History of the Frasers of Lovat

XIX. GENERAL SIMON FRASER. 497
family), Inverness, Balnain, Dunballoch, Fanellan, Daltul-
lich, and Torbreck, whom all failing to his own nearest
lawful heirs and assigns whatsoever.
This is a somewhat curious arrangement. The Frasers
of Ardachy, who would succeed to the chiefship immediately
after the family of Strichen, now in possession of the estates,
was excluded from the entail altogether, and it was in terms
of it quite possible to see the estates of Lovat some day in
possession of a subordinate branch of the family and the
real heir male and head of the house owning not an inch
of the ancient inheritance of the Frasers. Indeed, if the
present family of Lord Lovat were to die out in the male
line, the heir male of Ardachy would become heir male of
all the Frasers and chief of the clan, while if General
Simon's entail stood the estates would pass to the heir male
of Struy, and failing him, to Colonel William Fraser of
Culbokie, late of Kilmuir, Skye, and then to Farraline,
failing whom, to Foyers and Reelick, two illegitimate
houses, but now extinct in the male line of those named in
the entail, while several branches undoubtedly legitimate
would be altogether excluded.
In 1775, General Fraser, now in full possession of the
family estates, received letters of service for raising another
regiment of two battalions among his countrymen. By the
restoration of his property, to quote General Stewart of
Garth again, he was now in possession of all the power
which wealth and influence could command ; but his present
purpose had less relation to the influence of wealth than to
the preservation of respect and attachment to his person
and family. Relying on the latter alone when in poverty,
and without the means to reward, his influence had ex-
perienced no diminution, for in a few weeks he found
himself at the head of 1250 men. So much having been
done in 1757 without the aid of property or estate, no
difficulty was to be expected now that the case was the
reverse. Nor did he find any ; for with equal ease and ex-
pedition, two battalions of 2340 Highlanders were marched
to Stirling, and thence to Glasgow, in April, 1776. Among
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