Barckly offering me eight merks for my oats the five firlotts . . delayed. . till. . your opinion. . . he would buy as much as.. make a cargo . . . refer him to you to bargain for our joint parcells. My wife and I join in our compts to you and Miss Jennie Ross . . . Duffus.

[No. 482, 1751.-Letter: Geo. Chalmers, Edinburgh, refers to Lord Duffus.] () his lordship's people either miscounted the number of bolls or plaid slight of hand in the measure which is often done especially if they measured with basketts which some use, and is not a fair way . . . Boag's cargo was measured with a larger firlott as usual at the ferry. . John Douglas who recd the oats is a very honest man, the metter who measured, suerne [sworn] and the Firlott sealed. . . scrimp measure must have been given . . . As to the Coalls . . I declined. . having been treated so by severall heretors who think we can get shipmasters to carrie coalls gratis, whereas ... never . . . north but they make them come dearer than they could be bought at the place . . . Vessels . . to load victuall in the Murray Firth carrie out coalls on their own account to Montrose, Aberdeen, Banff, and Inverness, and we get them cheaper. . freight I paid was 8d per boll for oats, 9d for bear, and 10d when a vessell went out in ballast. Clark bought up 295 bolls which measured Stirlingshire measure 291 bolls with freight and port charges £18. [Foregoing many details of trade in produce are given as affording a study in economics-of shifts and eddies of trade in a region ruled by conditions of local harvests—also as showing the North of Scotland to have been a produceexporting region by the middle of the century. In 1764 a skipper to the Sands of Nigg has to sail without loading fully for fear of being neiped," and in No. 466 a ship "lyes at the shoar of Inverness. At Tain and Nigg vessels are still beached. In a Latin Retour of inquest at Fortrose in 1723, which declares Alexr. Shivas of Muirtown to have been vested in the lands of Kilmuir and Easter Sligo, one of the jury is a naupegus, a shipwright; another a chyrothecarius, a glover. In a charter of 1614, and several older, we have a faber lignarius-CARPENTER, and detailed reference to their work in Nos. 329 and 458, and in

B. No. 483, 1668.-] Contract. . David Ross of Balnagown and Alexr. Rosse, Carpenters in Inverness all the timber work presentlie a building. . three Loafts, squaring of geasts, planeing ther three sydes and the dealls. . on both sydes; make ane turned bed and folding-by bed in every chalmer, three frames of Cheares and ane table in each rowme, two tables and 12 cheares in the dining roome and to floir it with dealls planed on one side; three stoolls in all the window cases; all doores; to roofe the tap house, to sark with dealls and theek with spoores [oak shingles] . . all timber work from the found stone till the rigging stone. also scaffolds to the measones and ane centrie to the uper

vault.. to compleit . . wholl work betwix this and. . May 1669.. David Ross alwayes furnishing all sort of timber. . requyered. . binds him to pay . . four bolls oat meall, two bolls malt, two stone butter, and sexteine of Cheise .. betwix this and Junii nixt. . 130 merks . . betwix this and tent day of August. . 130 merks qn halfe of the work is done .. 140 merks on completing of the work. . 40 merks as . . expenses for ilk termes failzie . . . £100 by partie failzieing Written be Alexr. Fraser in Inverness . . Witnesses Walter Ross, chirurgiune in Inverness, Jon Guthrie, couper and burges yr. [Both parties and witnesses sign; and here may come in a contract for the raw material:

B. No. 484, 1672.—] . contracted. . agreed betwix David Ross of Balnagown. . and Jeames Beanes his Ma'ties master wright. ... yearly eight score of fire jests [fir joists] one half 26 foot long English measure and ten inches square . . . other half 28 ft. long and 12 in. sq. . . . sevin punds Scots for ilk jest.. 20 score 20 to 26 ft. 7 or 8 inches square . . ilk . . £1 6s 8d Scots. . . 3000 dealls. . good. . fire. . foure shorne, unrotten, and riven . . . 10-12 ft. long . . 11⁄2 inch thick.. 10-12 in. broad counting 6 score to 100 . . 6s 8d each... 20 scor of sparoof . . 5-6 in. sq. 22-24 foot long . . 18 sh. each. [Both sign.] Witness, James Thomson, hatmaker, burges of Edr. [And next year, 1673, there is a tack granted by David Ross to Finlay Buy, sawmiller in Ardmore, to cut 369 logs yearly in the woods of Strathcarron and Strathoykell, for which work he is to receive yearly a chalder of victual and 1340 deals. Another account is

B. No. 485, 1673.-] Accompt of glaiswork wrought at the fott of the Kirk Heuch in the land belonging to Ballengowne doone be Walter Scott. . In Patrick Scotts dwelling house 3 windows of the old glass taken down and sett over with new lide [lead] is 32 fotts at 30d a fott is £4. Item addet to them of new glais 24 losens at 16d is £1 12s . . 12 latchets, 8s; 3 new windows, 3 pair of caisments and 2 little tap windows is 68 fotts of new glais £17 . . . [Glass was then set in small square or lozenge-shaped pieces, or losens, in lead frame. Of various trades we learn something from indentures:

No. 486, 1670.-Torn.] At Reidcastle. . Wm. Mackenzie carpenter burgess of In(verness) and James Fraser sone of Pat()() for the space of thrie yeires () giving heall tyme () als weil be night as day and on Week day and Sabbath () wt him in his service and not absent himself without his master's consent ( ) siclyke W. M. binds (~~) the said J. F. honestly in cloathes, shoes and linnen, meat and drink, and give to him at his going away ane axe, ane () ruck saw, ane seming plain.

[No. 487, 1689.-Indenture.].. Hector Ross Carpenter Tain and Geo. McCulloch Little Allane. serve for 5 years and ane year therefter ffor meat and ffie. . . . hauld and conseall his maisters privy counsell, ffoirwarne him of his prejudice and to the uttermost pairt of his power shall stop the same; no wayes . . absent himself . . . under the payne of sex shillings eight pennies ilk day. . no wayes be given to any vicious or ryotous games, such as carting, dyceing, nightwalking, adulterie under the payne of reentering the

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apprenticeship. . . . .

[No. 488, 1789.-Account.] H. Macleod, wright making 2 carts 3s 4d . . making a stone cart of an old cart 8d... putting up a gang of streching pellin [? paling] at Mary's Park 3 sh. puting in 2 exeltrees 1 sh. . . making a sloting geet [gate ?] at Mary's Park, 8d. [Carpentry items from No. 329 may be given here:-] 11 jeasts 16 sh. each; 5 pair bands, 2 locks and stantials, £7 19 sh. ; 5 small presses [i.e., formed in the wall], £12; Flooring and Work, £29; Two doors with bands, second story, £3 13s 4d; The bands of them, £1 10s; The roof of the jamb, £2 . . 4 doors, 4 pair bands, and one lock, £9; Sixteen cupples, £10 10s; 120 lath, £3; A mickle and litle door, £2 13s 4d; A window and bands, £1 4s.. The yett [gate] with bands and Crooks [as in No. 329, doors and windows were also hinged in that way]; 17 Rails, £1 14s; 100 cabbers, £1 6s 8d. [Next, as to MASON WORK:

No. 489, 1679.-] Ane note of the comprysing of the stone work of the Kill of Knocknapark hewin layer stone and ane burial place of asler work belonging to Jon McOtes of Knocknapark, Comprysed [valued] be Andro Ross meason in Millhill and Samuel Ross in Anckrwill faithfullie and honestlie conforme to thair subscriptiones and wrought be David Ross meason fra Cullen Aboyn:-Imprimis for the said Kiln being two reid [rood] and eight elns, each reid being 10 lib. and ane boll meal and 10s Scots the eln, is besides the meal £24. Item for two hewin dores of the said Kill £8; Item for laying of ane malt cobill. . £1; Item for ane oven wrought to him at his dwelling, being four squar wt.. ane heigh chimeney, £2; Item ane layer stone wrought for him at his desyre having ane full coat of armes and having name, £10; Item for his half of the burial place wtin ye church yaird of Kilmure being all facit wtin of axler work and sex quarters all along under the ground, £13 6s 8d; Suma £58 6s 8d. Item interest or yeirly a'rent of the said soume fra the yeir 1667 being ij resting £41 6s 8d; Summa £99 6s 8d... [There is apparently an x wanting before the ij; if so, the interest is a little over 5 per cent. B. No. 490, 1699.-Contract] . . . agreed betwixt David Ross of Balnagown and John Ross, Meason in Pitmaduthie . . binds himself as principall meason to caus hew as many sufficient hewin stones . . . as will serve a stone pend [arched

or vaulted passage] clost without cupples to the Bridge of Belnagowne where it is pitt [?] founded, and that the cast of the said pend shall be according to the rule of airt in hight and goodness and approven be John Ross befor the making of the centries for the sd pend and for the wholl meason work of the said bridge. . John Ross oblidges him for the laying and hewing thereof and to uphold. . in its full integritie, on his owin charges, for. . nynetein yeares after.. 1700. . . dammage if any happin to be repaired out of.. my goods and geir leaft be me . . . David Ross oblidges him. . lead stones for the sd hewen work to the bridge end ... and to pay for hewing twentie punds Scots for each sex scoir eylers [?] and essler wark. . and to caus build a centrie for the sd pend. . . For John Ross his care. . ane hundreth merks as master and overseer besyds his monthly wadges begin immediatly in order God willing to be readie for laying the 1st of March. . Laird furnising all material. . . . [both sign. So there was a good stone bridge there in 1699, and apparently the approach at one end got undermined, and was to be restored by a dry arch carrying the road.

B. No. 491, 1720.-Part of letter: Charles Ross of Ey to the Laird of Balnagown.]. . . I was speaking to M'Kinay about winning skleat at Ulladeall, but he says there's few. . and ill winning of them and are all flags. . his bargain with Culraine was ten merk and ten pecks of meal ye 1000 skleats. There's a skleat quarry near Skatwell's house at Little ffindon . . Your mason Stronach his engaged wt my Lord Strathnaver to build the Castle of Dornoch before the last of August for 2300 merks for the mason work. [In a P.S.]. ... My last letter will not come to your hand the Caithness runner did not get to Inverness till the bag was off by reason of the wind that stoped him at the Mikle Ferry Thursday night and Fryday morning. [In 1792 we have a "Smock Doctor" following the builder, as he still has to do sometimes. He sends in an account, declared by Alexr. Baillie, the occupier, to be unreasonable, and sues Baillie for it.

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No. 492, 1763.-Letter to Baillie about Balnagown Castle.] many of the brigs of the vents were broke. . I ordered materials. . . stones to be quarried on Scotsburn estate, and 100 double double naills ... dealls from those you have at Knockbreak . . . I enclose a plan of a front of the porch which will be a considerable ornament to the house. and the estimates. . 25 feet ground base at 8d is 16s; 16 feet handsome archatrave surrounding the entry to the porch.. is 16s; 28 feet cornice. . is £2; 170 feet polished ashlar is £5 13s; 3 pedestals and 3 globes. [Rest of paper, and plan, are wanting.

No. 493, 1789.-Missive letter, offering contract, and acceptance.] Hartfield 29th Sept. Sir, As I mean to build a

house . . in the new extended town of Tain .... to be built of what is called solid mud except the corners, door, and window skimshions, Lintols and soles, chimneys and chimney heads, Sque and Wall tabeling, all of which is to be of the best quarry stones neatly hewed, the House to be 60 ft. long, 20 broad. . . length measured from the . . wall of the house you propose to build for yourself on your part of the Lott from thence up along Geanies St. for 60 ft. being my bounds. . . the side walls to be 16 ft. high and divided into two houses by a midle gable . . . each house to contain four fire rooms . . one window each room, front closet and staircase; windows. . 4 ft. high. . proportionable breadth . . . . also to make. . drains . . stones for these to be provided by me. . . . R. Murray. To Mr Hugh Rose, mud mason at Achnagarty near Lochaber. [Below is :-] Hartfield, 30th Sept. I do hereby agree. . only the nails for putting on the lath not to be at my expense.

BREWING and DISTILLING have already occurred frequently, as in Nos. 311 to 315; apparatus in Nos. 332, 336, 340, 341, including aquavitae pott and fleake; great brewing vat, little do., tub and sea, stands, barrels, and vats; aquavitae stell; also frequent brewhouses. In 1660, Robert Taylor, Inverness, sells to " 'Jon Coulson of Dundie a brewing caldrone of 25 gallons, and twa aquavytie potis the one qrof of 3 gallons the oyr of 4 gallons." See also No. 947. Of other trades, we had had in No. 288, year 1542,"cordinars," "wobsters," and "smyths. smyths." A paper of 1662 gives the Tred Stent of Tain, and a list, with occupations, of the persons rated. Of these, 34 are owners or farmers of land, 28 are women, 4 maltmen, 1 messenger, 4 weavers, 15 merchants, 2 skinners, 2 litsters (dyers), 1 officer, 9 cordiners, 5 tailors, 1 customer (Customs officer), 1 saddler, 4 masons, 1 wright, 1 bower, 1 bakster, 1 peat caster, 1 smith, 4 posts, 1 snising maker (snuff miller), 1 "burne wyffe or washerwoman. For list of 1657, see No. 950. As to Leather Trades, we have

No. 494, 1729.-] An Account Resting by the Lady Cambuscurrie Macleod to John MacRa, Shoemaker in Tain:-To an pair shoes to your daughter, £1 4s; An pair shoes to Cambuscurrie, £2 8s. to your self, £1 10s. . to your sister, £1 10s . . . for ferentin . . . an pair shoes to Ey's daughter, £1 10s [such items repeated]; an pair Mourning to yourself, £1 16s. . . Received payment. . from Janet Mackenzie, relict of Aeneas Macleod of Cambuscurrie . . . [No. 495, about 1700.—Part of a list of Burgh Council regulations.]. . Act ordeining every landed gentleman to pay for ringing the meikle bell on the death of any person £4 Scots; every townsman £2. The haver of the bell-see No. 394-for the tyme is not to ring the same but twyce, that is to say immediately on the death of any person and when ye corps is to be interred. () Act ordeining shoemakers to