Of these, five hundred were enlisted among his
immediate vassals, and about four hundred from the estates of the
Mackenzies of Scatwell, Kilcoy, Redcastle, and Applecross. The
officers from the south to whom he gave commissions in the regiment
brought about two hundred men, of whom forty-three were English
and Irish. The Macraes of Kintail, always such faithful followers
and able supporters of the House of Seaforth, were so numerous
in the new regiment that it was known more by their name than by
that of Seaforth's own kinsmen, and so much was this the case
that the well-known mutiny which took place in Edinburgh, on the
arrival of the regiment there, is still known as "the affair of
the Macraes." [The Seaforth Highlanders were marched to Leith,
where they were quartered for a short interval, though long enough
to produce complaints about the infringement of their engagements,
and some pay and bounty which they said were due them. Their
disaffection was greatly increased by the activity of emissaries
from Edinburgh, like those just mentioned as having gone down
front London to Portsmouth. The regiment refused to embark, and
marching out of Leith, with pipes playing and two plaids fixed
on poles instead of colours, took a position on Arthur's Seat,
of which they kept possession for several days, during which time
the inhabitants of Edinburgh amply supplied them with provisions
and ammunition.
Pages:
506
507
508
509
510
511
512
513
514
515
516
517
518
519
520
521
522
523
524
525
526
527
528
529
530