Letters from Charles Macquarie to his uncle and patron Murdoch Maclaine, 18th Laird of Lochbuie, March 1793-August 1802

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The letters, which vary considerably in length, were written from various places: Lochbuie, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Perth, London, Newry, Armagh, Cork, Southampton, Lisbon, Minorca and Winchester. The bulk of them date from 1793-1795.

The subjects include the management of the Lochbuie estate on Mull, sheep and cattle farming, crops, fisheries, tenants, Macquarie's visits to Oban and other places in western Scotland, meetings with Lord Breadalbane and Colonel Campbell, the offer of a lieutenancy and paymastership in Breadalbane's regiment, financial matters, recruiting for the regiment, Macquarie's reasons for staying in Britain rather than joining his brother in India, criticisms of Charles by Lachlan Macquarie (1795), the funding of the regiment, his promotion to captain (1795), news of family members in the Army and elsewhere, service in Ireland (1794-1795), living conditions, the organisation of the forces in Ireland, the incorporation of the regiment into the 42nd Regiment, news from Mull, rents, financial transactions, the voyage to Portugal (1797), impressions of Lisbon, Gibraltar defences, military operations in Minorca, possible attack by Spanish forces, and proposed land purchases in Mull (1802). (76 Letters)

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