第 99 节
作者:西门在线      更新:2021-09-29 13:02      字数:9322
  h Erradale; already referred to。  The  other daughter; known as 〃Kate Gairloch;〃 who lived to a very old age;  unmarried; was provided for in comfortable lodgings and with a suitable  allowance by the heads of the family。
  He died in 1766; in the 66th year of his age; was buried with his ancestors in Gairloch; 'The old chapel and the burying place of the Lairds  of Gairloch appear to have been roofed almost up to this date; for in the Tutorial accounts of 1704 there is an item of 30 merks for 〃harling;  pinning; and thatching Gairloch's burial place。〃' and succeeded by his  eldest son;
  X。  SIR  ALEXANDER MACKENZIE; third Baronet; designated  〃An Tighearna Ruadh;〃  or the Red…haired Laird。  He built  Conon House between 1758 and  1760; during his father's lifetime。
  Lady Mackenzie; who continued to  reside at Kinkell; where she lived separated from her husband; on Sir  Alexander's decease claimed the  new mansion at Conon built by her  son eight years before on the  ground that it was situated on her  jointure lands; but Sir Alexander  resisted her pretensions; and  ultimately the matter was arranged  by the award of John Forbes of  New; Government factor on the  forfeited estates of Lovat; who then  resided at Beaufort; and to whom  the question in dispute was  submitted as arbitrator。 Forbes  compromised it by requiring Sir  Alexander to expend ?00 in  making Kinkell Castle more  comfortable; by taking off the top storey; re…rooting it; rebuilding an  addition at the side; and re…flooring;  plastering; and papering all the  rooms。
  Sir Alexander; in addition to the debts of the entailed estates; contracted other liabilities on his own account; and finding himself much hampered in consequence; he tried; but failed; to break the entail;  although a flaw has been discovered in it since; and Sir Kenneth; the  present  Baronet; having called the attention of the Court to it; the entail  was judicially declared invalid。  Sir Alexander had entered into an  agreement to sell the Strathpeffer and Ardnagrask  lands; in  anticipation  of which Henry Davidson of Tulloch bought the greater part of the debts  of the entailed estates; with the view of securing the consent of the Court  to the sale of Davochcairn and Davochpollo afterwards to himself。  But on the 15th of April; 1770; before the transaction could be completed; Sir  Alexander died suddenly from the effects of a fall from his horse。  His  financial affairs were seriously involved; but having been placed in the  hands of an Edinburgh accountant; his creditors ultimately received  nineteen shillings in the pound。
  He married; first; on the 29th of November; 1755; Margaret; eldest daughter of Roderick Mackenzie; VII。 of Redcastle; with issue
  1。  Hector; his heir and successor。
  She died on the 1st of December; 1759。
  He married; secondly; in 1760; Jean; daughter of John Gorry of Balblair; and Commissary of Ross; with issue
  2。 John; who raised a  company; almost wholly in  Gairloch; for the 78th Regiment of  Ross…shire Highlanders when first  embodied; of which he himself  obtained the Captaincy。  He rose  rapidly in rank。 On the 3rd of May;  1794; he attained to his majority; in  the following year he is Lieutenant…Colonel of the Regiment Major…General in the army in 1813; and  full General in 1837。  He served  with distinction and without  cessation from 1779 to 1814。  So  marked was his daring and personal  valour that he was popularly known among his companions in arms as  〃Fighting Jack。〃  He was at the Walcheren expedition; at the Cape;  in India; in Sicily; Malta; and the  Peninsula and though constantly  exhibiting numberless instances of  personal daring; he was only once  wounded; when on a certain  occasion he was struck with a spent  ball on the knee; which made any  walking somewhat troublesome to  him in after life。 At Tarragona he  was so mortified with Sir John  Murray's conduct; that he almost  forgot that he himself was only  second in command; and charged  Sir John with incapacity and  cowardice; for which the latter was  tried by Court MartialGeneral  Mackenzie being one of the  principal witnesses against him。   Full of vigour of mind and body; he  took a lively interest in everything  in which he engaged; from fishing  and shooting to farming; gardening; politics; and fighting。  He never  forgot his Gaelic; which he spoke with fluency and read with ease。   Though a severe disciplinarian; his  men adored him。  He was in the  habit of saying that it gave him  more pleasure to meet a dog from  Gairloch than a gentleman from  any other place。  When the 78th returned from the Indian Mutiny the  officers and men were feted to a  grand banquet by the town of  Inverness; and as the regiment  marched through Academy Street;  where the General resided; they  halted opposite his residence; next  door above the Station Hotel; and  though so frail that he had to be  carried; he was taken out and his  chair placed on the steps at the  door; where the regiment saluted  and warmly cheered their old and  distinguished veteran commander;  who had so often led their  predecessors to victory; and at the  time the oldest officer in and  〃father〃 of the British army。  He  was much affected; and wept with  joy at again meeting his beloved 78ththe only tears he was known  to have shed since the days of his  childhood。  He married Lilias;  youngest daughter of Alexander Chisholm; XXII。 of Chisholm; with  issue(1) Alastair; an officer in the  90th Light Infantry; who afterwards  settled down and became a  magistrate in the Bahamas; where;  in 1839; he married an American  lady; Wade Ellen; daughter of  George Huyler; Consul General of  the United States; and French  Consul in the Bahama Islands; with  issuea son; the Rev。 George  William Russel Mackenzie; an  Episcopalian minister; who on the  2nd of August; 1876; married  Annie Constance; second daughter  of Richard; son of William  Congreve of Congreve and Burton;  with issueDorothy Lilias; (2) a  daughter; Lilias Mary Chisholm;  unmarried。  Alastair subsequently  left the Bahamas; went to  Melbourne; and became Treasurer  for the Government of Victoria;  where he died in 1852。 General  Mackenzie died on the 14th of  June; 1860; aged 96 years; and was  buried in the Gairloch aisle in  Beauly Priory。
  3。  Kenneth; who was born  on the 14th of February; 1765; was  a Captain in the army; and served  in India; where he was at the siege  of Seringapatam。  He soon after  retired from the service; and settled  down as a gentleman farmer at  Kerrisdale; Gairloch。 He married  Flora; daughter of Farquhar Macrae  of Inverinate; with issue; three sons  and four daughters(1) Alexander;  a Captain in the 58th Regiment;  who married a daughter of William  Beibly; M。D。; Edinburgh; with  issue; (2) Hector; a merchant in  Java; where he died; unmarried; (3)  Farquhar; a settler in Victoria;  where he married and left issueHector; John; Violet; Mary; and  Flora; (4) Jean; who married  William H。 Garrett; of the Indian  Civil Service; with issuetwo sons;  Edward and William; and four daughters; Eleanor (now Mrs  Gourlay; The Gows; Dundee);  Flora; Emily; and Elizabeth; (5)  Mary; who married; first; Dr  Macleod; Dingwall; without issue  and; secondly; Murdo Mackenzie; a  Calcutta merchant; also without  issue; (6) Christian Henderson;  who married John Mackenzie;  solicitor; Tam; a son of George  Mackenzie; III。 of Pitlundie; with  issuetwo sons; both dead; one of  whom left a son; Charles; (7)  Jessie; who married Dr Kenneth  Mackinnon; of the Corry family;  H。E。I。C。S。; Calcutta。
  4。  Jean; who died young。
  5。  Margaret; who married Roderick Mackenzie; II。 of Glack; with issue。
  6。  Janet; who married Captain John Mackenzie Woodlands; son of George Mackenzie; II。 of Gruinard; without issue。  Sir Alexander had also a natural daughter; Janet; who married John  Macpherson; Gairloch; with issue。
  The second Lady Mackenzie of Gairloch; Jean Gorry; died in 1766; probably at the birth of her last daughter; Janet; who was born on the 14th  of October in that year; and Sir Alexander himself died on the 15th of  April; 1770。  He was buried in Gairloch; and was succeeded by his eldest  son;
  XI。  SIR  HECTOR MACKENZIE; the fourth  Baronet;  generally spoken of among  Highlanders as 〃An Tighearna  Storach;〃 or the Buck…toothed Laird。  Being a minor; only twelve  years of age when he succeeded; his affairs were managed by the  following trustees appointed by his fatherJohn Gorry; Provost  Mackenzie of Dingwall; and  Alexander Mackenzie; W。S。; son  and grandson respectively of  Charles Mackenzie; I。 of Letterewe;  and Alexander Mackenzie; of the  Stamp Office; London; son of  William Mackenzie of  Davochcairn。  These gentlemen did not get on so harmoniously as  could be wished in the  management of the estate。  The  first three opposed the last…named;  who was supported by Sir Hector  and by his grandfather and his  uncle of Redcastle。  In the month of  March; 1772; in a petition in which  Sir Hector craves the Court for  authority to appoint his own factor; he is described as 〃being now  arrived at the age of fourteen  years。〃 The differences which  existed between the trustees finally  landed them in Court; the question  specially in dispute b