about the latter end of the fourteenth century by Colin, furnamed
Jongallach, or the Wonderful, on account of his marvellous exploits
and, I may add, his odd whims : among which, and not the leaft, may
be reckoned the burning of his houfe at Inveraray on receiving a vifit
from the O’Neiles o f Ireland, that he might have pretence to entertain
his illuftrious guefts in his magnificent field equipage. The
•great tower, which was ftanding till very lately, was built by the
black Sir Colin, for his nephew, the firft Earl o£ /ly^yle, at that time
a minor *. I do not difcover any date to afcertain the time of its
foundation, any further than that it was prior to the year 1480, the
time of Sir Colin’s death. The power of the family, and the difficult
approach to the place, preferved it from the infult of enemies,
■ excepting in two iriftances : In December, 1644, amidfi: the fnows
of this fevere climate, the enterprizing Montrofe poured down his
troops on Inveraray, through ways its chieftain thought impervious.
The Marquis of Argyle rriade his efcape in a little fiffiing-
; boat, and left his people to the mercilefs weapons of the invaders,
who for a twelvemonth carried fire and fword through the whole
Campbel race, retaliating, as is pleaded f , the fimilar barbarities
of its leader.
After the unfortunate expedition of his fon, in 1685, this
place and people experienced a freih calamity: another clan,
■ deputed by the government to carry deftruftion throughout the
name, was- let flip, armed with the dreadful writ of fire and
* In the quarto edition o f the T o u r , 1769, is a print, fuppofed to be that o f
the old caftle, copied from one infcribed with its name ; but the Gordons claim it
as a view o f Cajile-Gordon, the feat o f their chieftains.
■ t Montrofe's wars, p. 43,
B 2 fword,