The chiefs of Grant - Electric Scotland

1773.] HIS maui;ia(;e with maiuo.v daluvmi'I.i:. 395
estates, caused an irritation of feclini; between Sir James Cli'ant and liis son,
wliich did not so readily ]iass away. The influeiiee of Sir ITcw Dalryinjile,
and, it may be, of other friends with moi'o /.eal than discretion, ]ierhapR
tended to fof^ter this fcehnij;. Lord Lovat, throu;^li his 'nirriai- with
]\rari::iret Ch-.iiit, sister of Sir James, and aunt of Lu(h;)\ ; ic Gv: 't, was
closely coinieeted with the print i->;d ])art:rs, and, to do snu ji; :
ice,
he
appi :irs to have succeeded in acting the part of ])eacemaker. lie made
himself very l)usy in the matter, and his picture of the situation is
gra]ihic. Tlie remarkable candour which he displavs in giving advice all
round, ;ind " very freely," according to his wont, is well shown in his letters
on the subject. Writing to Sir James Grant from Edinbtug'h, on 20th
Jainiary 1728, Lord Lovat, amid allusions to his own affairs, says, "1 heard
a litle when I came here of your son Louis going to Ihiseduii [Rossdhu],
and I was angry at it. I spoke to Louis, and I really hnd him mightily
griev'd that you should be offended at him, and I iind if he was left to
himself he would obey you implicitly ; but he is trtily now undei' tutory,
and is in some measur oblidg'd to take and follow the advice of those in
whose hands he is, while he is imediatly iii them. I understood . . .
that things are gone a great deal further, and that ther was danger of
coming to an open rupture, upon which I took the freedom to speak to the
President and to Louis last niglit, and I told them my mind very freely."
His advice to the President was, not to do what he might afterwards
refjret, if Ludovick came to be Laird of Grant, as the family of Grant should
not be injured for the family of Luss. Li this the President acquiesced,
" I beg that you consider how every Avay hurt-
and Loi'd Lov:it proceeds : —
full it will be that you should come to a ruptui'e with ytiur son and his new
allyes. ... I would let afiaires layby till you come down, and than choose
your arl)iters, if you cannot agree without them. I do assur you that
Louis will do anything in his power to please you, and as you have been
allways the most tender and aifectionat father on earth, I beg you forgive
Louis any wrong steps that you think he lies taken, sine they are not
properly his own, and whatever comes of it, for Christ's sake shun a
rujuiu'.
' Vol. ii. of this work, pp. 2113, 204.