tion, that he expired at a distance from his own family. His mortal remains were, however, deposited in the same grave with those of his be loved parents; and the same spot which gave him to existence, received him when his body returned to dust. The tears which have been shed by friends, relatives, and strangers, bear the most honourable testimony to his worth. "Peace to thy soul, thy God thy portion be, And in his presence may I rest with thee!" ACCOUNT OF THE CAMPAIGNS OF MONTROSE, TRANSLATED FROM THE GAELIC LANGUAGE. [The curious manuscript from which these historical memoirs are extracted, contains several Gaelic poems and genealogies, written by the MacVuirichs, heredi tary bards or seannachies of a distinguished western chieftain. The following literal version contains many particulars respecting the wars of Montrose, totally unnoticed by our historians, and may be considered, at the same time, as affording an authentic historical document, and a curious specimen of the manners and habits of the Gaelic tribes, recorded by one of their own historians. No attempt has been made to correct the language of the translator, who seems to have been better skilled in the Gaelic language, than capable of transfusing its spirit into the English version.] "I TREAT here," says the *bard, "of what happened in my own time. The first king that reigned in Scotland and England, since I remember, was the 1st Charles the son of James of the Stewart line, and these are a few of the chiefs or heads of families existing and cotemporary with me. Namely, Ronald Og Aranui Marquiss of Antrim, of Ruta, and the Glinns in Ireland; and † Archibald Caoch son of Archibald Gruamach, son of Archibald Dun Marquis of Argyle; Sir Lauchlan Maciean of Duart; John Muidartach, son of *Niell Mohr MacVuirich. Donald son of Allan, Captain of Clanronald, Laird of Muidart and Uist; John, son of Rodric Macleod More of Harris; Sir Donald Gorm, son of Archibald son of Donald, Chief of Slate and Troternish, a great courtier with King Charles; Niel Macniel of Castle Macniel of Bara; Lauchlan, son of John Balbh son of Finguin of Strath; John Garbh, son of Gilcolm of Rarsay; John Garbh, son of John Abrach, Laird of Coll; Murdoch Maclean, Laird of Lochbui; Donald of Truim, son of Angus son of Alexander, Beheaded after the Restoration. Laird of Glengary and Cnoidart, he was an old hero in my first remembrance; he was for some time absent from his people, and in ward in Edinburgh; after him succeeded Angus son of Alexander son of Donald, (Lord Glengarey.) Allan Maconel Dhu, chief of the Clan-Cameron, and latterly the youth Ewen son of John son of Allan, who still lives; George Donn, son of Kenneth Og, Earl of Seaforth, Chief of the Clan Mackenzie; Donald Uabal Macaoi son of Magnus, namely, Lord Megrath head of the clan Morgan; and many other great men whom I need not mention here, who were proprietors of land and chiefs in my time; for I write nothing here but of those men whom I have seen myself, and have known great part of their transactions; you may know, from the histories of those who write in the popular language, an account of the troubles of those times. But what I mean to shew you here is, that the Scots were ready at all times to make *war, and more so than either the English or irish. For after the covenant was made against the king, and episcopacy suppressed, and presbytery set up in its stead, the covenanters sent couriers through all countries, in order to find out proper officers to lead and command their armies, and made choice of Alexander Lesly to be their commander-in-chief, an old hero who had been long in the army abroad in different countries. The covenanters' army marched into England; it was the first they set on foot against King Charles; thus the kingdom was put into confusion in the year 1639. In the heat of these troubles, the Marquis of An trim, young Ronald son of Ronald Arani sent a party of armed men from Ireland to Scotland by the king's orders, and gentlemen of his own kin to command them, namely, Alexander son of Coll son of Gilespie, Colonel James son of Somerled son of James of Banna, and other gentlemen. They took shipping at the town of Ilac in the month of July 1644. They did not stop or take harbour, until they came to the Sound of Mull, where they besieged the castle of Kinloch-alin, took it, and left a party in it, and went from thence to the castle of Mengary, and took it after a great deal of trouble. Alexander (MacColla) Macdonald and his party marched to Caol Reate, and the ship sailed to Loch Eisord in Strath to Sir Donald Macdonald; for the king and the Marquiss of Antrim's orders were for Sir Donald taking the command of the army, and take every man that would rise with them; but Sir Donald died half a year before, upon which Alexander offered the command to Sir James; but he refused it, as he thought the army too few in number, since the whole kingdom was in arms against them, they having five hundred men only; upon which Alexander Macdonald thought of returning to Ireland, since the king's orders were not obeyed; mean time, three large ships of war belonging to the parliament came round from Leith to Loch Eisord, while Alexander's ship lay in the Loch; they fought, but Alexander's ship was taken, which obliged him to remain in the country whatever might happen. He marched off from thence to Caol Reithe, and over the mountains * i. e. In defence of their king and country.-Translator's Note. VOL. V. PART II. 2 D of Cuich, and from thence to Glengary, and encamped there, where they had plenty of beef, and lived very well; but none of the people would rise with them; from thence they went to Badenoch, encamped in it, and threatened the men of that country that if they did not rise with them, they would spoil and burn their country; upon which the clan (Vurich) Macphersons joined with their chief, Ewen Og Macpherson son of Andrew son of Ewen, with three hundred of his own kin, a good band which proved very steady, and who remained in the army while the war continued. The clan (Finlay) Farquharsons of Braemar with their chief, namely, Donald Og son of Donald son of Finlay (also joined.) From thence they went to Athole, where the Marquis of Montrose met them at Blair in Athole in his coat-of-mail, newly come from England with the king's commission of general of the army, and Alexander Macdonald to be major-general. They received him joyfully, and the Athole-men, the clan (Duncan) Robertsons, and the Stewarts of Athole in the beginning of harvest (joined them.) From thence they marched to the low-country, where a great army of covenanters met them near Perth, consisting of eight thousand men. The king's army consisted only of two thousand foot, yet they obtained a complete victory over them; few of the covenanters escaped, except those who were saved by the swiftness of their horses. They took the town of Perth after the bat tle, and were very happy in it; fifteen days only intervened betwixt that battle and another which they fought against the covenanters at Aberdeai, where they struggled hard for victory; but these two successful bat tles raised the spirits of the Gael, and inspired them with courage, insomuch that they never refused to fight under any disadvantage. Macallan the Earl of Argyle was one of the heads of the presbyterian faction, and a great supporter of the covenanters against the king; he came to Ardnamurchan, and laid siege to the castle of Mengary, but did not succeed. John Muidart came to Argyle's camp at Argyle's desire, for he wished that John would raise his men of Clanronald to join him against the king; but John did not remain long in Argyle's camp, when he returned and raised all the men of Uist, Eig, and Arasaig, and the first thing they did was the spoiling of Sunard, leaving neither cow nor ewe in it, which they did not carry away to Castle Tirim in Uist, some of which he sent to the relief of the garrison of Castle Mengary. Meantime Alexander Macdonald came from Montrose to relieve the besieged in that castle. Alexander Macdonald and Donald son of John Muidartach, happened to meet there, which made them both very happy at such an accidental meeting, for they never saw one another before. After leaving another garrison there, they came to Castle Tirim. John Muidart went along with them to Arasaig, and sent a message to Macleod, urging him to come to join the king's army as in duty bound, but he refused; from thence they went to Cnoidart, where they met Angus son of Alexander Macdonald, but he refused to join at that time; how ever, Donald Gorm his uncle joined them, and the greatest part of the men of Cnoidart and Glengary. They went by the end of Lochness by Clachard to Lochaber and the Braes, and Donald Glas (Macronald) Macdonald joined them, and the men of the Braes of Lochaber, the Stewarts of Appin, the MacCeans of Glenco, Gleneivor, and those east of Lochaber of the clan Cameron. From thence they went to Badenoch, and over the mountain of Drumuachdar to Blair in Athole, where they met the Marquis of Montrose, who was exceedingly happy at the great number of men John Muidartach had collected for the king's service. They summoned the council to meet, in order to consult about their winterquarters. The general supposed that they should quarter in the low country; others thought the high lands the best place for the safety of the army. Montrose's aim was to know which was the most proper place for the men to get victuals and proper accommodation; and for that purpose he sent for Angus son of Allan Du of the Glenco-men, to the council. Montrose put the question to him, (since he best knew Argyle's country,) if the men could be properly accommodated there with meat and lodgings during the winter? Angus answered, that there was neither town nor half a town in all Argyle's country, but that they might get good enough houses, and plenty of fat cattle to feed upon; which pleased Montrose so well, that they set off immediately from the Braes of Athole to Argyle by Menzie's Appin, which they burnt. They marched from thence to the end of Loch-Tay, and burnt both sides of it. The clan Macgregor and clan Macnab came to assist the king's And John Muidartach, and the men of the high grounds, were sent upon another plundering expe dition by themselves, and went as far as Kilmartin in Glasry, Argyleshire. From that expedition they took a thousand head of cattle to Montrose's camp, for there was no choice but to burn and spoil that country; and 895 of his (i. e. Argyle's) people were killed without any battle or skirmish. The army marched from Argyle to Lorn, and from thence to Innerlochy in Lochaber. But Argyle was not idle all this time; he sent for the Laird of Achinbreck from Ireland, who had been there since the beginning of the war in the Marquis of Antrim's country, possessing and spoiling his lands and large towns with his army. Argyle himself went to the council of Scotland at Edinburgh to complain of Montrose and Macdonald, and observing that these generals did not wait to give him battle, upon which they sent him five hundred men. Meantime Achinbreck arrived from Ireland, who was highly incensed at seeing his country plundered and destroyed; he, therefore, convened all the clan Campbell, (who were very numerous and went upon Montrose's tract; which when Montrose heard, (as he was marching north,* and that the Campbells burnt the Braes of Lochaber), he immediately returned from Kilcuming in Abertarf. King Charles' army was commanded by Montrose and Macdonald major-general, and by the gentlemen of Clanronald, John Muidartach son of Donald the son of Allan, and his son Donald; and Angus son of Alexander son of Donald son of Angus, Laird of Glengary, with his kindred, and the three Irish regiments of the good band of the Earl • Sir Lauchlan Maclean and Glengary came to Montrose at Inverlochy,-Orig. Note. |