them of his friendship and protection, but on all occasions expressed ane inclination to serve them.

The King, encouraged by the information he often had of the General's civilitys to his friends in Scotland, sent to him some of his nearest relations, with orders to engage him, if possible, to declare himself; but he, with his usewal circumspection, declined giveing a positive answer : and though he dismissed these agents without letting them into the secrets of his intentions, yet the King never dispaired of assistance from that quarter. The General, however, lett slip no opportunity of ingratiating himself with the Loyalists; but such as he knew to be friends to the Government, and more especially the fanatical Clergy, he bridled and suppressed in a manner that made both his person and conduct extreamly odious to them. Besides, as he was exceedingly carefull to purge his army of all republicans and fanaticks, and to substitute others in their places, whom he knew would be obedient, so he not onely, in a publick manner, obtained promises and assurances from the nation in general that they would be ready to stand by and assist him in all events; but allso, in particular, from the Chiefs of Clans and others who were any way considerable either for their personal merit, or for their power and interest.

Now, if he had not, even att that time, formed designs of serveing the King, is it reasonable to think, that he would have been att so much pains to gain the friendship, and to secure the assistance of persons who had given the Government so much disturbance, and who continued so unalterably fixed in their principles of loyalty, that he durst never have trusted them in any other than that service? The gentry in general, and a great many of the commons, were armed by his licences, whereof thousands of copys are still extant, and the two last years of his government were so mild and moderat, except with respect to the Clergy, whose petulant and licentious tongues he curbed on all occasions, that the nation would not have willingly chainged it for any other, but that of their natural Prince.

Besides the numerous instances that might be given of his civilitys and respect to the Highland Chiefs, and others who had exerted them..

selves most vigourously in the Royall cause, his friendship for Locheill, whereof I have given many instances, was extreamly remarkable. But whether his confidence proceeded so far as to open his mind, and discover his resolutions of restoreing the King, or whether Locheill, fro his conduct and other hints, onely guessed att his designs, is what I am not sufficiently informed of to assert; but certain it is, that Locheill understood as much, as he frequently afterwards told. So much was he attatched to the General's person and interest, that he attended him all the way to London in that famous expedition, which, in common gratitude for the great deliverance it brought us, we ought to think the happy effects of a loyall and generous resolution to serve his exiled Sovereign and enslaved country.

The people of England seemed to expect from his hands the deliverance he soon gave them. They came in crouds as he cautiously marched forwards, praying for success to his designs, and presenting petitions for a free and full Parliament. He treated Locheill all the way with great friendship and civility; and as he was his guest on the road, so, when he reatched London, he was no less carefull to see him provided with all necessarys. He had him allong with him on all occasions where he had ane opportunity of doeing him honour; and when the King made his triumphant entry into London, the General desired Locheill to keep all the way as near to him as possibly he could; and when his Majesty alighted, it was his own fault but he held the King's stirrop, as he had ane inviteing opportunity to have done. This effect of his modesty, or rather bashfulness, he had soon reason to repent of; for another, who had more assurance, gott before him and performed that office, for which he was royally rewarded. The General, who was then allmost adored like a god, did him the honour to introduce him to kiss his Majesty's hands, by whom he was received most graciously; for, as his character was not unknown to the King, so the Generall had the goodness to inform him, in a few words, of his merit and services. He was likeways introduced by him to the Dukes of York and Glocester; the former of which, having had the history of his actions from General Middletoun, and, particularly, of the accident of his biteing out the English gentleman's

throat at the skirmish of Achatelew, which was then much talked of att Court, received him with very destinguishing marks of esteem and favour, and very often thereafter took pleasure to jest with him upon that and the other adventures of his youth.

Orders haveing been immediatly thereafter issued out by the General for drawing off the Garrison of Inverlochy, he made a present to Locheill of the houses and other materials that could not be carried away by shipping, and ordered Collonel Hill, then Governour, to deliver up the keys of the said Garrison to him. The grant bears date from Cockpitt, where the Generall constantly resided, the 18th of June 1660.

The famous Marquess of Argile being soon thereafter brought to his tryall before the Parliament of Scotland, was condemned and forfeited, and the sentence putt in execution; nor could all the great power and interest that the Duke of Lauderdale had att Court ward off this terrible blow, though he afterwards found means to save the honours and estate of the family to his son. The King, who designed that no innocent person should suffer by this forfeiture, sent orders to his Parliament to hear the complaints of all such as had been injured or oppressed by the Marquess dureing the Rebellion, and to receive the claims of all his lawfull creditors, whom his Majesty ordered to be redressed of their losses, and satisfyed of their just debts out of his estate, which now belonged to the Croun by the forfeiture.

Among a multitude of others, Locheill had a considerable claim upon a part of Argyle's estate; whereof he was in the end dissappointed, by the contrivance of that pernicious minister, the Duke of Lauderdale; whose wicked politicks, in the event, proved fatall not only to the Loyalists, but even to the Royall Family itself. No claim could be more just and legall than that of Locheil's. Donald Cameron, his uncle, who acted as his tutor in his nonage, and two of his relations of the same name, having, in the years 1650 and 1660, lent to the Marquess the sume of 16,345 merks, for their security of the repayment obtained a wadsett or morgage on a part of the Marquess of Huntly's estate, which then was in Argile's possession by vertue of a gift or grant thereof from the Scots Parliament in the year. But because these gen

tlemen did not think that a morgage on a forfeited estate was a sufficient security for their money, the Marquess of Argile gave them warranty, in case of eviction, on the lands of Swinart and Ardnamurchan, which was a part of his own; and they haveing accordingly realized their tittle by infeftment, made it over to Locheill.

The Marquess of Argile had, while in possession of Huntly's estate, bought and acquired right to several very considerable debts owing by that family, and thereupon procured the estate to be adjudged to him by a decree of Parliament, whereby he possessed it as well in virtue of this legall tittle as that of the forsaid forfeiture; but Huntly, upon the King's Restoration, in order to elude the said legall tittle founded upon the debts bought in against him by Argile, managed matters so, that, instead of accepting back his estate in the way of justice, he procured a new grant of it from the Crown, as falling into his Majesty's hands by Argile's forfeiture. Huntly, being thus repossessed of his estate, free of all the heavy debts that formerly affected it, Locheill was obliged, for satisfaction of the mony owing him by Argile, to have recourse upon the warranty-lands of Swinart and Ardnamurchan, and gave in his claim to the Parliament; for which purpose he had returned to Scotland about the end of the year 1661. The case having been examined in Parliament, all the members agreed that the claim was just and legall, and made a favourable report of it to his Majesty; wherein, after high encomiums upon Locheil's gallant behaviour in his Majesty's service dureing the Usurpation, they humbly submitt it to his Majesty's consideration, "If it will not be ane act of equity and justice becomeing his royall goodness, to grant him a charter of the warranty-lands suitable to the extent of the sum."

Full of the assurance of success, he returned to Court, and though he had the great Generall Monk, now created Duke of Albemarle, the Earle of Middletoun, and generally all the Loyallists of both nations, to befriend and assist him with their interest at Court, yet neither the authority of the Scots Parliament, nor the united application of so many great men who had merited so highly of the Crown, nor the justice and equity of the demand, nor even the King's most solemn promises, were

of weight enough to ballance the mischiveous policy of one subtile and designing man.

The person I mean was the Duke of Lauderdale, who was then Secretary of State for Scotland, and managed all the affairs of that kingdome att his pleasure. He was a man of great abilitys; but seemed, by his actions, to have conceived ane irreconcileable enmity against all those who had most eminently merited of the Crown, and to have imployed all his great talents in opposition to them. He is commonly charged with forming his schemes of policy upon this false maxim, that true loyalists and patriots were attached to the Croun from duety and principle, which were sufficient motives to secure their fidelity and services, but that the enemys of the Royall Family, being wholly acted by interest, were to be loaded with favours, and gained by obligations; as if persons of no principle were capable of gratitude, and as if men of honour and probity were divested of human passions, and uncapable of resentment; nor is it to be imagined that a society will flourish, or even can subsist for any time, where vice is rewarded and virtue neglected.

But whoever was the author of this accursed policy, it is certain that the Court went too much into it; by which means, great numbers of these unhappy gentlemen, who, for their services to the Crown, and their zeale for the Royall Family, had lost their estates by the tyranny of the Usurpers, were suffered to languish away the remainder of their lives in a shamefull poverty, to have their familys ruined, and their names destroyed; while those who had been instrumentall in drawing on them and their country these and numberless other miserys, lived in full affluence, and enjoyed the fruits of their wickedness.

Though Locheill had some better fortune, and escaped being totally ruined, which in a great measure he owed to the friendship of the Marquiss of Argile, and afterwards to the protection of General Monk; yet he was a very great sufferer, by being obliged to support the men that he imployed in the King's service at his own charges; and by the other unavoydable calamitys of war. His present demand was not as a reward of his services, though he certainly deserved much more, but claimed in payment of a just debt, and which he had unavoydably recovered, had

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