318 HISTORY OF THE OUTER HEBRIDES. 



of which his son, Lord Maltravers, had from the first been 

 an active member. A ship, laden with a cargo of herrings, 

 and a fishing buss, both belonging to the Association, were 

 riding at anchor in Stornoway Harbour when a storm arose 

 which drove them ashore ; but no damage was done or 

 loss sustained. Lindsey appeared upon the scene with 

 a body of armed followers, and pretending to be the 

 representative of the deputy of Lord Linlithgow, Vice- 

 Admiral of Scotland, seized the ship and her cargo, and 

 the buss. The Englishmen produced their certificates 

 from the Council of the Fishing Corporation, and protested 

 against the seizure as illegal. Lindsey, who was unable 

 to show any written authority for his action, treated the 

 certificates of the Englishmen with contempt. Repeating 

 his statement that King Charles had nothing to do with 

 Lewis, he threatened to be the death of every Englishman 

 in the island.* 



The example of Lindsey was contagious. The natives 

 now began to treat the strangers in a high-handed fashion. 

 A number of them, fully armed, and drawn apparently 

 from all parts of the Long Island, surrounded the English- 

 men's busses while engaged in loch fishing, boarded the 

 boats and carried away their kettles and provisions, alleging 

 that they did so in payment of the dues to which their 

 chiefs were entitled.* 



These proceedings resulted in a strong complaint being 

 forwarded to the Council of the Corporation by their 

 representatives in Lewis. The latter besought their 

 directors to request the Privy Council of Scotland to take 

 cognisance of the matter, so that the cargo of herrings 

 seized by Lindsey might be returned to them, and he 

 himself punished for his share in the transaction. It was 

 suggested, too, that the heritors should be bound by the 

 Privy Council, to restrain their tenants from committing 

 any outrage upon the petitioners' fishermen, busses, or 

 nets, and from disturbing the fishing on account of pre- 



* Cal. of State Papers (1635), pp. 130-2. 



