councill of war, he informed his friends of his resolution of determining the quarell by a decisive action, to which he was encouraged by his Majesty's most gracious assurance of a remission: He added, that as he had full confidence in the courage of his men from former tryalls, so he had no apprehension of the event, notwithstanding of the enemy's odds of number: That all the promiseing appearances were on their side; they were masters of the country, all of one name and family, except a few brave volunteers, and interrested in the affair almost equally with himself: That, on the other hand, he knew he had a very brave enemy to engage; but then, they did not think themselves much concerned in the quarrell, and non of them, excepting the Macphersons, had ever seen blood: That all but the Macintoshes, who did not exceid six or seven hundred at most, were strangers and auxiliareys, and allured into the service, rather by interest and hyre than by their own inclinations: That even the Macintoshes themselves had expressed no great readieness to serve, and it was well known that many of them had so little regard to their Chief's honour and interest, that they took the advantage of his necessity, and forced him to divide a good part of his estate among them before they would comply: That, however, as he was fully determined to fight, so he hoped non of them would pretend to oppose him, unless they could bring some convinceing reasons for a contrary course: That if any of them wanted inclination to engage, and had not putt on a fixt resolution to die or conquer, he begged of them to retire, and he would afford them such opportunitys as would save their honour.-The Camerons expressed some kind of ane uneasiness and concern att the last part of this speech, that their Chief should so much as suspect that any of them would desert him when his honour and interest, joyned with that of the whole name, was att stake: They unanimously approved his resolution, and desired him to lead them on, and they would convince him that they were no worse men than they formerly were against the publick enemys of the kingdome. Hereupon they agreed upon the measures they were to take, and resolved in part to putt them in execution that very night. In the mean time, the Earl of Breadalbane, who was cousine-german to both the Chiefs, and a person of ane extensive genius and vast capa

city, haveing resolved to interpose in the quarrell, marched into Lochaber att the head of three hundred men, and offered himself as a mediator. He was well acquanted with the tempers, capacitys, interests, and views of the partys, and knew how to make the proper use of it; but whither he applyed first to Locheill or Macintoish, is what I am not sufficiently assured of to affirm, but certain it is, that Locheill, in consequence of his former resolution, detatched Allan Cameron of Errocht with a strong body of choise men to surprize and attack the enemy on the very night that Breadalbane arrived.

Errocht's orders were to ferry over his men in some boats provided for the purpose, to a little island in Locherkike, almost within a muskett shot of that side of the Loch on which Macintoish was posted; and some hours before breck of day to waft his men over to a certain place, fitt for concealing them, till he could make his proper disposition for attacking the enemy; but if he found them upon their guard, his orders were to retire privatly, and to post himself on a certain strong ground which was pointed out to him, and where, in the worst event, he could defend himself, till Locheill, who was to decamp that night, and to march round by the head of the Loch, which was a journey of sixteen or seventeen miles, could arive with the main body to his reliefe.

This detatchment was ferryed over to the island in the manner concerted, and Locheill was just entering upon his march, when the Earl of Breadalbane, who had been for some hours preceeding with Macintoish, arrived, and brought back Errocht, whom he mett in the Isle, along with him. Locheill, though much fretted at the disconcerting his measures, was still resolved to fight the enemy the very nixt day, and to continue his march; but Breadalbane told him roundly, that he was equally allyed to them both; that he came there to act the part of a mediator, and whoever of them proved refractorey, he would not onely joyn with the other against him, but also would bring all the power that Argile was master of with his own into the quarrell: And he thereupon showed a Commission he had from the Earl of Argile to that purpoise.

Locheill found himself under the necessity of consenting; and his

firm resolution of fighting had this good effect, that it hastened on the agreement, and in a manner compelled Macintoish, who was pusht on by his people, to consent to those very proposealls that had been formerly made by the Privy Councill, and afterwards by the Earl of Murray, whereof I have already given ane account.

This agreement was concluded on the 20th of September 1665, about three hundred and sixty years after the commencement of the quarrell; which was perhaps of the longest duration of any mentioned in history, and considdering the strength of the partys, as bloody as any that has been heard of. Though Macintoish gained nothing, yet Locheill and his predecessors were exceeding great loosers by it, for they were so intent and keen in defending their possession of that estate, that they either gave away or abandoned their originall inheritance, which was four times above this in value, as their original Charters from the Lords of the Isles, all confirmed by King James IV., with the Charters granted by succeeding Princes, errecting the whole into a free Barroney, with many large powers and priviledges, testify to this day; and all this besides the loss of the pension of three hundred pounds sterling per annum, that I have mentioned, and of Swinart and Ardnamurchan, which now belonged to the Earl of Argile, with the rest of his father's forfeiture, by a gift from the Crown, in the manner I shall soone have occasion to relate.

However, as matters were now scituated, the present transaction with Macintoish was as good as Locheill could reasonably have expected it; for, besides the yearly rents of the lands, which far exceeded the interest of the pryce he payed for them, he had fine old woods of oak and firr on both sides of Loch Erkike, and on other parts of that estate, worth four times the value of that sum. But still there was a materiall ommission in this bargain, which afterwards, in the year 1688, coast Locheill both trouble and expences; for he, haveing, from the redeeming of the morgage in March 1639, possessed the estate without paying any rent, to the time of this agreement, he was accountable to Macintoish for all the years of that intervall, which, ammounting to a considerable sum, ought to have been expressly comprehended in the treaty. Be

this as it will, the present differances being thus adjusted, the two Chiefs had a friendly conference the nixt day, and exchainged swords, in testimoney of a sincere reconciliation, under mutwall promises of ane inviolable friendship for the future. The leading gentlemen of the two Clans used the same form of ceremoney, and Locheill, haveing entertained them all for some days in his house in the best manner he could, dissmissed them, in appearance, very well satisfied.

The spring following, he mett Macintosh att Edinburgh, where the treaty was ratified in presence of the Earls of Argile and Breadalbane; and the first moyety of the sum agreed upon payed. Argyle advanced the money without any obligation of interest, on condition, that Locheill would consent to hold these lands of his Lordship, for the yearly payment of one hundred pounds Scots of few-duty, and for the service of 100 men in arms when required. These conditions Locheill with great unwillingness submitted to; but the necessity of finding money to pay Macintosh was too urgent to be long disputed. It is true the Marquess of Atholl offered him money, but still upon harder conditions; and Locheill refuseing his overture, occasioned some small resentment on Athol's side, as we will see hereafter; but without any just ground, seeing the obligations he lay under to Argyl's father and himself were sufficient motives to determine him, though the terms had been equall. The service of the men the late Earl of Argile dispenced with, by a writt under his hand; and he had likewayes gott rid of the vassalage, by the favour of King James VII., if the intrigues of the then Duke of Gordon had not prevented it. By this bargain with Argile, Locheill was soone thereafter brought under many difficultys and troubles, with relation to his friends, the M'Leans. The missfortunes of this antient and honourable family have too near a relation to my subject to be passed over in silence: But we must look back some years, in order to trace them from their original.

The Marquess of Argile haveing procured from the Lords of the Treasourey a grant of the tyths of Argyleshyre, with a Commission to collect several arrears of the few-duty, cesses, taxations, and supply, and some new impositions laid on the subject by the rebellious Parliament, under

the names of ammunition, and contribution-money, and the like, did take out a decree against Sir Lachlane M'Lean of Dowart, Chief of the M'Leans, for his quota of these arrears, and for some small sums wherein the Marquess was cautioner or suerty for him; and haveing, after the ordinary course of legall diligence, made himself master of his person, forced him, in the year 1642, to grant bond for L.14,000 Scots, and to subscrive a doqueted accompt for L.16,000 more, bearing interest. The M'Leans alleadge, that, between the years 1652 and 1659, they payed L.22,000 of that debt, partly to the Marquess himself, and partly to the Lady Anne his daughter, who had ane assignement to it from her father, besides L.10,000 which Sir Hector, who succeeded Sir Lachlane, had payed to himself in 1651. But this seems improbable; for non but fools would have delivered such sums without receipts or acquittances. All the executions that followed on the bonds would have been by our law reduced, that is, annulled, upon application to the proper judge, if such had been exhibited before him; and it is not presumable that the Marquess would have, in good policy, proceeded to ultimate dilligence, while he knew that such strong evidences were extant against him, that would in time make void the whole. Besides, the scituation of M'Lean's affairs, during the course of the Rebellion, fortifyes this presumption; for, being deeply engadged in the service of the Crown in all the attempts that were made by the Royalists, while the Usurpation lasted, they suffered such losses by the depredations of the enemy, by the expences of supporting their people, by the totall neglect of their affairs att home while they were engaged abroad, and by many other unavoidable callamitys of a furious Civil War of so long a continuance, that it seems enough if they subsisted themselves, though they had not been pressed by any such debts.

But, however the case may be, it is certain that the Marquess tooke no notice of these payments, and that, in the year 1659, he obtained a decree, adjudgeing and decreeing the property of M'Lean's whole estate to belong to him and his heirs, for payment of the accumulate sum of L.85,000 Scots; nor was there any abatement or deduction allowed for the L.32,000, said to have been payed as above.