292 HISTORY OF THE OUTER HEBRIDES. 



North Isles at Inverness. In March, 1634, a commission 

 was granted to George, second Earl of Seaforth, to proceed 

 against the disorderly and "broken" Islesmen who were in 

 the habit of raiding Ross; but in July of the same year, this 

 authority was delegated to Lord Lome, who evidently 

 feared that his rights would be infringed.* And in 1641, 

 Lord Lome (then the Marquis of Argyll) lodged a formal 

 protest in Parliament against any infringement of his justi- 

 ciary privileges, by reason of the infeftment of Seaforth in 

 the Island of Lewis/f The emoluments, as well as the 

 influence, flowing from the justiciaryship were not in- 

 considerable, and the tenacity with which the Campbells 

 clung to the office is intelligible. In addition to the 

 sovereign power which the office conveyed to its holder, 

 half the amount of fines and escheats of the Court went 

 to the Justiciary, and in the state of society which then 

 existed in the Isles, that represented an important source 

 of revenue. 



While the Earl of Seaforth was engaged in checkmating 

 the House of Argyll, he was also busily employed in laying 

 plans for developing the resources of Lewis. The first hint 

 we have of these projects is contained in the petition of 

 James Galloway, Master of Requests, and Nathaniel 

 Udward of Leith, in August, 1627, relative to a patent for 

 casting iron, ordnance, and shot. The petitioners had 

 secured their patent from the King, with a promise of an 

 advance of 2,000 sterling for the prosecution of the work ; 

 but the money not having been paid, they had entered into 

 partnership with Seaforth, who proposed to start ironworks 

 on his estate for carrying out the objects of the patent. 

 It was now desired that no payments of any kind should 

 be exacted by the Crown for the space of five years, the 

 patentees thereafter, during the life of the patent, to pay 

 the King the sum of 200 sterling per annum, the exemp- 

 tion being claimed on the ground that the ordnance to be 



* Hist. MSS. Com., Report IV., pp. 486-7 ; App. to Report VI., pp. 624-5. 

 f The Earl of Sutherland also protested, probably in connexion with the 

 superiority of Assynt. 



