Series 4 > Papers on Sutherland Estate Management 1802-1816 > Volume 9

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in part, Groundless alarm for his personal Safety. He is at the Castle
as a place of Safety and So are Mr Young and Miss Young during the
night. What I see most reason to fear is the destruction of his Sheep,
and he cannot farm in Safety unless many of the Lawless families be
put out of the Country.
Some mischief from these Smugglers of Kildonan was always to be
apprehended. It is fortunate that it broke out when the family were
not in the Country; and, when it has once been extinguished, there
will (as Assynt is arranged) be no Chance of any repetition of the
offence.
Mr Young will no doubt write your Ladyship, advising you from
time to time how we Got forward.
William Young to Marchioness of Stafford
Rhives, n February 1813
I had the honor to write your Ladyship on the 8th Instant. We then
supposed that the disturbances in Kildonan were confined to the lower
end of the Parish where the people who are to be removed for Mr
Reid reside, and we believed that those in the upper end were per¬
fectly loyal and woud of their own accord sign a Bond to keep the
peace. They were applied to by Thomas Gordon of Breakachy, he
called them together but has told us today that he coud not find a
dozen of men disposed to this measure. He even added that from
every part of the Parish they had been extremely active enlisting ad¬
herents to the rioters, and I am sorry to say that this is corroborated
by an event which happened yesterday and but for every prudence
on our part must have ended in bloodshed. In a word the proceedings
of the Sherriff Court at Golspy Inn were impeded by a body of men
from Kildonan and Clyne armed with Sticks, and the matter is now
come to such point that either Lord Stafford and your Ladyship are to
renounce every title to dispose of your property as you see proper,
or an Armed force is to support the Laws of the Country. I send here¬
with Copys of the remainder of the prooff1 so far as it has been allowed
to proceed, the Sherriff is to forward the original to Mr Cranston and
we wait the determination of the Family and of the Kings Counsel
on the subject. Mr McKid has written to Mr Cranston to delay laying
1 See above, i, pp. 135-42.