INTRODUCTION. xlix 



to say that I not only disapproved of Dr. Cameron's statement, as 

 quoted by Macleod, but that a few days after it was made, I publicly 

 said so in presence of one of the Royal Commissioners, Sir Kenneth S. 

 Mackenzie of Gairloch, Baronet, who, on the occasion, presided at the 

 annual dinner of the Gaelic Society of Inverness, when I had the honour 

 of occupying the opposite end of the table. I then pointed out the mis- 

 chief that such crude and inaccurate statements were likely to lead to, 

 and stated that most Highland proprietors held charters for the last four 

 or five hundred years, as I myself had shown in my histories of the 

 Macdonalds and Mackenzies, and, more recently, in my "History of the 

 Camerons," now passing through the Celtic Magazine, 



It is quite possible that what I did say regarding the rights of land- 

 lords and tenants to the land would not be of sufficient interest to the 

 general public to justify me in asking you to publish it. I may, how- 

 ever, be permitted to state that I hold the rights of the landlords to be 

 legally unassailable, and that I said so in Skye and elsewhere, as well as 

 that I would not, even in the public interest, deprive them of a sixpence 

 worth without full compensation for the agricultural value of their estates. 

 I, however, hold very decided views as to the natural rights of the people 

 to live in their native land as against the legal rights of the landlords to 

 evict them. I have openly given expression to these views, and I shall 

 not rest satisfied until the legal rights of the landlords are brought into 

 harmony with the natural rights of the people by Act of Parliament. I 

 shall soon have an opportunity of stating more fully, before the Royal 

 Commission, what my views on that most important subject are ; mean- 

 while I trust that you will insert this in your next issue. I am, &c., 



ALEX. MACKENZIE. 



P. S. When men in Macleod of Macleod's position make such reck- 

 less and unfounded statements in your columns, people should hesitate 

 before charging the less-favoured crofters with wilful misrepresentation 

 in detailing their grievances to the Queen's representatives. They 

 cannot all, like me, call a Royal Commissioner to their aid to rebut 

 the baseless charges made against them. A. M. 



I am not, however, without hopes as to the future of the 

 Scotsman on the Crofter question. As soon as he finds that 

 his ravings are ignored by the Liberal Government of the 

 day, so soon the Scotsman will ponderously support the 

 Government and turn his back upon himself, as he has done 

 in the past, with scarcely an exception, in similar circum- 



