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For the latest news from Scotland see our ScotNews feed at:
https://electricscotland.com/scotnews.htm
Electric Scotland News
Got sent in an email containing this story which I thought I'd share with you...
SIGN IN A STORE WINDOW:
'WE WOULD RATHER DO BUSINESS WITH 1000 AL QAEDA TERRORISTS THAN WITH ONE SINGLE BRITISH SOLDIER!'
This sign was prominently displayed in the window of a business in
CAMPBELTOWN , SCOTLAND.
You are probably outraged at the thought of such an inflammatory statement.
However, we are a society which holds Freedom of Speech as perhaps our greatest liberty.
After all, it is ONLY A SIGN.
You may say, “What kind of business would dare to post such a sign?”
Answer:
A FUNERAL PARLOUR
WHO SAID SCOTTISH UNDERTAKERS HAVE NO SENSE OF HUMOUR?
= God Bless Scotland =
Scottish News from this weeks newspapers
Note that this is a selection and more can be read in our ScotNews feed on our index page where we list news from the past 1-2 weeks. I am partly doing this to build an archive of modern news from and about Scotland and world news stories that can affect Scotland and as all the newsletters are archived and also indexed on Google and other search engines it becomes a good resource. I might also add that in a number of newspapers you will find many comments which can be just as interesting as the news story itself and of course you can also add your own comments if you wish which I do myself from time to time.
12 childhood games only kids who grew up in Scotland will know
Take a wee trip down memory lane as we look back on some of those traditional games many of you will have skint your knees doing.
Read more at:
https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/scotla...-kids-25491215
How one Fife Community has cut anti-social behaviour by 90%
Police in Fife have hailed the result of a crackdown in Levenmouth which they say has led to a notable reduction in anti-social behaviour. The force has seen a 90% reduction in calls about anti-social motorbike use since the project started in 2019 in response to a sharp increase in reports of bad behaviour.
Read more at:
https://www.thecourier.co.uk/fp/news...haviour-by-90/
Electric cars could one day power your house - here’s how to make it happen
Vehicle-to-grid tech could provide the power generation capacity of up to ten large nuclear power station
Read more at:
https://capx.co/electric-cars-could-...make-it-happen
Scotland's papers: Care home vaccine bungle and unreliable ferries
Residents at a care home in Lanarkshire were injected with salt water instead of the Covid vaccine, the Sunday Mail reveals
Read more at:
https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-59358740
St Andrew's Day 2021
Who was Saint Andrew, what day St Andrew's Day is this year - and is it a Bank Holiday?
Read more at:
https://www.scotsman.com/heritage-an...oliday-3468897
A culture of cover up
Excoriating evidence given by a bereaved mother to a public inquiry into a flagship NHS hospital is to be kept secret after official lawyers objected to her testimony.
Read more at:
https://www.sundaypost.com/fp/queen-...pital-cover-up
Rolls-Royce says its all-electric aircraft is world's fastest
Rolls-Royce believes its Spirit of Innovation plane could be the world's fastest all-electric aircraft.
Read more at:
https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-derbyshire-59359263
Throne Speech: Trudeau's Liberals lay out parliamentary agenda
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has laid out a legislative agenda with a focus on climate and economic recovery. The Throne Speech comes after a five month parliamentary hiatus during which voters re-elected his minority Liberals.
Read more at:
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-59393356
Why cellular agriculture could be the future of farming
Raising livestock contributes a significant proportion of the food industry's climate emissions, but scientists and a growing number of companies are hoping that growing meat - everything from beef to turkey and even fish - from cell cultures in laboratories may offer a solution.
Read more at:
https://www.bbc.com/future/article/2...rbon-emissions
Scotland’s public health watchdog sought to delay the publication of a report into Covid-19 care home deaths until after the election that it then never published, The Scotsman can reveal.
Public Health Scotland (PHS), which was embroiled in controversy after it emerged part of its remit is to shield Scottish Government ministers from criticism, was set to publish a report into care home mortality data around Covid-19 on March 24.
Read more at:
https://www.scotsman.com/news/politi...ection-3470549
Britain can counter China by helping the developing world trade its way to growth
The actions the UK is now taking demonstrate the kind of leadership that is needed
Read more at:
https://capx.co/britain-can-counter-...way-to-growth/
BREXIT BRITAIN has scored a major victory this week with the announcement of a record £20million investment in green tidal technology.
The Government has vowed to back tidal as part of its renewable energy auction scheme, which will help pave the way towards a net-zero economy by 2050. Although the UK is already a haven for offshore and onshore wind farms, ministers are hoping to diversify and strengthen the UK's renewable energies market. Earlier last month the Government said all of the UK's electricity would come from green sources by 2035.
Read more at:
https://www.express.co.uk/news/scien...e-cfd-net-zero
Electric Canadian
Thoughts on a Sunday morning - the 21st day of November 2021
By the Rev. Nola Crewe
You can watch this at:
http://www.electricscotland.org/foru...-november-2021
Pow Wow Trail
Documentary about the Pow Wow which you can view at:
http://www.electriccanadian.com/hist...wwow/index.htm
Ceremonia Apache de Kiana
A video of an Apache ceremony about womanhood.
You can watch this at:
http://www.electriccanadian.com/hist...e/chapter2.htm
The Canadian Annual Review of Public Affairs 1911
Volume 11 By J. Castell Hopkins, F.S.S. (1911) (pdf)
Added this to our collection and it can be read at:
http://www.electriccanadian.com/hist...adatoday11.pdf
Canada Agriculture
Malting barley production in Canada (1985) (pdf)
You can read this at:
http://www.electriccanadian.com/tran...ulture1985.pdf
Electric Scotland
Beth's Video Talks
November 24th 2021 - Naming Patterns
You can watch this at:
https://electricscotland.com/bnft/index.htm
The Kama Sutra of Vatsyayana
Translated from the Sanscrit by The Hindoo Kama Shastra Society complete in seven parts with Preface, Introduction, and Concluding Remarks. The Kama Sutra of Vatsyayana, which might otherwise be called a treatise on men and women, their mutual relationship, and connection with each other. It is a work that should be studied by all, both old and young; the former will find in it real truths, gathered by experience, and already tested by themselves, while the latter will derive the great advantage of learning things, which some perhaps may otherwise never learn at all, or which they may only learn when it is too late to profit by the learning. (pdf)
You can read this at:
https://electricscotland.com/history...00vatsuoft.pdf
Dress the Chief
The Internet archive has added our game to their archive and so you can now play it at:
https://electricscotland.com/games/dress_the_chief.htm
Loyal Lochaber
By Mr. Drummond-Norie (1898) (pdf)
A really good read (see Story below for the Preface & Introduction) and you can read the book at: https://electricscotland.com/art/bon...allochabar.pdf
Glasgow Today
In 1909 (pdf)
Giving a good overview of Glasgow which you can read at:
https://electricscotland.com/history...asgowtoday.pdf
Travels in the Interior of America in the years 1809, 1810 and 1811
Including a Description of upper Louisiana, together with the States of Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana and Tennessee with the Illinois and Western Territories and containing Remarks and Observations useful to persons emigrating to those Countries by John Bradbury (1817) (pdf)
You can read this at:
https://electricscotland.com/books/p...sinAmerica.pdf
The Scottish Pulpit
From the Reformation to the Present Day by William M. Taylor, D.D., LL.D. (1887) (pdf)
Thought I'd bring you the whole book after using a bit from it in last weeks newsletter and you can now read it at: https://electricscotland.com/bible/scottishpulpit.pdf
Story
Preface and Introduction to the book "Loyal Lochaber and its Associations"
Historical, Genealogical, and Traditionary by William Drummond-Norie. Illustrated by numerous reproductions of old and rare prints, photographs, &c. with an Introductory Poem by Alice C. MacDonell of Kappoch, Bardess to the Clan Donald Society, Glasgow. (1898)
If any apology is needed for this unpretentious volume, it will be found 'n the recent completion of the West Highland Railway, and the further opening up of the country by the new line to Mallaig, great engineering undertakings which are destined to effect material changes in the beautiful and romantic district of Lochaber.
Until recently, the only practical means of communication between Lochaber and the outer world has been by steamer from Glasgow, or by coach from Kingussie, both routes involving a considerable expenditure of time and money, which, in these days of rapid and economical travelling, are important considerations, especially to those who can only afford a brief absence from their duties.
Much as I dislike the intrusion of the “personally conducted ” into the sublime solitudes of Lochaber, and to hear the deafening screech of the railway whistle echoing from the granite sides of Ben Nevis, I cannot but admit that out of evil good may come.
The student of Nature will have a new field for meditation among the hills and glens, the lochs and rivers of this most beautiful spot on God’s earth; the poet new themes of inspiration in a land teeming with the legends and traditions of a past age; the artist will, among the picturesque scenery of Loch Linnhe or Loch Eil, find fresh subjects for his brush; and the historian and antiquarian will here discover food for reflection and research among the ancient dwellings and strongholds of departed chieftains, or amid the dolmens, brochs, and cairns of a prehistoric race.
Apart from these somewhat sentimental reasons, I believe that the new railway enterprises will prove important factors in promoting the future welfare of the Highland crofters and fishermen, who will now have the opportunity, so long denied them, of disposing of the produce of land and sea in the great markets of Edinburgh and Glasgow, which will be brought within a few hours’ journey.
The great alterations that must necessarily ensue when these undertakings are completed, will, I fear, obliterate many historic landmarks, and introduce a foreign element among the Highlanders of the district, who up till now have retained all the sterling good qualities of their Celtic ancestors, pure and unadulterated. Proud, reserved, but hospitable to a fault; of splendid physique and appearance, they fully deserve the title of “nature’s gentlemen”; and I take this opportunity of offering my tribute of thanks for the many acts of kindness and hospitality I have received at their hands.
It is no small part of my reward in connection with the task of compiling this volume, to have found so many willing hands ready to assist me in my undertaking. I have first to tender my respectful thanks to Her Majesty the Queen, by whose gracious permission I have been enabled to insert several extracts of local interest from her “Highland Journal”; and I cannot pass oyer without grateful acknowledgment the very great help I have received from Mrs MacDonell of Keppoch and her two talented daughters. Much valuable information has been placed in my hands by these ladies, which cannot but prove of interest to my readers, and I am sure that all Highlanders will appreciate the charming verses, written specially for this work by Miss Alice MacDonell (Bardess to the Clan Donald Society), not only on account of their intrinsic merit, but still more from the fact that they are composed by a direct descendant of the famous Alasdair MacDonell of Keppoch, whose heroic death at Culloden will never be forgotten by his fellow-countrymen. To Mr Tom MacKay, of Inverness and Glen Nevis, I am indebted for many curious traditions and stories of by-gone days which find a place in these pages; and to Mr Andrew Scott and Mr Patrick Honeyman, of Glasgow, for several of the most beautiful photographs with which they are illustrated.
.
It has been my endeavour to collect, in the compass of this volume, all that is of most interest in the authentic history and traditionary lore of Lochaber, and to rescue, from possible oblivion its many old-world stories and quaint legends, which another generation will probably have forgotten amid the inrush of the questionable civilising influences of Sassenach tourists.
This work does not pretend to any high standard of literary merit, nor does it by any means exhaust all that could be written respecting the history and traditions of the district. Many subjects have been practically untouched, such, for instance, as the Bards of Lochaber and their poetry; the detailed history and genealogy of the various smaller clans and septs of the district; and a full account of the progress of the Christian Church in Lochaber, from the time of St Columba and the Culdees to the present day, each of which would fill a volume of no small dimensions. Much has already been done in this direction by such able and scholarly writers as Alexander MacKenzie, the well-known clan historian, Dr Fraser-Mackintosh, and Dr Alexander Stewart (“Nether Lochaber”),1 whose works are monuments of patient research, well worthy of careful study by all who are interested in the Highlands and the Highland people.
My own task has been less ambitious, being merely an attempt to awaken the interest of the general reader in the history of a typical Highland district; and with that object in view I have approached the subject in a lighter vein, and have woven into the local narrative brief descriptions of those great historical events which, although occurring far beyond the limits of Lochaber, were yet fated to have a marked effect upon the destinies of its inhabitants. For my Jacobite sympathies I make no apology. To all honest seekers after the beautiful in Nature, I say in all sincerity, come to Lochaber with a reverent spirit and admire the glorious scenery, and recruit your health with the life-giving breezes that are wafted over many a league of ocean and purple moorland, laden with the scent of the heather and the pungent odour of the seaweed. It is for you I write; and if my poor words can lend additional charm, or add a further interest to this land of poetry and romance, or help to throw any light upon its past history, my object will have been accomplished and my labour will not have been in vain.
Introduction
Unsympathetic indeed is the man, be he Highlander or Lowlander, Gael or Sassenach, who does not experience a thrill of pleasurable emotion, tinged perhaps with sadness, when this name falls upon his ears; what visions of lofty mountains lifting their mighty summits to the clouds does it not conjure up before the imagination; we see as in a dream, stretches of purple moorland, dotted here and there with snow-white sheep; blue sparkling lochs embosomed among the hills, reflecting in their mirrored surface the brown sails of the fishing boats; turbulent rivers rushing merrily along over rocks and pebbles, making sweet music as they go to join the sea; foaming cataracts tumbling noisily from deep corries in the mountain sides, sending up clouds of smoke-like spray, in which all the colours of the rainbow gleam; wee murmuring burns, where the brown trout love to dwell, flowing between banks all thick with ferns and foxgloves, their tuneful voices helping to swell the great harmonious Lobgesang to the Almighty.
If this is the vision, how much more beautiful is the reality. Let us take our stand upon the great green hill of "Meall-an-tsuidhe" that forms as it were the first step in the toilsome ascent of giant Ben Nevis, and is appropriately named "the hill of sitting or resting"; here let us pause for a few moments and survey the magnificent prospect that lies before us. The air around is fragrant with the scent of wild thyme and bog myrtle, with which the ground at our feet is covered; great clumps of purple heather, growing here in wild luxuriance, give the one touch of local colour that is wanted to harmonise with the tints of the surrounding vegetation. Among the heather the bees go humming merrily as they extract the honey from its tiny bells. The sheep are grazing lazily in the shade of the great lichen covered boulders, or, perched upon some inaccessible crag, nibble the short sweet grass they have discovered in the clefts of the rocks, regardless of the precipice yawning at their feet.
A great silence, like the silence of some immense cathedral, is all about us, broken only at rare intervals by the shrill scream of an eagle, as it swoops down from its rocky eyry upon its unsuspecting prey in the glen beneath; this and the occasional harsh crow of the grouse cock among the heather, are the only sounds that fall upon our ears.
The very air is still on this calm September day, and as we rest in the shadow of the everlasting hills, far above the turmoil and strife of the world below, our whole being thrills with the pleasure of mere existence, and we realise, perhaps for the first time in our lives, what a great gift is life, and how much we have to thank our Creator for its possession. Gaze out upon the splendid panorama that is unfolded before our astonished eyes, and as we glance from one prospect to another, each one more beautiful than the last, let us try to learn something of the history and associations of "the land where Ossian dwelt, and Coila's minstrel sang," a veritable tirnam beann nan gleanris nan gaisgeach? [Land of mountains, glens, and heroes.] full of the romantic myths of a past and nearly forgotten age, when the world was younger and less prosaic than in this enlightened nineteenth century. What care the money-grubbers in our great cities for shadowy legends of the brave chieftains who lived and died among these mountains; or the heroic stanzas of the warrior bard's description of the mighty battles where Fingalian heroes met in all the glorious panoply of war, making the hills and glens resound with the clash of their weapons? This is indeed an age devoid of poetry and sentiment, when gold, gold, gold, is the chief aim and object of existence; the great god Mammon is set up in our midst like the golden calf of old, and we jostle and struggle among the ever-surging crowd of humanity to catch some of the golden pieces thrown among us by those that minister in the temple of the false god; crushing and treading under our feet the weak and the maimed, the widow and the orphan, lest perchance one coin may slip from our grasp; feverish and excited, we pass onward to the goal of our ambitions, to find at last that the fruit of years of scheming and toil, like Dead Sea apples, turns to ashes in our mouth.
Here above the struggling multitude, and alone with God's beautiful creation, we can forget for a few brief moments our poor mundane affairs, in the contemplation of all that is grand and soul-stirring in nature; and while, gentle reader, you are thus engaged, let me act as your guide, philosopher, and friend, and with story and verse, while away an hour or so of what I trust will not be time ill spent.
W. Drummond-Norie.
Glasgow, 1898.
You can read this book at: https://electricscotland.com/art/bon...allochabar.pdf
END.
And that's it for this week and hope you all have a great weekend and a Happy Thanksgiving to our American friends. and of course St. Andrews Day on November 30th.
Alastair
https://electricscotland.com/scotnews.htm
Electric Scotland News
Got sent in an email containing this story which I thought I'd share with you...
SIGN IN A STORE WINDOW:
'WE WOULD RATHER DO BUSINESS WITH 1000 AL QAEDA TERRORISTS THAN WITH ONE SINGLE BRITISH SOLDIER!'
This sign was prominently displayed in the window of a business in
CAMPBELTOWN , SCOTLAND.
You are probably outraged at the thought of such an inflammatory statement.
However, we are a society which holds Freedom of Speech as perhaps our greatest liberty.
After all, it is ONLY A SIGN.
You may say, “What kind of business would dare to post such a sign?”
Answer:
A FUNERAL PARLOUR
WHO SAID SCOTTISH UNDERTAKERS HAVE NO SENSE OF HUMOUR?
= God Bless Scotland =
Scottish News from this weeks newspapers
Note that this is a selection and more can be read in our ScotNews feed on our index page where we list news from the past 1-2 weeks. I am partly doing this to build an archive of modern news from and about Scotland and world news stories that can affect Scotland and as all the newsletters are archived and also indexed on Google and other search engines it becomes a good resource. I might also add that in a number of newspapers you will find many comments which can be just as interesting as the news story itself and of course you can also add your own comments if you wish which I do myself from time to time.
12 childhood games only kids who grew up in Scotland will know
Take a wee trip down memory lane as we look back on some of those traditional games many of you will have skint your knees doing.
Read more at:
https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/scotla...-kids-25491215
How one Fife Community has cut anti-social behaviour by 90%
Police in Fife have hailed the result of a crackdown in Levenmouth which they say has led to a notable reduction in anti-social behaviour. The force has seen a 90% reduction in calls about anti-social motorbike use since the project started in 2019 in response to a sharp increase in reports of bad behaviour.
Read more at:
https://www.thecourier.co.uk/fp/news...haviour-by-90/
Electric cars could one day power your house - here’s how to make it happen
Vehicle-to-grid tech could provide the power generation capacity of up to ten large nuclear power station
Read more at:
https://capx.co/electric-cars-could-...make-it-happen
Scotland's papers: Care home vaccine bungle and unreliable ferries
Residents at a care home in Lanarkshire were injected with salt water instead of the Covid vaccine, the Sunday Mail reveals
Read more at:
https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-59358740
St Andrew's Day 2021
Who was Saint Andrew, what day St Andrew's Day is this year - and is it a Bank Holiday?
Read more at:
https://www.scotsman.com/heritage-an...oliday-3468897
A culture of cover up
Excoriating evidence given by a bereaved mother to a public inquiry into a flagship NHS hospital is to be kept secret after official lawyers objected to her testimony.
Read more at:
https://www.sundaypost.com/fp/queen-...pital-cover-up
Rolls-Royce says its all-electric aircraft is world's fastest
Rolls-Royce believes its Spirit of Innovation plane could be the world's fastest all-electric aircraft.
Read more at:
https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-derbyshire-59359263
Throne Speech: Trudeau's Liberals lay out parliamentary agenda
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has laid out a legislative agenda with a focus on climate and economic recovery. The Throne Speech comes after a five month parliamentary hiatus during which voters re-elected his minority Liberals.
Read more at:
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-59393356
Why cellular agriculture could be the future of farming
Raising livestock contributes a significant proportion of the food industry's climate emissions, but scientists and a growing number of companies are hoping that growing meat - everything from beef to turkey and even fish - from cell cultures in laboratories may offer a solution.
Read more at:
https://www.bbc.com/future/article/2...rbon-emissions
Scotland’s public health watchdog sought to delay the publication of a report into Covid-19 care home deaths until after the election that it then never published, The Scotsman can reveal.
Public Health Scotland (PHS), which was embroiled in controversy after it emerged part of its remit is to shield Scottish Government ministers from criticism, was set to publish a report into care home mortality data around Covid-19 on March 24.
Read more at:
https://www.scotsman.com/news/politi...ection-3470549
Britain can counter China by helping the developing world trade its way to growth
The actions the UK is now taking demonstrate the kind of leadership that is needed
Read more at:
https://capx.co/britain-can-counter-...way-to-growth/
BREXIT BRITAIN has scored a major victory this week with the announcement of a record £20million investment in green tidal technology.
The Government has vowed to back tidal as part of its renewable energy auction scheme, which will help pave the way towards a net-zero economy by 2050. Although the UK is already a haven for offshore and onshore wind farms, ministers are hoping to diversify and strengthen the UK's renewable energies market. Earlier last month the Government said all of the UK's electricity would come from green sources by 2035.
Read more at:
https://www.express.co.uk/news/scien...e-cfd-net-zero
Electric Canadian
Thoughts on a Sunday morning - the 21st day of November 2021
By the Rev. Nola Crewe
You can watch this at:
http://www.electricscotland.org/foru...-november-2021
Pow Wow Trail
Documentary about the Pow Wow which you can view at:
http://www.electriccanadian.com/hist...wwow/index.htm
Ceremonia Apache de Kiana
A video of an Apache ceremony about womanhood.
You can watch this at:
http://www.electriccanadian.com/hist...e/chapter2.htm
The Canadian Annual Review of Public Affairs 1911
Volume 11 By J. Castell Hopkins, F.S.S. (1911) (pdf)
Added this to our collection and it can be read at:
http://www.electriccanadian.com/hist...adatoday11.pdf
Canada Agriculture
Malting barley production in Canada (1985) (pdf)
You can read this at:
http://www.electriccanadian.com/tran...ulture1985.pdf
Electric Scotland
Beth's Video Talks
November 24th 2021 - Naming Patterns
You can watch this at:
https://electricscotland.com/bnft/index.htm
The Kama Sutra of Vatsyayana
Translated from the Sanscrit by The Hindoo Kama Shastra Society complete in seven parts with Preface, Introduction, and Concluding Remarks. The Kama Sutra of Vatsyayana, which might otherwise be called a treatise on men and women, their mutual relationship, and connection with each other. It is a work that should be studied by all, both old and young; the former will find in it real truths, gathered by experience, and already tested by themselves, while the latter will derive the great advantage of learning things, which some perhaps may otherwise never learn at all, or which they may only learn when it is too late to profit by the learning. (pdf)
You can read this at:
https://electricscotland.com/history...00vatsuoft.pdf
Dress the Chief
The Internet archive has added our game to their archive and so you can now play it at:
https://electricscotland.com/games/dress_the_chief.htm
Loyal Lochaber
By Mr. Drummond-Norie (1898) (pdf)
A really good read (see Story below for the Preface & Introduction) and you can read the book at: https://electricscotland.com/art/bon...allochabar.pdf
Glasgow Today
In 1909 (pdf)
Giving a good overview of Glasgow which you can read at:
https://electricscotland.com/history...asgowtoday.pdf
Travels in the Interior of America in the years 1809, 1810 and 1811
Including a Description of upper Louisiana, together with the States of Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana and Tennessee with the Illinois and Western Territories and containing Remarks and Observations useful to persons emigrating to those Countries by John Bradbury (1817) (pdf)
You can read this at:
https://electricscotland.com/books/p...sinAmerica.pdf
The Scottish Pulpit
From the Reformation to the Present Day by William M. Taylor, D.D., LL.D. (1887) (pdf)
Thought I'd bring you the whole book after using a bit from it in last weeks newsletter and you can now read it at: https://electricscotland.com/bible/scottishpulpit.pdf
Story
Preface and Introduction to the book "Loyal Lochaber and its Associations"
Historical, Genealogical, and Traditionary by William Drummond-Norie. Illustrated by numerous reproductions of old and rare prints, photographs, &c. with an Introductory Poem by Alice C. MacDonell of Kappoch, Bardess to the Clan Donald Society, Glasgow. (1898)
If any apology is needed for this unpretentious volume, it will be found 'n the recent completion of the West Highland Railway, and the further opening up of the country by the new line to Mallaig, great engineering undertakings which are destined to effect material changes in the beautiful and romantic district of Lochaber.
Until recently, the only practical means of communication between Lochaber and the outer world has been by steamer from Glasgow, or by coach from Kingussie, both routes involving a considerable expenditure of time and money, which, in these days of rapid and economical travelling, are important considerations, especially to those who can only afford a brief absence from their duties.
Much as I dislike the intrusion of the “personally conducted ” into the sublime solitudes of Lochaber, and to hear the deafening screech of the railway whistle echoing from the granite sides of Ben Nevis, I cannot but admit that out of evil good may come.
The student of Nature will have a new field for meditation among the hills and glens, the lochs and rivers of this most beautiful spot on God’s earth; the poet new themes of inspiration in a land teeming with the legends and traditions of a past age; the artist will, among the picturesque scenery of Loch Linnhe or Loch Eil, find fresh subjects for his brush; and the historian and antiquarian will here discover food for reflection and research among the ancient dwellings and strongholds of departed chieftains, or amid the dolmens, brochs, and cairns of a prehistoric race.
Apart from these somewhat sentimental reasons, I believe that the new railway enterprises will prove important factors in promoting the future welfare of the Highland crofters and fishermen, who will now have the opportunity, so long denied them, of disposing of the produce of land and sea in the great markets of Edinburgh and Glasgow, which will be brought within a few hours’ journey.
The great alterations that must necessarily ensue when these undertakings are completed, will, I fear, obliterate many historic landmarks, and introduce a foreign element among the Highlanders of the district, who up till now have retained all the sterling good qualities of their Celtic ancestors, pure and unadulterated. Proud, reserved, but hospitable to a fault; of splendid physique and appearance, they fully deserve the title of “nature’s gentlemen”; and I take this opportunity of offering my tribute of thanks for the many acts of kindness and hospitality I have received at their hands.
It is no small part of my reward in connection with the task of compiling this volume, to have found so many willing hands ready to assist me in my undertaking. I have first to tender my respectful thanks to Her Majesty the Queen, by whose gracious permission I have been enabled to insert several extracts of local interest from her “Highland Journal”; and I cannot pass oyer without grateful acknowledgment the very great help I have received from Mrs MacDonell of Keppoch and her two talented daughters. Much valuable information has been placed in my hands by these ladies, which cannot but prove of interest to my readers, and I am sure that all Highlanders will appreciate the charming verses, written specially for this work by Miss Alice MacDonell (Bardess to the Clan Donald Society), not only on account of their intrinsic merit, but still more from the fact that they are composed by a direct descendant of the famous Alasdair MacDonell of Keppoch, whose heroic death at Culloden will never be forgotten by his fellow-countrymen. To Mr Tom MacKay, of Inverness and Glen Nevis, I am indebted for many curious traditions and stories of by-gone days which find a place in these pages; and to Mr Andrew Scott and Mr Patrick Honeyman, of Glasgow, for several of the most beautiful photographs with which they are illustrated.
.
It has been my endeavour to collect, in the compass of this volume, all that is of most interest in the authentic history and traditionary lore of Lochaber, and to rescue, from possible oblivion its many old-world stories and quaint legends, which another generation will probably have forgotten amid the inrush of the questionable civilising influences of Sassenach tourists.
This work does not pretend to any high standard of literary merit, nor does it by any means exhaust all that could be written respecting the history and traditions of the district. Many subjects have been practically untouched, such, for instance, as the Bards of Lochaber and their poetry; the detailed history and genealogy of the various smaller clans and septs of the district; and a full account of the progress of the Christian Church in Lochaber, from the time of St Columba and the Culdees to the present day, each of which would fill a volume of no small dimensions. Much has already been done in this direction by such able and scholarly writers as Alexander MacKenzie, the well-known clan historian, Dr Fraser-Mackintosh, and Dr Alexander Stewart (“Nether Lochaber”),1 whose works are monuments of patient research, well worthy of careful study by all who are interested in the Highlands and the Highland people.
My own task has been less ambitious, being merely an attempt to awaken the interest of the general reader in the history of a typical Highland district; and with that object in view I have approached the subject in a lighter vein, and have woven into the local narrative brief descriptions of those great historical events which, although occurring far beyond the limits of Lochaber, were yet fated to have a marked effect upon the destinies of its inhabitants. For my Jacobite sympathies I make no apology. To all honest seekers after the beautiful in Nature, I say in all sincerity, come to Lochaber with a reverent spirit and admire the glorious scenery, and recruit your health with the life-giving breezes that are wafted over many a league of ocean and purple moorland, laden with the scent of the heather and the pungent odour of the seaweed. It is for you I write; and if my poor words can lend additional charm, or add a further interest to this land of poetry and romance, or help to throw any light upon its past history, my object will have been accomplished and my labour will not have been in vain.
Introduction
Unsympathetic indeed is the man, be he Highlander or Lowlander, Gael or Sassenach, who does not experience a thrill of pleasurable emotion, tinged perhaps with sadness, when this name falls upon his ears; what visions of lofty mountains lifting their mighty summits to the clouds does it not conjure up before the imagination; we see as in a dream, stretches of purple moorland, dotted here and there with snow-white sheep; blue sparkling lochs embosomed among the hills, reflecting in their mirrored surface the brown sails of the fishing boats; turbulent rivers rushing merrily along over rocks and pebbles, making sweet music as they go to join the sea; foaming cataracts tumbling noisily from deep corries in the mountain sides, sending up clouds of smoke-like spray, in which all the colours of the rainbow gleam; wee murmuring burns, where the brown trout love to dwell, flowing between banks all thick with ferns and foxgloves, their tuneful voices helping to swell the great harmonious Lobgesang to the Almighty.
If this is the vision, how much more beautiful is the reality. Let us take our stand upon the great green hill of "Meall-an-tsuidhe" that forms as it were the first step in the toilsome ascent of giant Ben Nevis, and is appropriately named "the hill of sitting or resting"; here let us pause for a few moments and survey the magnificent prospect that lies before us. The air around is fragrant with the scent of wild thyme and bog myrtle, with which the ground at our feet is covered; great clumps of purple heather, growing here in wild luxuriance, give the one touch of local colour that is wanted to harmonise with the tints of the surrounding vegetation. Among the heather the bees go humming merrily as they extract the honey from its tiny bells. The sheep are grazing lazily in the shade of the great lichen covered boulders, or, perched upon some inaccessible crag, nibble the short sweet grass they have discovered in the clefts of the rocks, regardless of the precipice yawning at their feet.
A great silence, like the silence of some immense cathedral, is all about us, broken only at rare intervals by the shrill scream of an eagle, as it swoops down from its rocky eyry upon its unsuspecting prey in the glen beneath; this and the occasional harsh crow of the grouse cock among the heather, are the only sounds that fall upon our ears.
The very air is still on this calm September day, and as we rest in the shadow of the everlasting hills, far above the turmoil and strife of the world below, our whole being thrills with the pleasure of mere existence, and we realise, perhaps for the first time in our lives, what a great gift is life, and how much we have to thank our Creator for its possession. Gaze out upon the splendid panorama that is unfolded before our astonished eyes, and as we glance from one prospect to another, each one more beautiful than the last, let us try to learn something of the history and associations of "the land where Ossian dwelt, and Coila's minstrel sang," a veritable tirnam beann nan gleanris nan gaisgeach? [Land of mountains, glens, and heroes.] full of the romantic myths of a past and nearly forgotten age, when the world was younger and less prosaic than in this enlightened nineteenth century. What care the money-grubbers in our great cities for shadowy legends of the brave chieftains who lived and died among these mountains; or the heroic stanzas of the warrior bard's description of the mighty battles where Fingalian heroes met in all the glorious panoply of war, making the hills and glens resound with the clash of their weapons? This is indeed an age devoid of poetry and sentiment, when gold, gold, gold, is the chief aim and object of existence; the great god Mammon is set up in our midst like the golden calf of old, and we jostle and struggle among the ever-surging crowd of humanity to catch some of the golden pieces thrown among us by those that minister in the temple of the false god; crushing and treading under our feet the weak and the maimed, the widow and the orphan, lest perchance one coin may slip from our grasp; feverish and excited, we pass onward to the goal of our ambitions, to find at last that the fruit of years of scheming and toil, like Dead Sea apples, turns to ashes in our mouth.
Here above the struggling multitude, and alone with God's beautiful creation, we can forget for a few brief moments our poor mundane affairs, in the contemplation of all that is grand and soul-stirring in nature; and while, gentle reader, you are thus engaged, let me act as your guide, philosopher, and friend, and with story and verse, while away an hour or so of what I trust will not be time ill spent.
W. Drummond-Norie.
Glasgow, 1898.
You can read this book at: https://electricscotland.com/art/bon...allochabar.pdf
END.
And that's it for this week and hope you all have a great weekend and a Happy Thanksgiving to our American friends. and of course St. Andrews Day on November 30th.
Alastair