This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can usually download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1836 edition. Excerpt: ...his eldest son, John, a youth who had been brought up under the charge of the Earl of Huntly, and made him keeper of the castle of Stornoway, in which the old chief, his grandfather, was left as a prisoner. John Macleod continued in possession of the castle and of the island for some time, until he was attacked and killed by his bastard uncle, Ruari Oig. The old man was once more liberated and restored to his estate, "which," says our authority, "he did possesse during the rest of his troublesome days." On hearing of the 1585. THE MACLEODS OF LEWIS. 221 death of his son, Torquil Connanach, by the advice of the Mackenzies, apprehended and executed, at Dingwall, his bastard brother, Donald, who was believed to have been privy to the designs of Ruari Oig. Thus was the Siol Torquil weakened by private dissensions, and exposed to fall a prey, as it did soon afterwards, to the growing power of the Mackenzies. As the Scottish Islanders still continued to exercise a considerable influence in the north of Ireland, it will be proper, before concluding the present chapter, to take a retrospective view of the events in Ulster in which they were chiefly concerned, since the death of James Macdonald and Shane O'Neill. The children of James Macdonald being young at his death, the Irish estates of the family were seized by their uncle, Sorley Buy, who, during his brother's life, had merely been manager under the latter. Sorley Buy was a man of conduct and courage, and speedily extended his influence over the adjacent territories of the Route and Claneboy--being generally successful in his enterprises, whether against the native Irish or the forces of the English government.f In September 1575, while Sir Henry Sidney, then Lord Deputy...