Interefting Anecdotes of the Scotch Highlanders. From Sir John Dalrymple's Memoirs of Great Britain and Ireland. 10 mark the fingular features of is one of the chief provinces of hiftory.-Dundee, who commanded a body of highlanders for James the Second, alter the abdication of that prince, was a moft extraordinary man. He had inflamed his mind from his earlieft youth by the perufal of antient poets, hiftorians, and orators, with the love of the great actions they praife and defcribe. He is reported to have inflamed it ftill more, by liftening to the antient fongs of the highland bards. He entered into the profellion of arms with an opinion, that he ought to know the fervises of different nations, and the duties of different ranks: With this view, he went into feveral foreign fervices; and when he could not obtain a command, ferved as a volunteer. At the battle of Seneffe, he faved the prince of Orange's life. Soon after, he afked one of the Scotch regiments in the Dutch fervice. But the prince being pre-engaged, refufed his requeit. Upon this he quitted the Dutch fervice, faying, The foldier who has not gratitude cannot be brave." His reputation, and his fervices against the covenanters, obtained him a regiment from Charles II. and a peerage and high command in the army from bis fucceffor. In his exploits against thefe men, his behaviour had been fuled by the imputation of cruelty: He excufed himself by faying, "That, if terror ended, or prevented war, it was true mercy." Dundee had orders from his master not to fight M Kay (King William's general) until a large force which was promifed from Ireland thould join him: hence he was kept, during two months, cooped up in the mountains, furious from reftraint. He was obliged continually to shift his quarters by prodigious marches, in order to avoid, er harrafs his enemy's army, to obtain provifions, and fometimes to take advantages the firit meffenger of his approach was generally his own army in fight: the first intelligence of his retreat brought accounts, that he was already out of his enemy's reach. : McKay's Memoirs, M. S. In fome of thofe marches † his men wanted bread, falt, and all liquors except water, during feveral weeks; yet were afhamed to complain, when they obferved that their commander felves. If any thing good was brought him to eat, he fent it to a faint or fick foldier: if a foldier was weary, he offered to carry his arms. He kept thofe who were with him from finking under their fatigues, not fo much by exhortation, as by preventing them from attending to their sufferings. For this reafon he walked on foot with the men; now by the fide of one clan, and anon by that of another: he amufed them with jokes: he flattered them with his knowledge of their genealogies: he animated them by a recital of the deeds of their ancestors, and of the veries of their bards. It was one of his maxims, that no general fhould fight with an irregular army, unlefs he was acquainted with every man he commanded. Yet, with thefe habits of familiarity, the feverity of his difcipline was dreadful: the only punishment he inflicted was death: All other punishments, he faid, difgraced a gentleman, and all who were with him were of that rank; but that death was a relief from the confcioufhefs of crime." It is reported of him, that having feen a youth fly in his firt action, he pretended he had fent him to the rear on a meflage: the youth fed a fecond time: he brought him to the front of the army, and faying, "That a gentleman's fon ought not to fall by the hands of a common executioner," shot him with his own piftol. The army he commanded was moftly compofed of highlanders from the interior parts of the highlands: A people untouched by the Roman or Saxon invafions on the fouth, and by thofe of the Danes on the east and welt fkirts of their country: the unmixed remains of that Celtic empire, which once ftrctched from the Pillars of Hercuies to Archangel. As the manners of this race of men were, in the days of our fathers, the most fingular in Europe, and, in thofe of our fons, may be found no where but in the records of hiftory, it is proper here to defcribe them. 202 Interesting Anecdotes of the Scotch Highlanders. April The highlanders were compofed of a number of tribes called Clans, each of which bore a different name, and lived upon the lands of a different chieftain. The members of every tribe were tied one to another, not only by the feudal but by the patriarchal bond: for while the individuals which compofed it were vallais or tenants of their own he reditary chieftain, they were alfo all defcended from his family, and could count exactly the degree of their defcent, and the right of primogeniture, together with the weaknefs of the laws to reach inacceffible countries, and more inacceffible men, had, in the revolution of centuries, converted these natural principles of connexion betwixt the chieftain and his people, into the moft facred ties of human life. The caftle of the chieftain was a kind of palace, to which every man of his tribe was made welcome and where he was entertained according to his ftation, in time of peace, and to which all flocked at the found of war. Thus the meanest of the clan, knowing himself to be as well born as the head of it, revered in his chieftain his own honour; loved in his clan his own blood; complained not of the difference of station into which fortune had thrown him, and refpected himself: the chieftain in return bestowed a protection, founded equally on gratitude, and the confcioufnefs of his own intereft. Hence the highlanders, whom inore favage nations called Savage, carried, in the outward expreffion of their manners, the politeness of courts without their vices, and, in their bofoms, the high point of honour without its follies. In countries where the furface is rugged, and the climate uncertain, there is little room for the ufe of the plough; and, where no coal is to be found, and few provifions can be raifed, there is ftill lefs for that of the anvil and fhuttle. As the Highlanders were, upon thefe accounts, excluded from extenfive agriculture and manufacture alike, every family raised just as much grain, and made as much rayment as fufficed for itself; and nature, whom art cannot force, destined them to the life of fhepherds. Hence they had not that excefs of industry which reduces man to a ma chine, nor that total want of it which finks him into a rank of animals below his own. They lived in villages built in vallies and by the fides of rivers. At two feafons of the year they were bufy; the one in the end of fpring and beginning of fummer, when they put the plough into the little land they had capable of receiving it, fowed their corns, and laid in their provifion of turf for the winter's fewel; the other, just before winter, when they reaped their harveft: the rest of the year was all their own for amusement or for war. If not engaged in war, they indulged themfelves in fummer in the most delicious of all pleasures, to men in a cold climate and romantic country, the enjoyment of the sun, and of the fummer views of nature; never in the house during the day, even flceping often at night in the open air, among the mountains and woods. They fpent the winter in the chafe, while the fun was up; and in the evening, affembling together round a common fire, they entertained themfelves with the fong, the tale, and the dance: but they were ignorant of fitting days and nights at games of skill or of hazard, amufements which keep the body in inaction, and the mind in a state of vitious activity! The want of a good, and even of a fine ear for mufic, was almoft unknown amongst them; because it was kept in continual practice among the multitude from paffion, but by the wifer few, becaufe they knew that the love of mufic both heightened the courage, and foftened the tempers of their people. Their vocal mufic was plaintive, even to the depth of melancholy; their inftrumental either lively for brifk dances, or martial for the battle. Some of their tunes even contained the great, but natural, idea of a hiftory defcribed in mufic: the joys of a marriage, the noife of a quarrel, the founding to arms, the rage of a battle, the broken diforder of a flight, the whole concluding with the folemn dirge and lamentation for the flain. By the loudnefs and artificial jarring of their war inftrument, the bag pipe, which played continually during action, their spirits were exalted to a phrenzy of courage in battle. They joined the pleafures of history and poetry to thofe of mufic, and the love of claffical learning to both. For in order to cherish high fentiments in the minds of all, every confiderable family had a historian who recounted, and a bard who fung, the deeds of the clan, and of its chieftain: and all, even the lowest in ftation, were fent to fchool in their youth; partly because they had nothing elfe to do at that age, and partly becaufe literature was thought the diftinction, not the want of it the mark, of good birth. The feverity of their climate, the height of their mountains, the diftance of their villages from each other, their love of the chafe and of war, with their defire to vifit and be vifited, forced them to great bodily exertions. The valtneís of the objects which furrounded them, lakes, mountains, rocks, cataracts, extended and elevated their minds: For they were not in the state of men who only know the way from one market-town to another. Their want of regular occupation led them, like the ancient Spartans, to contemplation, and the powers of converfation: powers which they exerted in ftriking out the original thoughts which nature fuggefted, not in languidly repeating thofe which they had learned from other people. They valued themfelves, without undervaluing other rations. They loved to quit their own country to fee and to hear, adopted eafily the manners of others, and were attentive and infinuating whereever they went: but they loved more to return home, to repeat what they had obferved; and, among other things, to relate with aftonishment, that they had been in the midst of great focieties, where every individual made his fenfe of independence to confist in keeping at a distance from another. Yet they did not think themselves entitled to bate or defpife the manners of ftrangers, because these differed from their own. For they revered the great qualities of other nations; and only made their failings the fubject of an inoffenfive merriment. When ftrangers came amongst them, they received them, not with a ceremony which forbids a fecond vifit, not with a coldnefs which caufes repentance of the firft, not with an emparraffiment which leaves both the landlord and his guest in equal mifery, but with the moit pleafing of all politeness, the fimplicity and cordiality of affection; proud to give that hofpitality which they had not received, and to humble the perfons who had thought of them with contempt, by fhewing how little they deferved it. Having been driven from the low countries of Scotland by invafion, they, from time immemorial, thought themfelves entitled to make reprifals upon the property of their invaders; but they touched not that of each other: fo that in the fame men there appeared, to those who did not look into the caufes of things, a frange mixture of vice and of virtue. For what we call theft and rapine, they termed right and juftice. But, from the practice of thefe repritals, they acquired the habits of being enterprizing, artful, and bold. An injury done to one of a clan, was held to be an injury done to all, on account of the common relation of blood. Hence the highlanders were in the habitual practice of war: and hence their attachment to their chieftain, and to each other, was founded upon the two most active principles of human nature, love of their friends, and refentment against their enemies. But the frequency of war tempered its ferocity. They bound up the wounds of their prifoners while they neglected their own; and, in the perfon of an enemy, refpected and pitied the ftranger. They went always completely armed: a fashion, which by accuftoming them to the inftruments of death, removed the fear of death itfelf; and which, from the danger of provoca tion, made the common people as polite, and as guarded in their behaviour, as the gentry of other countries. From thefe combined circumstances, the higher ranks and the lower ranks of the highlanders alike, joined that refinement of fentiment, which, in all other nations is peculiar to the former, to that ftrength and hardiness of body, which, in other countries, is poffeffed only by the latter. To be modeft as well as brave, to be contented with the few things which nature requires; to act and to fuffer without complaining, to be as much afhamed of doing any thing infolent or injurious to others, as of bearing bearing it when done to themfelves, and to die with pleafure, to revenge affronts offered to their clan or their country; thofe they accounted their higheit accomplishment. : Their chriftianity was ftrongly tinctured with traditions derived from the antient bards of their country for they were believers in ghofts: they marked the appearances of the heavens; and, by the forms of the clouds, which in their variable climate were continually shifting, were induced to guefs at prefent, and to predict future events; and they even thought, that to fome men the divinity had communicated a portion of his own prefcience. From this mixture of fyftem, they did not enter mach into difputes concerning the particular modes of christianity; but every man followed, with indifference of fentiment, the mode which his chieftain had affumed. Perhaps to the fame caufe it is owing, that their country is the only one in Europe, into which perfecution never entered. Sir John Dalrymple proceeds after this to defcribe the drefs, and the manner of fighting in ufe among the highlanders, but as thefe are well known, we shall not trefpafs on the reader with the extract. We shall however conclude this account with the affecting hiftory of an hundred and fifty Scotch officers, who followed the fortunes of James into France, after Dundee was killed at Killicranky, and peace reftored to the highlands. The affecting Hiftory of an hundred and fity Scotch Officers. LTHOUGH the fate which at which they had been given. Finding themfíelves therefore a load upon the late king, whofe finances could fcarcely fuffice for himself, they petitioned that prince, for leave to form themfelves into a company of private centinels, afking no other favour, than that they might be permitted to chufe their own officers. James affented. They repaired to St. German's to be reviewed by him, before they were modelled in the French army. A few days after they came, they pofted themfelves in accoutrements borrowed from a French regiment, and drawn up in order, in a place through which he was to pafs as he went to the chace; an amufement of which he became paffionately fond, after the lofs of his kingdom. He afked who they were; and was furprized to find they were the fame men, with whom, in garbs better fuited to their ranks, he had the day before converfed at his levee. Struck with the levity of his own amufement contrafted with the mifery of thete who were fuffering for him, he returned penfive to the palace. The day he reviewed them, he paffed along the ranks, wrote in his pocket-book, with his own hand, every gentleman's name, and gave him his thanks in particular; and then removing to the front, bowed to the body, with his hat off. After he had gone away, ftill thinking honour enough was not done them, he returned, bowed again, but burst into tears. The body kneel ed, bent their heads and eyes stedfaft upon the ground; and then starting up at once, paffed him with the ufual honours of war, as if it was only a common review they were cxhibiting. Atended thofe officers in France They were fent from thence to the falls beyond the period of time to which thefe memoirs are confined, a digreffion will perhaps be pardoned, that defcribes adventures, which were worthy of the happiest days of Athens or Sparta. The officers were an hundred and fifty in number, all of honourable birth, attached to their chieftains and to each other, in their political principles only to blame, yet glorying in them. Upon their arrival in France, penfions were affigned them by the French king: But, upon the conclufion of the civil war, thefe penfions were withdrawn; becaufe the object no longer exifted for frontiers of Spain, a march of 900 miles, on foot. Wherever they paffed the were received with tears by the women, with refpect by fome of the mcn,but with laughter at the aukwardnefs of their fituation by most of them. They were alwife the foremost in battle, and the last in retreat. Of all the troops in the fervice, they were the moft obedient to orders. Twice only they difobeyed: the first time was at the fiege of Rofes; where they had fallen into difeafes, and been ordered to quit the camp for their recovery; but they delayed to obey, until they had fent a remonftrance to Marthal Noailles, : : Noailles, against what they termed an affront. The fecond inftance of their inattention to orders, was upon the following occafion: the Germans had made a lodgement in an island in the Rhine: the French, from an opinion that the river was impaffable without boats, had ordered a number for the paffage among other troops intended for the fervice, this company was ordered to keep a ftation oppofite to the and, until the boats fhould arrive but finding, upon examination, the ford, though difficult, not impaffable, they, according to the cuftom of highEnders in wading thro' rivers, joining their hands together, and entering the ver in a line with its current, the rongest men in the upper part, and the weaker in the under, fo that thofe, who were highest up the ftream, broke alits force, and tying their arms and othes on their fhoulders, paffed to the and in fight of both armies on the Oppofite banks, and drove ten times their number from the lodgement. The French cried out in admiration, *A gentleman, in whatever station, is fill a gentleman." "Le gentilhome, toujours gentilhome." The place is called 'Ile d'Ecoffe to this day. QUESTION I. REQUIRED, what day of the week is New Year's day for any year, fuppofe 1890? This is found by the 13th or inmoft circle in the table. Defcription of the circle and rule for its ufe. The 13th circle contains the number of New Years days of the week for any year paft or to come counting round it backward or forward, adding or omitting one day every 130 years, &c. before or after 1752, 1769 being one Sunday at the beginning of the table. 1890, fubtracting the years from one another, is 121 years after 1769, which begins the table. Inftead therefore of counting the numbers round the table forward for every year, beginning with 1769 and ending with 1890, which I might foon do, if I had not pen and ink, I divide 121 by 28, and the remainder, I count to the number required, faying 1 Sunday, 2 Monday, &c. and 9, 4, which is Wednesday. But because this year is a few years more than one, 130 years after 1752, according to the rule, I omit or fubtract one, and the number is 3, which is Tuesday, and New Year's day of the week, 1890. Obf. in time past to count from the end backward. II. Required, the moon's age or New Year's day at 12 o'clock in the morning for any year? Suppofe 1890. This is found by the 12 being one circle carried twice round the table. Description of the circle and rule for its ufe. All collective human virtues are fullied with the selfishness of individuals, The officers, to whom they had yielded their independence, and whom they had chofen to command their equals, cheated them of their pay, poor as it was, of their cloaths, and of presents which the generous had fet them. The French, inattentive to their patience, fatigues, and fervices, fent them from the frontiers of Spain to Alface, a arch as long as the former. In this st, their cloaths fell to tatters: after try pafied Lyons, the country was vered with fnow: they often wanted the neceffaries of life: yet no comFiats were heard amongst them, expt for the fufferings of him whom By accounted their fovereign. After it years fervice, they were broke, en the peace was concluded, on the ger part of the Rhine, 1500 miles from their homes, and without any Dovifion made for them. At that me, only fixteen of them had furvived e fate of their companions; and of thefe only four arrived in Scotland, to give warning, by their example, to heir countrymen, though, to too any of them, in vain, to diftruft There are men now living in Scotland who were acquainted with fome of the four. The 11th and 12th article contains the moon's age at 12 o'clock in the morning for any year fubtracting or adding 6 hours (or more exactly 5 hours 52 mins, backward or forward every circle, which is 76 years. In the fame manner as in last example inftead of counting round the circle to 1890 to find the moon's age. I fubtract a circle and a half, or 76 and 38 years, and the remainder is 7, which I count forward in the fecond half of the circle, faying first year, 22 days 1 hrs. zd |