among them the great Hugh Miller. I only relate what concerned my own immediate relations, as I often heard it told, amidst tears, at our own fireside. My grandfather found it hard to provide for his family in these times, and at last it became impossible. It was reported that relief came, and that at Tongue House, a mile distant, there was food enough for all who required it. My grandfather was urged to go to the factor for assistance, but he was a Mackay and a soldier, and the bread of charity was to him a bitter morsel. One morning, however, things came to a crisis-the last spoonful of meal had been made into gruel for a sick child, the last fowl was killed and cooked for the family, and starvation stared them in the face. My grandfather had then no alternative but to go to Tongue House. He found, however, that the corn there had more restrictions than that of Egypt. He found the factor did not believe in giving charity in a charitable manner. He was severely examined as to his character and conduct, as to his present ability or future prospects of paying for the meal. If he could not pay it then, the factor demanded a guarantee that he would pay it in future. At last he consented to give one boll of meal to my grandfather, and in exchange he was to get the one milk cow of the family. The cow was named "Shobhrag" or "Primrose," from her yellow colour. Owing to the scarcity of food, she had to be milked many times in the day, and so one of the children, a precocious little girl of seven, called her "Shobhrag nam beannachd" (the Primrose of blessings). The name stuck to her, for she was dearly beloved by the family. She was a gentle creature, who did not run away or get into trouble like other cows; and she was petted and made of by the children, whilst to the parents she was the one link that bound them to happier times. No wonder if the father's heart was heavy as he thought of his sad bargain, and wondered how he could break the news to the family. On his way home he met the Rev. Hugh Mackenzie, minister of the parish, who, on hearing the sad story, went and paid for the meal, and so "Shobhrag" was spared to them in their grief. Mr Mackenzie sent also seed corn and potatoes, and gave his own horses to plough their land, while he personally attended the family when afterwards stricken with fever-the sure concomitant of famine. Every member of the family hovered for a time between life and death. The good clergyman supplied wine and other articles of nourishment, and gave medicine, of which he had considerable knowledge. There did not seem much to live for; but then, as now, people were tenacious of life, and in course of time the family recovered. Better times came; but too late for the head of the house; he never recovered from the shock of his severe trials, and he died a comparatively young man. I remember my grandmother, a sadly depressed woman, with a world of sorrow in her faded blue eyes, as if the shadow of the past was always upon her spirit. I never saw her smile, and when I asked my mother for the cause, she told me that that look of pain came upon my grandmother's face with the fires of Strathnaver. Strange to say, when even my mother was in her last illness in May 1882-when the present was fading from her memory--she appeared again as a girl of twelve in Strathnaver, continually asking, "Whose house is burning now?" and crying out, now and again, “Save the people." Edinburgh. ANNIE MACKAY. SUTHERLAND EVICTIONS AND BURNINGS. TESTIMONY OF LIVING EYE-WITNESSES. MR JOHN MACKAY, C.E., Hereford, the well-known friend of the Highlanders, himself a native of Sutherlandshire, sends us the subjoined important documents. He writes in the following terms: "While at Bettyhill in August last, during the sitting there of the Royal Commission, I had the pleasure of meeting several old men in the neighbourhood. On entering into conversation with them, upon the subject of the Strathnaver Clearances, I found their recollection of them so vivid, and their relations so truthful -none of them would say anything more than he himself saw— that I thought it was worth something to have them taken down there and then; but not having sufficient time at my disposal, and being informed that there were many more in the parish who had been eye-witnesses of those scenes, I got Mr Angus Mackay, Divinity Student, Farr, to take down the evidence for me, and have it attested." The statements, in all cases, were carefully taken down in Gaelic, translated into English, read to the declarant again in Gaelic and English in the presence of the witnesses who attest them, and who understood both languages; the statements were then signed by the cross or name of each declarant in presence of the witnesses, who there and then attested each document on the date recorded upon it, in presence of the declarant. Mr Mackay has since presented them to the Royal Commission as part of his evidence in Edinburgh. They are as follows: RODERICK MACLEOD, 78 years of age, crofter and fisherman, Skerray, Parish of Tongue. I was born at Grumb-mhor, where I lived for eight years, and now occupy a small croft near the edge of the cliffs at Skerray. I was working at a road that was being made on Strathnaver, a good few years after I was driven from the Strath myself, when I saw the following townships set on fire : Grumb-mhor, with 16 houses. Achmhillidh, with 4 houses. All the houses in these two places were burnt, with the exception of one barn, which was left to be used as a store by those working at the road. I recollect of Branders, who had the charge of Sellar's burning gang, coming to one house there, where an old woman and her daughter-in-law lived. The woman was very old and frail, and had nowhere to go at such a short notice. Branders, therefore, as Sellar himself was not present to see, taking compassion on her, gave her permission to remain for a night or two longer in the house, until she could get some bothy beyond Sellar's satrapy, where she would be at liberty to live or die. Few, if any, of all those families burnt out knew where to turn their head, or from whom or where to get the next meal, after being thus expatriated from the homes to which their hearts so fondly clung. It was sad to witness the heartrending scenes that followed the driving away of these people. The terrible remembrance of the burnings of Strathnaver will live as long as a root of the people remains in the country. The people when on Strathnaver were very comfortable. I declare this statement of mine is true. Witnesses, J WILLIAM SUTHERLAND. 30th Aug. 1883. MURDO MACKAY. RORY MACLEOD. WILLIAM MORRISON, 89 years of age, crofter, Dalacharn, Farr. I was born at Rossal, on Strathnaver, and remember well of seeing the following townships on fire: Rossal, with about 20 houses. Dalvina, with 2 houses. The people as a rule were, in these townships, expected to be away from their houses before those employed in burning came round. This was generally done, but in a certain house in Rossal there lived an old woman who could not remove with the rest To this of the neighbours. She could not build another house were she to remove. poor person's house came the cruel burners in their turn, and set fire to it in two places, heeding not her pitiful cries. The burners, however, treated her kinder than was their wont, for they carried her out of the burning house, and placed her on the grass with some of her own blankets about her. I cannot say what became of her afterwards, but surely it was cruel enough that she should be thus left exposed to wind and weather, deprived of all shelter and destitute of all means. For people to say that there was no cruelty or harshness shown the people when they were burnt off Strathnaver, is a glaring lie which no amount of flowery language can hide. Sellar's son can, no doubt, wield the pen well, but he will find he has undertaken an impossibility when he tries to prove that his father was a good man. Most assuredly he was a cruel tyrant. I declare this statement of mine is true. Witnesses, WILLIAM MORRISON. (DONALD MACKENZIE, Minister, Free Church, Farr. 25th Aug. 1883. ANGUS MACKAY, Divinity Student, Farr. GRACE MACDONALD, 88 years of age, Armadale, Farr. I was born on Strathnaver, in a place called Langall, and was nineteen years of age when we were evicted from the Strath I remember well the burning of the houses. I saw the following five townships burnt by Sellar's party : : Ealan à Challaidh, with 2 houses. There was no mercy or pity shown to young or old-all had to clear away, and those who could not get their effects removed in time to a safe distance had it burnt before their very eyes. On one occasion, while Sellar's burning party were engaged in setting fire to a certain house in Langall, a cat belonging to the premises leapt out of the flames. Some one of the party seized the half-smothered cat and threw him back into the flames, where it was kept till it perished. The evicted people had to go down to the bleak land skirting the sea-shore, and there trench and reclaim land for themselves. They got no compensation or help from the proprietor, and some of them suffered very much from want of food the first winter. They were happy on Strathnaver, with plenty to take and give, but are all very poor now. The unsatiable greed of Sellar was the cause of all this. I declare this statement of mine is true. GRACE MACDONALD. Widow BETSY MACKAY (Drover), 86 years of age, Kirtomy, Parish of Farr. I am a native of Strathnaver, and saw some of the burnings that took place there. I was born at Sgall, a township with six houses, where I lived till I was sixteen years of age, when the people in the township were driven away and their houses burnt. Our family was very reluctant to leave this place, and stayed for some time after the summons for evicting was delivered. But Sellar's party came round and set fire to our house at both ends, reducing to ashes whatever remained within the walls. The occupants had, of course, to escape for their lives, some of them losing all their clothes except what they had on their backs. The people then had plenty clothes (home spun), which they made from the wool of their sheep. The people were told they could go where they liked, provided they did not encumber Sellar's domain, the land that was by rights their own. The people were driven away like dogs who deserved no better fate, and that, too, without any reason in the world, but to satisfy the cruel avarice of Sellar. Here is an incident that I remember in connection with the burning of Sgall. My sister, whose husband was from home, was delivered of a child at Grumb-mhor at this time. Her friends in Sgall, fearing lest her house should be burnt, and she perish in her helpless condition, went to Grumb-mhor and took her with them in very cold weather, weak and feeble as she was. This sudden removal occasioned to her a fever, which left its effects upon her till her dying day. I declare this statement of mine is true. Witnesses, ALEXANDER MACKAY. 29th Aug. 1883. MURDO MACKAY. BETSY MACKAY. WIDOW DAVID MUNRO, Strathy, regarding Ceann-na-Coille There I was seven years of age when this portion of Strathnaver was cleared. were six families in the township:—Hugh Mackay, J. Campbell, Angus Mackay, John Mackay (Macrob), William Mackay, and my father, William Sutherland. I remember distinctly the position of the houses. Our family consisted of six girls and one boy. We received orders to quit our abode on term day. All the men of the village were away except my father, who had removed his furniture to an out-house before Sellar arrived. He was an intelligent man, sometimes acting as teacher, and when the company arrived to set fire to the house, he requested that, in consideration of his services to the House of Sutherland, by going with the rents of the townships to Dunrobin, etc., etc., they would be good enough to spare the out-house, whither he might retire during the night; and that he himself would set fire to it next morning. This was ruthlessly refused, and we had to remain all night on a green hillock outside, and view our dwelling smouldering into ashes. I declare this statement of mine is true. Witnesses, 18th Aug. 1883. J ADAM GUNnn. ALEX. MUNRO, Strathy West. MRS DAVID MUNRO. BELL COOPER, 82 years of age, Crask, Farr. I was born at Achness on Strathnaver, where I lived till I was eleven years of age. All the people in the township were then removed and their houses burnt. Our family had to leave with the rest, but we were allowed to build a house on the other side of the river, at a place called Riloisgt. Here we were allowed to live for five more years, and then were evicted a second time. During these five years Sellar was busily engaged working out the desolation of the east side of the Strath, and I was an eye witness of the burning of all the houses between Rossal and Achcaoilnaborgin. I cannot say how many houses there were in the district between these two places, but I saw them all burnt myself. I am sure there would be between two and three score at the least. The west side was left unmolested, while the east side was being burnt, as Sellar was unable to stock both sides of the Strath at once. By the end of these five years he grew richer, and was able to manage both sides. Accordingly, he came again with his burning gang and commenced the destruction of the west side of the Strath. This he succeeded in doing, and the house in which I lived with my father was the first set on fire. For some days after the people were turned out, one could scarcely hear a word with the lowing of cattle and the screaming of children marching off in all directions. Sellar burnt everything he could lay his hands upon-in some cases the very hens in the byres were burnt. I shall never forget that awful day. I declare this statement of mine is true. Witness, 29th Aug. 1883. MURDO MACKAY, Student. BELL COOPER. |