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He is sorry that Craighall's man has made a journey to no purpose, though he was lucky to find him at Castle Lyon, as Glamis is now his usual residence. He cannot pay Craighall's interest at present.

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His long absence from home has been expensive, but as soon as he is back, he will pay Craighall's interest.

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"I received yours this day upon the ice which was the cause of keeping up the bearer all day." Kinghorne will be going to Edinburgh on Monday, and if Craighall needs his interest he can have it there, or else it can be sent to Craighall.

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Craighall asks to have his money at Craighall. Kinghorne acknowledges.

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His sister Lady Rossie is to be buried next Thursday. The burial is to be at night, "which will be a littell trowbellsome to yow at such a distance by reason of baddnes of the weather, bot I am hopefull yowr relation is such to the defunct that will make yow lay aside all things of that nature iff yowr health and yowr other greater affaires can permitt." Crichton hopes Craighall will stay the previous night with him, and also that he will be able to visit Craighall before long.

Scope and Contents note We cannot expres to you the truble that we are in and the deficulteis we ar brought to becauss we doe not ansuer Alx Haket for menteining of our poupls John Donaldsons childring, and for our pairt we are loth to be hard with you or anie honest man. But it stands so with us that if we doe not diligence, the los must be our own for coming short of trust. Sir, we have no longer day nor Tusday nixt to delyver the monne and to resave the childring and we knou not what to...

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He has been to Dalkeith to see Thomas Learmonth, and encloses his advice. The letter deals with possible ways of preventing the effect of a "gift in exchecquer."

Scope and Contents note Robertson had hoped that Craighall would have been at the church meeting that day. There is nothing wrong with the life and doctrine of the parish minister, but "he hes not a few enemies yt waits his halting; for anie miscariadg in his conversatione, it hes not been soo much scandalous as imprudent." In other men his failings would be petty. In Robertson's opinion if Craighall were to speak out forcibly in his defence at a Kirk Session meeting, that would be the end of the affair. He would...

Scope and Contents note Would Rattray please ask his uncle to get his sister [Ogilvy's wife] to restore to him the bonds granted to him by James Arbuthnot of Blakstoun. He and Blakstoun are closing accounts, and he needs the bonds or a note of their contents. This would not be so difficult, but "it was not my intentione (when that lady was pleasd to separat her selfe from me, to have kept such ane distance wt her, till I found my name to be odious yea most ridiculous to her which those ignominious calumnies nou...

Scope and Contents note He has received another slight from his estranged wife, and mentions an occasion when she and her father turned their backs on him. He is sorry that his wife had got to see his last letter in which he says some kind things about her. He would rather "have given the whole arme wt the hand yt wrote it, & quhile I breath this life and uhile ther is blood in my veins shee shall newer see my hand urite nor have any kindnesse from me for I find it all truth yt is spoken of her, & I suppose...