WCP6736

[1] [p. lxxvii]

Hall Grove, Bagshot

October 17, 1882.

Sir,-I have received from Messrs. Trübner and Co. a copy of the new edition of ‘Land Nationalisation,' and while I frankly admit that everything has been eliminated from it of a character personally offensive to my family, I regret to find myself compelled to address you-not, however, in any hostile or unfriendly spirit-for the purpose of showing you that the allegations which you have derived from the letters of Donald McLeod, and which you retain in the new edition, respecting acts done in my father's factorship, are inaccurate or untrue.

To assist me in showing this, I avail myself of a letter which I recently addressed to the publisher of 'Altavona,' and which I had printed for readier reference. A copy is enclosed, marked private and confidential, the letter not being intended for publication, at least in its present form.

McLeod alleges four acts of inhumanity to individuals. The evidence bearing on these is minutely examined in the first nineteen pages of the enclosed paper. They are as follow: -

1. Chisholm Case. — You will, I think, admit, after reading the evidence, that the following allegations of McLeod are untrue: -

1st. That none of the family were present.

2nd. That the woman was not removed till after fire had been set to the house.

3rd. That the blankets in which she was carried out were ' in flames ' before she could be got out.

4th. That it was ever proposed to set fire to the house to which she was removed; much less that there was great difficulty in preventing it from being set fire to.

2. John McKay's Wife. — She no doubt fell through the [2] [p. lxxviii] roof of her cottage, being unwell at the time; but her husband does not allege that she was prematurely confined in the open air, or in the view of the bystanders; allegations in themselves not easily to be believed. Even, however, if these allegations were true, you will not, I am sure, consider that what could only have been an accident on the woman's own part, and which occurred in my father's absence, can be held forth as an act of cruelty done by him or by anyone else.

3. Donald McKay. — This man, instead-as is alleged-of being ill of a fever, and being while in this state exposed to the elements, was not ill, but only shamming illness.

4. Donald McBeath. — His death was not accelerated-as is implied-by his house being unroofed, and by his being exposed to wind and rain, inasmuch as his dwelling was not unroofed or meddled with.

Next, there are the allegations of a general character of tyranny and oppression. You will find them examined in page seventeen to the end of the enclosed paper.

1st. McLeod states or implies that the usage according to which the tenants were acknowledged to be the owners of the ‘bog’ timber was disregarded by my father. This statement is shown to be false.

2nd. He states that after the houses were overthrown, ‘timber, furniture, and every other article not instantly removed was consumed by fire, or otherwise utterly destroyed,’ amidst the ‘cries, despair, confusion, and horror of the victims,’ and the ‘exulting ferocity' of the aggressors, my father actively assisting. The whole of this allegation is an absolute falsehood and deliberate fabrication.

3rd. He alleges-but this allegation is not repeated in ‘Land Nationalisation’-that for the purpose of driving the tenants out of their holdings the pasture was set fire to, so as to starve their animals. This is shown to be an entire and malicious perversion of fact.

I must likewise point out to you that you have fallen in the present edition into an error which did not occur in the first edition. The clearances ' in Kildonan, and parts of three other parishes, to which you refer in page 58, did not occur in the year 1816, but in 1819 and 1820, after the expiry of numerous ‘tacks,’ or leases, in 1818, and subsequent to the termination of my father's factorship.

[3] [p. lxxix ] The only clearances carried out by him were-

1st. In 1812, in Assynt, when the people quietly removed with little or no opposition on his part.

2nd. In 1813, in part of the parish of Kildonan, and part of Clyne, when much opposition was encountered.

3rd. In 1814, in the parish of Farr, which was the occasion which gave rise to the events-the subject of the trial-and when 27 tenants besides Chisholm were removed.

From the spirit of fairness which you have shown since this matter was first brought under your notice, I feel confident that if the evidence, as I think you will admit, shows conclusively that the allegations of McLeod which I have referred to are untrue, you will be prepared to eliminate them from the next edition of ' Land Nationalisation,' not only as an act of justice to my father, but for the sake of historical troth. The date of the later Kildonan clearances you will doubtless be likewise prepared to correct.

Yours faithfully,

[signature] Thos. Sellar.

A. R. Wallace, Esq.