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Airds, Appin 15th. Augt. 1808. Dear Sir, Until such time as my Brother Major Macquarie or myself come to reside permanently in Mull, it is our wish that you should act as our Factor, and collect the Rents of our respective Estates of Jarvisfield and Glenforsa, as well as Superintend our interests and such improvements as we may find it necessary to be made on these Properties. As a Compensation for your trouble, you will receive from us an annual allowance of Twenty Pounds Sterling; charging me with Thirteen Pounds thereof, and the remaining Seven Pounds to my Brother Major Macquarie's account. — This allowance is to commence from Whitsunday last; – but as you say you have had no compensation for the last years previous thereto, you are hereby authorized to charge my Brother and myself equally, at the rate settled on by him when he conversed last with you on the subject, which I understood from him was Fifteen Pounds Per Annum for both of us. — As I presume it will be necessary for you to employ a Ground Officer for my Brother and myself, I authorize you to appoint John Maclaine (the same man that now officiates in that capacity for the Lochbuy Estate) to that situation, and to allow him for his trouble the sum of Two Pounds Sterling for both of us Pr. annum; commencing from Whitsunday last, and charging the whole of that sum to my account. — You will endeavour to be as punctual as possible in collecting my own and my Brother's Rents at the two terms of Whitsunday and Martinmas remitting them as soon thereafter as possible to our mutual Agent, Mr. John Campbell, Writer to the Signet, Elder Street Edinburgh; deducting of course from the said Rents your own and the Ground Officers annual Salaries, as well as any other Payments we may have occasion to direct you to make on our accounts in Mull or else where. — I request you will pay to my Mother Mrs. Macquarie of Oskamull, and to my Sister Mrs. Farquhar Maclaine also residing there each the sum of Ten Pounds Sterling Pr. Annum; which allowances I desire may commence from the term of last Whitsunday, and to be paid them for the present Year as soon as you have assets of mine to that amount in your hands. — I have also to request you will pay the sum of Half a Guinea Per Annum to my Relation Mrs. Flora Macquarie at Sallen [sic] to defray the expence of bringing manure to her Croft there; which allowance s to commence from Whitsunday last. — I wrote you a Note some time ago when at Lochbuy to pay Archibald Macquarie, the School-Master at Sallen, the sum of Ten Pounds Sterling on my account, to enable him to go to attend some good School in the Low Country this present Season, in order to qualify himself the better for keeping the School at Sallen, now permanently established there by the Society. — I drew a Draft on you a few days since in favor of Mr. John Stevenson of Oban for the sum of £18. 18. 7; which I request you will pay him as soon as you are in Cash, and which I hope you will be as soon as the Mull market is over. — These great rich Tenants of mine have no excuse for being in arrear, and therefore I request you will insist on their paying you punctually as their Rents become due. — It was with the view and intention of placing at least Five more Crofters at Sallen, that I had the Grounds there divided into Sixteen separate distinct Crofts exclusive of that at present occupied by Flora Macquarie. The Blacksmith Mr. Donald, the Carpenter Ferguson, the Shoemaker Campbell, and Murdoch Macquarie the Taylor [sic] (now residing on the Sound of Ulva) will all of them, I imagine, be glad to come to settle on the vacant Crofts at Sallen next Whitsunday. — In case my Wood-keeper Donald Macquarie is forced to quit his present situation at Gruline, he will also come to occupy one of the vacant Crofts at Sallen; which will make Sixteen Crofters in all at that place, exclusive of Flora Macquarie. There is another Donald Macquarie now residing at Tobermory, who made application to me lately for a Croft at Sallen at Whitsunday next, and I desire he may have one accordingly in case you can make room for him. — Being very anxious that all the Crofters should have good comfortable Houses built on their own respective Crofts – close to and facing the High Road; I beg you will inform them, that, on condition they build for themselves comfortable good Houses, pointed with Lime, and each having two Glass Windows, I shall willingly pay a reasonable proportion of the expence thereof. — I could also wish that all the Crofters new Houses should be built nearly the same size, and that they should have, all of them high stone Gabels. — I must request you will be so good as to pay very particular attention to the foregoing directions at whatever time the Crofters begin to build their Houses, and which I hope they will set about doing early next Spring. — I remain with regard, Dear Sir, Yours very truly L. M.
To
Mr. Dugald Mc.Tavish,
Provenance
Historical Background McTavish was the son of Reverend Archibald McTavish (c.1711-1778), minister of Torosay parish, Mull, and Jean Campbell of Cruachan (daughter of Hugh Campbell of Cruachan and Barmaddie, and Helen Campbell, daughter of Colin Campbell of Glennan, cadet of Kilberry). Dugald was familiar with all the landholdings of the Maclaines of Lochbuy and would have known the Macquaries from the periods when when they served their uncle, Murdoch Maclaine (19th. of Lochbuy), as his tacksmen [Lachlan; in 1780's; Charles: in 1790's).
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