Appendix A. XXIV

STATEMENT by DONALD MACDONALD, Tormore, late Factor on the Estates of Macdonald, Glendale, etc., Isle of Skye.

I venture to submit the following remarks bearing on evidence already given before the Commission by myself and others, and also on the object of the Commission generally, in the belief that the Commissioners may not be indisposed to afford me now the opportunity (which I had not at the time) of answering statements affecting me made by others, and supplementing and explaining statements made by myself.

The evidence is referred to as reported in the Inverness Courier of 19th May as regards the diet at Isle Oronaay, and in the -Scotsman of 16th and 25th May as regards those at Dunvegan and Portree respectively.

I.—CARRADALE CLEARANCE.
Alexander M'Gillivray, representing the tenants of Aird, stated that Carradale, now in the occupancy of Tormore, was taken from the people. Carradale ia a miserable pendicle of land (formerly a part of the farm of Aird), and my having to add it to my own possession, was in a manner forced on me, as I was unable to induce the tenants of Aird to consent to it being reunited to their farm. Some time before this took place, two of the crofters, at their own urgent request, got larger and better crofts which became vacant elsewhere. A fourth was not a resident crofter, but was merely keeping the lot on, temporarily, at my request. Three of the remaining four were constantly complaining of the want of a road (the nearest being four miles from them), and want of a school, and they were urgently desirous of being transferred to some more suitable location. To get supplies they had to go by boat at least ten miles round one of the most dangerous headlands in Skye. The last and only tenant who would have remained, was a man whose family had all left him except one daughter, married to a man from Lewis, who, with his wife and family, had, contrary to the estate rules, settled on the croft.

II.—INGOING TENANTS PAYING THE ARREARS OF OUTGOING TENANTS.
Donald Beaton, Ferrindonald, stated "that on entering his croft at Carradale, it was made a condition that he should pay £16 of his predecessor's arrears; he had paid £14 and had £2 yet to pay." This is quite incorrect, as will appear from annexed excerpt from rent ledger (Appendix No. 1). The balance of £4/14/8 standing against the outgoing tenant Widow M'Leod, was fully covered by outgoing valuations into which Beaton, the incoming tenant, was assigned, and of which he got the benefit,—the £14 which he says he paid as arrears, being really the rents for seven years of his own possession at £2 per annum. I also annex copy letter dated 18th May 1883, addressed by Widow M'Leod to the Scotsman, and of my letter to her in 1875, therein referred to, showing that she left no arrear (Appendix No. 2). Again, at Dunvegan (15th May 1883), John M'Sween, crofter, Skinidin, says that arrears of rent due by his deceased brother at Ramasaig were laid upon him. I send herewith more, copy account from rent ledger (Appendix No. 3), which disproves this,— and the receipts in the possession of the parties tally therewith. This account shows that in 1872 the arrears, amounting to £30, were struck off as irrecoverable. This man also stated that I had said to him that he would get a new lot at Skinidin if he gave up his sheep stock to me, and that I got his sheep. This is untrue. M'Sween's share of the sheep stock at Ramasaig, valued at about £20, were certainly delivered over to the proprietor on M'Sween's removal to Skinidin; but McSween was paid the full value of them.Generally, I may observe that on the Macdonald estates (and I believe on most other estates), the rule is that where the outgoing tenant leaves arrears, the same are payable out of the valuations due to him by the incoming tenant. If there be any hardship in this, it is certainly not the latter who has cause of complaint. If he required it, he got plenty of time to pay, and I know of only one single case during my tenure of office in which an incoming tenant paid as arrears more than he got value for, and in that case it waa a mere trifle voluntarily paid.

III.—ALLEGED EVICTION OF DONALD M'lNNES.
Donald Mcinnes, crofter, Duisdale, said "he had been removed twice,— first from Boreraig to Drumfearn, and then from Drumfearn to Duisdale. I have made careful inquiry about this, and I am credibly informed that this man never had land either at Boreraig or at Drumfearn. It is within my own personal knowledge that for the past thirty years (during which period he was employed as a herd by the Duisdale crofters), he had no land anywhere, until I recently gave him a croft taken off the farm of Knock, which certainly has not been under small tenants since this man was born,—seventy-five yeara ago. Having been always on very good terms with this old man,—indeed having assisted him in stocking his recently acquired croft,—I had some friendly conversation with him about the seemingly extraordinary evidence which he had given, when he stated that he did not know exactly what he was saying,—that " words had been put into his mouth,"—and that he was now sorry for what he had said. The mode in which evidence of this kind has been concocted and presented to the Commissioners, must now have become so patent to them, that I need make no further reference to it,—but I may here take the opportunity of saying once for all, that had the evidence been taken upon oath, few, if any, of such stories (at least so far as regards Skye) would have been told to the Commission,—and further, I may state my conviction that the so-called delegates, in giving the evidence which they did against my management of the estates under my charge, and against myself personally, were simply the mouthpieces of Messrs. Murdoch, M'Hugh, and others, who went before to prepare the way. The Commissioners have already had some evidence of the contrary feeling which generally prevails among the tenantry with whom I was connected; and ample confirmation of this could be furnished if necessary. Reference being made above to the farm of Knock, I may here mention, as evidencing the desire of the proprietor to accommodate small tenants, that a large portion of good land was cut off this farm on its falling out of lease, and divided amongst crofters at a considerably less rent than had been paid for it by the large farmer; and at my own personal risk, I became security for an advance of money to four tenants who built substantial slated houses on this new township. A portion of the very more best land on this farm was also, at the urgent solicitation of the Rev. Mr. Graham, taken off and allotted to him on my recommendation, at a rent considerably under what could have been got from another tenant,—and this makes the strong animus which Mr. Graham displayed against me when giving his evidence all the more unaccountable.

IV . — MY ALLEGED CONNECTION WITH THE FIRM OF NEIL KENNEDY & Co., ISLE ORNSAY.
I should imagine that the Commissioners are now satisfied on the 17th May 1883, assurances of Mr. Kennedy and myself alone, that I am not, and never and at Portree, was, interested in the business carried on by Mr. Kennedy. I certainly was partly the cause of bringing Mr. Kennedy to Isle Ornsay, as he was in my opinion a suitable person to carry on such a business, and was prepared to give a better rent than the former tenant, who was vexatiously delaying to come to a point about a new lease, and was evidently desirous of dictating his own terms. As already explained, I certainly did assist Mr. Kennedy to take over the business, and I did so solely because I considered it for the interest of my constituent and the crofters of that district of Skye, that Mr. Kennedy should become tenant. Two items of evidence have been brought against me in this matter :—
(1) It was stated that I had caused notices to be posted up at Ardvassar, Isle Ornsay, and other places on the Macdonald property, to the effect either that any tenant who should deal at any shop except that at Isle Ornsay would be muleted in an additional rent of £2 by way of penalty, or that any tenant opening another shop on the Macdonald estate would be muleted in a similar penalty. I stated at Isle Ornsay, and I still affirm, that if any notices in these or similar terms appeared at the places mentioned, they must have been forgeries. But having now had time to investigate the matter, I find that through an awkward mistake on the part of some subordinate officials on the Macdonald estate, copies of a notice (to which I referred in my evidence) relating exclusively to the Glendale property, on the other side of the island, had actually been posted up in the parishes of Sleat and Strath, or either of them, but were visible for a very short time, having been torn down as soon as the mistake was discovered. I have explained in my evidence at Isle Ornsay the nature of the Glendale notice, and the circumstances in which, in the opinion of the proprietor of that estate, it became necessary to issue it. Some copies of this notice had unfortunately got into the hands of the Macdonald estate ground officers, who no doubt supposed it to be their duty to post them up. It is very clear, however, that no person who read this notice with any attention (except perhaps the Rev. Finlay Graham) could possibly have imagined that it had any reference to the Macdonald estates, or to a shop monopoly either at Isle Ornsay or anywhere else.
(2) At the Portree diet a receipt was produced in the following terms :
— " 18th August 1875.—Received to account of Donald Beaton, Carradale, £2,16s to old account also £7 to the new account.—(Signed) Neil Kennedy & Co.," and this was produced with a view to show that old accounts due to me (for meal which I had supplied to the tenants at a much lower price than what was charged them by the former tenant of the Isle Ornsay shop), had been transferred to Neil Kennedy & Co. Knowing that such was not the case, I could at the time only account for the terms of this receipt by the conjecture that, as a matter of convenience, Kennedy had on my behalf accepted the payment offered of an old account due to me, and (perhaps to save a stamp) had put the two sums into one receipt. But it has since turned out that the " old account" in question was really due to Kennedy himself and he has explained this in a letter giving a copy of Beaton's account from his ledger which appeared in the Scotsman newspaper. It should be observed that this Donald Beaton is the man who stated (" erroneously " as I have already shown) that he had been made to pay arrears of rent due by a former tenant.

V.—ALLEGED INCREASE OF RENT BETWEEN TERMS.
There was produced at Portree a notice from the Macdonald estate office to a tenant, dated in October 1872, intimating an increase of rent, to take effect from the preceding Whitsunday term. As already explained in my evidence, a general rise of about 5 per cent, was agreed to by the crofters on the basis of a re-valuation made by Skye valuators, in place of the probably higher valuation that might be made by the professional land valuator from Morayshire, who was employed by the late Lord Macdonald'a Edinburgh agents to re-value all the holdings on the estate.This increase was further intimated verbally to every tenant at the Martinmas rent collection in 1871. I had to be away from home for a considerable time in the early part of 1872, and, before leaving, I instructed my clerk to give, at a sufficient interval before 1872, a written notice (in addition to the verbal notice given at the preceding Martinmas) to certain of the crofters who, in my opinion, required a special reminder. I cannot now say when these notices were actually given to the parties, or how some of them came to be dated as they were. The date must be just one of those unintentional mistakes which sometimes will happen. Looking to the fact of the verbal notice previously given, no one could have suffered any prejudice by the mistake. There was no intention that any proceedings consequent on the terms of
such notice should in any case be taken, and in point of fact no proceedings were taken. The case of a notice given in June 1876 to R. Murchison, merchant, Gedentailor, of an increase of rent as from Whitsunday in .that year (referred to at the diet at Portree, 24th May 1883), is quite a different matter. This man was teacher of a side school who opened a shop and, in connection with his dealings, made himself most obnoxious to the neighbouring crofters. The notice in question was given in their interest, and in point of fact the notice was never acted on. While on this subject, I may take the opportunity of stating, from my pretty extensive knowledge of the West Highlands and Islands, that Lord Macdonald's crofters are, taking everything into consideration, by far the easiest rented of any of their class, and that crofters' rents generally, on most if not all the estates in that district, are in almost every case at least 25 per cent, lower than those of the larger farmers on those estates, and in many cases the difference is much greater.

VI.—ALLEGATION BY NEIL SHAW, LOWERGILL, THAT HE GOT NO COMPENSATION FOR HIS HOUSES AT WAY-GOING.
I offered at the diet at Portree to produce a statement of account relating to this matter but the Commissioners declined to receive it "as it might lead into endless discussion." I now give this account (Appendix No. 4) which- shows not only that Shaw's claims were fully settled, but that I allowed him £1, 13s. 7d. out of my own pocket. It will be observed from the account that I was in advance £50 for him , for 6 months, for which no interest is charged; and I may mention, besides, that he was allowed to remain at Lowergill until he found it convenient to remove, and his cattle were there for a very considerable time after the Whitsunday term of removal. I happened to meet Shaw in Portree some days after the evidence was taken, when he said that he had no cause whatever of complaint against me, that if he had said anything of the kind it was wrong, and that he was so well off in the new possession he had got at Eyre on the Macdonald estate, that he would not return to Glendale even if he was offered to get back Lowergill free of rent.

VII.—ALLEGED CLEARANCES ON THE GLENDALE ESTATE.
A great deal has been said about the clearing of the two townships of Lowergill and Ramasaig on the Glendale estate, and, with regard to these, the carrying out of arrangements for the benefit of the tenants themselves, has been distorted so as to look like acts of oppression by the proprietor and his agents. There were six tenants on Lowergill, three of whom wished to leave and get more suitable holdings elsewhere. Two of the remaining three would have remained, but it was considered best for the interests both of the proprietor and themselves that they should remove, and they were accordingly also provided for advantageously elsewhere. As regards Ramasaig, every effort was made to continue the place in possession of small tenants. I refer to copy letter to me from the late Sir John Macleod, the proprietor, dated 15th May 1879) (Appendix No. 5). On many occasions I pressed the remaining tenants to increase their holdings (including grazings) by taking lots becoming vacant through other tenants removing of their own free will. There was no desire or intention to depopulate this place and add it to adjacent sheep farms in the proprietor's hands, until it became quite evident that owing to the impossibility of getting the vacant lots taken up, such a course was unavoidable. No tenants on any other part of the property were ever removed to make room for any of these tenants: it was only when vacancies occurred elsewhere that this arrangement was carried out; and, generally, I have to state that in no case during my management of the estate was any tenant removed to make room for another, nor, except in the single case of John Mackay, Hamenerar, was a tenant deprived of any portion of his land. The reduction of the extent of the croft in this case was justified by reasons of a most satisfactory nature. I may add that the proprietor was kept particularly informed of the full details of my management of the Glendale estate, and this remark also applies to my management of the Macdonald and Lochcarron estates. Referring further to the alleged evictions on the Glendale estate, I was very much surprised by a statement made by John M'Pherson, one of the Glendale delegates, at a meeting of Highlanders held at Fraserburgh, towards the close of this year's herring fishing there. It wilt be recollected that this man was one of the most prominent of the so-called delegates. At this meeting at Fraserburgh—according to the Inverness Courier M'Pherson said he "had seen homes burned down and their occupants burned out. In one case where an old sick woman was being carried out before her house was set on fire, the factor had the inhumanity to say, ' Let her alone, she has lived long enough already, let her burn.'" In consequence of this I wrote M'Phereon a letter, of which and of his reply I send a copy herewith (Appendix No. 6). In his reply he admits that he never saw anything of the kind either at Glendale or anywhere else, but merely read in publications by certain notorious agitators statements that such things had happened in Sutherlandshire years before he was born. I refer to this as showing the birth-place and process of development of many similar and utterly groundless stories which simple-minded but imaginative men have been induced by fomenters of discontent to
retail as their own personal experiences.

Perhaps I may be allowed to state my opinion that the condition of the Skye crofters generally has vastly improved within late years. The prices of cattle, sheep, fish, etc., have more than trebled within my own recollection, as has also the price of labour. I pay as much to my farm and other servants in Skye as I do to those on my farm in Nairnshire, and the cost of labouring an acre in Skye is much more than it is in Nairnshire. Nevertheless, this improvement might have been still greater were it not for various causes, among which I shall here mention only two—(1.) Subdivision of crofts, which, notwithstanding every measure adoptod for its prevention, has prevailed to such an extent that the population is now more than double that which can be supported with any degree of comfort upon the land suitable for the purpose; and (2.) The system of raising money on bills at exorbitant rates of interest—the discounters of these bills reaping a double profit at the expense of the unfortunate crofters—first in the shape of usurious discounts, and then by forcing them when the bills fall due, to sell their cattle at unsuitable times to the bill-holders themselves at a ruinous sacrifice. During my term of office, I did everything in my power to discourage this system, and I may safely say that had I gone into it myself, I could have covered personal losses of my own to the extent of at least £2000. I may explain that this system does not prevail to any extent on the southern part of the Macdonald estates. I am further bound to say, that long practical experience has forced me to the conclusion, that the conditions of soil and climate in Skye are most unfavourable to any more extended system of arable farming on the island. Such an attempt particularly by small tenants, even were they possessed of the requisite capital to do justice to the land, would, in my opinion, simply result in aggravating, in the course of a few years, the distress and discontent at present existing. An increased development of the fishing industry might do much to improve matters; but, on the whole, much as I would deplore the expatriation of any large body of my fellow-islesmen, I cannot refrain from stating my conscientious conviction that emigration on a pretty extensive scale, and with suitable assistance, is the only really effectual measure for improving the condition of these poor people. I regret very much the unreasoning opposition which has been manifested to this proposal, an opposition which there cannot be a shadow of doubt has been originated and is kept alive by gentlemen who should know better. I allude to certain Free Church ministers in the island, who seem in this matter to act from much the same motives as actuate the parish priests of Ireland in opposing emigration.
D. MACDONALD.
21st Nov. 1883.

I. COPY from ESTATE LEDGER of the RENT ACCOUNT of WIDOW M'LEOD and DONALD BEATON for No. 4 CARRADALE

Widow Mcleod, 4 Carradale
25 Nov 1871	To Arrear, as per state received from the exrs. of the late Mr. Mackinnon	£3/1/6
	Half year's rent due this day	£0/16/7
26 May 1872	Half year's rent due this day	£0/16/7
	By Arrear		£4/14/8
		£4/14/8	£4/14/8
Donald Beaton
	To Arrear	£4/14/8
25 Nov 1872	Half-year's rent	£1/0/0
24 Mar 1873	By Cash		£4/10/0
20 May 1873	Half-year's rent	£1/0/0
	By Arrear		£2/4/8
		£6/14/8	£6/14/8
	To Arrear	£2/4/8
25 Nov 1873	Half year's rent	£1/0/0
1 Dec 1873	By cash		£2/0/0
26 May 1874	Half year's rent	£1/0/0
	By Arrear		£2/4/8
		£4/4/8	£4/4/8
	To Arrear	£2/4/8
25 Nov 1874	Half year's rent	£1/0/0
30 Nov 1874	By Cash		£2/0/0
25 Dec 1874	1 month's rent	£0/3/4
	By Arrear		£1/8/0
		£3/8/0	£3/8/0
	To Arrear	£1/8/0
10 Apr 1875	By Cash		£1/4/8
26 May 1875	5 months' rent	£0/16/8
	By Arrear		£1/0/0
		£2/4/8	£2/4/8
	To Arrear	£1/0/0
25 Nov 1875	Half year's rent	£1/0/0
20 Dec 1875	By Cash		£2/0/0
26 May 1876	Half year's rent	£1/0/0
	By Arrear		£1/0/0
		£3/0/0	£3/0/0
	To Arrear	£2/0/0
25 Nov 1876	Half year's rent	£1/0/0
20 Dec 1876	By Cash		£2/0/0
26 May 1877	Half year's rent	£1/0/0
	By Arrear		£1/0/0
		£3/0/0	£3/0/0
	To Arrear	£1/0/0
25 Nov 1877	Half year's rent	£1/0/0
12 Dec 1877	By Cash		£2/0/0
26 May 1878	Half year's rent	£1/1/0
	By Arrear		£1/0/0
		£3/0/0	£3/0/0
	To Arrear	£1/0/0
25 Nov 1878	Half year's rent	£1/0/0
21 Dec 1878	By Cash		£2/0/0
26 May 1879	Half year's rent	£1/0/0
	By Arrear		£1/0/0
		£3/0/0	£3/0/0
	To Arrear	£1/0/0

II.—Copy of Widow M'LEOD's LETTER to Scotsman of 18th May 1883,
and of FACTOR'S LETTER therein referred to.
27 GARDNER'S CRESCENT, EDINBURGH,
18th July 1883.
SIR,—In his evidence before the Royal Commission at Isle Ornsay, Donald Beaton states that he had to pay £16 of arrears of rent due by the former tenant. As I preceded him, I may mention that there is not a word of truth in that statement, as the enclosed letter from the factor will prove. I not only paid my rent in full, but also got a sum of money from Tormore which I had expended in building a march-dyke, etc. Tormore took over my effects when I left Carradale, for which he allowed me full value.—I am, etc.,
(Signed) MARGARET M'LEOD.

(Copy of Factors Letter.)
TORMORE, BY BROADFORD, SKYE,
11th September 1875.
To Mrs. M'Leod (late of Carradale), Edinburgh.
DEAR MADAM,—I have looked over the rental of the Macdonald estates, and find that you were clear of arrears of rent when you left Carradale; and if you should at any time wish to get back possession of the lot you had there, I will arrange to let you have it.—Yours, etc.,
(Signed) D. MACDONALD.

III.—COPY from ESTATE LEDGER of the RENT ACCOUNT of J. & J. M'SWEEN
for No. 7 RAMASAIG.
Copy from Ledger Account of Lot No. 7 Ramasaig.—1860.
Ledger kept by Mr. Harry Macdonald from 1860 to 1863.

JOHN M'SWEEN, sen., and JOHN M'SWEEN, jun., 7 Ramasaig

	To Arrears from rental no 2	£20/7/10½
25 Nov 1860	To Half year's rent	£5/5/0
	To Poor rates to Mart.	£0/4/4½
	To Public burdens 1/0; peat money 2/6	£0/4/3
11 Dec 1860	By Cash from John McSween senior, to account of arrears		£6/0/0
	By Cash from John McSween junior, to account of arrears		£5/0/0
26 May 1861	To Half year's rent	£5/5/0
	To Poor rates to Whitsunday	£0/5/3
	By Balance		£20/11/9
		£31/11/9	£31/11/9
	To Balance	£20/11/9
25 Nov 1861	To Half year's rent	£5/5/0
	To Poor rates to Mart.	£0/4/4½
	To Public burdens 1/9; peat money 2/6	£0/4/3
5 Dec 1861	By Cash to account of arrears		£7/0/0
	By Cash to account of arrears		£4/0/0
26 May 1862	To half year's rent	£5/5/0
	To Poor rates	£0/5/3
	By Balance		£20/15/7½
		£31/15/7½	£31/15/7½
	To Balance	£20/15/7½
25 Nov 1862	To Half year's rent	£5/5/0
	To Poor rates	£0/5/3
	To Public burdens 1/9; peat money 2/6	£0/4/3
10 Dec 1862	By Cash, p John McSween jun to account of arrears		£4/0/0
26 May 1863	To Half year's rent	£5/5/0
	To Poor rates	£0/7/10½
9 Jun 1863	By Cash from John McSween jun to account of arrears of rent		£1/13/0
	By Cash from John McSween sen to account of arrears of rent		£2/13/0
	Balance		£23/17/0
		£32/3/0	£32/3/0
	To Balance	£23/17/0
19 Aug 1863	By Cash from John McSween sen to account of arrears of rent		£2/0/0
22 Sep 1863	By Cash from John McSween jun to account of arrears of rent		£4/0/0
25 Nov 1863	To Half year's rent	£5/5/0
	To Poor rates	£0/4/4½
	To Public burdens 1/9; peat money 2/6	£0/4/3
	By Balance		£23/10/7½
		£29/10/7½	£29/10/7½
	To Balance	£23/10/7½
Copy from Mr D Macdonald's Ledger
26 May 1864	To Half year's rent	£2/12/6
	To Poor rates	£0/2/7½
9 Jun 1864	By Cash		£1/0/0
	By Balance		£25/5/9
		£26/5/9	£26/5/9
9 Jun 1864	To Balance	£25/5/9
25 Nov 1864	To Half year's rent	£2/12/6
	To Poor rates	£0/2/2½
15 Dec 1864	By Cash		£2/0/0
26 May 1865	To Half year's rent	£2/12/6
	To Poor rates	£0/2/7½
	By Balance		£28/15/7
		£30/15/7	£30/15/7
	To Balance	£28/15/7
	To Peat money &c not charged 1864/65	£0/3/4
25 Nov 1865	Half year's rent	£2/14/3
	Poor rates	£0/2/3½
1 Dec 1865	By Cash		£4/0/0
26 May 1866	To Half year's rent	£2/14/3
	To Poor rates	£0/2/8½
	By Balance		£30/12/5
		£34/12/5	£34/12/5
	To Balance	£30/12/5
25 Nov 1866	To Half year's rent	£2/14/3
	To Poor rates	£0/2/3½
26 May 1867	To Half year's rent	£2/14/3
	To Poor rates	£0/2/3½
5 Jun 1867	By Cash		£7/0/0
	By Balance		£29/5/6
		£36/5/6	£36/5/6
	To Balance	£29/5/6
25 Nov 1867	To Half year's rent	£2/14/3
	To Poor rates	£0/2/3½
15 Dec 1867	By Cash		£3/10/0
	Carry forward	£32/2/0½	£3/10/0
1868	Brought forward	£32/2/0½	£3/10/0
26 May 1868	To Half year's rent	£2/14/3
	To Poor rates	£0/2/3½
	By Balance		£31/8/7
		£34/18/7	£34/18/7
	To Balance	£31/8/7
25 Nov 1868	To Half year's rent	£2/14/3
	To Poor rates	£0/2/9
26 May 1869	Half year's rent	£2/14/3
	To Poor rates	£0/2/8
	By Balance		£37/2/6
		£37/2/6	£37/2/6
	To Balance	£37/2/6
3 Jun 1869	By Cash		£3/0/0
25 Nov 1869	To Half year's rent	£2/14/3
	To Poor rates	£0/2/8
16 Mar 1870	By Cash		£3/0/0
26 May 1870	To Half year's rent	£2/14/3
	To Poor rates	£0/2/8
	By Balance		£36/16/4
		£42/16/4	£42/16/4
	To Balance	£36/16/4
25 Nov 1870	To Half year's rent	£2/14/3
	To Poor rates	£0/2/9
30 Nov 1870	By Cash		£4/0/0
11 Mar 1871	By Cash		£1/0/0
26 May 1871	To Half year's rent	£2/14/3
	To Poor rates	£0/2/9
	By Balance		£37/10/4
		£42/10/4	£42/10/4
	To Arrears	£37/10/4
25 Nov 1871	To Half year's rent	£2/14/3
	To Poor rates	£0/2/9
19 Mar 1872	By Cash		£5/0/0
26 May 1872	To Half year's rent	£2/14/3
	To Poor rates	£0/2/9
14 June 1872	By Cash		£2/0/0
	Balance		£36/4/4
		£43/4/4	£43/4/4
17 Dec 1872	By Cash for work per self		£0/6/0
	By Cash p A. Maclean miller		£5/0/0
	Value of house at Ramasaig		£1/17/0
	By Arrears struck off as irrecoverable		£29/1/4
		£36/4/4	£36/4/4

IV. COPY OF SETTLED ACCOUNT WITH NEIL SHAW, LOWERGILL

May 1877	To Rent due at this date	£6/4/7
	By Cattle bought from Shaw		£13/0/6
	By work on house		£1/10/0
June 1877	To Paid John Morrison, Eyre, on your account and by your order	£50/0/0
Nov 1877	By Value of sheepstock		£34/5/8
	By Value of houses per valuation		£4/18/0
	By Value of corn crops		£32/15/0
	By Value of potato crops		£8/10/0
	To Paid Charles Mackinnon, Lower Milivaig, his fee for valuing for you, per order	£0/7/0
Dec 1877	To Paid John Morrison further by your order	£40/0/0
	By Balance		£1/13/7
		£96/11/7	£96/11/7
	To Balance due me, and which allowed out of my own personal purse, to help Shaw in flitting	£1/13/7

V.—Copy LETTER to FACTOR, from SIR JOHN MACLEOD regarding Ramasaig,

1 STANHOPE ST., 15th May 1879.

My DEAR TORMORE,—I received your letter of the 10th May yesterday. As you are of opinion that the vacant holdings in Ramasaig afford openings for some of the people on other parte of the property, and that the change to these would be gladly accepted, and be advantageous both to them and the proprietor, without hurting anybody, I authorize you to carry this measure into effect.—
Yours, etc.
(Signed) J. M. MACLEOD.

VI.—Copy of FACTOR'S LETTER to JoHN McPHERSON, Milovaig, Glendale
and of M'PHERSON's reply.
Mr. John M'Pherson, Lower Milivaig, Glendale,
Torrnore, by Broadford, Isle of Skye.
1st October 1883.
DEAR SIR,—My attention has been directed to the report of a speech recently delivered by you at Fraserburgh and published in the Inverness Courier. The following is an extract from that speech as reported, viz. : " He expressed his pleasure in being present and being permitted to speak about Highland grievances, for he had seen houses burned down and their occupants turned out. In one case he went on to say where an old sick woman was being carried out before her house was set on fire, the factor had the inhumanity to say, ' Let her alone, she has lived long enough already, let her burn.'"
As you have all your life lived on the estate of Glendale, and as I acted as factor thereon for many years, I have to ask you, in the event of your admitting the correctness of the report—
I. Whether it was of Glendale and of me you spoke; and
II. If so, when and at what township the occurrence referred to by you took place.—Yours faithfully,
(Signed) D. MACDONALD.
(COPY REPLY.)
Milovaig, 9th October 1883
Mr. Macdonald.
DEAR SIR,—I have received your letter last Saturday night, asking a few questions which I shall answer willingly before going any further about thinking or speaking about yourself in Fraserburgh. I will challenge any man that I have never said worse than your name about you in Fraserburgh or elsewhere, unless I said a little to yourself, and I could not have said it unless I would tell a lie, about the houses being burned and the woman inside. I had read it in Donald Macleod's book named the Highland Clearances, who was an eye-witness on the savage work in Sutherlandshire, and Peter Sellar was the factor, who is in eternity long ago, and I see it daily now in Mackenzie's Highland Clearances and indeed any person that shall read the history of the Highlands since eighty years back, must confess that it was not much behind Africa and Asia. No more to say.—Believe me to be your well wisher.
(Signed) JOHN M'PHERSON.