The Scots were a people who appeared to need to be preoccupied, theorists to a man. In the past they had been preoccupied with war, fighting for freedom or just fighting, feuding; with religious reform or at least change; with theological hair-splitting. Now, of a sudden, it was trade, commerce and the better life to be gained thereby. Some saw this as a grievously mundane and earth-bound deterioration, almost shameful in a people who should have their minds above the merely material and sordidly mercantile. Andrew saw it otherwise, he who surely was no materialist. All this, of course, referred to the southern or Lowland Scots. Their Highland compatriots were a different kettle-of-fish. They had a simpler outlook, less concern with theories and certainly no preoccupation with commerce. One hundred and thirty years after the Reformation they were still mainly Catholic, thirled to the old ways, patriarchal and clan-conscious. The Stewarts had become a clan, despite Norman origins, and James Stewart was still chief of chiefs whatever his faults and failings. The Glencoe affair profoundly shook and alarmed the Highlands. Their preoccupation was far from schemes of foreign trade and social betterment. The sword commended itself to them, at this juncture, rather than the word, the edict, the vote and the subscription-list. Highlands and Lowlands were on a collision course.
17
It was not often that two gentlemen of Lothian should find occasion to ride over the Highland Line, even the very southern skirts thereof, as now. But circumstances can conspire to even such drastic measures, and in the summer of 1695 circumstances were sufficiently so to impel Andrew Fletcher and Johnnie Belhaven to these lengths. With a suitable escort of half a dozen troopers of the Haddingtonshire militia, drawn from their own two estates - for none would question but that they were venturing into dangerous territory - they trotted up the west bank of the Water of Ruchill in the wide vale of Strathearn, of a late August afternoon, and were in fact surprised to find it all so fair, so fertile-seeming, so far from the barbarous wilderness of crags and mountains and foaming torrents against which they had been warned. Mountains there were but they stood well back, to form a pleasantly blue backcloth to the sylvan strath, the Water of Ruchill was a fine peat-brown river but no fearsome cataract and there was not a crag nor yawning chasm in sight. Strathearn, of course, although just within the Highland Line clan-country, was scarcely truly Highland; and the clan in major possession was that of Campbell, which made a difference.
And it was with the Campbells that the pair were mainly concerned, heading for Aberuchill Castle, seat of Sir Colin Campbell, Lord Aberuchill of Session, Privy Councillor. The fact was that, after so encouraging a start, the Darien scheme was in danger. Not from any failure in the conception or planning, nor yet from any lack of support in Scotland; but wholly on account of opposition in England. William Paterson was paying now for having, against his better judgment, allowed subscriptions to be raised in London. For the East India and Africa Companies had combined to bring overwhelming pressure to bear and had succeeded in getting the English Parliament to declare the entire project unlawful and an infringement of their statutory monopolies. This, to be sure, carried no weight in Scotland, but it meant that it was illegal for any persons domiciled in England to hold shares in the Company; therefore all the £300,000 subscribed there had to be paid back.
This had severely upset all their arrangements and preparations, which had been nearing completion. For revised estimates of initial capital requirements amounted to £600,000, of which Scotland had managed to raise approximately half. Now, with the other half having to be paid back, the crisis situation did not have to be emphasised. Somehow that £300,000 had to be replaced; for the new Company, duly set up by Act of the Scots Parliament only a month or two before, was committed to major expenditure, in especial the building of two new ships suitable for carrying out the settlers and their gear and livestock to Central America, ordered from shipyards in Amsterdam and Hamburg, a third vessel having already been bought from Leith merchants. Paterson, in some desperation, had hurried over to the Continent and managed to raise at short notice something over £100,000 from his Dutch and German associates; but that left £200,000 which had to be produced from Scotland, and quickly. Hence this and other attempts by Andrew and Johnnie - the latter appointed chairman of the new Company of Scotland for Trading with Africa and the Indies, since it was judged politic to have a lord as figurehead, especially as he was now made a member of the Privy Council.
They were thus probing into the Highlands for good reason. Admittedly there was, in the main, precious little money to be found north of the Line, plenty of cattle, broad-swords, pride and flourish but little gold and silver. But such as there might be was undoubtedly largely in the hands of Clan Campbell. It was strange how different from all the other clans were the Campbells, as Celtic in origin as any, yet totally different in outlook, in style of life and especially in acquisitiveness. They were nowise less concerned with pride and status and flourish, but they sought to display and enhance these by the pen and the parchment rather than with the sword, using the law, legal processes, politics and sheer ingenuity - as well as carefully-planned inter-marriage - to gain and hold and expand their influence, lands and riches. Inevitably, although they remained Highland and based, in the main, north of the Line, their eyes were apt to be turned southwards, unlike the other clans. And they multiplied and prospered exceedingly, to the envy and hatred of the rest, who affected to despise them; so that from Argyll, their homeland, they had spread all over the North -and southwards into Ayrshire, for instance, where one of their chieftains had become Earl of Loudoun - so that they had now three earls in the clan, Argyll himself, Breadalbane, who was Campbell of Glenorchy, and Loudoun. Also sundry baronetcies and half a hundred lairdships, many of them very rich and productive.
Hence this journey. Hitherto, although certain Campbells linked to the establishment and government had invested in the Company, by and large the Highland-based lairds had not been involved. Aberuchill himself had shares in a modest way; and at Andrew's suggestion had agreed to call together a selection of his most prosperous fellow-clansmen for approach on the subject. If these could be suitably impressed, a large proportion of the extra capital might well be raised.
That was one aspect of their mission. The other was very different. The authorities in Edinburgh were worried about continuing rumours of Jacobite activity in the North, suggestions of planned rising. It was known that there were constant comings and goings of couriers between the Highlands and James at St. Germain, where he now held court at the expense of Louis of France, who still saw fit to recognise him as King of Scots, and of England too, to William's wrath. It was important for the government to discover how serious a threat this constituted; and this mission to the Campbells seemed an excellent way of attempting a discreet enquiry, with the co-operation of Lord Aberuchill. The Campbells themselves were not likely to be involved in overt seditious activities - they were much too well aware on which side their bread was buttered for that, at least until the other side looked like winning; but undoubtedly they would have their sharp ears very close to the ground and might give useful leads. This was really Belhaven's business rather than Andrew's, as one of the militia commanders and Privy Councillor - although the other was concerned also that James Stewart and his tyrannies should not be restored.
With the mouth of Glen Artney opening southwards before them, out of which this Water of Ruchill issued, they swung off to the west on a road gravelled with marl and grit from the river, something unusual for the Highlands, marks of carriage-wheels thereon. This led through grassy pastureland dotted with birchwoods, where many black cattle grazed, with some tilled land walled off by stone dykes. Andrew in especial was interested, noting that the land-use was superior to much that they had seen since leaving the Lowlands at Dunblane, but perceiving where improvements could be made, in liming, drainage, stone- and scrub-clearance and the like.
Presently the castle of Aberuchill appeared before them, under a green hill, not very l
arge, a fairly typical tall oblong tower of four storeys with angle-turrets and crowstepped gables, whitewashed and spruce within a high-walled courtyard with gatehouse and outbuildings. The yard proved to contain three coaches, horses unhitched. For Highlanders, the Campbells clearly travelled in style.
They were well received, if somewhat cautiously eyed by their fellow-guests, who evidently were on their guard against being sold a horse which might not run. There were half a dozen gentlemen present already and more kept arriving, one creating a major stir, drawing up in a black and yellow coach with what Andrew considered to be a vulgar display of heraldic paintwork reminiscent of the Duke of Lauderdale, now deceased, and six matched black horses with yellow harness, liveried postillions and outriders. This proved to be John Campbell of Glenorchy, first Earl of Breadalbane, second only to Argyll in the Campbell hierarchy, a smooth-faced, bland, cold-smiling man in a full-bottomed wig, in his late fifties, with whom the others were all obviously much impressed. Andrew for one did not much like what he saw, but recognised that if he could convince this man to invest, much of his task might be done, for undoubtedly others would be apt to follow his lead. The fact that Breadalbane had come at all, from Balloch Castle near the foot of Loch Tay, a good forty miles, was encouraging in itself. Whatever else he was, this was a shrewd and able character, ruthless by reputation, a manipulator, and alleged to have urged Dalrymple on to the Glencoe affair, as a means of adding to his territories at the same time as getting rid of his old enemy MacIan - even though already it was Breadalbane's boast that he could ride from the North Sea to the Atlantic on his own land.
The two Lowlanders were surprised to discover that every one of the fourteen other guests was named Campbell; but that, despite this notable demonstration of clan solidarity, not one of them wore Highland dress. The nearest to it was Breadalbane himself, who arrived wrapped in a tartan plaid, despite the August warmth.
Although there were brief references to Darien and current problems, in casual conversation, it was not until dinner was over and the wine was flowing that Aberuchill actually introduced the object of the gathering. He explained that the Lord Belhaven and Stenton, a colleague of his on His Grace's Privy Council, was chairman of the great new company formed to promote Scotland's prosperity and influence; and Mr. Fletcher, whom they would all know by repute, had been largely responsible for advancing the man Paterson's project in Scotland. They had points to put forward which, he was sure, would be of interest to all present, interest and possibly profit. He called upon Lord Belhaven.
Johnnie recognised that when it came to eloquence and persuasiveness he was no match for Andrew. He spoke only briefly, stressed that what was to be discussed was of vital importance, admitted that he was chairman, appointed by Parliament, of the Company of Scotland for Trading with Africa and the Indies, but declared that the real authority in the project after William Paterson himself, was his friend Saltoun, who would explain all, much more ably and fluently than could he.
Andrew, looking round those Campbell faces, well understood that he was dealing with hard-bitten realists who would be unlikely to be swayed by appeals to national sentiment, the good of the many, amelioration of social conditions and the like, any more than by splendid visions of colonial adventure and advancement. Personal advantage and sheer gain, which could be transformed into land-ownership, was what would count here - although there was probably one string on which he might harp to some effect, namely pride, pride in their name and reputation, their clannishness and their embattled situation against the hatred of other clans. Also, of course, there was what could amount to a real weakness in that none of those present would be any stronger, nor dare be, than John, Earl of Breadalbane, their chieftain. So Andrew would direct his attention almost entirely upon that individual, hard case as he undoubtedly was.
He had, to be sure, come prepared and had asked Aberuchill to try at all costs to ensure Breadalbane's presence. He had made a point of discovering quite a lot about John Campbell of Glenorchy, his background and his character. He knew, for instance, that he was not on the best of terms with his own nephew and chief, the young tenth Earl of Argyll, MacCailean Mor, and assumed it stemmed from jealousy. He knew that he was ambitious as to rank, preoccupied with status, as that display of painted heraldry on the coach had proclaimed; so much so that some eight years before, when he was plain Laird of Glenorchy, he had mortgaged his lands and gone to great risks, in order to pay the debts and buy up the estates and assets of the spendthrift Sinclair, Earl of Caithness, on condition that that ancient earldom, granted with special destination to heirs of assign, would revert to himself; whereupon he assumed the title of Earl of Caithness, something which had set Scotland by the ears. Charles the Second had, at first, weakly acquiesced in this, no doubt with suitable sweetener; but on the true Sinclair heir raising legal objection, backed by the law and most of the scandalised nobility of Scotland, the King had had to take back his agreement; but had got over the difficulty by creating the
Campbell Earl of Breadalbane. Andrew knew also that the new Earl was at odds with his own eldest son, the Lord Ormelie, and had obtained special royal permission for his earldom to descend to his second son. Furthermore he had learned that the Earl had played a very dubious part in 1691 when, having convinced the government that the Highlands might be pacified largely, and the Jacobite threat contained, by the institution of a sort of irregular militia formed from amongst the clans themselves, to be known as Highland Watches, and the chiefs encouraged to set these up by substantial money payments from Edinburgh. He arranged a so-called hunting-party at Achallader Castle in Rannoch, one of his most remote seats, there to convince the assembled chiefs and to distribute the government largesse, no less than £12,000 sterling, a vast sum by Highland standards. Little of this was thought to have got beyond Breadalbane's own treasure-chest, and the Highland Watch got off to a very limping start. It went against the grain for Andrew Fletcher to seek the co-operation of such a character, but the Darien enterprise had to be salvaged somehow, in the nation's interest.
After explaining the scheme in general therefore and emphasising the transportage and canal possibilities - although making a point of the need for secrecy on this score meantime — he went on to aim certain aspects specifically at Breadalbane. He said that, although William had ceased meantime to smile on the venture, after his English government had declared
E
articipation in the company unlawful, nevertheless the King ad not sought to withdraw his royal charter. Moreover the monarch was still desperately in need of monies for his military adventures on the Continent, into which he had thrown himself with additional urgency since the death of his Queen the year previously - and for which the English Parliament was loth to finance him. So the royal frowns would most assuredly turn to smiles again if and when profits began to accrue to him, as charter-dues, payable to the King personally. And when William found cause to smile on his prominent subjects, titles and promotions were apt to follow, as they all knew. It was no secret that certain Scots lords who were substantial supporters of the new company looked to their participation as a means of advancement in rank and degree as well as profit. For instance the Marquises of Douglas, Montrose and Atholl hoped to become dukes - even though the last, as they were aware, had been for King James; but his eldest son Lord Murray was of course the new Secretary of State; and another son, Lord Mungo Murray had joined the company's service. The Earl of Tweeddale was already new-promoted Marquis thereof; and those of Melville, Lothian, Roxburgh, Dundonald and Southesk hoped for a like advancement. And so on.
Andrew paused to assess the impact of this thrust. The Marquis of Atholl was known to be Breadalbane's particular foe and bugbear, rival in these central Highlands, almost as great a landowner as himself, whose presence hedged the Campbells in on many fronts. Any promotion for Atholl would sting.
If this line of persuasion was not lost on Breadalbane, his reaction was oblique. "If His Dutch Grace is
like to be so favourable towards those who may signally support this venture, Mr. Fletcher - how is it that you yourself do not appear to be a beneficiary of the royal kindness?" he asked shrewdly.
Andrew could not fail to recognise the calibre of that shot. "The King may eventually show me some favour, my lord -who knows? And he has, of course, restored to me my forfeited estates. But I fear that I offended His Grace at one time, spoke my mind over-plainly, on the subject of royal powers. I imagine that he has not forgotten."
"So - this is why you labour so hard in this matter, sir? You seek to win back William's favour?"
Andrew took a quick breath and managed to swallow the hot retort which sprang to his lips. After all, if the Campbell liked to think this, and it made it all more understandable to his acquisitive mind, why argue?
"I seek profit on all accounts, my lord," he answered carefully. "For myself, to be sure, but also for all, for Scotland, for the country as a whole. Profit, wealth, is much needed, you will not deny, in this pass."
"Aye," the Earl nodded, smiling his chilly smile. "Proceed,
"There is undoubted advantage to be gained by investing substantially in the project at this stage, my lords and gentlemen. The company has been set up by Act of Parliament only since last June. So the fullest participation in its direction and governance is not yet complete. My lord of Belhaven, here, is chairman, and Mr. Paterson will chiefly manage all, at first. But there is room for a number of others, as directors and in positions of much influence and responsibility. Obviously those gentleman of ability and standing who subscribe in major amounts will be best-placed to be considered for office, and consequent advancement in further investment and exploitation of the colony's resources and wealth. Which will undoubtedly be very great. Not only for themselves but for their families and associates, for much leadership will be required. For instance, my Lord Justice Clerk Cockburn of Ormiston has become a director, and his son John an officer. As has the Lord Provost of Edinburgh. Sir Robert Cheisley, Commissioner of the Exchequer Sir John Maxwell of Pollock, and others."
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