344 HISTORY OF THE OUTER HEBRIDES. 



and Lilburn at once ordered Lieutenant-Colonel Blount 

 to seize the Tutor of Seaforth (Mackenzie of Pluscardine) 

 and as many others of the leading Mackenzies in the 

 neighbourhood of Inverness as he could get secure. In 

 reporting these occurrences to Cromwell, on i8th June, 

 Lilburn suggested that Colonels Fitch and Cooper be im- 

 mediately sent to Lewis with two men-of-war. " I doubt 

 nott," he adds, "but what wee may bee able to doe 

 uppon that island will soe startle the whole Highlands 

 and islands that wee shall nott bee much troubled with 

 them in such like cases heereafter. Undoubtedly, to make 

 the Lord Seaford and his island (called the Lewes) ex- 

 emplary will bee a very great advantage to the peace of 

 this nation." Three days later, Lilburn reported to Crom- 

 well that the Tutor of Seaforth and some of the other 

 chiefs of the clan had been seized as hostages, including 

 Sir John Mackenzie of Tarbat. He suggested that this 

 step be followed by more drastic measures, comprising 

 the sequestration of Seaforth's estates, the seizure of Lewis, 

 " which is very considerable, and would be of great ad- 

 vantage to our nation," and the garrisoning of Stornoway 

 Castle to strike terror into the neighbouring islands.* 



On hearing that his kinsmen had been arrested and 

 imprisoned, Seaforth wrote an indignant letter to Blount, 

 their captor, stating that before receiving the news, he had 

 decided to release the men of the Fortune. He was not 

 to be intimidated by the measures which had been taken : 

 not " one haire of their head " would he release on that 

 account* 



Meanwhile, Lilburn had received Cromwell's commands 

 to reduce Lewis, with which he was eager to comply, con- 

 ceiving it to be " a great opportunity " to punish Seaforth, 

 from whom he had heard nothing about the men of the 

 Fortune. The Earl received early intelligence of the pre- 

 parations for his destruction, and immediately took counsel 

 with his friends how to avert the storm. He was determined 



* Scott. Hist. Soc., Vol. XVIII., pp. 148-9. Idem., pp. 151-2. 



