Charles Racket of Inveramsay. 109 



wine to be brought to the Cross, where they openly 

 and avowedly drank the Pretender's health, and several 

 other treasonable and rebellious healths." They even 

 " endeavoured, by force, to make the said Provost 

 drink their healths," " which he refusing, they poured 

 the wine down his breast." 



After John Hamilton came Lord Lewis Gordon, 

 who, by and by, in his assumed title of Governor of 

 Aberdeen, issued an order, in Prince Charlie's name, 

 for the collection of the King's cess. In the Diary of 

 Rev. John Bisset, one of the ministers of St. Nicholas, 

 under date February 3, 1746, is this entry : " This 

 day the drum went warning all yet deficient in paying 

 their cess, in the name of Lord Lewis Gordon to repair 

 with payment to the quarters of one Hacket, em- 

 powered to gather it up, under the pain of military 

 execution." The Town's Collector, Mr. Dirom, being, 

 it would seem, of loyal temper, and somewhat advanced 

 in years, excused himself on the score of physical 

 frailty, but recommended his clerk, Charles Hacket, 

 as a person likely to be found suitable for the business. 

 Charlie Hacket was an active young fellow, and being 

 a red hot Jacobite to boot, he collected the cess accord- 

 ingly with all due zeal, as indicated by the Rev. John 

 Bisset, which served to bring him into trouble by and 

 by, when Culloden had been fought and the Pre- 

 tender's hopes shattered for ever. In those days 

 Charlie Hacket, to use his own phrase, got familiar 

 with the practice of " sleepin' in his beets." He 

 skulked about where he best might, his hiding place 

 for a while being, it was said, at the further side of 

 the meal-girnal belonging to a Garioch laird of like 

 leanings with himself, but uncommitted by any overt 

 act. 



Better times came, however, and Charlie Hacket 

 having married Miss Smith, heiress of the pleasant 

 estate of Inveramsay (anciently Poolwall) in the 

 Garioch, became life-renter of that property, and by 



