Historical and genealogical account of the Clan Maclean

170 HISTORICAL NOTICES.
and no sooner did he find himself thus far ad-
vanced in royal favour, than he commenced the
prosecution of his father's well-matured design
against the chief of Maclean. Sir Allan endeav-
oured to effect an arrangement, and agreed at
once to come to a final settlement by making
over to Argyle so much of the estates as would
pay the balance due, on credit being given for
the large amounts already paid on the original
bond. Argyle pretended not to be quite certain
as to the amounts paid, and by this shuffling
pretence put off from time to time the arrange-
ment proposed. Sir Allan, seeing no likelihood
of any satisfactory arrangement being made with
Argyle, agreed to refer the matter to the arbi-
tration of the Scottish Council.
Argyle, though pretending to entertain this
proposal, was at the same time actively employed
in purchasing up every claim, real or fictitious,
he could find against Sir Allan, evidently with
the base intention to render an arrangement
more and more a matter of difficulty.
Sir Allan, had now no alternative but to
represent the subject to the king personally ;
and for this purpose he proceeded to London
in the year I67S. He was most graciously re-
ceived by Charles II., who listened with par-
ticular attention to the relation given by the
young chief of the original cause of the debt,
of the villanous means whereby the late Argyle