the Court of Session against all the Clanranald estates, for the accumulated sum of £95,000 Scots, and obtained a decree in his own favour, all with the view of handing the property over to the representative of the family as soon as a pardon could be procured or the attainder removed. Ranald, however, who was never married, died at St Germains in 1725, before a pardon could be procured or the estates conveyed to him. Thus the whole male line of Sir Donald Macdonald, ninth of Clanranald, became extinct, and the dignity and succession reverted to the nearest male heir of Ranald Macdonald, immediate younger brother of Sir Donald last named, as follows:-

RANALD MACDONALD, second son of Allan, eighth of Clanranald, and immediate younger brother of Sir Donald, ninth of Clarranald, by his wife, a daughter of Macleod of Macleod, received from his father, Allan, the lands of Barrow in Benbecula, Gartgimines, Baile-nan-Cailleach, Bailefinlay, Bailemeanach, Uachdar, Benbecula (called the two Airds), Knockworlane, and part of Machar-meanach; also the lands of Ardness, Lochylt, and Essan in Arasaig. Afterwards, John Macdonald, tenth of Clanranald, granted to this Ranald and to his son, Ranald Og, a feu-charter, dated 12th of April 1625, for infefting themselves in these lands, and infeftment followed in favour of the elder Ranald, recorded at the Chaucery of Ross on the 21st of June following. These deeds are afterwards confirmed by the superior, the Earl of Argyll, on the 14th of March 1633.

Ranald, son of Allan, ninth chief, and immediate younger brother of Sir Donald, ninth of Clanranald, married, first, Maria, daughter of Archibald Macdonald, brother of Donald Gorm Mor, seventh, and sister of Sir Donald Macdonald, eighth baron and first baronet of Sleat. By this lady (who was forcibly seized and ravished by Sir Lauchlan Mackinnon of Strathardale, and for which act he was afterwards forfeited in 1722) Ranald had no issue. He married, secondly, Margaret, daughter of Angus Macdonald of Dunyveg, with issue

1. Ranald, designed "Ranald Og," to distinguish him from his father. 2. Angus Og, so called to distinguish him from his uncle, Angus of Clanranald. From Angus Og descended the families of Dalilea and Milton. Ranald was succeeded in the lands of Benbecula and others above mentioned by his eldest son,

RANALD OG MACDONALD, who had some difference with the chief of Clanranald about the payment of his feu-duties and services. This landed him in an action in the Court of Session, where judgment went against him. They soon, however, arranged matters, and became reconciled. On the 7th of October 1652 he was infeft as fiar upon his father's charter of 1625, and the infeftment is duly registered in the Chancery of Ross. On the 16th of December 1655 he obtained from John Macdonald, tenth of Clanranald, a discharge of all feu-duties and services; and on the 25th of March 1675 he entered into an agreement with Donald, eleventh of Clanranald, by which his lands were to be held direct from the superior, the Earl of Argyll; but this arrangement was afterwards departed from before it was finally ratified.

Ranald married, first, a daughter of Macneil of Barra, by whom he had issue

1. Donald, who succeeded, as fourteenth of Clanranald, on the death, without issue, of Ranald thirteenth chief, and of whom presently.

Ranald married, secondly, in 1653, Anne (or Agnes) Macdonald, daughter of John Macdonald, tenth of Clanranald, with issue

2. James, to whom his father gave the lands of Belfinlay, Ardbeg, Ardmore, and others. This James had a son, Allan of Belfinlay, who also had a son, Allan of Belfinlay, who married Jane, eldest daughter of Lachlan Mackinnon of Corry, the entertainer of Pennant and Dr Johnson, with issue-Allan, a Major in the 55th Regiment, who married Flora, daughter of Peter Nicolson of Ardmore, with issue-Captain Allan Macdonald, now of Waternish, Isle of Skye, and others.

3, Donald Og, who died without issue.

4. Moir, or Marion.

On the death of Ranald, thirteenth of Clanranald, in 1725, in France, he was succeeded by his cousin as above.

(To be Continued.)

THE HON. ARCHIBALD LOVAT was quite a character; many are the stories told about him. Once, while staying at Fraser's (afterwards Bennett's) Hotel in Inverness, he took a fancy to divert himself by ringing all the bells in the house between two and three o'clock in the morning. As soon as he heard the waiter or chambermaid coming to answer one bell, he ran into another room and rang another, and so on, until the whole house was disturbed. An English traveller happened to be in the hotel, and, understanding who it was that was making such a disturbance, and knowing Lovat to be a very vain man, he ran out and caught him, exclaiming, "You scoundrel, do you not know that my Lord Lovat is in the house?" Quite flattered by what he considered such a high respect paid to him, he at once retired, and sent for the traveller in the morning, whom he complimented on being a gentleman, knowing the respect due to his superiors.

ANOTHER story of the same Lovat is as follows:-In his time the Beauly was famous for the great quantity of salmon it contained. In one part especially, called the Salmon Leap, it is said that a person could not stand for ten minutes without seeing the fish leaping high out of the water. Lovat made a bet with another gentleman that he could cook a salmon without its being touched by any one, and he won the wager thus. He caused a fire to be made close to the water with a large pot of boiling water placed on it. He and his friend stood by, and, within a quarter of an hour, a fine salmon, leaping out of the water, fell into the pot of hot water, and so was cooked to perfection without being touched.—Invernessian for August.

* There is a dispensation, “dated at Ellan Raald, the 8th of June 1653,” granted for this marriage by "Dominicus Dingin," under authority of a commission from the Pope, "to dispensate in such business," written on the 10th of December 1651. The parties are described as "in the second and third degree of consanguinity," whereas all inarriages "contracted within the fourth degree, inclusively, are, by the universal Church of God, prohibited and declared of no force or value without a special dispensation from the said Church."

TALES AND ADVENTURES OF A BOTANIST: ILLUSTRATIVE OF THE MANNERS AND SUPERSTITIONS OF THE

The

HERE Miss Grisilda and one or two of her nieces screamed outright. Captain sprung to his feet to catch the first that should fall, and the Doctor laid hold of a decanter containing cold water which happened to stand on the table, believing from the paleness of the ladies' looks that it would be instantly needed. The bare sight of it, however, seemed to act as an antidote, and by its means and the help of smelling-bottles together, all the terrified fair contrived to keep their feet, and by-and-bye recovered in some degree their vanished colour. As soon as they had recovered from their trepidation, Maclaine at their request proceeded with his narrative.

"Having got rid of this goblin-

"But how, pray, got you rid of him?" said Miss Grisilda.

"Why, being ashamed to turn back, I made all haste to pass him. I looked behind me after I had proceeded a few paces, and I still beheld him as if slowly following me. You will readily suppose I did not wait for his company, but pressed on with all possible expedition till I thought myself beyond his reach, and had left the silent cemetery at some distance in rear of me.

"When I next looked behind me, I saw no sheeted corpse, but was scarcely less surprised to behold a faint light glimmering, apparently through one of the windows of the ruins of the chapel. I watched it for a few moments, and bethought myself of Kirk Alloway; but while I yet hesitated whether I should return to examine the phenomenon more narrowly, it suddenly vanished and left me again in darkness.

"My anxiety to gain the gloves would not allow me to make another pause till I had penetrated towards the centre of the corry. Here a faint noise, like that of horses' feet, at a distance attracted my attention. I recollected the story of the phantom troopers, who are said to hold occasionally their nocturnal parade there, and regretted much that the darkness would prevent me from seeing how they went through their exercise. While I stood to listen, the noise increased in force and distinctness. The impression of each thundering hoof upon the solid turf left no room to doubt that a powerful cavalcade was approaching. I already felt the ground in tremulous motion around me, and became somewhat apprehensive of being trodden under foot without any possibility of avoiding the danger. They passed me, however, at some twenty yards' distance. They seemed to consist of about a dozen horses. I could faintly discern their figure through the gloom, but could not distinguish their riders, though something rung in my stunned ears like loud laughter as they again vanished into darkness, and the sound of their footsteps waxed faint in the distance.

"I met with no further surprise till I reached the Uaimh-a-Bhodaich,

where, after much groping, I luckily succeeded in laying my hand on the objects of my search; but not, I must confess, till I had received a more serious alarm than any yet mentioned."

Here he paused; but before he had reached this stage of his narrative the recital had called forth, as may be readily supposed, many additional exclamations from the fair portion of the audience, though no alarming symptoms of another nervous attack were betrayed. Here they again exchanged significant glances, and Miss Grisilda got her phial of volatile salts in readiness for the next catastrophe. The Captain, however, was in no haste to proceed with his narration. He evidently betrayed some reluctance to communicate what passed in the cave, and when admonished on the subject, he made answer, after a few minutes' reflection, that he must request to be excused detailing any further particulars till next morning at breakfast time, when he would reveal the whole occurrences in his adventure. It was in vain that he was urged to gratify the expectation which he had excited, by telling all, and not keeping them on the rack of uncertainty and conjecture for so many tedious hours, and even spoiling their night's repose; for Miss Grisilda protested that she should not be able to close an eye by thinking on it. The Captain was quite inexorable, and his inquisitive examinators were obliged to content themselves with remarking that it was certainly the Bodach himself that he had encountered, and Miss Grisilda said that he might think himself fortunate in getting so easily out of his hands. She added that the many dreadful things which he had that night seen and heard were evidently a judgment on his rashness and scepticism; and she at length bade him good-night, with the consolatory reflection that she hoped he would be a better man for it all the days of his life.

As soon as the door closed behind Miss Grisilda and her train—who displayed on this occasion a rather uncommon degree of ceremonious courtesy in relinquishing to each other the honour of precedency as they left the room-Maclaine burst forth into an obstreperous fit of laughing. When he had recovered his composure we requested him to explain; for though none of us believed that there was anything supernatural in the phenomena which the Captain had witnessed, yet we all appeared at a loss to account for them.

"Why, gentlemen," said Maclaine, "it is the easiest thing in the world to conjure up a spectre and impose on all the five senses with a little assistance from fancy. During the short time I have been out I have met with materials enough for some half dozen or more tales of wonder, each as good as any you have heard to-night, yet all easily explained without any necessity of having recourse to supernatural agency. 1 shall satisfy you all at breakfast that I have told nothing but the exact truth, and that I have, notwithstanding, met with nothing extraordinary. It will be a choice treat to observe how Miss Grizzy will look when I turn the tables upon her.

"Yet there occurred one circumstance in the case, which, to confess the truth, gave me a good deal of surprise; and, though I never for a moment supposed it anywise supernatural, it still puzzles me to account for it. It was for this reason that I declined to mention it to the ladies till I return, as I mean to do as soon as the morning dawns, to find out the cause of it. As I was groping in the darkness for the gloves, 1

thought I heard a noise as of a person breathing, towards the inner part of the cave, which you know is of considerable extent. I held my breath to listen, when I fully satisfied myself of the fact. The slow, strong, and somewhat stentorious respiration of one in sleep was distinctly audible.

"I stood for some minutes to listen, and endeavour to find out some plausible explanation of the phenomenon, but all my ingenuity was exerted in vain. I could attribute it to no wild animal that had there sought a lair, and to suppose that any human being would take up his night's lodging in so dreary an abode seemed hardly more probable. Yet this last was the most satisfactory conjecture which I could form, and at last I felt almost quite persuaded that some vagabond maniac had there sought a shelter from the inclemency of the midnight air.

"The idea that I was in the society of such an unmanageable being, in circumstances where I could do nothing to defend myself from his violence, was scarcely more comfortable than if my invisible companion had been the Bodach Glas himself. I confess, therefore, that I lost no time in effecting my retreat with all possible quietness, and perhaps as I made my exit from the pitchy den my feelings were not very different in kind from what might have been inspired by the apprehension of something supernatural."

We were now all equally curious to know the bottom of this strange affair, and unanimously expressed a wish to accompany the Captain in his investigations. It now wanted but a few hours of dawn, and we could not venture to bed, lest we should oversleep ourselves. We therefore resolved to watch till the break of day. With the aid of a chess-board and the Terrific Register, we contrived to keep our eyes open till the approach of day was discernible in the east. We then stepped quietly forth by raising a window-sash, and after a smart walk of nearly an hour we reached the entrance of the Uaimh-a-Bhodaich just as the sun had begun to gild the tops of the mountains.

At first entering the interior of the cave was too dark, even at noon, to allow one object to be distinguishable from another; but remaining a few minutes in it sufficed to render everything dimly visible. We therefore required to proceed with caution till our organs of sight became familiarised to the obscurity of the place. We stole softly in till we had reached nearly the middle of the cavern, where we stood a while quite motionless to listen and to reconcile our eyes to our situation. We all heard the breathing distinctly as Maclaine had described it; and we had not listened long when we could faintly discern a human figure, wrapt in a plaid, and lying on a couch of heather near the inner extremity. He seemed still asleep, and we were careful not to rouse him till we had made more narrow observations.

But as we approached, the sound of our footsteps, in spite of all our caution, awoke him, He started suddenly to his elbow, laid his hand on a stout oaken sapling that lay beside him, and put himself in a determined posture of defence, while he fiercely scrutinised the intruders upon his repose.

I instantly recognised my kind host, the smuggler of Glenaverain, though his appearance was sadly altered since I had parted with him. From beneath his fur cap appeared a handkerchief, besmeared with blood, around his temples. One of his shaggy whiskers was also clotted with