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256 THE CELTIC MAGAZINE.numbers.Strutlinaver alone supplied to the fonner, in 1793, 121 AVilliaui]\lackays, and in the Eeay Fencibles of 1795-1802, 800 strong— two-thirdswere i\Iackays, of whom a great part were Ahairidi. The talented editorof Rub Dunn's Poems says of tliem, " Uia dream araidh do chhmn MhicAnidli dluin leas sloinncadh. Ahracli, cliionn gar ami an Luch-ahalr adhUiraichcadh an Ceann tighe o shean, ugus gur beau a mhninnfir na iirsill hu mliathair dha, hu daoine ro Jhiiighanta, ro uiuvioil lad, 's a cliinneadh,fho.da sa hha feum agits meas air daoine uaisle, 's air gaisgicJt."From this worthy stock, of Avhom not a remnant is now left in the land oftheir forefixthers, Avas descended a worthy son who was the means of doingaway with the unfeeling custom of the UucJi iirsaiDi in the Keay country, andgave the deatli-blow to the iiefarious practice. Towards tlie end of theseventeenth century the youngest son of the Abaireach chieftain, namedJohn, went into the army, and served imder his ftimous clansman, GeneralHugh Mackay, at home and abroad. When he returned to his nativeStrathnaver, after the lapse of many years, ho found all his father's familyhad in the meantime deceased, except a brother, who liad become wadsetteror tacksman of Holmdarrie, better known as Fear Holmdarrie,Avho, it would appear, was a ditferent dispositioned man from his youngerbrotlier John, and thought it still cpiite right and proper to observe and toexact an ancient custom.John's return to his native Strath, and the scenes of his youth was in thesummer time. He met his elder brother. Fear Holmdarrie, in the fields atsome distance from his house. Tlie usual kindly and aftectionate greetingsof brothers long parted being over, they strolled together round the townsliip.At that season of the year all cattle were sent oft" to the hill pastures,but on nearing tlie house John, rather surprised at seeing a horseor two, and two or three head of cattle in a small fold, the former neighing,the latter lowing, enquired of his brother the reason of the animalsbeing kept in confinement. Fear Holmdarrie, with some hesitation, repliedthat they were the Each iirsann. A dluune gun Dia (thou godlessman) said John, " hast thou again revived that accursed custom, Avould itnot be more Christian -like to give the widow and filth erless a horse, or acow if thou couldst spare it rather than deprive them of their—most likely— all and only earthly stay 1 Eeturn them ! return them ! otherwise I siiallnever bend my head under the lintel of thy house door." Tliis adjurationhad the desired effect. Immediate orders were given for the cattle tobe returned to their respective owners, and so ended one %infeeHng, onejyerniciotis " feudal custom " in Sutherlandshire.This brave soldier and humane gentleman, direct descendant of tliointrepid Abrach chieftain, afterwards settled in the upper parts of Strathnavercalled Mudale (Jluthadal), where he survived to an extreme old age," surpassing many in the greatness of fame." He composed many moraland sacred liymns, known in the district as Eiridinn Iain Mhic RaiheartMliic Neill, a term very familiar to my ears forty years ago, though Icannot remember having heard them repeated. It is, liowever, said thatsome of these hymns were published in Inverness twenty years ago, in asmall volume, entitled "Metrical Eeli(pies of the 'jMen' iu the Highlands,or Sacred Poetry of the Korth."