TRADE AND COMMERCE. 535 



(1$ 6s. 8d. Scots). An interesting item is, "Watching 

 the water of Creed " (about 93.), which shows that salmon 

 poaching in Lewis is not of recent date ; the product of 

 the Creed, it may be added, was a barrel and a half of 

 salmon. Another instructive item is that of 5 odd gallons 

 of " aquavity " (about 68s.), spent upon " butchers, coopers, 

 seamen, and our workmen," from 1st September, 171 5> till 

 March, 1716.* "Refreshers" to workmen were obviously 

 of common practice, and whiskey was relatively an expen- 

 sive luxury. 



It will be seen from these figures, that the money rent 

 was little more than half the total revenue. The produce 

 received as rent, was shipped from Stornoway, chiefly to 

 Leith, where it was sold. If the net result of the year in 

 question may be taken as a criterion, Lewis cannot have 

 been a profitable property to the Seaforths at the beginning 

 of the eighteenth century. The poverty of the people is 

 confirmed by a letter from Zachary Macaulay in 1721, 

 which, in view of the general information it affords, is here 

 given in full. The addressees, William Ross of Easterfearn 

 and Robert Ross of Tain, were the two stewards acting for 

 the Commissioners of Forfeited Estates, who were subse- 

 quently outwitted and beaten back by Donald Murchison, 

 young Easterfearn being mortally wounded in the skirmish 

 which took place. 



"Stornova, February 22nd, 1721. 



" GENTLEMEN, Yours of the i6th January receaved upon the eight 

 of February. It's not practicable to conveen the tennents of the 

 Lewes att such a season as this : but I shall take care that the con- 

 tents of your letter be communicated to them all att their respective 

 duellings. I beleive yee know without my information that my Lady 

 Dowager of Seafort meddled with cropt one thousand seven hundred 

 and fifteen, and Collonel Alexander McKenzie with cropts one 

 thousand seven hundered and sixteen seventeen eighteen and nineteen 

 either by himself or his doers. 



" For the ordinary method of payment of the Lewes rents please 

 know that the rental consists of four branches (whatever mistake 

 Glenkindy might have been in) viz., money meal butter and mutton. 



* Seaforth MSS. in Brit. Mus. 



