feuds between the great families was one great caufe. There was
not a chieftain but that kept, in fome remote valley in the depth
o f woods and rocks, whole tribes of- thieves in readinefs to let
loofe againft his neighbors •, when, from fome public or private
reafon, he did not ju d g e it expedient to refent openly any real or
imaginary affront. From this motive the greater ehieftain-
robbers always fupported the lefier, and encouraged no fort of
improvement on their eftates bu t what promoted rapine.
^ i H IE PS r’T"' I —
S ir Ewin'Ca- e g reateft ° r the heroes in the laft century, was Sir Ewin
mjrok. Cameron, whofe life is given in the other volume. H e long refilled
the power o f Cromwel, but at length was forced to fubmis.
H e lived in the neighborhood o f the garrifon fixed by the ufurper
at Inver lochy. H is valfaLs perfifted in their thefts» ’till, Cromwel
lent orders to the commanding-officer, that on the next robbery
he fhould feize on the chieftain, and execute him in twenty-four
hours, in cafe the th ie f was not delivered to -ju ftice . A n aft of
rapine foon happened : S ir Ewin, received the me f i a g ewho , in-
Head o f givin g himfelf the trouble o f looking out for the offender,
laid hold o f the firft fellow he met with, fent him bound to
Inver-lochy, where he was inftantly hanged. Cromwel, by this fe-
verity, p ut a flop to thefe exceffes, ’ till the time o f the reiteration,
when they were renewed with double violence,,’ till.the year
*745-
Roi-Roy. Rob-Roy MacGregor was. another diftinguifhed Hero in.the latter
end o f the lait, and the beginning o f the prelent century.
H e contributed greatly towards forming his profeffion into a fci-
ence j and eftablilhing the police above mentioned. T h e duke of.
Montroje
-rm m
/ 1 « 1
Montrofe unfortunately was his n e igh b o r: Rob-Roy frequently
faved his grace the trouble o f colle itin g his rents ; ufed to extort
them from the tenants, and at the fame time give them formal
difcharges. But it was neither in the power o f the duke or o f
any o f the gentlemen he plundered to bring him to ju ftic e , fo
ftrongly proteibed was he by feveral great men to whom he was
ufeful. Roy had his good q u alitie s: he fpent his revenue gener-
oufly -, and ftrange to fay, was a true friend to the widow and
orphan.
Ev e ry period o f time gives new improvement to the arts. A L u d o w i c k C a -
fon o f Sir Ewin Cameron refined on thofe o f Rob-Roy, and in- m e r o n . ^ j,jfH
Head o f diffipating his gains, accumulated wealth. H e , lik e Jonathan
Wild, the Great, never Hole with his own hands, but cond
u c e d his commerce with an addrefs, and to an extent unknown
before. H e employed feveral companies, and fet the more adroit
knaves at their head; and never fuffered merit to go unrewarded.
H e never openly received their p lu n d e r; but employed agents to
purchafe from them their cattle. H e acquired confiderable property,
which he was forced to leave behind, after the battle o f
Culloden gave the fatal blow to all their greatnefs.
T h e laft o f any eminence was the celebrated Barrifdale, who Mac-donald op
carried thefe arts to the higheft pitch o f perfedlion : befides e x- Ea rr isd alb .
erting all the common prailices, he improved that article o f commerce
called the black-meal to a degree beyond what was ever
known to his predeceffors. T h is was a forced levy, fo called from
its being commonly paid in meal, which was raifed far and wide
on the eftate o f every nobleman and gentleman, in order that their
cattle might be fecured from the lefier thieves, over whom he fe-
F f f 2 cretly