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CONTENTS
Electric Scotland News
Electric Canadian
Canada and its Provinces
The Pioneer Pastor
Languages in Canada
National Trade Estimates Report on Foreign Trade Barriers 2013
The Flag in the Wind
Electric Scotland
The Scottish Historical Review
Songs from John Henderson
Songs Of Scotland, Prior To Burns
Forfarshire
The Annals of Scottish Natural History
The Blackhalls of that Ilk and Barra
Beths Newfangled Family Tree
Excursion to the Orkney Islands
Tasmina Ahmed Sheikh (New Weekly Column)
PDF Books:
East Neuk Chronicles
The Early Chronicles relating to Scotland
A History of Peeblesshire
Dr Kelly Swanston
Thomsons of Edinburgh
Robert Burns Lives!
Horsburgh
and finally
Electric Scotland News
April 6th being Tartan Day in North America and other places in the world means you can get your Scottish Fix by attending one or more events across the country. This is also Scotland Week in New York where you'll find tons of events. There is a page listing Scotland Week events in the USA at:
http://www.scotland.org/celebrate-sc...around-the-usa
-----
I just signed the petition "University of Edinburgh: Preserve the School of Scottish Studies | Glčidh Sgoil Eňlais na h-Alba" on Change.org.
You can learn more about this and sign the partition at:
http://www.change.org/en-GB/petition...lais-na-h-alba
-----
Hi Alistair
I attach pics of 4 Glass Panels at a bus stop at Edinburgh Park (A Business Park on the outskirts of Edinburgh close to the Airport). Edinburgh Park is the railway station beside Hermistongait.
I set the text and a local company produced the 4 panels onto a frosted glass effect adhesive which I applied. The size of each is 1000mm deep x 700mm.
Thanks again for agreeing for me to use this and hopefully you will get more hits on your Website!!
Regards
Gordon
Our Scottish Trivia page was used for these panels and you can see pictures of them at:
http://www.electricscotland.com/hist...es/posters.htm
-----
I mentioned in a previous newsletter that I'd be posting up the odd pdf book. These are the books that I acquired for ocr'ing onto the site but then found they were too time consuming and so deferred working on them. Rather than just not do anything with them I am going to post one or two of them up as I get the chance but will provide an introduction or preface so you can decide if you want to download it. I've posted a couple of these this week for which more will be found below.
-----
We have a new weekly column which will profile Tasmina Ahmed Sheihk who is running to become a Member of the European Parliament for Scotland. More on this below. I've also been told that Christina McKelvie MSP will be resuming her own weekly column with us.
-----
I am now ready to launch our new Classified advertising and so have prepared a text message which I will start sending out to people that might be interested next week I am going to detail that below and should any of you know of any companies or organisations that might be interested in this I'd appreciate it if you might just lift the text and send it to them. Here is the text...
Electric Scotland is now offering new low cost classified advertising giving you the opportunity to reach an average of 180,000 unique monthly visitors reaching well into the Scots Diaspora both at home and abroad.
In other words we reach the people you want to reach in the UK, USA, Canada, Australia & New Zealand as well as countries like India, Germany, France, Philippines and Indonesia, all in our top 10 visiting countries.
As Visit Scotland quoted... Electric Scotland turns people with a casual interest in Scotland into Scots Aficionados.
Electric Scotland is a highly respected and long established web site offering the largest online resource on the history of Scotland and the Scots at home and abroad. We don't however stop there as to encourage our young ones to read more history of Scotland we have built a collection of some 800 children's stories which are extremely popular.
And when we mean history that's also history of everything to do with Scotland be it gardening, plants, wild life, agriculture, sports, poetry and literature, music and much more.
We also bring you up to date news on the political scene in Scotland and the upcoming referendum with regular weekly columns from Significant players in Scotland. And we provide the ScotNews feed for those wanting a quick look at the daily headlines.
Electric Scotland delivers millions in new tourism revenue to Scotland each and every year and even if you don't know it you're likely benefiting financially from our site right now but you could do even better by supporting our work and getting right in front of our visitors.
Today we announce a new low cost classified advertising opportunity which frankly if you can't afford it then you're likely going out of business. It will be promoted through a banner in our header on all our many tens of thousands of pages. And it costs from just US$50.00 (roughly Ł35.00) a month or US$540 a year (roughly Ł350).
Our US marketing team came up with this idea as people that love Scotland also love browsing the adverts. We offer either a horizontal or vertical advert so just pick the one that best fits your marketing campaign. You could even pick two adverts, one as a static advert and the other than you can change as often as you wish. See http://www.electricscotland.com/classified.htm for a mock up of how this will look when launched.
See http://www.electricscotland.com/advertising.htm for details on how this works.
At this time we're asking you to express your interest in this new system by emailing Alastair at alastairi@electricscotland.com and letting him know you'd like to participate. Provide in that email the name of the person we should contact along with the contact details either phone number or email and we'll be in touch when we are ready to launch.
This is an excellent way for you to build new business and also a wee thanks to us for promoting Scotland for over 15 years now.
We look forward to hearing from you.
Kind regards
Electric Canadian
Canada and its Provinces
I have now started to add these volumes and the idea is to make one volume available each week until complete. Should you be interested in this series then you'll be able to dip into each volume during the week and thus be ready for the next volume appearing.
Now added The Dominion: Missions, Arts and Letters: Volume 12 - Section VI
You can get to this collection towards the foot of our Canadian History page at
http://www.electriccanadian.com/hist...nada/index.htm
The Pioneer Pastor
Some reminiscences of the Life and Labours of the Rev Geo. Buchanan M.D. first Presbyterian Minister of Beckwith, Lanark County, Upper Canada by Jessie Buchanan Campbell, his last surviving daughter.
You can read this book at http://www.electriccanadian.com/pion...eer_pastor.htm
Languages in Canada
A Report from Statistics Canada.
Thought it might be interesting for you to learn about how popular the two main languages are in Canada and other languages that are spoken. You can read this report at:
http://www.electriccanadian.com/lifestyle/languages.htm
National Trade Estimates Report on Foreign Trade Barriers 2013
A report which shows the USA's view on trade barriers with Canada.
This is an interesting report and may well be of interest to Canadians so I copied it from the US report and it can be read at: http://www.electriccanadian.com/tran...report2013.htm. I might add the full report contains information on all countries in the world.
The Flag in the Wind
This weeks edition was Compiled by Jim Lynch
As usual with Jim lots of interesting wee stories.
You can read this issue at http://www.scotsindependent.org
Electric Scotland
The Scottish Historical Review
We have now started on Volume 4 and added this week July 1907 but half the publication was so badly scanned it is unreadable so just supplying the part that is readable. You can get to this at::
http://www.electricscotland.com/hist...w/volume04.htm
You can read the previous issues at http://www.electricscotland.com/history/review/
Songs from John Henderson
John sent us in two new songs this week and here is one to read here...
You can read more of John's songs mostly in the Doric language at:
http://www.electricscotland.com/poetry/doggerels.htm
Songs Of Scotland, Prior To Burns
This book is by Robert Chambers who is famous for collecting old Scottish Songs.
Added this week are...
Scornful Nancy
The Cock-Laird
My Jo Janet
You can get to this book at the foot of the page at:
http://www.electricscotland.com/hist...ers_robert.htm
Forfarshire
By Easton S. Valentine (1912)
Have added the following chapters this week...
Chapter 15. - Fisheries
Chapter 16. - Shipping and Trade
Chapter 17. - History of the County
Chapter 18. - Antiquities
Chapter 19. - Architecture—(a) Ecclesiastical
Chapter 20. - Architecture—(b) Castellated
Chapter 21. - Architecture—(c) Domestic
In the section on History of the County we read...
Numerous Roman remains, more conspicuous indeed a century ago than they are now, prove that the Romans visited various parts of Angus. Camps at Meikleour and Lintrose in Perthshire seem to have been directly connected with others at Coupar Angus, Cardean, Battle Dykes near Forfar, and War Dykes north of Brechin; while former traces of a camp at Cater Milley [quatuor milia\ beside Invergowrie, and an entire entrenchment at Haerfaulds near Kirkbuddo, point to the possible existence of another Roman military route between the Sidlaws and the Tay.
Within a couple of centuries after the Romans left, Christianity was introduced into Scotland. Tradition has it that as early as 431 the first church north of the Tay was founded at Invergowrie. Boniface, a missionary from Rome, seems to have been there in the seventh century, while in the eighth, St Drostan, abandoning his bishopric in Donegal, settled as the apostle of the faith in the wilds of Glenesk. At a still later period the Culdees established themselves at Brechin.
Forfarshire was one of the main theatres of the long-continued conflict of the Picts with the Scots on the one hand and with the Angles of Northumbria on the other. Historians are agreed in identifying the site of the battle of Nechtan’s Mere with Dunnichen in Forfarshire. For long the Angles had assumed possession of Pictland, but on that battlefield their king, Egfrith, was decisively repulsed, and the limits of Northumbria were pushed south to the Tweed.
You can read the rest of this chapter at:
http://www.electricscotland.com/hist.../chapter17.htm
You can read the other chapters at http://www.electricscotland.com/hist...rfar/index.htm
The Annals of Scottish Natural History
Now added Volume 4
You can read this at the foot of the page at:
http://www.electricscotland.com/natu...al_history.htm
The Blackhalls of that Ilk and Barra
A publication from the New Spalding Club. Hereditary Coroners and Foresters of the Garioch by Alexander Morison
We now have now completed this book with the following chapters...
Chapter X. — After the Mar Action
Chapter XI. — The Blackhalls of Finnersie
Chapter XII. — Later Descendants of the Barra Blackhalls of that Ilk
Appendices.
Appendix A. Barra Castle
Appendix B. Regent William Blackhall
Appendix C. Pedigree of Blackhalls of that Ilk and Barra
Appendix D. Illustrative Documents
You can read these chapters at http://www.electricscotland.com/history/blackhalls/
Beths Newfangled Family Tree
Got in the April edition, Section B.
And we now have Section B which can be read at http://www.electricscotland.com/bnft
Excursion to the Orkney Islands
By Jacob Abbott
We now have up the following chapters...
Chapter I. Letter from Singapore.
Chapter II. Taking Passage.
Chapter III. Preparations.
Chapter IV. The Letter of Credit.
Chapter V. The Embarkation.
Chapter VI. Life on board Ship.
Chapter VII. Morning in Liverpool.
In chapter IV we learn how folk dealt with money on these International trips...
Persons who are not much accustomed to travelling, or to doing business for themselves in strange places, sometimes feel a good deal of solicitude when called upon to act in such cases, from not knowing beforehand exactly what they are to do. But there is never any occasion for such solicitude. It is not at all necessary when you have occasion to go to a bank, or to an office of any kind, or to a railway-station where a great many different trains are coming and going, that you should know beforehand what you are to do when you get there. All that is necessary is that you should simply know what you want, and that you should be able to state it intelligibly. It is the business of the clerks, or of the persons in charge of the establishment, whatever it may be, to show you how the business is to be done, when you once tell them what it is.
It was about eleven o'clock on Monday morning that Grimkie was to set out with Mrs. Morelle to go and get the letter of credit.
Florence and John were to go too, as they did not wish to be left at the hotel, but they were to remain in the carriage while Grimkie and his aunt went into the office.
Grimkie's father was at the hotel at the time that they set out.
“Now, Grimkie,” said he, while Mrs. Morelle was putting on her bonnet and shawl, “do you know where you are going?”
“Yes, sir,” said Grimkie, “you gave me the address of the banker, and I have got it in my pocket.”
“Very good,” said his father.
“And now do you know how to do the business when you get there?”
“No, sir,” said Grimkie.
“Very good again,” said his father. “It is not necessary that you should know how to do the business. It is not your duty to know. It is the duty of the clerks there to do the business for you. But do you know what the business is that you wish to have done?”
“Yes, sir,” said Grimkie. “To get a letter of credit.”
“In whose name?” asked his father.
“Mrs. Jane Morelle’s,” said Grimkie.
“For how much?” asked his father.
“For five hundred pounds,” said Grimkie.
“How long to run?” asked his father.
“For one year" said Grimkie.
“Very good" said his father. “That is all you want to know. And remember, in all your travels, that if you have any business to do of any kind, in any strange place, all that is necessary for you is to know distinctly what you want, and to be able to state it intelligibly. The people of the establishment will attend to all the rest.”
“Yes, sir,” said Grrimkie. “I will remember it.”
You can read the rest of this chapter at http://www.electricscotland.com/kids/orkney04.htm
You can read the other chapters at http://www.electricscotland.com/kids/orkneyndx.htm
Tasmina Ahmed Sheikh
We are starting a new column for Tasmina which we hope you will find interesting. On her index page we have a write up about her from the Daily Record Newspaper and then following that we get the first of her weekly columns. Well worth a read as she is a pretty amazing person.
You can read about her at http://www.electricscotland.com/lifestyle/tasmina/
PDF Books
Here are the pdf books I've put up this week...
-----
East Neuk Chronicles
A book by William Skene who remembers happenings and characters in the area in the middle of the 1800's around Aberdeen.
Prefatory Note
UNDER the title of “East Neuk Chronicles, by an East Ender,” a series of papers dealing with life and character in the East-End of Aberdeen between the years 1840 and 1860 appeared in the Aberdeen Evening Express during 1896. They were so favourably received that the author was induced to pen a second series of reminiscences, which were published in the Saturday issue of the Evening Express during the year 1908. In. response to the request of many friends and other readers, a collection has now been made of the principal papers in the two series, which it is hoped will prove interesting to the general public as recording phases of life that have long since passed away, and describing “characters" that have vanished from the scene and left no successors.
The papers were originally written with no thought of eventual republication, and with little regard to literary style or elegance, to which, indeed, the author makes no pretensions. They were not conceived on any definite plan, and anything like continuity or sequence was not aimed at. An endeavour has been made in this volume, however, to arrange the matter in chapters and sections.
You can download this book at:
http://www.electricscotland.com/books/pdf/east_neuk.htm
-----
The Early Chronicles relating to Scotland
A Rhind Lecture for 1912.
PREFACE
THE following lectures were undertaken with the intention and hope of furnishing a clue to the most trustworthy sources of contemporary, or nearly contemporary, information about the early condition and history of Scotland, and of indicating the most probable line of truth among conflicting statements. Some such guidance may be found acceptable by those who, while desiring to acquire a clear general knowledge of the origin of the Scottish people and their relations with England, have not enough leisure at command for prolonged search through the printed volumes of annals and to weigh the authority which may rightly be assigned to each. It is hardly necessary that I should explain how greatly I have relied upon the labours of previous students in this field; they are too numerous and too well known to require specific mention. But among the more recent of them there are three from whose works I have derived so much immediate assistance that it will not be thought invidious if I make direct acknowledgment of the same. In chronological order of publication these works stand as follows: 1899. Scottish Kings: a revised chronology of Scottish History, A.D. 1005-1625, by Sir Archibald H. Dunbar, Bart. 1908. Scottish Annals from English Chronicles: A.D. 500-1286, by Alan O. Anderson. 1910. Annals of the Reigns of Malcolm and William Kings of Scotland, A.D. 1153-1214. Between them, these three volumes provide a corpus of reference which I have found to save an infinity of trouble.
You can download this book at:
http://www.electricscotland.com/book...chronicles.htm
-----
A History of Peeblesshire
This is a book by William Chambers which contains loads of illustrations. We've made it available as a pdf file which can be downloaded from this page at http://www.electricscotland.com/history/peebles/
Dr Kelly Swanston
Dr Kelly Swanston, who has died aged 104, was a formidable pre-war amateur motorcycle racer before becoming a Yorkshire GP.
We've added him to our Significant Scots section and you can read this at:
http://www.electricscotland.com/hist...ston_kelly.htm
Thomsons of Edinburgh
Got in some interesting information on the Thomsons of Edinburgh and their transatlantic cousins. You can read this at http://www.electricscotland.com/webc.../thomson3.html
Robert Burns Lives!
Studies in Scottish Literature by Frank Shaw
Studies in Scottish Literature has been around for a long time. It was first published during my second year of graduate school in Wake Forest, North Carolina - 1963. One of the great Ross Roy stories I cherish is his telling me that when he first discussed publishing SSL, someone told him he’d be lucky to publish one volume on Scottish literature. Evidently the person talking with Ross knew little about Scotland’s history and her people since that was 50 years ago! Ross announced in 2008 that the journal would cease publication “after a comprehensive index had been compiled and published”. The index is undergoing proofing as I write this and, when published, will be another gift from Ross and Lucie Roy to all of us. Actually, it will be a testament of their “magnificent obsession” with Studies in Scottish Literature.
You can read the rest of this article at:
http://www.electricscotland.com/fami...s_lives169.htm
Other articles in this series can be read at http://www.electricscotland.com/fami...rank/burns.htm
Horsburgh
Got in a wee scan of some information on this name which you can view at:
http://www.electricscotland.com/webc...horsburgh.html
And finally...
Driven Desperate
A Glasgow student in Liverpool had to phone his parents with the bad news that the car they had bought him had been stolen. They told him to contact the police and telephone his insurance company.
A week later there was no word on his car and he was resigned to never seeing it again, so imagine his joy when he walked to the nearest Subway sandwich shop to discover it sitting outside, apparently undamaged.
His joy was immediately dented when he had sudden clarity about driving round to the Subway a week earlier because he was starving, realising inside the shop that he was drunker than he thought, and deciding to do the right thing and walk home instead.
-----
Too Much!
I recall working in Scotland at the time of the Heath government edit of three-day-a-week only use of electricity by non-essential businesses, and our boss coming into the office and telling everyone that they would be on a three-day working week.
"I'm not working an extra day for any government," muttered one of the staff at the back.
-----
And that's it for now and hope you all have a great Tartan Weekend.
Alastair
Electric Scotland News
Electric Canadian
Canada and its Provinces
The Pioneer Pastor
Languages in Canada
National Trade Estimates Report on Foreign Trade Barriers 2013
The Flag in the Wind
Electric Scotland
The Scottish Historical Review
Songs from John Henderson
Songs Of Scotland, Prior To Burns
Forfarshire
The Annals of Scottish Natural History
The Blackhalls of that Ilk and Barra
Beths Newfangled Family Tree
Excursion to the Orkney Islands
Tasmina Ahmed Sheikh (New Weekly Column)
PDF Books:
East Neuk Chronicles
The Early Chronicles relating to Scotland
A History of Peeblesshire
Dr Kelly Swanston
Thomsons of Edinburgh
Robert Burns Lives!
Horsburgh
and finally
Electric Scotland News
April 6th being Tartan Day in North America and other places in the world means you can get your Scottish Fix by attending one or more events across the country. This is also Scotland Week in New York where you'll find tons of events. There is a page listing Scotland Week events in the USA at:
http://www.scotland.org/celebrate-sc...around-the-usa
-----
I just signed the petition "University of Edinburgh: Preserve the School of Scottish Studies | Glčidh Sgoil Eňlais na h-Alba" on Change.org.
You can learn more about this and sign the partition at:
http://www.change.org/en-GB/petition...lais-na-h-alba
-----
Hi Alistair
I attach pics of 4 Glass Panels at a bus stop at Edinburgh Park (A Business Park on the outskirts of Edinburgh close to the Airport). Edinburgh Park is the railway station beside Hermistongait.
I set the text and a local company produced the 4 panels onto a frosted glass effect adhesive which I applied. The size of each is 1000mm deep x 700mm.
Thanks again for agreeing for me to use this and hopefully you will get more hits on your Website!!
Regards
Gordon
Our Scottish Trivia page was used for these panels and you can see pictures of them at:
http://www.electricscotland.com/hist...es/posters.htm
-----
I mentioned in a previous newsletter that I'd be posting up the odd pdf book. These are the books that I acquired for ocr'ing onto the site but then found they were too time consuming and so deferred working on them. Rather than just not do anything with them I am going to post one or two of them up as I get the chance but will provide an introduction or preface so you can decide if you want to download it. I've posted a couple of these this week for which more will be found below.
-----
We have a new weekly column which will profile Tasmina Ahmed Sheihk who is running to become a Member of the European Parliament for Scotland. More on this below. I've also been told that Christina McKelvie MSP will be resuming her own weekly column with us.
-----
I am now ready to launch our new Classified advertising and so have prepared a text message which I will start sending out to people that might be interested next week I am going to detail that below and should any of you know of any companies or organisations that might be interested in this I'd appreciate it if you might just lift the text and send it to them. Here is the text...
Electric Scotland is now offering new low cost classified advertising giving you the opportunity to reach an average of 180,000 unique monthly visitors reaching well into the Scots Diaspora both at home and abroad.
In other words we reach the people you want to reach in the UK, USA, Canada, Australia & New Zealand as well as countries like India, Germany, France, Philippines and Indonesia, all in our top 10 visiting countries.
As Visit Scotland quoted... Electric Scotland turns people with a casual interest in Scotland into Scots Aficionados.
Electric Scotland is a highly respected and long established web site offering the largest online resource on the history of Scotland and the Scots at home and abroad. We don't however stop there as to encourage our young ones to read more history of Scotland we have built a collection of some 800 children's stories which are extremely popular.
And when we mean history that's also history of everything to do with Scotland be it gardening, plants, wild life, agriculture, sports, poetry and literature, music and much more.
We also bring you up to date news on the political scene in Scotland and the upcoming referendum with regular weekly columns from Significant players in Scotland. And we provide the ScotNews feed for those wanting a quick look at the daily headlines.
Electric Scotland delivers millions in new tourism revenue to Scotland each and every year and even if you don't know it you're likely benefiting financially from our site right now but you could do even better by supporting our work and getting right in front of our visitors.
Today we announce a new low cost classified advertising opportunity which frankly if you can't afford it then you're likely going out of business. It will be promoted through a banner in our header on all our many tens of thousands of pages. And it costs from just US$50.00 (roughly Ł35.00) a month or US$540 a year (roughly Ł350).
Our US marketing team came up with this idea as people that love Scotland also love browsing the adverts. We offer either a horizontal or vertical advert so just pick the one that best fits your marketing campaign. You could even pick two adverts, one as a static advert and the other than you can change as often as you wish. See http://www.electricscotland.com/classified.htm for a mock up of how this will look when launched.
See http://www.electricscotland.com/advertising.htm for details on how this works.
At this time we're asking you to express your interest in this new system by emailing Alastair at alastairi@electricscotland.com and letting him know you'd like to participate. Provide in that email the name of the person we should contact along with the contact details either phone number or email and we'll be in touch when we are ready to launch.
This is an excellent way for you to build new business and also a wee thanks to us for promoting Scotland for over 15 years now.
We look forward to hearing from you.
Kind regards
Electric Canadian
Canada and its Provinces
I have now started to add these volumes and the idea is to make one volume available each week until complete. Should you be interested in this series then you'll be able to dip into each volume during the week and thus be ready for the next volume appearing.
Now added The Dominion: Missions, Arts and Letters: Volume 12 - Section VI
You can get to this collection towards the foot of our Canadian History page at
http://www.electriccanadian.com/hist...nada/index.htm
The Pioneer Pastor
Some reminiscences of the Life and Labours of the Rev Geo. Buchanan M.D. first Presbyterian Minister of Beckwith, Lanark County, Upper Canada by Jessie Buchanan Campbell, his last surviving daughter.
You can read this book at http://www.electriccanadian.com/pion...eer_pastor.htm
Languages in Canada
A Report from Statistics Canada.
Thought it might be interesting for you to learn about how popular the two main languages are in Canada and other languages that are spoken. You can read this report at:
http://www.electriccanadian.com/lifestyle/languages.htm
National Trade Estimates Report on Foreign Trade Barriers 2013
A report which shows the USA's view on trade barriers with Canada.
This is an interesting report and may well be of interest to Canadians so I copied it from the US report and it can be read at: http://www.electriccanadian.com/tran...report2013.htm. I might add the full report contains information on all countries in the world.
The Flag in the Wind
This weeks edition was Compiled by Jim Lynch
As usual with Jim lots of interesting wee stories.
You can read this issue at http://www.scotsindependent.org
Electric Scotland
The Scottish Historical Review
We have now started on Volume 4 and added this week July 1907 but half the publication was so badly scanned it is unreadable so just supplying the part that is readable. You can get to this at::
http://www.electricscotland.com/hist...w/volume04.htm
You can read the previous issues at http://www.electricscotland.com/history/review/
Songs from John Henderson
John sent us in two new songs this week and here is one to read here...
Hardy Fishers of Girvan
Lyrics composed by John Henderson on the 22nd of March, 2013,
to James Stanley Hamilton's tune called 'Mary Hamilton Of Auchincruive'.
Night after night, when conditions are deemed right,
Small boats with hopes surge-off ocean bound
Where the deep may hold shoals of fish both young and old
For men braving each wave's angry pound.
All night long, cold and alert by a net
These hardy fishers seek a silv'ry sign;
With nought to be heard 'cept faint shivers down each spine,
They await what fate may bring their brine.
Oft fortune smiles, and all nets are cast and filled,
Then hoisted in with much up and go;
It's a heart'ning sight with the coming of first light
To behold squirming heaps down below.
Soon they've turned, churning low knots homeward bound
As weary crewmen take a well-earned rest;
But weary or not, they take coffee piping hot
With lots bacon baps that cook had bought!
The tide is high, and o'erhead are seagulls' cries,
As ev'ryone unloads, 'neath dawn skies;
And each slight glint of their catch that's worth a mint
Warms crew chilled from the night's tiring stint;
Soon each box, full and well stacked on the pier
Will greet the gutting knives of skilful wives,
Who'll slice as they sing, and make all the rafters ring
With their praise for those who'd risked their lives.
Lyrics composed by John Henderson on the 22nd of March, 2013,
to James Stanley Hamilton's tune called 'Mary Hamilton Of Auchincruive'.
Night after night, when conditions are deemed right,
Small boats with hopes surge-off ocean bound
Where the deep may hold shoals of fish both young and old
For men braving each wave's angry pound.
All night long, cold and alert by a net
These hardy fishers seek a silv'ry sign;
With nought to be heard 'cept faint shivers down each spine,
They await what fate may bring their brine.
Oft fortune smiles, and all nets are cast and filled,
Then hoisted in with much up and go;
It's a heart'ning sight with the coming of first light
To behold squirming heaps down below.
Soon they've turned, churning low knots homeward bound
As weary crewmen take a well-earned rest;
But weary or not, they take coffee piping hot
With lots bacon baps that cook had bought!
The tide is high, and o'erhead are seagulls' cries,
As ev'ryone unloads, 'neath dawn skies;
And each slight glint of their catch that's worth a mint
Warms crew chilled from the night's tiring stint;
Soon each box, full and well stacked on the pier
Will greet the gutting knives of skilful wives,
Who'll slice as they sing, and make all the rafters ring
With their praise for those who'd risked their lives.
You can read more of John's songs mostly in the Doric language at:
http://www.electricscotland.com/poetry/doggerels.htm
Songs Of Scotland, Prior To Burns
This book is by Robert Chambers who is famous for collecting old Scottish Songs.
Added this week are...
Scornful Nancy
The Cock-Laird
My Jo Janet
You can get to this book at the foot of the page at:
http://www.electricscotland.com/hist...ers_robert.htm
Forfarshire
By Easton S. Valentine (1912)
Have added the following chapters this week...
Chapter 15. - Fisheries
Chapter 16. - Shipping and Trade
Chapter 17. - History of the County
Chapter 18. - Antiquities
Chapter 19. - Architecture—(a) Ecclesiastical
Chapter 20. - Architecture—(b) Castellated
Chapter 21. - Architecture—(c) Domestic
In the section on History of the County we read...
Numerous Roman remains, more conspicuous indeed a century ago than they are now, prove that the Romans visited various parts of Angus. Camps at Meikleour and Lintrose in Perthshire seem to have been directly connected with others at Coupar Angus, Cardean, Battle Dykes near Forfar, and War Dykes north of Brechin; while former traces of a camp at Cater Milley [quatuor milia\ beside Invergowrie, and an entire entrenchment at Haerfaulds near Kirkbuddo, point to the possible existence of another Roman military route between the Sidlaws and the Tay.
Within a couple of centuries after the Romans left, Christianity was introduced into Scotland. Tradition has it that as early as 431 the first church north of the Tay was founded at Invergowrie. Boniface, a missionary from Rome, seems to have been there in the seventh century, while in the eighth, St Drostan, abandoning his bishopric in Donegal, settled as the apostle of the faith in the wilds of Glenesk. At a still later period the Culdees established themselves at Brechin.
Forfarshire was one of the main theatres of the long-continued conflict of the Picts with the Scots on the one hand and with the Angles of Northumbria on the other. Historians are agreed in identifying the site of the battle of Nechtan’s Mere with Dunnichen in Forfarshire. For long the Angles had assumed possession of Pictland, but on that battlefield their king, Egfrith, was decisively repulsed, and the limits of Northumbria were pushed south to the Tweed.
You can read the rest of this chapter at:
http://www.electricscotland.com/hist.../chapter17.htm
You can read the other chapters at http://www.electricscotland.com/hist...rfar/index.htm
The Annals of Scottish Natural History
Now added Volume 4
You can read this at the foot of the page at:
http://www.electricscotland.com/natu...al_history.htm
The Blackhalls of that Ilk and Barra
A publication from the New Spalding Club. Hereditary Coroners and Foresters of the Garioch by Alexander Morison
We now have now completed this book with the following chapters...
Chapter X. — After the Mar Action
Chapter XI. — The Blackhalls of Finnersie
Chapter XII. — Later Descendants of the Barra Blackhalls of that Ilk
Appendices.
Appendix A. Barra Castle
Appendix B. Regent William Blackhall
Appendix C. Pedigree of Blackhalls of that Ilk and Barra
Appendix D. Illustrative Documents
You can read these chapters at http://www.electricscotland.com/history/blackhalls/
Beths Newfangled Family Tree
Got in the April edition, Section B.
And we now have Section B which can be read at http://www.electricscotland.com/bnft
Excursion to the Orkney Islands
By Jacob Abbott
We now have up the following chapters...
Chapter I. Letter from Singapore.
Chapter II. Taking Passage.
Chapter III. Preparations.
Chapter IV. The Letter of Credit.
Chapter V. The Embarkation.
Chapter VI. Life on board Ship.
Chapter VII. Morning in Liverpool.
In chapter IV we learn how folk dealt with money on these International trips...
Persons who are not much accustomed to travelling, or to doing business for themselves in strange places, sometimes feel a good deal of solicitude when called upon to act in such cases, from not knowing beforehand exactly what they are to do. But there is never any occasion for such solicitude. It is not at all necessary when you have occasion to go to a bank, or to an office of any kind, or to a railway-station where a great many different trains are coming and going, that you should know beforehand what you are to do when you get there. All that is necessary is that you should simply know what you want, and that you should be able to state it intelligibly. It is the business of the clerks, or of the persons in charge of the establishment, whatever it may be, to show you how the business is to be done, when you once tell them what it is.
It was about eleven o'clock on Monday morning that Grimkie was to set out with Mrs. Morelle to go and get the letter of credit.
Florence and John were to go too, as they did not wish to be left at the hotel, but they were to remain in the carriage while Grimkie and his aunt went into the office.
Grimkie's father was at the hotel at the time that they set out.
“Now, Grimkie,” said he, while Mrs. Morelle was putting on her bonnet and shawl, “do you know where you are going?”
“Yes, sir,” said Grimkie, “you gave me the address of the banker, and I have got it in my pocket.”
“Very good,” said his father.
“And now do you know how to do the business when you get there?”
“No, sir,” said Grimkie.
“Very good again,” said his father. “It is not necessary that you should know how to do the business. It is not your duty to know. It is the duty of the clerks there to do the business for you. But do you know what the business is that you wish to have done?”
“Yes, sir,” said Grimkie. “To get a letter of credit.”
“In whose name?” asked his father.
“Mrs. Jane Morelle’s,” said Grimkie.
“For how much?” asked his father.
“For five hundred pounds,” said Grimkie.
“How long to run?” asked his father.
“For one year" said Grimkie.
“Very good" said his father. “That is all you want to know. And remember, in all your travels, that if you have any business to do of any kind, in any strange place, all that is necessary for you is to know distinctly what you want, and to be able to state it intelligibly. The people of the establishment will attend to all the rest.”
“Yes, sir,” said Grrimkie. “I will remember it.”
You can read the rest of this chapter at http://www.electricscotland.com/kids/orkney04.htm
You can read the other chapters at http://www.electricscotland.com/kids/orkneyndx.htm
Tasmina Ahmed Sheikh
We are starting a new column for Tasmina which we hope you will find interesting. On her index page we have a write up about her from the Daily Record Newspaper and then following that we get the first of her weekly columns. Well worth a read as she is a pretty amazing person.
You can read about her at http://www.electricscotland.com/lifestyle/tasmina/
PDF Books
Here are the pdf books I've put up this week...
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East Neuk Chronicles
A book by William Skene who remembers happenings and characters in the area in the middle of the 1800's around Aberdeen.
Prefatory Note
UNDER the title of “East Neuk Chronicles, by an East Ender,” a series of papers dealing with life and character in the East-End of Aberdeen between the years 1840 and 1860 appeared in the Aberdeen Evening Express during 1896. They were so favourably received that the author was induced to pen a second series of reminiscences, which were published in the Saturday issue of the Evening Express during the year 1908. In. response to the request of many friends and other readers, a collection has now been made of the principal papers in the two series, which it is hoped will prove interesting to the general public as recording phases of life that have long since passed away, and describing “characters" that have vanished from the scene and left no successors.
The papers were originally written with no thought of eventual republication, and with little regard to literary style or elegance, to which, indeed, the author makes no pretensions. They were not conceived on any definite plan, and anything like continuity or sequence was not aimed at. An endeavour has been made in this volume, however, to arrange the matter in chapters and sections.
You can download this book at:
http://www.electricscotland.com/books/pdf/east_neuk.htm
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The Early Chronicles relating to Scotland
A Rhind Lecture for 1912.
PREFACE
THE following lectures were undertaken with the intention and hope of furnishing a clue to the most trustworthy sources of contemporary, or nearly contemporary, information about the early condition and history of Scotland, and of indicating the most probable line of truth among conflicting statements. Some such guidance may be found acceptable by those who, while desiring to acquire a clear general knowledge of the origin of the Scottish people and their relations with England, have not enough leisure at command for prolonged search through the printed volumes of annals and to weigh the authority which may rightly be assigned to each. It is hardly necessary that I should explain how greatly I have relied upon the labours of previous students in this field; they are too numerous and too well known to require specific mention. But among the more recent of them there are three from whose works I have derived so much immediate assistance that it will not be thought invidious if I make direct acknowledgment of the same. In chronological order of publication these works stand as follows: 1899. Scottish Kings: a revised chronology of Scottish History, A.D. 1005-1625, by Sir Archibald H. Dunbar, Bart. 1908. Scottish Annals from English Chronicles: A.D. 500-1286, by Alan O. Anderson. 1910. Annals of the Reigns of Malcolm and William Kings of Scotland, A.D. 1153-1214. Between them, these three volumes provide a corpus of reference which I have found to save an infinity of trouble.
You can download this book at:
http://www.electricscotland.com/book...chronicles.htm
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A History of Peeblesshire
This is a book by William Chambers which contains loads of illustrations. We've made it available as a pdf file which can be downloaded from this page at http://www.electricscotland.com/history/peebles/
Dr Kelly Swanston
Dr Kelly Swanston, who has died aged 104, was a formidable pre-war amateur motorcycle racer before becoming a Yorkshire GP.
We've added him to our Significant Scots section and you can read this at:
http://www.electricscotland.com/hist...ston_kelly.htm
Thomsons of Edinburgh
Got in some interesting information on the Thomsons of Edinburgh and their transatlantic cousins. You can read this at http://www.electricscotland.com/webc.../thomson3.html
Robert Burns Lives!
Studies in Scottish Literature by Frank Shaw
Studies in Scottish Literature has been around for a long time. It was first published during my second year of graduate school in Wake Forest, North Carolina - 1963. One of the great Ross Roy stories I cherish is his telling me that when he first discussed publishing SSL, someone told him he’d be lucky to publish one volume on Scottish literature. Evidently the person talking with Ross knew little about Scotland’s history and her people since that was 50 years ago! Ross announced in 2008 that the journal would cease publication “after a comprehensive index had been compiled and published”. The index is undergoing proofing as I write this and, when published, will be another gift from Ross and Lucie Roy to all of us. Actually, it will be a testament of their “magnificent obsession” with Studies in Scottish Literature.
You can read the rest of this article at:
http://www.electricscotland.com/fami...s_lives169.htm
Other articles in this series can be read at http://www.electricscotland.com/fami...rank/burns.htm
Horsburgh
Got in a wee scan of some information on this name which you can view at:
http://www.electricscotland.com/webc...horsburgh.html
And finally...
Driven Desperate
A Glasgow student in Liverpool had to phone his parents with the bad news that the car they had bought him had been stolen. They told him to contact the police and telephone his insurance company.
A week later there was no word on his car and he was resigned to never seeing it again, so imagine his joy when he walked to the nearest Subway sandwich shop to discover it sitting outside, apparently undamaged.
His joy was immediately dented when he had sudden clarity about driving round to the Subway a week earlier because he was starving, realising inside the shop that he was drunker than he thought, and deciding to do the right thing and walk home instead.
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Too Much!
I recall working in Scotland at the time of the Heath government edit of three-day-a-week only use of electricity by non-essential businesses, and our boss coming into the office and telling everyone that they would be on a three-day working week.
"I'm not working an extra day for any government," muttered one of the staff at the back.
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And that's it for now and hope you all have a great Tartan Weekend.
Alastair