from the Mistakes of Mr. John Anderson, preacher of Dumbarton, in his Defence of Presbytery,' 1714. He also published:
- 'Synopsis Apocalyptica, or a Short and Plain Explication of Daniel's Prophecy and of St. John's Revelation in concert with it,' 1707 (an attempt to apply the prophecies to events and to calculate by years when the events predicted will happen).
His 'Vindication of the Reformation of the Church of Scotland, with some Account of the Records,' was printed in the 'Scots Magazine' for 1802 from a manuscript in the possession of Constable, the publisher. A 'History of the Family of Mackenzie,' by Sir George Mackenzie, first earl of Cromarty, is printed in Fraser's 'Earls of Cromartie,' ii. 462-573.
[Sir George Mackenzie's Memoirs; Burnet's Own Time; Lauder of Fountainhall's Historical Notices and Historical Observes (Bannatyne Club); Carstares State Papers; Lockhart's Papers; Macky's Memoirs; Brunton and Haig's Senators of the College of Justice, pp. 856-8; J.P. Wood's History of Cramond, 1794, pp. 122-31; Sir William Fraser's Earls of Cromartie; Walpole's Royal and Noble Authors; Douglas's Scottish Peerage (Wood), i. 396-7.]
MACKENZIE, GEORGE, M.D. (1669–1725), Scottish biographer, born in Ross-shire 10 Dec. 1669, was son of the Hon. Colin Mackenzie, who was second son of George Mackenzie, second earl of Seaforth [q. v.] His mother was Jean Laurie. He studied at Aberdeen University, whence he graduated together with his brother Kenneth in 1682 (Fasti Aberd. p. 530) and at Oxford, completing his medical curriculum at Paris. Returning, he graduated M.D. at Aberdeen, and became a member of the Royal College of Physicians, Edinburgh. For a number of years he practised his profession in Edinburgh, giving his leisure to literature, and securing general esteem for his loyalty as a churchman. A victim of overwork, he died at Fortrose, Ross-shire, 28 Nov. 1725.
Mackenzie's chief work, entitled 'Lives and Characters of the most Eminent Writers of the Scots Nation,' published in 3 vols, folio, in 1703, 1711, and 1722 respectively, is elaborate and ambitious, but occasionally fanciful, and frequently inaccurate. The last volume was dedicated to John Law of Lauriston [q. v.] He also wrote the life prefixed to the 'Works of Sir George Mackenzie (1636-1692) [q. v.], and prepared a genealogical history of the families of Seaforth and name of Mackenzie. A paper by him on the Coatimundi of Brazil is in 'Phil. Trans. Abr.' vi. 653.
[Caledonian Mercury, 16 Dec. 1725; Anderson's Scottish Nation; information from Mr. George Stronach, Adv. Libr. Edinb.]
MACKENZIE, GEORGE, third Earl of Cromarty (d. 1766), was the eldest son of John, second earl, by his second wife, Mary, eldest daughter of Patrick Murray, third lord Elibank. His father, in August 1691, was tried in the high court of justiciary for the murder of Ettas Poiret, sieur de la Roche, at Leith, but was acquitted. The son succeeded to the earldom in 1781. On 8 Aug. 1745 he received a letter from Prince Charles Edward, but he did not immediately join the rising in the prince's favour, being possibly somewhat influenced by the attitude of Simon Fraser, lord Lovat [q. v.], with whom he was in correspondence. With four hundred of his clan he, however, with his son John Mackenzie, lord Macleod, joined the second army which assembled at Keith, after the prince had begun his march southwards into England. Thence he was sent to Fife to collect moneys on behalf of the prince, but on 31 Dec. received orders to join the main army. He superintended the transportation of the French artillery across the Forth for the siege of Stirling; and along with his son, Lord Macleod, he was present at the battle of Falkirk on 17 Jan. 1746. On the retreat of the Jacobite forces from Stirling, the brigade under Cromarty accompanied the division consisting chiefly of lowland troops, which under Lord George Murray followed the coast route to Inverness by Montrose and Aberdeen. Subsequently, Cromarty took over the command of the Earl of Kilmarnock's troops [see Boyd, William, fourth Earl of Kilmarnock], and he for some time held the chief command north of the Beauly. The command was again transferred to James Drummond, third titular duke of Perth [q. v.], but after the duke's departure Cromarty remained in command in Sutherland. On 15 April 1746 he was surprised and defeated at Dunrobin by the Earl of Sutherland's militia, and shortly afterwards was taken prisoner by stratagem in Dunrobin Castle. He was sent south to London and committed to the Tower. Along with the Earl of Kilmarnock and Lord Balmerino [see Elphinstone, Alexander, sixth Lord Balmerino] he was brought for trial before the House of Lords on 28 July, and when called up for judgment on the 80th pleaded that he had been 'seduced from his loyalty in an unguarded moment by the acts of desperate and designing men.' On 1 Aug. he was sentenced to death and his estates forfeited, but owing to the exertions of his wife, supported by the representations of several influential Scottish nobles, he on 9 Aug. received a respite. On 18 Feb. 1748 he was permitted to leave the Tower and lodge at the house of a messenger, and in August follow--
