi'd me to bring before the public, as well as by all benevolent and enlightened niinds, who abhor oppression, and sympathize with its victims; I am conscious that my attempt has been a feeble one. In numy cases my powers of language fell short, and in others I abstained from going to the full extent, when I was not quite prepared with proof, or when the deeds of our oppressors were so horrible in their nature and conse(iuence as to exceed belief. Though nowhere in the North Highlands have sr';h atrocities been practiced in the wholesale way they have been in Sutherland, yet the same causes are producing like effects, more or less generally in most, if not all, the surrounding counties, Sutherhind has served a^^ a mo'iel for successfully ** clearing" the land of its aboriginal inhabita; ts, driv'. ^g them to the sea-shore, or into the sea, — to spots of barren moors — to the wilds of Canada — and to Australia; or if unable to go so far, to spread themselvos over Lowlands, in quest of menial employment among strangers, to whoiu their langua*onished aunt, laid )iis infant burden in her lap, without saying a vrord, ijA proceeding to imbuckle the other two, he placed theui before tht- fire without waiting for a vitati:? The goodman here rose, and said he must leave the house and sex'k a lodging for himself, as he could not think of turning the children vst, and yet dreaded the ruin threatened to any that would harbour or shelter them, and he had no doubt his house would be watched to see if he should transgress against the order. His wife, a pious woman, upbr; ided him with cowardice, and declared that if there was a legion of devils watching her she would not put out the children or leave the house either. So they got leave to remain till I found them next day, but the iFian impelled by his fears, did go and obtain a lodging two miles off. I now brought the children to their mother, and set about collecting my little furniture and other effects which had been damaged by exposure to the weather, and some of it lost or destroyed. 1 brought what I thought worth the trouble, to Armidale, and having thus secured them and sees the family under shelter, I began to cast about to see how they were to live, and here I found troubles and difficulties besetting us on every side. I had no fear of being able by my work to maintain the family in com- mon necessaries, if we could get them for money, but one important necessary, fuel, we could scarce at all obtain, as nobody would venture to sell or give us peats (the only fuel used), for fear of the factors j but at last it was contrived that they would allow us to take them by stealth, and under cover of night 1 My employment obliging me to be often from home, this laborious task fell to the lot of my poor wife. The winter came on with more than its usual severity, and often amidst blinding, suffocating drifts, and tempests unknown in the lowlands, had this poor, tenderly brought up woman to toil through snow, wind, and rain, for miles, with a burden of peats on her back ! Instances, however, were not few of the kind assis tance of neighbours endeavouring by various ways to mitigate her hard lot, though, of course, all by stealth lest they should incur the vengeance of the factors. bt I During the winter and following spring, every means was used to induce Mr. Innes to withdraw his protection and turn us out of the house ; so that I at last determined to take steps for removing myself and family for ever from those scenes of persecution and misery. With this view, in the latter end of spring I went to Edinburgh, and found employment, iatending when I had saved as much as would cover the expenses, to bring the family away. As soon as it wtis known that I was away, our enemies I recommenced their work. Mr. , a gentleman, who fattened on the spoils of the poor in Sutherland, and who is now pursuing the same course on the estates of Sir John Sinclair in Caithness -, this manager and factor bounced into my house one day quite unexpectedly, and began abusing my wife, and threatened her if she did not instantly remove, he would take steps that would astonish her, the nature of which she would not know till they fell upon her, adding that he knew Donald M'Leod was now ia Edinburgh, and could not a.ssist her in making resistance. The poor woman, knowing she had no mercy to expect, and fearing even for h r life, removed with her family and little effects to my mother's house whica Istaod near the parish church, and was received kindly by her. There she Ihoped to find shelter and repooe for a short time, till I should coue and take her and the family away, and this being the week of the sacrament, she was anxious to pirtake of that ordinance in the house where her fore- Ifathers had worshippad, before she b ide it farewoll for ever. But on the [Thursday previous to that solemn occasion, the factor again terrified her by his appearance, and alarmed my mother to such an extent tliat my poor family had again to turn out in the night, and had they not a more powerful friend, they would have been forced to spend that night in the open air. Next day she bade adieu to her native country and friends, leaving the sacrament to be received by her oppressors, fro n the hands of one no better than themselves, and after two days of incredible toil she arrived with the family at Thurso, a distance of nearly forty miles ! These protracted sufferings and alarms have made fatal inroads on the health of this once strong and healthy woman — one of the best of wives — BO that instead of the cheerful and active helpmate she was formerly, she is now, except at short intervals, a burden to herself, with little or no hopes of recovery. She has been under medical treatment for years, and has used a great quantity of medicine with little effect; the injuries she received in body and mind, were too deep for even her good spirits and excellent constitution to overcome, and she remains a living monument of Highland oppression. LETTER XXI. Sir, — I beg leave, by way of conclusion, to take a retrospective glance f some of the occurrences that preceded the violent expulsion of my 'amily, as described in my two last letters, and our final retirement from ihe country of our nativity. For reasons before alleged, nothing could have given more satisfaotiot to the factors, clergy, and all the Jacks-in-offioe under them, than a finil riddance of that troublesome man, Donald M'Leod; and hence theii extreme eagerness to make an example of him, to deter others from call- ing their proceedings in question. I mentioned in letter XIX that on being unjustly and illegally imprisoned, and decerned to pay money I did not owe, I prepared and forwarded a memorial to the noble proprietors (the then Marquis and Marchioness of Stafford), setting forth the hardships of my case, and praying for investigation, alleging that I would answer an; accusation of my enemies, by undeniable testimonials of honest and peace- ful character. This memorial was returned with the deliverance that Ui Loch, on his next visit to Sutherland, would examine into my case and decide. I then sat about procuring my proposed certificate preparatoij to the investigation, but here I found myself baffled and disappointed in i quarter from which I had no reason to expect such treatment. I waited on my parish minister, the Rev. Mr. M'Kenzie, requesting him to give me a certificate, and then, after him I could obtain the signatures of the elders and as many of the other parishoners as might be necessary. He made no objection at the time, but alleging that be was then engaged, said I could send my wife for it. I left directions with her accordingly, and returned to my work. The same night the factor (my pretended creditor and judge) had the minuter and his family to spend the evening with ^m, and the consequence was that in the morning a messenger waa dispatched from his reverence to my wife, to say, that she need not take the trouble of calling for the certificate, as he L.ad changed his mind! Some days after, I returned and waited on the Rev. gentleman to inquire the cause of this change. I had great difficulty in obtaining an audience, and when at last I did, it was little to my satisfaction. His manner was contemptuous and forbidding; at last he told me that he could not give me a certificate as I was at variance with the factor ; that my conduct was unscriptural, as I obeyed not those set in authority over me, &c. I excused and defended myself as well as I could, but all went for nothing, and at last he ordered me to be off, and shut the door in my face. This took place in June, 1830, and Mr. Loch was not expected till the Septem- ber following, during which interval I had several rencounters with M minister. Many of his elders and parishoners pleaded and remcustrated with him on my behalf, well knowing that little attention would be paid in high quarters to my complaints however just, without his sanction; and considerable excitement prevailed in the parish about this dispute, but the minister remained immoveable. Meantime the parish schoolmaster mentioned in confidence to one of the elders (who was a relation of my wife, and communicated it to us) that my case was already decided by Mr. Loch, though a sham trial would take place ; that he had been told this, and he had it from good authority, and that the best thing I could do was to leave the place entirely. I could not believe this, but the result proved the truth of it. Matters continued in the same way till Mr. Loch's arrival, when I ventured to repeat my request to the ipinister, but found him still more determined, and I was dismissed with more than usual I contempt. 1 the signature of several hu mentioned m gentleman an Mr. Loch.- were summoi Donald. — I hold legal i toaseto be h with my men Mr. L.—^ to remain on /).— Let tl civil magistrt Mr. L.—^ in this memo I handed c sheets full of haps surprise Mr. L.—l D. — I app Mr. L.—S D.—Ue St One of the Mr. L.—l D.— Will face, when h< Mr. L.—S D.—l hav what I have i Mr. L.—l After askii the matter in I pressed get to know i to your paris of my family letters. Mr. Loch, for punishing himself, and During on again waiting bouring fishii speak with h door, but I p no sir, I wi contempt. I tlien got a certificate prepared myself, and readily obtained the signatures of the elders and neighDouring parishoners to tne aiuuunt of several hundreds, which I presented to Mr. Loch, along with the before mentioned memorial, when the following dialogue took place between that gentleman and me in presence of the factors, &c. Mr. Loch. — Well, Mr. M'Leod, why don't you pay this £5 Ss. you were summoned for ? Donald. — Just, sir, because I don't consider myself entitled to pay it. I hold legal receipts to show that I paid it two years ago ; besides, that is a case to be legally decided before a competent court, and has no connexion with my memorial. Mr. L. — Will you pay it altogether or by instalments, if you are allowed to remain on the estate f D. — Let the case be withdrawn from the civil court or decided by the civil magistrate, before I answer ♦hat question. Mr. L. — Well, can you produce the certificate of character mentioned in this memorial ? I handed over to him the certificate mentioned above, with three or four sheets full of names attached to it. He looked at it for some time (per- haps surprised at the number of signatures) and then said, — Mr. L. — I cannot see the minister's name here, how is this ? D. — I applied to the minster and he would not sign it. ' Mr. i.— Why ? D. — He stated as his reason that I was at variance with the factors. One of the Factors. — That is a falsehood. JIfr. L. — I will wait upon Mr. M'Kenzie on the subject. D. — Will you allow me, sir, to meet you and Mr. M'Kenzie face to face, when he is asked to give his reasons ? Mr. L. — Why will you not believe what he says ? D. — ^I have got too much reason to doubt it ', but if he attempts to deny what I have stated, I hope you will allow him to be examined on oath ? Mr. L. — By no means, we must surely believe the minister. After asking me some further questions which had nothing to do with the matter in hand, he dismissed me in seeming good humour. I pressed to know his decision in my case, but he said, you will get to know it before I leave the country ; make yourself easy, I will write to your parish minister in a few days. The result was the cruel expulsion of my family and tlie spoliation of my goods, as detailed in my two last letters. Mr. Loch, in his judgement on my case, alleged as his principal reason for punishing me that 5lr. M'Kenzie denied my assertions in regard to himself, and represented me as a turbulent character. During our temporary residence at Armidale, I took an opportunity of again waiting on the Rev. gentleman when he was catechising in a neigh- bouring fishing village with several of his elders in company, and asked to peak with him in their presence. He attempted to meet me outside the door, but I pushed in ivhen the elders were sitting at breakfast ; saying, " no sir, I wish what passes betweeen you and me to be before witnesses. I want a certifioato of my moral character, or an explanation fVom yon before your oldera why it is withhold. Here my worthy friend Donald M'Donald (the preserver of my wife's life on the memorable night of her expulsion) interfered and expostulated with his reverence, who driven into a corner, found no excuse for refusal, except that he had not writing materials convenient. I directly ^ t this objection by producing th« articles required, vet, strange to say, he found means to shuffle the busi- ness over by a solemn promise, in presence of his elders, to do it on a certain mentioned day. I waited on him that day, and after long delay was admitted into his parlour and accosted with, " well, M'Leod, I am not intending to give you a certificate." " Why so, sir?" ''Because you have told falsehoods of me to Mr. Loch, and I cannot certify for a man that I know to be a liar :" adding '' Donald, I would favour you on your father's account, and much more on your father-in-law's account, but after what you have said of me, I cannot. I repelled the charge of being a liar, and said " I do believe that if my father and father-in-law, whom you have mentioned with so much respect, stood at the gate of Heaven seeking admittance, and noching to prevent them but a false accusation on the part of some of the factors, you would join in refusing their entrance to all eternity." He rose up and said, " you are a Satan and not fit for human society." I retired for that time ; but ultimately forced him, bj incessant applications, to write and sign the following : — " This certifies that the bearer, Donald M'Leod, is a native of this parish a married man, free fi om church censure ; therefore he, his vrife and family may be admitted at Gospel hearers wherever Providence may order their lot. Given at Farr Manso. (Signed) Previous to granting this certificate, the minister proposed to bind me up not to use it to the prejudice of the Marquis of Staiford, or any of his factors. This point, however, he did not carry, for when he submitted it w? the session he was overruled by their votes. This concludes the narrative of what I have myself suffered at the hands of the petty tyrants whom I had enraged by denouncing their barbarous treatment of my countrymen, and whose infamous deeds I have had t^ie satisfaction of exposing to public reprobtition. I shall not resume the pen on this subject unless I see that what I have written requires to be fol- lowed up to prevent a continuation of such atrocities as are already recorded. I am a Highlander, and must have revenge for the wrongs I have suffered. The revenge I desire is that these letters may be pre- served for many a day in my native country, to keep up the remembrance of the evil that was done to many an innocent individual, and among others to Donald M'Leod. THE LATE RIOTS IN DURNESS. LETTER XXII. ' When concluding that series of lettcTs, descriptive of the woes of Suth- erlandshire, which I now republish in the form of a pamphlet, I was not expecting so soon to find occasion to add important new matter to the sad detail. Another portion of my native county has fallen under the oppressor, and got into the fangs of law, which being administered by those interested, little mercy can be expected by the wretched defaulters. All those conversant with the public papers will have seen an article, copied from the Inverness Courier, entitled, " Riot in Durness, Suther- landshire," in which as usual a partial and one-sided account of the affair is given, and the whole blame laid on the unfortunate inhabitants. The violation of law, committed by the poor people driven to desperation, and for which they will no doubt have to pay dear, is exaggerated, while their iuhuman oppression and provocation are carefully left out of sight. The following facts of the case are a combination of my own knowledge, and that of trustworthy correspondents who were eye-witnesses of this unfor- tunate occurrence, which will yet be productive of much misery to the victims — perhaps end in causing their blood to be shed 1 Mr. Anderson, the tacksman of Keenabin, and other farms under Lord Reay, which were the scene of the riot, was one of the earliest of that unhallowed crew of new tenants, or middle-men, who came in over the heads of the native farmers. He, with several others I could name, some of whom have come to an unhappy end, counting the natives as their slaves and their prey, disposed without scruple of them and all that they had, just as it suited their own interest or convenience, reckless of the wrongs and misery they inflicted on these simple unresisting people. They were removed from their comfortable houses and farms in the interior, to spots on the sea shore, to make room for the new-comers with their flocks and he^ds, and to get their living, and pay exorbitant rents, by cultivating kelp, and deep-sea fishing. In these pursuits tlieir persevering courage and industry enabled them to surmount appalling difficulties, though with much suffering and waste of health and life. The tacksman set up for a fish curer and rented the sea to them at his own pleasure, fur- nishing boats and implements at an exorbitant price, while he took their fish at his own price, and thus got them drowned in debt and consequent bondage, from which, by failures both in the kelp and fishing trades, they have never been able to relieve themselves. Seeing this, and thinking he could, after taking their all for thirty years, put their little holdings, improved by their exertions, to a more profitable use, this gentleman humanely resolved to extirpate them, root and branch, after he had sucked their blood and peeled their flesh, till nothing more could be got by them, and regardless of the misery to which he doomed them, how they might 66 fare, or which way they were to turn to procure a Htuusistence. To emi. grate they were unable, and to repair to the manufacturing to^t na in queit of employment, when such multitudes are in destitution already, would afford nu hope of relief. Where, then, were they to find refuge ? To this question, so often urged by the poor out-oasts in Sutherlandshire, tiio general answer of their tyrants was, " let them go to hell, but they must leave our boundaries." Human patience and endurance have limits, and is it to be wondered at that poor creatures driven to such extremities should be tempted to turn on their oppressors, and violate the letter of the law ? Hence it is true that the poor people gathered, and seized and burned the paper which appeared aa a death warrantto them (and may in one way or other prove bo to them) and did their utmost, though without much personal violence, to scare away their enemies, and though law may punish, will humanity not sympathize with them '{ The story, us represented in the papers, of severe beating and maltreatment of the officers is, to say the least, a gross exag- gerutiun. The intention, however indefensible on the score of law, was merely to intiuiidHte, not to injure. The military, it seems, is now to be culltd upon to wind up the drama in the way of their profession, I pray it may nut end tragically. If the sword be unsheathed at Cape Wrath, let the southrons look out ! If the poor and destitute — made so by injustice — are to be cut down in Sutherland, it may only be the beginning ; there ^;e plenty of pcor and destitute elhcwhere, whose n mbers the landlords, io tiMve their iiionopuly, might find it convenient to curtail ; and to do which ^hey only want a colorable pretext. Meanwhile, I shall watch the progress of the affair at Durness, and beg to call on all rightly constituted miufJiB^ iQ s^^ujpathize with the distress of the unfortunate people. LETTER XXIII. giRj — Having lately exposed the partial and exaggerated statements in the Inoernesn Courier, (the organ of the oppres.sor8 of Sutherlandshire,) my attention is again called to subsequent paragraphs in that paper, and which I feel it my duty to notice. Since my last, 1 have received communications irom correspondents on whom I can rely, which, I need scarcely say, give a very different colour to the proceedings from what appears in the Courier, emanating, as it evidently does, from the party inflicting the injury. The first notice in that paper represents the conduct of the poor natives in the blackest aspect, while the latter, that of the 27th October, is calculated to mislead the public in another way, by representing them as sensible of their errors, and acknowledging the justice of the severities practised upon them. The Courier says, " We are happy to learn that the excitement that led to the disturbance by Mr. Anderson's tenants in Durness has subsided, and that the people are quiet, peaceful, and fully sensible of the illegality 67 •ad tinjvitififtble nttare of their proceedings. The Sheriff addressed the people ia A powerful speech, with an effect which had the best conse« quences. Tney soon made written communications to the Sheriff and Mr. Anderson, stating their contrition, and soliciting forgiveness ; promising to remove voluntarily in May next, if permitted in the meantime to remain and occupy their houses. An arrangement on this footing was then happily accomplished, which, while it vindicates the law, tempers justice with mercy. Subsequentljr, Mr. Napier, Advocate-Depute, arrived at the place to conduct the investigation," &c. , Latterly, the Courier says, .^ " The clergyman of the parish convinced the people, and Mr. Lumsden, the Sheriff, addressed them on the serious nature of their late proceedings ; this induced them to petition Mr. Anderson, their landlord, asking nis forgiveness ; and he has allowed them to remain till May next. We trust wmething will be done in the interval for the poor homeless Mountaineers." This is the subdued, though contemptuous tone of the Courier, owing doubtless to the noble and impartial conduct of the Advocate-Depute, Mr. Napier, who in conducting the investigation, found, notwithstanding the virulent and railing accusations brought by those who had driven the poor people to madness, that their conduct was very different from what it had Deen represented. The Courier, in his first article, called for the military " to vindicate the law" by shedding the blood of the Sutherland rebels ; but now calls them " poor homeless mountaineers." His crocodile tears Mcord ill with the former virulence of him and his employers, and we have to thank Mr. Napier for the change. The local authorities who •Bsisted at the precognition did the utmost that malice could suggest to exasperate that gentleman against the people, but he went through the case in his own way, probing it to the bottom, and qualifying their rage by his coolness ana impartiality. Notwithstauding a series of injuries and provocations unparalleled, this is the first time the poor Sutherlanders, so famous in their happier days for defending their country and its laws, have been led to transgress ; and I hope when the day of trial comes, the very worst of them will be found « more sinned against than sinning." It is to be lamented that the law has been violated, but still more to be lamented that all the best attributes of our common nature — all the principles of justice, mercy, and religion, have been violated by the oppressors of this people, under color of law ! The poor victims, simple, ignorant, and heart-broken, have men of wealth, talent, and influence, for their opponents and accusers — the very individu- als who have been the authors of all their woes, are now their vindictive persecutors — against the combination of landlords, factors, and other officials, there is none to espouse their cause. One of my correspondents says, the only gentleman who seemed to take any interest in the people's cause was ordered by the Sheriff Lumsden out of his presence. Another says, no wonder the Sheriff was so disposed, for when he arrived in Dor- noch, the officials represented the people as savages in a state of rebellion, BO that he at first declined proceeding without military protection, and in consequence, a detatohmentof the 53rd Regiment in Edinburgh Oaatle re- I 58 ooiyed orders to march; and conld a steamboat liave been procured at the time, which providence prevented, one hundred rank and file would have been landed on the shores of Sutherlandshire, and, under the direction of the people's enemies, would probably have stained their arms with innocent blood ! But before a proper conveyance could be obtained, the o/der was countermanded, the Shenff having found cause to alter his opinion : the people, though goaded into momentary error, became immediately amenable to his advice. The clergyman of the parish, also, made himself useful on this occasion, threatening the people with punishment here and heerafter, if they refused to bow their necks to the oppressor. According to him, all t' j evils inflicted upon them were ordained of God, and for their good, where- as any opposition on their part proceeded froTJi the devil, and subjected them to just punishment here, and eternal torment hereafter. Christ says " Of how much more value is a man than a sheep?" The Sutherland clergy never preached this doctrine, but practically the reverse. They literally pi-efer flocks of sheep to their human flocks, and lend their aid to every scheme for extirpating the lattev to make room for the former. They find their account in leaguing with the oppressors, following up the threatenings of fire and sword by the Sheriff, with the terrors of the bottomless pit. They gained their end ; the people prostrated themselves at the feet of their oppressors, '' whose tender mercies are cruel." The Courier a&ySf '' the law has thus bejn vindicated." is it not rather injus- tice and tyranny that have been vindicated, and the people made a prey ? When they were ordered, in the manner described, to put themselves entirely in the wrong, and beg mercy, they were led to 1 elieve this would procure a full pardon and kinder treatment. But thei . submission was immediately followed up by the precognition, in which, as I said before, e\ ery means was used to criminate them, and exaggerate their offence, and it depends on the view the Lord Advocate may be induced to take, what is to be their fate. One thing is certain, Mr. Anderson and his colleagues will be content with nothing short of their expatriation, either to Van Dieman's Land or the place the clergy consigned them to, he cares not which. For the mercy which, as the Courier says, has been tempered with justice, of allowing the people to posses their houses till May, while their crop has been lost by the bad weather, or destroyed by neglect during the disturbance, they are mainly indebted to Mr. Napier. Anderson found himself shamed into a consent, which he would otherwise never have given. God knows, their miserable allotments, notwithstanding the toil and money they have expended on them, are not worth contending for, did the poor creatures know where to go when banished, but this with their attachment to the soil, makes them feci it like death, to think of removing. Anderson craftily turned this feeling to his advantage, for, though he obtained the decrees of ejectment in April, he postponed their execution till the herring fishery was over, in order to drain every shilling the poor people had .arned, exciting the hope, that if they paid up, they would be allowed to remain ! The Courier hopes " something will be done for the poor mountaineers." my late happy, highminded countrymen is it come to this ? Bpepresented as wild animals or savages, and hunted accord- I'^i 69 ingly in yoar own native straths, so often defended by the sinews and blood of your vigorous ancestors ! Sorely, your case must arouse the sympathy of generous Britons, other- wise the very stones will cry out ! Surely, there is still so much virtue remaining in the country that your wrongs will be made to ring in the ears of your oppressors, till they are obliged to hide their heads for very shame, and tardy justice at length overtake them in the shape of public indignation. ' LETTER XXIV. ^ Sib, — Since my last communication was written, I have received letters from several correspondents in the north, and, as I intimated, now proceed to lay a portion of their contents before the public. Much of the infor- mation I have received must be suppressed, from prudential considerations. Utter ruin would instantly overtake the individual, especially if an official, who should dare to throw a gleam of light on the black deeds going on, or give a tongue to the people's wrongs ; besides, the language of some of the letters is too strong and justly indignant, to venture its publication, least I might involve myself and others in the toils of law, with the meshes of which I am but little acquainted; hence my correspondence must, generally speaking, be suppressed or emasculated. From the mass of evidence received, I am fully satisfied that the feeble resistance to the iustruments of cruelty and oppression at Durness, and which was but a solitary and momentary outbreak of feeling, owes its importance as a riot entirely to the inventive and colouring talents of the correspondent of the Inverness Courier. One of my correspondents says, " this aflFray must be a preconcerted one on the part of the authorities ;" another says ''the Advo- cate-Depute asked me, why did the Duke of Sutherland's tenants join Mr. Anderson's tenants; my reply was (which he allowed to be true) that when Anderson would remove his, he and his either hand neighbours would di- rectly use their influence to get the duke's small tenants removed likewise, as they hate now to see a poor man at all, and if any of the tenants would offer to say so much, they would not be believed ; this is the way the offspring of the once valiant M' Kay's are now used, their condition is beyond what a pen can describe, but we are here afraid to correspond with such a character as you: if it was known, we would be ruined at once." Another says " there was not a pane of glass, a door, or railing, or any article of furniture broken within or without the inn at Durine, nor as much as a hair of the head of a Sheriff, Fiscal, or Constable touched. If it was the Sheriff or Fiscal Fraser who published the first article, titled Durness Kiot, in the Inverness Courier, indeed they should be ashamed of their unpardonable conduct;" another says " after all their ingenuity it was only one Judas they made in Durness, and if there was any one guilty of endeavouring to create disturbance, it 60 wu himself. Therefore, ife mfty etW him Donald JudtUi Mao an Beabhal fear cassid na brarean, and the authorities shonid consider \rhat credence his evidence deserved in criminating the people he was trying to mislead." Another correspondent says ^' Fraser the Fiscal (a countryman himself, but an enemy as all renegades are) inserted a most glaring and highly colored mis-statement in the Inverness Courier, and is ever on the alert to publish Anything that might serve his employers and injure his poor coun> trymenj" another says "The Fiscal and Sheri£fLumsden were very severe on the people before the Advocate-Depute, but after he had gone through the busmess they found it prudent to alter their tone a good deal," he adds " I incurred the Fiscal's displeasure for not giving the evidence he counted for condemning thepeoph, and to punish me, he would pay me only 10s. for attending the nrecognition five days and a night. But when the Duke comes I will lay the case before him and tell him how Fraser was so anxious to get the people into a scrape. He is a little worth gen- tleman." The conduct of the Fiscal requires no comment, and his, it is said, is the Courier's authority for its mis-statements. The plan of the persecutors is not only to ruin and expel the natives, by any and every means, but to deprive them of public sympathy, by slandering their character, belying their actions, and harassing them in every possible way, so as to make them willing to leave their native soil before a regular authorised enquiry takes place, which would (in case their victims remain on the spot, not only expose their nefarious deeds, but also lead the way to a regular law for obliging them to provide in some way for the poor they have made. These are now the two objects of the?.r fears, first, lest they should be shown up, and secondly, that a real — and not, as hitherto, a sham — poor- law should be established, to make them contribute to relieve the misery they have so recklessly and wickedly created. With these preliix.inarie8, I present you a large extract verbatim, from the letter of a gentleman, with whom^ though I know his highly respectable connexions, I am personally unacquainted. Coming evidently from a person of education and charac- ter, it seems justly entitled to the consideration of all who are pleased to interest themselves in the woes and wrongs of Sutherland, and the out- rages there offered to our common humanity : — " You are aware that Anderson was a pretty considerable speculator in his time, (but not so great a speculator as * * *,) extensively engaged in the white and herring fishings, at the time he held out the greatest induce- ment to the poor natives who were expelled from other places in this parish, who came and built little huts on his farm and were entirely dependent on their fishings and earnings with him. In this humble sphere they were maintaining themselves and families, until God in just retribution turned the scales upon Anderson; his speculations proved unsuccessful, he lost his shipping, and his cash was fast following j he broke down his herring establishments, and so the poor fishermen had to make the best of it they could with other curers. Anderson now began to turn his attention to sheep farming, and removed a great many of his former tenants and fishermen : however^ he knew little or nothing of the 61 details of sheep farming, and was entirely guided by t^e adviees of his either hand neighbours, Alex. Clark of ErriboU and John Scobe of Koldale (both sheep farmers) ; and it is notorious that it was at the insti- gation of these creatures that he adopted such severe measures against those remaining of his tenants* — ^but, be this as it may, this last summer wben the whole male adult population were away at the fishing in Wick, he employed a fellow of the name of C 1 to summon and frighten the poor women in the absence of their husbands. The proceeding was both cowardly and illegal ; however, the women (acting as it can be proved upon C I's own suggestion !) congregated, Ughtcd a fire, id hands on C 1 and compelled him to consign his papers to the flames ! Anderson immediately reported the case to the Dornoch law-mongers, who smelling a job, dispatched their officer ; — off he set to Durness as big as a mountain, and together with one of Anderson's shepherds proceeded to finish what C 1 had be^jun : however, he * reckoned without his host,' for ere he got half through, the won^ en fell in hot love with him also — and embraced him so cordially, that he left with them his waterproof Mackintosh, and 'cut' to the tune of Caberfeidh. No sooner had he arrived in Dornoch, than the gentlemen there concluded that they them- selves had been insulted and ill-used by proxy in Durness. Shortly after- wards they dispatched the same officer and a messenger-at-arms, with instructions to raise a trusty party by the way to aid them. They came by Tongue, went down to Farr on the Saturday evening, raised Donald M'Kay, pensioner, and other two old veterans, whom they sent off before them on the Sabbath incog, ; however, they only advanced to the ferry at Hope when they were told that tha Durness people were fully prepared to give them a warm reception, so they went no further, but returned to Dornoch, and told there a doleful Don Quixote tale. Immediately there- after, a * council of war' was held, and the sheriff-substitute, together with the fiscal and a band of fourteen special constables marched off to Durness, Before they arrived the people heard of their a*^;f n ach, and consulted among themselves what had best be done (the me;i jfere by this time all returned home.) They allowed the whole party to pass through the parish till they reached the inn ; this was on a Saturday evening about eight or nine o'clock ;- -the men of the parish to the amount of four dozen called at the inn, and wanted to have » onference with the sheriff, this was refused to them. They then respectfully requested an assurance from the sheriff that they would not be interfered with during the Sabbath, this was likewise refused. Then the people got a little exasperated, and, determined in the first place on depriving the sheriff ot his sting, they took his constables one by one, and turned them out of the house minus their batons. There was not the least injury done, or violence shewn to the persons of any of the party. The natives now made their way to the sheriff's room and began to dilate (I) to him ; however, as they could not get him to accede to tfoeir terms, they ordered him to march off ; which, after some persuasion he did ; they laid no hands on him or the fiscal. And, to show their civility, they actually harnessed the horses for them, and escorted them beyond the precincts of the parish ! ! I The 62 affair now aiMttme^ rathef an alarmiDg aipeot. The glaring and highly coloured statement referred to, appeared in the Jnvemesa Courier, and soon found its way into all the provir 3ial and metropolitan prints ; the parties referred to were threatened with a military force. The Duke of Sutherland was stormed on all hands with letters and petitions. The matter came to the ears of the Lord Advocate. Mr. Napier, the Depute- Advocate, was sent from Auld Reekie, and the whole affair investigated before him and the Sheriff, and Olerk and Fiscal of the County. How this may ultimately terminate I cannot yet say, but one thing is certain, the investigators have discovered some informality in the proceedings on the part of the petty lawyers, which has for the present suspended all further procedure ! I am glad to understand that the Duke of Sutherland expresses great sympathy with the poor people. Indeed I am inclined to give his Grace credit for good intentions, if he but knew how his people are harassed, but this is religiously concealed from him. I livo at some diblance from Tongue, but I made myself sure of the certainty of the following extraordinary case which could have occurred nowhere but in Sutherland. The present factor ij Tongue is from Edinburgh. — This harvest, a brother of his who is a clerk, or something in that city, came down to pay him a visit ; they went out a-shooting one day in September, but could kill no birds. They, however, determined to have some sport before return- ing home ; so, falling in with a flock of goats bdonging to a man of the name of Manson, and within a few hundred yards of the man's own house, they set to, and after firing a number of ineffectual shot% succeeded at Ipngth, in taking down two of the goats, which they left on the ground ! Satisfied and delighted with this manly sport they returned to Tongue. And next day when called upon by the poor man who owned the goats, and told they were all he had to pay his rent with, this exemplary factor said to him, * he did not care should he never pay his rent,'-—' he was only sorry he had not proper ammunition at the time,' — as ' he would not have left one of them alive ! ! ! ' Think you, would the Duke tolerate ciuch conduct -^a this, or what would he say did the fact come to his ears ? As Burns says : — " This is a sketch of H- -h's way, Thus does he slaughter, kill, and slay, And 's weel paid for 't." The poor man durst not whisper a complaint for this act of brutal despotism ; buit I respectfully ask, will the Duke of Sutherland tolerate such conduct ? I ask will such conduct be tolerated by the legislature ? Will Fiscal Fraser and the Dornoch law-mongers smell this job ?" 68 LETTER XXV. Sir, — Having done my best to bring the wrongs of the Sutberlanderfl in general, and, latterly, those of Mr. Anderson's tenantry in particular, under the public eye in your valuable columns, I beg leave to close my correspondence for the present, with a few additional faet^ and observa- tions. Before doing so, however, I must repeat my sense — in which I am confident my countrymen will participate— of your great kindness in allow- ing me such a vehicle as your excellent paper through which to vent our complaints and proclaim our wrongs. I also gratefully acknowledge the disinterested kindness of another individual, whose name it is not now necessary to mention, who has assisted me in revising and preparing my letters for the pvess. I hope such friends will have their reward. It is unnecessary ho spin out the story of the Durness Riot (as it is called) any longer. It evidently turns out what I believed it to be from tb<> beginning — a humbug scheme for further oppressing and destroying the people ; carrying out, by the most wicked and reckless means, the long prevailing system of expatriation, and, at the same time, by gross misrepresentations, depriving them of that public sympathy to which their protracted sufferings and present misery give them such strong claims. In my latest correspondence from that quarter the following facts are con- tained, which further justify the previous remarks, viz. : — A gentleman who makes a conspicuous figure in the proceedings against the peo^ ie, is law-agent of Mr. Anderson, the lessee, from whose property the poor crofters were to be ejected j an' C ^1, the first officer sent to Durness, was employed by them. This C 1 was an unqualified officer, but used as a convenient tool by his employers, and it was actually, as I am assured, this man who advised or suggested to the poor women and boys, in abbence of the male adults, to kindle the fire, and lay hold on him, and compel him to consign his papers to the flames ! — acting doubt- less under the directions of his employers. The next emissary sent was a qualified "^officer; qualified by having served an apprenticeship as a thief-catcher and w chaser in the police establishment of Edinburgh, who, when he came in contact with the vir- tuous Durness women, behaved as he was wont to do among those of Anchor Close and Halkerston's Wynd ; and I am sorry to say some of the former were inhumanly and shamefully dealt wit'a by him. — See Inverness Courier of 17th November. And here I am happy to be able in a great degree to exonerate that journal from the charge brought against it in former letters. The Editor has at last put the saddle on the right horse — namely, his first informers, the advisers and actors in the cruel and vindictive proceedings againpt the poor victims of oppression. It is lameutable to think that the Sheriff-substitute of Sutherland should arrive in Durness, with a formidable party and a train of carts, to carry off to Dornoch Jail the prisoners he intended to makd, on the Sabbath-day ! If this was not his intention, what was the cause of the resistance and defeat he and his party met with ? Just this (according to the Courier and my owu correspondents), that he would not consent to give his word m III that he would not execute his warrant on the Sabbath-day, although they were willing to give him cveiy assurance of peaceably surrending on the Monday following. Provoked by his refusal, the men of Durness, noted for piety as well as forbearance, chose rather to break the laws of man on the Saturday, than see the laws of God violated in such a manner on the Sabbath. He and his party, who had bagpipes playing before them on leaving Dornoch, told inquirers, that " they were going to a wedding in Durness." It was rather a divorce to tear the people away from their dearly-loved, though barren, hills. Under all the circumstances, many, I doubt not, will think with me that these willing emissaries of mischief got better treatment than they deserved. It is high time the law-breaking and law- wresting petifoggers of Sutherlandshire were looked after. This brings again to my mind the goat-shooting scene, described in my last, which was the more aggravated and diabolical from having been perpe- trated during the late troubles, and whilo a military force was hourly expected to cut down such as should dare to move a finger against those in authority; knowing that, under these circumstant^es, no complaints of the people would bj hearkened to. But this was not the only atrocity of the kind that took olace in the country at. this time. I have seen a letter from a respectable ^vidow woman residing in Blairinore, parish of Rogart; to her son in Edinburgh, which, after detailing the harassment and misery to which the country is subject, says — " I had only seven sheep, and one cf Mr. Sellar's shepherds drowned five of them in Lochsalchie, along with other five belonging to Donald M'Kenzie; and many more, the property of other neighbours, shared the same fate. We could not get so much as the skins of them." But they durst not say one word about it, or if they did, no one would hearken to their complaints. God alone knows how they are used in that unfortunate country, and he will avenge it in his own time. A correspondent of aiine says — " At an early period of your narrative, you stated that the natives were refused employment at public works, even at reduced wages ; but, if you believe me, sir, in the last and present year, masons, carpenters, &c., were brought here from Aberdeenshire, and employed at those works, while equally good, if not better native trades- men were refused, and obliged to go idle. This, however, was not admitted as an excuse when house-rent, • poll-tax, or road-money was demanded, but che aiost summary and oppressive means were used for recovery. They have been p? mg these strangers four or five shillings a-day, when equally good workmen among the natives would be glad of eighteen-pence !" In this way, the money drained from the natives in the must rigorous manner, is paid away to strangers before their eyes, while they themselves are refused permission to earn a share of it ! My correspondent adds — " We know the late Duchess, seme years before her demise, gave orders (and we cannot thiak the present Duke of Sutherland has annulled these orders) that no stranger should be employed, while nat' j^es could be found to execute the work. But it seems the officials, and their under-strappers, can do what they please, without being called to account, and this is but one Instance among the many in which their tyranny and injustice is manifested." Every means, direct and indirect, are used to discourage the aborigines, to make theiu willing to fly the country, or be content to starve in it. May I not ask, will the Duke of Sutherland never look into the state of his country ? Will he continue to suffer such treatment of the people to whom he owes his greatness; proceedings so hazardous to his own real interest and safety? Is it not high time that that illustrious family should institute a searching inquiry into the past and present conduct of those who have wielded their power only to abuse it ? Their extensive domains are now, generally speaking, in the hands of a tew selfish, ambitious strangers, who would laugh at any calamity that might beftill them, as they do at the miseries of those fait'iful subjects whom they have suppl'dited. Many of these new tenants have risen from running about with hobnails in their shoos, and a colly-dog behind them, their whole wardrobe bo'ng on their back, and all their other appoint- ments and equipage bearing the same proportion — 'to bo Esquires, Jus- tices of the PeacC; and gentlemen riding, in carriages, or on blood-horses, and living in splendid mansions, all at the expensL' of his Grace's family, and of those whom they have despoiled of their inheritance. Tin; time may come — I see it approaching already, when these gentlemen will say to his Grace ''' if you do not let your land to us on our own terms, you may take it and make the best of it ; who can compete with us ':"' This will be the case, especially when the natives are driven a'.yay, and tlie compe- tition for land, caused by the food taxes, comes tu an end. Let his Grace consider these things, and no longer be entirely guided by the counsels of his Ahithophel, nor adopt the system of Rehoboani towards the race of the devoted vassals of his ancestors, a portion of whose blood runs in his veins. " Woe is me I the possessors of my people slay them, and hold them- i^elves not guilty;" and they that sell them say, "blessed be the Lord, for lam rich; and their cv.n ■shepherds pity them not." "Let me mourn and howl " for the pride of Sutherland is spoiled I In a former letter I put the question to the Sutherland clergy, " of how much more value is a man than a sheep '::'" No reply has been made. I ask again, "you tiiat have a thousand scores of sheep feeding on the straths that formerly roared tens of thousands of as brijve acd virtuous men as Britain could boast of, ready to shed their blood for their country or their chief; 'were tlu^^o not of more value than your animals, your shepherds, or yourselves 'i You that spend your ill-gotten gains in riotous living, in iiunting, ganiing, and debauchery, of how much more value wore the men you have dispersed, ruined, and tortured out of existence, than y, .Vo., and carried the keys to the safe keeping of the rev. Mr. M'Ken /u , for his own behoof. These proceedings were a sufficient warning to all neighbours not to afford shelter or relief to the victims; hence tlie poor woman had to wander about, sheltering her family as well as she could in severe weather, till her husband's arrival. When Angus came home, he had '•ecourse to an expedient which annoyed his reverence very much; he 'jted a booth on his own ground iu the church-yard, it/ul on (he tomb o^ i father, and in this solitary abode he kindled a fire, endeavouring to shelter and com- fort his distressed family, and showed a determination to remain, notwith- standing the wrath and threateninsrs of the minister and factors. But as they did not thmk it prudent to e.xpel hint thence by force, they thought of a stratagemi^Lich succeeded. They spoke him fair, and agreed tu allow him to resume his former possiessiou, if he would pay the expenses (£4 13s) incurred in ejei-ting him. The jujor man consented, hui \n< sooner had he paid the money than he was turned out again, and good care taken this time to keep him out of the church-yard. He had then to betake himself to the open fields, where he renuiined with liis family, till liis wife was seized with nn alarming trouble, when some charitable friend at last ventured to afford him a temporary covering ; but no dis- tress could soft(.' ')ui.e, but received for answer, that, a,s the case was settled by his factor, his Grace could not interfiav I The second case is that of an aged woman of four score — Isabella Gra- ham, of the parish of Lairg, who was also ejected with great cruelty. She too sought redress at the hands of his Grace, but with no better success. A copy of the substance of her memorial, which was backed by a host of certificates, T here subjoin : — ''That your Grace's humble applicant, .who has resided with her hus- band on the lands of Toro]i til for upwards of fifty-years, has been removed from her possession for no oHier reason than that Robert. Murray, holding an adjoining lot, coveted her's in addition. That she is nothing in arrears of her rent, and hopes from your Grace's generosity and charitable dispo- sition, that she will be permitted to remain in one of the houses belonging to her lot, till by some means or other she may obtain another place pre- vious to the coming winter, and may be able to get her bed removed from the open field, where she has had her abode during the last Ji/teen weeks! Your Grace's humane interposition most earnestly but respectfully implored on the present occasion*, and your granting immediate relief will confirm a debt of never-ending gratitude, and your memorialist shall ever pray, & c. 0» hurehyard, in which the 'iiovial, presented the niortt 'i hiinnin boiics, skulln, Miployed in di«j;jjfinj» iicli, in levelling tlie [The /ollowing letter will explain the third cme without any oonnupnt] ^ Deecmbcr S, \M\. Pkar Sir, — In your deHeriptiouH of the inhuman treatment to which the poor SutherlanderH have been, and arc still exposed, you have not hitherto ropreBont'^d the unhallowed proceedings which took place between five and six years ago, in the "Episcopal City of Dornoch," when the parish church underwent an extensive repair, and considerabhs additions were made to it solely for the private convenience of the ijnnt Sutherland family, who defrayed the whole expense. During tlio progress of tlu;se works, tin inhabitants had buried their dead for time revolting spectacle imaginable, bein;^ > and pieces of coffins, &c., exhumed bv tl for the foundations of the now addition church-yard, and forming new and enlarge These relics of moitality were permitted to remain exposed to view long after the mason-work was completed, and an entire coffin was actually suffijred to remain on the surface for a fortnight ; while the tomb-stonee 'which indicated their resting place, bearing the endearing inscriptions of parents and children, were rudely thrown aside, and afterwards not replaced uor preserved, but used, it is said, in the formation of a new enclosure wall. It is tnie, imieed, that one or two families of the arfeto- cracy there threatened resistance, but their anger wms appeased, if not their vanity gratified, by having their family tomb-stones tixed inside one of the entrance porches. The resident inhabitants of Dornoch, however, whose progenitors had been buried there for ages, were denied even the privilege of re-interring the remains exhumed by workmen brought from a distance, who felt no sympathy for the lacerated feelings of the commu- nity, and refused to re-inter the human bones ; alleging that their instruc- tions were limited to be careful in preserving and delivering to the agent of the Duke, at Golspie, any ancient coins or other relics of antiquity that might be discovered in the course of the excavations. Matters con- tinued in this painful position till a new church-yard was formed at a distance from the town, and where, ultimately, the surplus earth, &c., was removed from the old church-yard. Whether it was that the inhabitants disliked tliQ idea of being buried beyond the sound of the church bell, or apart from their relatives, or from whatever other cause, it is certain the dying made it a last special request that they should be buried in some of the neighbouring parishes, — and thus the new church-yard was likely to be so only in name. Ultimately, however, the death of a poor person at a distance presented an opportunity of providing at least one tenant, and since that period the objections to the new burying ground are not now so frequently made. A stranger to the Sutherland tyrannical system of management may well exclaim in wonder and horror, — Why did the inhabitants tolerate such unhallowed proceedings? — and why did the clergyman of the parish w IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) 1.0 ^^ 1^ 1.1 tti Ui2 12.2 Hi lU m K 2.0 I m — ™— E^ ^ ^ y Photographic Sdences Corporation 23 WIST MAIN STRUT WEBSTER, N.Y. 14SS0 (716)872-4503 70 silently witness the barbarous treatment of the remains of his late parishioners? Those, however, who have perused your graphic account of the dreadful sufferings of the people, will be at no loss to discover from whence arises their apparent apathy. I am, &o., A Dornoch Correspondent. To Mr. Donald M'Leod. rThe following letter appeared in the Edinburgh Weekly Chronicle of the 18th Dec, 1841.] Mr. Editor, — Sir, the publication of Donald M'Leod's Letters, while it adds to your high reputation for independence, reflects in a double sense on a brother contemporary in the North ; and I must say with Donald M'Leod, that the Editor recently alluded to by him is ever to be found with " the powers that be." He catches at any circumstance that affords an opportunity of lauding a lord or a laird, and he is always laying his blarney on their doers with a trowel ; while his negative praise of the poorer natives is disgusting to those who really know them. The subject of Donald's letters leads me now to notice a removing, which I fear is too truly apprehended at the term of Whitsunday, in one of the remote glens of Ross-shire ; aud though not very extensive, it is of a very aggravated nature, inasmuch as the victims are not only able to keep their holidays, but are men of £he most spotless character. These are chiefly the M'Crie's of Corryvuik, in Strathconan, a county now pos- sessed by one of the wealthiest men in Scotland, but who, it would seem, feels but little solicitude about this portion of the dependants over whom Providence has placed him as guardian. The farm has been occupied for time immemorial by the progenitors of the present tenants, all of whom have lived upon it from infancy. They maintained their means and credit in the worst of times, and are fully stocked j — ^they have never been in arrears to the laird ; — ^and it is believed that their names were never called in a court of law, either as suitors or defenders. They are known as the quiet, unobtrusive, primitive people of Corryvuik ; and at a happier period of their lives, they were the pride of their proprietors (the ancient family of Fairburn), though they now feel, that the chain which bound them to their native soil and chiefs is snapped asunder for ever. n&no me 'i MRS. H. BEECHER STOWE. ONDENT. Mabam,-*-I would wish to address jou as inoffensively as our present position before the public can admit of. Without any provocation on my part, you have assailed my character most shamefully, and I must tell you, that tnough a humble individual who has devoted much of his time and means in advocating the cause and righteous claims of the poor, remon- strating with, and exposing the ungodly dealings of the rich towards them, unaided p I am by classical education, or the smiles of fortune ; yet I con- sider my reputation and character as a narrator of unvarnished facts, equally as sacred, and as dear to me, as you can consider your own as an accomplish- ed novelist and sophistical admator of the oppressors of the poor. Taking the advantage of your auspicious position in society ; surrounded by the beauties of English aristocracy, golden diamond, ducal bracelets, glittering gold sovereigns, fame, favour and fortune, thinking the whole world was bound to believe whatever you would say or writs — ^yes Madam, dreaming in these paradises of grandeur, wealth, dignity and luxury, you, in the greatness of your soul, thought to demolish me for ever, by making me oat as a ridiculous fabricator of falsehood. Against whom ? The fasci- nating, angelic, and spotless Duchess of Sutherland. I do acknowledge to you, and before the world, to be the legitimate parent and author of the accusations against the House of Sutherland, which found their way to the American public prints, of which you gave a specimen in ydur Sunny Memories, to convince the American people of how ridiculous, and exces- sively absurd they were. I know that it was reported, and circulated through the public press in England and Scotland, that I was dead ; but if even dead, it would be very unlady-like of you to attack even a dead man's character, at least until you made a searching enquiry into the veracity or falsehood of his statements. If you believed this report, they have deceived you, and as sure as I am a living Scotchman my motto is, nemo me impune lacessete. I do really sympa^ize with you, for I know it is a humiliating reflection for you, that for the sake of aristoci^atic adulation and admiration, which you could well spare, that you have exposed yourself to be publicly chastised by an old Highland' Scotch broken down stone mason ; yet you have done it and I am sorry for it, and to do you justice, to do my own character justice, but above all to do the public justice, I consider it my bounden duty to bring you to the test, that the public may judge aright who is the greatest fabricator of false stories — ^you or me — expecting the public judgment will be baaed' upon the evidence we advance to confirm the veracity of our opposed statements, and the source from which we obtain our evidence. 1 deny the charge of fabricating falsehood against the Duchess of Sutherland, or ^inst the House of Sutherland, nor against any other despotic depopu- 72 I lating house in the highlands of Scotland ; neither had 1 need to exagge- rate nor to colour the truth; indeed I have taken more pains to modify the truth than I should have done, so that people could believe me. I challenge, yea, I court contradiction, or a combatant upon fair ground. •' No favour — honour bright." Then at it. In prefacing your Sunny Memories you say : — " This book will be found to bo really what its name denotes, Sunny Memories." I admit this to be an indisputable fact, for I believe you never basked in the sunshine of favour more luxuriously than you did while in England. You had no doubt a pecuniary object in view in going to England, and you have realized it to your heart's desire. The ladies of England had also a particulas'^bject in view in inviting you there, and you satisfied them. Their fame as the greatest philanthropists under heaven — ^their superiority in accomplishment and gorgeous sublimity to any other nation on earth, are now established for ever, and for ever, (as they and you think). Next Sou say — " The writer has been decided to issue these letters principally, ow 3r, by the persevering and deliberate attempt in certain quarters to misrepresent the circumstances which are here given. So long as these misrepresentations affected those who were predetermined to believe unfavourably, they were not regarded ; but as they have had some influ- ence in certain oases upon really excellent and honest people, it was desi- rable that the truth be plainly told." * * * Now Madam had you kept up to the principle of telling the plain truth, you would have saved me the disagreeable task of correcting you, and of pointing out to your- self, and to the public, where you have failed to ascertain or tell the plain truth. Truth and Justice, Madam, are Heaven-begotten twin sisters, but if they had not nor have not any other place of abode upon earth but the palaces of English dukes and duchesses, lords, primates, and bishops, and the mansions of money-mongers, manufacturers, commissioners and factors, such people, by your own confession, with whom you associated, and cor- ir responded while in England, I that long since the heavenly pa would perish homeless, houseles. iendless, unpitied, and persecuted among snow and frost on the streets of England, Ireland, and Scotland ; but being immortal, they will ultimately prevail and triumph over false- hood, sophistry and injustice. Your lavishing of prii&c and admiration of English feminine beauty and virtue, of mansions, scenery, institutions, aristocratic manners and arrangements, I wHI let you go with it by merely offering a short but an earnest prayer up to Heaven, that the Lord of Heaven and earth may preserve the American ladies from being smitten or infected by the fatal contagion with which your Sunny Memories are pregnant, and that they may not adopt the English system of grinding down the people upon whom they depend for protection in the time of need, and for supplying them with all the necessaries of life at all times, to starvation and beggary, to crime and punishment, and then separate themselves from them as unclean animals, in railway cars, in churches, in schools, in streets, theatres, and assemblies, considering their very breath to pollute the 73 atmosphere, and exceedingly dangerous to their refined constitutions. This is my prayer, and for the sake of the American ladies and the American people, I hope it will he heard and answered. The Americans should have gad recollection of what their fathers told them of the English systems and manners among themselves in the days of yore, and should watch well and guard themselves against being beguiled to adopt any more of the English systems than what is consistent with humanity, nature and true godliness. None will deny, but English ladies in general are beautiful women (yet there are some, no but many, ugly exceptions,) and can assume affability to a most coaxing and deceptive extent when they have an object in view to gain ; but any one less or more acquainted with their history, or with themselves personally, for any length of time, may discern with many of them souls so much chocked up with pride and ambition, that all which can be admired about them is only skin deep, especially among the majority of your bosom favourites while in England. It is likewise jnrell known throughout the whole world that the British aristocracy, such as landocracy, priestocracy, inoueyocracy, cottonocracy, and many other robbingocracies, do enjoy all the luxuries, grandeur, amusement, and pleasure, that seared consciences can enjoy, that art can produce, and that ill gotten wealth can purchase. But how many thou- sands, yea millions of as valuable human beings as they are, are toil- ing and languishing in misery and want all their life time, to keep up this unnecessary grandeur and dignity ? Ah ! Madam, this is an enquiry you should have made, if you are really what you say you are, — a sympathiser with suffering humanity, — before spending so much of your valuable time and talents, praising and admiring English grandeur and dignity. The majority of these dignitaries and nobles never did anything to benefit so- ciety ; so that all you have seen about them must be the production of plunder, and the price of blood. Yes, I say, for one instance, you ought to ascertain how many slaves his grace the Duke of Sutherland, himself alone, would require to build, and to furnish, and keep up his establish- ment in London, viz. Stafford House, (of notoriety) which you have so elaborately described in letter 16 of your " Sunny Memories." But as you have neglected to infonn the American ladies how this magnificent establishment is supplied, I must inform them. You say in letter 17, " That the total population of the Sutherland estate is twenty-one thousand seven hundred and eighty-four." Correct, or incorrect as this statement may be, I leave it to you , but if correct, his Grace's people must have in- creased most wickedly since his Grace permitted them to marry ^ and since I left Scotland four years ago. Likewise, if correct, I can tell you Madam, without hesitation, that three-fourths of that immense population are living in poverty and incredible penury. I will risk my reputation, yes my life, that sixteen thousand of them do not consume, upon an average, half-a- pound of animal food of any description through the whole year, and that they have to live upon the scantiest and poorest allowances of all other food that human beings can exist upon. Yes, all that they can scrape and save is needed at Stafford House. Then I will allow that three thousand of them live a little better, but who are not to be envied ; then take one 74 thousand seven hundred who live oomfortahle, but not in affluence. Add to those a score or two of sheep farmers, who occupy three-fourths of Sutherlandshire, paying heavy rents, and live sumptuously, — in short all proceeds are sent up to supply the needs of Stafford House, and this is but one of its many streams of wealth. No wonder, Madam, that you have seen such wonderful splendour, and been so delightfully entertained at Stafford House — especiuly invited there to vindicate their character from the accusations brought against them by Donald M'Leod, and others of the plebian order. There is still a balance of one thousand and forty-four of the population yet unaccounted for, — ^these are of the unproductives. They consist of factors, sub-factors, established (by law) ministers, school- masters, sheriffs, police, constables, fiscals, lawyers, pettifoggers, gamekeep. ers, foresters, shepherd's ground officers, water and mussel bailiffs, and an host of blood-suckmg subordinates, vermin, who pick up every cent that can be concealed or saved from Stafford House. It is well known and easily believed, where poverty prevails, there is strife, and where strife is, there is a field for plunder to suit these low tcrmin inquisitors. Now, Madam, I grant that the Duke of Sutherland and his predecessors were, and are, the most ' humane and liberal of all other Highland, Scotch, Irish, or English plun- dering depopulators. But if it was possible or practicable to try the ex- periment, that is, to bring nineteen thousand of the American slaves to Sutherlandshire, and give them all the indulgence, all the privileges, and comforts the aborigines of that county do enjoy, I would risk all that is sacred and dear to me, that they would rend the ffeavenSf praying to be restored to their old American slave owners, and former position. I con- sider this but a small tribute or compliment to the slave owners ; yet I know that there is nothing bad but what can be worse, for there are many more painful ways of killing a dog than to hang him. I would respect- fully ask who are the greatest objects of commisseration and sympathy, — a brave, moral, intelligent and enterprising race of people, who were born free, who were nurtured in the school of freedom, and defenders of free- dom in all the ages of time ; against whom there was no priestly denunci- ations i/o be traced in sacred, ancient, moral, or modem history ; and who were robbed and deprived of all the libcriies and rights they were told and taught by their fathers to be their indisputable inheritance, and enthralled to the lowest degree of degradation, submission, and poverty. I say are they not much more to be pitied, than an unfortunate race, who at an early period of time became the victims of cruel priestcraft, taking the ad- vantage of a curse, said to be pronounced by a drunken father, very likely in delirium tremens ; or to the misrepresentation of that curse left on sa- cred record, which left that race denounced, consigned, and designated to be slaves and the servants of servants— H^onsequently despised, left untold, untaught in the science of enterprise, progress, or civilization, and totally ignorant of the rights and privileges of human beings. Both cases are to 1^ pitied and lamented, but I hold the latter case to be far more tolerable to endure than the former. The child who has been born blind is not so helpless, nor so much to be pitied when he comes to manhood, as the poor fellow who has been deprived of his sight after arriving at manhood ; the 76 former never knew what light or the use of it was, and will not pine and lament over the loss of it; Besides, in most cases natural instincts will, to a certain extent, make up for the deficiency. Whereas, the former poor fellow who knew what light is and the use of thav inestimable gift of God, when he stumbles, or falls, or strikes his head against a post, it is not the personal injury he sustained, that is the principal cause of his bewailing and Bufferings, no, but the loss of his sight, and that he had none to lead him past danger. It is a melancholy, undeniable /ac< that Republic Americans do breed, sell, and buy slaves; that they chase them with blood hounds when they ran away ; that they flog them ; that they shoot and hang them for dis- obedience ; that they sepairate husbands and wives, parents and children. Bat will any one prove to me that the condition of the unfortunate people would be better or more tolerable should the Americans, like High- land Scotch and English uakes, marquises, earls, and lairds, make and take as many slaves as they choose for nothing. Methinks it would be more consistent to admit, that buying and selling, and the higher the price of slaves are, is a sure guarantee that they will be taken care of, (leaving humanity out of sight.) If a man purchases a horse at a high price, he will take care of that animal ; but if he knew that he could get as many horses as he choosed for nothing, and that when one horse died or was lamed, that he had nothing to do but to go and take another, you could Dbt expect that man to care much whether his horses were well fed or housed. The American slave owners themselves are to be pitied, for they are the dupes or victims of false dofltrine, or rather say, of the misinterpretation of sacred records. They believe to have a divine right to sell and buy African slaves; to flog, hang and shoot them for disobedience ; and to chase them with blood hounds and Methodist ministers, if they run away. But the English aristocracy maintains to still higher prerogatives, in di- rect opposition to sacred records, — they believe to have <£vine right to monopolise the whole creation of God in Britain for their own private use, to the exclusion of all the rest of His creatures. They have enacted laws to establish these rights, and they blush not to declare these laws sacred. And it is to be lamented that these laws and doctrines are generally be- lieved. Let any one peruse their Parchment Rights of Property, and he will find that they include the surface of the earth, all the minerals, &c. below the surface to the centre, all that is above it up to the heavens, rivers of water, bays, and creeks, of mixed salt water and fresh water, for one and one-fourtn leagues out to the sea, with all the fishes of every des- cription which spawn or feed therein, and all fowls who lay and are raislcl on land, — a right to deprive the people of the least pretention of right to the creation of God but what they choose to give them, — a right to compel the people to defend their properties from invaders ; Ui press and haUot v>» many of them as they choose; hand-cuff them if they are unwilling, and force them to swear hy God to be true and faithful slaves, — ^a right to im- prison them, to flog, to hang, and shoot them if refractory, or for the least disobedience. Yes, a right to force them away to foreign and unhealthy 7« climes, to fight natioDS who never did them any injury, where they perish in thousands by disease, fatigue and starvation, like brute beasts ; to hanft, shoot, or flog them to death for even taking a morsel of food when dying for want of it : all for to gain more possessions and power for British arifi- tocracy. Only read the history of the East and West Indies; of the Pen- insula, Crimea, and China Wars. Slavery is damnable, and the most disgusting word in the English or any other language ; and it is to be hoped that the Americans will soon discern its deformity, pollution and iniquity, and wipe away that uld English polluted stain from their character. But there is not the least .shadow of hope that ever the British aristocracy will think shame, or give up their system of slavery ; for it is the most profitable now under heaven, and the most admired, and adopted by all other nations of the earth ; at least until the promised Millenium will arrive, whatever time that blessed era will take in coming — unless the people in their might will rise some morning early, and demand their rights and liberties with the united voice of thunder which will make the most hardened and stubborn of the aristocratic adamant hearts tremble and ache. British ocracy's sympathy with American slavei^ is, in reality, a burlesque ; for I do assure you, Madam, they care no more for the emancipation of the American slaves than they do for the emancipation of Greenland whales and seals from their captors. Self-interest and fame was thHr object in jumping at your Uncle Tom's Cabin and in their adulation of the authoress, and has been their object since ever I began to take notice of their sophistical movements, and long before it. 5luch to their praise (though it cost them twenty-one million pounds sterling) the British people abolished sla- very in the West India British Colonies. But who were their bitter and inveterate opponents? — ^English Bishops, and aristocracy ; but nc^ thej take all the praise to themselves. Their principal cause for denouncing American slavery is, if properly searched out, that their West Indian estates does not make such lucrative returns to them now as they used to do, and not their sympathy for the African race. However, it is an ad- mitted fact, that it is characteristic of British aristocracy to be the most liberal sympathisers with foreign victims of oppression, injustice, and barbarous, ungodly laws ; but with me their motives are very question- able, they having reverse qualifications at home. But they know that their foreign sympathy, liberality, and abhorrence of foreign slavery will find a conspicuous place in the public press, magazines, school books, re- ports and tracts, and that their praise will reach the utmost corner of the earth — ^that their fame, as the most humane, the most benevolent and blessed, will be ballooned up to Heaven by bishops, priests, ministers, that (reverently speaking) God might approve of it. At home they are the most liberal contributors to Bible and Missionary Societies, especially to the publication and circulation of missionary reports, where the donors and donations are sure to be magnified and praised up to heaven ; and the recipients represented as the most ignorant of the plan of salvation and of | the Christian religion— denying not but they had the image of God on them, yet not (in intellect) much above the condition of the brute crea- I iliiliih ; T7 . tion. these hired emmiflsaries have contributed on a large scale, and assiat- ed greatly the calumniators of the Highlands of Scotland. I know many of them going about j)reacAin<^,j>7'a^m^, circulating Gaelic Bibles and religious tracts, at the same time surveying the country and collecting in- formation of the districts more susceptible and profitable for sheep-fami- Id^, and publishing the most gross, unfounded and inconsistent falsehoods regarding the character and intelligence of the people, that could be coined by the arch-enemy of mankind — (you know who that is.) However, all this had the desired consummation or effect. The benevolence of aristo- ctatio donors and liberal donations were praised in every sublime term that the English language could supply ; and to magnify their liberal and benevolent dispositions still more, tne demerits, undeservedness, the barbarianism and sloth of the recipients were described in the grossest Bil- liDgsgate language that could be collected. But follow those over-praised and admired aristocratic personages home to these palaces, which cost you, Madam, so much time and labour to describe to your American friends, (although you were supplied with catalogues and invoices of their interior, and a plan or map of their pleasure grounds^ and ask them the few fol- lowing questions : — In the name of wonder now did you manage to get these splendid edifices built and furnished so gorgeously, when I know you yourselves never put a hand to any work ? The reply would be — ^We employ men to do it for us. StiU more surprised, you ask — How have jon got the enormous sums of money required to pay them ? The truth- ful reply should be — Oh, we have large, extensive landed estates, and we can tax the people who occupy and labour them as we please. Others vould reply, we employ so many thousands of people, and we pay them as wc please ; for every shilling they work for, or get, we have three shil- lings, and were it not for the tricks you Yankees play on us at times, we might be a great deal richer than we are, even richer than the landlords. But halt a little until you see a poor industrious tenant of one of these landed aristocracy, approaching the gate of this palace with a humble petition, shewing a most grievous complaint, for an outrage committed by one of his graces or lordship's factors or underlings, r->d prevented to enter any farther by a bulldog at full chain length ; if he ^ ut past the dog, met another bull in human shape, dressed in livery, from ./hom there was no I escaping, and had to stand still until his grace or lordship thought it I proper to take an airing walk for his health after breakfast or dinper, and (after waiting for days in this humiliating position, ultimately told that I nothing could be done for him, or ordered back to the tyrant underling I against whom he complained for redress, and you may easily guess what kind of redress or reception the poor fellow would get. Shift then to the ■palace of a church-ocracy, cotton-ooracy, or any other ocracy you please, land see a poor fellow in rags, exhausted in frame, with trembling limbs, [leaning on his sufi^, coming up to the gate soliciting a crumb of bread or la morsel of broken meat from the table which he was supplying all his [lifetime. There you will see the broken meat thrown away to feed useless Idogs, and the poor fellow collared by a police constable, and next day leentenced to thirty days' imprisonment in Bridewell, breaking stones or 1 ■■K>> m 78 teasing oakum, for his impudenoe ; but two blacks will never make a white — if you, Madam, and I were sitting side by side for six months, I would bet you a dollar my side of the leaf would be the darkest — hence we must turn up the most ridiculous bright side of the question. Did you Madam, enquire while in England, how this noble institution called the Poor Man's Church, in England and Ireland, whose bishops, structure, and constitution you admired so much, and laboured so much in recom- mending to others, is maintained ? I know you did not. That such questions were entirely out of your way. This is another of the costly and pernicious aristocratic institutions of the country, selfHStyled the « Poor Man's Ohurch." It is not difficult to make vou understand how it is su called. Church revenues were at one period, yes for ages, divided intu three parts, — the first part for the maintenance of the priesthood — the second for the maintenance and repair of the fabric of the Church, and the third for the relief and support of the poor. But the Clergy, aided b; their patrons, the aristocracy, have contrived and enacted laws to saddle the maintenance of the fabric on the people, in the form of Church Kates, the maintenance of the poor on the people in the form of Poor Rates, while the Apostolic priesthood, descended from the poor fishermen of Galilee, swallowed up both their own and the poor people's share. Not satisfied with this, the Church does not disdain to seize the poor man's pots and pans, and even the bed that he rests his weary limbs on, to sell them by public auction to raise funds to wash the priests' surplices, and to ring the bells. The twenty-five State Bishops of England divide among them- selves incredible sums of money. By a late Parliamentary return, it will be seen the sums they leave behind them at their death are enormous. From another Parliamentary return it is proved, as stated in the House of Commons by Captain Osbom, that eleven Irish State Bishops left behind them at their death, the sum of one million eight hundred and seventy-five thousand pounds sterling, accumulated within a period of from forty to fifty years. The Bishop of Cashel during a single life, saved £400,000 from the tributes levied on the poorest, worst fed, worst clad, of all the nations of the earth. How much charitj and spirit of Christianity dwelt in his palace, or occupied his bosom, maj be guessed ? How much piety and christian virtue must the prelates of Dublin, Tuam, Armagh, and Clogher have exercised to enable them to hoard up fortunes of from JS250,000 to j£600,000 a piece during their lives. This is a sample of the Bishops of the English Church in Ireland, for which the British nation are keeping up an army of 34,000 soldiers, besides an army of mounted police, to watch over its safety. Surely these are expected to be serious and strenuous sympathisers with American slaves. Now you must know Madam, that there was only JS151,127 12s. 4d. of hard cash divided by the bishops among themselves ; but this only represents but a small proportion of their actual gains ; we have to add to this the rents and profits of 670,000 acres of the Irish land which, in 1845, amounted to £92,000; tithe composition, JS531,781 14s. 7d; minister money, £10,000; then what is termed Deans and Chapters, £22,624 58. 5d., besides other perquisites, makes a total of JS807,583 12s. 4d. What 7ft work is done for all this expenditure '( Aooordine to report, out of 2864 pgrisbes in Ireland, 155 have no churohes, and not a single protestant inhabitant; 45 parishes, having under 50 protestants, including men, women and hildreu, they are not on that account however, relieved from payinff tithes to the English Church which are still compulsory exacted — ot 300 dignities, and prebends 75 of them have no duties to perform, and 9U others sinecures. The Archdeacon of Neath has £731, and not one pro- testant to attend him or a soul to cure. I find seven benefices, with 02 protestants, without one church or a clergyman, who pavs <£2869 lis. of tithe. I find eight parishes with only 173 members of the State Church who pay jC4800 of tithe composition. Need we be surprised that such a system as this should have issued in beggary and wretchedness and crime to the Irish people, and kept that nation hanging on the brink of rebellion since they became subject to the English Government. This is the church, which Biibington Maoauly describes the "most ridiculous, and inde- fensible of all the institutions now existing in the civilized world," and by Mr. Roebuck as the ''greatest ecclesiastical enormity in Europe." Space will not permit me to dwell on these oases, which could be multi- plied almost without end. Indeed the rapacitv of the clergy is almost proverbial. They are not satisfied with one living, they womd grasp at ten if they could get them. What do they care about duties, it is the money they want. They are in reality what Milton styled them in his day, " non-resident, and plurality gaping prelates, the gulphs and whirlpools of benefices, but the dry pits of all sound doctrine who engross many pluralities under a non-resident and slumbering dispatching of souls, who let hundreds of parishes famish in one diocese, while they, the prelates, are mute, and yet enjoy that wealth which would furnish all those dark places with able supply ; and yet they eat, and yet they live at the rate of lords, and yet noard up ', consuming and purloining even that which by their foundation is ullowod and left to the poor, and to the reparation of the Church." The English people who believe in the Episcopalian creed and doctrine are entitled to support this apostolic institution named after them, and they do it sweetly. It is a difficult thing to get exact estimates of the total revenue of tnis institution in England. Churchmen have always been exceedingly loath to ff.^e information on this subject. When the Gov- ernment in 1835 had made enquiries on the subject, the ecclesiastical commission was called on to make a return of the income of the clergy to Parliament, they then gave in the net revenue of the church at only ^,436,851 ; but since then the tithe commutation act has come into I operation, then it became the interest of the church to claim as much as possible, forgetting their previous return. What has been the consequen- I ces ? The tithes commuted swelled up at once to six millions and a half [sterling, and they found out that if the tithes vet uncommuted be rated at the same value as those commuted, the annual income of the clergy I from tithes alone will at least amount to .£8,000,000 a year. Besides the Uthes, there are the charitable foundations of England, most of which they have got into their hands. These are the professorships, fellowships. 80 tutorflhipti, maatenhips, &o., iu the uuivorMities, and tho revenues of Ox- ford ana Cambridge amountH to no less than £741,000. Then the surplice fees for tho conHecration of burial grounds, preaoherships, leotureshipo, chaplainships, ohapol of ease, eastor dues, christening fees, marriage foes, burtal foes, episcopal revenues from land and other sources, when added together, will form a total of not less than ten millions sterling per year, Then Madam, I will give you a brief sketch of how the British pouple are taxed for other aristocratic purposes ; the process is simple indeed. They don't ask the consent of those whom they tax — they take particular cure to keep them out of their counsels as much as possible : they merely tax us and make us pay, having at all times at hand, and under their command u strong body of police, soldiers, and diabolical agencies of all sorts, and pay the people must. See how they manage to get it, — so much on sugar, so much on tea, coifee, tobacco, malt, hop.s, cocoa, soap, spirits, window light, &c. &c. '* We are quarrelling about an income tax of seven-pence the pound sterling," said Mr. Cobden, in his speech in the House of Com- luons, March 13th, 1852. What amount do the people pay on articles consumed by them '( For every 20s. they expend on tea, they pay IOh, of duty ; for every 208. on sugar, they pay 6s.; on coffee, 8s.; on soap, 58.; on beer, 4s.; on tobacco, 16s.; on spirits, 14s.: on every 20s. they expend upon these articles, and other articles in proportion, you cannot but see that this amounts to an income tax, not 7d. the pound, but sometimes of 12s., 15s., or 16s. per pound; while men of thousands a year expend their money upon luxuries, with comparatively little tax." It is really wonder- ful how the aristocratic classes have contrived to evade the payment of their due share of the taxation of the country. According to their own Parliamentary Report, the laud tax of Great Britain amounts to £1,183,- 000, which is only one pound in every thirty-three pounds raised bv tax- ation in Britain. The taxes are mainly extorted from the working classes, who are the least able to bear the imposition, while the rich both exempt themselves, and spend the taxes so raised in the most riotous, reckless, extravagance. The land tax, so far as I can trace, has not been increased since 1688, though other taxes during that period have nearly twenty fold. Yet from the beginning of George the Third's reign to 1834, the aristocracy had seized upon and enclosed not less than 6,840,540 acres of common land, but the taxes were not increased one cent. This is not all, they have enacted laws to exempt the landed and agricultural classes from taxes im- posed on the rest of the community. The landlord laws enact that all shall pay the stamp duties but themselves. The assessed taxes have been re- moved down to the farm-horse, and the shepherd's dog. The laws author- ize entail, by which real estates are preserved to a series of heirs, unat- tachable by the claims of creditors. They have specially exempted lands from the heavy probate and legacy duty, imposed on all other kinds of property descending by inheritance or Will. By these means alone, ac- cording to calculation, they saved themselves the enormous sum of £3,- 000,000 annually. I say, for instance, that a poor labouring man, by dint of hard industry and economy, has saved two hundred pounds, which he leaves to a relative at his death. The amount is taxed at the rate of one 81 to ten per cent., according to the nearest of kin. But nay that a lord, duke, or earl dies, and leaves an estate of from one to forty thousand pounds a jear, not one penny is in this case paid in the shape of iux. They nian- iged that the industrious, and all other cIuhsc but their own, should pa^ nreetly for public misrule. To help themsolves still further, they have nddled eisht hundred and forty-one of their order upon the nation, under the lucrative title of State Pensioners, whose pensions average jC 1.876, total, jSl,688,871 per annum, not speaking of the thousand of lower grades of pensioners. I shall conclude this portion of my address to you, by briefly informing you of the expenses of the aristocratic fighting estab- lishnjeut of Great Britain, during thirty years of peace, (both military and Daval), — £549,088,112; average per annum, £16,150,000, including the expenses of putting down the Canadian Liberals, and of the Opium War in China. (See Lord John RusfleH's speech in the House of Commons, on the 18th of July, 1^*48.) In short, Madam, if I was to enumerate what I know myself of the extravagant expenditure of the British Aristocratic Government, and of the monopolising svstems of Great Britain, you would be astonished how the producers of all the wealth and splendour you have seen in England could exist at all. The Duke of Wel- liDgton alone cost the nation JB2,762,563, tince he entered the army, up to 1818. No wonder that the magnificent edifices, the sumptuous iurnish- ings and embellishments, the beauties of art and nature within and with- out these edifices, and the amiable demeanour of the crafty ladies of Eng- land, have dazzled your eyes, so much so as to throw all republic grandeur, liberty, beauty, and arrangements, completely in the shade of insignifi- cancy. But, Madam, had you made proper enquiry and research, you would have found that all these magnificent superstructures and splendour which rivetted your attention, and Drought forth your admiration and superfluity of praise, were founded on American and West Indian slavery, and East Indian plunder, embellished and supplit^d by home plunder; then you have a fair specimen, rather an ocular demonstration of the sublime and ridiculous — somewhat like what you will find in Spain, Portugal and Italy. There you will find superb mansions, and churches which will sur- pass any you have seen in England, connected with an institution they call The Holy Inquisition. But in the rear and basement, you may find racks, gags, wheels, and other instruments of punishment; helpless, hope- less victims going through various ordeals of lingering death, and a char- nel house to receive them. Let no one suppose that I include the English people in this black catalogue; no, I respect them, for they are the real Tictims of unnecessary dignity and grandeur. In your perambulation in Scotland, you have seen only one church worthy of your notice, and that same one was faulty, and not one living literary, scientific, or theological gentleman met you, even in Edinburgh, (modem Athens) that was worth mentioning his name, but Doctor Oathrie, a Free Church minister, and Doctor Henderson, a homoepathio physician. Of all the letters you found waiting you in Edinburgh, there were only five of them worthy of your notice, viz : " A very kind and beautifol one from the Duchess of Sutherland, another from her brother P :M >iM 82 iB< ■f 'm the Earl of Carlisle, making an appointment for meeting you as soon as you arrived in London ; another from the Bev. Mr. Kingsley and his lady. Letters from Mr. Binney, and Mr. Sherman — all containing invitations to visit them in London." You say, in writing to your dear sister upon this subject, " As to all engagements, I am in a happy state of acquiescence, having resigned myself as a very tame lion into the hands of my keepers. Whenever the time comes for me to do anything, I will try to behave i myself as well as I can, — which, as Dr. Young says, is all an angel can do in the same circumstances." Oh, Madam, what presumptive comparisons. When God appoints and commissions men or angels to advocate the cause of the oppressed, and preach deliverance to the captive and slave. The oppressors of the people will not be (nor were not) their admired, bosom friends and only associates; they would not be embarrassed, nor would hearkon to the flattering correspondence and invitation of Dukes, Duchl esses. Earls, nor of such as those who accumulated immense wealth and! grandeur by grinding down the faces of the poor and industrious ; uorl yet would they be coaxed from performing their mission faithfully, b;| presents of platefuUs of glittering gold — long purses, containing unacl counted large amounts of the same precious metal, and boxes of jewelijl and diamond bracelets — ^yes, and costly dresses, notknowing their number. I We have an ocular demonstration of this in the behaviour and conduct oil men (not speaking of angels), down from Moses to Luther, Calvin a John Knox — men who despised that which you admired — who did coll hesitate to proclaim the messages they received from their master to tiiel different Pharoah's they had to contend with in the world, and chose raj ther to associate with the captives — partake of their suffering and afflici tions, than to share in the festivities, sumptuousness, and luxuries of thej oppressors. None who will peruse your Sunny Memories carefully, butl must come to the conclusion, that if ever you received any injunctionil from heaven regarding the American slaves, that you have merchandiseiil them. Mr. Gough, the great teetotal advocate and abstainer, hearing ofl your success, soon followed you to Britain ; but what would you think ofl nim yourself, had he made the distillers and brewers of Britain his onljl bosom associates and co-operators in putting down the vices of intempeil ance in America or anywhere else, which brought thousands, yea, milliosJ of the people to a premature grave, crime, and condign punishment. Il say what would you think of him should these gentlemen load him witlil many thousand sovereigns for praising their mansions, and extensivel establishmeuts for manufacturing crime and woe to an extent which wouldl throw the American establishment of the same character into the shade ofl insignificance ; would you yourself consider him worthy the name of al teetotal advocate, or a sympathiser with the victims. I am sorry to sa;| that my view of your movements and manoeuvers in Britain, is a /am simile ; only this, that you have received many thousand sovereigns (yesj to an unknown amount), for the express purpose and conditions of emasi cipating American slaves. What have you done with these immeosel sums ? — not a single dollar of it can be traced to where it was intendeii,[ and should be found. '88 I was present at the great meeting or soiree you had in the Music Hall, Edinburgh, (the seat of learning), I know that you have been well received there, and almost every body tliought you were worthy of it, (I among the rust); a great deal of merited eulogy, and a great deal of what I consider (ulaouie, blaspb()mous adulation, were poured out upon you that evening, but all seemed to go down well with you; you were held up by the oraturs of the evening to the immense assembly as the Angel of Freedom, the Angel of Lioiix, &c. But among the flattering orators there were I none worthy of your notice, (as I said before) but Doctor Guthrie! Why? because he spoke highly of the Duchess of Sutherland. This pays the Doctor well, for when the Duchess comes to Edinburgh, she attends divine worship in the Doctor's church, the only free church she ever entered, and she graces the oficring plute with two or three sovereigns ; she will call upon the Doctor at his house and take him out for an after- noon's drive in her carriage, and send her compliments to him when in Sutherland (her Highland deer stalking and game preserve estate) in cart loads and hurl^ loads of deer carcases and fowl. Her daughters, viz : Duchess of Argyle, and Ludy Blantyre, will fullow the example of their mother, and the Proprietrix of Cromarty, who is married to her son, Mar- quis of Stafford, will not be behind any of them. I assure you the Doctor has fine times of it between them all, and bound to praise them well. But the only portion of his speech on this great eventful, and never- to-be-forgotten occasion, which amused you most was, ** In allusion to the retorts which had been made in Mrs. Tyler's letter to the kdies of England, on the defects in the old country." You introduced the Doctor to your read- ersof the Sunny Memories as " a tall thin man, with a kind of quaintness in his mode of expressing himself, which sometimes gives an air of drollery to his speaking." (True indeed, but a good man, and a man I admired much, though he befooled himself that night.) '* I do not deny," he said "but there are defects in our country, what I say of them is this. — that they are incidental very much to an old country like our own, as Dr. Simpson knows very well and so does every medical man, that when a man gets old he gets infirm, his blood vessels get ossified. Wiiat is true of an old country is true of old men, and old women too I am very much disposed to say of this young nation of America, that their teasing with our defects, might just get the answer which a worthy member of tlie [ Church of Scotland give to his son, who was so dissatisfied with the defects in the church, that he was determined to go over to :i younger commu- nion — "Ah Sandy, Sandy, man, when your lum reeks as lang as ours, it I will maybe need sweeping too." Now, I do not deny but we need sweep- ing; every one knows that I have been singing out«bout sweeping for the last five years. Let me tell my good friends in Edinburgh and in the country, that the sooner you sweep the better, for the chimney may catch tre and reduce your noble fabric to ashes. He continued and said, " They tell us in that letter about the poor needle-woman that had to vork sixteen hours a day," (but the doctor forgot to say for eight pence per day). Tis true, exclaimed the doctor; but does oun law compel I them to work gizteen hours a day ; may they not go where they like and *'| get better wages, and better work — can the slaves do that?" Then the doctor went on to detail about ragged children and his own sympathy towards them, and what he had done for them. Now, the doctor was in- vited to this meeting to speak of the incompatabilty of American slavery with Christianity ; but he knew better how to please his favourable Duchess than to speak consistently to his text — praising English ladies and justi- fying the Duchess of Sutherland from charges brought against her and others in the liberal public press of the nation, was his sole object in speaking at the meeting. I really felt sorry for the poor misguided '< thin tall" doctor, yet I could not allow him to escape with impunity for his reckless, inconsistent and uncalled-for conduct that night. A f&yi days afterwards, I addressed the following letter to him through the Edinburgh Guardian. You will observe there was some peculiar cause for inviting the doctor to this meeting, and that he was invited at the re- quest of some great personage or another, or he would not be there. He was the only one of that reverend body who was invited, or took any part in the proceedings that night, for this cause : the meeting was got up by the Anti-Slavery Society, who raised such a hue and cry against the Free Church ministers for years before this, for taking money from the American slave- holders to build churches, and Dr. Guthrie was then the Free Church champion — defending their conduct, who, at every meeting, would pin up his opponents to the wall ; however, the Anties managed to break down the good and friendly feeling between the Free Church body and the Americans, which I believe, if allowed to continue undisturbed, would have ten times more effect for the emancipation of the slaves, at least of ameliorating their condition, than all the agitation, excitement and novels which have been displayed upon the subject. To the Editor of the Edinburgh Guardian. Sir, — You are already aware that the higher a man's position is in society, and in the estimation of the people, the more dangerous he is when he errs. It is a singular anomaly that the ecclesiastical orators of the platform in our day cannot praise one party enough without calumni- ating other parties. This I deplore, and gentlemen guilty of such prac- tice should be ashamed of themselves, however much they may be ap- plauded, and whatever amount of merriment they may create at the time ; it is passing strange that the Bev. Dr. Guthrie could not praise Mrs. Beecher Stowe enough, a lady who understood so well that she could not serve God in a more acceptable way than to help those who could not help thwnsolves, hence, who merited for herself the gratitude of every sympat)iiser with suffering humanity ; nor yet could he praise God enough, " for (as he saith) giving us in our day (in the person of that lady) one in whom the Jinest genitis is associated with the purest and truest Piety," without attacking the memory of Byron and of Burns, two shining men to whom the world are so much indebted, with a view to de- teriorate their memory in the estimation of his hearers in the Music Hall on the 19th ultimo. Be ashamed. Doctor, for your hyperbolic assertions; both these valuable men are dead, but still speaking, and their memory is 85 nMOciated •; truth, Uiough not with whining hypocrisy, falsifying phi- losophy, a?iu perverting truth, a trade, which pays icell i"^ mir day, — be- sddes, you have not been long acquainted with Mrs. B. Stowe yet, and you ghould be more cautious and sparing of praise. In like manner, the Doctor could not praise and make manifest his love to the American peo- ple as the greatest and noblest on earth (ourselves excepted) for ihextptire faith, many Bibles, Family Altars, Free Press, Flays, and peaceable liberty, especially for their soil and air, which, he says, makes extraordi- nary changes on men, though he never was there, and is not sure what change they would make on him if he went, — I say, he could not do all this without putting his religious iron bull upon the neck of unfortunate people ('whose position in life is not their crime, but their misfortune), with a view to sink them lower in the estimation of the world than even Highland and Irish tyrannical landlords and their tools placed them. " Take (said the humane Doctor) an Indolent Celt, let him go to Ame- rica, he becomes active, — take a wild Irishman, he becomes civilized, — a blind bigoted Papist, his eyes are opened, and he turns his back on Rome. These are facts extraordinary ; we pour with many good elements ii singular amount of impurity across the Atlantic, but America does not vast it off, it merges, changes, and reforms it like the sea that receives manny muddy rivers, but keeps its own bosom clean." Now, Sir, the Doctor was requested to speak at this meeting to the incompatibility of American Slavery with Christianity, and I tell him that all this unfoun- ded foulsome calumny which he poured out against Highland and Irish Celts, is as incompatible with Christianity as is falsehood with truth, and as American Slavery is with Christianity ; and should it be true, it is un- called for, and out of order, and that it would be more like a minister and expounder of the gospel of truth, if he had said, — take the poor op- pressed trodden down Highland Celts who have been ejected from every portion of their fatherland, created by God susceptible to rear food for man, and who were cat^t upon sterile moors and barren by-corners, to whom every inducement or encouragement for activity and industry in their na- tive land was sternly denied, — let them go to America, where such are cheerfully held out to them, and they will soon become active trustworthy luembers of society, respected, prosper like other men, and bely their lay and clerical calumniators. He should continue, and say, — take the poor Irish, who could not submit so tamely to oppression, who were often driven to madness by legalised plunderers,— -let them go to America, where they are not subject to such ungodly exactions and persecution as in Ireland, and they will soon become as civil, as peaceable, as honest, as easily dealt with, and as industrious as other men (independent of the miraculous efficacy of the soil and air). But the Doctor says their eye^; are opened, and they turn their back on Rome, — that is to say, on tl.eir father's religion. I much doubt this applauded assertion. No, Doctor, but their eyes are open, and they turn their backs on the insatiable Eras- tian Church of England in Ireland, and see themselves out of the reach of her cruel Tithe and Tax Collectors, and fur far away from her Rath- cormack sabre and batton abettors, where they are not annoyed day and 86 night by her licensed emissaries of discord, who have for centuries kept them and brother Protestants in each other's throats about religion, and they now find themselves living among people worthy of the name, where every man may believe what he pleases, worship as he pleases; where, if he is a good citizen, none will dispute his right, where every man pays priest or parson, as he pays his tailor and shoemaker, where they can live in harmony among Protestants, Jews, Greeks, Mahometans, Shakers, Jumpers, Latter-Day Saints, <&c., and where churches of all denominations are as free as the Doctor's and mine are. This would be more like Doctor Guthrie, for it is the only cause which he or any one else can assign for the indolent Celt becoming active, and tlie wild Irishman becoming civil- ized, and not the mysterious efficacy of the American soil and air.— Where, Doctor, under heaven, will you find better soil and air than in Ire- land and the Highlands of Scotland. The doctor would have us to believe that he would fight for the American Slaves if he would see any of them set up for sale — (not so fast. Doctor) ; — but, strange to tell, that he is aware that a Highland landlord, a very few years ago, employed consta- bles, policemen and other minions, to apprehend a great number of High- landers among the rocks and hills, where they fled for safety, to handcuff them, and force them on board an old rotten ship which he hired to carry them away from the land of their birth, and should be aware that the majority of this people perished, houseless, homeless, among snow and frost on the frozen soil, and among the biting air of North America. I never heard that the Doctor found fault with him for this, far less fight with him, although he Jiad only to step over from his own house, with a good cudgi'l, to St. Andrew's Square, to meet hini ; but these were lligh- landei's, and had no claim on the Hoctor's sympathy or interposition ; yet, there is no doubt the Doctor will fight, but the Atlantic muut be between him and the adversary } he will fight none at home. The sla\ ^ and pauper makers in Ireland and Scotland, yea, those who dispersed the brave sons of the mountains and valleys ot Caledonia, and of Green Erin, to the four winds of heaven, the Doctor will stroke their honourable heads, and clap them gently, exclaiming, you are the blessed, graceful humane ones who are purging our nation from the impure Irish and Scottish Celts, may you be spared to see the consummation of your desire. Hearken to his sorrow for the pitiless storm of unmerited abuse which was poured on the head of a certain noble lady of the StaflTord-House meeting, viz : Duchess of Sutherland, and he cries aloud, shame to them who did it. And who would confound the incidental defects of this country, which, he says, are becoming so old and infirm, that her blood-vessels are omjied with the deep-stained sins of America. Dear me. Doctor, I thought a little ago that the Americans were most pious ; what has become of their pure faith, Bibles, and Family Altars ? Be that as it may, I am neither ashamed nor afraid to tell you. Doctor, in the face, that if the number could be computed and compared, that Highland and Irish landlords sent more human beings to a premature grave, and caused a greater amount of pining and grief than ever the slave lords of America did since America became a Republic, and that if it was not for America, they would triple 87 the Dumber. Now, hearken to (he Doctor's sympathy with the poor needle-woman. He ezultingly bawls out at this meeting, — but does our law compel them to work 16 Hours a-d.'^y. True, Oh, Doctor I it does not, but the law of nature does, for they would rather do it than starve, and there is no other alternative ; but does that lessen their pain ? The Doc- tor says — can they not go elsewhere and get better wages ? — miscalled humanity — how far can penniless, helpless, and unprotected women go ia search of work, or of better wages ? and where would they go, Doctor? The Doctor says that liberty speaks no tongue but Saxon, and only found among Saxon people. What has become of the Tongues of Hungarian, Italian, and Polish patriots ? Oh, Doctor, Doctor, you are away with it Qow, but with all your fawning and pandering in quest of Aristocratic adulation and honour, the Saxons themselves can scarcely believe you. At present I will leave you by merely advising you not to go to America, especially in an impaired state of health, for fear you may lose your no- tion of Rags and Soup-Kitchens among the slaves and slave lords of America, and on the Queen's first visit to Edinburgh, decline to be crea- ted Bishop of the Ragged Schools of Scotland, for you really merit the honour. While I join with you in your quotation from the Poet, vft. — We but ask our rooky strand, ,^ Freedom's true and brother band — Freedom's strong and honest hand ; - Valleys by the slave untrod, ■ i And the pilgrim's mountain sod, ^ ' v Blessed by our Father's God. I pray that their numbers may be few, who will be so unfortunate as to come within the bounds of the Doctor's sympathy. Yours, &c, DONALD McLEOD. Doctor Guthrie did err in some expressions he made use of at that meeting, and he erred more so in going to the meeting at all, yet I love him and respect him as a Christian miuister and sympathiser with suffer- ing humanity. You would have left him unmentioned as you left the other orators, were it not for his praise of Duchesses and English ladies, and his sarcasm and retorts upon Mrs. Tyler, and you only held his name up for his quaintness and drollery, fearing to offend the English ladies by letting them know that there was any talent in Scotland ; but I tell you that it would take all the bishops in England to compose and deliver an address or speech any thing equal to the other more sublime portions of his speech that night. But I will leave the worthy Rev. Doctor j he caught grief enough from his own brethem in the church, and from other quarters, for being at the meeting, and it is a great pity he was there. And I ask you what has become of this money, and what have you done with it — not with this £1,000, but with the many thousands you have got in Scotland and England. Here is the express conditions upon which you got it, from the mouth of Mr. Ballantine, Secretary for the anti-Slavery Society, after detailing the progress of the penny offering at this meeting, he says : — " It was accordingly proposed to appeal to the readers of Uncle Tom's Cabin in 41 Scotland to oontribute one penny each to create a fund to be placed in the hands of Mrs. Stowe to be distributed by her for the benefit of the slave, and for the cause of emancipation. That appeal was made, and it has been Eromptly and cordially responded to. The result of that appeal is now efore you — (cheers). I cannot state precisely what amount of money has been collected, a^ sums are still daily coming in, but up to this hour it presents itself in the form of 1000 sovereigns" — (loud cheering.) I have all their speeches here before me, and in case my readers may think that I am exaggerating the adulation of Mrs. Stowe in Edinburgh^ ^ou have a verse here, which, along with other seven verses of the composition, was sung before her by one of the speakers : — Freedom's angel now'» come, Mercy's sisternow's come : Grim Oppression drees his doom : Harriet Beeclier Stowe's come. Would you meet such a reception in Scotland now ? No. You have let the veil of deception drop unawares. Now you will excuse me, Madam, for directing your attention to chapter 1 7 of your Sunny Memories, where you have attacked me individually, though clandestinely, in order to justify the House and Duchess of Sutherland from the charges brought against them in the American prints. You say — " My Dear C. — As to the ridiculous stories about the Duchess of Sutherland, which found their way into many of the American prints, one has only to be here moving in society to see how excessively absurd- they are. In all these circles I have heard the great and noble of the land spoken of and canvassed, and if there had been the shadow of a foundation for any such accusation, I cer- tainly should have heard it recognised in some manner. As I have before Intimated, the Howard family, to which the Duchess belongs, is one which has always been on the side of popular rights and popular reform. Lord Carlisle, her brother, has been a leader of the people during the time of the Corn Law reformation, and she has been known to take a wide and generous interest in all these subjects." Heavens i by whom was she known to be so, Madam, — you have discovered mysteries that were never known before, none under heaven heard it before. "Go ! if your ancient but ignoble blood, * ' Has crept through scoundrels ever since the flood — .;' Go! and pretend your family is young ; ' *; Nor own your fathers have been fools so long. What can ennoble sots, or slaves, or cowards; Not all the blood of all the Howards." — Pope. You say, " Imagine, then, what people must think when they find in respectable American prints the absurd stories of her turning her tenants out into the snow, and ordering the cottages to be set on fire over their heads, because they would not go out." " But, if you ask how such an absurd atory could ever have been made up, whether there is the least foundation to make it on, I answer that it is the exaggerated report of a 89 moTement made by the present duke of Sutherland's father, in the year 1811, and which was a part of a great movement that passed throush the Highlands of Scotland, when the advancing progress of civilization oegan to make it necessary to change the estates from military to agricultural es- tablishments." You go on then detailing the results of the union of Eng- land and Scotland, the situation of the Sutherland estate in the map of the Highlands. You say, '' The general agent of the estate of Sutherland is Mr. Loch." You are right, he was, and you provided a place for his whole speech before the House of Commons, on the second teading of the Scotch Poor Law Bill, June 12th, 1845, where he strenuously endeavoured to vindicate and exonerate himself and His Grace of Sutherland from the charges of cruelty and injustice to the people, brought against them in that House on that occasion by Mr. Crawford. No wonder that he ex- erted himself that day to silence his opponents, and to diipe the House. He was 21 years a member in the House for the Northern Boroughs, and this is the only speech of his which found its way to the public prints, or considered worthy of being borrowed or copied by any other print. (The honour of it was left for you alone Madam.) If I am not mistaken, the very day this speech was delivered in the House of Commons, the case of a poor cripple woman, from the parish of Farr, Sutherlandshire, was de- cided against His Grace, in the Court of Session, Edinburgh, and I had 71 more cases from his estate at the same time, in the hands of a solicitor, all pursuing his Grace for the support the law of the land provided for them, but denied them. Yet I find in your quotations from Mr. Loch's speech, this — " Therefore the statements that have been made, so far from being correct, are in every way an exaggeration of what is the fact. No portion of the kingdom has advanced in prosperity so much ; and if the honourable member, Mr. S. Crawford, will go down there, I will give him every facility to see the state of the people, and he shall judge with his own eyes whether my representation be not correct. :^ ^^ ^^ But I will not trouble the house ^ ^ ,|c the statements I have made are accu- rate, and I am quit^s ready to prove them, any way that is necessary." To follow this trumpeted up speech of Mr. Loch in your " Sunny Memories," would be lost time, and abuse of ink, paper, and type. Every Highlander over which he had any control, or had the least transaction with him, experimentally knew him to be the greatest deceiver, and the most avowed enemy to the celtic race that ever existed ', hence I will confine myself to 8 few remarks which will be corroborated by hundreds of living witnesses. "In the years 1812-13 and 1816-17, so great was their misery, that it was necessary to send down oatmeal for their supply, ^o the amount of 89,000, and that given to them." (The phrase given signifies gratis.) I know meal was sent these years to the amount of nearly one third of the stated amount ; but I know for a certainty that the people had to pay this trum> peted-up charity at the rate of £2 8s. sterling per boll. I knew my own father to pay it with cattle, and on the least calculation he handed over to his Grace, or his factor, eight pounds of good Highland beef for every pound of coarse oatmeal he received three months prior; and so did every one, who paid for that meal in kind. His grace s liberality to kirk ses* \Kl 90 sions, and the poor viz. "jS450-a-year;" to oay the least, this is monstrous exaggeration. He says, " Before 1812 there were no bakers, and only two shops in the county, and two blacksmiths." Now Madam, I can tell you, (and hundreds will back me) that before 1812 there were thousands of bakers in Sutherlandshire, and had plenty to bake, and that for time im- memorial prior to that date, they never needed charity or supply of oat- meal from their chiefs or any one else. Prior to 1812, and as long as 1 can remember, there were 26 shops in the county, and 81 blacksmiths. There was scarcely a parish in the county but there were two blacksmiths employed. The Sutherland people never knew what want was, until they became subjected to Loch's iron sway. You go on and say, ♦' What led me more particularly to inquij-e into these facts was, that I received by mail while in London, an account containing some of these stories which hud been so industriously circulated in America : these were dreadful accounts of cruelties practised, in the process of inducing the tenants to change their places of residence." The following is a specimen of these stories : '' I was present at the pulling down and burning of the house of Wil- liam Chisholm, Badinloskin, in which was lying his wife's mother, an old bedridden woman, of near one hundred years of age, none of the family being at home. I ' jformed the party about to set fire to the house of the circumstance, and prevailed on theai to stop till Mr. Sellar would come ; on bis arrival, I told him of the poor old woman being in a condition unfit for removal. He replied, ' D n her, she has lived too long, let her burn.' Fire was immediately set to the house, and the blankets in which she was carried were in flames before she could be got out. She was placed in a little shed, and it was with great difficulty they were prevented from firing that also. The old woman's daughter arrived while the house was on fire, and assisted the neighbours in removing her out of the flames and smoke, presenting a picture of horror which I shall never forget, but cannot at- tempt to describe : she died in flve days." " With regard to this story, Mr. Loch the agent says, 'I must notice the only thing like a fact stated in the newspaper extract which you sent me, wherein Mr. Sellar is accused of acts of cruelty toward some of the people. This Mr. Sel.ar tested by bringing an action against the then sheriff-sub- stitute of the county. He obtained a verdict for heavy damages. The sher- iff, by whom the slander was propogated, left the county. Both are since dead." Having, through Lord Shaftesbury's kindness, received the benefit of Mr. Loch's corrections to this statement, I am permitted to make a little further extract from his reply. He says — " In addition to what I was able to say in my former paper, I can now state that the Duke of Sutherland has received from one of the most deter- mined opposers of the measure, who travelled to the north of Scotland as editor of a newspaper, a letter regretting all he had written on the subject, being convinced that he was entirely misinformed. As you take so much interest in the subject, I will conclude by saying that nothing could exceed the prosperity of the county during the past year ; their stock, sheep, aud 91 is monstrous and only two can tell you, thousands of for time im- lupply of oat- [ as long as 1 blaoksiuithg, • blacksmiths IS, until they , " What led eived by mail !S which had dful accounts Its to change lese stories : lOuse of Wil- other, an old of the family house of the lid come ; on tion unfit for let her burn.' hich she was placed in a id from firing 3 was on fire, i and smoke, ut cannot at- ist notice the you sent me, f the people, sheriff-sub- !s. Thesher- oth are since he benefit of lake a little I can now e most deter- f Scotland as 1 the subject, ake so much could exceed atd other things sold at high prices ; their crops of grain and turnips were never so good, and the potatoes were free from all disease : rents have been paid better than was ever known as an instance of the improved habits of the farmers, no house is now built for them that they do not require a hot-bath and water-closets." From this long epitome you can gather the following results : first, if the system was a bad one, the Duchess of Sutherland hud nothing to dowitb it, since it was first introduced in 1806, the same year her grace was born; and the accusation against Mr. Sellar dates in 1811, when her grace was five or six years old. The Sutherland arrangements were completed in 1819, and her Grace was not married to the duke till 1823, so that, had the ar- rangement been the worst in the world, it is nothing to the purpose so far as she is concerned. As to whether the arrangement u a bad one, the facts which have been stated speak for themselves. To my view, it is nn almost sublime instance of the benevolent employment of superior wealth and power in shortening the struggles uf advancing civilization, and elevating in a few years a whole community to a point of education and material prosperity which, unas- sisted, they might never have obtained. Yes, Madam, a " sublime instance," you say, " of the benevolent em- ployment of superior wealth and power in shortening the struggles of advancing civilization." I say yes, indeed, the shortest process of civil- ization we have recorded in the history of nations. (^Oh marvellous!^ From the year 1812 to 1820, the whole interior of the county of Suther- land, whoso inhabitants were advancing rapidly in the science of agricul- ture and education, who by nature and exemplary training were the bravest, the most moral, and patriotic people that ever existed, — even admitting a few of them did violate the excise laws, (the only sin which Mr. Loch and all the rest of their avowed enemies could bring against them,) — where a body of men could be raised on the shortest possible notice, that kings and emperors might and would be proud of; and the whole fertile valleys, and strathes which gave them birth, were in due season waving with corn ; their mountains and hill sides studded with sheep and cattle ; when re- joicing, felicity, happiness, and true piety prevailed ; where the marshal notes of the bagpipes sounded and reverberated from mountain to glen, from glen to mountain : I say marvellous! in eight years converted to a solitary wilderness, where the voice of man praising God is not to be heard, nor the image of God upon man not to be seen ; where you can set a compass with twenty miles of a radius upon it, and go round with it full stretched and not find one acre of land within the circumference, which came under the plough for the last 'thirty years, except a few in the parishes of Lairg and Tongue, — all under mute brute animals. This is the advancement of civilization, is it not Madam ? Return now, with me, to the beginning of your elaborate eulogy on the Duchess of Sutherland, and if you are open to conviction, I think you should be convinced that I never published, nor circulated in the American, English, or Scotch public prints any ridiculous absurd stories about her grace of Sutherland. An abridgement of my lifcubrations are now in the hands of the public, and you may per- :;i nse them. I itand by them att factt), (jttubhorn cheili,) I can prove th«in to bo 80 oven in this oountrv, by a cloud of living witneoses, and my read em will find that, instead of bringing excessivo absurd accusations against her Grace, that I have endeavoured, in some instances, to screen her and her prodooessors from the public odium their own policy, and the doings of their servants, merited. Moreover, there is thirtv years since I began to expostulate with the house of Sutherland for their shortsighted policy in dealing with their people as they were doing, and it is twenty years since I began to expose them publicly, with my real plain name, Donald iM'Leod attached to each letter, and a copy of the puolic paper whore it appeared, directed and sent by post to the Duke of Sutherland. Thcst exposing and remonstrating letters were published in the Edinburgh papers, where the Duke and his predecessors had their principal Scotch law agent, and you inav easily believe that 1 was closely watched, so as to find one false accusation in my letters, but they were baffled. I am well aware that every one letter I have written on the subject would constitute a true fihrl, and I knew the editors, printers, and publishers of these papers were as liable or responsible for true libel at* I was. But the House of Sutherland could never venture to raise an action of damages against either of us. In 1841, when I published my first pamphlet, I paid 84 50, for binding one of them in a splendid stvle, which I sent by mail to his grace the present Duke of Sutherland with a complimentair note, requesting him to peruse it, and let me know if it contained anything offensive or untrue. I never received a reply, nor did I expect it, yet I am satisfied that his grace per- used it. I posted a copy of it to Mr. Loch, his chief commissioner ; tu Mr. W. Mackenzie, his chief lawyer, Edinburgh ; and to every one of their underlings, and sheep farmers, and ministers in the county of Suth- erland who abbetted the depopulators, and I challenge the whole of them, and other literary scourges who aided and justified their unhallowed doings, to gainsay one statement I have made. Can you, or any other believe, that a poor sinner like Donald M'Leod would be allowed for so many years to escape with impunity, had he been circulating and publishing calum- nious absurd falsehoods against such personages as the House of Suther- land. No, 1 tell you, if money could secure my punishment, without es- tablishing their own shame and guilt, that it would be considered well spent long ere now, — they would eat me in penny pies if they could get me cooked for them. I agree with you that the Duchess of Sutherland is a beautiful accom- plished lady, who would shudder at the idea of taking a faggot or a burn- ing torch in her hand, to set fire to the cottages of her tenants, and w would her predecessor, the first Duchess of Sutherland, her good mother; likewise would the late and present Dukes of Sutherland, at least I am willing to believe that they would. Yet it was done in their name, under their authority, to their knowledge, and with their sanction. The Dukes and Duchesses of Sutherland, and those of their depopulating order, had not, nor has any call to defile their pure hands in milder work than to burn people's houses ; no, no, they had, and have plenty of willing tools at their beck to perform their dirty work. Whatever amount of Hhmanity 98 ^1 and purity of heart the late or the present duke and daohesa may possess or be ascribed to them, we know the class of men from whom tl>.ey selected their commissioners, factors and underlings. I knew every one of these fficked servants who ruled the Sutherland estate for the last fifty years, and I am justified in saying that the most skillful phrenologist and physi- ognomist that ever existed could not discern one spark of humanity in the whole of them, from Mr. Loch down to Donald Sgrios, or in other words, damnable Donald, the name by which he was known. The most part of those vile executors of the atrocities I have been describing are now dead, and to be feared but not lamented. But it seems the chief were loft to give you all the information you required about British slavery and oppres- !)ion. I have road from speeches delivered by Mr. Loch at public dinners among his own party, " that ho would never be satisfied until the Gaelic language and the Gaelic people would be extirpated root and branch from the Sutherland estate ; yes, from the highlands of Scotland. He published a book, where he stated as a positive fact, that when he got the manar^e iiient of the Sutherland estate, that he found 408 families on the estate vrho never heard the name of Jesus," — whereas T could make an oath that there were not at that time, and for ages prior to it, above two famines irithip the limits of the county who did not worship that name, and holy Being every morning and evening. I know there are hundreds in the Canadas who will bear me out in this assertion. I was at the pulling down and burning of the house of William Chisholm, I got my hands burnt taking out the poor old woman from amidst the flames of her once comfortable though humble dwelling, and a more horrifying and lamenta- ble scene could scarcely be witnessed. I may say the skeleton of once a tall, robust, high cheek boned respectable woman, who had seen better days, who could neither hear, see, nor speak, without a tooth in her mouth, her cheek skin meeting in the centre, her eyes sunk out of sight in their sockets, her mouth wide open, her nose standing upright among smoke and flames, uttering piercing moans of distress and agony, in articulations from which could be only understood, oh, Dhia, Dhia, tein, tein — oh God, God, fire, fire. When she came to the pure air her bossom heaved to a most extraordinary degree, accompanied by a deep hollow sound from the lungs, comparable to the sound of thunder at a distance. When laid down upon the bare, soft, moss floor of tho roofless shed, I will never forget the foam of perspiration which emitted and covered the pallid death- looking countenance. This was a scene, Madam, worthy of an artist's pencil, and of a conspicuous place on the stages of tragedy. Yet you call this a specimen of the ridiculous stories which found their way into respectable prints, because Mr. Loch, the chief actor, told you that Sellar, the head executive, brought an action against the sheriff and obtained a verdict for heavy damages. What a subterfuge; but it will not answer the purpose, " the bed is too short to stretch yourself ^ and the covering too narrow and short to cover i/ou.'* If you took your information and evidence upon which you founded your Uncle Tom's cabin from such dis- creditable sources, (as I said before), who can believe the one-tenth of your nove( ? I cannot. I have at my hand here the grand-child of the 94 » » murdered old woman, who reoolloots well of the ciroumitanoe. I have oot far from me a respectable man, an older in the Free Church, who who examined aa a witoeaM at Sellur's trial, at the spring aasizca of InverDi. 1810, which you will find narrated in lotturs t'uur and live of my wurk. I think, Madum, had you the opportunity of seeing tlio scenes which I, and hundreds more, havo seen, and see the fcroci.>uH app.}arunco of the infamous ct iporo than h'^^ match. He then went to the north, got hold of 'i.y -i : ; c.tnphlet, and by setting it up in a literary style, and in better Jb^nglish than I did, he made a splendid and promising appearance in the northern papers for some time, but he found out that the money expected was not coming in, and he found that the hotels, head inns, and taverns, would not keep him up any longer without the prospect of being paid for the past or for the future. I fr r u out that he waa hard up, and a few of the highlanders in Edinburgh ana mysflf, sent him from twenty to thirty pounds sterling. When he mw that bbiftt was all he was to get; he at once turned tail ttpon us, and know not, Mettcmich No feeli no desire t havoc and land, Iwri the way fo; land propr and oppre destructioi the Duke and by bei hesitation half of th aborigines their prin tion, posse tary chief, loyal avail and his I dominions and annoy her High English h( be ready, of their p marshal r Glen and greeted a hapf>y, nr there is meet the the land r the footpr after, and instead of expressing IiIm gratitude, ho abused us unsparingly, and regretted that over he wrote in behalf of such u hungry, monovluss class. He smclled (like othcra we suspect) whero the gold was hoarded up for hypocrites, and flatterers, and that one apologizing letter to his grace would be worth ton timoH uh much as ho could expect from the highlandors all his lifetime, and I doubt not but it wan, for his apology for the sin of mis- iDformation got wide circulation. He then went to France and started an English paper in Paris, and for the service he rendered Napoleon in crushing republicariiHiii during the besieging of Kome, &o., the Emperor presented him with a UoUl Pin, and in a few days afterwards sent a Gendarme to Mullock with a brief notice that his service was not any longer required, and a warning to quit ' ^.nee in a few days, which he had to do. What became of him after I know not, but very likely he is dictating to young Loch, or some other Mettemich. No feelings of hostile vindiotiveness, no desire to inflict chastisement, no desire to make riches, influenced my mind, pourtruying the scenes of havoo and misery which in those past davs darkened the annals of Suther- land, I write in my own humble style with higher aims, wishing to prepare the way for demonstrating to the Dukes of Sutherland, and all other High- land proprietors, great and small, that the path of selfish aggrandisement and oppression, leads by sure and inevitable results, yea to the ruin and destruction of the blind and misguided oppressors themselves. I consider the Duke himself victimised on a large scale by an incurable wrong system and by being enthralled by wicked counsellors, and servants. I have no hesitation in saying, had his Oraoe and his predecessors, bestowed one half of the encouragement they had bestowed upon strangers, upon the aborigines, a hardy, healthy, abstemious people, who lived peaceably in their primitive habitations, unaffected with the vices of a subtle civiliza- tion, possessing little, but enjoying much ; a race dev ted to their heredi- tary chief, ready to abide by his counsels, a race prolituble in peace, and loyal available in war ; I say his Graee, the present Duke of Sutherland, and his beautiful Duchess, would be without compeers in the British dominions, their rents at le&st doubled, would be as secure from invasion and annoyance in Dunroben Castle as Queen Victoria could, or can be, 'in her Highland residence, Ballmoral, and far safer than she is in her English home, Buckingham Palace ; every man and son of Sutherland would be ready, as in the days of yore, to shed the last drop of blood in defence of their patron, if required. Congratulations, rejoicings, dancing to the marshal notes of the pipes, would meet them at the entrance to every Glen and Strath in Sutherlandshire, accompanied, surrounded, and greeted as they proceeded, by the most grateful, devotedly attached, happy, and bravest peasantry, that ever existed ; yes, but alas ! where there is uothing now but desolation and the cries of famine and want to meet the noble pair, the ruins of once comfortable dwellings, will be seen the land marks of the furrows and ridges which yielded food to thousands, the footprints of the arch enemy of human happiness, and ravager before, after, and on ed^vll side, aoUtude, stillness, and quiet of the grave, disturbed 96 only at intervals by the yells of a shepherd, or fox-hunter, and the bark of a collie dog. Surely we must admit the Marquises and Dukes of the house of Sutherland have been duped, and victimized to a most extraordinary and in- creditable extent, and we have Mr. Loch's own words for it in his speech in the House of Commons, June 21st, 1845, " I can state, as from facts, that from 1811 to 1833, not one sixpence of rent has been received from that county ; but on the contrary, there has been* sent there for the benefit and improvement of the people, a sum exceeding sixty thousand pounds, ster- ling." Now think you of this immense wealth which has been expended, I am not certain, but I think the rental of the county would exceed j£6O,OO0 a year, you have then from 1811 to 1833, twenty-two years, leaving them at the above figures, and the sum total will amount to £1,320,000 expen- ded upon the self styled Sutherland improvements, add to this £60,000 sent down to preserve the lives of the victims of those improvements from death by famine, and the sum total will turn out in the shape of £1,380,- 000; it surely cost the heads of the house of Sutfierland an immense sum of money to convert the county into the state I have described it, in a former part of this work, (and I challenge contradiction), I say the ex- pelling of the people from their Glens and Straths, and hudling them in motly groups on the sea shores, and barren moors, and to keep them alive there, and to make them willing to be banished from the nation, when they thought proper, or when they could get a haul of the public money, to pay their passage to America or Australia,, cost them a great deal. This fabulous incredible munificence of their Graces to the people, I will leave the explanation of what it was, how it was distributed, and the manner in which payment and refunding of the whole of it was exacted off the people, to my former description of it in this work ; yet I am willing to admit that a very small portion, if any, of the refunding of the amount sent down, over reach the Duke's or the Marquis's coffers, which is easily understood by. not granting receipts for it. Whatever particle of good the present Duke might feel inclined to do, will be ever frustrated by the counteracting energy of a prominent evil principle; I know the adopting and operations of the Loch policy towards th^ Sutherland peasantry, cost the present Duke and his father many thousands of pounds; and, I pre- dict, will continue to cost them on a large scale while a Loch is at the head of their affairs, and principal adviser. Besides how may they endanger what is far more valuable than gold and silver; for those who are advised by men who never sought counsel or advice from God, all their lifetime, as their work will testify, do hazard much, and are trifling with omniscience. You should be surprised to hear and learn. Madam, for what purposes the most of the money drained from the Duke's coffers yearly are ex- pended, since he became the Duke and proprietor of Sutherland, and upholding the Loch policy. There are no fewer than seventeen who are known by the name of Water Bailiffs, in the county, who receive yearly salaries, what doing, think you ? protecting the operations of the Loch policy, watching day and night the fresh water lakes, rivers, and creeks, teeming with the finest salmon and trout fish in the world, guarding from 97 the ifatnisliiag people, even during the years of famine and dire distress, when many had to subsist upon weeds, sea ware, and shellfish, yet j?uarded aad preserved for the amusement of English anglers ; and what is still more heart-rending, to prevent the dying by hunger to pick up any of the dead fish left by the sporting anglers, rotting on the lake, creek, and river sides, when the smallest of them, or a morsel, would be considered by hundreds, I may say thousands of the needy natives, a treat, but durst not toucli thcni, or if they did and found out, to jail they wore conducted, or removed summarily from his Grace's domains ; (lot me be understood, these gentlemen had no use of the fish, only killing tliom for aiuusement, only what they required for their own use, and complimented to the factors, they were not permitted to cure them.) You will find. Madam, that about three miles from Dunrobin Castle there is a branch of the sea which extends up the jounty about six miles, where shellfish called mussels, abounds ; here you will find there are two sturdy men, called mussfl bailifl's, supplied with rifles and ammunition, and as many Newfoundland dogs as assistants, watching the mussel scalp, or beds, to preserve them from the people in the surrounding parisnes of Dornoch, llogart, and Golspie, and keep them to supply the fishermen on the opposite side of the Moray Firth with bait, who comes there every year and takes away thousands of tons of this nutritive shellfish, when many hundreds of the people would be thankful for a diet per day of them, to pacify the cravings of nature. You will find the unfortunate native fishermen who pays a yearly rent to his Grace for bait, that they are only permitted theirs from the refuse left by the strangers of the other side of the Moray Firth, and if they violate the iron rule laid down to them, they lire entirely at the mercy of the underlings : there has been an instance of two of tlie fishermen's wives going on a cold snowy frosty day, to gather bait, but on account of the boisterous sea, could not reach the place appointed by the factors ; and one took what they required from the forbidden ground, and was observed by some of the bailifis in ambush, who pursued them like tigers, one came up to her unobserved, took out his knife and cut the straps by which the basket or creel on her back was suspended, the weight on her back fell to the ground, and she, poor woman, big in the family way, fell her whole length forward in the snow and frost, another turnod round to see what happened, and he pushed her back with such furco that she fell her whole length ; he then trampled their baskets and mus- sels to atoms, and took them both prisoners, ordered one to go and call his superior bailiff to assist him, and kept the other for two hours stand- ing wet as she was, among frost and snow until the superior came a dis- tance of three miles. After a short consultation upon the enormity of the crime, the two poor women were led like convicted criminals to Golspie, to appear before Licurgus Gunn, and in that deplorable condition were left standinsc before their own doors in the snow, until Marshiil Gunn found it convenient to appear to pronounce judgment, — verdict; Y''ou are allowed to go into your houses this night, t us day week you must leave this village for ever, and the whole of the fishermen of the village are strictly prohibited from taking bait from the Little Ferry uutil you leave;, G M M 98 my bailiffs are requested to see this my decree strictly attended to. Beintf tlie luiddlc of winter and heavy snow, they delayed a week longer : ulti- mately the villagers had to expel the two families from among them, so as they would get bait, having nothing to depend upon for subsistence but the fishing, and fish they could not without bait. This is a specimen of the injustice and subjugation of the Golspie fishermen, and of the peo- ple at large ; likewise of the purposes for which the duke's money is ex- pended in that quarter. If you go then, to the other side of the domain, you will find another kyle,>or a branch of the sea which abounds in cockles and other shellfish, which, fortunately for the poor people, are not forbidden by a Loch Ukase. But in the years of distress, when the people were principally living upon vegetables, sea weeds and shellfish, various diseases made their appearance among them, hitherto unknown. The ab- sence of meal of any kind being considered the primary cause ; some of the people thought they would be permitted to exchange shellfish for meal with their more fortunate neighbours in Caitlfness, to whom such shell fish were a rarity, and so far the understanding went between them, that the Caithness boats came up loaded with meal, but the Loch embargo, through his underling in Tongue, who was watching their movements, were at once placed upon it, and the Caithness boats had to return home with the meal, and the duke's people might die or live, as they best could. Now, Madam, you have steeped your brains, and ransacked the English language to find refined terms for your panegyric on the duke, duchess, and family of Sutherland. (I find no fault with you, knowing you have been well paid for it.) But I would briefly ask you (and others who de- voted much of their time and talent in the same strain,) would it not be more like a noble pair, who, (if they did) merit such noble praise as you have bestowed upon them, if they had, especially during years of famine and distress, freely opened up all these bountiful resources which God in his eternal wisdom and goodness prepared for his people, and which should never be intercepted nor restricted by man or men. You and othcio have composed hymns of praise, which it is questionable if there is a tune in heaven to sing them to. So I returned, and considered all the oppressions that are done under the sun: and behold the tears of such as were oppressed, and they had no comforter ; and on the side of their oppressors there was power; but they had no comforter — Ec- CLES. iv. 1. •'The wretch that works and weeps without relief Has one that notices his silent grief. He, from whose hands alone all pow'r proceeds, Ranks its abuse among the foulest deeds, Considers all injustice with a frown, But niarA;s the man that treads his fellow down. Remember Heav'n has an avenging rod — To smite the poor is treason against God." — Cowpeb. But you shall find the duke's money is expended for most astonishing purposes ; not a little of it goes to hire hypocrites and renowned literary flatterers, to vindicate the mal-administration of those to v^rhom he en- 'trusted the management of his affairs, and make his grace, (who is by 99 nature a simple minded man) believe his servants are innocent of all the charges brought against them, and doing justice to himself and tu his people, when they are doing the greatest injustice to both ; so that in- stead of calling his servants to account at any time, and enquiring into the brpad charges brought against them — as every wise landlord should do — it seems the greater the enormities of foul deeds they commit, and the louder their accusation may sound through the land, the farther they are received into his favour. The fact is, tl;-t James Loch was Duke of Sutherland, and not the " tall, slender man with rather a thin face, light brown hair, and mild blue eyes " who armed you up the extraor- dinary elegant staircase in Stafford House : and Geordy Loch, his son, succeeded his father, and the duke will have no more control over him than he had over the old fox. The Duke of Sutherland would neither need foreign or home eulogisers, were it not for the unhallowed crew he has chosen to manage his affairs. Read the following humble appeal of his grace for a certificate of character. In the year 1848, " Duke of Sutherland, and those entrusted with the management of his vast possessions, preferred a somewhat queer request to the Highland Distribution Committee, viz. for ' the service of the Committee's staff ' to report whether he, [his grace] had adequately fulfilled his self imposed responsibilities." That the duke should require a certificate of good behaviour toward his people is undoubtedly a little odd indeed, and at the expense of a public charity ; but such was the case, and Captain Elliot, Inspector General of the Board, received orders "to attend to the duke's wishes." The result of the Captain's mission to Sutherland was a high-flown report, extolling the ducal bounty towards hisSutherlanders, which utterly excluded the necessity of any aid from the Committee, al- though he knew well that hundreds of bolls of the charity meal were there at the time, but which was studiously kept out of view, that the duke might have the honour and praise of supporting his people. But what was my surprise to find in the next published proceedings of the Committee, a correspondence with Mr. Loch, M. P., the duke's pre- mier, who put the Committee in mind that his grace had formerly sub- scribed £1000 to the fund, and conjoined with this reminiscence, a sup- plication^ ..o the committee to grant his noble employer the sum of £3500 to help towards the relief of the poor people of Sutherland. Subse- quently the duke's petition was acceded to, with this preconcerted modi- fication, namely, that the money was not to be expended for the relief of the poor Sutherlanders, but " on the formation or a road bisecting his grace's territory in the most favourable direction," (Mr. Loch's own words'.) The premier goes then to prove the vast utility of the road in question, (planned by himself, and to be executed by the committee,) it being designed to stretch from Inchnadamp in Assynt, to the boundary of the county of Caithness. Now, Madam, I can tell you, and hundreds of my countrymen in Canada, and thousands of them at home can tell you, (as I have said before) that not one single native of Sutherland will ever reap any benefit of this road, every inch of it going through a soli- tary wilderness, and deer forests, where men are forbidden to travel, — 100 exclusively for the benefit of his grace's deer stalkers, game keepers, and shepherds. It is evident from the above correspondence betvjreen the dishonour- able Celtic hater and destroyer, Mr. Loch, and the audacious trust be- traj/inQy banc, Edinburgh Committee, that there was pre-arrangement be- tween the unprincipled parties to enrich his grace's riches, with £.3500 of poor famishing people's money. Yes, with a sum which would make 3400 destitute families sing for joy by the distribution of this amount among them. (Another report which was latterly published in the Edinburgh papers, states that his grace got £6000.) These are unde- niable facts ; but who can believe that it could be endured in christian- ised Scotland ; that an owner of such large possessions should be so un- scrupulously voted such a sum, out of the funds gathered from the benevolent in every quarter of the globe. Did Scotch private soldiers under the tropics subscribe out of their scanty pay, to enable the notori- ous Mr. Skene, and his committee, to take the free gift of £6000, or even cC3500 of the relief distribution money to make a road from Tnchnadamp, in Assynt, to Caithness, exclusively for his own use, or to any other Highland proprietor; yet according to the reports of the infamous com- mittee, obscure as they were studiously kept, they show that after the ducal and lordly gifts were granted, the net balance at the credit of the Treasurer was £38,000, and the bulk of this balance in hand was dedicated to the relief of Highland distressed proprietors, leaving a discretionary power with themselves [the committee] to hand it over to those who they in their judgment considered most needful and de- serving ; (but the short of it is, to their own nearest relations and great- est favourites.) Of this sum we find in their own reports that Dundonnell, a Rosshire proprietor, got £1756 : we have Mr. Skene's (a distant rela- tive of Dundonnell) own words for it as "bonus on account of the great outlay as an individual proprietor had made, and £1500 for road making." Then pleasingly writes the accomodating Secretary, Skene, to the High- land road requiring proprietors, " The broad oifer to contribute one third of the expenses m meal, although I doubt not if money would be preferred this would be no obstacle." That roads were and stre needed m the Highlands none will deny, and that able bodied men in want, and could not get employment should work at these roads none should op- pose. But I strenuously contend that if men were required to render a full amount of labour, they were entitled to an equitable proportion of wages. It was monstrous to administer a fund unconditionally subscrib- ed for the relief of the destitute, upon the principle that the poor crea- tures -vere to be fully worked, and m requital, were to be only half fed. Never was there a more fatal failure, than in tha mal-administration of that magnificent fund intended for the relief and welfare of the afflicted Highland population. Never were the malversation of Highland proprie- tors and underlings, more odiously discerned and exhibited to the world than in this case. Not being satisfied plundering the people by every system and plan that the Satanic council could devise, against which the people contended for at least this last seventy years, struggling against 101 many adverse circumstances, casualties of the seasons, and tyratinical ex- actions, often iu want,butnot repining or complaining, until ultimately they became helpless, and as it were, fell into the slough of despondency, en masse; when their long endurance came to an end, despair took hold of their souls, and clamour for food was the result ; appeal after appeal was made to the public in their behalf, which was responded to ; yet when a christian world came in a glorious manner to their rescue from death by famine, we find a set of rapacious Highland proprietors coming for- ward and placing their unhallowed hands upon the world's gift, and as if they in audible terms or words swore hy heaven, we shall not allow this. Neither they did, for by examining minutely the distribution of the fund you will find that they pocketed two-thirds of the whole : in the first place, they got three-fourths of the meal bought for the people, to improve their estates, and they exacted (agreeable to the Trevellyan test scheme) ten hours labour for every pound of adulterated meal. Now, taking able bodied men's wages at the lowest figure. Is. 6d. per day, you find the lairds gained Is. 6d. per day of every man they employed, be- sides reaping the benefits of the improvements. Then the road-making gifts, which they let to the competition of needy and greedy unfeeling contractors, where men were not much better paid nor dealt with than they were witli the lairds — just a bare subsistence. Ah ! what a for- tunate famine this was for the Highland proprietors, especially to those of extensive domains, and favourites of Mr. Skene and his committee. I assure you they should pray for a return of it every seven years. Now, Madam, 1 am about done with you at this time, but before closing I would ask you, can you believe that the proprietor of Stafford House, which you have so elaborately pourtrayed, whose elegance and sump- tuousness threw all the grandeur which ever you have seen in America into insignificance, and which threw yourself into a nervous rapture of admiration, which you could not withstaird, until the proprietrix mistress of the robe conveyed you to a private room, and eased you by whisper- ing in your ear, " Dear me, Mrs. Stowe, be not concerned so much or so much embarrassed in your mind, at the sight of this select company and of the splendour of the house ; I assure you, though beautiful, we are flot angels, we are all mortal beings ; and though the house is splendid it is not heaven, but earthly materials," or some soothing words to that effect, that brought you back again to your senses. I say could, or can you believe that if there was the least spark of the grace of God in the soul of His Grace the Duke of Sutherland, and his Duchess, or yet of hu- manity and common honesty, would they lower and degrade their position in society, their name and titles among the nobles, so as to become the most conspicuous among these villainous Highland plunderers of the poor, and receive double the amount of any of the rest, of the booty ? No, Madam, neither could I believe it myself, were it not that I knew the simple minded duke, in all his aitairs is advised by the vilest of the vile, and the lowest of the low in principle. These are stem facts, I must allow, but they are beyond contradiction, and should not be concealed, but merit universal reprobation and public m ^102 censure. Public confidence has been shamefully abused, the poor have been cheated, degraded, and I may say demoralizeO ; the funds intended and provided for the indigent poor have been squandered upon a need- less, useless staff of pampered officials, and Highland proprietors. You may praise them, and admire them and their palaces as much as you please, but the denunciations of the sacred volume condemn the op- pressors of the poor, their abettors and apologisers, to their faces, and you cannot silence them. Should such a calamity overtake the High- landers again, where will they look for commisseration or aid after this iniquitous abuse 1 I answer, let them trust in God, as Cromwell used to say, and keep their powder dry ; I say let them take what they can get, and where they can get it. Let them not leave a bull, cow, or bul- lock ; ram, sheep, or lamb; deer or roe ; black-cock, hen or pheasant ; moor-cocl(, hen, or snipe, &c., feeding and fattening upon the straths and glens which should be rearing corn and cattle for them and families: and take all the salmon and trout which is provided for them in the rivers and lakes upon which they can lay hands on, muscles and cockles to boot, (" Hunger," says a Highland proverb, " has long armc," and Bacon says " rebellion of the belly is worst,") and then their spoilers and monopo- lizers of every provision God has provided for the Celtic race in the Highlands of Scotland, will soon come to their right senses. I pee no other alternative, unless the nation will step in and demand retribution for past wrongs, and secure even-handed justice for the people in future. What did I say, retribution for past wrongs, end secure justice for the people in future] hundreds will confer upon me a derisive laugh, and bawl out Utopianism. But allow me to allude to an historical parallel. After the conquest, the Norman kings aiforested a large portion of the soil of conquered England, in much the same way as the landlords are now doing in the Highlands of Scotland. To such an extent was this practice carried on, that an historian informs us, that in the reign of King John, " the greater part of the kingdom *' was turned into forest, and that so multiform and oppressive were the forest laws, that it was injpossible for any man who lived within the boundaries to escape falling a victim to them. To prepare the land for these forests, the people were required to be driven, in many cases, as in the Highlands, at the point of the bayonet ; and notwithstanding what Voltaire has said to the con- trary, cultivated lands were laid waste, villages were destroyed, and the inhabitants extirpated. Distress ensued, and discontent followed as na- tural consequences. But observe, the Norman kings did all this in vir- tue of their feudal supremacy ; and in point of law and right, were better entitled to do it than the Highland lairds are to imitate their ex- ample in the present day. Was it, however, to be tolerated ? were the people to groan for ever under this oppression ? No. The English Barons gave a practical reply to these questions at Runneymede, which it is unnecessary to detail. King John did cry out utojnon at fii-st, but was compelled to disafforest the land, and restore it to its natural and appropriate use ; and the records of that great day's proceedings are uni- versally esteemed as one of the brightest pages in English history. 103 With this great example before their eyes, let the most conservative pause before they yield implicit faith in the doctrine that every one of them may do with hia land as he pleases. The fundamental principle of land tenure are unchanged since the days of Magna Charta ; and how- ever much the tendency of modern ideas may have cast these principles into oblivion, they are still deej)ly graven in the constitution, and if ne- cessity called, would be found as strong ai:d operative in the present day as they were five centuries ago. lif' the barons could comj)el the sovereign to open his forests, surely the sovereign may more orderly compel the barons to open theirs, and restore them to their natural and appropriate use ; and there is a power beliind the throne which impels and governs all. These are deep questions that should be stirred in the country, in the midst of extremities and abuse of power. For it is im- possible for any one t j travel in the Highlands of Scotland, and cast his eyes about him without feeling inwardly that such a crisis is approaching, and indeed consider it should arrive long ago. Sufferings have been in- flicted in the Highlands as severe as occasioned by the policy of the brutal Norman kings in England ; deer have extended ranges, while men have been hunted within a narrower and still narrower circle. The strong has fainted in the race for life ; the old have been left to die. One after another of their liberties have been cloven dow n. To kill a fish in the stream, or a wild beast in the hill is a transportable crime, even in the time of famine. Even to travel through the fenceless forest is a crime ; paths which at one time linked hamlet to hamlet for ages have been shut arjd barred. These oppressions are daily on the increase, and if pushed much further, (I should say if not speedily and timely pushed back) it is obvious that the sufferings of the people will reach a pitch, when action will be the plainest duty, and the most sacred instinct. To prevent such forbidden calamity, permit me to address a few lines to Her Majesty. Come Victoria, Queen of Great Britain, Berwick-uponTweed, and Irelancf; thou, the most beloved of all Sovereigns upon earth, in whose^ bosom and veins the blood of the Stuarts, the legitimate Sovereigns of Scotland is freely circulating ; who hath endeared thyself to thy Celtic lieges in a peculiar manner, stretch forth thy Royal hand to preserve that noble race from extirpation, and becoming extinct, and to proiect ihem from the violence, oppression, and spoliation to which they have been subjected for many years. Bear in mind, that this is the race in whom your i'orefathers confided, entrusted and depended co much at all times, especially when a foreign invader tlireatcned and attempted lo take possession of the Scotch throne ; and never trusted to them in vain. And though they unfortunately divided, upon which of the Stuart family was to rule over them, and much valuable blood shed on that account ; yet the impartial investigator into that affair will find the zeal, patriotism and loyalty of each party meriting equal praise and admiration, though the l/utchers, and literary scourges of the defeated party converted the praise and loyalty due to them, into calumny and abuse. But these gloomy days of strife and murder are over, and the defeated consider 104 that they sustained no loss but .^hat they gained much ; and I assure your majesty that your name is now imprinted upon every Scotch Highlander's heart in letters more valuable than gold, and that the remnant of them still leil, are as willing and as ready to shed their blood for the honour and diiinity of your crown, and the safety of your person and family, aa their fathers were for your grandsires. Then allow not this noble race to be extirpated, nor deteriorated in their soul, mind, chivalry, charac- ter, and persons : allow it not, your majesty, to be told in " Gath," nor published in the streets of Askelon, that other nations have to feed and keep alive your Highland Scotch warriors, while you require their ser- vice in the battle field ; while the nursery where these brave men, who caiTied many a laurel - the British crown from foreign strands, are now converted to game preserves, hunting parks, and lairs for wild animals. Come then, like a Uod fearing, God loving and Christian queen ; like a subject-loving and beloved Sovereign, and demand the restitution of their inalienable rights to your Highland lieges, and the restoration of the Highland (Straths and glens to their natural and appropriate use, Examine like " Ahasuerous," the book of records of the chronicles, and find what service the Highlanders rendered you and your forefathers, and how they were requited. " Who knoweth whether thou art come to the kingdom for such a time as this V and " how can you endure to see the evil tiiat came upon your people, or how can you endure to see the de- struction of your kindred V* people, and then like good Queen Esther, declare boldly and publicly that you shall not have a Hamanite, or a Ha- manitess about your person, in your household, or in your council. I know many of them will raise a Rob Roy cry, when the real owner of the cat- 1 tie he has taken away, came and got possession of them, (I am plundered of my just rights.) Highland proprietors hold the lands and other rights they plundered of the people, on the principle that Rob Roy maintained his right to the cattle he stole from his distant neighbour in Badenoch. But the day is drawing nigh when these rank delusions in high quarters will be dispelled. It is a Satanic imposture, that the stewardship of I God's soil IS freely 9onvertible into a mischievous power of oppressing ' the poor. The proper use of property is to make property useful ; where this is not done, it were better for land owners to have been born beggars, than lo live in luxury while causing the wretched to want and weep. I know that if our Sovereign Lady was to make such a demand as this, that she would incur the ire and displeasure of the turf and sporting classes, (a consuming but not a producing body) the most des- tructive, vicious, cruel, disorderly, unvirtuous, revelling, and the most useless of all her Majesty's subjects. On the other hand her Majesty would gain for herself the praise and admiration of all the most wise, prudent, liberal, humane, virtuous, and most exemplary of the nation ; the blessings of the people and of heaven would rest upon her, and re- main with her, and Highland proprietors, their children, and children's children would have cause to hold her name and memory in grateful recollection. Their estates would in a few years double their rents, and they and their heirs would be redeemed from insolvency, and secured 105 from beggary. The poor law would become a dead letter. The poach* ing game law expenditure, along with many other unrighteous laws, which are hanging heavily upon the nation, would fall to ' use ; the peo- ple would prosper, and nothing would be lost but hunt^. ^ grounds for the younger branches of the aristocracy and English snobs, and that game could be easily supplied by Her Majesty directing the attention of this cruel, cowardly class to the Hudson's Bay and Nor' West Terri- tories, where they might have plenty of useful sport, destroying animals much of their own disposition, though not half so injur iou». In conclu- ding this long letter to you Madam, permit me to tell you my opinion of you on your landing in Britain, after taking notice of the parties who in- vited you, and with whom you have associated, and the parties you have shunned, as if unclean or unworthy of your society and countenance. T concluded i\t once your service fcr the emancipation of the American jlavea was for ever lost, and not only lost, but be the means to screw their chains tighter than ever they were before. Is there a class under hi '^n this day more unlikely to have any influence over the minds of repujlic Americans than English inhuman, ambitious, slave making aris- tocracy ? I answer, no, no ! Hence I was convinced that English gold was your main object. But had you come to Britain, and got up an Uncle Donald, Uncle Jock, and Uncle Geordy's Cabin, where you would not need colouring, nor steep your brains to get up sublime false- hood, and impossible achievements of runaway slaves, where the naked unvarnished truths were more than could be believed. Then to return with these British cabins to the United States you would have a good chance to reap as rich a harvest of them in the States, as you have reaped of Uncle Tom in Britain, and establish youi name and memory immor- tal and unsullied. Forming these opinions, I published the following let- ter in the " Northern Ensign" newspaper, "Wick, and addressed a copy of it to you : — Sir. — In my last, of the 18th ult., upon the late member for the Northern Burghs, I stated that I was not half through, but that I would need to forbear. The Stafford House meeting has diverted my attention at present from following up the subject as I intended, so as to make the best use I can of this aristocratic movement in behalf of the African slaves while it was warm before the public. Many thanks to you and your Perth correspondent for your talented comments upon the hollow hypocrisy of this meeting and the injurious effects it will have, if their (so called) Christian affectionate address, headed by the Duchess of Sutherland, her two daughters of Argyle and Blantyre, Duchess of Bedford, Lady Trevellyan, Lady John Russell, and many more, be pre- sented to their sisters, the ladies of America. I believe your Perth correspondent has given us the true brief ver- sion or exact reply of the American ladies to this affectionate address — ' Look at home.' But I must go further and instruct the American la- dies in what they should tell their English sisters to look at, at home. Not with a view to justify the American traffic in human beings — God forbid, but merely to tell them that they can meet this feminine, Eng- lOG lisli, Christian, aifectionate appeal, with tho same argument that the Can< nibal Queen met n French philosopher when ho was remonstrating with her upon tlie hateful, horr^ifying, and forbidden practice of eating hu- man flesh, and recommending her to discontinue a d forbid the practice in her domini<»n9. • Well,' replied tho Cannibal Queen, * Voltaire, what is tho difference between your people and us 1 You kill men, and allow them to rot ; we kill men, and to crown our victory we eat tliem, and we find them as good for food as any other flesh ; b'jsides, our laws »%,*» Farewell, Mrs. H. B. Stowe, at present; expecting when your Delight] upon Dunrobin Castle, or the Suhlimitij of Sutherlandshire (which you visited last year) comes to hand, that it will afford me "an extensive scope j for animadversion, if I will be spared to see it. Prince De Ligne, in his amusing memoirs gives an entertaining! account of an imperial visit of Catharine II. to her ultra-Russian doml nions in the Crimea. The Tartarian tracts of desolation were as dispeo- pled as Kildonan and Strathnaver are ; but, in timely advance of the august cortege, workmen were employed to construct nice temporary cottages, in which picturesque peasants greeted their sovereign lady as she glided pa-^^; and when the monarch was fairly out of sight, the theatrical tenants were ejected, and the make-shift little mansions were tumbled to the ground ! Prince Potemkin was the author of this stupendous deception, and ]*rince De Ligne, who was in the secret, and travelling in the imperial carriage, could hardly refrain from chuckling as they passed through a succession of sham villages. I have been informed by a correspondent who is in the secrets of the Potemkins of Sutherland, that similar preparations were in contemplation, should Her Majesty consent to visit Dunrobin Castle : but 113 have notbins: allinp; scenes, i for from the version raani- )ration of the -I say, how rs, and those ipoaking, Mr. libertios and i Malthusian- d wlio have a ous sophistry ! 1 a revival of the dodge was in reality practised upon you, Madam, with success. A joodly number of cottages for the poor were in the process of building in the neighborhood of Golspie and not far from the castle, when it was made inown that you were to visit Dunrobin All the carpenters, masons, slaters, painters, and plumbers that could be procured, and that could get loom to work, were employed day and night — superintended during the Jay by her Grace. The furniture of the old castle, and a good deal of furniture borrowed from the sheep farmers and factors, to replenish or furnish these domiciles of the poor in a splendid style, which with the old eastle mirrors, carpets, and hair-bottom chairs and sofas, made a very nice ad agreeable appearance. These abodes were presented to you as a ample of Sutherlandshire comforts, and I admit it would be the natural toQclusion of your mind, if the poor paupers are so well provided for, I . ^od so comfortable, surely the condition of the peasantry must be enviable icquaintca tor Bjijoye any condition of people that ever came under my notice. But, says u a tew speci- M^^ correspondent, Mrs. Stowe could not be the length of Inverness on her much on your ■ ^y back, when every stick of this splendid replenishing was returned, moment i am m^^^ ^^^ p^^j. ^.Qttages furt ished after the order of the other poorhouses : » procure s^^"- ^lie adds, "however, they are pretty comfortable, if the necessaries of life fill correspond with the building, a question to be decided after this." Ihe Potemkins of Sutherland, exultingly chuckling in a suppressed tone -we have dodged the Yankee-ess, have we not ? but, poor old lady, she las much easier dodged than we expected. Ah 1 what glorious praise we may now expect, when her Delight, or Sublimity of Dunrobin Castle, >nd of our noble family, and of our humane factors and servants, comes out! Good bye, Madam, for the present time. This leads me again to the operations of the new and disgraceful Poor iLiw of Scotland, which is without precedent on the Statute book of any Christian civilized nation on earth. Indeed, when pondering over its letails, crooks, chicanery and deception, I am tempted to question whether epidemic blindness and hardness of heart have not seized hold of the ruling ind influential classes of society ; and it seems as if Providence had de- ermined to destroy the baneful system on which the population of the lighlands has so long grown poor and wretched, by destroying the potato irop ; in order to arouse the nation from their culpable apathy, regarding be Highland portion of His vineyard, where He was more beloved, more eared, and His statutes more strictly obeyed than any other portion of lis creation, by giving this sharp warning of their danger, in tolerating a fstem pregnant with disastrous results, and cutting deep at the root of latlonal ruin j you may easily perceive, if all Scotch and English proprie- ors would follow the example of the Highland and Irish Nimrods, what te result would be. Their rights of property conveys the same power to very one of them, to do with their properties what they please, as they lo to Highland lairds. In this age of utility we should expect to find be forest ground of Scotland rapidly decreasing, but the reverse is the ase. The Highlands is an outer kingdom that moves under different iws of progress from any other portion of Britain. Here the Nimrods of iogland made a desperate rally. As tttby have seen their privileges falling not paying so ing, and send isider it below It is evident as in all like- D McLeod. 1 your Delight ire (which you jxtensive scope ,n entertaining ,-Russiau domi- were as dlspeo- Be of the august iry cottages, in he glided pa'^ al tenants were to the ground ion, and iMnce iperial carriage, srh a succession it who is in the arations were in bin Castle : but \ *-. 114 li' i^r oiFono after another by the blows of public opinion, and their parks and game preserves invaded and ruined by the rise of towns, factories, railways, and other democratic nuisances, the sons of the mighty aristocratic ancestors have cast their eyes to the far North, and by universal reign in that quarter, resolved to make up for all they have lost. Highland proprietors considered that a deer forest was both a necessary and profitable appendat^c of an estate. If it wanted that it wanted dignity. Hence )^accordiug to Mr. Robert Somers, editor of the JVorfh British Mail, Glasgow, a gentle- man to whom the Highlanders are much indebted) " Deer forests were introduced in much the same spirit as powdered wigs and four-whcclej carriages at the beginning and end of the last century." Now, it is a notorious fact that Highland glens and mountain ranges laid out in forests, is more profitable to a proprietor than when let as a sheep walk, (not speaking of agricultural purposes at all). Not so to the tacksman or to the country, but if it yields more rent to the owner, that one fact is suf- ficient to decide the disposal of it. The huntsman who wants a dee: forest, limits his offers by no other calculation than the extent of his purse. He expects no pecuniary return j his object is simply to spend his money and to have sport, and if means will allow, and man be capacitated capacious enough, he will out-bid every opponent. But had the Legislature taken care as they should, and have made the rapidly increased rents of the proprie^ tors responsible for the employment and maintenance of the people, whicl) the system of sheep walks, deer forests and game preserves, deprived oj their usual means of livelihood, the Highlanders might not have had occa- sion to regret the change so much ; or if the Legislature did not see fit tol retain and secure their clansmen in those rights of tenure which they and their ancestors had possessed for time immemorial, in the same way as tlie English copyholders were secured in the reign of Charles II, it ought to| have vigorously enforced the Poor Law of James VI, and supplemented il with a leaf or two from the 43rd of Queen Elizabeth, the true tenor of whic was to provide sufficient food, clothing and lodgings, to those among tin lieges who are proveably destitute, and who cannot obtain support witlioul public aid. When this law was enforced (in Scotland as I said before) i 1845, the Poor Law Amendment Act was enacted, and the administratioi of this law entrusted or committed to two sets of men, rather say twi Beards, viz., the Board of Supervision and Parochial Board. The Boan of Supervision consisted of two able men, (no mistake,) Sir John MacNeil and Mr. Smyth were the responsible parties. The Parochial Boards weri composed principally of proprietors, factors, and sheep-farmers, established by-law ministers, doctors, parish schoolmasters, rich merchants, (if favou- rites of the powers that be) with a very thin mixture from any other de nomination, who hold monthly or quarterly meetings, as they think proper, to deliberate and consider who is deserving relief and who is not. (God help the poor, for the tender mercies of the wicked are at the best cruel. When a poor person puts in a claim, the officer of the Board waits upon him to examine his case, and his report is submitted for judgment at the next meeting of the Board ; in n.ost cases the relief is refused, or if granted is so small that it is inadequate to sustain life ; in most cases from nine 115 pence to six pence per week, and often below that sum, especially if there are more than one pauper in the same house. The only course open for the poor supplicant is to demand a schedule to make their cases known to the Board of Supervision, rather say Sir John MacNeil. These schedules are a printed form with a great amount of interrogatories and large blanks left for answers, something like this — ' What is your name ? What is your age ? Where were you born ? Have you any children ? About forty questions are asked which must be all answered in writing. The other side of this large sheet is left blank for the Inspector of the Poor to make his answers to the complaint. Yes, (but behold where the secret of iniquity and injustice are concealed which brand the concocters, supporters and enactors of this new Poor Law of Scotland with infamy, and should consign the Law itself to everlasting destruction) when the poor pauper gets his or her side of the schedule made up with answers, then it is handed over to the Inspector, who, in general, is the Factor, Parish Schoolmaster or the Doctor of the district, (who of course must be a creature of the Proprietors and Factors) to make up his side of the schedule, he is at liberty to state the truth or the greatest falsehood ima- ginable, (one thing evident he must please the Factor or he will not occupy his situation long) he seals up the schedule in a Parochial Poor Board envelope, under the Board's stamp, and hands it to the supplicant to pay it and post it to the Board of Supervision. This is all the liberty and recourse for obtaining justice the British-enacted Poor Law of Scotland left for their paupers, should the supplicant be as poor, moral, upright and honest as Job. The Inspector may represent him or her immoral, intem- perate, lazy or thievish, having plenty to eat and drink ; for the law enacts that no other evidence can be taken or produced to prove the supplicant's claim ; and should the Board of Supervision think proper to reverse the decision of the Parochial Board, what can they do ? they can only (by enacted law) recommend the claimant to get relief ; they dare not state what amount he is entitled to get ; all they can do if the Parochial Board continues obstinate and allow nothing, they can give the claimant a cer- tificate to employ a Solicitor to bring his case before the Supreme Court at Edinburgh, but this is seldom done. I was six years in Edinburgh daring the operation of this law, and only one poor case was permitted to • pass the Bar of the Board of Supervision all that time. That case was successful in the Court of Session, but carried to the House of Lords, and how it was decided there I have not heard. The fact is that these Boards, the Law, ami Highland Proprietors are going hand in hand to demoralize, pauperize and extirpate the race. You have a pointed illustration of this in the following brief account of their co-operation foi' the consumma- tion of their designs. In the year 1850, Ministers of the Free Church and other dissenting bodies in the Isle of Sky and other districts in the Highlands, forwarded many grievous complaints in behalf of the poor to the Board of Supervision, showing the culpable carelessness and malversation, 116 and partiality of tho Pavoohial Board, detailing many extreme cases of poverty and actual death by famine. The public press took up the case, and 80 urgent were the public requests, that Government ordered Sir John MacNeil and Mr. Smyth to repair to the scene of poverty and fields of famine and death, to make enquiry into the truth of these alarming reports. [n a few days they landed among the valleys of famine, death and co-i- plainta. Tliese Commissioners of justice and humanity summoned the Parochial Board and the rovcrei d reporters of distress, before them, and enquired where extreme cases of poverty were to bo found; being told, they then enjoined upon the parties to accompany them early next morn- ing, aft daylight, to examine these cases. So at davMght they start0(l, and they were in the first instance directed to a poor widow's abode. Is this one of tho worst eases you have to show ? enquired Sir John ; being an- swered in the affirmative, then says he, Mr. Smyth wo must see what ig within ; in they go, the widow with her three fatherless children were in bed. Ilolo, cries Sir John, have you any food in the bouse ? Very little indeed sir, was the reply. Sir John, by this time, was searching and opening boxes, where nothing but rags and emptiness was to be found j at last he uncovered a pot where there was about three pounds of cold pot- tage ; Smyth discovered a small bowl or basin of milk. Sir John bawls out with an authoritative tone, holding out the cold pottage in one hand and tho basin of milk in the other, " Do you presume, gentlemen, to call this an extreme ease of poverty, where so much meat was left after being .satisfied at supper ?" Some of the party ventured to mutter out, " that is all tho poor woman has." "Hush" says Sir John, "she was cunning enough to hide the rest." Sir John's dog made a bolt at the pottage and devoured the most of itj the party left; did not go far when the dog got sick. " That d — n cold pottage has poisoned my valuable dog," says Sir John ; the servant was ordered back to the inn to physio the dog. The whole investigation of the day was conducted in a similar manner; only the dog was taken care of, and not allowed among the pots of the perishing people. Next day Sir John summoned the Parochial Board to appear before him, to get instructions for their future proceedings. The Board attended, and Sir John addressed them nearly us follows : Gentlemen of the Board — The Government who sent me out, will not compel you to give out more relief than you are giving, until extreme oases of famine are made out. Extreme cases means death by famine ; such cases makes you culpable and responsible to the law of the land. Gentlemen, (understand me) who are almost to a man, Ministers of the Gospel, Missionaries, Priests, Sheepfarmers, Factors, Game Keepers, Foresters, Doctors, and Proprietors, to whom the Government look for truth ; whose prerogative, by a special Act of Parliament, is to report the cause of death in the Isle of Sky during these clamorous times (understand me), be very careful about making out your reports ; how can you prove the death of any one to be caused by want of food without having first a post mortem examination of the body b^ more than one medical man There are many other distempers and diseases that may linger about people, that may cut away life vei^ quick when a perso i is in a weak state 117 Id a weak state for want of nourisliment, which cannot bu attributed to famine. So, be aware of what you are about, for I assure you if you continue to report extreme cases and death by famine, you shall (gentlemen) find yourselves in a sad dilemma when you have lo defend yourselves at the bar of a Jus- ticiary Court for culpable homicide. These instructions and definition of the Scotch new Poor Law Bill enactment were forwarded to every Parochial Board in Scotland, and had the desired effect. We never heard, nor never will hear of an extreme case of death by famine in the Highlands of Scotland. It could not be expected that such valuable men as constitutes the Parochial Boards in Scotland, would criminate themselves for the sake of making up a faithful report of the cause of deaths among the unfortunate despised Highlanders. Yet vengeance for all these evil doings, says God, is mine ; I am forbear- 1 ing but not an all forbearing God. " Hence then, ind evil go with thee, along Thy offspring the place of evil — hell - , ■ Thou and thy wicked crew ; there mingle broils * Ere this avenging sword begin thy doom, Or some more sudden vengeance wijig'd from God Precipitate thee with augmented pains. — Paradm Lost. May we not exclaim in the language of immortal Burns, " Man's [inhumanity to man . . ." — and borrow a short paragraph from Shylock, but to c*" dge the names, which is quite applicable to the Highland Board, proprietors and their accomplices : " Are we not Highlanders : have High- landers no eyes j have Highlanders no hands, organs, dimensions, senses, affections, passions,, and appetites, that should be fed with the same food with you ; are Highlanders not hurt .vlth the same weapon, and healed by the same means as you are, warmed and 'Pooled by the same summer and winter as you are? If you prick us, do we not bleed and feel it ? If you tickle us, do we not laugh ? If you poison and starve us, do we not die ? If you persecute us and wrong us, shall we not be revenged ? If we are like you in the rest, wo will reseuible you in i;hat. The villainy you have taught us we will execute, and it will go hard with us, or we will better the instructions when our turn of revenge will come." To detail the preconcerted destructive schemes manifested in every chapter of this bill, (which, indeed, we may sr'y, was conceived in sin and brought forth in iniquity;) the malversation of its administration, the fatal eifects of its operations, would require more room than I can spare : you will have to be content with the foregoing specimen ; and I think it should convince you of the length that the machinations of evil doers in high planes may go, to rob and punish their fellow creatures, and to make the credulous world believe that all they do is for the good of their victims. Look at a Board of Supervision sitting in secret at Edinburgh, a distance of about 400 railes from some of 'the most impoverished districts m Scotland, hearing the compla.nts of the poor only upon schedules, refusing them a right of reply to the allegations of hostile inspectors, and giving na reasons for its decisions, though involving questions of life and death to the poor. The sheriflfs of counties were even debarred from giving them 118 justice when deprived of adequate relief. All these precautions were taken lest the poor might have power to impose upon the parochial boards. A grosser misapprehension of the relative position and strength of the two I parties coald not possibly be acted upon. A Highland pauper is one of the most helpless of ^mortals : a Highland Poor Board, so far as its juris- diction extends, is all-powerful, embracing in its ranks the whole wealth and influence of a parish. If the legislature had had any sinceirc intention of giving the poor a chance of justice against the prejudices of the lioards, it would have thought of strengthening instead of weakening their posi- tion, but the blunder or the crime, whichever it may be, of 1845, ought now to be atoned for. Let the sheriffs be empowered to review the decisions of the parochial board in respect to the amount of relief ; let the old right of appeal, free of let or hindrance, to the Court of Session be restored ; let the Board of Supervision itaelf be made amenable in all its acts to that supreme tribunal to which all classes and bodies of Scotchmen are accustomed to bow in respectful deference; and, in short, let every possible facility be given to the poor of stating their complaints in the courts of justice, of havrig their claims impartially investigated, and o," obtaining decisions in accordance with the law, and not with the narrow and | illiberal views of bodies which have a palpable interest in depriving the poor of an adequate maintenance. As for the objection that the expense of maintaining the poor would soon consume the entire rental of the Highlands, it has no foundation in fact. The total amount expended on the poor in the four counties of Sutherland, Ross, Inverness, and Argyle, | though embracing six months of the severe and universal distress occa- sioned by the failure of the potato crop, was only £37,618 lis. 7td.,j being scarcely 6 J per cent, of the Valued rental. This sum may be considerably increased, without exceeding the rate of assessment in many parts of the country in ordinary years. But even supposing that the expenditure on the poor should rise to a height extremely inconvenient to the proprietors, I do not perceive that this would be disastrous. The! proprietors have the means of correcting this evil in their own hands. There is no country on earth where the duty of children to support their I aged and disabled parents, and the ties of kindred generally, are mo profoundly respected than in the Highlands. As long as a Highlandmau I has a bite and a sup he shares it with an aged father or mother. It is only when reduced to poverty himself that he allows any of his near kind- red to claim the benefit of the poor's roll. The policy of the Highland lairds for many years has been to deprive the able-bodied of their holdings I of land, to reduce them to the verge of destitution, and compel them, if I possible, to emigrate. The uirect tendency of these measures has been [ to increase the number of the aged and infirm dependent upon parochial relief. The proprietors have only to reverse their policy, to keep the able-bodied at home, to lay open the soil to their industry, and to pro- mote their industry, their comfort and independence, in order to reduce I the burden of the aged and disabled poor. This is the safety-valve of a liberal and effectual Poor Law. While it would protect the poor from starvation and suffering, it would constrain the. owners of property, by the 119 bonds of sclf-intcrcst, to consult the happiness of the people, to strive for their einplovmont, aud to introduce that now division and management of the soil which lio at the foundation of permanent improvement. Tho same considerations which induced the proprietors would dispose the shccj*- farniers to sumbit to tho new order of things. Farewell to tho poor law at present. " Bad and inadequate as iue relief for the poor was, there wore still moro inconsistent and imbecile schemes tried, and propositions were made to relieve them : such as the Patriotic Society schemes, headed by the Duko of Sutherland, and tho most notorious portion of his co-dcpopulators iii tho Highlands, which brought mo out in the following letter to the Northern lEnnign, when thd emigration of the Highlanders to the waste bogs of Ireland and Wales, and the Russian war opened a field f"" me. I am sorry that I cannot refrain from repetitions, as I had to contend with so many deceivers of my countrymen and of the publiC; almost single-handed, and had often to use the same arguments with them, so you must excuse me for repetitions. This Patriotic Society employed a sneaking scoundrel to bring their scheme of relief of the Highlanders before the public, which, ha may be seen at a glance, was a scheme to plunder tho credulous public. After his first tour in the Highlands, on his return he had the effrontery to advertise a public meeting in the Waterloo Rooms, Edinburgh, to give au account of success in the Highlands. I had an opportunity to confront him, face to face, at this meeting, and I assure you it was not much in his favour I did meet him : he had good cause to understand that his knavery was dismantled before we parted. • To the Editor of the Northern Ensign. Sir — How proud I would be, and what pleasure it would afford me, if 1 1 could but give vent to my feelings of gratitude towards you, for your manly, timely and practical interposition in behalf of my ill-used, mis- represented and long-neglected countrymen, at a time when all other philanthropists who have exerted themselves in their behalf as yet seem to content themselves with merely suggesting plans and remedies, which will take years before they can bring relief ; and, alas, after thousands of the Highlanders will after the most agonizing sufferings, drop into a premature grave. Look, for instance, at Mr. Bond, Secretary for the Royal Patriotic Association, (under the patronage of the Duke of Sutherland, his commis- sioner, Mr. Loch, a:id others,) travelling in the Highlands, with about half a cwt. of cottage models on his back, going from one duke's palace to another, I'rom one marquis to another, from one factor to another, from one grade of proprietors and other underlings to another, including ministers, schoolmasters, sheriffs, and fiscals, collecting information about Highland destitution, and the cause of it, and consulting them upon the best scheme to remedy the evil. Yes, consulting men whose pradecessors and them- selves have been steeping and racking their brainw for the last half century, contriving how to destroy and extirpate the Highland peasantry from the land of their fathers, and reduce them to their present deplorable condition 120 — men, I emphatically say, that instead of being consulted, should bo arraigned at tho bur of public justice, dealt with as traitors, and their property confiscated, for they of verity destroyed and trod under foot the Dcst portion of tho national bulwark. But this assuming Mr. Bond comes before tho public so ostentatiously, just as if men could believe his iiifor. ination, or be assured that the plans he and tho oppressors of the people had devised could save their victims from perishing or bettering their condition in future. During Mr. Bond's perambulations in tho Highlands, ho had to travel over extensive tracts ot fine land and fertile glens, bursting with fatness and teeming with everything that is necessary to make the people com. fortablc and independent of charity, but locked up froiti them, aiiu lyii.n; a solitary waste, or under brute beasts, where no sweeter strains are hoard than the screeches of tho night owl, or the barking of the collie d()hri.stianity that ages will not wipe off. I am, &o., DONALD Mrinc them back that they might die among their native hills, that their a^hc might mingle with those of their fore- fathers — hear this request refui;ed and the poor helpless wanderers bidding a-,ll mankind, by a Being who is incapable of partiality or distinction ; and though in the arrangements of society the earth is divided into very un- equal proportions, and these confined to a few individuals, whilst the great body of the people are totally cut oflF, this distribution cloth not give the possessors a shadow of right to deprive mankind of the fruits of their la- hour. The earth is the property of Him by whom it was called into exist- ence ; and, strictly speaking, no person hath an exclusive right to any part of it who cannot show a charter or deed handed down from the ori- ginal and only Proprietor of all nature ; if otherwise, they hold their pos- imisians upon usage only. Grants of lands were made by princes to their 133 champions, friends and favourites ; and these have been handed down from father to son, or by them transferred to new possessors; hut ichrrc (ur thr vr{(/inal charters /ruin the Author of nature to those monarchy ? In vain may we search the archives of nations from one extreme of the f:;l(jbo ti' the other. If so, and who can controvert it ? the man who toils at the plough from five o'clock in the morning to sunset, and who sows the seed, hath undoubtedly a right to the produce thereof, preferably to the lounger who lies in bed till teq, and spends the remainder of the day in idleness, extravagance, and frivolous or vicious pursuits. The tenure of the former is held from God, founded on the eternal law of justice; the claim of the latter ?*8/rom man, held in virtue of the revolutions and casual events of nations. " He therefore who denies his fellow-creatures the just earnings of their labour counteracts the benevolent intentions of the Deity — deprives his king and country of an industrious and useful body of the coniiuunity. whom he drives from starvation at home to slavery abroad — our/ht to be considered as an avoiced enemy of society, particularly the man who can take the cow from the aged widow, and afterwards the bed, the kettle, and the chair — thus turning out the decrepid at fourscore to wander from door to door, till infirmities and grief close the scene of tribulation. " Since human laws da not reach such persons, while petty rogues are cut oflF in dozens, their names ought to be jiuMishcd in every nfirsj^ajicr xcithin these kingdoms, and themselves excluded from any jiluce of honour or profit, civil or military." Now, Sir, let it be observed, these are not the sentiments of a person who had revolutionary or party purposes to serA'e, but the deliberate opinions of a philosophic, humane, generous, and independent spirit ; whr could take an enlarged view of the matter he had in hand, and sincerely leel for the distresses, and show that he had a thorough perception of the inalienable rights of his fellow-creatures. But I fatigue you, and I would just add in conclusion, let your readers ponder well the quotation I have just given them from Mr. Knox's publication, and ask themselves the question, whether it is not as capable of being applied to landowners, both in the High- lands and Lowlands, in the 19th, as it was in the 18th century. I could instance facts to prove this ; but, as I understand Mr. Donald M'Leod is to give you a few sketches of some pictures of wretchedness he saw in Suth- erland lately, I forbear in the meanwhile, and shall simply refer you to him for practical illustrations of the truth of the general statements con- tained in this epistle. I am, Sir, your obedient servant, Edinburgh, 24th July, 1844. John Steill. I know many will consider that. I am unwarrantably attacking the character of Ministers of the Gospel ; and may siy what could they do as they had no control over the proprietors. Thank God that the Gospel or religion is not to be measured by the conduct of its preachera, and that they are not all alike. Read the following from the pen of a reverend gentleman, whom I believe to be a faithful Minister of Christ, upon tho subject I have handled a little ago, and I think when you will read tho 134 thnt I p«, who evidence of bo many witncescH upon oath, you will udmit at oiico have not exnfrgcrutod Colonel Gordon's stncturcfl, and none, 1 ho will rcud the conduct and co-operation of this iiifuuious hireling, Henry litnfson, Minister of Barru, with Colonel Gordon in the evicti(»ii8 in tliat ishmd, cannot but admit that 8ucb vicious dogH should be exposed, and clafHcd in this world, among their companions through cternili/, viz., op- pressors of the poor, with tlie Devil and his angels : read lOth chapter, Gospel of St. John. THE EXILED BARRAMEN AND THEIR CALUMNIATORS. •'Wlmt I have written, I well know, will give offence to many potty tyrants; but I am actuated hy motives of humanity, and of duty to the common Parent and Lord of all mankind. And I thnnk Qod, who has given mo grace to speak the truth with boldnos!^, notwithstanding the menaces of certain unprincipled oppressors."— Rev. J. L. Buchanan. '♦ Since the dawn of the creation, when wicked Cain imbrued his hands in the blood of his brother Abel, there has been two opposite classes in the world, viz., — oppressors and oppressed. There are generally other two classes who step in as seconds in this unequal contest between right and wrong; and that is the fawning party who put their Amen to the most cruel deeds of iiic arch-opprossors, and also those who are, like Moses, grieved at the sufferings of thei: brethren, and who, like Job, do what they can to " break the arm of the oppressor." Since the overthrow of West Indian Slavery the friends of human free- dom in Britain have been resting on their oars, with the exception of an occasional fling at American despots, and no doubt congratulating them- selves, as well they might, for their achievements in the cause of liberty. But let them not conclude that a complete victory is obtained even at home. The following disclosures will at once convince every philautro- phist that he should be up and doing ; and that there is much need that a share of that noble and disinterested sympathy which was shown to the .sable sons of Africa should now be imparted to our brethren in the Western Hebrides. It was a most unlucky day to the Highlands that Sir John M'Neil was commissioned to investigate their condition ; and the one-sided Renort which he has laid before the Legislature of our country shows how ; .com- petent he was for the undertaking. Our analysis of the annexed docu- ment, which he obtained from the Parochial Board of Barra, and which, by the way, was considered by the pro-clearings and expatriating Press the cream of his trashy Report, will show every unprejudiced reader how little confidence may be placed in Sir John's evidence. Our readers probably recolif^ct the excitement which was caused in Glasgow and Edinburgh about IS months ago, by the appearance of some expatriated and starving Barramen. The unfeeling conduct of the proprietor. Colonel Gordon, and Ills underlings on that occasion was the subject of many well-merited ■M- 185 animndvoreions, both from tho platform aud the press. But in order to thield Colonel Gordon from these castigations, the Barra authorities, headed by Henry Bcatson their uiinistcr, have thrown their mantle around him, and besides have made a malicious, but a most silly attack upon tho ex- patriated ^arramcn. This attack is now fully six mouths before the Eublic; but till within a few days these calumniated creatures have not card a word of it. The following is a verbatim copy of the infamous document : — " Wo are acquainted with Ban* Macdou^all, Donald M'Lean, commonly called Donald Uectcrson, Roderick M'Neill, senior, and Roderick M'Neill junior, who have been referred to in the newspapers as persons who had left Barra and gone to Edinburgh because of their inability to obtain the means of subsistence here. They were all provided with houses at the time of their departure. They were all, either employed by tho Relief Committee or might have been so at the date when thev left Barra. With tho exception of Roderick M'Neill, senior, who left this in the first week of September, all the others left Barra in July. Barr Macdougall wae notoriously lazy, and before Colonel Gordon had acquired this property, had voluntarily surrendered his croft at Greine, and subsisted thereafter by begging, for which purpose he perambulated the country. On the failure of the potatoes, he became altogether destitute, and was received upon the lists of the Relief Committee. Roderick M'Neill, junior, was employed by Mr. M' Alister at Is. a day, which ho voluntarily relinquished, declaring that the wages was too low. He then applied to the inspector of poor for assistance, and was refused, on the ground that he had left Mr. M'Alis- tcr's service, where he could have obtained the means of subsistence. He was an able-bodied man. Donald M'Lean was an indolent man, who never did much work even when wages could bo earned ; whose wife perambulated the country beg- ging from house to house. Roderick M'Neill, senior, was several times accused of theft, and once apprehended on a charge of sheep-stealing, but was not convicted. Of Ann M'Pherson or M'Kinnon, nothing is known in Barra, unless she be a sister-in-law to Roderick M'Neill, senior, who had an illegitimate child to a person of \e name of M'Pherson, and whose own name is M'Kinnon. We are of opinion that the eleemosynary relief afforded to the people has had a prejudicial effect upon their character and habits; that it has induced many to misrepresent their circumstances with a view to partici- pate in it ; that it has taught the people generally to rely more upon others, and less upon themselves ; and that we have reason to believe that, relying npon this source of subsistence, some persons even neglected to sow their lands." (Signed) Henry Beatson, Minister. D. W. M'Gillvray, J. P., Tacksman. Wm. Birnie, Manager for Colonel Gordon. Donald M. Nicolson, M. D., Tacksman. Archibald M'Donald, Elder, Tenant. 1^ ' • 180 » The followinpf doclarution whioh wo hnvo obtained from three of the indiviJuuls mentioned in the preceding doouraont is a true statement of the case ; being eorroborated by other parties who are well aequaiutud with the state of affairs in that island : — Declaration of Barr M'Dougall, Roderick M'Noill, senior, and Ann M'KiunoD, being three individuals of the expatriated people oi Barra. *' It is not true that we were all provided with bouses before wo left Barra; neither were we employed, nor might have been employed by the Relief Committoo at the date when we left Barra. Barr M'Dougall, and Donald M'Lean occupied houses on the farm rented by Dr. M'Gillvruy, and got notice to quit them a week before the term of Whitsunday, 1850. They did not remove till their houses had been partly stripped and their fires put out'. Donald M'Lean did not remove till his house wum totally unroofed and remained for ten days within the bare walls without any cover- ing but the sail o( a boat : though he was at the time lingering under the disease of which he has since died. Barr M'Dougall did not give up his croft at Greine voluntarily ; but when his rent was augmented without any corresponding advantages ho fell into arrears, like all his neighbours.* His stock was seized by the factor and sold for the arrears — consequently bad to surrender his croft, and finally his native country along with it. Docs not deny that he sought assistance when pressed by famine; but always laboured when he could find employment. Donald M'Lean was not indolent, as is falsely reported ; but, the poor man was quite incapable of standing fatigue or hard labour, as he was for a long while labouring under the consumptive disease which relieved him from the fangs of his pampered calumniators, six weeks after he went to Edinburgh. Roderick M'Neil, senior, was not several times accused of theft, and never apprehended. There was on attempt made once to implicate him, by another man who broke into a grocer's shop, and who afterwards (in order to lighten his own punishment) accused Robert M'Neil, senior, as being art and part ; but the said Roderick appeared before the Fiscal, Mr. Duncan M'Nee, at Lochmaddo, North Uist, where he was honourably ac- quitted, and was paid the sum of twelve shillings for his trouble. Roderick M'Neil, senior, laboured for a long time for the Relief Com- mittee, at roads and other ^orks for 10} tbs of meal per week, which was all the means of subsistence allowed for himself, his wife and two children. Finding death staring them in the fabe, Roderick's wife went to the su- * For the information of our readers we may here notice the manner in which the Barra croftera have been reduced to their present condition. When kelp was in great demand the former proprietor, started a kelp manufactory, at which the services of all the spare hands in the island were required. He always preferred labour to moneV ; and when ho found that the crofters could pay their rent in three months he increased his claims gradually, until each crofter required to keep a labourer there all the year round. After the manufacturing of kelp stopped the rents continued at the same figure. This is the whole secret of the Barra desti- tution. I' 137 perintorulcnt of tlio lldicf Board and bc^^gcd of him to allow her to work ID her Imsband'H place thut ho might go to the fishing, whiuh the niipcr- intcnilont granted ; and for thiM favour Koderick shared the fish with him. There were many females labouring for 10 hours a-day in the ihland of Barra at that time. They were compelled from the Hystem of labour to work with whcelbarrowH and carry burdcnn. The method taken to load them was as follows : — The female being ordered to turn her back to the turf-euttcr and to place her hands behind in a position almost on hor knees, the turfs were laid on her back in succession till she had a sufficient bur- den — enough to rise under and carry for some distance — there lay them down to come back for more. They had often to gather their petticoats about the sod in order to keep it on their back, while, in wet weather, the water, sometimes the melted snow, streamed down their back and sides. At this work Roderick M'Neil's wife continued till within twod.iys of her confinement ! ! ! Ann M'Kinnon acknowledges having had u child ten years ago ; but neither herself nor her child ever became a burden on the Parochial Board of Barra ; though (in consequence of the father's death) th • mainteuanco of the child fell entirely on herself. She also looured : ♦ both the turf carrying and the wheelbarrow so long as she could get work, at th rate of 4 J fbs of meal per week. We further declare that we went to Henry Beatson, minister, v ^questing certificates of character, which he refused, alleging that i was not in the habic of giving such to any one. However we see that hi> has sent one after us ; though to his eternal shame ho has given it in direct violation of the Holy Scriptures which he pretends to expound to the people, and which says, ' Thou shalt not raise a false report ; put not thine hand with the wicked to be an unrighteousness witness.* — Exod. xxiii. 1. That the said Henry Beatson is a most unfeeling rcrson. He once told James M'Donald, an indigent man, when he soiieited aid, 'Go to the mountains and eat grass and heather ! ' He has been most energetic in assisting Colonel Gordon's underlings in forcing away from their fatherland the 2000 which were transported to America from Barra and South Uist, and who are now begging and starving in Upper Canada. That there are at the present time men and women working about his manse, raising fences, trenching, &c., for one pound of meai pci ..b ', and although they would perish of cold they dare not approach th^ "iinister's kitchen fire. That the meal which is doled out on these hard conditions, under the superin- tendence of Mrs. Beatson, is believed to be the remains of the old Relief Committtee meal. We also know D. W. M'Gillvniy, J. P.. Tacksman, and think he should be the last to speak of ' illegitimate children,' as a poor idiotic female who perambulated the country fathered a child on him, and declared that var- ious stratagems were tried to prevent disclosures which cannot be men- tioned here. We have nothing particular to say of Wm. Birnie, Manager for Colonel Gordon, as he is but seldom in the island. Of Donald N. Nicolson, M. D., Tacksman, we will only wait to say that 138 after continuing for years, ' adding house to house and field to field,* the woes which are pronounced against such have at last overtaken him ; his whole effects having been sold by his creditors a few weeks ago. Archibald M'Donald, Elder, Tenant, is a bastard son ; and the gallant Colonel himself had no fewer than three bastard children to grace the ! name of Gordon." The above declaration was taken at Glasgow, on the26th of January,1852, in the presence of the undersigned witnesses, and was read in Gaelic to | the Declarants, who affirm that it is correct. ARCHIBALD SINCLAIR, Witness. DUNCAN M'DOUGALL, do. ' NEIL CAMPBELL, do. • - WILLIAM LIVINGSTONE, do. As the Declarants have not said anything in reference to the last para- graph in the Accusations, we would simply ask, What person in his senses will believe that " eleemosynary relief," as administered by the Barra Authorities, would have the tendency to make the recipients " neglect to sow their lands " so long as they are allowed to gather the crumbs that fall from the Parochial Board ! To follow these investigations a little farther, we cannot do it better than by giving the following well authenticated communication received from a gentleman who had resided for some time in Barra, and was an eye- witness of the enormities perpetrated there during the summer of 1851 : — " The unfeeling and deceitful conduct of those acting for Colonel Gor- don, in Barra and South Uist last summer, cannot be too strongly censured. The duplicity and art which was used by them in order to entrap the un- wary natives is worthy of the craft and cunning of an old slave-trader. Many of the poor people were told in my hearing, that Sir John M'Neill would be in Canada before them, where he would have every thing neces- sary for their comfort prepared for them. Some of the officials signed a document bindins themselves to emigrate in order to induce the poor people to give their names ; but in spite of all these stratagems many of the people saw through them and refused out and out to go. When the transports anchored in Loch Boysdale the tyrants threw off their mask, and the work of devastation and cruelty commenced. The poor people were commanded to attend a public meeting at Loch-Boysdale where the transports lay, and according to the intimation, any one absenting himself from the meeting was to be fined in Two Pounds. At this meeting some of the natives were seized and in spite of their entreaties were sent on board the transports. One stout Highlander, named Angus Johnstone, resisted with such pith that they had to hand-cuff him before he could be mastered ; but in consequence of the priest's interference his manacles were taken off and marched between four officers on board the emigrant vessel. One morning, during the transporting season, we were suddenly awakened by the screams of a young female who had been recaptured in an adjoining house; having escaped after her first apprehension. We all rushed to the door and saw the broken-hearted creature with dishevelled I might procure, hair and swollen face, dragged away by two constables and a ground officer. Were you to see the racing and chasing of policemen, constables, and ground officers, pursuing the outlawed natives you would think, only for their colour, that you had been by some miracle transported to the banks of the Gambia on the slave-coast of Africa. " The conduct of the Rev. H. Beatson on that occasion is deserving of the censure of every feeling heart. This "Wolf in sheep's clothing" made himself very officious, as he always does when he has an opportunity of oppressing the poor Barramen and of gaining the favour of Colonel Gor- don. In fact, he is the most vigilant and assiduous officer Colonel Gordon has. He may be seen in Castle Bay, the principal anchorage in Barra, whenever a sail is hoisted, directing his men, like a game-keeper with his hounds, in case any of the doomed Barramen should escape, so that he might get his land cultivated and improved for nothing. They offered one day to board an Arran boat who had a poor man concealed, but the master, John Crawford, lifted a hand-spike and threatened to split the skull of the first man who would attempt to board his boat, and thus the poor Barmman escaped their clutches. " I may state in conclusion that two girls, daughters of John M'Dou- gall, brother of Barr M'Dougall whose name is mentioned in Sir John M'Neill's Report, have fled to the mountains to elude the grasp of the ex- patriators, where they still are, if in life. Their father, a frail old man, along with the rest of the family, have been sent to Canada. The respec- tive ages of these girls is 12 and 14 years. Others have fled in the same manner, but I cannot give their names just now." Let us now follow the exiled Barramen to the " new world " and witness their deplorable condition and privations in a foreign land. The Quebec Times s&ys : — " Many of our readers may not be aware that there lives such a person- age as Colonel Gordon, proprietor of large estates. South Uist and Barra, in the Highlands of Scotland ; we are sorry to be obliged to introduce him to their notice, under circumstances which will not give them a very fa- vourable opinion of his character and heart. " It appears that tenants on the above mentioned estates were on the verge of starvation, and had probably become an eye-sore to the gallant Colonel ! He decided on shipping them to America. What they were to do there, was a question he never put to his conscience. Once landed in Canada, he had no further concern about them. Up to last week, 1,100 souls from his estates had landed in Quebec, and begged their way to Up- per Canada ; when in the summer season, having only a morsel of food to procure, they probably escaped the extreme misery which seems to be the lot of those who followed them. On their arrival here, they voluntarily made aud signed the following statement : — " We the undersigned passengers per Admiral from Storna- way, in the Highlands of Scotland, do solemnly depose to the following facts, — That Colonel Gordon is the proprietor of the estates of South Uist and Barra ; that among many hundreds of tenants and cotters whom he has sent this season from his estates to Canada, he gave directions to his 140 factor, Mr. Fleming of Cluny Castle, Aberdeensliiro, to ship on board o^ tlie above named vessel a number of nearly 450 of said tenants and cotters from the estate in Barra — that accordingly, a great majority of tliese peo-l pie, among whom were the undersigned, proceeded voluntarily to embarkl on board the Admiral, at Loch Boysdale, on or about the 11th August,! 1851 ; but that several of the people who were intended to bo shipped fori this port, Quebec, refused to proceed on board, and in fact, absconded| from their homes to avoid the embaritation. Whereupon Mr. Flemina gave orders to a policeman, who was accompanied by the ground officer o the estate of Barra, and some constables, to pursue the people who had ran away among the mountains ; which they did, and succeeded in cap turing about twenty from the mountains and islauds in the neighborhood; but only came with the officers on an attempt bein^ made to handcuff them ; and that some who ran away were not brought back, in consequence o! which four fomilies, at least, have been divided, some having come in thi ships to Quebec, while other members of the same families were left in tin Highlands. " 'The undersigned further declare, that those who • voluntarily em-™, „ liarked did so under promise to the effect, that Colonel Gordon woulJ^^P oreign defray their passage to Quebec; that the Government Emigration AgeDtM°"^^y ' T there would send the whole party free to Upper Canada, whiere, on arrivafl'"'P'^*' ^ ^ ' the Government Agents would give them work, and furthermore, gram them land on certain conditions. " ' The undersigned finally declare, that they are now landed in Quebec so destitute, that if immediate relief be not afforded them and continued until they are settled in employment, the whole will be liable to perish with want.' (Signed) Hector Lamont, and 70 others. " This is a beautiful picture. Had the scene been laid in Russia oi Turkey the barbarity of the proceeding would have shocked the nerves ol the readers ; but when it happens in Britain, emphatically the land of liberty, where every man's house, even the hut of the poorest, is said to be his castle, the expulsion of t^cse unfortunate creatures from their homes — the man-hunt with policeman and Bailiffs — the violent separation of families — the parents torn from the child, tlie mother from her daughter — the infamous trickery practised on those who did embark — the aban- donment of the age, the infirm women, and tender children, in a foreign Ian 1 — form a tableau which cannot be dwelt on for an instant withou' horror. Words cannot depict the atrocity of the deed. For cruelty kos savage, the dealers of the South have been held up to tlie execration ol the world. ■ , n And if, as men, the sufferings of these our fellow-creatures find sympathy *j^^"^\,^" in our hearts, as Canadians their wrongs concern us more dearly. Tin fifteen hundi'cd souls whom Colonel Gordon has sent to Quebec this season, have all been supported for the past week at least, and conveyed to Upper Canada at the expense of the Colony ; and on their arrival in Toronto and Hamilton, the greater number have been dependent on the charity of the 141 nded ia Qucbec| and continued jlcnevolent for their morsel of bread. Four hundred are in the river at Ipresent and will arrive in a day or two, making a total of nearly 2,000 of Ifolonel Gordon's tenants and cotters whom the Province has to support. pe winter is at hand, work is becoming scarce in Upper Canada. VVhcrc lire these people to find food '(" Having laid a great mass of conclusive evidence before the public, we Inust now *' sum up." We are certain that every man who has any sense If honour and justice cannot but condemn Colonel Gordon and his officials jfor these hitherto unheard of cruelties, and will loudly protest against the ■roes which are being heaped upon the head of the poor Ilebridean. Is Ijiicli conduct as we have now recorded to be winked at and tolerated by a liation wlio have laboured more in the sacred cause of human liberty than my other nation from the beginning of the world ? Are those very men Irho have ungrudgingly paid £20,000,000 for the freedom of the negroes 1 a few of the West Indian islands : and who have effected the emanci- fltion of every captive within the British dominions, to stand by with folded arms and not offer a helping hand to their own flesh and blood in lie Western Isles — to those who have victoriously fought their battles and llept foreign invaders from their shores ? Are they to remain calm and buioved, while British laws are being violated, and the poor inoffensive, jioprotected, and down-trodden Celt is hand-cuffed and dragged from his Muntry and his kinsmen with less regard to his comfort than if he were a st of burden j Certainly not. And we are confident that all an en- lightened and a benevolent public require to stir them up to cause a proper luid impartial investigation being made is to lay the case explicitly before km. Instead of trusting to a " broken reed," as Sir John M'Neill has Jproved himself to be, let a disinterested public act in this case as they lave done in that already mentioned. In 1838, when conflicting accounts |fthe cruelties endured by the Africans were wafted across the Western Ocean, instead of confiding in the report brought by Government officials, lie friends of the Negro sent a deputation of enlightened and fearless men liho brought back a trustworthy report, and they went to work accord- iigly. Let them do the same now and send men who will not pass by the ottage of the poor but will listen to what he has to say — neither will ac- «pt of the gifts of the rich, and we have no doubt that the result will bo ke same — the emancipation of the poor Ilebridean and his restoration to Lis rights and his responsibilities as a British subject. Then petty tyrants fill see that however well concocted their plans — however far removed oni the public eye " that their sins will find them out." I ask Mrs. Stowe, what is your i/nde Tom's Cabin or your Dred in omparison to such treatment as this ? and dare you say in the face of kiich (living) evidence that my narrative is a ridiculous unfounded alumny, and ridiculous and absurd accusation. I am told w^hen writing his that you were lately in Rome paying homage to his Holiness and his jfesuit Mmisters and kissing his toe ; but should you kiss his Holiness Ibout two feet higher up, and whatever indulgence he may grant you lor perverting truth and falsifying philosophy, and whatever promises |e has made lo you for absolutions for such sins, I tell you in plain 142 Uecland Scotch terms that you will find all his chicanery insufficient to screen or protect you from me, in your future praise of Highland Pro- prietors. And may I not ask, why is not all the Christian nations of the world up with a united universal cry of disapprobation of the system, [ law, and reprobation of the foul deeds committed under the protection of I such law and system, and demand of the British Legislature their aboli- f tion and erasement from the Statute book, and retribution of their rights! to their vir ims — a cry and demand in which the slave owners of America I would have a tenfold better right to join than the English aristocracy had to reinon;?trate with ihem on American Slavery. The ic ilowing is my appeal published before I left Scotland : To (lie Editor of the Northern Ensign. Sir, — Highland destitution and famine in the Highlands have become proverbial and so familiar that people thinl and speak of them as a calamity hereditary to the Highlanders ; and, indeed, smce they have be- come so burdensome to the public for the last half century (keeping them alive upon charity), the more fortunate portion of the Christian world are beginnnig to think, and say, that they should not exist any longer, and that the sooner they are exterminated the better. The appellation Gael, Celt, or Gaul, has now become a reproach ; yet those to whom the titles originally belong were at one time the terror and admiration of all Europe. They at one period inhabited Upper Asia, and took possession of Italy, and marched upon Rome 390 years before the advent of Christ — defeated the Roman army, laid the city in a heap of ruins, and levied one thousand pounds weight of gold of the then mvincible Romans to purchase their departure. They were the people of whom Csesar said — after a fearful struggle often years' fighting, in which his army cut off one million of them — that he never observed one Gael turnii.g his bach, but that they all died fighting in their ranks without yielding one foot. But to come nearer home. They were a race of men who, when they had to encounter the Romans at the foot of the Grampian Hills (under the command of Galgacus), defied the Roman legion (under the com- mand of Agricola, the most renowned of the Roman generals), whose discipline, science, and civilization, on thct bloody occasion, drew forth the admiration of Tacitus, the Roman annalist, who declared that the Caledonian Celts were the most formidable enemy and the bravest people that ever Rome encountered — that, indeed, they were unconquerable. That learning and civilization followed this race of people is evident, and could be proved from a chain of Scottish historians, whose works are still extant. ♦ I am tired,' said a distinguished writer many centuries ago, ' of having Roman authors quoted when the commencement of our civilization is spoken of, while nothing is said of the Celts, or of our obli- gations to them.' It was not the Latins, it was the Celts, who were our first instructors. Aristotle declared that philosophy was derived by the Greeks from the Gauls, and not imparted to them. — [Sec introduction to Logan's Scottish Gael.) Dr 148 You will pardon me, should I ask, through you, the most avowed land inveterate enemies of the Highlander, where, or when, has the Wighland Celt stained the character given them by ihe Roman annalist at the early period of our history 1 If we turn up the annals of Euro- Ipean bloody battle fields, from the Grampians to Waterloo, where will |we find bravery to excel Highland bravery 1 If we look for discipline, Imorality and religion, among the British army, we must find such in Jthe Highland regiments. We have now a small remnant of the progeny of this mighty race of Imeri who conquered civilized and enlightened Europe, yea, more, who Iconverted Europe from heathenism and piganism to Christianity ; I say Iwe have them in obscure corners of the West and North Highlands of IChristianized, vain, vaunting, civilized Scotland, dying by famine, to Ithe everlasting disgrace, confusion, and abhorrence here and hereafter, lof those, and their abettors, to whose cupidity, ambition, and steel-hearted liDhumanity, thousands of deaths in the Highlands could be attributed. iLet this bo told aud proclaimed throughout the length and breadth of Itlie la id, on every market-cross, and in every place of resort all over Europe — that Roman Catholic and Mahommedan nations may record it Jagainst them, when endeavours are making to proselytise them. But (tbank God that Christianity is not to be measured by the conduct of Chris- Itians; if it were the heathens would do well to reject it. Let the Legislature of this nation (to their shame) know it, that the lonly portion of Her Majesty's subjects who, by language and appearance, llegitimately can lay claim to be the progeny of those who chastised and Iforced many a formidable invader from Britain's shore — who fought the Ibattles of this nation at home and abroad, from the day of the Gram- Ipians to Waterloo, and who brought immortal praise and laurels of Irictory home to Britain — let the representatives of Scotland (the dumb js, with one honourable exception, Mr. Cowan,) know it -that in Ireturn for their ancestors' services to the nation, they, the progeny are lioomed to die by famime, or bo exterminated from the land, so dear to lliem by many sacred ties, by compulsory emigration, that they were made subject to, and left the victims of t'^e most wanton cruelty, ingrati- tude, and injustice that the most avaricious barbarians could devise. That the most fertile valleys, straths and glens of Caledonia, which they [have been for ages defending, and purchased so often with their dearest ilood, are depopulated, and converted by a few selfish minions, who have [neither ancestry nor bravery to boast of, if they were properly searched, Jnto deer-forests and hunting-parks, for the amusement of English snobs land sporting gBnts, where the image of God upon a Gael dare not Tapproach ; while the Celts, who can boast of both bravery and ancestry, pre turned adrift as beings of no value, upon barren, unproductive moors bud precipices, and on skirts exposed to all the casualties of the season, deprived of every means to better their condition. Here they are dying, kr living, what we may term a lingering, agonizng death, fed by the fold, sparing, stinted hand of charity, when twenty-four lines (upon an pctavo) of an Act of Parliament would cure all. 144 In tho days of one of the Caesars (during what are called the dark ages) there was a law in Rome, that none would be allowed to sit in the State Council, ride in a chariot, hold any public office, or sit at a public feast, while it was known that any of his denenrlants were in want ; and du- ring the prosperous and victorious days of Greece, they had two tem- ples built, one for virtue and one for honour, anrt so constructed that it was imposfnble to enter the temple of honour withcut goiig through the temple of virtue, — intended for a noble pun^osf), and it hru] the desired effect in thoao days. Would to OJod w< had sach qualif na/ions, and we wouid not have so many direful levoltirtir dc eds /arp traior!. a id so many igiiobles raised to honour and titles till there is no room Uj Uijcend. Let the ministers of the everlasting Gospel, tin, ambassadors of Christ, hear it, that in proportion as tlie. people are diminished and extirpated, their services will be less required — sheep, btxllocks, deer, black-cocks, and pheasants, vvill require no ministry. Ir, is a part of the ^r co^nmission to pload the widow, the fatherless, and the orphan's cause — to resist and denounce the oppressors, — to follow the exanip' ^ of their Master and the prophets in reproving evil doe."3. How can they prostrate them- selves at the throne of mercy, pleading with God for the spiritual wants of liioir flocks, and not utter a word against these wolves who aretramp- lujg under foot, scattering their flocks by banishment (under the name of emigration) depriving them of the land created for their subsistence, znd beotovving it upon brute-beasts — thus ushering thousands to a pre- mature grave ? How can they see this, and not interpose, plead with God, and call upon the nation to their assistance, that the ungodly, un- national, and unjust law which tolerates and protects such evil-doers may be expunged from the statute-book ? This is their duty — they may seek a subterfuge to disregard it, but if they will, The day is coming tohcn they shall repent, if they can find a place for repentance. Thank God we have a Rev. Charles Thomson in Wick, a Dr. Begg in Edinburgh, and others — For yooe's me, my people are robbed and sold, and tlwse who roh them say, Blessed he tlie Lord, for I am rich, and their own shepherds pity them not. I would ask the merjcantile and manufacturing portion of this nation, will you stand by carelessly and callously, seeing the home market des- troyed, millions of those that should and would be the consumers of your goods banished from our shores, dying by famine, or living in a state of misery and wretchedness, that they can be of no service to you, but the reverse— a burden to you 1 I leave you to reflect upon this for a time. Sheep and bullocks may supply you, but they will take very little in ex- change ; but supply and demand, when corresponding, are the very life of the home market. 1 ask you, literary men or knowledge manufac- turers, — How are the people ignorant 1 The people are in misery, dy- ing by famine, and cannot buy knowledge. There is abundance of wealth in the land, and abundance of work before you ; but if the peo- ple are banished from the land or die by famine, you may shut your shops, for sheep, bullocks, deer, black-cocks, and pheasants will not em- ploy you, and you need not attempt to teach them. Rise, then, from 145 your lethargy, and stand no longer in your criminally callous indifference regarding the producing classes. You are the fourth estate, and to vrhom much is given, much shall be required. To the Government of this nation I would say, and put them in mind, that this kingdom was often invaded before, and often threatened, and it may happen yet. You have allowed the best part of the national ramparts to be trodden down and razed to the foundation, you have allowed the patriotism or love of country which was characteristic of Highlanders and which was so powerful to animate them at all times when encountering an enemy, to be destroyed ; you have allowed, and helped to banish them from your ehores, to foreign strands, where, at no distant period, they or their off- spring may become as formidable enemies as their sires were formidable friends. Then you will find that cruel Highland proprietors, English snobs, and sporting gents, sheep, bullocks, rams, deer, black-cocks, and pheasants, will make but a poor stand for your nation's defence. I say, reflect. This is the time, this is the day to retract, to retrieve, and to re- claim lost confidence, and make reparation to the unfortunate Highland I victims of mal-administration and of cruel short-sighted policy. The accounts received daily by the Secretary of the Highland Destitu- Ition Relief Committee (of which I am a member) are heart-rending and revolting to humanity. A reverend gentleman writes thus: — ' You have sent me two pounds ; I bought meal with the money but there were so many applicants for relief that I had to divide it in ounces.* Another writes : — ' I acknowledge the receipt of £5, but I must keep it a secret, or the people will storm my house ; yet I am travelling among them, and inquiring, and where I find that death by famine is approaching, I administer relief. I need not trouble you with any more. This is a sample of them all.* People of high standing in society were finding fault with me for advising the poor Highlanders to take sheep or any other animal they cimld get their hands on and eat them, before they Urould allow themselves or their children to die ; but 1*11 warrant you, if these gentlemen were only getting an ounce each of oatmeal to make water gruel for their supper, in Edinburgh, and had no other prospect for food until a few more ounces came from the Isle of Skye, there would not be a hen-roost nor pig-stye in or about Edinburgh but they would pay a visit to before morning, and where they would help themselves. This is a fearful state of matters in a country professing Christianity. Yet, however dreadful and threatening it is, I have often said, and will say it I yet, that until the land in the Highlands is under a different system of I management, matters will be getting worse and worse. I hope that I the Rev. Charles Thomson's exhortation in your last will be followed up by every one whose breast contains a spark of humanity, and who is favoured with an opportunity. — I am, &c., DONALD M'LEOD.. 16, South Richmond Street, Edinburgh, July 14, 1851. ^ _ v« 146 I have, ID the preceding pages, particularized the Duke of Sutherland as chief dcpopulator of the Highlands; I must now notice those next to him, Athol, Breadalbane, Lord Macdonald, and Gordon, as you will see from the following :^A gentleman of the name of R. Alister, in 185vj, wrote a work which was inscribed to another patriotic philanthropist of the name of Patrick Edward Dove, Edinburgh, titled " Barriers to National Ptosperity," in which he demonstrates the short-sighted policy of Highland proprietors in a style worthy of the author and editor, Mr. Dove. The Mar- auis of Breadalbane wad offended at seeing the work advertised, and wrote the following letter through the public press. As I was not personally aoquaintcd with the extent of the clearance system in that quarter, I con- sider the most prudent step J can adopt is to give verbatim Breadalbane's letter and Mr. Alister's reply : — COPY LETTER. .-. . i , ^i^ ,1 . To the Editor of the Perthshire Advertiser. ' '' ' ; 21 Park Lane, London, ) June 18, 1853. | ** Sir, — My attention has been directed to an article in the Per\ hshire Advertiser, of the 13th ultimo, iu which a work, entitled Barriers to the National Prosperity of Scotland, is reviewed, and from which are quoted passages tending to give an impression of the management of my estates in the Highlands, which is inconsistent with the facts. The extract from Mr. Alister's work to which I more particularly allude is the following : — " At the present rate of depopulation, the High- lands must soon be one vast wilderness ; and although their numbers were never great in the British army, yet we aver that one-tenth of the men who fought in the last war could not be got in the Highlands. Many of the smaller glens are totally cleared, and any of the peasantry remaining do not calculate that they can obtain a home for many years longer. GlencoOj the Black Mount, and Lochtayside, where the Campbells flourished, are swept; and although no diffi ulty was experienced by the late Marquess of Breadalbane in raising three battalions of fencibles at the last war, we are sure that 150 men could not now be obtained.'' Glencoe does not, and never did, belong to me. Mr. Alister appears to labour under a mistake as to the history of the Black Mount, inasmuch as he would seem to assert that it wafi formerly densely inhabited ; whereas the f& ct is, that, as far back as the records of my family reach (for some centuries) till towards the close of last century, when it was put into very large sheep farms, that country was always a deer forest, and consequently uninhabited, except by the foresters. As I began to convert it again into a forest upwards of thirty years since, it i? obvious that it could only have been in the hands of tenants for a (com paratively speaking) short period. The present population of that district 18, I believe, as great as it was in the times to which Mr. Alister alludes, and, in point of fact, the number of families employed by me there noW| as shepherds and foresters, is much the same as the number who lived there when the ground was tenanted by farmers. 147 On my Nether Lome property, I believe the population to be greater than it was fiftv or sixty years ago. The population on the banks of Loch Tay is certainly not &h large as it was twenty years since, and it is fortunate for all parties concerned that it is not, as a continuance of the old system would, before this, have pro- duced disastrous results. When I succeeded to the property, I found the land cut up into pos- sessions too small for the proper conduct of agricultural operations, or the full employment of the occupiers. The consequence was, that habits of idleness were engendered, great poverty existed, and the cultivation cf the land was in a most unsatisfactory state — the social, the moral, and physi- cal condition of the people being thus unfavourably aifected. A continuanie of this state of matters was clearly inconsistent with the improvement of the country and the welfare of the inhabitants, subjects to which I at once, on my succession, directed my attention, and to which I have ever since constap ly directed my best thoughts. To carry these views into eifect, it was absolutely necessary that the holdings should be so increased in size as to give suflBcient employment to the resources of the occupiers, and this could only be done by consolidat- ing some of the smallest possessions, retaining the tenants who appeared moat likely to profit by the change. In no case was this done iu the way implied by Mr, Alister, as the changes were always made gradually, and so as to produce as little incon- venience as possible to those whom it was necessary to remove. Indeed, whenever, from the circumstances of the case, it was practicable, tho.se who were ren'oved were offered other houses. In reality, there has been no depopulation of the district, in the sense in which the word is usually accepted. There is still a large population on both sides of Loch Tay, and almost all the land is still held in, com- paratively speaking, small possessions. The results of the system I have pursued speak for themselves. If any person who saw Lochtayside twenty years since were to see it now, he could not fail to be struck with the change for the better in the face of the country, in the state of the dwellings, and in the appearance and habits of the people. A very satisfactory proof of the flourishing condition of the people may be found in the fact, that, while the inhabitants of many parts of the Highlands were suffering from famine in the years 1846-47, and were to a great extent indebted for mere existence to the charity of the public, none of the money so collected was expended on, or required by, the inhabitants of my estates, even on the west coast. All were supported by internal, not by external aid, although the failure of the potato crop was quite as complete there as in other parts of the Highlands. Indeed, money was raised in these districts in aid of the general funds collected for the alleviation of the famine. In no part of the Highlands are the religious and educational wants of the inhabitants better provided for, nor are there fewer public-houses. In looking over my factorial accounts, I find that, on my Perthshire 148 property, I have expended, in employing the people in useful works, £188,750; on Glcnurchay, a part of my Argyleshire property, £19,402 ; and on the other part a similar sum in proportion — in each case from tlio period of my succession down to 1852 (eighteen years). Having stated these facts regarding the management of my property, and my conduct towards those residing upon it, I fearlessly ask, am 1 justly obnoxious to the imputation of being regardless of the prosperity and happiness of the people Uj^jon it? Have I recklessly driven out from its mountains and its glens the interesting and gallant race that formerly resided there ? — I remain, sir, your obedient servant, (Signed) BEEADALBANiS- LETTER I. To the moat noble the Marquess of Breadalhane. ii My Lord, — For the last fifteen years 1 have been brought into imme- diate contact with the middle and lower orders in various parts of iicot- land, and during that period I have observed that the section of our population deriving their support from land have been subjected to some grievances, so much so that their means of living have become pinched, and Multitudes, who would have submitted to great privations at home, have nevertheless been compelled to expatriate themselves from the coun- try so dearly loved, or, what is worse, take shelter in the dungeons of a large town. For a long time it puzzled mc to understand how a country growing in commercial prosperity must be declining in its agricultural population ; and while the towns were doubling their residenters, and con- sequently demanding greater supplies of food, yet all the while vast tracts of producing land should be thrown waste I Any inquiries that I could make were generally answered, that the peasantry must make way before the improvements of modern agriculture ; but that explanation I never was satisfied with, and I never was at peace until 1 found out what appeared to me to be the real cause of such great evils j for I could not shut my eyes to the fact that rural depopulation and the overpeopling of towns stood linked together as cause and effect. As your Lordship must know, I traced out these evils to the Laws of Entail, which have concen- trated vast territories into the hand of a single individual, while they pre- vented peasant proprietorship, — a system that has produced magical benefits wherever it has been allowed to come into operation. The Game Law rules I also found to be a wicked instrument, seized by lairds for banishing the peasantry, and for desolating great tracts of land. The Laws of Hypothec I also found operated most injuriously against society, by unduly enlarging the size of farms, by giving illegitimate security to lairds for rents, and for increasing the price of rent to a fictitious amount. The abolition of these unjust laws is all the cure that I suggest, and I hesitate not to affirm that if their abolition were secured, a most healthful im- provement, both moral and physical, would be apparent in Scotland, and that at uo postponed date. to i4d ^DALBANK. Your Lordship in aware that I brought these views under publto no- tice in a volume entitled, " liarrieis to the Prosperity of Scotland ;" at the same time labouring to prove that a country cannot long survive the loss of its peasantry, or, if it did exist, it would bo — like Sumson, do- prived of his hair — shorn of all that was morally fair or physically good. 1 have laboured to show how the peasant at home loves his country unt^ his God, but when huddled into the pestiferous alleys of a large town, he loses his physical stiength and h's religious principle; and his family, which, in the cottaroon, would be brought up in thrift and in virtue, would, like the rest, be swept into the vortex of vice and dissipation. This theory of human life your Lordship has not attempted to overturn, neither have you denied its applicability to the present condition of Scotland. But you iiave attempted to place my statements before the public as being untrue, and therefore my case against the laws of game, entail, and hypothec would full to the ground. I must confess that I should have much rather been attacked in my arguments than in any isolated illustration thereof, because the general argument may be per- fectly good, albeit the particular illustration thereof may have been in- correct. In a former publication I had to complain of this ; for many busied themselves with the illustration, while they overlooked entirely the principle it was intended to support. When illustrating the evil oducts of our feudalistic legislation, it was barely possible for ine to avoid pointing to certain estates where the evils were most apparent. But I certainly did so as seldom as possible, and I think in only one instance have I condescended on a personal reflection. Your Lordship's name is not mentioned at all, for although I state that Lochtayside had been cleared, I did not say % whom ; and bad you not published the letter of 18th June, your Lordship's name and character might have been forgotten altogether in connection with such a deplorable state of matters. Personally I entertain no grudge towards your Lord- ship or any other laird, but on the contrary it might have been beneficial to me to retain the good favour of lairds rather than to excite their ill will. But the letter referred to leaves me only two courses, — either to support the statements of my book, or stand arraigned before the public as guilty of circuluting untruths. Your Lordship has dragged our dispute promi- nently before the public ; let the public, therefore, bo judge between us. 1 have good right to complain that your LordshJ p's contradiction of my statements are not brought out in a straightforward manner, but that by numerous shifts and fallacies you evade the facts altogether. Considering the high position of your Lordship, I think you might have condescended to have ; met such a humble antagonist as I am openly and frankly ; ex- cuse me, therefore, if I now ask you to answer my statements seriatim. 1st. Do you deny in general that the Highlands are being depopulated, and that one soldier could not now be raised lor ten who fought in the last war ? Your Lordship, I think, would hardly risk the denial of a state- ment which every person in this country knows to be correct. I have fiven the public an opportunity of denying my statements ; but, so far as can judge, my figures are under rather tihaa over the mark. I oan point i .s ill 'hill 160 to a place whore thirty rccruita that manned t)>! tiliJ in Egypt canto from, —men before whom Napoleon's Invincibles hnd to bito the dust, — and now only two families reside there altogether. I was lately informed by a grazier tlmt on his farm a hundred swordsmen could bo gathered at the country's cull ; and now there is only himself and one or two shepherds. On his neighbour's farm tifty swordsmen formerly lived, and it is now much in the same condition. The Sutherland and Gordon clearings aro known to the world, and yet the fact of Highland depopulation is stated as being inconsistent with truth ? Under this head your Lordship had ample opportunity of contradicting my stntements. but no man with any regard to tiis standing could do so. But if I am labouring under a delu- sion here, I am not alone, as will be seen from the following quotations : — '' But in other and in too many instances the Highlands have been drained, not of their superfluity of population, but of the whole muss of the inhabitants, dispossessed by an unrelenting avarice, which will be one (fai/ found to have been aa »hurt-ni;/hfed an it is unjust and selfish. Mean- time the Highlands may become the fairy ground for romance and f)oetry, or the subject of experiment for the professors of speculation, po- itical and economical. But if the hour of need should come, — and it may not perhaps be far distant, — the pibroch may sound through the deserted region, but the summons will remain unanswered." — Sir Walter Scott. Let us hear what the great continental historian, Michelct, says :— " The Scotch Highlanders will ere long disappear from the face of the earth; the mountains are daily depojmlatimj ; the great estates have ruined the land of the Gaul, as they did ancient Italy. The Highlander will ere long exist only in the romances of Walter Scott. The tartan and the claymore excite surprise in the streets of Edinburgh : they dis- appear — they emigrate — their national airs will ere long be lost, as the music of the Eolian harp when the winds are hushed." It is not necessary for me to say any thing about the result of this de- population — whether it is desirable or not — for I am not at present dis- cussing an abstract question in political science, but the fact of that depopulation going on is notorious over all. In one week one hundred most industrious emigrants left the district of Athole for Canada, while sixty additional were preparing to remove. As the press stated, there is a general " move " of Highland population to Australia and Canada, of their own accord in many instances. The ( . "ad farmers from Athole have thriven so well in Canada, that the remaining friends are desirous of sharing their prosperity. Those who left Badenoch for Australia six- teen years ago have made fortunes rapidly, and now the people en masm are flitting. But it is not only in the Highlands ih\^ system is at work ; from where I write I see a farm in the occupation of a tenant who has ground that formerly sustained one hundred lowland. Scotch families, and all in peace and plenty, in contentment and happiness. On hundreds of places might Nicol sing, — " Ae aald aik tree, or may be twa, s?; ..;; aM> Amang the wavin' corn, ^7^ jj^.j ' ; Is a' the mark that time has left 0* the toon where I was bom." was iti p barrier be and the nn future is \ is " calculi time my t for the 81 doings ha^ that propt encouragci was starte work the 1 if your L( tion. In refei not, and 1 that it is <' correct, bi or not. If your Lord guity, and the same the better. grounds. to my inf( square mih "swept"— question b merly densi families pi nothing to your family painful one must be far V'y^i Ifil pt camo from, fio dust, — and informed by athcred at the wo sh'^phcrds. und it is now 1 clearings aro lation is stated Lordship had man with any ; under u dclu- quotations : — inds have been whole mass of ich will he one selfish. Meiin- romance and peculation, po- e, — and it may h the deserted Walter Scutt. ekt, says:— , the face of the It estates have he Highlander ;. The tartan irgh : they dis- be lost, as the milt of this de- al present dis- he fact of that jk one hundred Canada, while !ss stated, there ia and Canada, rs from Athole ds are desirous )r Australia six- )eople en masse em is at work ; enant who has 'cotch families, On hundreds I have never said that the Highlanders should he kept up as a nursery for soldiers ; my only position is this, do not keep up nor put them down. If they cannot work, let them shift for themselves ; but if Mry are beaten, it is time for others to look out. Although it is not necessary to keep up the Scottish peasantry by eleemosynary aid, yet does that argue that they should be oppressed as much us possible i that they should be ren- dered uncomfortaole at home, and their crops devoured through the in- fluence of game laws ] Surely not. I say, that " any of the peasantry remaining do not calculate that they can obtain a home for many years longer." Now, on Lochtayside, and especially at Acharn, I certainly understood that some thirty or forty ten- ants looked at Whitsunday next as the time when their doom would be Hxed. Certain ominous examinations have been seen, and whispers were rife that the same dose which their neighbours had been favoured with was in preparation for them. Tho besom of extermination had left no barrier betwixt them and being thrown upon the wide world for a home and the means of life. To say what your Lordship's plans are for the future is what I carmot do ; but I am perfectly citirect in saying what is "calculated." On another Highland property, I was aware at the time my book was in the press that extensive warnings had been given for the small tenants to leave. I am glad, however, to say, that such doings have been seen in their true colours, and that if any have to leavu that property it will bo their own fault, as I learn that every reasonable encouragoiuent will now be aflbrdcd them to stay at home. The question was started in high quarters, — " If the people leave, who will be got to work the laud ? " Well would it be for Breadalbane, and for our country, if your Lordship would set yourself seriously to examine the same ques- tion. In reference to Glencoe, your Lordship abruptly answers, that it does not, and never did belong to you. I never said that it did. I asserted that it is ''swept" of its inhabitants, and perhaps my information is in- correct, but your Lordship has not condescended to state whether it is so or not. If, however, my language can bear any such construction as that your Lordship is proprietor thereof, I willingly withdraw any such ambi- guity, and confess that my language should not be equivocal, although at the same time, I believe that the less some Campbells say about Glencoe the better. I have also put the Black Mount among the number of cleared grounds. That there were numerous tenants living there was according to my information. In a region of territory covering some 200 or 300 square miles of Scottish ground, the fact is, as I have stated, viz. that it is "swept" — not onft tenant on the whole ! ! ! Your Lordship evades the question by saying, that my statement amounts to this, " that it was for- merly densely populated." I certainly was unable to tell the number of families put away, but your Lordship might have done so, and there is nothing to prevent that being done yet. You tell us about the records of your family ; your Lordship might have spared such an allusion. It is a painful one to a Soctchman, and particularly to a Highlander. Tradition must be far wide of the truth if the early history of your family be fit for 162 lit '^ it sueing light in the nineteenth oentury. You tell us that the present pop- ulation of that district is now as great as the time to which I allude. What time, my Lord ? — please explain yourself. You tell us that it is obvious that this land could only have been in the hands of tenants for a short time. I certainly understood that it never was a deer forest until made so bv your Lordrhip, but J never said so. The arguments used to excuse the clearing system are not a little unique. Thus, the Black Mount is cleared, having been " but thinly peopled ;" and Lochtayside is all but swept, be- cause it was " too densely populated." Some of your Glenquiech tenants' families were in possession 400 years — was that the reason they were "swept ? " If not contradictory, these arguments are, at least, somewhat strange ; thus, the Fens of Lincoln have only been improved lately, — ergo there would be no harm in converting them again into marshes. The whole cultivation of America is of comparatively recent origin, — ergo, it would be no harm for a tyrant to lay it all waste ! Then, you very coolly tell us that your shepherds and foresters make up as great a population as formerly resided there. But you have forgotten to tell how many shep- herds you hare there, and it would be naturally inferred that the Black Mount is as well grazed aa before. Now, allow me to remind your Lord- ship that such an impression is very far from being borne out by the facts of the case, there being only a verj/ small part of the Black Mount under sheep pasture. Then, about the foresters, you would think it no harm in having the whole Highlands under the dominion of that excellent and useful class, would you ? Your Lordship must hold very strange doctrines of political science, if you estimate that game-1 eepers and foresters, who keep the country lying waste, who dissipate the iational resources, are for a moment to be compared to the industrious per ^ant, by the sweat of whose brow human life is sustained, and whose laudable endeavour is to improve land, not to lay it waste ! The country would be vastly improved if idle keepers, who are a notorious pest to any district, were transformed into respectable and industrious tillers of the ground. Am I not correct, then, in saying that the Black Mount has been swept of its industrious tenants, and that only a few shepherds, (not, I believe, one-tenth of what ought to be) occupy their place ? But about the Black Mount more anon. We have now come to Lochtayside ; and if the peasantry be not vir- tually " swept" from there, I shall make all apology that may be deemed meet. By a mere play upon words, your Lordship makes out that it is not " swept," because some tenants remain there still ; and yet in another place we are told it was for good to the people themselves that they were cleared oflF, and, in the same letter, it was for the prevention of pauperism j again, at the conclusion, you triumphantly ask, " Have I recklessly driven out from its mountains and glens the interesting and gallant race that FORMERLY dwelt there ?" In volunteering to correct the impression which every one has, of Loch- tayside being virtually cleared of its peasantry, I think if your Lordship could have proved that it was not cleared^ this would have been easily done by a statement of the number of families there were in 1834 and those now in 1843. K my statement was not worth answering, why meddlo 15$ 6 present pop- allude. What it it is obvioiu nts for a short b until made so 1 to excuse the unt is cleared, but swept, be- piech tenants' son they were 3ast, somewhat d lately, — ergo Luarshes. The ■igin, — ergo, it yon very coolly 1 population as w many shep- that the Black ind your Lord- ut by the facts : Mount under [ it no harm in t excellent and range doctrines , foresters, who sources, are for sweat of whose r is to improve nproved if idle ansformed into t correct, then, strious tenants, ' what ought to i anon. ry be not vir- nay be deemed out that it is yet in another that they were of pauperism ; cklessly driven lant race that e has, of Loch- your Lordship ire been easily 1834 and thosu f why meddld with It F If It was worth notloing, why not answer It In the only manner it eould be answered, viz., by an appeal to facts and figures ? In a passing allusion I think I shall be borne out if, in denouncing the clearing system, four out of five families are thrust out. If I had meant that it was cleared ii every inhabitant, I should certainly have said, " totally cleared;" but I adopted the everyday expression used whenever Lochtayside is spoken of, both by strangers who see the remains of former houses, &c., and ov Breadalbane men themselves But lest your Lordship's memory should have got rusty on this point, allow me to remind you of Mornish, ffith its twenty-two families, now occupied by one ; of the Cloichran, with eight or nine families, without a tenant at all. In Acharu, near KilUn, there were nineteen families ; how many now ? if there be one tenant, mention his name. How many " toons" have been cleared of four, ten, or fourteen families, besides those quoted ? Out with it, my Lord ! If you have not been actuated by a desire to banish the people of Breadal- bane out of the country, prove it by facts and figures, not by roundabout gtatements entirely beside the point. It is quite true that many people still live there ; and if your Lordship thinks it anything to your credit that hothy-men now usurp the place of honest cottagers, I am willing to allow you all the benefit of the plea, although, at the same time, I think the bothy system is one of the worst that your Lordship could possibly patronise. You can take credit in the population account for the inhabi- tants of your Lordship's bothies at New Hall, Comrie-farm, Balmacnaugh- ton, Auohmore, and Achara, near Killin. , And, lastly, as to the fencible men. You must be aware that your late father raised 2.300 men the last w?r, nnd that 1,600 of that number were from the Breadalbane estates. My statement is, that 150 could not noxo be raised. Your Lordship has most carefully evaded all allusion to this, — perhaps the worst charge of the whole. From your Lordship's silence I am surely justified in concluding that you may endeavour to evade the question, but you dare not attempt an open contradiction. I have often made inquiries of Highlanders on this point, and the number above stated was the highest estimate. Many who should know, state to me that your Lordship would not get fifty followers from the whole estates ; and another says, — " Why, he would not get half-a-dozen, and not one of them unless he could not possibly do otherwise." This, then, is the position of the question : in 1793-4, there was such a numerous, hardy, and industrious population on the Breadalbane estates, that there could be spared of valo- rous defenders of their country in her hour of danger 1600 Highest estimate now 150 Banished 1450 ;' ' Per Contra. i i Game of all sorts increased a hundred fold. In conclusion, under this head, can you produce any thing farther in luonfutation of the statements made in mj book ? if so, let us have them. 154 Knowing a good many facts, I am quite prepared to substantiate all I have advanced. I am, my Lord, :_.< . your very obedient humble sfervant, July 1853. ^,.. _ R. ALISTER. .V~^: "..•..^N.N.'-.yv.-v LETTER II. To the most noble the Marquess of Breadalhane. \ s " My Lord, — Having attempted to support the original statements made by me in the volume before alluded to, I am now at liberty to examine some of those adduced by you ; and from the manner they are stated, and the semi-official tone in vi^hich they are couched, somo might believe that I had wantonly undertaken to misrepresent your L ordship. In my book there was not a single imputation thrown upon your Lord- ship's character, but the manner in which you have endeavoured to clear yourself of blame (not then imputed), convinced many that you had made a personal application of the general charges made in my book. In the examination which I intend to make of the facts brought for- ward by your Lordship, I shall confine my observations to two parts, viz., — Is/", Destroying the resources of the country for game. 2d, Ex- termination of the peasantry. In the factoral accounts to which your Lordship refers, is there any estimate of the territory laid virtually waste for game sports ? The next time ypur Lordship openly makes reference thereto, perhaps you could, without much trouble, favour the public by replies to the following queries : — How many square miles of valuable pasture are kept waste for deerl How many shoep could annually be drawn from them, but for the deer] How many thousand black cattle could be reared, but for the same cause ? With moderate and judicious outlays in planting, open draining, &c., &c., how much extra produce could be brought into market ? Would! the increase be 5, 100, 200, or 300 per cent. ? Opinion differs very! much about these figures. Referring again to the Black Mount, perhaps your Lordship would! favour the public with its geographical boundaries. I have had great! difficulty in arriving at any thing like a correct estimate of the extent of, territory laid waste. The lowest estimate of its circumference I have! heard '"^^fi/'y miles, others say sixty, and some as high as ninety miles.! Let us assume that in its present state there are 100,000 acres of the! most valuable pasture all but useless to the nation at present, but with! 155 iiate all I have 5 servant, ALISTER. abolition of the Game Law Rules we might gueas that it could graze IO,000 sheep. One-third to one-fourth of these could be annually drawn, ind thus twenty thousand sheep would be yearly brought down for sale, iiijftMS some 3,000 at pre.sent. The Clashgoure wedders were said to be :he best ever seen in Glasgow market. How many does the hill pro- lluce now 'i Besides 20,000 sheep, there might be 50,000 fleeces sold, which almost nothing is done at present. If these statistics approximate the truth, would not such an addition the supplies of food to our town population be very valuable ? Con- idering the high price of meat at present, the great demand, the limited iiipply, I am sure that no more wholesome or beneficial change could ike place in this country than would the opening up of the Highlands trade. The supply of black-faced sheep and of black cattle would be icreased beyond all conception. Instead of sending to the four quarters nal statements Hf the earth for food, why noi let Scotland produce all that it can 1 why w at liberty to ■anish the industrious population, when such a field of real, not repre- anner they are tentative, wealth (as gold is), lies inviting them only to reap it ? Your Lordship states, that to the improvement of the country and to ihe welfare of the inhabitants you have directed your attention and your St thoughts. Without disputing your good intentions, allow me to ask ;ou before Scotland what more could you have done, by yourself or ne ed, sonio might j your Lordship, jon your Lord- voured to clear I t you had made m^^x agents, to lay the country waste, — the Black Mount in particular 1 f book ;ts brought for to two parts, ame. 2d, Ex- 's, IS there any ts ? The next laps you could, the following vaste for deer 1 em, but for the ut for the same draining, &c rket ? Woulc i)n differs very ordship would ave had great f the extent of ference 1 have ninety miles, acres of the esent, but with l\^as it for the improvement of the country that you have kept some of lie finest soil of Perthshire waste, — that is, the forest facing Kenmore ? sit for the improvement of ihe country that you keep all the land round )rummond Hill merely for sport at deer-stalking 1 Is it for the encou- agement of agriculture that the tenants are bound by lease to leave the elds nearest the hill under grass, apparently that the game may have a lorsel in winter ? Is it for the public good tb ■' vour deer come to the gardens and destroy the cabbage (some of it ha. ; ighad fo be three times ilanted thi)? yenr in consequence) 1 and yet the tenants dare not scare hem away ; if dogs are set after them, they are forthwith shot ; if they re frightened by jiiearms, the tenant is forthwith put off the property ! Ind yet this if all done for " the impr ."oient or the country," or else for the welfare of the inhabitants ! !" Whatever good lias accrued from the unexampled increase of game [lUst be entirely piyced to the credit of ) our Lordship, for your prede- I ssor (whose memory and good deeds arc warmly extolled by thousands) id not favour the increase of game. No doubt he had numbers of deer, at they wore priri/'ipally in parks, few or none being wild; and no enant was restricted from using his gun (except in the parks), until the fforts of your Lordship intr^/'iuced a different regime. The late Mar- iiess had a greater res]^M Utf his splendid and devoted peasantry than harass them with gamekeepfjrs, or destroy their crops wifh hares and iheasants. He wished them to live in the country, and therefore he dt>pted no measures, directly or indirectly, to force them away. There re, however, certain doings about game of which your Lordship must e ignorant, because no nobleman, professing such liberality as you do, 160 eould be a party to such transactions. I refer to the case of a tenant Acharn, who was tempted to shoot a fallow deer, which had perhai fattened on his own crops or cabbage. His servant, instead of going church on Sabbath, went vO inform your Lordship's keeper of the oi currence ; and, if 1 am correctly informed, that excellent man we shortly after and made a search in the house. He was like to be foil in the pursuit, when he took off the kail-pot, and carrying it to the dooj found therein a piece of venison ! What a horrible disclosure ! T venison was forthwith carried to Bolfracks, and such a hullabaloo wi there ! And what was the sentence ? — bani^^hment ! Although strong] attached to Scotland, yet no remedy could be found for the unpardonab' crime — off he had to go. Now, it turns out this happened for the man] welfare, for he would hardly return to Breadalbane, although made pn prietor of his former occupancy. How these 200 square miles, laid all but desolate, besides crops fields and i.i gardens destroyed, tallies with your Lordship's loud pi '■ sion.v for agricultural improvement, is what others must explain, forHtrtainly un really confess for once that I am shamefully beaten in the attempt to do sBan in the I shall new trouble your Lordship with a few inquiries relative to t Extermination op the Peasantry. On your Nether Lome proper you state your belief that the population is as large as ever it was. Prl vious to the overturn of the Roman empire, the towns multiplied e: ceedingly, but at the same time the i aral population was totally swamp Would your Lordship be good enough to state whether or not the Nethi Lome is cleared of the peasantry, and the land is now tenanted by sou\ country farmers, and if the population to which your Lordship refers not that employed at Easdale slate quarries ? In reference to the removals from Lochtayside, your Lordship claiiMigJibours t great credit on that account, alleging that pauperism would have producAx, — a caia '* disastrous resuLs before this." Again, you claim great credit, becai there was no destitution in 1846-7.* Now, 1 most flatly deny the insin tions here thrown out upon the peasant population ; and not only so, bi I a»&r that it is to clearing landlords like yourself that we c.re indebti for the gi'eat abundance of pauperism in large towns! The deplora destitution on the west coast was in a great measure occasioned by lai: thrusting out the population (which they had previously uoiie so much develope), and huddling them together in fishing villages along the coas: I do not remember of any peasantry in Scotland being afflicted with t evils you name. On those parts of the Breadalbane property not ji cleared, did any destitution prevail ? Was there any of it felt at t densely populated neighbourhood of Acharn ? I can point out to nam ous estates, as densely populated as ever Lochtayside was, and in as favourable circumstances, and yet destitution was never dreamt of Athole, in Strathtay, Moulin, and many other places that suggest the selves to me, where the holdings are almost ail smdl, the people nei ^ose who sco were more prosperous than they have been since 1846. ""^'^ ^i^® cons ^ ^ i ords of the p * Pray, how conld there be pauperism when the people were banished ? oversy the p( f See "Theory of Human Progression," page 322, and also Parlittmantary 1 '^^ ^"^ ^^atl portof24tl) May 1841. rotur Lo ivement i lof; for lere is noi lide than tl improve am strong ice your J The form lerited sne iresentin< ed withci t harmon le, it won ling that indition w iworful, ha 1 1 ever i the lakes ighland pf (ho are of a ^readalbai iably. as limal food, lupers J fo: Your Lon iligious anc irt of the so little 1 I am qv-i lould-be-wise Icoll, on the 167 se of a tenant Aj Toiur Lordship takes it for granted that any visitor must ncc a TAst im- ch had perhaSp>vement in Lochtayside, dating from 1734, — a statement which demands itead of going ^Mof; for I am informed, on the most unquestionable .uthority, that eeper of the o^Bere is now less produced to clothe and feed the human race on Lochtay- illent man weSdethan there was twenty years ago; and I fully heJieve it. Instead of like to be foileBe improvements on the Breadalbane estates keepirg up with the times, as it to the doolam strongly convinced that they have retrograded rather than advanced ice your Lordship's succession. The former condition of the peasantry seems tc havo drawn forth an uu- lerited sneer. In reply to numerous inquiries, the answers all concur in resenting the peaceful dwellers by the lake-side as peculiarly social. They ed withe »it guile j they assisted each other in every respect, and nothing it harmony and good feeling prevailed ; and certainly, if such were the le, it would form a pleasing contrast to the bitterness, rancour, and ill- ling that is elsewhere displayed. We are also told that " the physical ndition was unfavourably affected." Now, of all places in Europe, 1 ftainly understood that physical strength was nowhere better developed n in the Highlands of Scotland. In Lochtayside I have seen some very ies relative to tl jverful, hardy, well-knit men. In particular, the most herculean figure r Lome propert lat I ever remember to have seen was one of the individuals from a croft 1 the lakeside ! Although your Lordship has chosen to blacken the lighland peasantry to justify your own doings, yet I shall easily get many ho are of a very different opinion. The following is the testimony of Treadalbane man : — " In my young days the people lived happy* and iciably. as well as being healthy and comfortable. There was plenty of iiimal food, and abundance of excellent milk. There were few or no aupers ; for when a man was worn out he got a co\v's haddin, which the Eighbours ploughed, sowed, and reaped. Thus he was kept off the poor's- jx, — a calamity they were dreadfully afraid of." Your Lordship congratulates yourself for the great efforts made for the isclosure ! i hullabaloo wi Llthough strong! ;he unpardonab: led for the man| hough made pn besides crops hip's loud pi '• ast explain, for attempt to do s sver it was. Pr IS multiplied I totally swampe or not the Neth tenanted by sou Lordship refers Lordship clai; aid have produc at credit, becau not only so, b t we ('.re indebt The deploral casioned by lai o'Viie so much s along the coas deny the insini iligious and educational wants being supplied better than in any other irt of the Highlands. Now, it is unfortunate that these laudable efforts te so little known, and the example of such excellent endeavours thereby afflicted with property not of it felt at int out to numi was, and in as i • dreamt of. at suggest the the people nei ■e banished '? Parliumsntary I am q.'.ite alive to the fact, tliat nothing Is more common among certain ould-be-wise theorists tnan to sneer at the phase of human life here alluded to. icoU, on the other hand, is perhaps too severe in its favour : — '* We saw the corn and hand the plough, — We a' work for our living ; We gather nought hut what we've sawn, A' else we reckon thieving. And for the loon wha fears to say He comes o' lowly sma' folk, A wizened saul tlie creature has, — Disown him will the puir folk!" bse who scoff at peasant life are often those who hold the ludicrous Idea that n an's life consists in the things of which he is possessed ! To such wo say, in the ords of the poet, " Let not I'mbition mock their humble toil ;" for beyond all con- oversy the peasantry were possessed of a rare gem, — coatautment ; that wiuch oly Writ hath prunounoed to be better than riches I 158 lost. As for the educational superiority, I may safely state that the aveJ age amount of education, on the best part of the Breadalbane estates, doe not nearly approximate to that of Logierait in your own neighbourhood. In my work I have endeavoured to show that religion takes a niuci firmer hold in the cotter toons than in the Gallowgates and Cannongate the dist tainly h I been no lieved tl Some m a roof In Glen there ar by its 01 tained ti like the •'And when the supper-time was o'er, The Be UK was tncn as it should be, And heaven had its trysted hour Aneath that sooty auld roof-tree." of our large towns, and I adduced Burns' description of a " Cotter's Satuf ealamitj day Night" in proof of my position. I fear that the transforming honest cottagers into bothy blackguards has not a salutary effect ; and your Lordship desires the religious and social amelioration of the Scottis peasantry, I would strongly advise you to abandon the bothy system in t farms wrought by yourself, and lend a helping hand to put down thj system in Scotland generally. Nicoll's description of an evening in Scottish cottage would not answer for bothies generally : — ^ On the I lochyoul one now 1806; i I Glenetiv It is quite possible that the population on both sides of the lake mighBa single have been too great, but then there was fsmpie room for expanding. ll the west Breadalbace there was no trade, although I believe there is abundan heginnh room for a considerable local busiiaoss. Look at Athole for in?tancG, whie has not greater facilities, and yet many branches of commerce are develope there. I could point out from personal experience how this could be ac complished, but it is not wanted, — it would keep too many people hi tli country, the very rock which is of all others to be avoided. It consist: with my knowledge, that when the Breadalbane farms were small, th rents were paid up to the last farthing, and testimony to this effect wi not be wanting if called for. Since the farms have been made large, hav the rents been equally well paid ? But who caused the population to ex pand on Lochi .yside ? Was it not your noble father ? Did he not craw in the men who returned trom the fencible regiments ? This method o c itting and carving up human families, — the father increasing, and tli( son sweeping away, — is what, in my humble opinion, demands investiga tion. Human beings have acute feelings, and they should not be removei hither and thither to accommodate the caprice of an ill-disposed laird, shall not inquire about the original rights of the property of the Carapbel clan,— ' shal' lot ask whether or not the men whose swords acquired tb property had no right to any part of the acquired territory, — I shall no ask whether or not, at a i.oent date, the clansmen did exercise their rights and caused their castle to be built Vthere it now stands, yes, after the foun daticus of another had been raised ground high. All that I beseech am pray for on behalf of the pe;f .tntry ia, that they may be allowed to live ii Scotland, and tliat they may be allowed to cultivate the land, paying ful rent for their posse.s>sious, and that they shall not be harassed by a wickei law, such jis the one that protects game. Do I ask, or rather deman(i any tiling but what all would openly admit was bare justice and no favour Your Lordship stitos that in reality there has been no depopulation o tenant, i formatio sions; b Lordshii man nov of Staffo: the clear Now, have bee manner, people hi I never credibly some ha^ driven o houses, aware th people ; some thr timee tli By the 1 keeps a conditioE * A 8tr whose hou are out of 169 the district. This, and other parts of your Lordship's letter vruuld cer- tainly lead any who know nothing of the facts to suppose that there had been no clearings on the Breadalbane estates ; whereas it is generally be- lieved that your Lordship removed, since 1834, no less than 500 families ! ! Some may think this a small matter ; but I do not. I think it is a great calamity for a family to be thrown destitute of the means of life, without a roof over their heads, and cast upon the wide sea of an unfeeling world. In Glenqueich, near Amulree, some sixty families formerly lived, where there are now only four or five ; and in America there is a glen inhabited by its ousted tenants, and called Glenqueich still. Yet forsooth, it is main- tained there has been no depopulation here !* The desolations here look like the ruins of Irish cabins, although the population of Glenqueich were always characterized as being remarkably thrifty, economical and wealthy. On the Braes of Taymouth, at the back of Drummond Hill, and at Tul- lochyoule, some forty or fifty families formerly resided where there is not one now ! Gleuorchy, by the returns of 1831, showed a population of 1806 ; in 1841, 331 ; — is there no depopulation there ? Is it true that in Glenetive there were sixteen tenants a year or two ago, where there is not a single one now ? Is it true, my Lord, that you purchased an island on the west coast, called Ling, where some twenty-five families lived at the beginning of this year, but who are now cleared off" to make room for one tenant, for whom an extensive steading is now being erected 1 If my in- formation be correct, 1 shall allow the public to draw their own conclu- sions; but, from every thing that I have heard, I believe that your Lordship has done mere to exterminate the Scottish peasantry than any man now living ; and perhaps you ought to be ranked next to the Marquess of Stafford in the unenviable clearing celebrities. If I have over-estimated the clearances at 500 families, pleaso to correct me. Now, my Lord, I did not say how these clearances were effected. I have been told they have been gone about in a covert and most insidious manner, and tliat a mock ceremony has been gone through of offering the people houses ; but where are there houses in Breadalbane to give them ? I never heard of any unoccupied cottages — pray, where are they ? I am credibly informed that many have been offered places unfit for pigs ; and some have got the share of a house, but from which they were shortly driven out, on the shadow of a pretext. But granting that they got houses, what could the people do ? could they live on the wind ? I am aware that your Lordship does give I'onsiderable employment to work- people ; but what kind of wages do th j regular workers get ? They travel some three, four, or five miles to and from work daily, and the scanty pit- tance they obtain is Is. 2d. per diem in winter, and 'i.s. 4d. in summer. By the time an able-bodied man pays house-rent out of that sum, and keeps a ftimily, he caunot hoard much money in the banks. That the condition of such people is greatly ameliorated by depriving them of their * A stranger, passing through the glen, inquired what had become of the people whose houses lay in ruins, and a man, apparently weak in intellect, replied, " They are out of my sight, and I know not where they have gona I" 160 I rat small hoHingf is what might be disputed. If they were not oomfortablej then, it is at least evident they are not in the (harden of Eden now. Your Lordship states that upwards of £208,000 have been expended on " useful works." Of course, a large amount thereof has been recordedl against the future heirs of entail. But how much of this large sum has been expended in a manner that will i/ield any benefit to the country ?\ (for money expended for the gratification of caprice might be as well thrown into Loch Tay.) I am informed that the proportion is miserably small ', hvt how much is it f Let it be known to a penny, so that yourl Lordship may have full justice rendered you. I may safely say that the] peasantry have had very little of it appropriated for the improvement ol their holdings. But after such a display of figures, you say, " I fearlessly] ask, am I obnoxious to the imputation of being regardless of the prosperity of the people upon the property ?" That you have been blamed for being utterly regardless of the people, is what I have often heard, and that you cared not a farthing what became of them, if they are got quickly out ofi sight ; and all my informants agree to the same assertion (some of themi using stronger language.)* But I am bound to admit that one of your| factors is blamed for much of the mischief that has been done. If, as ii is alleged, he boasted that he could get a south country farmer to ren the whole ground between Drummond Hill and Killin, it did certain! leveal no kindly feeling toward numerous families residing there. You conclude your famous letter by asking, " Have I recklessly drivei out from its mountains and glens the interesting and gallant race tha formerly resided there ?" I can prove that the " interesting and gal lant race " rather increased than diminished under your father's manage nicnt. Who, then, has driven them out ? \ know of no one who couji but your Lordship or your agents. But I cannot finish this lonis; letter, without paying a tribute to tht memory of the late Marquess of Breadalbane. He was beloved by i numerous and attached tenantry, and it may be some consolation to hi< descendants to know that his memory is yet respected in Breadalbane Instead of being feared by his servants, he was greatly esteemed by all oi them. Instead of making loud professions abroad and acting the tyran at home, his practice always stood higher than his professions of liberality The poor blessed him in the gate, and well might they deplore his depar ture ; and yet he had always plenty himself j he was no niggard, bu dispensed a bounteous Highland hospitality ; yet he left his estates frci of debt, besides leaving nearly half a million sterling to his heirs ! I have shortly alluded to the pust and present on the Breadalbani estates, but what shall be said of the future ? Hope, that always expect the best, whispers that present evils may come to an end; and, if repot speaks correctly, promises to that effect may yet be realised The tenur of entailed estates makes the possessor only a life-renter on them ; and ii * Thus, a party, ■well-kiAOWn on the Lakeside, is reported to have addressed i certain Marquess, " Ay. my Lord, and you're to put me oat 1 are yet Butif was a pheasant cock or a pointer dog, I would get o houH^ and DMat to*. the ooo] the posi people r will rem him to I mitted. I coul atio exte Scotland {)auperis ic can believe t ties is a July, P. S- 8ome in( AB8ENTF which, I 10,000 b territory, in Africa in Scotia To tra by the expected Robert I Ross, W indebted disclosure leaving P of Atholl Highland Stafford n people fr originality Tilt, (so- in the sau of arable held a rig and the p but the time imm 161 the ootirse of nature, the Breadalbane estates must some time paaalinto the possession of others, who, it is hoped, will act more kindly to the people remaining than your lordship has done. But it is hoped that they will remain as long in the hands of the present possessor as will enable him to make some reparation for the unexampled blunders he has com- mitted. I could have brought forward many more facts to prove that the system- atic extermination of the peasantry, that is being carried on all over Scotland, is particularly felt on the Breadalbane estates ; but whether pauperism and other claimant evils are occasioned thereby is what the pub- lic can determine J but they will widely differ from me if they do not believe that the Gothic or feudalistic legislation that fosters such enormi- ties is a great obstruction to our prosperity and happiness as a nation. I am, my Lord, your Lordship's very humble servant, R. ALISTER. July, 1853. P. S. — On some future occasion I may trouble your Lordship with some inquiries about the benefits conferred upon the Highlands by AB8ENTFEI8M, and ask some questions about the legality of deer forests, which, I believe cause an annual loss to Scotland of 100,000 sheep, and 10,000 black cattle. I believe they occupy 800 square miles of Scottish territory. Why we should spend so much money and spill so much blood in Africa for the protection of grazings there, while such tracts of country in Scotland are locked up from industry, and all but laid desolate ? To trace the scenes of desolation, and the extreme poverty occasioned by the clearing system, in the West Highlands, is more than can be expected in this work. This was done by abler men than me, viz., Mr. Robert Summers, Editor of the Glasgow Daily Mail, and Mr. Donald Ross, Writ,er, Glasgow, gentlemen to whom the Highlanders are much indebted for their disinterested advocacy in behalf of the poor, and their disclosure of the cruelty and ungodly conduct of proprietors. But before leaving Perthshire, perm t me to make some few remarks upon His Grace of AthoU : the Duke of yitholl, can, with propriety, claim the origin of Highland clearances. Whatever merit the family of Sutherland and Stafford may take to themselves, for the fire and faggot expulsion of the people from the Glens of Sutherland, they cannot claim the merit of originality. The present Duke of AthoU's Grandfather cleared Glen Tilt, (so far as I can learn) in 1784. This beautiful valley was occupied in the same way as other highland valleys ; each family possessing a piece of arable land, while the hill-pasture was held in common. The people held a right and full liberty to fish in the Tilt, an excellent salmon river, and the pleasure and profits of the chase, in common with their chief ; but the then Duke acquired a great taste for deer. The people were for time immemorial accustomed to take their cattle in the summer seasons to 162 a higher glen, which is watered by the River Tarfo; b tt t'ae Duko uppointcd this Glen Tarfo fur a deer forest, and built a higl< dyke at the head of Glen Tilt. The people submitted to this enoroaohment on their rights. The daer increased, and did not nay much regard to the march, they would jump over the dyke, and y-.^l.ny the people's crops ; the people complained, and His Grace rojoiu»;d; and to gratify the roving propensities of these light-footed animals, he added another splice of some thousand acres of the people's land to the grazing grounds of his favorite deer. Gradually the deer forest extended, and the marks of cultivation were cflFaced, till the last of the brave Glen Tilt men, who fought and often confronted and defeated the enemies of Scotl' and her Kings upon many a bloody battle field, were routed off and ». ; » final farewell to the beautiful Glen Tilt, which they and their forefathers tor ages considered their own healthy sweet homo. An event occurred at this period, according to history, which aflbrtlod a pretext to the {villain) Duke for this heurtless extirpation of tho aborigines of Glen Tilt. Highland Chieftains were exhibiting their patriotism by raising regiments to serve in the American war; and the Duke of Atholl could not be indifferent in such a cause. Great efforts were made to enlist the Glen Tiit people, who are still remembered in the district as a strong athletic race. Perpetual possession of their lands, at the then existing rents, was promised them, if they would only raise a contingent force equal to a man from each family. $ome ooQsented, but the majority, with a praiseworthy resolution not to be dragged at. the tail of a Chief into a war of which they knew neither the beginning nor the end, refused. The Duke flew into a rage ; and presa-gaugs were sent up the Glen to carry off the young men by force. One <>f these companies seized a cripple tailor, who lived at the foot of Bcney-gloe, and afraid lest he might carry intelligence of their approach y.p th^. glen, tjipy bound him hand and foot, and left him lying on the cold hill-sidei, whe|e l^e contracted disease, from which he never recovered. By impresspient and violence the regiment was at length raised ; and ^hen p^ace wa^ proclaimed, instead of restoring the soldiers to their fri^flf^S and their ^omes, the Duke, as if he had been a trafficker in slaves, Tjra^ipnly preyiented from selling them to the East India Company by the rising; na^tiny of the regiment! He afterwards pretended great offence at, the (prlfiu TUt pepple, for their obstinacy in refusing to enlist, and — it may, np^ be added; — to b/s sojd ; and their conduct in this affair, was given; p^ti a* *^® reason vhy , he , cleared them from the glen — an excuse yfhfc|:^, ifl thp prcs^ftt day, ipay increasie our admiration of the people, but can t IP^y^i^ PfkUiate tl^p; l^|eartles^I;les^ , of -. hiS; con duct. His ireful policy, h,ow:Pver,hae taken f^ll effect. ; i The romautip Gler Tilt, with its fertile l^plppie^ ^n.d verdant j^jbeep^, \», little better than, a desert. The very deer r^j;a|y yisi,t it, and the wasted grass i? , hurled: Uke heslther at the beginning pjfthpjpaif, to ftiakerPOT ;fo)P-tJi)B n^wyepdure.;; Qnithe spot where I fpil)?^ ,tt^Q grass mopt ,l|ixuriant, J tracfid th^ i^ats of thirty cottages, and have, flo j^n^sitatipn, ift, s^y wg, that , upd/er , the ; skill, ,tl^e; , industrious habits, and , the, agnp^tu]r^l fapiljitie? -oif, the ipij^sent! day, the lajidl once occupied bj tli,^ tPQ^t^ Qjf Cllpn %^\k i W c^pahile. oft maintwdog a tliousBiid people, i i The Pa I from end Grampian annually- its roman the south along the long, and seat, whos plain. T] mto the r( half a doz( The renoTH Glen Gar] presenting moorland, forbidden and game- the popul: tion was j acquainted Forallthei screen the Long si Grampian to west ; fi have one c can scarce Morison, ( more unpi short, whei 168 and leave a largo proportion of sheep and cattle for exportation besides. In the meantime, it serves no better purpose than the occaaional playground of a Duke. " Proud Nimrod fivnt the bloody chnso begnu, A mighty huntor — and his proy was man. Our hauglity Norman boiistH the barbarous name, And makes bis trembling elavos the royal game. The fields are ravished from industrious swaius, From men their cities, and from gods their fanes. In vain kind seasons swell the teeming grain, Soft showers distill'd, and Miins grow warm in vain ; The swain, with tears, hh And, famish'd, dies am' What wonder then n ' Were equal crimes in Both, doomed alike, i But, while the subject '4trate labours yields, >ening fields. ' iect slain, nn? ,ini;s bled ; jeasvwasfed."- ■Pope. The Parish of AthoU was at one period a gigantic parish j it is traversed from end to end by the Great Northern Road, from Perth through the Grampian Hills to Inverness, formerly a favorite resort for tourists annually — the natural attraction of the place being so widely known for its romantic scenery. The famous Pass of Killikrankil, ushers you from the south to the Plains of Atholl, a beautiful level strip of laud stretching along the north bank of the lliver Garry, about three and a half miles long, and about two miles broad. Here stands Blair Castle, the Duke's seat, whose parks and pleasure grounds takes up three-fourths of the whole plain. The whole industry of this once populous parish, is compressed mto the remainder one-fcurth. This busy little plain is the terminus of half a dozen of other great glens, which shoot amongst the Grampians. The renowned Glen Tilt stretches easterly. Glen Bruan northward, and Grlen Garry westward. These Glens are intersected by smaller valleys, presenting varieties of aspects, from the most fertile carses to the bleak moorland. But man durst not be seen there. The image of God is forbidden to travel there, unless it is stamped upon the Duke, his foresters, and game-keepers, that His Grace's deer may not be annoyed. In 1800, the population of this parish was given in at 2,998 ; in 1841, the popula- tion was given in at 2,304, shewing a decrease of 694. But those better acquainted in the parish, say that the population does not exceed 1,800. For all these highland depopulators manage to keep up a false population to screen them from the infamy they so well merited. •' Wealth increases, and men decay." Long since these valliant men of Atholl have been expelled from the Grampian Nursery. Still new forests for deer are springing up from east to west ; from the neighborhood of Aberdeen to the crags of Oban, you have one continuous line of forests. In other parts of the highlands they can scarcely be numbered. Such as the Forest of Loch Arehaig, Glen Morison, Glen Strathfarar, Dirubh Moor, (Sutherlandshire) ; and many more unpronounceable names, which would only weary the reader. In short, whether the old Forests of King Fergus and Ceanmore were revived, ^"^ IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) 1.0 I.I 11.25 UilM 125 ^ ^ |2.2 MS. 12.0 118 1.4 I: I Photographic Sciences Corporation 23 WIST MAIN STRIET WnSTIt.N.Y. MSM (716)S72-4S03 4^^^ ■^ 104 m m my i w or new regions us brought within the mystio oirde for the fimt tim«, the same devaatation precedes the completion of the enterprise ; hoasci, roads, enclosures, cattle, men, every work of time and progress, the Taluable creation of labour, and changes of centuries, are all extirpated by the word of a mortal insignificant worm of the earth, in order that deer, blackcock, and ether sporting animals, more valuable than men, may enjoy the pleasing solitude ; and that aristocratic sportsmen may monopo- lise the pleasure and benefits of the chase. Yes my highland Scotch readers, but Britain is now in need of men to fight her battles, to subdue her rebellious subjects or slaves in India, to invade and conquer China, to keep at bay Russia, Persia, and many other formidable enemies. Cringing and making alliance with perjured Napoleon and France, who cannot but remember, and will remember, Waterloo, and who would rejoice to see her glory departed, and her humbled in the . ist. Look at her squandering her money away, hiring German paltroons to fight her battles. Fawning her revenues with Jews, to raise money to pay them, while her own nursery of the brave, iriesistible in the battle field, who always fought for glory and honour, not for her shilling per day ; who at all times, and especially in need, increased her army and navy with men by the thousands worthy of the name — not with hired foreign cowards, who in most cases, do mora harm than good — but with men who were never known to turn their back to an enemy but when prudence and good discipline required it. Yes I say this nursery is converted into a howling desert, to afford amuse- ment and sporting ground for a number of these aristocratic locusts, who were, and will continue to be, the desolating curse of every land and nation they are allowed to breed in. This Royal Caledonian Forest they destroyed by fire ; the oaks and cedars of this Lebanon have been hewn down and up-rooted. They are (to my joy) taking firm root and spreading fast in foreign climes. But the question is, has Britain or their mother, any claim upon their sympathy or assistance wherever they (her children) are to be found. Let me not say no, though she deserved it — I say yes. However cruel she dealt with us, she is still our mother ; and bad and short-sighted as she acted, she is still, I hope, open to conviction ; and this is the time to convince her of her folly, when she is under the unerring chastising Rod of God, when her sins have found her out. And every true Scotchman should exert himself, wherever he is, to persuade her of her past folly, and help on her conviction and conversion. She has hearkened to sound reasoning in many instances this some years back ; and it is to be hoped her Rulers will do so yet ; and that the Highlands of Scotland will be re-peopled, and flourish as in the days of yore. The people have only to demand it in earnest, and it will be done ; whereas in other nations the people's demands are answered by the cannon. Let no Scotchman, High- land 01 Lowlander, wish to see their mother trampled down by Mahomedans, Pagans, Idolaters, and Despots, who erased liberty and freedom from their vocibularies, and even the very word is not found in their nations. But I am sorry that through evil agency and mal-administration of Highland proprietors, sympathy for Britain in her late and present trouble disappeared in the Highlands of Scotland ; a proof of it is to be seen in the following letter which I reo'eived shortly after leaving Scotland : 165 )r the firottims, terpri«6; housci, id progress, the all extirpated by I order that deer, than men, may len may monopo- highland Scotch rattles, to subdue onquer China, to jmies. Cringing , who cannot but rejoice to see her squandering her «. Pawning her her own nursery fought for glory ea, and especially thousands worthy n most cases, do own to turn their pline required it. , to afiFord amuse- ratic locusts, who I every land and )nian Forest they lave been hewn »ot and spreading or their mother, J QiQX children) ed it — I say yes. ; and bad and conviction; and ider the unerring And every true aade her of her le has hearkened ,ck ; aud it is to of Scotland will )eople have only ther nations the otchman, High- ly Mahomedans, dom from their nations. ministration of present trouble is to be seen in Scotland : er My oorrefipondent says : ** McLeod, jonr prediotions aro making Aei^ appearance at last, great demand are here for men to go to Russia, but they are not to be found. It seems that the Secretary of War has corres- ponded with all our Highland Proprietors, to raise as many men as thej could for the Crimean war, and ordered so many officers of rank to the Highlands to assist the proprietors in doing so — but it has been a complete failure as yet. The nobles advertised by placards, meetings of the people; these proclamations were attended to, but when they came to understand what they were about, in most cases the recruiting proprietors and staff were saluted with the ominous cry of Maa ! maa ! boo ! boo ! imitating sheep and bullocks, and, send your deer, your roes, your rams, dogs, shep- herds, and gamekeepers, to fight the Russians, they never done us any harm. The success of his Grace the Duke of Sutherland was deplorable, I believe you would have pitied the poor old man had you seen him. In my last letter I told you that his head commissioner, Mr. Loch, and military officer, was in Sutherland for the last six weeks, and failed in getting one man to enlist; on getting this doleful tidings the Duke himself left London for Sutherland, he arrived at Dunrobin about ten days ago, and after presenting himself upon the streets of Golspie and Brora, he called a meeting of the male inhabitants of the parishes of Clyne, Rogart, and Golspie ; tha meeting was well attended, upwards of 400 were punctual at the hour, his Grace in his carriage with his military staff and factors appeared shortly after, the people gave them a hearty cheer ; his Grace took the chair. Three or four clerks took their seats at the table, and loosened down bulky packages of bank notes, and spread out plate- fulls of glittering gold. The Duke addressed the people very serious, and entered upon the necessity of going to war with Russia, and the danger of allowing the Czar to have more power than what he holds already, of his cruel despotic reign in Russia, &c., likewise praising the Queen and her government, rulers and nobles of Great Britain, who stood so much in need of men to put and keep down the Tyrant Russia, and foil him in his wicked schemes to take possession of Turkey. In concluding his address, which was often cheered, he told the young able-bodied men that his clerk s were ready to take down the names of all those willing to enlist and every !>r\ei who would enlist in the 93rd Highlanders that the elerk would give liim, there and then, £6 sterling, those who would rather enter any other corps would get £3, all from his own private purse, independent of the government bounty ; after advancing many silly flattering decoyments, he sat down to see the result, but there was no movement among the people ; after sitting for a long time looking at the clerks, and them at him, at last his anxious looks at the people assumed a somewhat indignant appearance, when he suddenly rose up and asked what was the cause of their noneat- tention to the proposals he made, but no reply ; it was the silence of the grave — still standing, his Grace suddenly asked the cause; but no reply; at last an old man leaning upon his staff, was observed moving towards the Duke, and when he approached near enough, he addressed his Orace something like as follows : — ' I am sorry for the response your G^raoe'i proposals are meeting here to-day, so new the spot where your fll 166 * ( I '^4 i'^: maternal mother, by giving forty-eight hours notice, marshalled fifteen hundred men, to piok out of them the nine hundred she required, but there is a cause for it, and a grievous cause, and as your Grace demands to know it I must tell you, as I see none else are inclined in this assembly to do it. Your Grace's mother and predecessors applied to our fathers for men upon former occasions, and our fathers responded to their call, they have made liberal promises which neither them nor you performed ; we are, we think, a little wiser than our fathers, and we estimate your promises of to-day at the value of theirs, besides you should bear in mind that your predecessors and yourself expelled us in a most cruel and unjust manner from the land which our fathers held in lien from your family for their sons, brothers, cousins, and relations, which was handed over to your parents to keep up their dignity, and to kill the Americans, Turks, French, and the Irish ; and these lands are devoted now to rear dumb brute animals, which you and your parents consider of far more value than men. I do assure your Grace that it is the prevailing opinion in this country, that should the Czar of Russia take possession of Dunrobin Castle and of Stafford House next term, that we could not expect worse treatment at his hands than we have experienced at the hands of your family for the last fifty years. Your parents, yourself, and your commissioners, have desolated the glens and straths of Sutherland, where you should find hundreds, yea, thousands of men to meet you and respond cheerfully to your call, had your parents and yourself kept faith with them. How could your Grace expect to find men where they are not, and the few of them which are to be found among the rubbish or ruins of the country, has more sense than to be decoyed by chaff to the field of slaughter ', but one comfort you have, though you cannot find men to fight, you ^an supply those who will fight with plenty of mutton, beef, and venison.' The Duke rose up, put on his hat and left the field." Whether my correspondent added to the old man's reply to his Grace or not, I cannot say, one thing evident, it was the very reply his Grace deserved. I know for a certainty this to be the prevailing feeling throughout the whole Highlands of Scotland, and who should wonder at it ? How many thousands of them who served out their 21, 22, 25, and 26 years, fighting for the British Aristocracy, and on their return, wounded, maimed, or worn out, to their own country, promising themselves to spend the remain- der of their days in peace, and enjoying the blessings and comfort their fathers enjoyed among their Highland healthy delightful hills, but found to their grief their parents were expelled from the country to make room for sheep, deer, and game, the glens where they were born desolate, and the abodes which sheltered them at birth and where they were reared to manhood, burnt to the ground ; and instead of meeting the cheer, shaking- hands, hospitality and affections of fathers, mothers, brothers, sisters and relations, met with a desolated glen, bleating of sheep, barking of dogs, and if they should happen to rest their worn-out frame upon the green sod which has grown upon their father's hearth, and a game-keeper, a factor, or water bailiff, to come round he would very unceremoniously tell them regiment turned o pauper \ family w support; was told is likewi and fami and orde M'Leod, wife, but poor felU allowed t for the C to be so factor all Rogart t Economy name of indepcnd factor, ei at next t( purpose, told him, he had yoked hii it, and d factor Gu about anc of one ai one anotl 167 try, that should to absent themselves as smart as they could, and not annoy the deer. No race we have on record has suffered so much at the hands of those who should be their patrons, and proved to be so tenacious of patiiotism as the Celtic race, but I assure you it has found its level now, and will disappear altogether soon, and as soon as patriotism will disappear in any nation, so sure that nation's glory is tarnished, victories uncertain, and her greatness diminished, and decaying consumptive death will be the result. If ever the old adage, which says, '' Those whom the Gods determine to destroy, they first deprive them of reason," was verified, it was, and is, in the case of British aristocracy, and Highland proprietors in particular. I am not so void of feeling as to blame the Duke of Sutherland, his parents or any other Highland absentee proprietor for all the evil done in the land, but the evil was done in their name and under the authority they have invested in wicked cruel servants. For instance, the only silly man who enlisted from among the great assembly his Grace addressed, was a married man with three of a family and his wife; it was generally believed that his bread was baked /or life, but no sooner was he away to Fort George to join his regiment than his place of abode was pulled down, and his wife and family turned out, and only permitted to live in a hut, from which an old female pauper was carried a few days before to the Church-yard; there the young family were sheltered, and their names registered upon the poor roll for support; his Grace could not be guilty of such low rascality as this, yet he was told of it, but took no cognizance of those who did it in his name. It is likewise said that this man got a furlough of two weeks, to see his wife and family before going abroad, and that the factor heard he Tras coming and ordered the ground officer of the Parish of Rogart, of the name of M'Leod, to watch the soldier, and not allow him to see nor speak to his wife, but in his, the officer's presence. This was cruelty to prevent the poor fellow who was three months absent from his wife, and could not be allowed to kiss, or have one night's pleasure with her before he would embark for the Crimea, but in presence of an officer. None could think his Grace to be so devoid of natural feelings, yet it was done in his name. The factor alledged as an excuse for it, that he did not want the parish of Rogart to be burdened with any more children to keep up. Economy ! Economy ! ! We have then in the same parish an old bachelor of the name of John Macdonald, who had three idiot sisters, whom he upheld independent of any source of relief, but a favorite of George, the notorious factor, envied this poor bachelor's farm, and he was summoned to remove at next term. The poor fellow petitioned his Grace, and Loch, but to no purpose, he was doomed to walk away, on the term day as the factor told him, " to America, Glasgow, or to the devil if he choosed." Seeing he had no other alternative, two days before the day of his removal he yoked his cart, and got neighbours to help him to haul the three idiots into it, and drove away with them to Dunrobin Castle; when he came up to factor Gunn's door he capsized them out upon the green, and wheeled about and went away home, the three idiots finding themselves upon the top of one another so sudden, they raised an inhuman-like yell, and fixed into one another to fight, and scratched, yelled, and screeched so terrific that [ 168 |!»:- m Mr. Gnnn, his lady, his daughters, and all the clerks and servants, were soon ahout them, hut they hearkened to no reason, for they had none them- selves, hut continued their fighting and inharmonious music ; messengei after messenger was sent after John, hut of no use; at last the great Gunn himself followed and overtook him, asked him how did he come to leave his sisters in such a state ? He replied, '' I kept them while I had a piece of land to support them, you have taken that land from me, then take them along with the land, and make of them what you can, I must look out for myself, hut I cannot carry them to the lahour market." Gnnn was in a fix, and had to give John assurance that he would not he removed if he would take his sisters, so John took them home, and has not heen molested as yet. I have here heside me a respectahle girl of the name of Aun Murray, whose father was removed during the time of the who:esale/a^^o^ removal hut got a lot of a barren moor to cultivate; however barren-like it was, he was raising a family of industrious young sons, and by dint of hard labour and perseverance, they made it a comfortable home, but the young sons one by one left the country, (and four of them are within two miles of where I sit), the result was, that Ann was the only one who remained with the parents. The mother who had an attack of palsy, was left entirely under Ann's care after the family left ; and she took it so much to heart that her daughter's attention was required day and night, until death put an end to her afflictions, after twelve years' suffering. Shortly after the mother's death, the father took ill, and was confined to bed for nine months ; and Ann's labour re-commenced until his decease. Though Ann Murray could be numbered among the most dutiful of daughters, yet her incessant labour, for a period of more than thirteen years, made visible inroads upon her tender constitution ; yet by the liberal assistance of her brothers, who did not loose sight of her and their parent, (though upon a foreign strand) Ann Murray kept the farm in the best of order, no doubt expecting that she would be allowed to keep it after her parent's decease ; but this was not in store for hsr, the very day after her father's funeral, the officer came to her, and told her that she was to be removed in a few weeks, that the farm was let to another, and that Factor Gunn wished to see her. She was at that time afflicted with jaundice, and told the officer that she could not undertake the journey, which was only ten miles. Next day the officer was at her again, more urgent than before, and made use of extraordinary threats ; so she had to go. When she appeared before this Bashaw, he swore like a trooper, and damned her soul, why she disobeyed his first summons ; she excused herself trembling, that she was unwell ; another volley of oaths and threats met her response, and told her to remove herself from the estate next week, for her conduct ; and with a threat, which well becomes a Highland tyrant, not to take away nor sell a single article of furniture, implements of husbandry, cattle, or crop ; nothing was allowed but her own body clothes; that every thing was to be handed over to her brother, who was to have the farm. Seeing there was neither mercy nor justice for her, she told him the crop, house, and every other thing belonging to the farm, belonged to her and brothers in 160 aio'f messenget ^erioa, and that the brother to whom he (the factor) intended to hand over the farm and efiFects, never helped her father or mother while in trouble; and that she was determined that he should not enjoy what she laboured for, and what her other brothers' money paid for She went and got the advice of a man of business, adrertised a sale, and sold oflF, in the face of threats of interdict, and came to Canada, where she was wa ily received by brothers, sisters, and friends, now in Woodstock, and can 1 .11 her tale better than I can. No one could think nor believe that l^is Grace would even countenance such doings as these ; but it was dono in bis name. I have here within ten miles of me, Mr. William Ross, once Taxm ; i of Achtomeleeny, Sutherlandshire, who occupied the most convenient farm to the principal deer-stalking hills in the county. Often have the English and Irish lords, connected in marriage with the Sutherlands, dined and took their lunch, at William Ross' table, and at his expense ; and more than once passed the night under his roof. Mr. Ross being so well acquainted among the mountains and haunts of the deer, was often engaged as a guide and instructer to these noblemen, on their deer-stalking and fishing excursions, and became a real favorite with the Sutherland family, which enabled him to erect superior buildings to the common rule, and improve his farm in a superior style; so that his mountain-side farm, was nothing short of a Highland paradise. But unfortunately for William, his nearest neighbor, one Major Gilchrist, a sheep farmer, (Ahah) coveted Mr. Ross's vine- yard, and tried many underhand schemes to secuve the place for himself, but in vain. Ross would hearken to none of his proposalb. But Ahab was a chief friend of Factor Gunn; and William Ross got notice of removal. Ross prepared a Memorial to the first and late Duchess of Sutherland, and placed it in her own hand. Her Grace read it, and instantly went in to the Factor's office, and told him that William Ross was not to be removed from Achtomleeny while he lived ; and wrote the same on the petition, and handed it back to Ross^ with a graceful smile, saying " you are now out of the reach of Factors ; now, William, go home in peace." William bowed, and departed cheerfully ; but the Factor and (Ground Officer followed close behind him, and while Ross was reading Her Grace's deliverance the officer, David Ross, came and snapped the paper out of his hand and ran to factor Gunn with it ; Ross followed, but Gunn put it in his pocket, saying, " William, you would need to give it to me after- wards at any rate, and I will keep it till I read it and then return it to you," and with a tiger-like smile on his face said, " I believe you came speed to day, and I am glad of it ;" but William never got it in his hand again. However, he was not molested during Her Grace's life. Next year she paid a visit to Dunrobin, when factor Wm. Gunn advised Ross to apply to her for a reduction of rent, (under the mask of favouring him.) he did so and it was granted cheerfully. Her Grace left Dunrobin this year never to return ; in the beginning of the next Spring she was carried back to Dunrobin a corpse, and a few days after she was Interred in Dornoch. William Ross was served with a Summons of Removal from Achtomleeny, and he had nothing to shew. He petitioned the present Duke and his 170 '.' • I .1 r 1 1- Commissioner, Mr. Looh, and related the whole oircumstance to them, butlp'^®''®'^^ to no avail, only he was told that factor Gunn was ordered to give himl<><>°°®'^° some other lot of land, which he did; and having no other resource Wil-lentrusti liam accepted of it to his loss; for between loss of cattle, building and 1 1^"^.^^^ repairing houses, he was minus of one hundred and fifty pounds sterling I foolish of his means and substance, from the time he was removed from Achtome-|hi°>) ^oi leeny till he removed himself to Canada. Besides he had a written 1 6x<^°ipl^ agreement or promise for melioration or valuation for all the farm improve- 1 ^o ^' ments and house building at Achtomleeny, which was valued by the family surveyor at £250. William was always promised to get it, until they came to learn that he was leaving for America, then they would not give a cent of it. William Ross left them with it to join his family in Canaf^a; but he can in his old age sit at as comfortable a table, and sleep on as comfortable a bed, with greater ease of mind and a clearer conscience, among his own dutiful and aifectionate children, than the tyrant Factor ever did or ever will among his. I know as well as any one can tell me that this is but one or two cases out of the thousand I could enumerate, where the liberality and benevolence of His Grace, and of his parents, were abused, and that to their patron's loss. You see in the above case, that William was advised to plead for a reduction of rent, so that the Fac- tor's favorite, Ahab Gilchrist, would have the benefit of Naboth Ross' improvement, and the reduction he got on his rent, which would not be obtained otherwise. The long and the short of it is, that the unhallowed crew of factors and officials, from the highest to the lowest grade of them employed by the family of Sutherland for the last 54 years, were so well qualified in rascality that they, in their combination,could rob both proprietor and people. They got the corrupt portion of the public press on their side, to applaud their wicked doings and robbing schemes, as the only mode of improvement and civilization in the Highlands of Scotland. They have got what is still more to be lamented, all the established ministers, with few exceptions, on their side ; and in them they found faithful aux- iliaries in crushing the people. Any of them could hold a whole congregation by the hair of their heads over hell-fire, if they offered to resist the powers that be, until they submitted. If a single in- dividual resbted, he was denounced from the pulpit, and considered l^t^ppl&nt afterwards a dangerous man in the community; and he might depart I^I^o field i as quick as he could. Any man, or men, may violate the laws of '•"*—*- * God, and violate the laws of heaven as often as he chooses; he is never heeded, and has nothing to fear, but if he offends the Duke's Factor, the lowest of his minions, or violates the least of their laws and regulations it is an unpardonable sin. The present Duke's mother, was no doubt a liberal lady of many good parts, and seemed to be much attached to the natives, but unfo' uunately for them, she employed for her factors a vile, unprincipled crew, who were their avowed enemies ; she would hearken to the complaints of the people, and would write to the ministers of the Gospel to ascertain the correctness of complaints, and the factor was justified, however gross the outrage that was he committed — ^the others o volume. Sutherla Sutherla bles. Tl out the —barrel 8ome ra^ upon til warned I barrels, i wretched loads; hi of rejoic Clachans into larg( with it, s handle, produced are set x called th open the this coan people wi Du ibe d antil teal 171 noetothem, butlp'^^''®'*^ Duke is a Bimple, if not a silly, narrow minded ffentleman, who ired to give him|°^ ^<)<^6^3^ o^^^'^b- he farm improve- 1 ^^ detail what I knew myself personally, and what I have learnt from Led by the family I <)^^^^^ ^^ ^^^^^ petty roguery and robbery, it would, as I said before, fill a et it until they I ^<)^^'^^' ^^^ another instance: — When a marriage in the family of would not give I Sutherland takes place, or the birth of an heir, a feast is ordered for the amily in Cana<^a' I Sutherland people, consisting of whiskey, porter, ale, and plenty of eata- ) and sleep on asll'I^B- ^^^ ^^J ^^ feasting and rejoicing is appointed, and heralded through- earer conscience |out the country, and the people are enjoined in marshal terms to assemble the tyrant Factor I '"^^'''^^^^ ^^ ^^^ adulterated whiskey arc forwarded to each parish, and V one can tell mel^ii'^ ^^^ adulterated sugar, and that is all. Bonfires are to be prepared 30uld enumerate I upon the tops of the highest mountains. The poorest of the poor are d of his parents, I warned by family officers to carry the materials consisting of peats and tar 1 the above case I barrels, upon their backs; the scene is lamentable to see groups of these so that the Fac-|^6t<^^6<^ half-clad and ill shod, climbing up these mountains with their loads ; however, the work must be done, there is no denial, and the evening of rejoicing arrived, and the people are assembled at their different Clachans ; the barrels of whiskey are taken out to the field, and are poured into large tubs, and a good amount of abominable-looking sugar is mixed ars were so welll^^tli it, and a sturdy favourite is employed to stir it about with a flail obbothproprietorl'i&ndle, or some long cudgel — all sorts of drinking implements are of Naboth Ross' lich would not be it the unhallowed st grade of them 10 press on their! 3mes, as the only produced, such as tumblers, bowls, ladles, and tin jugs. Bagpipers are set up with great glee. In the absence of the factor, the animal Scotland. Theyl y y> therlond Nine-tenths of the poor people of Sutherland ore adherents of the Fre '® ^J^ '^^ Church, — all of them in whose families the worship of God hos been se *® ^"^rcl up, — all who entertoin a serious belief in the reality of religion, — ^all vrh "^ ® ^ ® are not the creatures of the proprietor, and have not stifled their convic ^^ ^j*® tions for a piece of bread, — are devotedly attached to the dis-establishei ^J7 *°" ; ministers, and will endure none other. The Residuary clergy they do no . ^^y ' recognise as clergy at all. The Established Churches have become as use less m the district, as if, like its Cruidical circles, they represented som idolatrous belief, long exploded, — the people will not enter them ; an they respectfully petition his Grace to be permitted to build other churche for themselves. And fain would his Grace indulge them, he says. Ii accordance with the suggestions of an innate desire, willingly would Ii ill remaii irit, all iij ith their e poor an ing, in w permit them to build their own churches and support their own ministers 'P^ aistnc But then, has he not loyally engaged to support the Establishment ? T ^f ^ " ace's creal ntary iten 'at majorit en to info Dtecting n vitably atl 176 traa likewise at Lords. If the lyeres, bad been « at tbe piosent Itttberland were d tbo same taste in expelled from lile the law has g to tbe Scottish ipire, leaying the used at first b- irmit a religious and inoffensive people to build their own places of wor- ihip, and support their own clergy, would be sanctioning a sort of persc- iitioL against the Kstablishment ; and at his Grace dislikes religious per< ution, and has determined always to oppose whatever tends to it, he has Ived to make use of his influence, as the most extensive of Scottish roprietors, in forcing them back to their parish churches. If they persist worshipping God agreeably to the dictates of their conscience, it must on the unsheltered nill-side, — in winter, amid^tho frosts and snows of severe northern climate, — in the milder seasons, exposed to the scorch- g sun and the drenching shower. They must not be permitted the ^elter of a roof. /■ We have exhibited to our readers, in the clearing of Sutherland a pro- heir *'*'™^?'^ "Bess of ruin so thoroughly disastrous, that it might be deemed scarcely ' V "^ilTb urers B"***^'® ^ render it more complete. And yet with all its apparent com- s hiredia o tBigteness, it admitted of a supplementair process. To employ one of the ot their coni Briking figures of Scripture, it was possible to grind into powder what had )Ower to cxp « ^^ previously broken into fragments, — to degrade the poor inhabitants l" . f _ vM a still lower level than that on which they had been so cruelly precipi- tieir torce may ^ted, — though persons of a not very original cast of mind might have we nave sa , ^und it difficult to say how, the Duke of Sutherland has been ingenious society ^J"^ »ough to fall on exactly the one proper expedient for supplementing their jtruct at p '■in. All in mere circumstance and situation that could lower and course oi ev ■jteriorate, had been present as ingredients in the first process ; but there achman, las %[l remained for the people, however reduced to poverty or broken in iiei so muc m «^jf j^,^ j^U j^ jeiigjon that consols and ennobles. Sabbath-days came rouud ith their humanizing influences ; and, under the teachings of the gospel, e poor and the oppressed looked longingly forward to a future scene of Dg, in which there is no poverty or oppression. They still possessed, id their misery, something positively good, of which it was impossible to iprive them ; and hence the ability derived to the present lord of Suther- d of deepening and rendering more signal the ruin accomplished by sjpredecessor. , ... ijgj^esc harmonize but too well with the mode in which the interior of jhc gospel 18 Itherland was cleared, and the improved cottages of its sea-coasts erected. . , ^ le plan has its two items. No sites are to be granted in the district for ft ^ V, b wr® Churches, and no dwelling-house for Free-Church ministers. The Ctod has Deen Imate is severe, — the winters prolonged and stormy, — the roads which "•fl ^^?^' • * ^1(1''°®*'* *^® chief seats of population with the neighbouring counties, ,ifled their ^^.^^^ leary and long. May not ministers and people be eventually worn out e dis-estaDlisnei^j^fg ^^^ ^ ^^^^ .^ ^^^ p^^.^^ ^^ ^^^ ^^^^ ^^^^^ j^.^ ^^^^ ^^^ j^.^ ace's creatures can afford to present to the light. But there are supple- ntary items of a somewhat darker kind. The poor cotters are, in the at majority of cases, tenants-at-will ; and there has been much pains en to inform them, that to the crime of entertaining and sheltering a otecting minister, the penalty of ejection from their holdings must ' . ' \A], vitebly attach. The laws of Charles have again returned in this un- ilhngly wou ^^^ district, and free and tolerating Scotland has got, in the nineteenth iir own minis ^^^ ^ ^^ ^^^ seventeenth, its intercommuned ministers. We shall t least, to curry v rs 1811 and 1820 were ejected fro n vain seek a pre issaoro me of the disru deplorable state * We were ruinei ulergy they do no ive become as use represented som enter themj an liild other churche lem, he says. I own ftblishment? Xi, 1T6 not say that the intimation has emanated from the Duke. It is the mii fortune of such men, that there creep around them creatures whose busij nesB it is to anticipate their wishes ; but who, at times, doubtless, insteai of anticipating, misinterpret them ; and who, even when not very mucl mistaken, impart to whatever tlie^ do the impress of their own low am meDial natures, and thus exaggerate in the act, the intention of theij masters. We do not say, therefore, that the intimation has emanatei from the Duke; but this we say, that an exemplary SutherlandsLir minister of the Protesting Church, who resigned his worldly all for thi sake of his principles, had lately to travel, that he might preach to hi attached people, a long journey of forty-four miles outwards, and as muc in return, and all this without taking shelter under cover of a roof, o without partaking of any- other refreshment than that furnished by th slender store of provisions which he had carried with him from his ne home. Willingly would the poor Highlanders have received him at an risk } but knowing from experience what a Sutherlandshire removal meai he preferred enduring any amount of hardship rather than that th hospitality of his people should be made the occasion of their ruin. W have already adverted to the case of a lady of Sutherland threathene with ejection from her ,home because she had extended the shelter of h( roof to one of the Protesting clergy, — an aged and venerable man, wh had quitted the neighbouring manse, his home for many years, because h could no longer enjoy it in consistency with his principles ; and we ha\ shown that that aged and venerable man was the lady's own father. Whi amount of oppression of a smaller and more petty character may not expected in the circumstances, when cases such as these are found to stan but a very little over the ordinary level ? The meanness to which ducal hostility can stoop in this hapless distrii impress with a feeling of surprise. In the parish of Dornoch, for instanc where his Grace is fortunately not the sole landowner, there has been site procured on the most generous terms from Sir George Gunn Men of Poyntzfield; and this gentleman, believing himself possessed of h! have no pro first pi a moti^ may no land a : tobeh The cle welfare of his f maybe portant over S( seems oi people,- extra pi a small i bable, tl taking t( but of a There tion of i which n and carr made pu ect, — pj wide! with the' could ha vitals of cessors, disconten If a singi converted hat the e hereditary right to a quarry, which, though on the Duke's ground been long resorted to by the proprietors of the district generally, instru ted the builder to take from it the stones which he needed. Here, hoi ever, his Grace interfered. Never had the quarry been prohibited befoi L , but on this occasion, a stringent interdict arrested its use. If his Gra ' '^^^6 b could not prevent a hated Free Church from arising in the district, *** ^^^ could at least add to the expense of its erection. We have even hea '"^'f* inp that the portion of the building previously erected had to be pulled dov *Jp '"*' ' and the stones returned. ltT^% How are we to account for a hostility so determined, and that can sto ^ . ® f so low ? In two ditiereut wuyp, we are of opinion, and in both have t V"*^^*^]^ " people of Scotland a direct interest. Did his Grace entertain a ve '"bounty intense regard for Established Presbytery, it is probably that he hims *°°®*" ha would be a Presbyterian of the Establishment. But such is not the ca ™^J®'5ted. The church into which he would so fain force the people has been lo . ' *^° since deserted by himself The secret of the course which he pursues c ?'8"* pos i. It ifl the mil urea whose busij loubtless, insteai n not very muc leir own low am ntention of theii }n has emanatei J Sutherlandshi m haye no eonneetion therefore with religious motive or belief. It can be no proselytising spirit that misleads his Grace, l^et us remark, in the first place, rather however, in the way of embodying a fact, than imputing a motive, that with his present views, and in his present circumstances, it may not seem particularly his Grace's interest to muke the county of Suther- land a happy or desirable home to the people of Scotland. It may not to be his Grace's interest that the population of the district should increase. ' \A\ 11 f till '^^^ clearing of the sea-coast may seem as little prejudicial to his Grace's orldly ^ ,M welfare now, as the clearing of the interior seemed adverse to the interests ;ht preac m ^£ j^j^ predecessor thirty years ago ; nay, it is quite possible that his Grace aids, ana *^ ^ ^ may be led to regard the ckaring of the coast as the better and more im- over 01 a roo , o« pQ^j^^^ clearing of the two. Let it not be forgotten that a poor-law hangs turniBnea y | ^^^^ Scotland, — that the shores of Sutherland are covered with what Beems one vast straggling village, inhabited by an impoverished and ruined people, — and that the coming assessment may yet fall so weighty that the extra profits accruing to his Grace from his large sheep-farms, may go but a small way in supporting his extra paupers. It is not in the least impro- bable, that he may live to find the revolution effected by his predecessor taking to itself the form, not of a crime, — for that would be nothing, — but of a disastrous and very terrible blunder. There is another remark which may prove not unworthy the considera- tion of the reader. Ever since the completion of the fatal experiment which ruined Sutherland, the noble family through which it was originated . ^and carried on have betrayed the utmost jealousy of having its real results aracter may n jmade public. Volumes of special pleading have been written on the sub- e are toun "ject, — pamphlets have been published, laboured articles have been inserted in widely-spread reviews, — s$^atistical accounts have been watched over with the most careful surveillance. If the misrepresentations of the press could have altered the matter of fact, famine would not be gnawing the vitals of Sutherland in a year a little less abundant than its prede- cessors, nor would the dejected and oppressed people be feeding their discontent, amid present misery, with the recollections of a happier past. If a singidarly well-conditioned and wholesome district of country has been vr 1^. Jconverted into one wide ulcer of wretchedness and woe, it must be confessed ., ^®y®v' fjjJthat the sore has been carefully bandaged up from tlbe public eye, — that prohibite "?, lif there has been little done for its cure, there has at least been much done IS ra^j.^j. j^ concealment. Now, be it remembered, that a Free Church threat- ns to insert a tent into this wound, and so keep it open. It has been id that the Gaelic language removes a district more effectually from the influence of English opiniun than an ocean of three thousand miles, and " at the British public know better what is doing in New York than what doing in Lewis or Skye. And hence one cause, at least, of the thick bscurity that has so long enveloped the miseries which the poor High- der has had to endure, and the oppressions to which he has been bjected. The Free Church threatens to translate her wrongs into Eng- bh, and to give them currency in the general mart of opinion. She ight possibly enough be no silent spectator of conflagrations such as iose which chaiaoterized the first general improvement of Sutherland, — him from his ne' ceived him at an; lire removal meai ler than that t^ f their ruin. W jrland threathem the shelter of h^ enerable man, w y years, because pies ) and we ha^ own father. Wh^ his hapless distrii rnoch, for instanci , there has been orge Gunn Mom Iself possessed of uke's ground, hi generally, instru| eded 1 pre 1 use. in the district, |e have even heal to be pulled do^ I, and that can sto in both havet| |e entertain a vc )ly that he hims luch is not the ca lople has been lo| lich he pursues i 178 nor yet of such Egyptian sohemeK, ^ouse-building as that which formed part of the improvements of a latev ^jian. She might be somewhat apt to betray the real state of the district, and thus render laborious misrepresen- tation of little avail. She might effect a diversion in the cause of the people, and shake the foundations of the hitherto despotic power which has so long weighed them down. She might do for Sutherland what Cobbett promised to do for it, but what Oobbett had not character enough to accomplish, and what he did not live even to attempt. A combination of circumstances have conspired to vest in a Scottish proprietor, in this northern district, a more despotic power than even the most absolute monarchs of the Continent possess ; and it is, perhaps, no great wondor that that proprietor should be jealous of the introduction of an element | which threatens, it may seem, materially to lessen it. And so he strug- gles hard to exclude the Free Church, and, though no member of the es- tablishment himself, Ceclures warmly in its behalf. Certain it is, that j point, pas- d lion. and tt check Theyl be fouf the pol on thei But Suther] fester ii the lore the woi details. from the Establishment, as now constituted, he can have nothing to fear, I nU»^ :. and the people nothing to hope After what manner may his Grace, the Duke of Sutherland, be most effectually met in this matter, so that the cause of toleration and freedom of conscience may be maintained in the extensive district which God, in his providence, has consigned to his stewardship ? We shall in our nest chapter attempt giving the question an answer. Meanwhile, we trust the people of Sutherland will continue, as hitherto, to stand firm. The strong repugnance which they feel against being driven into churches which all their ministers have left, is not ill founded. No Church of God ever em- ploys such means of conversion as those employed by his Grace ; they are means which have been often resorted to for the purpose of making men worse, — never yet for the purpose of making them better. We know that with their long formed church-going habits, the people must feel their now silent Sabbaths pass heavily j but they would perhaps do well to remember amid the tedium and the gloom, that there were good men wbo not only anticipated such a time of trial for this country, but who also made provision for it. Thomas Scott, when engaged in writing his Com mentary, used to solace himself with the belief that it might be of use at a period when the public worship of God would be no longer tolerated i the land. To the great bulk of the people of Sutherland that time seemi to have already come. They know, however, the value of the old divines, and have not a few of their more practical treaties translated into thei: expressive tongue, — Alleine's Alarm, — Boston's Four/old State, — •^'''^Iniehtsof dridge's Rhe and Progress, — Baxter's Call, — Guthrie's Saving Interesm^^^^ . ^ Let these, and such as these, be their preachers, when they can procure n(* ' other. The more they learn to relish them, the less will they relish thi bald and miserable services of the Residuary Church. Let them holi their fellowship and prayer meetings, — let them keep up the worship God in their families : the cause of religious freedom in the district is in volved in the stand which they make. Above all, let them possess thei souls in patience. We are not unacquainted with the Celtic character, a developed in the Highlands of Scotland. Highlanders, up to a certaii which, nant wii Such orchy, n the hist ofSuthe Earl of [ the Revj the dign greatnesi his marr children, gaging c Dunrobii health ai ern wint( advice o there was in the m< there. fever, m\ fifty-four an unava] days befo] was one ii instance the ordinj burgh to on seeing whose ren 179 yrhieii formed )mewliat apt to IS iiiisrepresen- tie cause of the ic power which itherland what laracter enough A combiuatiou )prietor, in this I most absolute 10 great wondor 1 of an element id so he strug- imber of the es rtain it is, that point, are the most docile, patient, enduring of men ; but that point once gas" d, endurance ceases, and the all too gentle Iamb starts up an an^ry on. The spirit is stirred that maddens at the sight of the naked weapon, and that in its headlong rush upon the enemy, discipline can neither check nor control. Let our oppressed Highlanders of Sutherland beware. They have suffered much ; but, so far as man is the agent, their battles can be fought on only the arena of public opinion, and on that ground which the political field may be soon found to furnish. Any explosion of violence on their part would be ruin to both the Free Church ana themselves. But we have not yet said how this ruinous revolution was effected in Sutherland, — how the aggravations of the modCf if we may so speak, still fester in the recollections of the people, — or how thoroughly that policy of the lord of the soil, through which he now seems determined to complete the work of ruin which his predecessors began, harmonizes with its worst details. We must first relate, however, a disastrous change which took nothing to fear, ■ place, in the providence of God, in the noble family of Sutherland, and I which, though it dates fully eighty years back, may be regarded as preg- lerland, be most I n^nt with the disasters which afterwards befell the country. ion and freedom ■ Such of our readers as are acquainted with the memoir of Lady Glen- 5t which God, in I orchy, must remember a deeply melancholy incident which occurred in shall in our next| h^q history of this excellent woman, in connection with the noble family of Sutherland. Her only sister had been married to Williatin, seventeenth Earl of Sutherland, — " the first of the good Earls ; " "a nobleman," says the Rev. Dr. Jones in his Memoir, " who to the finest person united all the dignity and amenity of manners and character which give lustre to greatness." But his sun was destined soon to go down. Five years after J of making men! ^is marriage, which proved one of the happiest, and was blessed with two We know that! children, the elder of the two, the young Lady Catherine, a singularly en- i must feel their| gaging child, was taken from him by death, in his old hereditary castle of Dunrobin. The event deeply affected bot?i parents, and .preyed on their health and spirits. It had taken place amid the gloom of a severe north- ern winter, and in the solitude of the Highlands ; and, acquiesing in the advice of friends, the Earl and his lady quitted the family seat, where there was so much to remind them of their bereavement, and sought relief in the more cheerful atmosphere of Bath. But they were not to find it lile, we trust the rm. The strong lurches which all of God ever em- Grace ; they are rhaps do well to re good men who try, but who also writing his Com ight be of use at nger tolerated in i that time seems there. Shortly after their arrival, the Earl was seized by a malignant f the old divineslfeyej.^ Tji^ith which, upheld by a powerful constitution, he struggled for islated into theiil fifty. fQ^. days, and then expired. " For the first twenty-one days and Id State, — -^o"! nights of these," says Dr. Jones, "Lady Sutherland never left his bed- Saving InterestM^i^Q , and then at last, overcome with fatigue, anxiety, and grief, she sank eycan procure nfljn unavailing victim to an amiable but excessive attachment, seventeen they relish tnl jays before the death of her lord." The period, though not very remote. Let them hol(i^as one in which the intelligence of events travelled slowly j and in this ap the worship oiingtance the distraction of the family must have served to retard it beyond the district is njlthe ordinary time. Her Ladyship's mother, when hastening from Edin- hem possess theiii)m.gh to her assistance, alighted one day from her carriage at an inn, and eltio character, ajon seeing two hearses standing by the way side, inquired of an attendant , up to a certa)%iiose remains they contained ? The reply was, the remains of Lord and 180 S. J ■fi Lady Sutherland, on their wav for interment to the Royal Chapel of Holj- rood House. And tuoh was the first intimation of which the ludy received of the death of her daughter and son-in-luw. The event was pregnant with disaster tu Sutherland, though many yuiirij elapsed ere the ruin which it involved fell on that hapless country. Thu sole survivor and heir of the family was u female infant of but a year old. Her maternal grandmother, an ambitious, intriguing woman of the world, had the chief share in her general training and education ; and she wav brought up in the south »of Scotland, of which her grandmother wua a native, far removed from the iuilueuco of those genial sympathies with the people of her clan, for which the old lords of Sutherland had been ho remarkable, and, what was a sorer evil still, from the influence of thu vitalities of that religion which, for five generations together, her fatheiii had illustrated and adorned. The special mode in which the disaster told first, was through the patronage of the county, the larger part of which was vested in the family of Sutherland. Some of the old Earls had been content, as we have seen, to place themselves on the level of the Christian men of their parishes, and thus to unite with them in calling to their churches the Christian minister of their choice. They know, — what re- Senerated natures can alone know, with the proper emphasis, that in Christ esus the vassal ranks with his lord, and thuy conscientiously acted on the conviction. But matters were now regulated differently. The presenta- tion supplanted the call, and ministers came to bo placed in the parishes of Sutherland without the consent, and contrary to the will, of the people. Churches, well filled hitherto, were deserted by their congregations, just because a respectable woman of the world, making free use of what she deem- ed her own, had planted them with men of the world, who were only tolera- bly respectable ; and in houses and burns, the devout men of the district learned to hold numerously -attended Sabbath meetings for reading the Scriptures, and mutual exhortation, and prayer, as a sort of substitute for the public services, in which they found they could no longer join with profit. The spirit awakened by the old Earls had survived themselves, and ran directly counter to the policy of their descendant. Strongly at- tached to the Establishments the people, though they thus forsook their old places of worship, still remained members of the national Church, and travelled far in the summer season to attend the better ministers of theirj own and the neighbouring counties. We have been assured, too, from men whose judgment we respect, that, under all their disadvantages, religion continued peculiarly to flourish among them ; — a deep-toned evan gelism prevailed ; so that perhaps the visible Church throughout the world at the time could furnish no more striking contrast than that which ob tained between the cold, bald, common-place service of the pulpit in some of these parishes, and the fervid prayers and exhortations which give life and interest to these humble meetings of the people. What a pity it h that differences such as these the Duke of Sutherland cannot see ! The marriage of the young countess into a noble English family wai fraught with further disaster to the country. There are many Englishmei quite intelligent enough to perceive the difference between a smoky cottag' inpa Ml which positi' Suthc in th( counti Grand Wyms brougl lived h compai heiress as fowl name o way Jo panion, met hir scarcelj little n€ came h< panion : land wai NextM nary, a the day sitting in EdinI the youi and her him by t asked wl Sutherlai 181 Jhftpel of Holy- Q liidy received ugh many yeara country. Th« but a year old. iiu of the world, I ; aud she wuu ludmotUcr waa u sympathiea with iud liad bceu ho iniluenco of tlio ther, her fathers the disuBter told jr part of which i Earls had been I of the Christian a calling to their know,— what re- isis, that in Christ jusly acted on the y. The presenta- id in the parishes vill, of the people, ongregatious, just ofwhatshedeeui- were only tolera- len of the district for reading the t of substitute for longer join with vived themselves, nt. Strongly at forsook their onal Church, and ministers of their (assured, too, from ir disadvantages deep-toned cvan- lUghout the world n that which oh he pulpit in some s which ^ive life hat a pity it ,nnot see 1 glish family wai any Englishmei naBmokycottag'^ of turf and a whito*waflhed cottage of stone, whose judgement on their respective inhabitants would bo of but little value. " Sutherland, nn a country of men, stood higher at this period than perhaps any other dis- trict in the British empire ; but, ns our description in the preceding chap- ter must have shown, — and we indulged in them mainly with a view to thin part of our subject, — it by no means stood higli as a country of farms and cottages. The marriage of the (Countess brought a new set of eyes upon it — eyes accustomed to quite a different face of things. It seemed a wild, rude country, where all was wrong, and all had to bo set right, — a sort of Russia on a small scale, that had just got another Peter the Great to civi- lize it,— or a Hort of barbarous Kgypt, with an energetic Ali Pasha at its head. Even the vast wealth and great liberality of the Stafford family militated against this hapless country : it enabled them to treat it as the mere subject of an interesting experiment, in which gain to themselves was really no object, — nearly as little so as if they had resolved on dissect- ing a dog alive for the benefit of science." Mr. Miller might have gone farther to shew the cauBo of the desolation which overtook the Suthorlanders, for he was aware of it, but for want of positive proof he was deterred. There was mighty cause to believe in Sutherlandshirc that there was not a drop of the Sutherland families blood in the veins of the first Duchess of Sutherland. As tradition in the country went, when she an infant came under the guardianship of her Grandmother, a cousin or a seconci cousin of hers of the name of Betsy Wyras of the same age, and complexion with Betsy Sutherland, was brought home to the Grandmother to be her companion, the childl«n lived happy, and grew together, but Betsy Sutherland grew taller than her companion. The gentlemen of Sutherland were very mindful of their heiress, and was sending her presents cf the produce of the county, such as fowls, venison, butter, cheese, &c., yearly, and the family officer of the name of John Harrall, was always entrusted with the mission ; in this way John became well acquainted with the young heiress and her com- panion, on his arrival she always (after she was four or five years of age) met him at the gate entrance, and made great work with him, she could scarcely be prevailed upon to go to bed that night he arrived, but getting little news from him. When she was about eight years of age, the news came home to Sutherland that a sudden death deprived her of her com- panion : Betsy Wyms, and a great lamentation was ma^e as Betsy Suther- land was so very melancholy, and refused to accept of any other companion. Next Martimas John Harral was despatched with presents more than ordi- nary, and letters of condolence to the young heiress, and wishing the day might soon arrive when they would see her in Sutherland, and sitting on her mother's chair in Dunrobin Castle. John Harral arrived in Edinburgh, and at the gate of Leven Mansion, rang the bell, observed the young lady coming as usual, skipping down among the shrubbery, and her maid following, the gate was opened and the young lady grasped him by the hand ; John was dumbfounded and in his coufusion of mind asked where was Betsy Sutherland, (as he used to call her) ; I am Betsy Sutherland wag the reply; no, my dear says he, you are Betsy Wymi; tha 182 luaid whirled the young lady about, and John did not see her face again for years ; John delivered his commission as usual, and was discharged that same night, instead of remaining a week or a fortnight as usuol. John came home disappointed and disheartened, and told his plain story but full of mystery. The heiress was removed to a boarding school in England, and could not be seen by another Sutherlander to recognise hei until she came to raise a regiment in Sutherland : what confirmed the fraud upon the minds of the people was a singular anecdote. The first night she landed in Sutherlandshiro a mildew or hoar-frost fell that night, in Juno, which destroyed the crop of that year, and almost every green growth in the county, and did yet not reach upon either the neighbouring counties of Caithness or Ross, and it is said that that mildew never rose yet. One thing is clear that at the time Betsy Wyms was reported to bo dead, that a commission was bought in the East India Company for the proper heir of the estate, who was then only a young boy ; though ever so young he was despatched to that cemetery of enterprise, whore he soon died, none being then to claim the estate but his two orphan sisters, the investigation to the fraud ceased, but the Duchess had the generosity of settling a portion of JE15 upon each of these presumptive female heirs, but when they became old and infirm, occupying a small garret room in the CandlemaJker Row, Edinburgh, the portion was reduced by Loch to £2 each, yearly. I knew them, I often visited them in this forlorn con- dition, I petitioned her Grace twice in their behalf, but to no purpose ; at last I got them on the west Kirk parish poor roll. They were taken into the poor house and died there. The former part of this short but singular narrative, be it correct or in- correct, I give it as I heard it from my father, and many more of the old men who lived in that age, and who had too much cause to believe it to be correct, for they were almost ever since governed and treated with an alien's iron and fiery rod. I am sorry that for the present I must lay aside many important com- munications bearing upon the clearing system of the Highlanders which corroborates and substantiates my discription of it, sutli as letters published by Mr. Summer and Mr. Donald Ross, Glasgow, Mr. Donald Sutherland, which appeared in the Woodstock Sentinel a few weeks ago, but above all I regret how little I can toke from the pen of Mr. Mackie, editor of the Northern Ensign, Wick, Caithness, N.B., a gentleman since the appear- ance of his valuable paper proved himself the faithful friend of the op- pressed, the indefatigable exposer of their wrongs, terror of oppressors, and a chastiser of their tools, apologizers and abettors, though his pecuniary benefits would be to sail in the same boat with his unprincipled contempo- raries in the north of Scotland, but he chose the better part, and there is a higher promise of reward for him than worm Dukes, Lords, Esquires, and their vile underlings could bestow. The following is among the last of his productions on the subject. 183 licr face again ras discharged ight as usual, his plain story ding school in recognise hot nued the fraud The first night 1 that night, in st every green e neighbouring Idew never rose 3 reported to bo ompany for the y ; though ever )rise, whore he » orphan sisters, I the generosity vc female heirs, garret room in jed by Loch to this forlorn con- > no purpose ; at were taken into it correct or in- more of the old to believe it to treated with an mportant com- ilandcrs which etters published 3ild Sutherland, but above all editor of the ice the appear- ~iend of the op- oppressors, and his pecuniary [pled contempo- part, and there lOrds, Esquires, among the last ' WILLING HANDS FOR INDIA.' Over this title Punch of last week gives a very exciting illustration. A towering cart load of ingathored grain, with a crowing cock on its summit, forms the background ; while in front a recruiting officer and a party arc cheered by the excited harvesters coming forward with reaping-hooks in their hands, to volunteer for India, the banner borne by the officer repre- senting the British lion in the act of springing on the Bengal tiger. The recruits, not yet returned from the harvest field, are all enthusiasm, and arc eagerly rushing to enroll themselves among the avengers of the butch- eries that have been perpetrated in our Indian empire. The newspapers of the south report that the recruiting in certain dis- tricts has been most snccessful, and that already many thousand young men of promise have entered the lino. It is remarkable, however, particu- larly so, that all reference to the districts from which the main strength of our regular army was formerly obtained is most studiously avoided. May wo ask tlie authorities what success the recruiting officar has now met with in the Highlands of Scotland ? Time was, in former exigencies, when all eyes were turned in that direction, and not in vain. Time was, when, in only five days, the county of Sutherland alone contributed one thousand young men ; and when, in fourteen days, no fewer than eleven times that number were enrolled as recruits from the various Highland districts. Time was when the immortal Chatham boasted that ' he had found upon the mountains of Caledonia a gallant though oppressed race of heroes, who had triumphantly carried the British banner into every quarter of the globe.' Time was when Punch would, in such an illustra- tion as that of last week, have included in his representation some half- dozen kilted Celts, shoulder to shoulder, issuing from their mountain homes, and panting to be let loose on the Indian bloodhounds. Why not now ? Answer the question, my Lord Duke of Sutherland. Tell her Majesty, my Lord, why the bagpipes of the recruiting party are silent in Sutherland, and why uo ' willing hands for India ' are found in your Grace's vast Highland domain. Tell her how it happens that the patriotic enthusiasm which at the close of the last century was shown in the almost magical enrolment of thousands of brawny Suthcrlanders, who gained world-wide renown at Corunna, at Fuentes d'Onor, at Vittoria, at Waterloo, and elsewhere, is now unknown in Sutherland, and how the enrolment of one man in that large county is a seven years' wonder. If your Grace is silent, the answer is not wanting, nor is her Maajesty igno- rant of it. And yet the cursed system which has disheartened and well nigh destroyed that * race of heroes,' is pertinaciously persevered in by the very men who, of all others, should be ♦ . first to come forward and denounce it. ' Willing hands for India,' says Punch. * No,' says high bred lords and coroneted peers ; ' give us game preserves, deer forests, and sheep walks. Perish your bold peasantry ! and life to the pleasures of the forest and the mountain heath.' And thus it is that landlord after landlord is yearly weeding out che aborigines, and converting Scotland into one pou- 184 IK';, V p derous deer forest. Not a year passes without seeing hundreds of unof- fending men, wouieii, and children, from Gape Wrath to Mull of Galloway, remorselessly unhoused, and their little crofts added to the yast waste. And now that Britain fur the second time in four years has again to invoke the patriotism uf her sous, and to call for aid in the eventful crisis in India, the blast of iha n^.'cruiter's bugle evokes only the bleat of sheep, or the pitiful bray uf tlic timid deer, in the greater part of those wide regions which fonumly contributed their tens of thouscnds of men tu light their country's buttles. Oh, had Chatham been alive now, what a feeling would have been awakened iu his manly breast as he surveyed the wreck which the Loch policy has occasioned ; and with what crushing eloquence would he have invoked the miitut of heaven on that system. Meanwhile, Britain misses her liighluud heroes, and the imperilled troops in India, with the unoffending women and children, must wait the tardy arrival of ' willing hands ' to ausist them, while, had the Highlanders uf Scotland been as they once were, In one week mure nit^u would have been raised fur India than would have sufficed to have effectually crushed the Indian revolt, had spread itself from the foot of the Himalaya mountains to the most distant district of our Indian empire. Let Highland evictors, from Dukes to the meanest squires, beware. Popular patience hn» a limit } and it seems to me that the time is rapidly nearing when, if Parliament remains longer silent, the people of the country will arouse themselves, and, by one united expression of their will, drive back to its native den the foul and disastrous policy which has depeopled the Scottish Highlands." Brave John Muckie keep on your armour, you have now another Eng- lish Duke, no doubt a sporting one, to watch, who will finish the desola- tion of the Langwell Estate, which the scourge, Donald Horn, commenced some years ago. You never had a higher dignitary before in Caithness than a Lord. Now that you are to be honoured and blessed by a Duke, a sporting Grace, I predict that in a few years Caithness which has been hith- erto an exception among all other Highland Counties ; may be ranked on the same category with Sutherlandshire — (Ichabod, glory departed, deso- lation) — for his Grace of Portland's retinue will consist of other Graces, and Lords who must be supplied with sporting ground for themselves, while there is an estate in Caithness which money can purchase or to lease, Caithness lairds cannot resist the temptation of their long pur&es. We have proof positive of this in the parishes of Reay, Thurso, and Halkirk what devastation was made there, to gratify that insatiable mon- ster in human shape, John Paterson of Rotten, and infamous memory, to the everlasting disgrace of the Gordons and Sinclairs who indulged that brutCf what will they not do when they have to gratify English graces and lords ? But it is not what they have done, or what they will do, should be the question with us, but what have we done and what are we to do ? We have a very important duty to perform, and the sins of omission and the sins of commission are equally as henious, and as culpable in the sight of Heaven. Much has the British nation to account for, for these sins of omission. With folded arms, and callous indifference ihey have seen county mined, Bsystei in the i disgrace Cumbei months script, t age of ] agrioult Englan< nal war mate so men, 1 1 the higl] say less during t vincible and snet would pi Hons mu tible boi more thi lambs, u scions iu to boot. your wi( cies of raising r they will another j required willing n log to b( patriotisi that for her form by her o^ whose CO rulers wl look up t dealt tres from wh need are mountain feared i\ sires look while the 185 idrecb of anof> ill of Galloway, the vast waste. B has again to ) eventful crisis bleat of sheep, uae wide regions ;u to light their a feeling would lie wreck which loquence would inwhile, Britain Indiu, with the val of * willing otland been as raised fur India iian revolt, had ;he uost distant iquives, beware. I time is rapidly people of the ressiou of their lolioy which has w another £ng- ish the desola- jrn, commenced )re in Caithness >d by a Duke, a b has been hith- ly be ranked on departed, deso- other Graces, for themselves, purchase or to eir long purses. Thurso, and nsatiable mon- )us memory, to indulged that ;lish graces and 1 do, should be fre to do ? We ission and the in the sight of >r these sins of they have seen eonnty after county in the Highlands of Scotland depopulated, the people mined, oppressed, and dispersed ; they have tolerated, indeed countenanced, B systematic policy, which any one might see with half an eye, would end in the alienation of the people, the enfeeblement and ultimately in the disgrace of the nation. In the year 1747 the very next year after the Cumberland massacre of the High landers upon Culioden field, and his nine months ravages and murder in th^ -j country. According to Gartmor's manu- script, the Highlands could raise 52,800 able bodied young men from the age of 18 to 8i> years, it is evident that many years prior to this date agricultural improvements were not much studied in either Scotland or England, more especially in the Highlands, on account of continued inter- nal war and broils, about throning and dethroning legitimate and illegiti- mate sovereigns ', but if the highlands of Scotland could then raise 52,000 men, I ask, under proper and wise management, how many soldiers should the highlands raise in the year 1857 ? At the lowest estimate we cannot say less than 67,000, only allowing the population to increase one-third during a period of one hundred and ten years. What would such an in- vincible Celtic army be worth to the British nation to-day ? who laughed and sneered at their calamities and dispersion some years ago, and who would practically say, they may go to h — 1 if they choose, but^we and our 8ons must have deer stalking ground. I ask, what would such an irresis- tible body of men be worth to Britain to-day ? Would they not be worth more than all die deer, grouse, game, bulls, bullocks, rams, sheep, and lambs, all the sporting gents, foresters, shepherds, dogs, and aristocratic scions in Britain, and all the German legions that Germany can produce to boot. Tell them John Mackie, and proclaim it in their ears through your widely circulated and well read Ensign, that on former emergen- cies of less importance than the present, there was no difficulty in raising regiments in the highlands — take them to their own records, and they will find that 6,000 were raised or embodied in one year, 8,000 in another four years, and twenty times that number willing and ready if required ; 2,000 of these were from Sutherlandshire, where there is not one willing man to be found now, and I question if a score, or even two, will- ing to be soldiers are to be found throughout the whole highlands. The patriotisui so characteristic of highlanders are completely destroyed, and that for years past. But Britain will find out that if she is to maintain her former envied position among the nations of the earth that it will be by her own sons, and not by aliens or confederating with foreigners, upon whose constancy very little reliance can be placed. Woe to kings, and rulers who forsake, oppress, and disperse their own people, and have to look up to strangers and aliens for succour in time of need. Britain has dealt treacherously with her own people. The mountains of Caledonia, from, which at all times her principal succour did come to her in time of need are desolated. Britain is now in need, and in vain looks to these mountains for the invincible host, for they are not there, and it is to be feared that she may look in vain to (the mountain) God, to whom her sires looked for succour, and who often accompanied her armies, and host, while they were counselled by him, fighting the battles of civil and reli* I'M r^c^i m 18« gious liborty at homo and abroad, aud dealing justly with his peoplo. But who can sny but it is upon tho soorohinj]; plains of India and through the inntmmontality of Mahomedans, Pagans and other idolaters, where her eyes aro to be opened, and oonvinoed of her past shortsighted folly and Hinful policy, although hitherto blind to see her folly, and deaf to the die- tatefl of humanity, and sound reasoning, to tho instruction and oommandN of Qod, His prophets and apostles, to the remonstance of philosophers, and all who had nor real interest at heart ; and although it is generally believed that it is similar British tyranny, shortsighted, cruel policy, and malad- ministration, which depopulated the Highlands of Scotland, ruined Ire- land, and beggared two-fifths of tho nation is the cause of the outbreak in India, and the horrifying massacres, and inhuman deeds perpetrated by these uncivilised deluded savage ; yet it behoves every son of Britain, wherever ho is to be found, to join in the demonstration, demanding tho abolition of her game laws, and every other law known and proven to afford these cursed vermin of the aristocratic tribe an opportunity of oppressing the industrious people, and detrimental to the progress and prosperity of tho nation, and endangering her dignity, her safety, yea her very existence. Utopianism, utopianism, many will cry out ; but it is not more Utopian to demand the abolition of the game laws, which costs the nation mote than half a million sterling yearly for banishing and im- prisoning poachers, and which have been the cause of many a bloody, murderous affray, preserving animals, and birds which consumes more than three millions sterling worth of human food every year, besides the many thousand acres of land lying waste to afford them room for amusement and solitude, than it was to demand the abolition of the Com Laws and Slave Laws. Many excellent men, of high standing in Society, are devoting their time demonstrating the necessity and the legality of abolishing, not only the Game Laws, but the Laws of Entail and Primogeniture, tho Hypothic, &c. Will you not follow their example ? THE FEEEHOLD MOVEMENT AND HIGHLAND CLEARANCES. A stirring meeting, fully reported in the Daily Expreu of Monday, was held in Queen St. Hall, Edinburgh, on Saturday, when powerfol speeches were made by Messrs. Beal (from London), Taylor (tram Bir- mingham), Dr. Begg, Mr. Duncan McLaren, Mr. Dove, and others. The meeting was most enthusiastic, and gave every indication of enei^ and decision. Mr. Beal, in the course of his speech, said, — ^In England, they had looked with stem indignation at some acts which had taken place in the northern parts of Scotland, in regard to those great clearings of which they had heard so much. (Applause.) Such things might be prevented if the influence of the tenantry and of the mass of the people, who were now deprived of the suffrage, were brought to bear on the system of Parliamentary representation by means of a freehold move- ment. The counties would not then send as their representatives some twenty or thirty men who lacked the intelligence and the progressive spirit of i destroyed present — If thei; raovemon of tho Eti Mr. D( lows : — I seen in h that had they saw and hissc tliat Higl tlicni into Jrivcn ou ihore left his move ;md the 11 of Scotlat and and day, findi any other the Seen found a fi everythin not know told of th used the used the M'Laren- bad men. ing — that land was, people of for he tol that Higl and he to the sick inmates < to the la down th( Jfow, it V pull down iiinn, might sa^ man. 187 ««, whoro her Lpirit of tho of^o. (Hoar, hear.) Tho landlord inflaonoo would then bo IdcHtroyed, and the pooplc's poot would thon bo no longer able to say an nt Iprcsont — I have driven out poasftnts, I have banished them forth, There Is hardly a Celt on tho hills of tho north. ' If their own members opposed them, instead of assisting them in the movement, they could yet look confidently to the support of a large body of the English stntesmcn. Mr. Dove, with his usual manly iudcpcndciico, spoko out nobl^ m fol- lows : — He looked upon this movement as tlie first thing which he had seen in his day that was calculated to brcnk up that nristocratic influence that had long preyed upon tliis country of Scotland. (Applause.) When they saw men hounded out of the Highlnnda ns they had been — (cheers una hisses) — let thoni ask themselves whnt possible mcnaure could save that Highland popul.'ition except n freehold iiiovcraent, which should root them into the soil of Scotland. (Cheers.) That population had been driven out of their country, and now they had only the sea and tho sea- shore left to thcni ; but ho (Mr, Dove) told them, as he told Scotland, that this movement was the best movement which they had seen in their day, and the most calculated to benefit the whole population of the Highlands of Scotland. (Loud applause.) This very day he was a Scottish Rights' man, and would ren-ain so. He did not care one single farthing what any might say on that subject ; he would say that he was a Scottish Rights' man, and always would be so. (Laughter and cheers.) And that very day, finding that they could do very little for that Highland population in any other way, he had been engaged with his friend Mr. George Wink, the Secretary of the Scottish Rights' Association, in endeavouring to found a fishery, and to furnish to these people their boats, lines, nets, and everything which could keep them at home. (Cheers.) Now, he did not know that he should have used the word himself ; but they had been told of their subserviency to the landlords ; and Mr. Duncan M'Laren had used the words bad lawyers. He did not mean to say that he would have used the word, but in his opinion they were all bad lawyers. (Mr. M'Laren — I meant that they were giving bad law, and not that they were bad men.) Mr. Dove said he knew perfectly well Mr. M'Laren's mean- ing — that they were giving a wrong explanation of what the law of Eng- land was, and that they were either ignorant or maliciously misleading the people of Scotland. But his (Mr, Dove's) meaning was very difierent ; for he told them that they were bad lawyers, because they had cleared out that Highland population in many cases illegally — (hisses aud cheers) — and he told them that two or three years ago down at Knoidart, they took the sick people out of their houses, pulled those houses down, and left the inmates exposed to the winds of heaven. (A voice — ' They had no right to the land,* and cries of 'Order' — and he told them that they pulled down tho bams there in which the people could have been sheltered, ^ow, it was quite true that the law unfortunately gave them the power to pull down the houses, but not 'the barns, which would have in some mea- ,K/ 188 sure sheltered the poor people. But, neyertheleis, they had done so, and the people had remained unsheltered ; and he (Mr. Doye) said that, if as Scotchmen they per ted such things to go on, they wero not worthy of the name. (Applause.) He hoped he had expressed his meaning pretty pioic'.y, vhioh was, that ho was u Scottish Rights' man, and as such he >' ould lot k any Englishman in the face. We hope to give this great movemont due attcDtioQ at an early date. Good speed to it. ii' .: ( ODE ON SCOTLAND'S LOVE OF INDEPENDENCE. 8cOii.\Nt)V hV" and dales ean toll, Luw bravely t'outnen she could quell, Uhat hoatH bet'oro hor vanquisk'd fell Oi! H' i\y a well fought day. For liberty her red oroNS flew ; For liberty her aword she drew ; For li'oeny her foes o'erthrew ; bho could not be a slave. When Rome's proud eagle was unfurl'd, And floated o'er a prostrate world, Defiance, Caledonia hurl'd. And scoru'd the haughty foe. When Scandinavia pour'd her swarms ; Fill'd all her coasts with dire alarms. Then Scotland dauntless rose in arms, Her heart was proud and brave. Like ocean wave rush'd on her foes. Like ocean's barrier Scotland rose, And dash'd them back and 'round them strews Their boasted chivalry. In freedom's cause she drew her brand, And freedom still has bless'd her land, A^d laurel orown'd she aye could stand, 'Mid bravest of the brave. Even when her nobles did conspire. Chose England as th«ir high umpire. Her gallant son sht^ did inspire — Wallace of EUerslie. Who, follow'd by a noble band. Defended well their native land ; And Cambuskenoeth saw the stand They made for ScotJao ' there. But envy ever doth pursue The brave, the faithful, and the true. And traitors base this hero slew. Whose arm they dared not brttt|[|^ (/V •d done lo, and said that, if as i« not worthy of meaning; pretty and as auch he an early date. [Gfi. 189 Tho' Scotland tnoorn'd her hero slain, And prostrate seem'd, she rose amain, And under Bruce did freedom gain, As Bannoolcburn can t«ll. But though our wars with England cease, And union brings the joy of peace ; Joys which may more and more increase. While time its course shall run ; Forget we not that patriot band, Midst blood and death who raised the brand, And fought for freedom and the land Of Scotia brare and free. Sandwiok, 6th January, 1867. J. M. lix. m^»0^0^ t ^r'w^tfm0mfm^m0't0»^i^^»^>mw-*''m^ LORDS OF THE GLEN. ,Ti (^fVom * Braemtr Jialladt,' in Pro/easor JJtackit't Votma, jtut publUhtd.) I. O fair is the land, my own mountain land, * < Fit nurse for the biave and the free. Where the fresh breeses blow o'er the heath's purple glow, And the clear torrent gushes with glee I But woe's me, woo ! what dole and sorrow From this lovely land I borrow, When I roam, where the stump of stricken ash>treo Shows the spot where tho home of the cotter should ba^ And the cold rain drips, and t!\? cold wind moans O'er the tumbled heaps of old grey stones. Where once a fire blazed free. For a blight has come down on the land of the mountain. The 8torm>Durtured pine, and the clenr-gush'mg fountain, And the chieftains are gone, the kind lords of the glen, In the land that once swarmed with the brave Highlandmen ! II. fair is the land, my own mountain land. Fit nurse for the brave and the free, Where the strong waterfall scoops the gray granite wall, 'Neath the roots of the old pine tree ! But woe's for me, woe ! what dole and sorrow From this lovely land I borrow, When the long and houseless glen I see. Where only the deer to range is free, And I think on the pride of the dwindled clan, And the homo-sick heart uf the brave Highlandmen ! Far tost on the billowy sea. For a blight has come down on the land of the inountaiu, The storm-nurtured pine, and the clear-guahing fountain, And the stidkers of deer keep their scouts in the glen That once swarmed with the high-hearted brave Highlandmen t fltltl- 190 ■ nU.. fair is the land, my own mountain land, Fit nurso for the brave and the free, Where the young river leaps down the sheer ledge, and sweeps With a full-flooded force to the sea ! But woe is me ! what dole and sorrow From this lovely lr.nd I borrow, When I think on the men that should father the clan, But who bartered the rights of the brave Highlandman To the lordlings that live for the pleasure to kill The stag that roams free o'er the tenantless hill ; What care they for the brave Highlandman ? For a blight has come down on the land of the mountain. The storm-nurtured pine, and the clear-gushing fountain. And vendors of game are the lords of the glen Who rule o'er the fair mountain land without men ! But! the Hig old mai I made b^ but as stitutioo Palmers THE HIGHLAND EMIGRANTS. Come away ! far away I from the hills of bonnie Scotland Here no more may we linger on the mountain — in the glen — Gome avwy ! why delay ? far away from bonnie Scotland, Land of grouse, and not of heroes ! Land of sheep, and not of men ! Mighty hunters, for their pastime, Needing deserts in our shires, i ' i Turn to waste our pleasant places. Quench the smoke of cottage fires. . . > Come away ! why delay ? Let us seek a home denied us. O'er the ocean's that divide us from the country of our sires. II. Come away! far away ! from the river; from the wild wobd; From the soil where our fathers lifted Freedom's broad claymore; From the paths in the straths, that were dear to us in childhood ; From the kirk where love was plighted in the happy days of yore. Men and women have no value Where the Bruce and Wallace grew. And where stood the clansman's shieling There the rcd-decr laps the dew. Come away ! far away ! But to thee, oh boimio Scotland, Wheresoever we may wander shall our hearts be ever true. ;■; ■■ III. Far away ! far away ! in the light of oilier regions We sliall prove how we love thee lo (jur clildrcu yet unborn. Far away ! far away ! we shall teach Uicm our allegiance To thy name nd to thy glory, thou beloved, though forlorn. At recital of thy greatness Shall our wnvmest fervour swell ; On the t^tor, iii' thy sorrow ,, ■■ . -j Shall oiiv loudest memories dwell. Far away ! why delay? We are banished from our Scotland, From our own, our bouuic Scotland ! Fare thee well ! oh I faro thee well ! ClIABLES MoKay. m 191 i sweeps clan, mdman in, 1 — lot of men ! •es. lyraore; 100(1; of yore. i- ire thee well ! JiLEs McKay. But I have here before me Lord Palmerston's scheme to raise men in the Highlands, and he makes himself sure it will succeed. I am now an old man, and I have read many wicked, stupid, and suicidal proposals, made by Statesmen, and schemes laid down before a discerning public, but as yet I aver that I never read a more stupid, suicidal, and uncon- stitutional, and surer of failing, than this one now before you, taken from Palmerston's own sweet organ, the London Morning Post. I need not comment upon it. The Editor of the Northern Ensign, a gentleman who knows more of the Highlanders than any other Editor living, has done it ample justice. Palmerston, through his organ, the Morning Post, after prefacing the article, says : — " The East India Company wants men ; but how are these men to be obtained '/ are they to be obtained by volunteer- ing, by increasing the bounty, or by the employment of foreign mer- cenaries ? He proceeds and says : — " We would purpose that the peasantry, the artizans, and the working classes of the three kingdoms, should be told i;hat if they enlisted — during the troubles in India for instance — for a limited period, at the expiration of their service they would receive the same kind of treatment which has been extended to the German Legionaries — namely, a free passage to a British Colony, a respectable outfit, a free grant of land, a house and no rent, and half pay for three years, the consideration being a few days* drill in the year, and permanent service in the case of some 'great emer- gency We believe that the Legislature of Canada would now cheerfully grant millions of acres of wild lands of the Provinces, to be distributed as rewards amongst the soldiers of the British army. New Brunswick and Nova Scotia would do the same. If Officers and Ser- geants at the present time engaged in the recruiting service, were enabled to tell those classes of men out of which the British army is raised, that at the termination of their service they would have a free passage to Canada, a free grant of land, and money enough to build a log-house and to clear a small patch of land, we believe that there would be no dearth of recruits. This plan, we are persuaded, would be more effectual than increased bounty or double pay. If a system of military colonization can be adopted for the special benefit of a few lucky German soldiers, let the same experiment, we say, be tried for the general benefit of the British army. This scheme, attractive enough at first-sight, is the most positively suicidal which it is possible to propose. Let any sensible, patriotic man ponder it well, in its bearings and results, and we feel assured his very blood will rise within him when he thinks of it. Why, its issue must ultimately be to draw the main strength of the country out of it. Just think of 20,000 militia men, drawn from ' the peasantry, the artizans, and the working men of the three kingdoms,' serving 'for a limited period,' and then sent off to enjoy the fruits of their servitude in a distant colony — just think of this sage proposal being regularly and periodically carried out, and where would the bone and sinew of our national strength be in a quarter of a century? Toiling away in the 'free land' of Australia, or hewing down the forests of Canada. ''" ■ ■t^f- 102 We humbly submit to Lord Palmerston and the Morning Post, a far more likely and satisfactory method of obtaining militia. There are hun- dreds of thousands of acres capable of improvement, but lying in waste and inutility over the Highlands of Scotland. There are in the imme- diate neighborhood tens of thousands of inhabitants, living in poverty and social discomfort, because deprived of the exercise of their industrial ener- gies, and otherwise prevented from rising in the scale of social beings. Weil. There are among these many thousands of young men capable of bearing arms, as the shores of Caithness recently testified, and whose fathers and grandfathers fought and died in their country's service ; but who now moodily refuse to lift a weapon in the same service. To these the offer of a hundred, fifty, or even ten acres of land in the Highlands to each man, with Government security of Tenure, should they pay reasona- ble rent for it, would be a stimulant which Palmerston, or his aristocratic colleagues, never took into consideration. Any other decoyment will most assuredly fail ; for we can tell Lord Palmerston the brightest jewels in Britain's crown would not awake the scintillation of an enthusiastic glance; but we most surely believe that could Lord Palmerston prevail on certain Whig Dukes and Lords to alter their treatment of their tenantry, and abrogate the policy that is rapidly making the north and north-west of Scotland a prodigious deer forest, there would soon be no fear of raising militia by the thousand. If, for example, the Duke of Sutherland, the husband of * the most influential woman in Europe,' were to proclaim from the Meikle Ferry to Cape Wrath, that the Loch policy is to cease for ever ; that the long desolate Straths of Sutherland are to be peopled; that the humblest tenant in the county is to be treated to a lease on favorable terms ; and that men are to be henceforth preferred to sheep and deer, we verily believe there would be kindled in that county an amount of enthusiasm which it never before witnessed, and which would issue in the raising of such a number of recruits as would astonish even the versatile and sanguine premier himself. And were a like change to be heralded over the whole Highlands of Scotland, a corresponding result would most surely follow. We assure the Morning Post that it would be a fa*" more effectual and nationally bene- ficial method of defending Britain than casting out the bait of grants of land on foreign shores, and tempting men to fight for a country they are destined to leave. A thousand times rather let the Government buy up the myriads of profitless acres at home, give presents of a correspond- ing quantity of colonial land to the absentee landlords, along with a free passage, and give the land at home as a present to recruits, than allow them first to enrol, and then pack them off as felons to Botany Bay. The fact is, the home country stands in need of such men, instead of requiring them to emigrate ; and wo. see no scheme half so likely to rear a race of invincibles, than restoring to the people the land, from which they have been cruelly driven, and evicting those droves of deer that will very soon have their head-quarters within a stone-throw of the largest towns, if the present mania continue to influence many purblind and selfish landlords of theH lairds, Ensit/ W'h tocrati Geruia or 193 •ning JPoat, a far There are hun- it lying in waste '6 in the imme- g in poverty and : industrial ener- of social beings, r men capable of ified, and whose y's service; but rvice. To these ;he Highlands to hey pay reasona- r his aristocratic Lament will most ■ightest jewels in husiastic glance; trevail on certain eir tenantry, and id north-west of 10 fear of raising md of ' the most Meikle Ferry to ithe long desolate pi, tenant in the that men are to ieve there would I it never before ch a number of nguine premier >le Highlands of We assure the nationally bene- bait of grants of a country they government buy )f a correspond- long Avith a free uits, than allow ■any Bay. The ad of requiring rear a race of hich they have will very soon it towns, if the lb laadJords of the Highlands and Islands. The country can want most of its Highland lairds, but it can not safely wtfnt its Highland inhabitants. — Northern Ensy/n. What do you think of my Lord Palmerston ? He in the spirit of aris- tocratic liberality will allow the British soldiers equpl benefits allowed German mercenaries ; yes, my Lord, and if they do not enroll themselves upon these conditions, send the press gang, and the ballot-box among them, handcuff the stubborn fellows, and force them to swear by God to fight for the East India Company, that they may retain the monopoly of the trade of that boundless territory, and charge what prices they please for the produce ; a fac similie of how the unmeasurable territories of valuable land in the north-west of Canada were handed over to the Hudson Bay Company, to etarich a few villains who can keep up the price of skins and fur, that the working, or producing classes, to whom those terri- tories belong, cannot purchase them, hence deprived of the comfort and pleasures of wearing them. But where is there a British soldier to be found who will not frown and spit with disgust upon such propositions, and audacious comparisons; yes, British soldiers, and German beggars and cowards, to be equally rewarded, and where is a British young man to bo found, who is as yet a freeman, who will volunteer to risk his life to fight savages, among the pestilence, and venomous emanations of India, with no better prospects before him than, that should he escape the sword of the Mahomedan, and Juggernaut savage, and plagues of India, on his return home tc '^e packed off to the wilds of Canada to cut wood during the remainder of his life, or perish unprovided and uncared for. Monstrous sophistry, my Lord Palmerston j you may get German mercenaries, as you call them, and town keelies and desperadoes to fill up your ranks, and manure the plains of India upon such conditions, but not highland, high-minded Scotchmen, and God knows that the British nation has too many German paupers already sad- dled upon them to feed and clothe, without bringing Legions of the beggarly lowest order upon them to feed and clothe. The fact is, if I am not misinformed, England will soon have the whole of that nursery or kennel of Princes to keep up altogether. Britain had to pay the king of Hanover £21,000 salary a year, it is said that was 3s. 9Jd. more than his own nation could afibrd to allow him. Then oift- own beloved sovereigtt, whose hand any emperor or prince in Europe would be proud to obtain unconditionally ; yet Britain had to negotiate with the house of Saxe Cobourg and Gotha, and settled £30,000 per year upon one of that family to become her husband ; not content with this, he was raised to the rank and full pay of field marshal, and colonel of two or three regiments, so that his income can figure no less than sixty or seventy thousand pounds sterling per year, besides, as I am told, £37,000 to build stables for his horses, £15,000 to build a kennel for his dogs, a square to break and train them, and dwelling houses for their keepers, without any responsibilities ' on his part, whether he was competent to discharge the duties of his' various offices or not. We have now a young Princess, I believe the love- liest and most enticing creature living; another hungry Germau Prince N 194 vl smelled the delicious pie, and by some means or another managed to pay his passage to Dover, and it is said that a Government agent paid £2 16s. sterling for his railway fare from Dover to London to meet his spark. It is now said that he has agreed to marry our lovely Princess on condition that she gets £50,000 to fit her out, and that he gets £41,000* annually during her life, to take care of her, and if she should die, and leave a family, that suitable provisions should be made tOimaintain them. Then we have other four lovely Princesses, should they arrive at the age of matrimony, as I hope they will, they must be divided economically among German Princess upon similar terms no doubt. The short and the long of it is, that should the producing classes of Britain have no more taxes to pay than what is required to keep up Germans and their brood of the high order, that other nations would consider it enormous, leaving the expenses of the Legions out of view. Some may say, that I lost sight of my text, '\ Higliland Depopulation," yet by looking narrowly into the affair, you will find them closely connected ; robbery is robbery by what- ever way it is perpetrated, or committed ; those who robs the nation of their money, and squanders it away upon other nations, are to a certain extent as guilty as those who depopulated the nation, and disperses her hones and sinews to the four winds of heaven, but not so bad. The former party are draining the nation of the blood a^d sinews of commerce, hence shortsighted and mischievous, yet a nation may redeem themselves from the disasters which their wicked, foolish, profligate, and prodigal Government bring upon them in this way. But the latter party drains away blood and sinews of infinitely more value, and are satanic in the extreme, they do all they can to destroy the very paladium of the nation, which, if once destroyed can never be redeemed — \n ■';!»!-*• " Bold peasantry their country's pride, " Onco destroyed can never be supplied. There are many damnatory features in their schemes and conduct that are not to be found in the schemes and conduct of any other class oi men under heaven ; it is not the millions of brave patriotic and industrious people they have banished or expelled from Britain, the only injury they have done, and are doing to the nation, they have beggared the rest by forcing the peasantry to manufacturing towns, where vice and crime are in the ascendency j they have glutted the labour market, so that the work- ing classes are entirely at the mercy of employers, who can take advantage of every casualty of the season, of every stagnation in trade, and in the money market, so that they can keep the poor workers continually on ' starvation wages. They do still worse, if that could be, they destroy the confidence which should exist between the government and the governed, they are alienating the minds of the loyal leiges so far, that in a few years, if matters continue to go on as they do, it is to be feared that the peasantry and working classes need not care much who will govern them, Napoleon, the Czar, the fool tyrant of Austria or our lovely and exemplary Victoria. They have done still worse and worse, they have undermined the Gospel of Sal- vation, they have filled the age w:e are in with sceptics, infidels, and athc- 195 maged to pay t paid £2 16s. his spark. It s on condition ,000* annually !, and leave a them. T arrive at the i economically e short and the have no more id their brood nmous, leaving hat I lost sight irrowly into the bbery by what- j the nation of e to a certain and disperses >t8obad. The rs of commerce, eem themselves B, and prodigal er party drains 3 Satanic in the 1 of the nation, id conduct that ler class ol men and industrious )nly injury they •ed the rest by e and crime are that the work- take advantage :ade, and in the continually on they destroy the d the governed, t in a few years, iat the pea.santry n. Napoleon, the Victoria. They le Gospel of Sal- ifidels, and athe- ists, who can stand now before even the skeptic himself, and defend Chris- tianity and maintain that God is just, holy, and impartial; he will tell you at once, how can you prove that, when he is always on the side of the strong and the rich, and never interferes in behalf of the poor masses nor aideth them, however much they are trodden down and robbed by the rich ; and when the masses will withstand their robbing rich, and demand even a portion of their just rights, he is always against them, and will allow the rich and their tools to hew them down with sabres, and blow them to atoms with cannons and bombshells. These, and such, are the arguments the skeptic, infidel, and atheist, will advance ; but to say the least, this class in view, abetted by the clergy, who reversed every provision God made for his people, and abused the power placed in their hands, I say, has done more injury to the cause of Christ, and Christianity in the world, than all his avowed enemies could have done. What think ycu, a friend of mine, on whose veracity I can place confidence, was travelling in the west Highlands, and spent some days in the Isle of Sky, one day came upon a party of women who were cutting down and col- lecting heather; he stood a short time speaking to them, when on a sudden a party of gentlemen appeared upon the top of a ridge of hills a very short distance from the heather gatherers, and were soon among them with their dogs and guns; the poor women by this time had their creels, or baskets, filled, he who seemed to be chief of the gang, asked haughtily, " what are you cutting and taking away the heather for ?" the reply was, " please your Honour, Lord Macdonell, to bed our cows, to pre- pare manure for our potatoes." In an instant this monster was engaged in tramping the creels to atoms, scattering the heather, breaking the hooks or sycles, and with a face more like an enraged demon than a lord, told the poor women to go to hell for beds to their cows, and manure for their potatoes, if they choose, but if they would dare to take away any of his Grouse's food that he would shoot every one of them ; one of them said,, trembling, **' Oh, my Lord, we arc paying rent for this hill," he took up' his gun to a level and swore that he would shoot her if she said another word; the poor creature let herself down among the heather, his Lordship and party left, went about a hundred yards, halted, consulted a minute, turned round, levelled their pieces at the women, and bawled out, " you will be all shot in a minute ;" the poor creatures then ran for their lives, which seemed to aiFord his Lordship and his party of English gents much amusement. This fiendish lord's grandsires at one period of our Scottish history, disputed the crown of Scotland with no other aid but his own clan, now ho would not get twenty followers, should that number gain the crown of England for him ; you speak, McLeod, not without a cause, of the poverty, deterioration, and subjugation of the Sutherlanders, and the tyranny of their Lords, but here is the ultra beyond description, and the poor animal- himself is drowned in debt, every inch of his estates are encumbered, and it' would be but justice should he die a wretched mendicant. I have made many quotations from many excellent men for various reasons — I take to myself the credit, and I believe none will dispute it with me, I say the credit of breaking the ice before them all, that in bring- 196 m ing the short-siglitcd policy of tho clearing system, with its direful con- comitSLnt results before the world ; but I knew, and do know myself to be a podr man, and however sincere and indefatigable I was and am in the cause, that there is not much credence given to what a poor man may write, say, or do^**a poor man saved a city but no notice was taken of him because he was a poor man," — Ecles, chap. 9, v. xv ; yet it is a last- ing consolation for me to know that men of piety, talent, affluence and influ- ence made a searching inquiry, and investigated my statement, and found them beyond contradiction — indeed more modified, and short of what should be told. Many consultations were held by Sutherland factors and sheep farmers to consider .whether I should bo prosecuted or not ; but knowing that they had truth to contend with in taking legal steps against me — the resolution that I was so insignificant and poor that few if any would believe what I was writing, always carried the majority, and poor Donald was per- mitted to proceed with impunity. Silence was considered by my enemies the best policy ; but they had to be silent since before the world when attacked and exposed by men of high standing in Society, whose afflu- ence and influence put them beyond suspicion of telling ridiculous false stories, as laid t'^ my charge by Mrs. Stowe. Annexed is an extract taken from a sermon preached by an English divine, I wish to God many more of his order would follow his example. What prompted this man of God, whom I know personally, to come out on such a theme as this ? That his Divine Master demanded it of his hand, to denounce the oppressors of the poor. Ho preached the sermon first ; afterwards he was told that the statements were controverted — he then corresponded with Professor Black, and finding that it was not the case, he preached the same sermon over again with emphasis not to be disregarded. = ■ h^^i , ;»i • ^ ■ ; a ; ,i ' j ' A Sermon for the Times,' lately preached by the Rev. Richard Hibbs, Church of England clergyman, Edinburgh, contains the follow- ing exposure of Highland depopulation : — " Take then, at first, the awful proof how far in oppression men can go — men highly educated and largely gifted in every way — property, talents, all ; for the most part, indeed, they are so-called noblemen. What, then, are they doing in the Highland districts, according to the testimony of a learned professor in this city ? Why, depopulatmg those districts in order to make room for red deer. And how ? by buying oflTthe cottars, and giving them mony to emigrate ? Not at all, but by starving them out J by rendering them absolutely incapable of procuring subsistence for themselves and families ; for they first take away from them their small apportionments of poor lands, although they may hrve paid their rents ; and if that do not sufiUce to eradicate from their hearts that love of the soil on which they have been born and bred — a love which the great Proprietor of all has manifestly implanted in our nature — why, then, these inhuman landlords, who are far more merciful to their very beasts, take away from these poor cottars the very roofs above their defenceless heads, and expose them, worn down with age and destitute 197 B direful con- know myself I was and am t a poor man tice was taken yet it is a last- ;ncc and influ- ent, and found of what should tors and sheep but knowing 'ainst me — the r would believe •onald was per- by my enemies he world when by, whose afflu- ridiculous false [ is an extract [ wish to God T^hat prompted ) out on such t of his hand, sd the sermon introverted — he it was not the lasis not to be Rev. Richard ains the follow- m men can go — roperty, talents, 1. What, then, :he testimony of 1086 districts in 5 off the cottars, y starving them •ing suVisistence rom them their hr.ve paid their hearts that love love which the r nature — why, ill to their very oofs above their ge and destitute of everything, to the inclemencies of a northern sky; and this, forsooth, because they must have plenty of room for their dogs and deer. For plentiful instances of the most wanton barbarities under this i.^.d wo need only point to the Knoydart evictions. Here were ])erpetraipd such enormities as might well have caused the very sun to hide his fute at noonday." It has been intimated to me by an individual who hoard this dis- course on the first occasion that the statements referring to tlie Highland landlords have been controverted. I was well aware, long before the receipt of this intimation, that some defence had appeared ; and here i can truly say, that none would have rejoiced more than myself to find that a complete vindication had been made. But, unhappily, the case is far otherwise. In order to be fully acquainted with all that had passed on the subject, I have put myself during the week in communication with the learned professor to whose letter, which appeared some months ago in the l^'men, 1 referr?d. From him I learn that none of his state- ments were invalidated — nay, not even impugned ; and he adds, that to do this was simply impossible, as he had been at great pains to verify the facts. All that could be called in question was the theory that he had based upon those facts — namely, ihat evictions were made for the pu" • pose of making room for more deer. This, of course, was open to con- tradiction on the part of those landlords who had not openly avowed their object in evicting the poor Highland families. As to the evictions themselves — and this was the main point — no attempt at contradiction was made. ^ But in addition to all that the benevolent professor has made known to the civilized world under this head, who has not heard of ' The mas- sacre of the Rosses, and the clearing of the glens ? I hold in my hand a little work thus entitled, which has passed into the second edition. The author is Mr. Donald Ross — a gentleman whom all who feel sympathy for the down-trodden and oppressed must highly esteem. What a humi- liating picture of the barbarity and cruelty of fallen humanity does this little book present ! The reader, utterly appalled by its horrifying state- ments, finds it difficult to retain the recollection that he is perusing the history of his own times, and country too. He would fain yield himself to the tempting illusion, that the ruthless atrocities which are depicted were enacted in a fabulous period, in ages long past ; or, at all events, if it be contempoi'aneous history, that the scene of such heart-rending cruelties, the perpetrators of which were regardless alike of the inno- cency of infancy and the helplessness of old age, is some far distant, and as yet not merely unchristianized, bvit wholly savage and uncivilized region of our globe. But, alas ! it is Scotland, in the latter half of the nineteenth century, of which he treats. One feature of the heart- harrowing case is the shocking and barbarous cruelty that was practised on this occasion upon the female portion of the evicted clan. Mr. D. Ross, in a letter addressed to the Right Hon. the Lord Advocate, Edin> burgh, dated April 19, 1854, thus writes in reference to one of those clearances and evictions which had just then tsken place, under the rliS authority of a cortiiin Sheriff of the district, ami hy means of a hoily of policemen as executioners : — • The ftu'lni^ on tiiis subject, not only in the district, but in Suthorlandshiro and IlosH-shire is, nmcnp the grent majority of the people, (»ne of niiiver-'ul condemnation of the Slierifi''8 reckless conduct, and of itidignation and disaust at the brutality of the policemen. Such, indeed, was the sad havoc made on these females on the banks of the Carron, on the memoiable 31st March laut, that pools of blood were on the ground — that the grass and earth were dyed red with it — that the dogs of the district came and licked up the blood ; and at last, such was the state of feeling of parties wlio went from a distance to see the field, that a party (it is understood by order or instructions from head-quarters) af^lually harrowed the ground during the night to hide the blood !' These things were brought to light during the recent war with Russia; who can marvel at the «vmpathizit;g author thus expressing himself, when concluding the astOi. !iing account? , 'The affair at Greenyard, on the morning of the 31st March last, is not calculated to inspire much love of country, or rouse tlic martial spirit of the already ill-used Highlanders. The savage treatment of innocent females on that morning, by an enraged body of police, throws the Sinope butchery into the shade ; lor the Ross-shire Haynaus have shown themselves more cruel and more bloodthirsty than the Austrian women- floggers. What could these poor men and women, with their wounds, and scars, and broken bones, and disjointed arms, stretched on beds of sickness, or moving on crutches, the result of the brutal treatment of them by the police at Greenyard, have to dread from the invasion of Scotlmd by Russia?' v - - i ; ' ' What V indeed, echo back these depopulated glens. But enough of the subject of clearances and evictions, of which we had not originally intended to say so much. A regard, however, to the interests of truth and humanity, which we are sure is the cause of God, of God even the Father and Redeemer of all, as revealing Himself in our Lord Jesus Christ, has constrained us to notice these things thus far. The publications of Mr. Ross are recommended to all who may desire further information on this subject. But as concerning the signs of the times upon which we are discoursing, do not these atrocities, viewed too as complimentary of the Knoydart evictions, demonstrate that we are now in the last time, at the end of the age, when, from the beginning of it, it was prophetically declared that 'men shall be lovers of their own selves,' utterly regardless of what others may suffer thereby. This murderous affair at Greenyard^ of which tiie reverend gentleman spoke of, was so horrifying and so brutal that I think no wonder at his delicacy in speaking of it, and directing his hearers to peruse Mr. Ross's pamphlet for full information. Mr. Ross went from Glasgow to Green- yard, Rosshire, to investigate the case on the spot, and found that Mr. Taylor, a native of Sutherland, (well educated in evicting schemes and murderous cruelty of that county) and Sheriff substituted of Rosshire, marched from Tain upon the morning of the 31st lyi arch at the head of 199 IS of ii bcxly of }ct, not only in ntfr tlio grent f the Sherift"'8 brutulUy of the lOBO fotnalcs on laot, that poolH were tlycd red the blood ; und rrom a distance or instructions g the night to ar with Russia; essing himself, ; March last, is ic martial spirit lent of innocent lice, throws the aus have shown ustrian women- h their wounds, :hcd on beds of ital treatment of the invasion of s, of which we lowever, to the cause of God, iling Himself in things thus far. ivho may desire the signs of the ities, viewed too ite that we are e beginning of Brs of their own eby. rend gentleman [> wonder at his ruse Mr. Ross's isgow to Green- found that Mr. ng schemes and 'A of Rosshire, at the head of n slrotig party of armed constables, with heavy bludgeons and fire arms, t eyed in carts and other vehicles, allowing them as much ardent drink as itiey chose to take before leaving and upon their march, so as to qualify them for the bloody work they had to perform. Fit for any outrage, fully equipped, and told by the Sheriff to shew no mercy to any one who would oppose them, and not to allow themselves to be- called cowards, by allo^ving these mountaineers victory over them. In this excited half drunk state they came in contact with the unfortunate women of Green- yard, who were determined to prevent the officers from serving the sum- mons of removal upon them, and keep their holding of small farms where they and their forefathers lived and died for generations. But no time was allowed to parley; the Sheriff gave the order to clear the way, and be it said to his everlasting disgrace {but to the credit of the county of Sutherland) that he struck the first blow at a woman, the mother of a large family, and large in the family way at the time, who tried to keep him back, then a general slaughter commenced, the women made noble resistance, until the bravest of them got their arms broken, then they gave way. This did not allay the rage of the murderous brutes, they continued clubbing at the protectless creatures until every one of them was stretched on the field wallowing in their blood, or with broken arms, rib.s and bruised limbs; in this woeful condition many of them were handcuffed together, others tied with coarse ropes, huddled into carts and carried prisoners to Tain jail. I have seen myself in the pos- session of Mr. Boss, Glasgow, patches or scalps of the skin with the long hair adhering to them, which was foui d upon the field a few days after this inhuman affray. I did not see the women, but I was told that gashes were found on the heads of two young female prisoners in Tain jail, which exactly corresponded with these slices or scalps I have seen, so that Sutherland and Rosshire may boast of having the Nena Sahibs and his Chiefs some few years before India, and that in the per- sons of some whose education, training, and parental example should prepare their minds to perform and act differently. Mr. Donald Ross placed the whole affair before the Lord Advocate for Scotland, but no notice was taken of it by that functionary, any farther than that the majesty of the law would need to be observed and attended to. In this unfortunate country, you see, the law of God and humanity may be violated and trampled under foot, but the law of wicked men which sanctions murder, rapine and robbery must be observed. From the same estate, (the estate of Robit^on of Kindeas, if I am not mistaken in the date) in the year 1843 the whole inhabitants of Glencalve were evicted in a similar manner, and so unprovided and unprepared were they for removal at such an inclement season of the year, that they had to shelter themselves in a Church yard, or burying ground. I have seen myself nineteen families within this gloomy and solitary resting abode of the dead, they were there for months. The London Times sent a tom- missioner direct from London to investisfate into this case, and he did his duty ; but like the Sutherland cases, it was hushed up in order to maintain the majesty of the law, and in order to keep the right, the majesty of the people and laws of God in the dark. 200 p:- In the year 1819 or 20, about the time when the depopulation of Sutherlanuahire was completed, and the annual conflagration of burn- ing the houses ceased, and when there was not a glen or strath in the county to let to a sheep farmer, one of those insatiable monsters of Sutherlandshire sheep farmers fixed his eyes upon a glen in Rodshire, inhabited by a brave, hardy race for time immemorial. Summons of removal were served upon them at once. The people resisted — a mili- tary force was brought against them— the military and the women of the glen met at the entrance to the glen — a bloody conflict took place, without reading the riot act or taking any other precaution, the military fired (by the order of Sheriff IVIcLeod) ball cartridge upon the women; one young girl of the name of Matheson was shot dead on the spot, many were wounded. When this murder was observed oy the survivors, and some young men concealed in the back ground, they made a heroic sud- den rush upon the military, when a hand to hand malee or fight took place. In a few minutes the military were put to disorderly flight ; in their retreat they were unmercifully dealt with, only two of them escaped with, heal heads. The Sheriff's coach was smashed to atoms, and ho made a narrow escape himself with a heal head. But no legal cogniz- ance was taken of this affair, as the Sheriff and the military were the violators. However, for fear of prosecution, the Sheriff settled a pension of £6 sterling yearly upon the murdered girl's father, and the case was hushed up likewise. The result was that the people kept possession of the glen, and that the proprietor, and the oldest and most insatiable of Sutherlandshire acourgen went to law, which ended in the ruination of the latter, who died a pauper. ;; To detail individual murders, sufierings and oppression in the High- lands of Scotland would be an endless work. A few months ago a letter from Donald Sutherland, farmer, West Zorra, Canada West, appeared in the ^Vood»tock Sentinel, detailing what his father and family suffered at the hands of the Sutherlfmdshire landlords ; all the offence his father was guilty of, was, that he along with others went and remonstrated with the house burners, and made them desist until the people could remove their families and chatties out of their houses; for this oflence he would not be allowed to remain upon the estate. He took shelter with his family under the roof of his father-in-law, from this abode he was expelled, and his father-in-law made a narrow escape from sharing the same fate for affording him shelter. He was thus persecuted from one parish to another, until ultimately another proprietor, Skibo, took pity upon him, and permitted him in the beginning of an extraordi- nary stormy winter, to build a house in the middle of a bog or swamp, during the building of which, he having no assistance, his family being all young, and far from his friends, and having all materials to carry on his back the stance of his new house being inaccessable by horses or carts, he, poor fellow, fell a victim to cold and fever, and a combination of other troubles, and died before the house was finished, leaving a widow and six fatherless children in this half finished hut, in the middle of a swamp; to the mercy of the world. Well might Donald Sutber- !ii Vi-'X-f H? .1 ; ai I'si ! ZJH I s?f ^01 »popu1ation of ition of burn- strath in tho e monsters of 1 in Rodshire, Summons of isisted — a mili- ;he wotnon of ct took place, m, the military n the women ; the spot, many survivors, and e a heroic sud- 9 or fight took erly flight ; in if them escaped atoms, and ho 10 legal cogniz- lilary were the >ttlecl a pension il the case was pt possession of oat insatiable of lie ruination of >n in the High- iths ago a letter st, appeared in lily suiTered at ence his father remonstrated 5 people could for this oiience [e took shelter um this abode escape from bus persecuted )prietor, Skibo, )f an extraordi- bog or swamp, family being lis to cai-ry on e by horses or a combination shed, leaving a in the middle )onald Suther- land, who was the nV i of tli< amily, an^ who recollects what his father suflfured, and <> h\» deati H stiy), charge the Sutherland family and their tools with >!,, murder ^ his father. But many wcu tliu lunKlrct.^ who sufiercd alike and died similar deaths in SuthoWandshire during tho wholesale evictions and house burnings of Suthorlandshire. But I must now cease to unpack my heart upon these revolting scenes and gloomy memories. ^ know many will say that I have dealt too hard with the House of Sutherland, — that such disclosures as I have made cannot be of any public service — that the present Duke of Sutherland is a good man, and that in England ho is called the Good Duke. I have in my own unvarnished way brought to light a great amount of inhumanity, foul, unconstitutional, and barbarous atrocities, committed and perpetrated in his name, and in the name of his parents, and by their authority. I stand by these os stern facts. Now I call upon his Grace's and predecessors sympathisers and apologisers to say and point out to me one public or private act performed by any of the family which should entitle his present Grace to be called the Good Duke. I have myself looked earnestly and impartially for such acts; but could find none, no, not one. I know he never killed or even struck a man or woman in his life time, nor set fire to a house where a bed-ridden woman was lying disabled by age and infirmities to escape from the flames, he needed not while (as I said before) Lock,Young, Sellar, Suther, Gunn, Leslie, Horsburgh, and Macivor were appointed by him to advise and superintend the work of brutal destruction, and while the Stobbs and Sgrioses, &c. were at their beck to execute their orders at 2s. 6d. sterling per day and their whiskey. The Duke's unassuming, modest, and sheepish like appearance will not entitle him to the appela- tion of the Good Duke ; neither will his meek, easily approached man- ners, and readiness to hear poor people's complaints entitle him to the title — for I demand of you to point one complaint of any importance which he redressed, and I will give you and him credit for it. The poor never realized any relief, or benefit from his interposition, or from tho thousand appeals they made to him ; but the reverse lefl them more exposed to the wrath and fury of their oppressors, his factors. What then constitutes his right to the apjwlation of the good Duko. I admit that he is not so inhuman, nor so brutal a savage as Lord Macdonald, Duke of Athol, Breadalbain, Colonel Gordon, of Olunny, and many more Highland landlords, but that does not constitute tho appelation good Duke ; to be more humane than these would make him only a little better than incarnate demons, or an host of Nena Sahibs. My views of rights of property in land are open to criticism ; I wish they may be criticised, and that properly, for I find that under that cursed law which affords every opportunity to stupid kings and queens, their selfish ambitious govern- ment, and profligate avaricious favourites and capitalists, in the days of old, to monopolize the laud, created by God ft r the people without excep- tion, are now in full operation in the Canadas ; I find your government handing large slices of the Canada lands over to one another, and to favourite individuals and companies, as free as Malcolm Ceanmor, King of 'p & 202 Scotland, hntuled estate!} to his fiivourites in tho tenth contury, in lils own word, "aa free nsGod pave it to me and mine, I pive it to you and yours." l^ut my Canudiiin reader! tliedays are coming and approaching >\ hen thorn will be a tcramble for land in the Can:idaf<, as snre as k was and is in all European nations, and I tell you that this is tho aji and years, when you should enquire and study tlie right* of property in land; particularly what right has your own servants, the Government, to gift or traffic will monopolisers in your land, and what right have you to abide by the tralHc- ing covenants of stupid kings and queens, and insane Governments who deprive you and your oti'spring of sucn immense territories as the ilutlson Bay Company now possess. Lot it not be recorded that tho Canadians of tho l9lh century will allow the eggiegious spoliation to continue or remain un- corrected, yea, undemolished, for while it remains undemolished minor spoliations will increase ; indeed to all appearance there are very few who are entrusted with the law making and government of tho Canadns, wlio enter either of the Houses with that patriotic spirit which should consti'ulo members of parliament. It is to be feared, indeed it is too evident, that sel- fishness, and how to better themselves and relations at the people's expense are their motives, and principal study while acting for the people. 1 >ay, O ! Canadians watch and look, as well as pray, generations yet unborn demand it of you. Mrs. Harriet Beecher Stowe may be very ill-pleased at my animadversions, and may consider that I went too far with my strictures upon her Sunny Memories. " Those to whom much are given much will be required of them ;" I have no private spleen or animosity against that amiable, talented lady, but I could nor cannot be but sorry for her merchandising the gift of God ; will that lady, however great her talents are, come out now in the face of such a cloud of witnesses, and corroborating evidence as she will find within this little volume and say and maintain that I have been circulating unfounded false accusations against the Duchess and iiouse of Sutherland ; well let her peruse the following from the pen of Mr. Mackie, Editor of the Northern Emign, a paper published next county to Suther- land, and say what praise she can lavish upon that family. WELL DONE, BRAVE HIGHLANDERS. ■ ' {^From the Northern Ensign,) There is not a man in the civilized world who does not admire the energy daring, perseverance and bravery of the glorious VSth, in their victorious march against tlie Indian mutineers. Every official despatch and every private letter concur in proclaiming that those ' brave Highlanders' have not only done their duty, and done it well, but have given another proof to the world of the value of such troops in circumstances of crisis and j)eril. Even General Havelock, tied down by military and official restraint, seems to have thrown aside reserve, and to have exclaimed, in the hearing of his gallant companions in arms, * Well done, brave Highlanders !' The country re-echoes the cry. It is heard from the Himalaya Mountains to the Gulf of Manaar, and strikes terror in the breasts of the fiendish revolters. It is 203 itupy, in his own vou ami yours." ['liiiig whtMi them v-aa and in in al and years, when md ; pHrticiiiiirlv ift or traffic witli ide by the tralHo- rovernmenls who OS ns the Iludson Canadians of the lue or remain un- einolished minor iro very few who be Oanadas, wlio aliouldcunHti'ute ovidont, that sol- people's expense e people. 1 my, lions yet unborn |r animadversions, upon her Sunny I be required of amiable, talented erchandising the e, come out now cf evidence as she lat I have been iss and xiouse of 1 of Mr. Mackie, ounty to Suthc! S. dmire the energy 1 their victorious jpatch and every ighlanders' have Q another proof f crisis and j)eril. restraint, seems le hearing of his 1' The country tains to the Gulf revolters. It is hoarrl in every hanilot in the Britisli Ules. The prew and the platform catch the echo, and with giant tone swell the strain, 'well ('one, bravo Highlanders' have called forth such a ouIogiHtic exclamation, Kvcn Napo- leon himself, as be saw the phalanx of Scotch Greys at the battle of Water- loo, could not resist a similar tribute ; and the despatches of the roninsular ajid other ..ars, down to the recent Crimean campaign, where Alma, Hala- clava, and tnkerman were fought, testify to the same. All modern warlike history, from the rebellion in 1716 to the Cawn pore massacre in 186Y, teems with the record of Highland bravery and prowess. What say our higldand evicting lairds to these facts, and to their treatment of the High- landers ? What reward have these men received for saving their country, fighting its battles, conquering its enemies, turning the tide ol revolt, rescu- ing women and children from the hands of Indian fiends, and establishing order when disorder, and bloody cruelty have held their murderous cjirnival { And, we ask, in the name of men who hnve, ere now, we fondly hope, saved our gallant countrymen and hero' name of those who fought in the i ed the British standard on the h fathers, brothers, and little ones t; irrepressible cry of admiration n I,- /w »men at Lucknow : in the 'ebastopol, and proudly plant- e Alma, how are they, their s the mere shuttlecocking of an iith to mouth, and the sotting to music of a song in their praise, all the return the race is to get lor such noble acts ? We can fancy the expression of admiration of Highland bra- very at tho Dunrobin dinner table, recently, when the dukes, earls, lords, and other aristocratic notables enjoyed princely hospitality of the Duke. Wo can imagine tho mutual congratulations of the Highland lairds as they prided themselves on being proprietors of the soil ^vhich gave birth to the race of ' Highland heroes.' Alas, for the blush that would cover their faces if they would allow themselves to reflect that in their names, and by their authority, and at their expense, tlio fathers, mothers, brothers, wives, of the invincible '78th' have been romorselcssly driven from their native soil, and that at the very hour when Cawnpore was gallantly retaken, and the ruflian Nena Sahib was obliged to leave the bloody scene of his fiendish massacre, there were Highlanders within a few miles of tl.e princely Dun- robin, driven from their homes and left to starve and to die in the open field. Alas, for tho blush that would reprint its scarlet dye on their proud faces as they thought in one country alone, since Waterloo was fought, more than 14,000 of this same 'race ol heroes,' of whom Canning so proudly boasted, have been hunted out of their native homes; and that where the pibroch and the bugle once evoked the martial spirit of thousands of brave hearts, razed and burning cottages have formed the tragic close of scenes of eviction and desolation ; and the abodes of a loyal and liberty-loving people are made sacred to the rearing of sheep, and sanctified to the preservation of game! Yes; we echo back the cry, ' Well done, brave Highlanders!' But to what purpose would it be tarried on the wings of the wind to the once happy straths and glens of Sutherland ? Who, what, would echo back our acclaims of praise ? Perhaps a sheppherd's or a gillie's child, playing amid the unbroken wilds, and innocent of seeing a human face but that of its own parents, would hear it ; or the cry might startle a herd 204 of timid deer, or frighten a covy of patridges, or call forth a bleat from a herd of sheep ; but men would not, could not, hear it. We must go to the back-woods of Canada, to Detroit, to Hamilton, to Woodstock, to Toronto, to Montreal ; we must stand by the waters of Lake Huron, or Lake Ontario, where the cry — ' Well done, brave Highlanders !' would call up a thousand brawny fellows, and draw down a tear on a thousand manly cheeks. Or we must go to the bare rocks that skirt the sea coast of Sutherland, where the residuary population were (]cnerously treated to barren steeps and in- hospital shores, on which to keep up the breed of heroes, and fight for the men who dared — dared — to drive them from houses for which they fought, and from land which was purchased with the blood of their fathers. But the cry, ' Well done, brave Highlanders,' would evoke no effective response from the race. Need the reader wonder ? Wherefore should they fight? To what purpose did their fathers climb the Peninsular heights, and glori- ously write in blood the superiority of Britain, when their sons were re- warded by extirpation, or toleration to starve, in sight of fertile straths and glens devotefl to beasls ? These are words of truth and soberness. Ihey are but repetitions in other forms of arguments, employed by us for years ; and we shall continue to ring changes on them so long as our brave Highland people are subjected to treatment to which no other race would have submitted, We are no alarmists. But we tell Highland proprietors that were Britain some twenty years hence to have the misfortune to be plunged into such a crisis as the present, there will be few such men as the Highlanders of the TSth to fight her battles, and that the country will find when too late, if another policy towards the Highlanders is not adopted, that sheep and deer, patarmigan and grouse, can do little to save it from such a calamity. ' ■> 'i t! ' ^ ..: EVICTION BY FIRE IN SUTHERLAND. Once more has the fire been kindled in Sutherland, to carry out the exterminating theories of the Loch policy. Confessing most heartily that, notwithstanding all the antecedents of that system in Sutherland, we are not prepared for this recent case, we proceed to lay before our readers its leading facts : — " It will be remembered thai; on the Vth of June last, an industrious cottar, named Don. Murray, with his aged sister and two little motherless girls, were ejected from the hut which they had occupied for many years. After lying for sometime in the open air, the Rev. Mr. Mackellar, parish minister of Clyne, gave them the use of a cart-shed, which they continued to occupy from the date of eviction till Saturday the l7th of this month, their little bits of furniture meanwhile lying in the open air. In the meantime it was found that the Duke of Sutherland had no right to the cot from which Murray and his family were ejected ; and that it stood on glebe land, and a case was entered in the Court of Session. Acting under advice, Murray and his family again took possession of the hut, along with part of their furniture, on the date referred to, and immediately on this being done, the machinery was set in order for a second eviction. Accordingly, on the forenoon of Tuesday last, public attention was attracted to a dense volume 205 .\ h a bleat from a e must ffo to the ;ock, to Toronto, or Lake Ontario, ill up a thousand nly cheeks. Or utherland, where m steeps and in- and fight for the lich they fought, ir fathers. But iffective response lould they fight? lights, and glori- eir sons were ro- jrtile straths and oberness. Ihey oyed by us for ong (IS our brave )ther race would iland proprietors nisfortune to be such men as the country will fiod is Qot adopted, to save it from D. o carry out the )st heartily that, therland, we are e our readers its dustrious cottar, erless girls, were vrs. After lying Irish minister of inued to occupy onth, their little meantime it was cot from which glebe land, and advice, Murray ith part of their being done, the )rdingly, on the a dense volume of smoke rising from the neighbourhood of the manse of Glyne, and it was soon found that Murray's cabin was on fire, and that workmen were actively employed in the demolition of its rude walls, the Majnvs Apollo of the patriotic and humane labour of love being Mr. Patrick M'Gibbon, Golspie, who, with fcrowbar in hand, and with a heart of will, wrought in the good cause with astonishing energy, assisted (?) by a John Thompson, cartwright in Golspie, and a youth of some fifteen summers, glorying in the name of Mackay. The worthy three persevered in the ducal mission till the miserable hut was razed to the ground. Part of the poor creaturo's furniture was soon scattered here and "there. A correspondent who wit- nessed the most part of the proceedings, says : — " 1 stood for n brief period, surveying the progiess of the flames and tjbe torch bearers, and then turned away in disgust from the scene, with the reverberation of H.M.S. * Pem- broke's* guns ringing in my ears, and thoughts occupying my mind that my pen fails to describe; but thanking my Maker that I was not born a Duke and left to tarnish a ducal coronet by such a deed of inhumanity. I again passed the spot when the work was finished. The walls were com- pletely levelled, and the timbers were still burning; while the master of the ceremonies was retiring to a streamlet hard by, to wash his dirty hands. The outcasts had again to betake themselves to the cart shed, kindly given to them by the minister sf i lyne, every other person in the district being afraid to do anything for them, or show them any kindness, dreading that for the simplest act of humanity towards one of the family they would be similarly treated. I may add that the blankets that Murray's sister had lying on her straw pallet were burned." To His Grace the Duke of Sctiierland : May it please your Grace, — Such is the last act of eviction perpetrated in the name and by the authoritj of your Grace. We do not now enter upon the question of right of property involved in this case, and pending before the legal tribunals of the country ; but admittmg that your Grace were found to be the owner of the few square feet of valueless soil on which that hut stood, we ask your Grace, firmly, plainly, and boldly, if it is like a "good Duke" to commit such an act of high-handed cruelty and indefensible spoliation ? Would it have weakened the case before the court had your Grace allowed that poor man, with his sister and little girls, quietly to occupy their HOME — a home of peace, contentment, and affection, as deep, as sincere, as lasting, as devoted as Dunrobin's palaiial halls can boast of— until at least it is decided that your Grace had a legal right to htm them out ? Would it have diminished your Grace's happiness ; Avould it have dimmed the lustre of your Grace's coronet; would it have infinitessimally neu- tralised your Grace's influence ; would it have redounded to your Grace's discredit, that you had allowed these poor creatures to return and occupy the little cot which you have now burned and razed? A thousand times, No ! I My Lord Duke, your Grace seems to be forgetful, totally oblivious, sadly neglectful, of the times and their signs. We are not now living in 206 .1 M tho seventeenth century. This is eighteen hundred and fifty-sovon, whether your (Jrace pleases or no, with its cnlightonnient, its independence, its free press (thank CJod !) and its noble tendencies to respect prinaples before persons. Kemeniber, my Lord Duke, what you have done, and wliero. You have burned out a native of Sutherland, with his little ffirU ; cast them into the open lield till a good Samaritan allowed them the use of a cart shed, at a time when public sentiment is being thoroughly aroused to tho indescribable and momentous importance of doing every thing to encou- rage tho peasantry of this country, and to secure their services in the nation's cause at this deeply perilous crisis. At the very time when tho national ear is kejrt, in a state of painful tension, almost hearing tl»e voice of our brothers' and sisters' blood, spilled in oceans on the plains of llin- dostan, and calling on Britain to send relief; and when we almost see the smoke of desolation rising from revolted Indian provinces, all of a sudden, tho smoke of a burning cottage is seen in Sutherland, and a wail of house- less, homeless, burned out females is heard from a Scotch co'.mty which boasts its possessor to be the husband of tho mistress of Queeu Victoria's robes. What a state of matters! Look at it, my Lord Duke of Suther- land. It cannot, it must not last. We refrain from implicating in its viloness and guilt even the humblest serf that dared to soil his fingers with the dark deed. The blame, tho responsibility is yours. There it rests, in all its elfects and in all its forbidden features, Your Grace may calmly sit in your gilded saloon, surrounded by a loving family, with your fair children prattling on your knee ; your Orace's sycophantic followers and servile hangers-on may adroitly conceal from your Grace these and similar proceedings under your name, at your instance, and at your expense ; but the sm<>ke of Donald Murray's cabin shaU not soon die away; the cries of Donald Murray's children shall find an echo; and on tho wings of the wind shall be carried tho report of this last high-handed act of opi)ression and spoliation. Now my dear countrymen my labour is near an end, for if my health continues to decline as rapid as it has been doing for some time back, my pen is laid down never again to be taken up. So far as the Almighty favoured me with abilities, I did not swerve from performing my duty to society even in the face of persecution, oppression, privation, and the forsaking of dear friends and patrons ; the most part of my labours are no^v before you under its deserved title, Gloomy Memories. Gloomy as they are, and thoroughly open to criticism, I ciiallenge con- tradiction of any one charge I have made against the House of Sutherland or any other depopulating house in the Highlands of Scotland. Come then Mrs. B. Stow, come you literary scourges, and apologisers of high- land evictors, vindicate their ungodly and unconstitutional schemes and actions before the world now if you dare. Who have you attempted to crush ? The sincere advocai es of the Caledonian Celtic race and the exposers of their enemies, Who have you been calumniating in their moral and religious character, in their brave and chivalrous spirit, so cha- racteristic of the race, who would, if you could, make the world believe that they were not half so valuable to the nation as sheep and red deer, 207 iovon, whether iilence. its free 'nciples before »e, and where. U; cast them use of a cart aroJised to the lint; to encou- ervicea in the time when the irinp; tlw voice plains of llin- ahnost see the 1 of a sudden, wail of house- county which iieeu Victoria's uke of Suthor- )licating in its lis fingers with lERE IT RESTS, ce may calmly with your fair 5 followers and ese and similar r expense ; but ly; tlie cries of tigs of the wind oppression and id, for if my for some time So far as the m performing lion, privation, 3t part of my my Memories. ;iiallenge con- I of Sutlierland ttland. Come »isers of high- 1 schemes and u attempted to race and the lating in their 8 spirit, so cha- world believe and red deer. and unworihy of a home in Caledonia, the nurseiy of bravery and gallant uncon(juerable warriors. You vile sycophants, did you ever consult Gfoneral Aborcrombe in Egypt, General Moore at Corruna, Wellington in the Poninsula, and at Wateiloo, did you consult Lord Raglan in iho Crimea when proclaiming the taking of the Alma by the Highland Bri- gade, and their intrepid bold stand before the Russian cavalry at Bala- clava, when the fate of the British army depended that day upon their bravery. What would all the legions of German poltroons, all the deer- stalking snobs of England and Scotland, shepherds and dogs to boot, avail Lord Raglan and the British army that day. What deprived the British army and Generals of the praise of taking Sebastopol ? That the Highland Brigade under Colon Campbell were not brought forward to the first day's assault, they were brought up next day, but the Russ'ans came to learn who they would have to deal with the second day and fled. You hired calumniators, oppressors, and dispersors of the Celtic race, did you consult General Havelock, who it seems never witnessed the undaunted bravery and prowess of Scottish Highlanders before, and ask him what made him exclaim '* well done brave llighlanders!" How many Gorman cowards and town kcelies or loafers would he take in exchange for this handfuU of brave Celts under his command. He would not accept of twenty to one. Did you consult the Generals, and Com- manders-in-Chief of the British army at the present time, and they would tell you, however numerous and strong an army sent out upon an emer- gency minus of a Highland brigade, that that army is deficient, and uncer- tain of sucr-cr.;,. To enumerate the many victories and laurels the Celtic raco gained for ungrateful Britain would be an easy task, had history done them justice ; but when put to the teat their enemies will find it a difficult tnsk to point out where they have failed to gain victory where bravery could obtain it. If the few of these men now embodied in two or three regiments are gaining and deserving the admiration of the world, what if Britain could boast of from 50,000 to 70,000 of such men, who would make her afraid ? But ' alas, the Caledonian nursery, by proper treat- ment, I aver, from which she could raise that number in time of need, is now a desolation, consigned to feed and rear brute animals. Our beloved Queen taking up her residence in the Highlands during the deer stalking months of the year, has turned up a curse for the remainder of the people, since then the country is fast becoming one vast Deer Forest. Oh ! my lady Queen, you should shew the cruel monsters a bet- ter example, than to chase away the few Highlanders you have foun4 upon the Balmoral Estate. Come, then, you calumniators of my people, apologisers of their des- troyers, and extirpators from their own rightful soil — I conclude by call- upon every British subject, every lover of justice, every sympathiser with suffering humanity, to disapprove of such unconstitutional and ungodly doings, and to remonstrate with the Queen and Government, .80 as to put an end to such systems. Call you upon the world to vindicate and exonerate them. 208 I am now an old man, bordering upon seventy years of age, symptoms of decay in the tabernacle convinces me that my race through time towards eternity is near at an end, when I will have to give an account fOr what I write and leave on record. I have devoted the most of this time and the limited talen ts God has bestowed upon me, advocating the cauae of the wrong and opprossod, as I said before, persuaded in my own mind that I could not serve God in a more acceptable way, nor yet diccharge my duty to my country, my fellow creatures, and co-suflFerers, more consistent with the dictates of humanity, justice, and the christian religion, in which I have been nurtured and educated. (Yes, and would spend te'n more lives in the same cauSo if bestowed upon me, and needed). I cannot charge myself with recording one single false accusation against any one of these High- land depopulators, yet some of them, or their hired apologists, who dared not confront me while alive, may attack my character and dispute the veracity of my statements and charges against them after I am dead and^ gone. Some has the audacity already to question my ability to write such a narrative as you have now before you, and bestowing the credit of it upon some one they know not. I have not much cause to boast of my abilities disphiyed in my Gloomy Narrative, only that I have performed what I considered my incumbent duty in society, and made the best use I could ot all the abilities bestowed upon me, but I challenge them to find out any one who have put one word or one idea into my head. I wish it to be known among my countrymen how willingly Mr. McWhinnie, editor and proprietor of the Woodstock Sentinel, volunteered to assist me in revising and reading the proof sheets, I hope he will not loose his reward. I know my enemies will accuse me of plagiarism j I deny it, I gav6 credit to every gentleman from whose writings 1 have made quotations. During the time I have been exposing the clearing system in the High- lands through the public press, I have received many private and public letters, from almost every quarter of the empire and her colonies, en- couraging me in my labour and approving of my actions in very flattering terms, and passing eulogies upon me, many of which should have a place in this work only for this, that my enemies and hired critics might construe them to self-praise, hence I have to suppress them ; but to let my friendly readera know that my name is still alive in Scotland, and honourablv mentioned there by the real friends and advocates of the Highlanders, and the unflinching exposers of their wrongs. I here sub* join a speech delivered in November last, by one of the most patriotic gentlemen with whom the clan Campbell or the Highlanders can claim connection viz. Captain Campbell of Borlum : — A HIGHLANDER 0^ TIJE HIGHLANDS. Last week, on the presentation of a handsome testimonial to Captain Campbell, Glasgow, by a number of friends and admirers, that gentleman, v^hose enthusiasm in behaif of the cause of the Highlanders is so well k^own, made the following truly spirited and patriotic reply: — Gentlemen, — I feel that my friend the chairman has, in his earnest and eloquent address, described my conduct and character in terms far 209 age, symptoms rh time towards ount for what I is time and the ise of the wrong id that I could my duty to my istent with the a which I have H mgre lives in it charge myself of these High- ists, who dared ad dispute the I am dead and^ ty to write such the credit of it to boast of my have performed e the best use I ge them to find ad. I wish it to ifVhinnie, editor ;o assist uie in )Ose his reward, it, I gav6 credit batioDS. m in the High- vate and public )r colonies, en- 1 very flattering jld have a place critics might em ; but to let 1 Scotland, and ivooates of the 5s. I here sub* e most patriotic iders can claim DS. nial to Captain that gentleman, inders is so well >ly:— s, in his earnest iT in terms far above my merits; but I trust the time is yet distant when it will be eon- sidered in accordance either with good taste or proper feelings to aprly the rules of strict criticism to the innocent exaggerations so natural to gentlemen of kind hearts and generous sympathies, on occasions like the present. My military services have been too brief to deserve the notice taken of them by the chairman. I joined the army at the beginning of the campaign of 1813, in the seat of war — I might almost say the field of bat- tle, and was put on half-pay so soon as our arms achieved the peace. I have the satisfaction of knowing, however, that my conduct in presence of the enemy was considered by my brother officers as not unworthy of my country or my clan ; but the fact is,« that every Highlander is inspired by his birth and traditions with the feelings best calculated to enable him to bear himself manfully on the field of battle. The Highlander who does not do so is untrue, not only to the name of his race, but also to the bosom on which he was nursed. That few such have ever appeared among Highland soldiers, is proved by their conduct in battle, from the day of the wild and romantic battle of the (Jrampians, until that on which the illustrious Havelock gained his ninth victory against such fearful odds, on the arid plains of India. Hence it is that the Lowlander or Celt, whom the novelists and penny-a-liners of modern times seem determined to metairorphose into an Anglo-Saxon, is entitled to ere Jit for having, by his energetic enterprise and skilful industry, covered our plains with palaces and warehouses, and our seas with navies and argosies; the High- lander or Gael is entitled to credit for the patriotism and bravery, the abilities, vigour, and trenchants which still secure to our mountains the proud distinction of having proved in every national extremity the uncon- quered citadel of our country's independence. Alas, that we have seen the day when the citadel may be described as dismantled and dispelled of its warlike defenders, not by a brave and noble enemy, but by an insidious and unpatriotic friend, aided and abetted by the public apathy. Had the public feeling remained alive to tl^e importance of preserving the clans to their, country, the Highlands would have been at this day the best military nursery in Europe — a nursei y capable of rearing legions upon legions of strong, brave, willing, and hardy soldiers, eager to enter into the service of their beloved country. There never was a greater fallacy than the studiously inculcated and generally prevailing impression that the High- landers are incapable of maintaining a large population in comfort and prosperity. The straths, the vales, the glens, and even the far extending wilds of the Highlands, up to an altitude of a thousand feet above the level of the sea, are fertile and salubrious, and under a system of hus- bandry fitted to grow all the ordinary crops of this country ; while .t> e value of the abundance of all kinds of fish contained in the inland and sur- rounding seas can scarcely be overstrained by the most expansive imagi- nation. Had the old clan system of managing estates been adhered to by the modern proprietors, or, in other words, had the country, as of old, been covered with hamlets or elachans, occupied by a rural population, each family possessing a sufficient allotment of the arable land for its own sustenance, and every clachan possessing the whole neighbouring grazings o r210 for the payment of its rents, the rentals would have been larger than thej' now arc in the Highlands, and the country teeming with the most virtu- ous and warlike population in the world. That the population are being expatriated, while such latent resources remain undeveloped, and while the Government are requiring a greatly increased army, is a national disgrace, and may prove a national calamity ; but are that disgrace and calamity not to be ascribed more to the infatuated adulation of v/ealth and rank by the public than to the blindness or apathy of the Government ? That such is the case has been painfully confirmed by a paragraph which appeared in the Licwspapers the other day, showing that the great Celtic Society of Glasgow, from whose patriotism and independence of spirit, as well as its professed object of conserving the poetry, the garb, and the athletic games tf the Highlanders, something very different was to be expected, applied for and obtained the patronage of the Duke of Suther- land for the ensuing year. Now, gentlemen, no Highlander possessing a heart worthy of the name^ who has perused the history of the Sutherland clearances, written by that brave and noble-hearted man, Donald M'Leod, and which remains until this day uncontradicted, can assign to the Duke of Sutherland a brighter page in the history of the Highlands than h9S been occupied by another Duke since the battle of CuUoden. I have been told that neither the Direc^-rs nor the Society have been consulted, nor are consenting parties to the application, and I trust that it ^,s so ; but it is humiliating to think that a sinine Highlander could be found in Glas- gow capable of applying for or accepting the patronage of a clearance- maker. M'". Chairman and gentlemen, allow me to assure ^Tti that I am at a loss for words in which adequately to express my high itcnse and heart-felt appreciation of the tokens of approval by which I have this day been honoured by so large a number of gentlemen, for every one of whom I have every reason to feel the warmest respect and esteem ; and I beg leave to offer, not only to you who have attended this meeting, the greater number of you from so great a distance, but also, through the committee, to all the other generous donors of this splendid testimonial, my proud and grateful thanks." Captain Campbell is a gentleman of high birth, moving among the most noble and educated order of society, not among those whose birth and ]>osition in the world blinds and deafens to the dictates and dema^nd of Christian humanity, and to disown his country and countrymen even in distress, trampled down and forsaken. Well might he be surprised that a single Highlander could bo found in Glasgow, who would be capable of committing such an outrage upon the feelings of his true-hearted country- mop, as to apply and solicit the Duke of Sutherland to become the patron of a Celtic Society of any form ; but the one which would please him best, a society to extirpate the Celts, and their name anc remembrance from under heaven. I hope for the sake of the Society, and those connected with it, that the anti-highland villain, or villains who gave the call will be discovered and exposed, and he or they will be expelled from the society along with their patron, for a more undeserving or inoonsbtcnt nobleman elected to be patron of a Highland society could not be found in all Europe 211 argcr than thoy the most virtu- lation are being j, and Avhile the ttional disgrace, ce and calamity th and rank by Qment ? That iragraph vrhioh be great Celtic Dce of spirit, as e garb, and the ferent was to bo Ouke of Suther- ler possessing a the Sutherland Donald M^Leod, ^n to the Duke ilands than has odcn. I have been consulted, bat it is so ; but e found in Glas- of a clearance- 3 } Ta that I am high ticnse and I have this day ry one of whom em ; and I beg iug, the gneater the cciumittee, mial, my proud among the most hose birth and md dom&nd of rymen even in surprised that 1 be capable of earted oountry- ome the patron )lea8e him best, 3mbrance from hose connected the call will be rom the society stent nobleman d in all Europe than the Duke of Sutherland ; it is enough to make every Highlander blush and be ashamed of the Glasgow Celtic Society; surely their secretary could not be cognizant of a party to bring this disgrace upon the society, and put himself upon a level with Thomaa Mullock who spent so much time and published a book exposing his Grace of Sutherland and other High- land depopulators, until he found it more pro^table to praise them, beg their pardon, and like a faithful colly dog licking their wounds. I would fain hope that Mr. Ross can exonerate himself. Woe be to him who seeks alliance, and courts the favour of the oppressors of the poor. I am now don«, it is for the public and my people to say whether I have performed my part, and redeemed my pledge. While I hold myself ready to substantiate every charge I have made against Highland depopulating proprietors, be it known that I will pay no attention to anonymous animadvertors; I must know my man. You must excuse me for not having an index to this work, you will have to read it through and judge of its merits and demerits the best you can ; it is a Highland production, hence J hopti you will sympathise with the author's limited literary attainments and look over his grammatical blunders, and breaches upon the Queen's language. Farewell my dear countrymen and friends. I remain yours respectfully, DONALD MA^ILEOD P. S. While I hold out such a bold and unreserved challenge to all animadvertors and refutors of my charges against Highland depopulators, be it understood that all the corroborating quotations I have made from other authors must stand by themselves, and their veracity established by this one fact, viz: that the whole of them were published and widely circulated through the Scottish and English public Dress, and their veracity never challenged. Some one may now arise aad dispute their veracity in this country, but I think, (and I believe my readers will agree with me,) that it would be more creditable for the accused and their defenders had they exonerated themselves and vindicated their character in Scotland, where these charges were brought against them. For one instance, Mr. Donald Ross, a public writer in Glasgow, addressed the Lord Advocate of Scotland, (the highest functionary in Scotland,) in behalf of the victims of the Green Yard murderous affray ; yes, in terms that should not only impcll his Lordship to investigate the case properly, but was sufficient to soften, if not to melt down a heart of steel I had it and read it, but I lost it, or I would have given it word for word. Why was Donald Ross not punished if he statcu falsehoods? The Lord Advo- cate and Sheriff Taylor had ample means to punish him, and he would be punished, (and no mistake) had he published or stated falsehoods ; but to punish truth was too high for even the Lord Advocate, or Sheriff Taylor. Wantine proper information, I am prevented to enter upon the unpar- alleled sufferings of the whole, and massacre of many of Lord Selkirk's Colony, from Sutherlandshire to the Red River, North America, w;hose progeny and some of themselves, are still allowed by their fellow-country- 212 men in Canada to be under the ir^n rul^, a|i4 suli^eQt tu the .graHpinp insatiablo avarioo of the Hudson Bay Con^>any; but if I am rootored to health, advanced as I am in years, I piomiso it win be tforth-ooming. My readers will ezcuee me should some of ir* iguree throughout this work be incorrect, for it is not easy to ob&in uofrect figures from officials whose interest is to conceal them. It is not neoessaiy to mention names, but I am duty bound to tender my gra itude and thankei to «ny securities, who enabled me to place this little book of sad remembrance in your hands. T thank likewise those who ajteisted me a little in a pecuniary point of view, during my protracted illness while the work was preparing. You have now before you the substance of my labour in behalf of my people and race for many years. Highland oppressors dealt out un- sparingly to mc the remuneration they thought I deserved, in many a BITTER CUP. You will deal with mc now as you deem proj*Br in my advanced years ; but my request is, whether this will find you among the mountains of Scotland, or upon a foreign strand, Cuinichibh air, na daon hdnnig roimhdh. Remember those who were before you.. That many Havelocks yet unborn may have cause to exclaim before the world, tp the disgrace of your oppress jrs, " Well done brave Highlanders." '' '*''** ' ^■'" D. MoL., , ' Book Ayenl, Woodstock. r Im'.V pi." the .graHpinp; uu restored to -coming. iroughout this i from officials lention namcn, •ny securities, in your hands* miary point of aring. behalf of my dealt oiit un- l, IN MANY A proj^jr in my fOXL among the I air, nadaon That many e world, to the s. » mt, Woodstock. > fj 1 tr,^