Download Volume 12 here

Unpublished Letters of Simon 12ti] Lord Louat. 371
tuleg, to solicite for him, who engaged me to do the same by
htters. But all we would do in the nffaiv was to no purpose. At
last the mad lad having persuaded his friends in Strathorrick that
he had engaged the girl's affections, and that it was only owing to
her mother and brother that she did not declare for him, he prevailed,
with all the gentlemen of F'oyers' Family, to undertake the
carrying her off from her mother's house, and which, accordingly,
he and they execute about 8 o'clock on Saturday night in a forcible
and desperate way, against the girl's own will, and carry'd her to
Stratherrick, where, in spite of all that can be done, they still detain
her, in oi-der to force her to marry this fellow. Upon my having
notice of it from Inverness on Sunday night, and that it was done
so barbarously, against the girl's consent, I sent my Chamberlain
to .Inverness on IMonday morning with letters to some of the
Magistrates and my friends in town to have their advice what I
would do in the matter, but before he reached Inverness I had a
most clamorous letter fiom the Magistrates, who have taken this
as a most terrible insult upon them and their Borrough, informing
me of the whole affair, and begging a warrand and orders to
rescue the girl from the hands of these People. This request I
immediately granted, and sent my Secretary by three o'clock to
Inverness Tuesday morning to wait on the Magistrates, and show
them my written orders and warrand to Balnain and Belloan for
sending l)ack the girl to Inverness, which he accordingly did, and
then delivered the same to Belloan who svas at Inverness, and
went straight to Stratherrick to put it in execution. I at same
(time) sent a double of this order by express to Gortuleg, who is
in Badenoch, and dispatched a trusty Domestick to Stratherrick
with a general order to all the gentlemen of the County to
concur and exert themselves in bringing back the girl to Inver-
ness, and have last night sent the same secret C?) oi'ders again to
them for this purpose. But all this had no efl'ect, so mad and infatuate
are all those that have dypt in this cursed afiair that I am
just now informed by express that they have carry'd the girl to
Fort-Agustus to have the marriage compleated there by the Chaplain
of the Regiment in that place, so that in spite of all that T can
do without making my Clan enter in blood among themselves,
these unhappy gentlemen have ruined themselves inevitably, for
that little insolent upstart the Provost of Inverness, who would
wish to see me and all my j)eople at the Devill, will prosecute
every man for their lives that have been active in this desperate
affair, and all my enemies in Inverness and elsewhere will be fond
to support him in it, and endeavour to give hurtful impressions of