THE RISING OF 1715. 405 



Inverness, was severely taxed by their demeanour. While 

 not daring to resist Cadogan openly, the Mackenzies com- 

 plied in a very leisurely fashion with his orders to deliver 

 up their arms. Irritated by their attitude, Cadogan at 

 length informed the Countess Dowager of Seaforth, who, in 

 her son's absence, managed the affairs of the estates, that 

 unless all arms were given up at Brahan and Coul by a 

 certain date, the agencies of fire and sword would be 

 employed to punish her stubborn tenantry. According to 

 Lord Lovat, who wrote the Countess on the same subject, 

 Cadogan intended to ravage the whole of the Seaforth 

 country, and to send ships to Lewis to " destroy " it. 

 These threats alarmed the Countess, materially accelerated 

 the surrender of arms, and put a stop to what Cadogan 

 termed " trifling and amusing the Government," which, he 

 added, "will be more resented in London than open 

 resistance." The General congratulated the Countess on 

 the success of her efforts, being persuaded that " very near 

 all my Lord Seafort's people have come in, and that it is 

 principally owing to the good advice your Ladyship gave 

 them.."* 



Seaforth's warlike aspirations left both himself and his 

 people in a sorry plight. In April, 1716, the Countess 

 Dowager declared to Cadogan that " the tenants and 

 country are now so impoverished that I can expect nothing 

 from them." Zachary Macaulay, Donald Cam's great- 

 grandson, who was then Chamberlain of Lewis, writing, a 

 year later, to Colonel Alexander Mackenzie, Seaforth's 

 uncle, told him that the people in Lewis were in a 

 deplorable condition. The Countess Dowager, for account 

 of the Seaforth estates, entered into an agreement with 

 Colonel Mackenzie in January, 1717, in terms of which, 

 the Countess was to give the Colonel as the curator of 

 Kenneth Mackenzie of Assynt orders on her agents in 

 Lewis and Leith to pay him the rents of the island, not a 

 fifth of which was obtainable ; also the profits derived from 



* Seaforth MSS. in Brit. Mus. 



