Strathendrick, and its inhabitants from early times

236 HISTORY OF STRATHENDRICK
the descendant and representative of a Major Hugh Galbraith " in the Kingdom
of Ireland," without proving as well that the Major Hugh Galbraith, from whom
Richard was admittedly descended, was "son of the deceased Andrew Galbraith,
father's brother consanguinean " of the entailer? In the proof before the inquest
there was no evidence produced of any kind to prove that Major Hugh
Galbraith was in any way connected with the Balgair family save that in a letter
from the son of Captain Robert Galbraith, the fourth substitute, who resided
near the major in Ireland, to the son of the latter, he addressed him as " Dear
Cousin"; but even this slight vestige of proof was more than neutralized by the
fact that when Captain Robert Galbraith, the fourth substitute, executed his will
in 1708, it contained a reference to the event of his eldest son succeeding to
the estate of James Galbraith of Balgair, which, it was said, could not have
happened if this Major Galbraith of Cappahard, who resided in his neighbour-
hood, had been the third substitute, as he had five sons, all of whom must of
course have succeeded before Captain Robert's family. It was said, too, that
a "field cloth," said to be the major's, bore on it the Galbraith arms, but this
of course did not prove he was related to Galbraith of Balgair. The evidence
produced that Major Hugh Galbraith was a Scotsman was both amusing and
singularly inconclusive.
Daniel Glenane, farmer, of Killilan, in the county of Galway, Ireland,
deponed that " he was of the age of 105 years or thereabouts, as he best
recollects and believes," that he remembered Major Hugh Galbraith, who, he
believed, died about seventy years ago. He frequently conversed with the
Major, and by his accent he appeared to the deponent to be a Scotsman, and
that he had said he was. Another witness, James Joynt, a relation of the
claimant, swore that he had heard from his mother that she had heard from
her mother, deponent's grandmother, that the said Major Hugh Galbraith was
a Scotsman, and he had also heard his Uncle Andrew say jocularly that "he
supposed Major Hugh had sprung from a pipe of port." This evidence of the
worthy uncle's, while it points to a jovial and generous style of living on the part of
the Major, does not seem to prove that he was a Scotsman.
Darby O'Brien, of Ballenahoun, in the county of Galway, Ireland, deponed
that he was aged above 100 years; that he remembered Major Hugh Galbraith,
and "never heard to the contrary of his being a Scotsman." This old Galway man
of 100, and Daniel Glenane, the other, who was 105, gave a great deal of other
very minute but trifling evidence, which proved at least that they had singularly
unimpaired memories, considering their all but unheard-of old age. But the
crowning piece of evidence, which proved conclusively that the Major was a
Scotsman, was given by Patrick M'Hugo, who swore he recollected "to have
seen a Highland plaid morning gown, lined with green calamanco, which