第 100 节
作者:西门在线      更新:2021-09-29 13:02      字数:9322
  ch  existed between the trustees finally  landed them in Court; the question  specially in dispute being whether the agreement of the late Sir  Alexander to sell the Ardnagrask and Strathpeffer lands should be  carried out?  In opposition to the  majority; the Court decided in  favour of Sir Hector that they should not be sold until he arrived  at an age to judge for himself。
  Having secured this decision; Sir  Hector; thinking that Mr Gorry had been acting too much in the interest  of his own grandchildrenSir Alexander's children by the second  marriagenow appointed a factor of his own; Kenneth Mackenzie;  his half uncle; the first 〃Millbank。〃
  In 1789 he obtained authority from the Court to sell the lands which his father had previously arranged to dispose of to enable him to  pay the debts of the entailed estates。  He sold the lands of Davochcairn  and Davochpollo to Henry Davidson of Tulloch; and Ardnagrask to  Captain Rose; Beauly; who afterwards sold it to Mackenzie of Ord; In 1815 he was appointed  Lord…Lieutenant of his native  county。  He lived generally at home  among a devoted tenantry; and only  visited London once during his life。
  He regularly dispensed justice  among his Gairloch retainers  without any expense to the county;  and to their entire satisfaction。  He was adored  by the people; to  whom he acted as a father and  friend; and his memory is still  green among the older inhabitants;  who never speak of him but in the  warmest terms for his generosity; urbanity; and frankness; and for the  kind and free manner in which he  always mixed with and addressed  his tenants。  He was considered by  all who knew him the most  sagacious and intelligent man in the county。  He employed no factor  after he came of age; but dealt directly and entirely with his  people; ultimately knowing every man on his estates; so that he knew  from personal knowledge how to  treat each case of hardship and  inability to pay that came before  him; and to distinguish feigned  from real poverty。  When he grew  frail from old age he employed a  clerk to assist him in the  management; but he wisely  continued landlord and factor himself to his dying day。  When Sir  Francis; his eldest son; reached a  suitable age; instead of adopting  the usual folly of sending elder  sons to the army that they might  afterwards succeed to the property  entirely ignorant of everything  connected with it; he gave him;  instead of a yearly allowance;  several of the farms; with a rental  of about ?00 a year; over which he  acted as landlord or tenant; until his  father's death; telling him 〃if you  can make more of them; all the  better for you。〃 Sir Francis thus  grew up interested in and  thoroughly acquainted with all property and county business; and  with his future tenants; very much  to his own ultimate advantage and  those who afterwards depended  upon him。
  Sir Hector also patronised the Gaelic poets; and appointed one of them; Alexander Campbell; better known as 〃Alastair Buidhe Mac Iomhair;〃 to be his ground…officer and family bard; and allowed him to  hold his land in Strath all his life rent free。 'The late Dr John Mackenzie  of Eileanach; Sir Hector's youngest son; makes the following reference;  under date of August 30; 1878; to the old bard:〃I see honest Alastair  Buidhe; with his broad bonnet and blue great coat (summer and winter)  clearly before me now; sitting in the dining room at Flowerdale quite  ‘raised'…like while reciting Ossian's poems; such as ‘The Brown Boar of  Diarmad;' and others (though he had never heard of Macpherson's  collection) to very interested visitors; though as unacquainted with Gaelic  as Alastair was with English。  This must have been as early as 1812 or so;  when I used to come into the room after dinner about nine years old。〃
  Alastair Buidhe; the bard; was the author's great…grandfather on the maternal side; and he was himself; on his mother's side; descended from  the Mackenzies of Shieldaig。'  He gave a great impetus to the Gairloch  cod fishing; which he continued to encourage as long as he lived。
  Sir Hector married; in  August; 1778; Cochrane; daughter  of James Chalmers of Fingland;  without issue; and the marriage was  dissolved by arrangement between  the parties on the 22nd of April;  1796。 In the same year; the  marriage contract being dated the  〃9th May; 1796;〃 within a month of  his separation from his first wife;  Sir Hector married; secondly;  Christian; daughter and only child  of William Henderson; Inverness; a  lady who became very popular with  the Gairloch people; and is still  affectionately remembered amongst them as 〃A Bhantighearna  Ruadh;〃 'Dr John; late of Eileanach; writes of her and her  father as follows:His second wife  was only child of William  Henderson; from Aberdeen…shire (cousin of Mr Coutts; the London  banker; with whom; in  consequence of the relationship;  my elder brothers; Francis and  William; were on intimate terms in  Stratton Street; Piccadilly; where  Lady Burdett Coutts now lives);  who set up a Bleachfield at the  Bught; Inverness; by a daughter of  Fraser of Bught。 Henderson  followed his daughter to Conon; as  tenant of Riverford; where; till very  old; he lived; and then moved to  Conon House; till he died about  1816; loved by all; aged 97。  I think  he is buried in the Chapel…Yard; Inverness。〃' with issue
  1。  Francis Alexander; his heir and successor。
  2。  William; a merchant in lava; and afterwards in Australia。  He died; unmarried; in 1860; at St。 Omer France。
  3。  Hector; who married  Lydia; eldest daughter of General Sir Hugh Fraser of Braelangwell; was Captain in H。E。I。C。S。; and died in India;  without surviving issue。
  4。  Dr John; of Eileanach。  He studied for the medical profession; and took his degree of M。D。  He was factor for the trustees of Sir Kenneth;  the present Baronet; during his minority; and afterwards for several years;  Provost of Inverness。  He married; on the 28th of September; 1826; Mary  Jane; only daughter of the Rev。 Dr Inglis of Logan Bank and old  Greyfriars; Edinburgh; Dean of the Chapel Royal; and sister of the late  distinguished Lord Justice…General Inglis; President of the Court of  Session; with issue(1) Colonel Hector; who was born on the 24th of  August; 1828; and went to India in his twentieth year; fought at  Chilianwallah and Goojerat; and was afterwards; until he retired in 1877; in the Civil Service; chiefly as Judicial Commissioner for Central India at  Nagpore。 He married on the 9th of May; 1855; Eliza Ann Theophila;  eldest daughter of General Jamieson; of the H。E。I。C。S。; without issue; (2)  John Inglis; who died in 1843; in the 6th year of his age; (3) Harry  Maxwell; who was born on the 16th of May; 1839; a Colonel in the Royal  Artillery。  He married on the 7th of September; 1872; Caroline Georgina;  eldest daughter of Captain Ponsonby; Indian Staff Corps; Deputy Quarter…Master…General in Scinde; with issue; six sons and four daughtersHector  Ian Maxwell; born on the 14th of June; 1875; Harry Ponsonby; born on the  30th of March; 1877; Kenneth Gordon; born on the 6th of July; 1878 Allan  Stewart; born on the 27th of October; 1881; and died in infancy; Colin  Ray; born on the 7th of May; 1887 Alastair Ponsonby; born on the 25th of  June; 1889 Margaret; Mary; Lillian Kythe; Kythe; and Gladys Georgina。   Colonel Mackenzie; after retiring from the Service; resided at Auld  Castlehill; Inverness; was Inspector for the Science and Art Department in  the North; and died suddenly; at Wick; on the  13th of July; 1891; (4)  Mary; who as his fourth  wife; married Duncan Davidson of Tulloch; with  issueEoin Duncan Reginald; a settler in Queensland; Hector Francis; in New Zealand Alastair Norman; in Queensland; Lucy Eleonora; who; in   1873; married Sir Allan R。 Mackenzie; Baronet of Glenmuick; with issue;  four sons and a daughterAllan James Reginald; born in 1880; Victor  Audley Falconer; born in 1882; Allan Keith; born in 1887; Eric Dighton; born in 1891; and Mary Lucy Victoria。  Tulloch's other daughters were  Mary Macpherson and Victoria Geraldine。  His wife died on the 27th of  October; 1867。  (5) Christina Isabella; who; on the 23rd of November;  1853; married Charles Addington Hanbury of Strathgarve; Ross…shire; and  Belmont; Herts; with issue; four sons and  four daughtersHarold Charles;  of the  Carabineers;  John Mackenzie; Basil; David Theophilus; Florence  Mary; Kithe Agatha; who on the 10th of April; 1877; married Horace  William  Kemble; Hon。 Major 2nd Cameron Highlanders; of Oakmere;  Herts; at present tenant of Knock; Isle of Skye; with issueHorace  Leonard; born on the 22nd of April; 1882; Dorothea Lucinda; Hilda Olive;  and Kythe Louisa Elaine; Isabel; who married Major O。 F。 Annesley; R。A。;  with issuetwo daughters; Daphne and Myrtle; and Marie Frances Lisette (6) Kithe Caroline who on the 12th of April; 1865; married Francis Mackenzie; third son of Thomas Ogilvie of Corriemony; with issue; seven  children; (7) Lisette; who on the 28th of June; 1878; married Frederick  Louis Kindermann; son of Mr Kindermann; founder of the house of Keith  & Co。; London and Liverpool; without issue; (8) Georgina Elizabeth; who  on the 26th of January; 1860; married the late Duncan Henry Caithness  Reay Davids