[From Atholl Papers - AP X42-8]

No 12

May it please your Grace
Since my last of Janry 30 In
The tryal has been made to raise men; over the whole
Island, both in towns & parishes, But not one man could be
prevailed on to inlist. I shall ^say^ no more on this disagreeable
subject, but that the better sort of people here, make great
complaints of the Scarecitie of labouring men & servants:
and that the men of the lower class have an utter aversion
to being soldiers, but are fond of the sea. Mr Murrey
cannot be so much a Stranger to the circumstances of this
Isle, and the dispositions of the people, as not to know this, as
for this is no new thing, and he must have seen enough to
convince any man, that this complaint is not groundless,
He must often have seen women thrashing[sic threshing], women
driveing the plow, spreading dung on the fields, planting
potatoes, and such kind of labour abroard, which is performed
by men every where else, But it is when it will never
be so here, as long as those dreims [?Sc Gaelic = aspirations]of bayes[?] to Liverpoole
and Whitehaven continue.

In my last were inclosed two bills both from Dubline,
upon Londn one for £200 ~ the other for £50, In this
there is one bill drawen by the Bishop upon his sone dated
the first instant, by mistake there is a date underneath of
Aprill 1st But we did not care to return it on that account,
It is payable to your Grace at ninetie days sight for
£100 Sterling
At Glenchass things look still bad, But they continue
to work by Shifts both night & day, at the cross links, as
well as on the forehead

I am with great respect & sincere esteem
Castletown Febry 5th 1747/8
May it please your Grace your Graces most faithfully and most obedient humble servant
Lindsay