EMIGRATION AND ITS CAUSES. 483 



value of kelp, put an effective stop to emigration from the 

 Long Island, both to America and Glasgow. Elsewhere, 

 we shall notice the circumstances of its renewal in the 

 nineteenth century. 



When the American War broke out, the Government 

 realised the force of Lord Chatham's eloquent eulogy on 

 the Highland regiments, when he boasted, in 1766, of 

 having found in the North, and drawn into the service 

 of the Crown for service abroad, a race of men who had 

 conquered for Britain in every quarter of the world. It was 

 intolerable that the Mother Country should be denuded 

 of such splendid fighting material, and that the rebellious 

 colonies should, perhaps, absorb it. A counter-attraction 

 was imperatively demanded, for diverting the flow of 

 emigration into a channel which would be of service to 

 the State, and contribute directly to, instead of impairing, 

 its strength. How was this end to be attained? The 

 obvious answer was, by raising additional Highland regi- 

 ments. And to these regiments, the Long Island con- 

 tributed its quota. 



In 1777, Alexander, first Lord Macdonald of the Isles, 

 the second son of Sir Alexander Macdonald of the " forty- 

 five " (and the brother and successor of the celebrated Sir 

 James Macdonald, " the Scottish Marcellus," who died in 

 1766), was granted letters of service to raise a regiment 

 in the Highlands and Isles. He declined the command, 

 but exerted his influence in the formation of the regiment 

 which was known as Macdonald's Highlanders, or the 

 Old 76th. The regiment was disbanded in 1784 after 

 useful service in America. In 1778, Lord Seaforth em- 

 bodied the 78th (afterwards the 72nd) Regiment, which 

 now figures as the 1st battalion of the Seaforth High- 

 landers. The Earl raised 1,130 men, of whom about 900 

 were Highlanders, 500 being from the Seaforth estates, 

 and the remainder from the estates of Scatwell, Kilcoy, 

 Applecross, and Redcastle. Seaforth himself was ap- 

 pointed Lieutenant-Colonel, and in the month of August, 

 the regiment marched to Leith under orders for the East 



