106 THE HIGHLAND CLEARANCES. 



to discuss, whether the Crown of Scotland conferred on the chieftains by 

 their charters the right of wholesale clearances and forcible banishment 

 of the people from their native country ; and when their military service 

 was commuted into rent charges, if it extended to the landlord the right 

 to make it so oppressive that they could not live without appealing to the 

 public bounty for charity. But I fear it is now too late to expect the 

 High Court of Scotland to remedy the evil, and that we must look to 

 some other Court for redress. 



It is in the hope that such a Court of equity may be established for 

 Scotland as regards land and the well-being of the people, that I ventured 

 to offer my assistance, and I thought that Lord Macdonald and his 

 advisers would be glad to make it the means of getting out of a difficulty, 

 and quashing a case that has become a public scandal, instead of standing 

 on ceremony. I am, sir, faithfully yours, 



(Signed) MAL. MACKENZIE. 



No further reply was received from Lord Macdonald or 

 his agents to Mr. Mackenzie's munificent offer, the accepting 

 of it being understood by them as equivalent to giving up the 

 grazings in question to the people, without any rent what- 

 ever, the only proceedings then current against them being 

 the Note of Suspension and Interdict to remove and keep 

 their stock off Benlee. They quite understood that, if these 

 proceedings were withdrawn, as conditioned in Mr. Mac- 

 kenzie's offer, the Braes Crofters would have the grazings in 

 dispute on their own terms, until some settlement was arrived 

 at between them and Lord Macdonald; and rather than agree 

 to this, his Lordship, if the crown authorities had been pliant 

 enough, would have chosen to see them slaughtered by a 

 military force. Better counsels have fortunately prevailed, 

 and his Lordship was saved by others from making his 

 name for ever infamous among the Highlanders, especially 

 among his own clansmen, and this although it was only 

 through the strong arms and trusty blades of their forbears 

 that his ancestors were able to leave him an inch of his vast 

 estates ! 



