Uile's cnuic's Alpeinich (Evils, hillocks, and Clan Alpin, Art or Airt is mentioned as the son of the "High King of Ireland" (Ard Righ Eirionn), the fifth, in lineal ascent, from the celebrated Fin MacCoul, father of Ossian. It is also the name of the Redhaired Cairbre, who usurped the sovereignty of all Ireland, and by whom Oscar, son of Ossian, was killed at the battle of Gavra. Of the Clan Macarthur, tradition asserts, that when their founder first went to Strachur in Argyllshire, he wore a cap or cowl, and slept at night under an alder tree. "MacArtair a' churraic o bhun an stuic fhearna," Macarthur of the Cowl from the stem of the alder tree. The place mentioned in the tale "the end of the Bridge of Hundreds," "Drochaid nan Ceudan," the Bridge of Hundreds, or "Drochaid Cheudna na Mith," the Bridge of Hundreds of Meath, would indicate Drogheda, and was evidently the chief city of one of the five divisions of Ireland; Coig choigeamh, five divisions. An t-eilean iomallach, the remote island where Sir Olave slew the giant, was said by the reciters to have always been understood to mean Tiree, at one end of which in the Hill of Kenavara (Ceann-a-Mhara-the Headland of the Barra ?) is a cave called Big Cave (Uamh Mhor) corresponding to the one described in the tale. The same cave is said in other tales to be the one in which "the blameless " Dermid took refuge when he fled with Grainne, his uncle's wife, and where he slew Mist, the son of Darkness (Cuitheach mac-an-Doill), a giant who came over the sea in a coracle, on a night so tempestuous that Dermid could not venture out. 2nd FEBRUARY, 1887. At the meeting of the Society held on this date, the following gentlemen were elected ordinary members:-Messrs D. M. Cameron, Dempster Gardens, Inverness; John Black, Victoria Hotel, do.; James Campbell, Ardross Place, do.; Kenneth Macaskill, 14 Union Street, do.; William Mackenzie, manager, Moy Hall; Hugh Aitken, 29 Dixon Avenue, Crosshill, Glasgow ; and C. M. Cameron, Balnakyle, Munlochy. The secretary then read a paper contributed by Mr Charles Fraser-Mackintosh, M.P., on "Minor Highland Septs-the Macdonells of Barisdale." The following is Mr Fraser-Mackintosh's paper : MINOR HIGHLAND SEPTS-THE MACDONELLS OF BARISDALE. It is but right that the Gaelic Society of Inverness should, with other objects, endeavour to preserve memorials of families in the Highlands once of importance, who, from lapse of time, have been scattered or become extinct. The two most important offshoots of Glengarry were those of Scotus and Barisdale, springing respectively from Angus and Archibald, second and fifth sons of Reginald, counted 17th of Glengarry. Lochgarry was of the third son. Through the failure of the direct male line, Eneas Ronald Macdonell, the last proprietor of Scotus, succeeded to the chiefship, his grandson being now chief. The history of the Scotus branch is pretty generally known, as is that of Lochgarry. Of the once important family of Barisdale, little has been recorded, and even the name of the last Archibald Macdonell of Barisdale, though he left a considerable fortune, is not recorded in the ancient churchyard of Kilchoan. Kilchoan, now united with Glenelg, was anciently an independent parish, dedicated to St Coan. This saint was held in great repute, and Mr Mackenzie, in his history of the Glengarries, when referring to the 15th chief, commonly called "Donald MacAngus," who died, aged over 100 years, 2nd February, 1645, the day the battle of Inverlochy was fought, says that "the Rev. John Mackenzie of Dingwall charged Glengarry, with other offences, as being an idolater, who had a man in Loch Broom making images, in testimony of which he (Mackenzie) carried South the image of St Coan, which Glengarry worshipped, called in Edinburgh Glengarry's god, and which was burnt at the Town Cross." The parish of Kilchoan extended from Loch Hourn on the north-west to Loch Morar on the south-east, and was at one time solely the property of Glengarry, comprehending the districts of Knoydart betwixt Loch Hourn and Loch Nevis, and North Morar twixt Loch Nevis and Loch Morar. North Morar was sold a long time ago to the Lovat family, who still retain it, but Knoydart proper was only sold within our own times. Barisdale was the extreme north-west portion of the Glengarry property, and is one of the surest and most beautiful farms on the west coast. It has miles upon miles of frontage to the sea-loch, sloping upwards to great heights, of which the finest is the well known "Mām Barisdale." My attention was more particularly drawn to the family from having become possessed many years ago of letters written by Coll Macdonell, father of the last Barisdale, extending over the period from 1786 to 1816. Anyone who peruses those letters would be struck with the sagacity, knowledge, and innate power of the writer. From them, other documents connected with the family, and information kindly supplied to me by Mr Sheriff-Clerk Macandrew, ex-Provost Fraser of Inverness, and Mr Fraser, Barnhill of Glenelg, I have framed this paper. I have also referred to a very scarce little book entitled "Memoirs of Archibald Macdonald of Barisdale, 1754," and infer that the compiler was Mr Andrew Henderson, who wrote, with other works, "Life of Dr Archibald Cameron." The work is hostile and partial-a mere catch-penny production, not to be relied on, and of it Provost Fraser tells me that he saw in the house of Barisdale a copy, on the margins of which were written, in the handwriting of Barisdale, emphatic contradictions of many of the assertions therein made. I do not find that Archibald, the first Barisdale, had any written title to the property, and it was not until the year 1725 that Coll Macdonell, the second Barisdale, received a charter. Of Archibald, who fought at Killiecrankie, it is said that he was an excellent scholar, able to argue in Greek with learned divines. He was alive in 1736. Coll, the second Barisdale (the famous "Coll-Ban"), was the most noted of his race. He married Helen, daughter of George Mackenzie of Ballamuckie, who was one of the officials on the West Coast estates of Seaforth. Coll was in great favour with his cousin and chief, John Macdonell, nineteenth of Glengarry, who, besides granting Barisdale, gave him different charters to the Kytries, Cullachies, and Inverguseran, some of which were afterwards renounced. In these he is styled eldest lawful son to Archibald Macdonell of Barisdale. He built a large house at Barisdale, which was burnt shortly after the battle of Culloden by a party of Ross-shire militia. The writer of the memoirs describes it "as beautifully covered with blue slate, and having eighteen fire rooms, besides as many more without chimnies." There can be little doubt that Coll was neither more nor less than a robber of cattle on a great scale. The writer of the memoirs describes some of his transactions, and mentions that he had a great instrument of torture erected near his house to compel disclosures. On the other hand, he warmly protected all those who were faithful to and stood by him. An instance of the devotion of his people is shown in the case of his piper, who was confined in Castle Moil, and who composed the well-known plaintive air "Colla-Mo-Rūn.” At least, I have always understood that the Coll mentioned in the air was this Coll of Barisdale; but Mr Fraser has just informed me that the people in Knoydart say that it was not Coll Barisdale, but Coll"Kiotach." In the valuable collection made by the late Mr John Anderson, W.S., who died about fifty years ago, for an intended history of the Highland clans, at page 150 of the manuscript he says:"Barisdale is supposed to have furnished Scott with the original for Fergus MacIvor in Waverley,' being a man of polished behaviour, fine address, and remarkably handsome. Barisdale raised £500 per annum from his art of imposing black mail; and, whilst strictly faithful to his own followers, he punished with the severest rigour any associates of another that interfered with them." 66 At length, Coll's proceedings, particularly a lift or reclamation, through his means, as he alleged, of cattle stolen from Perthshire, off a part of the Cameron country of Lochaber, which, curiously, notwithstanding their own depredations in Moray, the Camerons did not at all relish when applied to themselves, brought the authorities down upon him. From the memoirs, it would seem that Coll and his people committed a direct theft in Lochaber; that he was tried for the offence in 1730, and got off by witnesses perjuring themselves in his defence. I cannot find any trace of such a trial. Coll, described as younger of Barisdale," was certainly tried in 1736 before the High Court of Justiciary, at the instance of Archibald, John, and Angus Mac-Ian-Allisters, alias Fletchers, in Bartarurich, in Glenorchy, and Gilbert MacAlpine there, with concourse of Duncan Forbes, His Majesty's advocate. The charge against him was being "guilty and accessory, or art and part of soliciting and inticing and the fraudulent suborning and eliciting diverse persons to bear false witness against their knowledge and conscience by rewards, promises, threats, and other corrupt means, to bear such false witness in a process he then told them was intended to be brought against the pursuers, and which process was accordingly brought, when he imagined he had prevailed with those upon whom he practised to comply with his request in conspiring, by false witnessing, to defame and ruin the pursuers." It was further alleged that the panel, "by subornation of witnesses, had endeavoured to found a charge against them for being art and part in several depredations committed upon James Menzies of Culdares and his tenants." Coll's defence discloses a strange story. "Whether the disputes that have sometime ago risen among the heritors in Breadalbane and Glenlyon, touching their marches, have given any occasion to the depredations and robberies from the grounds of one of the heritors, the pannell shall not here determine. This, however, is certain, that these depredations have of late been more frequent, in so much that the persons from whom the cattle have been stole were like to be altogether ruined, and their country cast waste. And although, from time to time, some of the cattle have been recovered by the owners from the remote parts of the Highlands, yet this was attended with very heavy charges, more than the value of what was ordinarily recovered; and it being impracticable so frequently to carry off such quantities of cattle from one heritor's possession, by persons wholly unacquainted in the country, without the assistance of some one or other in the neighbourhood, it naturally occurred that the proper remedy for preventing of such practises would be to endeavour to discover by whose assistance in the south part of the country it was that these depredations were committed on the property of a single gentleman, while his neighbours around remained unhurt; that the assistants and outhounders being detected and punished, and thereby the thieves and robbers deprived of protection and encouragement, their lawless practises might at least meet with greater difficulties for the future." In February, 1734, "the pannell, being at Edinburgh about his lawful affairs, had occasion in coffee-houses and such publick places to see the gentleman who had suffered by the depredations, with whom before that time he had not the least acquaintance, and the conversation having turned upon the gentleman's sufferings, nothing further past, but that the pannell, like an honest man, heartily regreted the damage, and that any persons in the neighbourhood where he lived should have been guilty of practises by which the same was occasioned. "In August, 1734, new depredations having been committed, the pannell had a message from Mr Menzies of Culdares, upon the generall acquaintance contracted in the manner above sett forth, representing the loss he had sustained, and praying the pannell's assistance in finding out the cattle, which were supposed to have been lodged in his neighbourhood, and, in pursuance thereof, the pannell did apply himself to his cousine MacDonell of Glengary, |