370 HISTORY OF THE OUTER HEBRIDES. 



law or court-martial, to Neil Macleod of Assynt, for such 

 damage as he had suffered by them ; unless they could 

 show that Assynt sent supplies to the enemy, in which 

 case he was to have no reparation. 



(9.) The articles of the treaty to be ratified by the 

 Protector or Parliament, and delivered to the Earl within 

 two months.* 



The treaty was signed by Monck, and, on behalf of 

 Seaforth, by Sir Thomas Mackenzie of Pluscardine. The 

 clause which mentions Neil Macleod, relates to the depre- 

 dation committed by the Mackenzies, in the previous year, 

 on his estate. The feud between the Seaforths and Neil 

 is a long story, which need not be told here. It has been 

 shown how the Macleods of Lewis became possessed of 

 Assynt, and through them, the estate passed, early in the 

 fifteenth century, to Tormod, second son of Roderick 

 Macleod, who thus became the founder of the Assynt 

 branch of the Siol Torquil. After the Mackenzies had 

 obtained possession of Lewis, they sought means to enforce 

 their claims to the superiority of Assynt, the lands and 

 barony of which had been included in the barony of Lewis. 

 It is not proposed to enter here into the merits of the 

 dispute, nor of the persecution which Neil Macleod suffered 

 at the hands of his powerful opponents, particulars of 

 which are given in Mr. Alexander Mackenzie's histories of 

 both clans. Suffice it to say, that Neil was bested by the 

 Seaforths, not only in the field, but in the Courts of Law ; 

 his charter-chest was conveyed to Brahan Castle ; the Clan 

 Kenneth obtained the legal rights to, and the actual pos- 

 session of, Assynt ; and all the efforts made by Neil and 

 his friends failed to oust them. The prejudice existing 

 against Macleod, owing to his supposed complicity in the 

 delivery of Montrose, operated adversely against him 



The negotiations between Middleton and Monck again 

 fell through, and the Royalist General remained irreconcil- 

 able, until his departure from Scotland in 1655. Macleod 



* Scott Hist. Soc., Vol. XXXI., pp. 234-7. 



