Having occasion to write to your fields, I cannot be forgetful of your
willingness and good affection to his Majesty's service. I acknowledge
to you, and thank you heartily for it assuring, that in what lies in
my power, you shall find the good. Mean while, I shall expect that you
will continue your loyal endeavours, in wishing those slack people
that are about you, to appear more obedient than they do, and loyal in
their prince's service; whereby I assure you, you shall find me ever
Your faithful friend,
MONTROSE.
Petty, 17 April, 1646.
[Footnote: It is observeable that men of the first rank spelt very ill
in the last century. In the first of these letters I have preserved
the original spelling.]
I found some uncouth lines on the death of the present laird's father,
intituled 'Nature's Elegy upon the Death of Donald Maclean of Col'.
They are not worth insertion. I shall only give what is called his
Epitaph, which Dr Johnson said, 'was not so very bad'.
Nature's minion. Virtue's wonder,
Art's corrective here lyes under.
I asked, what 'Art's corrective' meant. 'Why, sir,' said he, 'that
the laird was so exquisite, that he set Art right, when she was
wrong.'
I found several letters to the late Col, from my father's old
companion at Paris, Sir Hector M'Lean, one of which was written at the
time of settling the colony in Georgia. It dissuades Col from letting
people go there, and assures him there will soon be an opportunity of
employing them better at home. Hence it appears that emigration from
the Highlands, though not in such numbers at a time as of late, has
always been practised. Dr Johnson observed, that, 'the lairds, instead
of improving their country, diminished their people'.
There are several districts of sandy desart in Col. There are
forty-eight lochs of fresh water; but many of them are very small--meer
pools. About one half of them, however, have trout and eel. There is a
great number of horses in the island, mostly of a small size. Being
over-stocked, they sell some in Tir-yi, and on the main land. Their
black cattle, which are chiefly rough-haired, are reckoned remarkably
good. The climate being very mild in winter, they never put their beasts
in any house. The lakes are never frozen so as to bear a man; and snow
never lies above a few hours. They have a good many sheep, which they
eat mostly themselves, and sell but a few. They have goats in several
places. There are no foxes; no serpents, toads, or frogs, nor any
venomous creature. They have otters and mice here; but had no rats till
lately that an American vessel brought them. There is a rabbit-warren on
the north-east of the island, belonging to the Duke of Argyle. Young Col
intends to get some hares, of which there are none at present. There are
no black-cock, muir-fowl, nor partridges; but there are snipe,
wild-duck, wild-geese, and swans, in winter; wild-pidgeons, plover, and
great number of starlings; of which I shot some, and found them pretty
good eating. Woodcocks come hither, though there is not a tree upon the
island. There are no rivers in Col; but only some brooks, in which there
is a great variety of fish. In the whole isle there are but three hills,
and none of them considerable, for a Highland country. The people are
very industrious. Every man can tan. They get oak, and birch-bark, and
lime, from the main land. Some have pits; but they commonly use tubs. I
saw brogues very well tanned; and every man can make them. They all make
candles of the tallow of their beasts, both moulded and dipped; and they
all make oil of the livers of fish. The little fish called cuddies
produce a great deal. They sell some oil out of the island, and they use
it much for light in their houses, in little iron lamps, most of which
they have from England; but of late their own blacksmith makes them. He
is a good workman; but he has no employment in shoeing horses, for they
all go unshod here, except some of a better kind belonging to young Col,
which were now in Mull. There are two carpenters in Col; but most of the
inhabitants can do something as boat-carpenters. They can all dye. Heath
is used for yellow; and for red, a moss which grows on stones. They make
broad-cloth, and tartan, and linen, of their own wool and flax,
sufficient for their own use; as also stockings. Their bonnets come from
the main land. Hard-ware and several small articles are brought annually
from Greenock, and sold in the only shop in the island, which is kept
near the house, or rather hut, used for publick worship, there being no
church in the island. The inhabitants of Col have increased considerably
within these thirty years, as appears from the parish registers. There
are but three considerable tacksmen on Col's part of the island: the
rest is let to small tenants, some of whom pay so low a rent as four,
three, or even two guineas. The highest is seven pounds, paid by a
farmer, whose son goes yearly on foot to Aberdeen for education, and in
summer returns, and acts as a school-master in Col. Dr Johnson said,
'There is something noble in a young man's walking two hundred miles and
back again, every year, for the sake of learning.'
This day a number of people came to Col, with complaints of each
others' trespasses. Corneck, to prevent their being troublesome, told
them, that the lawyer from Edinburgh was here, and if they did not
agree, he would take them to task. They were alarmed at this; said,
they had never been used to go to law, and hoped Col would settle
matters himself. In the evening Corneck left us.