第 75 节
作者:西门在线      更新:2021-09-29 13:02      字数:9322
  iage with the Earl of Cromarty。  Langwell having  supported the Prince; fled out of the hated Fergusson's way; but his lady was obliged to remain at home to attend to a large family of young  children; who were at the time laid up with smallpox。  The house was  ransacked。  A large chest containing the family and other valuable papers;  including a wadset of Langwell and Inchvannie from her relative; George;  Earl of Cromarty; was burnt before her eyes; and about fifty head of fine Highland cattle were mangled by the swords and driven to the ships of the spoilers。 Nor did this satisfy them。  They committed similar depredations; without any discrimination between friend or foe; for eight days during  which they remained in the neighbourhood。 'New Statistical Account of  Lochbroom。'
  It is well known that Mackenzie had strong Jacobite feelings although his own prudence and the influence of Lord President Forbes secured his support for the Government。  〃Though many respectable individuals of the Clan Mackenzie had warmly espoused the cause of Charles; Lord Fortrose seems at no time to have proclaimed openly for  him; whatever hopes he might have countenanced when in personal communication with the expatriated Sovereign; as indeed there is cause to infer something of the kind from a letter which; towards the end of  November; 1745; was addressed by Lord John Drummond to Kenneth;  pressing him instantly to join the Prince; then successfully penetrating the  West of England; and qualifying the invitation by observing that it was the  only mode for his Lordship to retrieve his character。  Yet so little did  Fortrose or his immediate followers affect the cause; that when Lord Lovat  blockaded Fort…Augustus; two companies of Mackenzies; which bad been  stationed at Brahan; were withdrawn; and posted by Lord Loudon; the  commander…in…chief of the Government forces; at Castle Dounie; the  stronghold of Fraser and; with the exception of these; the Royal party  received no other support from the family of Seaforth; though many  gentlemen of the clan served in the King's army。  Yet it appears that a still greater number; with others whose ancestors identified themselves with  the fortunes of the House of Kintail; were inclined to espouse the more  venturous steps of the last of the Stuarts。  George; the last Earl of  Cromarty; being then paramount in power; and; probably so; in influence;  even to the chief himself; having been; for certain reasons; liable to  suspicions as to their disinterested nature; declared for Charles; and under  his standard his own levy; with all the Jacobite adherents of the clan;  ranged themselves; and were mainly instrumental in neutralizing Lord  Loudon's and the Laird of Macleod's forces in the subsequent operations  of 1746; driving them with the Lord President Forbes; to take shelter in the  Isle of Skye。〃 'Bennetsfield MS。'
  Kenneth married on the 11th of September; 1741; Lady Mary;  eldest daughter of Alexander Stewart; sixth Earl of Galloway; with issue
  I。  Kenneth; his heir and successor。
  II。  Margaret; who on the 4th of June; married William Webb。
  III。  Mary; who married Henry Howard; of Effingham; with issue。
  IV。  Agnes; who married J。 Douglas。
  V。  Catherine; who on the 1st of March; 1773; married Thomas  Griffin Tarpley; student of medicine。
  VI。  Frances; who married General Joseph Wald。
  VII。  Euphemia; who; on the 2nd of April; 1771; married William Stewart of Castle Stewart; M。P。 for the County of Wigton。
  His wife died in London on the 18th of April; 1751; and was buried at Kensington; where a monument was raised to her memory。  Kenneth died; also in London; on the 19th of October; 1761; and was buried in  Westminster Abbey; when he was succeeded by his only son;
  XIX。  KENNETH;  SIXTH  EARL  OF  SEAFORTH;
  Viscount Fortrose; and Baron Ardelve; in the Peerage of Ireland。 From his  small stature; he was generally known among the Highlanders as the  〃Little Lord。〃  He was born in Edinburgh on the 15th of January; 1744;  and at an early age entered the army。  As a return for his father's loyalty to  the House of Hanovar in 1745; and his own steady support of the reigning  family; George III。; in 1764; raised him to the peerage by the title of Baron  Ardelve。  He was created Viscount Fortrose in 1766; and in 1771; Earl of  Seaforth; all in the peerage of Ireland。  To evince his gratitude for this magnanimous act; he; in 1778; offered to raise a regiment for general service。  The offer was accepted by his Majesty; and a fine body of 1130  men were in a very short time raised by his Lordship; principally on his  own estates in the north and by gentlemen of his own name。  Of these; five  hundred were enlisted among his immediate vassals; and about four  hundred from the estates of the Mackenzies of Scatwell; Kilcoy;  Redcastle; and Applecross。  The officers from the south to whom he gave  commissions in the regiment brought about two hundred men; of whom  forty…three were English and Irish。  The Macraes of Kintail; always such  faithful followers and able supporters of the House of Seaforth; were so  numerous in the new regiment that it was known more by their name than  by that of Seaforth's own kinsmen; and so much was this the case that the well…known mutiny which took place in Edinburgh; on the arrival of the  regiment there; is still known as 〃the affair of the Macraes。〃 'The Seaforth  Highlanders were marched to Leith; where they were quartered for a short  interval; though long enough to produce complaints about the  infringement of their engagements; and some pay and bounty which they  said were due them。  Their disaffection was greatly increased by the  activity of emissaries from Edinburgh; like those just mentioned as having  gone down front London to Portsmouth。  The regiment refused to embark;  and marching out of Leith; with pipes playing and two plaids fixed on  poles instead of colours; took a position on Arthur's Seat; of which they kept possession for several days; during which time the inhabitants of  Edinburgh amply supplied them with provisions and ammunition。  After  much negotiation; a proper understanding respecting the cause of their  complaint was brought about; and they marched down the hill in the same  manner in which they had gone up; with pipes playing; and  〃with the  Earls of Seaforth and Dunmore; and General Skene; at their head; they  entered Leith; and went on board the transports with the greatest  readiness; and cheerfulness。〃  In this case; as in that of the Athole  Highlanders; none of he men were brought to trial; or even put into  confinement for these acts of open resistance。Stewart's SketchesAppendix p。 lxvviv。'  The regiment was embodied at Elgin in May; 1778; and inspected there by General Skene; when it was so effective that not a single man was rejected。  Seaforth; appointed Colonel on the 29th of  December; 1777; was now promoted to the rank of Lieutenant…Colonel…Commandant; and the regiment was called the 78th (afterwards the 72nd);  or Ross…shire Regiment of Highlanders。
  The grievances complained of at Leith being removed; the  regiment embarked at that port; accompanied by their Colonel; and the intention of sending them to India having been abandoned; one half of the corps was sent to Guernsey and the other half to Jersey。 Towards the end of April; 1781; the two divisions assembled at Portsmouth; whence they  embarked for India on the 12th of June following; being then 973 strong;  rank and file。  Though in excellent health; the men suffered so much from scurvy; in consequence of the change of food; that before their arrival at  Madras; on the 2d of April; 1782; no fewer than 247 of them died。 and out of those who landed alive only 369 were fit for service。  Their Chief and Colonel died in August; 1781; before they arrived at St Helena; to the great  grief and dismay of his faithful followers; who looked up to him as their principal source of encouragement and  support。 His loss was naturally  associated in their minds with recollections of home; with melancholy  remembrances of their absent  kindred; and with forebodings of their own  future destiny and so strong was this feeling impressed upon them that it materially contributed to that prostration of mind which made them all the  more readily become the victims of disease。  They well knew that it was  on their account alone that he had determined to forego the comforts of a splendid fortune and high rank to encounter the privations and inconveniences of a long voyage and the dangers and other fatigues of  military service in a tropical climate。 'Stewart's Sketches; and Fullarton's  History of the Highland Clans and Highland Regiments。'
  His Lordship married on the 7th of October; 1765; Lady Caroline Stanhope; eldest daughter of William; second Earl of Harrington; and by  herwho died in London from consumption; from which she suffered for  nearly two years; on the 9th of February; 1767; at the early age of twenty;  'Scots' Magazine for 1767; p。 533。' and was buried at Kensingtonhe had issue; an only daughter; Lady Caroline; who was born in London on the  7th of July; 1766。  She formed an irregular union with Lewis Malcolm  Drummond; Count Melfort; a nobleman of the Kingdom of F