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Unpublished Letters of Simon 12th Lord Lovat. 373
inclined, or will do, as I give a demonstration of in ilie inclosed
letter to your uncle. Glenmoriston should remember that if it was
not for my person allenarly [alone], he would not have hud a vote
this day for Glenmoriston, nor would he have had the Superiority
one fur [furrow] of it, Hbr when Grant was buying the estate
in the Exchequer, he told the Glenmoriston's brother, who is dead,
he must get the Superiority of all Glenmoriston to himself;
as Glenmoriston desired me to attend him to the Exchequer,
to assist him in his affairs and circumstances, upon Grant's
desiring his whole superiority, I told him that it was a most tyrannick
demand, and that I would by no means allow of it, that Glen-
moriston was my near Relation by your family, and since he desired
to stand by him I would by no means see him wronged, and
I if he did not leave him the supo'iority of his estate, I would over-
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him in the Exchequer, and buy Glenmoriston Estate and give it
to himself. When he found that I was angry and in earnest,
told me that he would give the superiority of that estate with
the property to Glenmoriston, but that he hoped that if the estate
could make two votes that he would get one of them. I told him
that Glenmoi'iston might do that as he thought fit. The late
Glenmoriston was so sensible of this that he swore that he would
stand by me against all the Grants on earth, and this Glenmoriston
knows, that I always used him as an affectionate cousine, and
never refused to do him any service that he asked of me, and if
he now follows your advice and your uncle's, I will certainly be
his steadfast friend while I live, and I humbly think that at any
time I can be more useful to him, to all intents and purposes,
than the Laird of Grant.
"My dear Cousine, you see how much I am concerned in
affiiir, so I earnestly entreat that, with the same ardour that
I love your person, family and concerns, you may work for me to
gain this point, that my honour and interest are so much engaged
and it will be such a singular mark of affectionate friendship
as I never will forget while there is breath in me, ffor though I
would do for M'Leod much as for my Brother or son, yet in this
election I am in a particular manner concerned myself, and my
and kindred. If we gain it, and beat the Grants, my
gets honour and reputation by it, but if they beat us they
triumph, and both I and my interest in this shire will be
despicable in the south, and by the great men I have
joined myself to. I can say no stronger thinjcs to you, my dear
Cousine, so I conclude with trusting to your friendship, which I
am very sure is sincere towards me."