IMAGE EVALUATION
TEST TARGET {MT-3)
C'
/
• J
1.0
I.I
11.25
? '- ||y£
ii
1.4 11.6
«
"3
V]
^ ^ ^s
^ ■
>>
'/
/A
Hiotographic
Sciences
Corporation
23 WEST MAIN STREET
WEBSTER, N.Y. 14580
(716) 872-4S03
n>
,v
^^
:\
\
y
#7#
<^
6^
C/j
\
CIHM/ICMH
Microfiche
Series.
CIHM/ICMH
Collection de
microfiches.
Canadian Institute for Historical Microreproductions
Institut Canadian de microreproductions historiques
1980
Tachnical and Bibliographic Notas/Notat tachniquas at bibliographiques
Tha instituta has attamptad to obtain tha bast
original copy availabia for filming. Faaturas of this
copy which may ba bibliographically uniqua,
which may altar any of tha imagas in the
raproduction, or which may significantiv changa
tha usual mathod of filming, ara chackad balow.
L'Institut a microfilm^ la maillaur axamplaira
qu'il lui a AtA r>ossibla da sa procurar. Las details
da cat axamplaira qui sont paut-Atra uniquas du
point da vua bibliographiqua, qui pauvant modifier
una imaga raproduita, ou qui pauvant axigar una
modification dans la mithoda normala da filmaga
sont indiquAs ci-dassous.
Coloured covers/
Couverture de couleur
r^ Covers damaqad/
□
D
D
D
D
Couverture endommag^e
Covers restored and/or laminated/
Couverture restaur^e et/ou pelliculAe
I I Cover title missing/
Le titre de couverture manque
I I Coloured maps/
Cartes giographiques en couleur
Coloured ink (i.e. other than blue or black)/
Encre de couleur (i.e. autre que bleue ou noire)
I I Coloured plates and/or illustrations/
Planches et/ou illustrations en couleur
Bound with other material/
Reli6 avec d'autres documents
Tight binding may cause shadows or distortion
along interior margin/
La reliure serr^e peut causer de I'ombre ou de la
distortion le long de la marge intdrieure
Blank leaves added during restoration may
appear within the text. Whenever possible, these
have been omitted from filming/
II se peut que certaines pages blanches ajout6es
lors d'une restauration apparaissent dans le texte,
mais, lorsque cela 6tait possible, ces pages n'ont
pas 6t6 film^es.
□
D
El
D
D
D
D
D
D
Coloured pages/
Pages de couleur
Pages damaged/
Pages endommagAes
Pages restored and/or laminated/
Pages restaur6es et/ou pellicul6es
Pages discoloured, stained or foxed/
Pages d6color6es, tachatdes ou piqu6es
Pages detached/
Pages ditach^es
Showthrough/
Transparence
Quality of print varies/
Quality in^gale de I'impression
Includes supplementary material/
Comprend du materiel suppl^mentaire
Only edition available/
Seule Edition disponible
Pages wholly or partially obscured by errata
slips, tissues, etc., have been refilmed to
ensure the best possible image/
Les pages totalement ou partiellement
obscurcies par un feuillet d'errata, una pelure,
etc., ont 6t6 film^es A nouveau de fapon d
obtenir la meilleure image possible.
D
Additional comments:/
Commentaires supplimentaires:
This item is filmed at the reduction ratio checked below/
Ce document est filmd au taux de reduction indiqu6 ci-dessous.
10X 14X 18X 22X
26X
aox
7
ttX
16X
20X
24X
28X
32X
tails
du
odifier
una
mage
The copy filmed here has been reproduced thanks
to the generosity of:
National Library of Canada
The images appearing here are the best quality
possible considering the condition and legibility
of the original copy and in keeping with the
filming contract specifications.
L'exemplaire filmi fut reproduit grAce A l«
ginArositt de:
Bibliothdque nationale du Canada
Los images suivantes ont 6t4 reproduites avec le
plus grand soin, compte tenu de la condition et
de la netteti de l'exemplaire filmi, et en
conformity avec las conditions du contrat de
filmage.
Original copies in printed paper covers are filmed
beginning with the front cover and ending on
the last page with a printed or illustrated impres-
sion, or the back cover when appropriate. All
other original copies ate filmed beginning on the
first page with a printed or illustrated impres-
sion, and ending on the last p<*ge with a printed
or illustrated impression.
The last recorded frame on each microfiche
shall contain the symbol -^ (meaning "CON-
TINUED "), or the symbol V (meaning "END "),
whichever applies.
IVIaps, plates, charts, etc., may be fihued at
different reduction ratios. Those too large to be
entirely included in one exposure are filmed
beginning in the upper left hand corner, left to
right and top to bottom, as many frames as
required. The following diagrams illustrate the
method:
Les exemplaires originaux dont la couverture en
papier est imprimie sont film6s en commen^ant
par le premier p'at et en ter.ninant soit par la
dernidre page qui comporte une empreinte
d'impression ou d'illustration, soit par le second
plat, salon le cas. Tous les autres exemplaires
originaux sont filmds en commen9ant par la
premiere page qui comporte une empreinte
d'impression ou d'illustration et en lerminant par
la dernidre page qui comporte une telle
empreinte.
Un des symboles suivants apparaitra sur la
dernidre ir.iage de cheque microfiche, selon le
cas: le symbols — ► signifie "A SUIVRE ", le
symbols V signifie "FIN ".
Les cartes, planches, tableaux, etc., peuvent dtre
filmis d des taux de r6duction diff^rents.
Lorsque le document est trop grand pour 6tre
reproduit en un seul clich6, il est film6 A partir
de Tangle sup6rieur gauche, de gauche d droite,
et de haut en bas, en prenant le nombre
d'images n^cessaire. Les diagrammes suivants
illustrent la mdthode.
irrata
to
pelure,
n d
n
32X
1
2
3
1
2
3
4
5
6
^^^^mw^
I
The SconisH High
His Origin, Literature, Language and
General Characteristics.
LECTURE
-DEMVERED BY-
DUNCAN MACARTHUR, ESQ.,
-UNDER THE AUSPICES OK-
CLAN STE^VAKT, No. 92, O. S. C,
Winnipeg, Man.
M( Inivrk Hrus., Pknikks, Winnii-kc,
1 89.^.
HI
■
The Scottish HighlaiKier :
HIS ORIGIN. LITERATURE. LANGUAGE AND
GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS.
«t e » »o ti
Worthy Chikf, Ladiks and Gknti.kmen :
I have been askcil to g-ivc you a short address on the sub-
ject of the Scottish Highlander, and I shall consider him
briefly as to hisorig-in, language, literature, and general char-
acteristics, but before doing so I would like to express the
pleasure I feel in being an Honorary member of Clan Stew-
art. I am in entire accord with the motives which prompted
the organization of those Clans on this continent, and with
objects which they all have in view. Our countrymen are
celebrated for their tendency to emigrate to different parts of
the world ; and they are to be found at the antipodes, under
the burning sky of India, amidst the wilds of Africa, in this
great Dominion and in the Republic which lies alongside of
us — in short, almost everywhere, and as a matter of fact there
arc Sct)tsmen residing to-day within the Arctic circle and at
certain seasons of the year they are to be found as far north
as the shores of the Arctic sea.
Now some of the principal objects of Clan Stewart, and
of similar organizations, is to unite Scotsmen into as close a
bond of common brotherhood as possible, to establish a sick
fund in case of sickness or accident, to provide a bequeath-
mcnt fund in case of death, and to cultivate fond recollections
of Scotland, including its history, traditions, customs, and
amusements, and it may well be asked what worthier aims
than those could any national organization have in view.
We have here a number of social, prudential and sentimental
elements, the blending of which should form a cement strong
enough to bind our scattered countrymen into a common and
lasting brotherhood ; and at the same time leave a permanent
and beneficial impress upon their minds and lives. In my
opinion these organizations supply a want which has long
been felt, a want which they are well calculated to meet
adequately, and I hope that Scotsmen in all parts of the Dom-
inion, and of the neighbourinjf Republic will rally round the
standards which have been recently erected, not as the sym-
bols of war and hate, but of peace, prosperity and good will.
In selecting- the "Scottish Highlander " as the subject of
a few remarks this evening, it must not be supposed that
there is the least 'intention of ignoring, or underrating, the
other great element of the population of Scotland which
occupies the Southern part of the Kingdom, but quite the
reverse. The population of Scotland is in two parts, having
distinct origins, the Celtic and the Saxon, each of which
has an illustrious history. It is true that in the course of
centuries an extensive mtermixture of the races has taken
place, and it is very common to find men with Lowland names
— Gladstone for instance — who have Celtic blood in their
veins, and on the other hand men with Celtic names whose
mothers have been Saxons, — an eminent example of the
latter — selecting one of many — was Lord Macaulay. Still the
general lines of demarcation, where no interfusion of blood
has taken place, between the two races, are almost as distinct
as the great (irampian range which intersects the country
and which forms the natural boundary between the the High-
lands and the Lowlands; and I would have liked very much to be
able this evening to discuss the Lowlander at the same length as
I shall discuss the Highlander, but as this is impossible I can
only hope some other member of this Clan will be induced to
give us, at no distant date, an address on the Scottish Low-
lander, embracing his distinctive history, and the various
phases of his character.
The descendants of the ancient Britons — who were mainly,
if not wholly, of Celtic origin, and about whom wo have
heard so much — are now to be found in certain isolated parts
of the United Kingdom. We find Celtic populations in Wales
and Cornwall ; we also find one in the Isle of Man. Ireland,
which is largely Celtic now, was still more so at one time.
In Scotland we find the Northern and more extensive part of
the Kingdom chiefly occupied by a Celtic race ; we also find
the same race occupying the Hebrides or Western Isles — and
these communities, along with the people of Brittany ir
France, constitute, so far as known, the only representatives
of the early inhabitants of the British Isles.
The Celtic race, which is generally supposed to be of
Eastern or Asiatic origin, and which is a branch of the great
Aryan family of mankind, is undoubtedly one of the oldest
historical races of Europe, and though it has been ascertained
that a branch of this race, or more probably two, occupied
ii
portions of Kn(fland, Scotland and Ireland several centuries
before the Christian era, the circumstances which led them
westward, the routes which they followed, and the exact
time of their arrival in these countries remain, and may al-
ways remain, unknown. It is probable, as I have just said, that
two distinct branches of the Celtic race reached the shores of
Great Britain and Ireland in remote times, i)erhaps at differ-
ent times and from different (juarters; one of which included
the Cymric or Welsh, and the Cornish people, by the latter of
whom Brittany in France was colonized in the fourth century;
the other was the Gaelic or Erse people, who occupied North
Britain, Ireland and the Isle of Man.
The Scottish Hig-hlanders of the present day, are the
descendants of the early Celts, or Caledonians or Picts as they
have been variously named, of North Britain, and of the small
colony of Dalriadic Scots who settled (m the west coast of
Scotland about the fifth century. A j^ood deal has been
written by antiquaries and ethnolog-isis to show that the
Caledonians came originally from Ireland, but no proof what-
ever has been forthcoming to establish this theory; on the
contrary, many distinguished Gaelic scholars maintain that
the Caledonians came either directly to North Britain or
found their way there by passing through England. Nor is
the theory, that the original Celtic inhabitants of the United
Kingdom were driven to the extremities or more inaccessible
parts of the country by foreign invasion, by anv means estab-
lished, for we find that when the Romans invaded Great
Britain they found the Celtic people occupying nearly the
same parts of the country which their descendants occupy at
the present day. Doubtless a vast proportion of the Ancient
Britons were, in the course of time, absorbed by intermarriage
with the various races, Romans, Scandinavians, Danes and
Saxons who made successive descents on the .shores of Great
Britain ; otherwise the Celtic population of these Islands
would at the present time be greater than it is, but it is still
sufficiently great to make its influence felt, and acknowledged,
in the literature, arts and sciences, in the moral and material
progress, in the military achievements and in the Legislative
Councils, of the Nation.
Having thus briefly indicated the origin of the Scottish
Highlander, I shall now endeavor to give some account of his
language, which is of high antiquity and great scientific
interest. The Gaelic language, of which there arc four dia-
lects spoken in the United Kingdom at the present day, is
one of several tongues which acknowledge the extinct Aryan
speech as its parent. It is an extremely interesting and now
well ascertained fact that all the languajfcs spoken to-day in
Europe, with the exception of those of the Turks, the Mag-yars
in Hung-ary, the Finns in Lapland and probably the Bastiuos
on the slopes of the Pyrenees, belonj'- to one family -the
Indo-European ; not only so, but many of the lang-uajfes of
Asia, includinjj^ those of Armenia, Afg-hanistan, Persia and
Northern India, also .belong- to the same great family, the
common parent of which, called the Aryan, has for thousands
of years ceased to exist, and as an evidence of the high anti-
quity of this mother tongue, neither monument, history nor
even tradition remains to give us any definite information
about the people by whom it was originally spoken, or the
geographical position which they occupied ; but notwith-
standing many organic differences in structure, the affinities
of all the modern languages of Europe, with the exceptions
I have mentioned, are such that no other conclusion
can be come to than that they are descended from one common
Htock, and it is one of the greatest triumphs of science in our
time that the philologist has been able, by slow and pains-
taking^ processes it is true, but all the more certainly on that
account, to discover that nearly all the languages of Europe
are in their essence and material structure, traceable to <me
great parent, whose original dwelling place is unknown, except
that it was probably in Central Asia, and whose venerable form
is shrouded by the mists of a primitive antiquity. Compara-
tive philology is one of the most interesting- and instructive
of all the sciences, and its investigations and discoveries will
well repay those who have the requisite time and inclination
to study it. The Celtic language was probably the language
of all the tribes who occupied Britain at the time of the first
Roman invasion, and it is also probable that the two great
dialects of it, the Gaelic and Cymric, were characteriEed by
great differences even at that early time. There is a wonder-
ful intractability, I had almost said clannishness, about the
Gaelic language, considering that it is a full sister to the
other languages of Europe. Owing to its peculiar organic
structure it does not readily assimilate with other languages.
During- thirteen or fourteen hundred years the Cymric in
Wales and the Gaelic in Scotland existed side by side with
the Saxon or Gothic, and during that long period, compara-
tively few words have been adopted by the Celtic people from
the Saxon vocabulary, and equally as few Celtic words have
been adopted b}' the Saxons. As a recent writer on the
subjects states, "the two languages have in no sense met
and become one ; there has been no chemical combination
between the Gothic and Celtic elements but only more or less
t
of a mechanical intermixture." The tenacity of life which
all lang-uagcs possess, is nowhere better shown than by the
fact that the Gaelic tongfue, althougfh encroached on year
after year by the Kn^^lish, is still spoken by hundreds of
thousands of Scottish Hig-hlanders, and by the descendants
of a larg'e number of Highlanders who emigrated to various
parts of the world in modern times. If it is doomed to extinc-
tion, as we must believe, it will die hard, and .the endowment
of a Gaelic chair in the University of Edinburgh, a few
years ago, under the incumbency of Professor Blackie, him-
self an accomplished and enthusiastic Gaelic scholar, will not
hasten its dissolution but probably preserve it in existence
for many generations to come.
The transition from the Gaelic language to Gaelic litera-
ture is a natural one. The subject is large and most interest-
ing. The oldest manuscripts extant in the United Kingdom
to-day are Celtic, some of them, it is mantaincd, were written
in the second century. A considerable number are in the
possession of the Highland Society, including the celebrated
Dean of Lisniore's book. A number are in the Advocates
Library in Edinburgh, a few are in the Harlein Library and
a few are in the Bodelein Library at Oxford. A large number
are in Trinity College, Dublin, and a considerable and grow-
ing collection is in the British Museum. In addition to this
many M.S.S. are still in private hands. Whilst it is doubtful
that the claim to such a high antiquity as the second century
can be upheld, there is no doubt that the great mass of these
Celtic M.S.S. are very old, many of them having been written
soon after the arrival of St Columba in Scotland, about the
beginning of the sixth century ; and when we consider the
rude and warlike times in which they were produced, the
absence of suitable depositories, the various mutations, acci-
dents, and chances of destruction to which they were exposed,
to say nothing of the gnawing and incisive tooth of time,
it is a wonder that so many are still left, and we are irresist-
ably led to the conclusion that in the palmy days of Gaelic
literature, probably from the sixth to the eighth century, when
Scotland was a Gaelic Kingdom, ruled by Gaelic kings, the
mass of its literature must have been very great, and but for
the unfortunate circumstance that Edward I. during one of
his raids into Scotland, carried away all national muniments,
for which his successor afterwards paid dearly at Bannock-
burn, we should probably have a much larger collection at
the present day.
There can be no doubt that the introduction of Christian-
ity into Scotland by St. Ninian, about the end of the fourth
8
century, and its wide-spread propagation by St. Columba
about the middle of the sixth century, gave a great and bene-
ficial stimulus to Gaelic literature, and it is no wonder that
the .little and lonely Isle of lona, "on which St. Columba
founded his religious establishments, and which at that time
and for some centuries afterwards was the centre, not only of
religious zeal and effort, but also of intellectual activity in
Scotland, has clai' r:'d the interest of all succeeding ages,"
and we may well agree with the remarks of a distin^i^uished
writer, the late Sir Daniel Wilson, when he says, quoting and
improving Dr. Johnson's remarks, that "that illustrious island,
which once was the luminary of the Caledonian regions, still
awakens feelings in the minds of every thoughtful visitor
such as no other Scottish locality can give birth to, unless a
Scotsman might be pardoned if he associates with it — not the
plain of Marathon — but the field of Bannockburn."
Although the remains of Celtic literature which have
been handed down to us are not so numerous or bulky as the
literary remains of many other nations,, they are valuable as
showing the sentiments of the people of those ancient times,
their culture, their modes of life, their occupations and the
civil and ecclesiastical polities under which they lived. They
carry us back to a time before the patriarchal system of chiefs
and clans existed, before the feudal system was adopted or
rather imposed — when Scotland was a Celtic kingdom, with a
well organized government which was administered by Kings,
Marmors and Toisechs. The subjects treated in them are
various — Theology, Metaphysics, Philology, Medicine, Poetry
and Astrology ; and as Dr. McLachlan, a distinguished Gaelic
scholar, speaking of that period says, "the nation was by no
means in such a state of barbarism as some writers would lead us
to expect. They had Gaelic terms to express the most ab-
stract ideas in mataphysics ; they had legal forms — for we
have a formal legal charter of lands, written in Gaelic. They
had medical men of skill and acquirements ; they had writers
on law and theology, and they had men skilled in architec-
ture and sculpture."
A large proportion of the ancient Gaelic literature was
in the form of poetry, much of it, if not most, being of the
heroic kind ; and the custodians, and in many instances, the
authors of this poetry were the Bards, who were also music-
ians ; consequently poetry and music went hand in hand,
and from the close connection between these arts it may not
be out of place to refer briefly to the music of the Scottish
Highlands. Dr. McLachlan, whom I have just quoted, says :
" The Gaelic music was peculiarly quaint and pathetic, irre-
9
gular, and moving on with the most sing-ular intervals;
the movement is still self-contained and impressive — to the
Celt eminently so." It is not generally recognized that
Sc«)ttish music has been derived from the Gaelic race. The
same writer says further that "the Scottish Lowland music
so much and so deservedly admired, is a legacy from the
Celtic music thnmghout ; there is nothing in ft which it
holds in common with any Saxon race in existence. The airs
to which "Scots wha hae," " Auld lang syne," " Roy's wife,"
and " Ye banks and bra^s," are sung, are airs to which
nothing similar can be found in England ; they are Scottish
and only Scottish ; and can be recognized as such at once,
but airs of a precisely similar character can be found among
all Celtic races."
Much as the scenery of a country has to do in moulding
the character of a people, I am inclined to think that its
influence is inferit)r to that of a country's songs and that
there is much truth in the saying, attributed to Fletcher of
Salton — "Give me the making of a nation's songs and I care
not who makes its laws." It is a curious fact that the Scottish
Highlanders never took kindly to the Psalm tunes which were
introduced after the reformation, and which are still in use
in Scotland. I do not know that they are much to be blamed
for this, for many of them are lugubrious enough. They,
however, made a selection of some half dozen tunes and sang
them after a fashion of their own. The principal notes of
the old tunes are retained, but they are sung with so many
variations, that the tune in its new dress can scarcely be
recognized. SpeaKing of these tunes a Scottish minister
says that " sung on a Communion Sabbath by a crowd of
worshippers on the green sward of a Highland valley ' Old
Dundee' is incomparable, and exercises over the Highland
mind a powerful influence." Of the many elective affinities
of the human mind, the one which selects out of a mass of
sacred or other music the elemeitswhich are mostin accordance
with an inherited or an organic taste, is not the least interest-
ing. And now a word about the national musical instrument
of Scotland. It is the fashion amongst some people to decry
bagpipe music, but it must be remembered that Mendelsshon
was not one of these, for when he visited the Highlands he
was so impressed with it that he afterwards introduced a
portion of" a pibroch into one of his finest compositions. The
bagpipe is not merely the national instrument of Scotland.
It is said to be the only national instrument in Europe. It is
true that it is not adapted for the execution of certain melo-
dies, such as "Home, sweet home," or "The last rose of
10
summer," but for military music it is adapted in the hig-hest
degree. To ^uote the words of an able writer, — " Even
Highlanders will allow that it is not the quietest of instru-
ments ; but when far from their mountain home what sounds
however melodious, can thrill round their hearts like one burst
of their native pipe. It talks to them of home and of the past,
and brings before them, on the burning plains of India or
amidst the world renowned snows of Canada, the wild highland
glens and oft frequented streams of Caledonia. Need it be
said to how many" fields of victory and danger its proud strains
have led ; there is not a battle field honorable to Britain on
which its war-blast has not sounded. When every other
instrument has been hushed by the confusion and carnage of
the scene it has been borne into the thick of battle, and far
on in advance, its bleeding but devoted bearer, sinking on
the earth, has sounded at once encouragement to his country-
men and his own coronach."
I come now to speak of some of the personal characteris-
tics of the Highlander. Eminent amongst these are his
ardent attachment to his kith and kin, his love for his native
land, his courteous manners and hospitality, his manly
independence, his honor and fidelity, his courage and coolness
in the hour of danger, and his contempt of death. In common
with other mountaineers, but perhaps to a greater degree,
the Scottish Highlander is imbued, both at home and abroad,
with an intense love of his country ; this sentiment never
leaves him, never weakens or decays. It is an abiding
passion during life, and ends only with his death. It is
therefore no wonder that when called to emigrate, either
from choice or by necessity, his heart should be rung with throes
which never cease to be felt so long as that heart continues
to beat.
The Highlander's spirit of independence is shown through-
out the whole course of his history, and is nowhere better
exemplified than in his early struggles with the Romans.
The speech which Tacitus puts into the mouth of Galcagus
on the eve of the momentous battle of the Grampians, and
which in substance, if not in form, is no doubt authentic,
breathes the very essence of national independence and lib-
erty. Galcagus, addressing the Caledonians, says, — "Let us
therefore dare like men. We are all summoned by the great
call of Nature ; not only those who know the value of liberty,
but even such as think life on any terms the dearest blessing ;
and shall not we, unconquered and undebased by slavery ; a
nation ever free, and struggling now, not to recover but to en-
sure our liberties ; shall we not go forth the champions of our
11
country. Shall we not, by one great effort, show the Romans
that we are the people whom Caledcmia has reserved to be
assertors of the public weal. All that can inspire the human
heart, every mt)tive that can incite us to deeds of valour, is on
our side. Let us seek the enemy, and, as we rush upon him,
remember the g"lory delivered down to us by our ancestors ;
rnd let us, each man, remember that upon his sword depends
the fate of all prosperity."
Galcag-us may be reg^arded as a prototype of Wallace and
Bruce, and it would almost seem as if the echo of his address
to the Caledonians was in the ears of Burns when he wrote his
great national ode. The comparison is close between the
sentiments of Galcagus and those expressed in " Scots wha
hae wi' Wallace bled."
The Caledonians according to Tacitus, were defeated in
the battle which followed, but they were not conquered ;
their haug"hty spirit was unbroken, and notwithstanding the
many and vigorous efforts made by the Romans to subdue
them during" the remaining 300 years of their occupation of
Britain, they signally failed to do so, and hence the occasion
of the poet's lines on the Scottish thistle
Triumphant be the thistle, still unfurled.
Dear symbol wild, on freedom's hills it g'rows,
Where Fing-al stemmed the Tyrants of the world
And Roman eag^les left unconquered foes.
The thistle was not, however, at that time or for many cen-
turies afterwards the national emblem of Scotland. The
legend runs that it was instrumental in betraying to the
garrison of Slains, the stealthy approach, under cover of
night, of an army of cruel-hearted Danes. The castle moat
was dry and over-g"rown with thistles which pierced the naked
feet of the g-host-like multitude, whose cries of pain, as they
were on the point of effecting an entry, alarmed the garrison
and frustrated the execution of their desig-n. The event can-
not be better described than in the poet's words :
'* Each clansman started frotn his couch and armed him for the fig'ht,
As eajfles on avenfjfin^;^ wini^s from proud lien Lomond's crest
Swoop fiercely down, and dash to earth the spoilers of their nest ;
As lions bound upon their prey, or as the burning' tide
Sweeps onward with resistless might, from some volcano's side,
So rushed the gallant band of Scots— the garrison of Slains
Upon the titters of the sea, the carnage loving Danes.
Claymore and battleaxe, and spear were steeped in slaughter's flood.
While every thistle in the moat was splashed with crimson blood.
In memory of that awful night, the thistle's hardy grace,
Was chosen as the emblem meet of Albion's dauntless race ;
And never since in battle's storm, by land or on the sea
Has Scotland's honour tarnished been, God grant it ne'er may be."
12
It is perhaps worthy of mention that the defeat of the
Caledonians at the battle of the Grampians was mainly owing
to the tactics of the r.iercenaries in the service of Rome,
whose swords were sharpened to a point whilst the swords
of the Highlanders were not so sharpened. The former
fought with the point, and the latter, with the edge of the
sword ; and, by the way, it is a curious fact, not generally
known, that the disaster at Culloden was partly owing to the
tactics of the Duke of Cumberland, who when lying with his
forces at Aberdeen during the winter of 1745, took pains to
instruct his troops how to receive the terrible onslaught of
the Highlanders, with the point of the bayonet. It was the
custom of the Highlander at the commencement of an engage-
ment to discharge his firearms, and throwing them away, to
rely on his strong right arm and broadsword for victory, and
he uniformly followed this course in fighting. Cumberland's
men were trained to receive the Highlander's charge with a
newly devised thrust of the bayonet, of which they had no
previous experience, and for which they were not prepared,
and this was one of the causes which lost them the day.
The deep attachment of the Highlander to his friends
and his unrelenting emnity towards his foes are proverbial and
are two of his most marked characteristics. As a rule he never
turns his back on friend or foe. The well known story of the
Highland Chief, who when dying was exhorted to forgive his
enemies if he hoped to be forgiven, and could only do so by
transferring his deep and hereditary hate to his son, with
injunctions to wreak speedy and signal vengeance on his
enemy, is a good illustration of the Highlander's hatred.
There are some phlegmatic races whose passions seem
to run on a dead level and seldom rise to exalted and ennobl-
ing sentiments on the one hand, or fall much below the line
of tame propriety on the other, but the Highlanders are not
one of these ; their love is ardent and their hate intense.
Their attachment to their relatives and friends, which is
nowhere better or more beautifully exemplified that in the
devotion of children to their parents, and to each other, and
in the respect shown to the aged, is sometimes called "clan-
nishness;" it would no*, however, be a bad thing if this spirit
were to become more wide-spread, not only amongst the
Highlanders but amongst all other races. But, whilst the
Highlander is clannish, he is at the same time generous to a
fault and hospitable to all. His guests, no matter whether
they be acquaintances or strangers, are treated with the
utmost cordiality and bounty ; nothing is too good for them.
His entire resources are laid under contribution to serve
IS
them, and the welcome they receive is not the welcome of an
hour but of days or weeks if need be. It is in short a wel-
come from the heart — a real Highland welcome.
Speaking" of the honour and fidelity of this race, there
is perhaps no higher illustration of these qualities in the
history of any people than that shown in the protection which
was given to Charles Edward after the battle of Culloden,
when he was compelled to wander as an outcast in the High-
lands and Islands of Scotland — a protection which was given
always at the risk, and sometimes at the expense of life.
With a reward of thirty thousand pounds upon his head,
this illustrious but ill-fated prince spent months amongst the
Highlanders, being personally known to hundreds of them,
without ever running the slightest risk of being betrayed. The
noble spirit of the Highlander contemned the reward and de-
spised the motives which prompted it. If revenge is sweet to the
outraged feelings of the mountaineer, the price of blood is an
abomination to him. Nor was it men alone, but women also,
who evinced these noble feelings ; and there is no greater
honour on the head of any woman that which rests on the
heroic and self-sacrificing Flora Macdonald, who as is well
known, took her life and reputation in hand, when she set
forth to guide her prince, through hair-breath escapes, to a
place of safety.
Probably the most distinguished characteristics of thv^
Scottish Highlander, arc his courage, endurance, coolness in
the hour of danger, and his contempt of death. History
furnishes many instances of these qualities, both in civil and
military life ; but I can only in the short time at my disposal,
make mention of a few of them. Such of you as remember
the Crimean war will recall the thrill of emotion which
passed through the entire British nation when the news
of the repulse of the Russian cavalry on the heights of
Balaclava by the Highland Brigade under the command of
Sir Colin Campbell, was announced. The " Times" corres-
pondent, who witnessed the action, says, "The Russians in one
grand line charge on towards Balaclava; the ground flies be-
neath their horses feet ; gathering speed at every stride they
dash on toward that thin red streak tipped with the line of steel.
As the Russians come within 600 yards down goes that line
of steel in front and out rings a volley of minnie musketry ;
the distance is too great ; the Russians are not checked but
still sweep onwards through the smoke with the whole force
of horse and men. With breathless suspense everyone in the
valley waits the bursting of that wave on the line of Gaelic
rock, but ere they came within 200 yards another deadly
14
volley flashes from the levelled rifles and carries terror into
the Kussians ; they wheel about, open files rig"ht and left,
and fly back faster than they came. Brave Hig-hlanders !
Well done ! shout the spectators. But events thicken, the
Highlanders and their splendid front are soon forg-otten.
Men scarcely have a moment to think of this fact that the
93rd never altered their formation to receive that tide of
horsemen. "No," said Sir Colin Campbell, "I did not think
it worth while to form them even four deep ; the ordinary
British line, two deep, was quite sufficient to repel the attack
of those Muscovite cavaliers."
Take another instance, when the mutiny broke out in
India, the British forces in that country amounted to a mere
handful of men, and it devolved upon Sir Henry Havclock to
take such measures as would best protect the British residents
and hold the country in subjection until adequate reinforce-
ments should arrive. His entire force consisted of a lig"ht field
battery, a portion of the 1st Madras Fusileers, the (Aih
regiment and the 78th Highlanders ; with this force, num-
bering a little over 1800 men, and a few Sikhs, he set out under
the most intense heat, and the monsoon having shortly after-
wards set in, rain fell in torrents, rendering the whole
county one vast morass— to retake Cawnpore and rescue
I^ucknow. He encountered and defeated the rebels at Futtch-
pore and at Aherwa from which place Havelock wrote in his
dispatches to the War office, as follows, — "The opportunity
had now arrived for which I had long and ardently waited,
of developing the prowess of the 78th Highlanders. The
guns of the enemy were strongly posted behind a lofty hamlet
well entrenched. I directed this regiment to advance, and
have never witnessed conduct more admirable. They were
led by Colonel Hamilton and followed him with surpassing
steadiness and gallantry under a heavy fire. As they aproach-
ed the village they cheered and charged with the bayonet,
the bagpipes sounding tbe pibroch. Need I add that the
enemy fled; the village was taken ?nd the guns captured.
During the course of this action General Havelock exclaimed,
" Well done, 78tli ! You shall be my own regiment. Another
charge like that will win the day." Another and a
bloodier charge followed and the day was won. Addressing
the officers of the 78th at the close of this action, General
Havelock said, — " Gentlemen, I am glad of having this oppor-
tunity of saying a few words to you, which you may repeat
to your men. I am now upwards of sixty years old. I have
been forty years in the service. I have been engaged in action
about seven and twenty times, but in the whole of my career
16
I have never seen any regiment behave better; nay more, I have
never seen any behave so well as the 78th Highlanders this
day. I am proud of you, and if ever I have the good luck
to be made Major General, the first thing I shall do will be to
go to the Duke of Cambridge and request that when my time
arrives for the colonelcy of a regiment I may have the 78th
Highlanders. And this, gentlemen, you hear from a man
who is not in the habit of saying more than he means. I am
not a Highlander, but I wish I was one." To come down to
the present day, General Lord Roberts was recently, on the
occasion of his resigning the Indian command, entertained at
a farev/ell dinner, when he paid the following splendid
tribute Vo the heroism of the Highlanders. He said, — speak-
ing on this occasion and in this company, I think I may
venture to express my personal admiration for the kilted warriors
of the North. Never shall I forget the 93rd Highlanders at
Sikunder Bagh, or the 72nd Highlanders at Piewar Kotul, or
92nd Highlanders at Candahar. Nor shall I forget the
advance in the line of the 42nd, 75th and 93rd Highlanders
going straight for the enemy's battery at Cawnpore. It was
a splendid sight — one of the most heart-stirring military
spectacles I have ever beheld." It would be an easy matter
to nmltiply instances of the courage and endurance of the
Scottish Highlanders, and to dwell on many other character-
istics which I have not even alluded to, but I have already
trespassed too much on your patience, and I shall now draw
rapidly to a close.
The Scottish Highlands, the physical features of which
have been epitomised by Sir Walter Scott in his well known
lines
"Land of brown heath and Shag'g'y wood
Land of the mountain and the tlood."
although beautiful and romantic, and eminently adapted to
produce a hardy and heroic race, are not extensive in point
of geographical area, and they are still less so in point of
productive space, such as would sustain a large population,
and I am sorry to say that the land which is available for the
support of man is still being reduced b}^ the establishment of
deer forests for the sport of the rich, thus affording a sad
illustration of the poet's complaint, when he speaks of " a
country where wealth accumulates and men decay." Hence
immigration to foreign lands and dependencies of the empire
set in at an early date, and still continues ; and it is not
improbable that at the present day, there are many times
more Highlanders, or people of Highland descent, abroad
than there are at home. The wild independence which they
16
enjoyed, and the rude warfare in which they were engajjfed
in the past, may have been the means of fitttin^ them for the
battle of life in the wider spheres in which they are found
to-day.
The characteristics which I have referred to, if preserved
in their intej^rity, will be invaluable to them in ever}' land
in which they are scattered, and in every occupation in which
they are eng-aj^ed. As Crolly says of Edmund Burke, when
the latter arose in his mig-ht to combat the destructive spirit
of democracy which was awakened by the French Revolution,
" Burke arose. His whole life had been an unconsious prepar-
ation foi the moment." So should I like to say and believe,
that the whole i)ast career of the Scottish Highlander, has
been an unconscious, but a ver^- thorough, preparation for the
world-wide career which now lies before him ; and it is a
matter of gratification that in this comparatively new career
the old animosities which prevailed between clan and clan
are buried never to be revived, in the remembrance of a
common blood, a common nationality and common character-
istics. Man}- of the standards around which the Highlanders
were called upon to rally in the past, will never again be
raised. The liery cross will never again be borne, as a call
to arms, from glen *o glen, and the beacon will never again
be lighted upon the mountain tops, either as a signal or as a
warning of internecine feud, but there maj- still be occasions
to rally round new and common standards, and who will
venture to limit the i)ossibilities of daring and doing which
ma}" lie within the bosom of a grand confederacy of the
Highland Clans, scattered though they may be, or the power
for good which may be contained within the organization of
this new and natural commonwealth.
I have unbounded faith that the Highlanders' future
history will neither belie nor belittle his record in the past.
I believe that he will ever be found on the side of civil
and religious liberty, on the side of patriotism, on the side of
true progress, on the side of all the finer sentiment and aspir-
ations of human nature, and that should the occasion again
come, as it may, to seal his testimony with his blood, whether
at the call of patriotism or at the call of principle or in any
other just cause, his courage will be as conspicuous, his sword
as keen and his arm as strong as of yore, and that he wilt in
such event reflect continued credit on the land which gave
him or his forefathers birth ; a land which has long i>cen
famous in song and story, and which has been well described
in native phrase as " Tir na Beinn na Gleann S'na Gaisgcach."
i s ^-
t
f ■<
::!*rff^l'4-Mtf
.'■ 7 ^' :i r
fm
ft
•;/ f
i-A,
^ *,
L* 7«
K-i
— — '-.^ ^-L_ iL.
:S>' A t i' :
*■■«
L'iS ^