al letter. To the
Major of the Tower he said he was going to Heaven where, he added, "very
few Majors go." He was gay on his last morning:--"I hope to be in heaven
by one o'clock or I should not be so merry now,"--and expressed his pity
for those who "must continue to crawl a little longer in this evil
world." He took what he called an eternal farewell from some of those
about him: "we shall not meet again in the same place; I am sure of
that." He practised kneeling at the block so that he might do it with
dignity on the scaffold. A great crowd assembled to witness his
execution and a platform fell killing several people. "The more
mischief, the better sport," said Lord Lovat grimly, but he wondered
that so many should come to see the taking off of his "old grey head."
He carefully felt the edge of the executioner's axe to make sure that it
was sharp.

No doubt there was a touch of madness in Lord Lovat but the Fraser clan
was devoted to him. By his treason all his honours and estates were
forfeited. At the time his heir, Simon Fraser, only twenty-one years
old, was a prisoner in the Castle of Edinburgh, attainted for high
treason. But so good was his conduct that in 1750 he received a pardon.
Then, a penniless man, he was called to the Scottish Bar. But another
career was in store for him. Some years later when Pitt formed his
design to use the Highlanders in the Seven Years' War he made Simon
Fraser Colonel of a battalion, to be raised on the forfeited estates of
his family and from the clan of which he was head. Success was
instantaneous. Within a few weeks Fraser was at the head of some 1500
men. They wore the Highland dress, with a sporran of badger's or otter's
skin and carried musket and broadsword; some of them wore a dirk at
their own cost. Among the officers were no less than five Simon
Frasers,[3] three or four each of Alexander Frasers and John Frasers,
and a good many other Frasers, among them a young Ensign, Malcolm
Fraser, destined to rule one of the seigniories at Malbaie for more than
half a century. Other Scottish names also appear, Macnabs, Chisholms,
Macleans, and among them John Nairne who, like Malcolm Fraser, spent the
best part of his life at Malbaie.

The head of the Nairne clan, a John Nairne, third Baron Nairne, had
fought for the Stuarts in 1745. He died an exile in France. Of how close
kin to him was the young Highland Officer, John Nairne, who settled
later at Malbaie, we do not know. His