bigged lands, I remember to have seen them about 30 years past possest and in some tolerable repair . . . might have yielded £7 rent; now I see they have fallen all ruinous no better than larachs . . poor widow in a part which is very dangerous . . . a smith in a little hutt, one part next Tain is better, the other called Hartfield in the skirt of the burgh is only a poor outfield with the muir all round. [In a fragment of a Retour about same time we have the foresaid haill tenements by now in a total ruin betwixt the Burn of Aldmatach W., the burn of Aldnachardich E., the High Street to N."--so the present best part of High Street was in ruins.

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No. 980, 1764.-Letter to Baillie.]. . . . I approve extremely community applying for a well-established militia in North Britain. . now a matter of great national concern your example has been followed by almost all the burghs in Scotland. Yet I'm afraid. . such opposition . . doubtful if it can be carried. . . . David Ross, Edinr. [He was afterwards Sheriff, then Judge as Lord Ankerville. In 1761 also there is a minute that David Ross of Inverchassley, his father, was Provost of Tain, and was elected member for the Northern Burghs.

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No. 981, 1761.-Instrument of Interruption.] Att Baads and muirs adjacent. . Katherin's Cross, Loan Bui . . . also in Raanich. . 24th Sept. 1761 . . . with me notary public . . . clerk of . . Tain . . . John Reid and Geo. Millar . . bailies .. and great numbers of the inhabitants. . perambulation of the marches . . represented at severall. particular places.. that there were manifest Intrusions and encroachments made by Roderick Macleod of Cadboll and his tenants, mailers, and servants upon. . burgh's property notwitstanding interlocutors by Lords of Session . . 1749

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.. particularly on N. corner of the Baads. . next Invereathie.. house built. . croft riven in by one Hugh Ross alias Narine . . . Baillies made interruption by causing turn down some divot and faill from off said house and pulling up a handful of corn protested.. said Roderick was lyable . . . proceeded to St Katherine's Cross severall houses, crofts and yeards . . . within the Brugh's line of march . . . [did the same] . . . passed to S. W. side of Baads, S. of the Water of Hillton or Aldy . . represented that R. M., &c., had built. . houses . . . riven in Crofts. . some within thir two years. . very recently S.W. corner of Baads benorth the Bank [did the same] . . lastly to W. of Raanich . . . [same process] in presence of Hugh McFarquhar, surgeon . . George Simpson, merchant, David Ross, Junior, writer, and many others. John Barclay, witness; David Ross, witness. Quod attestor, David Ross. [Registered in Edinr., 8th Novr., 1761. Another paper of 1768 gives an exactly similar perambulation and interruption at the same places, but with Captain John

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Ross of Balnagown as Provost, and three Bailies and Sheriff Clerk. There is an account of 19s 8d against the burgh for 80 bottles of porter and a bottle of whisky "given to the people" on the occasion-no troublesome auditor or L.G.B. in those days.

No. 397, 1762.-Rest of items, where legible, but many faded.] Income:-( ) mortcloth and bells carried by Wm. Crammond at £5 sterling; Rent of Hangman's Croft, £1 13s 4d () Two years of burgh's shops to Nicolas Ross, £1 16s: feu-duties, 11s . . Customs, £11 8s ( ) Town's shops, &c., £34. . Mills, £82. . Land rents, 2 years, £34 5s... Total, £221 11s ... Expenditure:-Town's cess, half-year, £6 13s 4d; Salary . . officer, 16s 8d; Candles for midsummer guard, 6d. . Missive dues [to Convention], £1 2s 2d: Boatman for baillie to view scalps, 1s 6d; Schoolmaster's salary, £2 15s 6d: Mending windows of Council house, 5s 4d: To a soldier for working upon the street . . 2s () drink to the stentmasters, 3s; Surgeon's yearly salary, £2 15s 6d () officer and gaoler's salary, 2 years, £4 [see also Nos. 160 to 163. In 1765 there is a case before the Provost--who was Captain Ross of Balnagown-Bailies Reid, Miller, and Macfarquhar, when George Urquhart, treasurer of the Kirk for the poor, makes claim against the relict of Mr Hugh Munro, minister-see No. 125. No. 982, 1766.-Complaint to David Ross, Sheriff.] Marion Mackenzie, washerwoman at Teabreck . . having linning and clothes. . spread upon the ground there . . . into the house to make ready some meat for herself . . an ox belonging to Donald Munro came and eat up a Hamborrow gown belonging to a gentlewoman in Tain . . . value . . 15s sterling .. That this ox was known to be in the practice of eating clothes. . . . [Result not in paper. In same year is

In

No. 983, 1766.-] Suit Roll of the Burgh of Tain. presence of the three baillies this suit roll of the Inhabitants was called, and all those who failed to give their suit and presence and are marked absent are fined £2 Scots, which the burgh officers are ordained to levy by summar poinding and warding [224 entries; 139 marked P., presumably for "present,' as all the officials are so marked; rest unmarked and presumably absent. There are 11 magistrates, &c., 19 merchants, 3 wigmakers, 9 smiths, 7 wrights, 4 coopers, 2 musicians one being glover as well, 9 tailors, 19 shoemakers, 15 websters, 4 millers, 4 widows, 2 boatmen, 1 soldier, 1 litster, 1 tobacconist, 2 posts, 28 owners of property not already included, 22 entries of "heirs " of so and so as owners, the rest unspecified. Compare with Nos. 950 and 976. As the list includes great-grandfathers of persons now living, it is given in Appendix. In 1766 also is an account of £1 2s stg for hanging the Tounes bigg bell."

No. 984, 1767.-Letter to] () writer in Edin. . . . As winter is on, and no immediate prospect of a carrier. . God knows when be so good as cause bundle up my boots.. to Inverness carrier to care of Alexr. Murray, mercht. there .. buy at the Laboratory lb. Cantharides. . put in one of the boots. . I'll pay . . to your order besides giving you a dose anytime your potency may fail when you .come to this corner This goes under cover to Thos. Manson, but do not spare my groat in hearing from you. Hugh McFarquhar. Taine () Novr. 1767 [writing very small and angular. We have had him as surgeon and bailie. Above, we see the difficulty of getting go ds sent, also the cost of a letter from Edinburgh to Tain is marked 4d, and is paid by the receiver. In 1774 there is a Suit Roll-torn-beginning] Major Charles ( ) Provost; George Miller, George Simson, and Alexr. Manson, Baillies; Benjamin Ross, Dean of Guild; John Barclay, Treasurer; Lord Ankerville, Sir John Ross, Alexr. Baillie, Donald Macleod, Hugh Macfarquhar, George Murray, Lieut George Munro, John Taylor, and Donald Ross, members of Council. [Next is the Guildry-8 merchants. The Roll is incomplete, parts being torn out, but there are men with tee-name Otterach or Oatrach,” and one with “ Balaam,' one vintner, one musiciner," one heckler," and one white-iron smith.

No. 985, 1775.-Tack]. . between Captain John Ross of Balnagown, Heir of tailzie and provision of the estate of Balnagown.. and Hugh Macfarquhar, surgeon. . . . sett . . these ruinous tenements of burrow bigged land. . on part of which H. M. has erected a new dwelling house in S. of the burgh, bounded N. by the street leading W. to the manse [i.e., Queen Street and Manse Street]; E. by the street from the S. end of the Burgh down through the town [i.e., King Street, which fix the site as the present F.P. Church and Balnagown Arms Inn]; also that little Hutt or house and very small garden having [Queen Street] . . S., [King Street] E., kiln belonging to Macleod of Cadboll W., and tenements belonging to Baillie of Rosehall N. [i.e., the opposite corner property]. . . . for 30 years . . . . tack duty 50 merks Scots yearly [the site occupied two centuries earlier by Abbot Nicholas and his neighbour, Andrew Ross. In a disposition of same year occur the "lands called Crotachanviechallie,' near the shore between Tain and Morangie ; also a sasine by George Simson and his wife, Margaret Ross, to John Ross, merchant, Philadelphia, of a] tenement, dwelling house, offices, and garden, bounded N. by the high street leading from E. to W. end of Tain, W. and S. by Manson's, E. by strype called Aldmatach [i.e., Tower Gardens. In 1779 Hugh Macfarquhar, as senior bailie, is appointed to represent Tain in a great meeting at Dingwall regarding the defence of the country, and Lord Ankerville represents Tain at the Convention of Burghs.

No. 986, 1781.-] Estimat for casawing the streets of Tain.. by Jas. Anderson, mason. 1. The main street from the bridge at the west end to Mr Murray's shop, 530 yeards [that distance comes just to the Commercial Bank site, where that shop stood.] 2. The street leading from Mr Sutherland the Vintner's to the west and turning the angle to the main street is 209 yeards. 3rd. From the main street down to the front of Bailie Miller's house, 40 yeards .. 5975 squar yeards, £174 . . The undertaker to level and make the streets to the best advantag the different buildings will admit of . . . . use what small stones are in the street and gather round the Town where small peebels is to be got with sand . . . 5th. The street from the minister's house to the main street leading to the Cross 1120 sq. yds., £32 13s 4d. 6th. A wall from the corner of the Steepel to the House on the N. for supporting wher the hollows are filled up in the street by lowering the Hights, £10 16s. 7th. Five drains crossing the street to be built with clay and rough flags, with iron grate before each drain mouth, £6 5stotal, £223 13s [ 14s.] From the corner of the dykes at the south end of the bridge to the Vennel that ( ) the minister's house being 6 yeards being all below the street to be built with ( ). [This seems to be a great hollow near foot of Quarry Lane, and the whole shows the roughness and unevenness of the town ways up to 1781. There was a subscription sheet in 1783 for defraying the expense. year before there is a disposition by the burgh to David Ross, Commissary Clerk, of "tenement with stables and byres built and repaired by the late Hugh Ross, lying in the High Street northward from the Steeple.' In 1781 Lord Ankerville held burgage lands in the Hill of Tain, and planted them with birch and other trees.

The

No. 509, 1787.-Remainder list of furniture; names modern except] spit and racks, a parcel of cogs, a choffer, a check reel, a sea and botie. [Among purchasers were] John Barclay, lawyer; Mr Gilchrist, sculptor; Andrew Fraser, Nicolas Vass, John Taylor [father of Sheriff ?]; Wm. Ross, Arderony; Mr John Ross, merchant; John Ross, watchmaker.

[No. 987.-Bond, no date, but by script, and allusion to bailie, about 1787.]. . I Baillie George Millar, merchant present Treasurer of St Duthus lodge of free masons borrowed. . of the Guildery. . of marchants . . . £230 . . bind. . . . to repay. . . annual rent of £11 10s. . . . to infeft and sease ( ) in that tenement commonly called the Knight's House, now rebuilt for a Mason Lodge called St Duthus Lodge and garden adjoining in the middle of the burgh, having the High Street and Mercat Cross to E.; Tenement formerly belonging to heirs of Baillie Wm. Ross, now to Lord Ankerville, on S. . . Aldmatach W. Murdoch Ross, N. . . Magistrates. . superiors

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with signatures and witnesses wanting. south part of the present Royal Hotel.

The site is the

No. 988, 1794.-Minute as to Call.] Meeting of Magistrates and Council; present Alexr. Baillie, Esq., Provost; George Murray, Wm. Murray, James Taylor, bailies; George Miller, Dean of Guild; Alexr. Manson, Treasurer; George Simson, James Rioch . . . parish is now vacant by the death of the Rev. Mr George Douglass. . received a petition . . from burghers, Kirk Session, and inhabitants. . asking. to apply for a representation ffrom the Crown in favour of the Rev. Mr Angus McIntosh of Glasgow.. Magistrates and Council . . . in concurrence with ( ) choice of Mr McIntosh as a proper (), resolve to request the favor of Sir Charles Ross of Balnagown, their representative in Parliament and late Provost procure a Royal () in favour of . . Mr McIntosh . . . Clerk . . copy this minute .. transmitted to Sir Charles. [Signed by all above except Provost, who was Balnagown's factor. It is matter of remembrance as well as history how successful were the application, the call, and the ministry.

No. 404, 1795.-Further details of list in Tain liable for Statute Labour for 1795.-Of the 361 men, 171 are entered in Tain, 29 in Inver, 5 at Katharine's Cross, 3 at Lochslin, 15 at Balnagall, 7 at Balcherry, 10 at Pithogarty, 2 at Little Plaids, 11 at Balkeith, 16 at Hilton, 6 at Aldie, 6 at Knockbreck, 3 at Balnacoile, 3 at Criskeith [? Kirksheaf], 2 at Meikle Aldie, 13 at High Milns, 4 at King's Causeway, 2 at Larig [ Lairgs of Tain], 2 at Muifield [? Viewfield], 9 at Hartfield, 4 at Wester Hill of Tain, 21 at Morangie, 4 at Lower Cambuscurry, 3 at Meikle Ferry, 4 at Tarlogie, 6 at Upper Cambuscurry. [Names in Appendix. In the same year, in a charter of 50 acres of moorland, by the Town Council, to Alexr. Manson, the N. boundary is a line 20 yards from the enclosure of Hartfield, so that the moor began there.

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No. 989, 1797.-Charter to] George Murray, merchant, Tain 126 acres of moor ground, bounded N. by lands following the High mills; W. by the road from Tain to Balnagown; E. by the Town's property; S. by a burn dividing the Town's peat moss as now marked out by George Mackie, schoolmaster of Tain .. with 7 acres of arable land adjoining . . . feu duty at 6d per acre . . . £4 8s 3d stg. [No. 990, 1801.-] Suit Roll of Tain.. General Sir Charles Ross of Balnagown, Provost: Alexr. Morrison, William Murray, and John Taylor, bailies; James Taylor, Dean f Guild; George Murray, Treasurer. . . . [has the following occupations not previously noted:-] Banker, James Innes; 3 writers, John Ross, Hugh Ross, and Alex. Taylor; 2 saddlers, 1 fiddler, 4 vintners, 1 coppersmith. [List in Appendix.