some of their own goods. And Mr Wodrow tells us, that the students in the college of Glasgow, and other youths, opposed 2000 of them at the bridge of Glasgow, and would not permit them to pass till they had delivered the spoil, and then only by forty at a time, who were conveyed through the west port, without being suffered to go through the town; that the custom house there was almost filled with pots, pans, bedclothes, wearing apparel, and the like. A particular account of all the depredations and ravages of this lawless Highland host would fill a volume; and they behaved with greater insolence and cruelty than a foreign enemy would have done; for, not content with free quarters, though that was most illegal, they openly robbed both in the highway and in houses, and every where took from the country people, pots, pans, wearing apparel, and every thing they could lay their hands on; and whoever made any resistance were knocked down and wounded. In some places they tortured people, by scorching their bodies at large fires, and otherwise, till they discovered where their money and goods were concealed. They killed their cattle, and drove away their horses; and, as if possessed of the authority of king and parliament, they imposed taxes on several places, threatening to burn their houses if they were denied. The meanest straggler exacted his sixpence a day, and the modelled forces their shilling or merk Scots. Nay, they openly offered to commit rapes; so that it is proper even to draw a veil over their unnatural and horrid wickedness committed up and down the country. In short, it is hard to say which is most to be admired, the conduct of persons of honour and quality, in being accessary to and encouraging of such things, or the patience of an oppressed people, in bearing their sufferings without resistance; for my author says, that unless in the parish of Campsie, where one of the Highlanders was killed, he had not found that resistance was made any where.

It is true, though the greatest part of the committee were furious promoters of those oppressions, yet there were two or three of a more moderate disposition; but these were outvoted. The Marquis of Athole was particularly taken notice of for his clemency, and the Earl of Perth for his equity. However this moderate party prevailed at last so far as to get the Highlanders removed.

I shall conclude this chapter with some farther particular instances of the loss and hardship sustained on this occasion, especially in the shire of Ayr. The noblemen and gentlemen of that shire made some calculation of losses, in a paper which they drew up, in order to lay them, if need were, before his

majesty. Mr Wodrow has given it at large. However, the following abridgement of it is sufficient for my purpose.

An account of th losses the following parishes sustained by quartering, robbing, and spoiling of the soldiers and Highland host.

It would be endless to mention the losses of partícular persons; however, I cannot omit some instances When this dreadful host came to the shire of Ayr, the curate of Kirkoswald procured a regiment for that parish; and such was his ghostly care for his flock, that, by his direction, quarters were given for these plunderers. The small parish of Dalmellingtoun, where one Quintin Dick had his residence, had 900 of them upon it.

The heritors who took the bond, and their lands were free

from quartering and exactions as far as those Highland robbers could be restraine, dbut others had no mercy Sir William Cuningham and Cuninghamhead, though but a school-boy, had the laird of Dun's whole troop quartered upon his estate; so that his tenants were grievously oppressed, and the victual that was laid up in the tower of Cuninghamhead was rendered useless by their treading it under their feet, to the great prejudice of the innocent minor. And all this under the di rection of Dunbar of Grange, nephew to Dun, and a cornet in his troop. This Dunbar forced his landlord, David Muir, to give him what money he had, threatening otherwise to hang him in his own barn; which he and his servants would have done, had they not been prevented by a number of women.

The town of Kilmarnock suffered extremely at this time.' John Borland, on the bridge, lost 1001. Scots, William Taylor, merchant had a whole company of them quartered for one night, besides his quota Matthew Hopkins lost 500 merks. William Dickie, merchant, had nine of them upon him for about six weeks; and when they went off, they robbed his house, carried off a stocking full of silver money, broke two ribs of his side, and so frighted his wife then big with child, that she died soon after. This good man lost upwards of 1000 merks. Hugh Mowat, James Stewart, and his son, and James Aird, with many others, were dreadfully oppressed. In a word, before they left Kilmarnock, they resolved on the Sabbath-day, to plunder the town, as several houses felt to their cost. When Mr Alexander Wedderburn indulged minister there, was interceding for the place, a Highlander pushed him so severely on the breast, with the butt-end of his musket, as proved the occasion of his death

The parish of Evandale, in Lanarkshire, lost 17001. 12s, Scots. The small parish of Cambuslang, in the same shire, likewise suffered much; particularly John Crosbie, David Donald, James Jackson, William Ker, and Thomas Robertson.he lady of Sir Patrick Houstoun was, by their insolent rudeness, frighted to death.

From these few hints, the reader may form a judgment of the dismal state of the country during the time of the Highland host, and what a sensible pleasure it must have given all ranks to see them marching back to their native mountains. But still the measures of oppression were carried on, as Lam to relate.

Of the proceedings of the council and their committee after the eturn of the Highland host; the appointment of garrisons; qo the convention of estates; the cess the ; progress of the perold secution, and other things, to the end of the year 1678.

THE 'HE damages done by the Highland host were so great, that the managers were pleased to dismiss them; but still they continued to pursue the non-conformists with rigour and severity. Accordingly, on the first of March, a letter from the committee was read in council, signifying that they had charged all who had not taken the bond with laborrows, and had sent their names to the council, in order to their being declared rebels; but that the noblemen and genflemen charged had left their own houses, and come into Edinburgh; so that the principal persons concerned cannot be apprehended. All the heritors in Renfrew and Lanark were thus charged.

The same day Mr Robert Anderson was before the council for non-conformity; but he was released upon giving bond to appear when called. But though the Lord Cochran, the laird of Kilbirnie, and others, offered a petition for the suspension of the lawborrows, yet the council signified to their committee, that they would receive no petitions from the gentlemen come to Edinburgh, and that they had commanded them by proclamation to remove.

Meanwhile the committee at Ayr passed an act on the fourth of March, appointing garrisons in the following places, viz. in the house of Blairquhan in Carrick of 100 foot, and 20 horse; in Barskimming and Cesnock of 50 foot, and 10 horse each; and ordering the commissioners of supply to meet on the 7th, to provide necessaries for them, and give an account of their diligence on the 8th.

But before these things could be done, the council, on the 6th of March, sent a letter to his majesty, giving him an account of the proceedings of this committee with respect to the committee with respect to the bond, &c. and throwing the most false and invidious reflections on the non-conformists, in order to have their iniquitous conduct authorised by the king; for they intimate, that all things were done in pursuance of his orders in his letter of the 11th of December last. But, as Bishop Burnet very well observes, when very illegal things were to be done, the common method was, that a letter was drawn for it to be signed by the king, directing it upon some

colour of law or ancient practice, and he readily signed whatever was sent to him.'

Next day Henry Muir, commissary-clerk at Kirkcudbright, was charged before the council for being at conventicles in September or October last, and of corresponding with Messrs Welsh, Semple, Arnot, &c. He owned he once heard Mr Arnot at a field conventicle; yet, by the interest of the bishop of Galloway, he was dismissed without any further trouble. We shall hear that one James Learmont was executed for being only present at a field convențicle; but he had not a bishop to intercede for him.

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It does not appear that the committee met on the 8th; but on the 9th, they made another act, ordering the clerks of the commissioners of supply to summon the said commissioners to meet at Ayr on the 12th, both for providing the necessaries for the garrisons, and settling the prices they were to pay for their provisions; and that, if they fail in their duty in this respect, the officers and soldiers shall have liberty to take these necessaries from the next adjacent places, with the rates to be fixed by the committee, except the lands of privy counsellors, and those employed in his majesty's service, such as have taken or shall take the bond. But the commissioners of supply, having most of them refused the bond, and not chusing to give any actual concurrence with the imposition of garrisons in time of peace, did not meet on the day appointed; and therefore the committee, on the 12th of March, fixed the prices on hay, straw, oats, &c. whereupon the officers of the army brought in what they wanted from the adjacent places, and called the heritors of every parish, near their garrison, to meet in order to fix the proportion of each parish for furnishing the garrison with necessaries, all protected persons being free.

On the 13th the council published their proclamation, ordering the bond to be subscribed by all the heritors in the shires of Edinburgh, Haddington, Linlithgow, Berwick, Peebles and Selkirk; and next day they gave orders to charge the recusants with laborrows, as had been done in the west. But though the bond was subscribed in several shires, yet the heritors were generally backward, particularly in East Lothian, where from among upwards of 1000 heritors, not above fifty or sixty signed it; and by this time conventicles began again to be much frequented.

On the 15th a decreet was passed, at the instance of the king's advocate, against Patrick Thomson in Kinloch, George Fleming in Balberty, Alexander Hamilton of Kinkel and his servant, Henderson, Robert Hamilton, brother to the