‘When the action was over, The Commander of the Privateers, having heard of the Battle of Culloden, insisted to have the money put on board again. But the Rebells beg’d to be excused, and Doctor Cameron conveyed away six of the Casks to Loch Morrer, 3 miles from Loch Nonha: (The 7th Cask being stole) and there he got a boat and went wth. it to the head of ye Loch and from thence got in to Loch arkick; And having dismissed all the Country people, He wth. Major Kennedy, a french Officer, and Alexd. McLeod son to Mr. John McLeod advocate, took the money out of the Casks, and put it underground in the head of Locharkick, in the midle of a Wood.
‘There was £6 or 7,000 st. in each Cask, All put up in separate Bags, £1,000 in Each bag. They afterwards carried away the empty Casks themselves (none being present but the 3 persons above named) and when at a considerable distance from the place where the Money was hid, They caused the Country people put them under ground in a different place in order to deceive.
‘After this was over, All persons were employed to enquire after the Cask that was stole during the engadgement. And by the Assistance and authority of a priest (Father Harrison) who is great in that country (all Roman Catholics) the money was recovered except £700, and That is still amissing, ... It is not well known what became of this broken Cask afterwards But Dr. Cameron had the Manadgement of it and all the rest, and it is imagined That The money divided at the meeting with Lovat, at the head of Loch arkick, was part of it, and £3,000 was given to one Donald Cameron at Strontian to Conceal, wch he again delivered to The Doctor, but got not one shilling for himself. [Is this the money hidden at Culdares?] Severals of the Country people got each a Louis d’or and some of their gentlemen got each 2 or 3 and that was all the Distribution made among the Camerons.
‘His Majestie’s troops afterwards search’d the woods of Locharkick for this money, and were often round the place where it was, and missed very narrowly finding it, for being hid by Gentlemen, not used to work, it was very unskilfully done, and the stamps and impression of their feet visible about the place. But as soon as Dr. Cameron found a proper opportunity, He went and took up the money and hid it in two different places of the wood. In one of them he put 12,000l., wch he shewed to his own son, and another man, That in case he was taken, it might not be lost altogether, and the other part he put in a place which he shewed to nobody. And thus it remained till a Ship arriv’d in Loch Nonha to carry off the Pretender &c. When the above Ship arriv’d He (the Pretender) was sckulking in one of the Glens of Brad Badenoch where he had been for some time conceal’d in a place under ground, with Lochiel, Cluny Mcpherson, and some other person. Upon receiving Intelligence of the arrival of this Ship, It seems it was concerted That Cluny should remain in Scotland and have the Charge of the money. And having come all together from Badenoch to Locharkick, they got Dr. Cameron, who went and shew’d Cluny the 2 different places where the money was: Left him in that Country, and the rest went and embarked with the Pretender in Loch Nonha. Whether there was any of the bags then taken up (as is probable) carried with them, or how many, is what I am not informed of.
‘But Certain it is that Cluny immediately after Carried the £12,000 to Badenoch And there were in Company wth. him Angus Cameron (of Downan) a Rannoch Man, brother to Gleneavis, McPherson of Breachy (Breakachy), a brother in Law of his own, and his piper.
‘The other part of the money, was shew’d to no Living but himself, and he either did not find an opportunity, or did not think convenient to come for it, untill a month afterwards, when he came and carried it also away, but I am not justly Informed who were wth. him, nor how much was of it, tho’ It is generally believed That he got betwixt £20 and £30,000 in all.
‘It is said by Cluny’s Friends that the Pretender, after embarking, sent a note to Cluny with particular instructions how he was to manadge the money and to whom he was to give any part of it,[75] and they say that he has conformed in the most exact manner to his Instructions, but The other Rebells in the highlands grumble egregiously That he has not done them justice. I have only heard That he gave £100 to Lady Keppoch[76] and have reason to think That if he made any other distributions it was to some other of the principall Gentlemen of The Different Clans, to be given away among their people, and that those have thought fit to retain all to themselves.
‘I know it is strongly suspected that Cameron of Gleneavis, whose Brother (Angus) was wth Cluny at Carrying away the £12,000, has received a Large proportion by some means or other, and there is great reason to think so, as he was almost bankrupt before the rebellion and is now shewing away in a very different manner, particularly This year about a month ago, there were 120 Louis d’ors sent from him to a man in Locharkeek to buy Cattle for him; and some of the Camerons having lately threatened to be resented of him for his behaviour about yt money, he met with them, and parted good friends, which is supposed to have been done by giving them considerably.
‘Barrisdale tells that Cole or Major Kennedy was to embark much about the same time yt he came from France, was to land on the West Coast in order to meet with Cluny, and carry away the money, but I have not yet learned any thing wth regard to him, And am apt to believe That he has rather landed on the Eastern Coast and my reasons for this Conjecture are: That one Samuel Cameron (Brother to The above men’d Cameron of Gleneavis) Major in the Regt. which was Lochiel’s in the French Service, was at Edr. and came in a Chaise with the famous Mrs. Jean Cameron to Stirling, where they parted, and she came to her house in Morvern about the middle of March, and he took some different route: It is supposed That he came over on a message wth. regard to that money, and I the rather believe it as his two brothers seem to have been concerned in it, and I am apt to think that Kennedy and he have come together, but this is only my own conjecture. Another reason which induces me to believe That he would Chuse to land on the E. coast is That Cluny would not probably Like to march with that money or trust himself among the highlanders, who would probably not let it pass without partaking liberally.