As the generality of the Highlands of Scotland, and of the countries adjacent to them, have for severall years past been greatly oprest by many wicked ganges of lawless thives and robbers, inhabitants of the remote Highlands, who steal, or most audaciously rob, ther horses and cows; and as the countrie of Bedenoch, in particullar, lyes adjacent to the severall countries where these ruffians have ther residence, great numbers of its inhabitants have by them been intyrly ruened an reduced to beggarie. The gentlemen of that countrie made severall attemps to obviat this evil, by a watch at there own expence; but as that countrie was not able of itself to raise such a fund as would support a sufficient number of men for its protection, these watches turned out to be of litle or no service.

      Therupon they did frequently in by-past years apply to Cluny, on who inclination and capacity to protect them they greatly relyed, offering him for doin his endeavour to save them as much encouradgement as they could afford to giv any other who would becom lyable for ther losses; to which Cluny honestly answered, that as he had no reasonable prospect of protecting them with the small funds the country of Bedenoch could afford, he would not pick ther pockets by pretending to do them that service he was not capable of.

      That country therafter suffered most incredible losses; some possessions who did not exceed £15 sterling yearly rent, haveing been damnadged by theft no less than £100 sterling. Nor was ther any prospect of reliefe, till at a general meeting of the gentlemen of that countrie, in March last, Cluny was most strong and earnestly pressed to undertake ther reliefe; they fully evidenceing to him that unless they were imediately supported, they would be quite ruened, and there countrie layd west, and that his friends and neighbours in severall of the adjacent countries were like to rune much the same fate. Cluny, deeply affected with the miserable circumstances of the countries, told the gentlemen that without his Majesty would protect them, he could see no mean for there relief but one -- viz a conjunction of all the neighbowring opprist countries towards makeing a sufficient fund for setting up a strong watch for the mutuall security of them all; and that if after the proper intimation were made for finding ane undertaker in the neighbowring countries, who would becom layable for the losses of all such as would contribute, no other person would be found to undertak, on whoes security the countries could depend; in that case (and that only), for the want of another proper undertaker, he would himself becom bound and undergoe the payment what losses these of the conjunction would happen to sustaine: the gentlemen did unanimously aprove of the proposall, and caused mak this intimation; yet as multitude can never be got of on mind, and have allways different byasses wherby they will not unite in any thing, though tending wastly to all there interests, severall considderable persons who were used to suffer by thefts and depredations abstracted themselves and ther people from the sckame.

      However, as no other person was found for the relief of the countries, Cluny, in persuance of his generous intention gave his oblidgation to pay the contributers whatever damnadges they would happen to sustaine during his undertaking, though the funds were evidently so small as that he behoved to be out of pocket, without the least prospect of advantage, other than the generall wellfare of his distrest countrymen. He set out his men on the tunty-second of May last, 1744, whom he pickd out honest, and everie way adapted to there chairge, and regularly stationd them on such passes and inlets through which the thievish sett used to make there incursions, giveing them most strict orders that these passes should be punctually travelled and watched night and day, for keeping of, intercepting, seiseing, and imprisoning the villans, as occasion offered, and as strictly forbiding and dischargeing them to act less or more in the ordinary way of other undertakers, who instade of suppressing thieft, do greatly suport it, by currying the favour of the thieves, and gratifying them for there diverting of the weight of thieft from such parts of the countrys as pay the undertaker for there protection, to such parts as doe not pay them.

      This most wicked though constant practise of other undertakers, differs from Cluny's method, who cuts at the root, and studies the intyre extirpation of the hellish trade, not suffering the thieves on any pretext to pass or repass even to or from those he's not bound to protect. The thieves finding themselves so strictly hemd in, that though they were starveing at home, they durst not adventire abroad to rob or steall in any way formerly practised, divised a new way against which they knew Cluny could not have been guarded. They stoll a parcell of cows from a town in Strathnairn, and, instead of driveing them by land as useuely, they ferried them over Lochness by boats; however, Cluny hase in this detected them, whereby the goods may be recovered, and the villains prosecuted. But this new device of the thieves subjects Cluny, who was formerly too much out of pocket in his generous undertakeing, to the additionall and unexpected expence of guarding the many boats of Lochness, which is tunty-four miles longe.

      The danger of thift is now over for this season; and, except the few cows above mentioned, which will be recovered, there has not been, since Cluny's undertakeing, one cow or hors stolen in the bound of his district; whereas in former years some thousand pound sterling woud not pay ther yearly losses. There has, indeed, been severall attempts of carieing off of cows and horses from bounds which Cluny has not undertaken to protect; but he generosly caused his watch intercept them, and restored them to the owners. For instance, he recovered and restored a sett of horeses blonging to the Laird of Grant's tenants in Strathspey; at another time, he intercepted and restored som horses belonging to some persons in the shire of Banff; and did the like with respect to cows belonging to persons in Strathallan, near Stirling; as he did also with respect to horses belonging to the Laird of Luss his tenants, about Dumbartan. These instances may suffice to show what a generous part Cluny acts in favour of all the countries, without the least notice or resentments against such as have not acceded to the conjunction. The thieves being this reduced to the greatis straits by Cluny's undertakeing, found means, by second hands, to propose to him that if he would give up being concerned for the protection of any other countrys but that of Bedonach, where be dwells, ther woud be security given him for the safeaty for his own and that country's goods. This proposition Cluny base generously rejected, and not only has intyrly stoped ther wicked trade, but has committed the persons of severalls of them to prison, whereby they may be tryed for ther detestable practises.