THE ISLE OF SKYE IN 1882. 15 



those matters of which they complain, and to demand of 

 their territorial superiors to restore to them lands which at 

 one time were occupied by themselves and their ancestors, 

 to lessen, if not to remove, what they regard as the severity 

 of the factor's yoke, and generally to place them in that 

 position of independence and security to which they con- 

 sider they are fairly and justly entitled. The functions per- 

 formed by the factor of Glendale are exceedingly varied in 

 their character. He is, they say, as a rule, sole judge of 

 any little dispute that may arise between the crofters. He 

 decides these disputes according to his own notions of right 

 or wrong, and if anyone is dissatisfied a not uncommon 

 occurrence even among litigants before the Supreme Courts 

 the dissatisfied one dare not carry the matter to the 

 regularly constituted tribunals of the land. To impugn the 

 judgment of the factor by such conduct might entail more 

 serious consequences than any one would be disposed to 

 incur, and, further, the extraordinary and mistaken notion 

 appears to have prevailed that if any one brought a case 

 before the Sheriff Court the factor's letter would be there 

 before him to nonsuit him. This factorial mode of adminis- 

 trating the law is probably a vestige that still lingers in 

 isolated districts of the ancient heritable jurisdiction of 

 Scotland ; and it is only right to state that Glendale is not 

 the only place in the Highlands where the laird or the 

 factor have been wont to administer the law. Among the 

 privileges which the Glendale people formerly possessed 

 was the right to collect and get the salvage for timber 

 drifted from wrecks to the shore. Of this privilege it was 

 resolved to deprive them, as may be seen from the following 

 written notice which was posted up at the local post-office, 

 the most public part of the district : 



Notice. Whereas parties are in the habit of trespassing" on the 



