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For the latest news from Scotland see our ScotNews feed at:
http://www.electricscotland.com/
Electric Scotland News
We're Moving
Had a delay in the installation of our new lines which will now take place on Monday 4th May.
Dr Graeme Morton
I'm sure many of you will know Graeme who was the Chair of the Center for Scottish Studies at the University of Guelph. I'd heard that he's been seriously ill since returning to Scotland so sent in an enquiry to see how he was doing. I got a reply in today telling me...
Fear not, I’m up and running once again. I managed to miss most of the semester following some cardiac surgery. Not heart disease but a genetic issue first picked up in Canada that required a couple of parts to be replaced by carbon versions. All a bit scary for a while as I waited for the NHS to get on with it, but the surgeon was superb and the after-care excellent. Thank goodness, though, for Canadian preemptive testings.
And so great to know he's good again and I've invited him to write an article on his work with Dundee University so hopefully we'll hear from him again soon.
SNP could win all 59 Scottish seats in general election
The latest and final Ipsos MORI poll for STV News puts support for Nicola Sturgeon's party at 54%, up by two percentage points on the last poll, with Labour trailing on 20%, down from 24%.
Support for the Conservatives has increased by five points to 17% while the Liberal Democrats are on 5%, up one point, the Greens are on 2%, down by two points, Ukip are polling at 1%, with support for other parties also at 1%.
Using these figures, the Electoral Calculus website predicts that the SNP would take all 59 seats in Scotland.
The snapshot of 1,200 adults in Scotland, England and Wales shows the First Minister has the highest approval rating of the party leaders.
The poll gave Ms Sturgeon a Britain-wide net approval rating of plus 33, a record for TNS.
The election is on Thursday, May 7th and it could make a huge impact on British politics. The Tory party are forecast to be the largest party but not have a majority. The Labour party might be able to form the government but only with the support of the SNP but they have stated they won't work with them so interesting times ahead.
Why eating a full Scottish breakfast is the best start to the day
ACCORDING to A-list Hollywood stars, ‘Reverse dieting’ is the secret to staying sexy. Well, why not start your day with a full Scottish breakfast?
Breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince, dine like a pauper. It's age-old advice, but it has suddenly become the buzz phrase of LA.
Angelina Jolie, who has often been asked how she maintains her super-svelte body, especially as she has a penchant for McDonald's burgers, has finally revealed her secret – breakfast and lots of it.
“I used to not eat breakfast, but have a cigarette and a coffee," she admits, but now she insists her whole family eat a substantial breakfast.
A full Scottish breakfast might include: toast, beans, fried haggis, potato hash, eggs, back bacon, potato scones, fried mushrooms, grilled tomatoes, Lorne sausage, black pudding, oatcakes, kippers, and porridge, although a breakfast with all of these ingredients might be a bit excessive. The breakfast is also typically paired with Scottish dairy products including milk and cream, along with Scottish jams and preserves. It may be served with black tea or coffee and orange juice as well.
I always say to folk going to Scotland for the first time that they need to check with their hotels or B & B's that they do a FULL Scottish Breakfast as it's an experience not to be missed!!! I am in the habit of having the full works myself on Sunday's. I do wish I could find someone in Canada that could deliver Lorne sausage and black pudding.
The Montreal Highland Games & Festival
Is a very important event as one of the premier destinations on the North American Highland games circuit. The Montreal Highland Games, with many exciting activities in sports, culture, music, entertainment and food, represent a wonderful opportunity for participants, visitors and Montrealers alike to discover the great treasures, legends and history of the rich Scottish/Celtic culture mixed in with Montreal flair!
In 2015, the event will be held on August 1, 2 and 3, with the main event on Sunday August 2 at a very central location in Montreal, used for the first time last year with great success: ARTHUR-THERRIEN PARK in Verdun, with two subway stations very close-by. An official Launch Party is also planned for Saturday evening August 1, and a Closing Brunch for Monday, August 3 (that Monday is a Holiday in Ontario, so many Ontarians come to Montreal for the event).
Electric Canadian
Building of Rogers Pass CP Rail line
Found a very interesting video on the building of this line which was the largest such project since the building of the Canadian Pacific railway. You can view this at:
http://www.electriccanadian.com/transport/steelndx.htm
Canada's place in World War I
I found a couple of interesting books...
General Currie’s First Stand – The Capture of Hill 70 By Richard Laughton (pdf) at:
http://www.electriccanadian.com/forc...reOfHill70.pdf
and
Canada's Hundred Days with the Canadian Corps from Amiens to Mons, Aug. 8 - Nov. 11, 1918. By J. F. B. Livesay (1919) (pdf) athttp://www.electriccanadian.com/forc...00liveuoft.pdf
I do note that Canada's contribution to both world wars was immense but little is heard about them in the UK or indeed Scotland. Likewise Australia and New Zealand also contributed much so I likely need to see what I can find about their contributions as well.
A Sermon on the Sin of Torturing Animals
By the Rev. John Moffatt, Minister of the Scotch Kirk, Bayfield, Canada (pdf).
I'd never come across a sermon on this topic so thought it would be interesting to include this on the site which you can read athttp://www.electriccanadian.com/Religion/horrors.pdf
I might note that this sermon was also preached in Greenock as well.
Electric Scotland
A Tour in Sutherlandshire
With extracts from the field-books of a Sportsman and Naturalist by Charles St. John, Esq. in two volumes 2nd Edition (1884).
We have now completed Volume 1 of this publication which takes us through to September.
You can read this book at http://www.electricscotland.com/hist...land/index.htm
The Scottish Historical Review
Added Volume 17.
Volume 17 includes: A Neglected Source for the History of the Commercial Relations between Scotland and the Netherlands during the 16th, 17th and 18th Centuries. By S. Van Brakel, Utrecht; Bellenden’s Translation of the History of Hector Boece. By R. W. Chambers and Walter W. Seton; The Orkney Townships. By J. Storer Clouston; Lord Guthrie and the Covenanters. By D. Hay Fleming; The Causes of the Highland Emigrations of 1783-1803. By Miss Margaret I. Adam; Old Edinburgh. By Sir James Balfour Paul; Scottish Middle Templars, 1604-1869. By C. E. A. Bedwell; List of Scottish Middle Templars; The Fenwick Improvement of Knowledge Society, 1834-1842. With an Introduction by George Neilson; The Spanish Story of the Armada. By W. P. Ker; Clerical Life in Scotland in the Sixteenth Century. By Sir James Balfour Paul; Le Testament du Gentil Cossovs. By David Baird Smith; Constitutional Growth of Carlisle Cathedral. By the Rev. Canon Wilson; Minutes of the Fenwick Emigration Society, 1839. With Note by George Neilson; Review of Books.
I might add that I find these volumes to be extremely interesting and while the articles themselves are excellent the review of books often highlight books of interest for the site. There are also a number of books reviewed which are not available online but for some will be excellent resources if they can be found. Such a book in this issue is on the name Farquharson which might be found in second hand book shops. Also due to this issue I've found a book on the history of Normandy which I'm intending to make available on the site as many clans can trace their origins to Normandy.
You can get to this volume at: http://www.electricscotland.com/book...view/index.htm
Songs by John Henderson
John sent in four more poems and songs this week and have added them to the foot of his page at:
http://www.electricscotland.com/poetry/doggerels.htm
Tommy Macpherson
Last week I brought you the story of Tommy Macpherson and I was happy to receive several emails saying how much you enjoyed it. Since then I also got sent in a short video of the man himself during his book launch and I also found an obituary of him which provides further information about him which you can view and read at http://www.electricscotland.com/hist...macpherson.htm
Old Scottish Burghal Life Illustrated from Kirkcudbright Records
By W. Dickie. from minutes of proceedings covering the period from 1576 to 1682.
I propose to place before you extracts from the earliest extant records of the Town Council of the royal burgh of Kirkcudbright. These are selected from a manuscript volume of minutes of proceedings covering the period from 1576 to 1682.
Added a link to this book on our Dumfries & Galloway page at:
http://www.electricscotland.com/coun...s_galloway.htm
Old Scottish Clockmakers from 1453 to 1850
Added a link to this book at the foot of our Trades of Scotland page at:
http://www.electricscotland.com/hist...ish_trades.htm
An especially interesting book and particularly so if like me you have an old grandfather clock made in Glasgow in 1851.
Papers relating to the Royal Guard of Scottish Archers in France
Added this book to the foot of our page on the Ancient Alliance between Scotland and France at:
http://www.electricscotland.com/france/alliance.htm
The early establishment of the Royal guard of Scottish Archers in France, the length of time during which they were maintained, and the numerous privileges conferred upon them, render their history curious and interesting. They undoubtedly contributed in no small degree to promote those friendly relations, which subsisted between Scotland and France, from the age of fabulous story, till the independent existence of the former kingdom merged in the British Crown. The nobles and gentlemen of Scotland enrolled themselves in that honourable corps, and were the means of attracting to the French service many of their countrymen, whose glory was sealed at Bauge, VemeniI, and other bloody fields, and of thereby cementing an alliance unparalleled in history.
Records of the Coinage of Scotland
From the Earliest Period to the Union collected by R. W. Cochran-Patrick of Woodside in 2 volumes (1925).
This fills an important gap in the history of Scotland as I had little information on the site to do with the coinage of Scotland so at one fell swoop we have now filled this gap in our knowledge.
You can get to this publication at http://www.electricscotland.com/books/pdf/coinage.htm
Hylton Newsletter
Newsletters 8 - 10 A trip to the UK also taking in the Scottish Borders. You can read this at:
http://www.electricscotland.com/fami...olis/index.htm
Interesting account of their visit to the Reiver’s Festival.
The Records of a Scottish Cloth Manufactory at New Mills 1681-1703
Edited from the Original Manuscripts, with Introduction and Notes, by W. R. 5COTT, M.A., D.Phil., Litt.D. (1905) (pdf). Added a link to this book at the foot of our page on the Scottish Records Society at: http://www.electricscotland.com/history/records/
This is a unique look at this trade and in it you will find many comments on the social life of the times.
The Scotch Element in American Civilization
By Neva Beryl Wiley (1909) (pdf)
Came across this wee book quite by chance and thought you might enjoy reading it. It contains information on Scottish settlement in North and South Carolina, Georgia and East Jersey.
You can read this at http://www.electricscotland.com/hist...entamerica.pdf
Wholesale Co-operation in Scotland
The Fruits of Fifty Years' Efforts (1868-1918). Added a link to this book at the foot of the page at:
http://www.electricscotland.com/business/coop/index.htm
An interesting account which I enjoyed reading. My mother made great use of the Co-op in Scotland and made good use of her dividend book. I well remember that around the corner from our home in Grangemouth was the Co-op Grocery store, next to which was the Co-op Fruit and Veg shop and next to it was the Co-op Butcher. Then down town we had the Co-op department store where you could not only purchase clothes and household items but also get plumbing and painting services. They also had their own funeral service and travel service. The Co-op was a great institution in Scotland and it still survives today although like all retail outlets it has its own challenges.
A practical treatise on Mineral Oils and their By-Products
A Short History of the Scotch Shale Oil Industry by Iltyd I. Redwood (1897) (pdf). Added a link to this book at the foot of our page on James Young at:
http://www.electricscotland.com/hist...ames_young.htm
As there is a lot of talk of fracking these days I thought this book would be of interest as it would seem this could revive the old shale oil industry in Scotland.
A Complete Word & Phrase Concordance
To the Poems and Songs of Robert Burns Incorporating a Glossary of Scotch Words, With Notes, Index, and Appendix of Readings. Compiled and Edited by J B Reid, M A (1889) (pdf).
I have never come across a concordance on Robert Burns so I thought I'd add this to the site for you to download. It is a great way to find a quote by Robert Burns if you were giving a talk on almost any subject.
You can read this at http://www.electricscotland.com/burn...oncordance.pdf
Robert Burns Lives!
Edited by Frank Shaw
At the suggestion years ago of several friends, most notably Thomas Keith of New York City, I began collecting Burnsiana. I started with little items and now have several boxes…yes, boxes, because when we moved to Lake Lanier north of Atlanta, there was not as much room as we had and so some are still boxed. In the meantime, I became interested in collecting Burns sculptures and found some less than two feet high that I could display on my desk and credenza. As the years went by, my images of Burns grew in size when we purchased several busts of Burns, including a bronze created at a foundry in Texas and a marble crafted in Edinburgh. Last week I took possession of a bronze head of the Bard by accomplished and well-known artist and sculptor Deirdre Nicolls of Edinburgh. Deirdre had displayed the piece several years ago during the annual Burns Conference at University of Glasgow’s Centre for Robert Burns Studies.
No two paintings of Burns are alike, and I have studied the different shapes of his head sketched over the years. But a talk at the Burns Club of Atlanta by Professor Patrick Scott was very revealing to me as he and Professor Ross Roy gave members of the club a fascinating presentation on this subject. My conclusion was that no one really captured the looks of Burns while he was alive. While Deirdre’s sculpture was entirely different from the usual ones of Burns and from the photos that we see, her work kept gnawing at me as time passed. Simply put, her explanation below was what sold me on her model of Burns. Susan and I decided to go for it and I can’t believe we will ever regret doing so. We are proud to have this fine interpretation of Burns by Deirdre.
In emails we started referring to him as Mr. Burns, and it was so gratifying to receive one of the last from her saying, “Mr. Burns is on his way” to his American home. A few days later I could reply that “Mr. Burns is safely at home in America.” Well, Mr. Burns is still sitting where he was unpacked and will remain there until we decide where he will be most comfortable. I do not think you are supposed to say men are beautiful, but I can truthfully say without hesitation that this Mr. Burns is!
It is a pleasure to welcome Deirdre Nicholls to our pages this week. I decided to use her email explaining how her interpretation of Mr. Burns came about. She recently finished a sculpture of Nelson Mandela that sits in what we here in the States would call Glasgow’s City Hall. I plan to share with you how the other Burns busts ended up at our lake house Waverley over the weeks to come.
You can read this article, Welcome Home, Mr. Burns by Deirdre Nicholls at
http://www.electricscotland.com/fami...s_lives217.htm
THE STORY
Alastair
http://www.electricscotland.com/
Electric Scotland News
We're Moving
Had a delay in the installation of our new lines which will now take place on Monday 4th May.
Dr Graeme Morton
I'm sure many of you will know Graeme who was the Chair of the Center for Scottish Studies at the University of Guelph. I'd heard that he's been seriously ill since returning to Scotland so sent in an enquiry to see how he was doing. I got a reply in today telling me...
Fear not, I’m up and running once again. I managed to miss most of the semester following some cardiac surgery. Not heart disease but a genetic issue first picked up in Canada that required a couple of parts to be replaced by carbon versions. All a bit scary for a while as I waited for the NHS to get on with it, but the surgeon was superb and the after-care excellent. Thank goodness, though, for Canadian preemptive testings.
And so great to know he's good again and I've invited him to write an article on his work with Dundee University so hopefully we'll hear from him again soon.
SNP could win all 59 Scottish seats in general election
The latest and final Ipsos MORI poll for STV News puts support for Nicola Sturgeon's party at 54%, up by two percentage points on the last poll, with Labour trailing on 20%, down from 24%.
Support for the Conservatives has increased by five points to 17% while the Liberal Democrats are on 5%, up one point, the Greens are on 2%, down by two points, Ukip are polling at 1%, with support for other parties also at 1%.
Using these figures, the Electoral Calculus website predicts that the SNP would take all 59 seats in Scotland.
The snapshot of 1,200 adults in Scotland, England and Wales shows the First Minister has the highest approval rating of the party leaders.
The poll gave Ms Sturgeon a Britain-wide net approval rating of plus 33, a record for TNS.
The election is on Thursday, May 7th and it could make a huge impact on British politics. The Tory party are forecast to be the largest party but not have a majority. The Labour party might be able to form the government but only with the support of the SNP but they have stated they won't work with them so interesting times ahead.
Why eating a full Scottish breakfast is the best start to the day
ACCORDING to A-list Hollywood stars, ‘Reverse dieting’ is the secret to staying sexy. Well, why not start your day with a full Scottish breakfast?
Breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince, dine like a pauper. It's age-old advice, but it has suddenly become the buzz phrase of LA.
Angelina Jolie, who has often been asked how she maintains her super-svelte body, especially as she has a penchant for McDonald's burgers, has finally revealed her secret – breakfast and lots of it.
“I used to not eat breakfast, but have a cigarette and a coffee," she admits, but now she insists her whole family eat a substantial breakfast.
A full Scottish breakfast might include: toast, beans, fried haggis, potato hash, eggs, back bacon, potato scones, fried mushrooms, grilled tomatoes, Lorne sausage, black pudding, oatcakes, kippers, and porridge, although a breakfast with all of these ingredients might be a bit excessive. The breakfast is also typically paired with Scottish dairy products including milk and cream, along with Scottish jams and preserves. It may be served with black tea or coffee and orange juice as well.
I always say to folk going to Scotland for the first time that they need to check with their hotels or B & B's that they do a FULL Scottish Breakfast as it's an experience not to be missed!!! I am in the habit of having the full works myself on Sunday's. I do wish I could find someone in Canada that could deliver Lorne sausage and black pudding.
The Montreal Highland Games & Festival
Is a very important event as one of the premier destinations on the North American Highland games circuit. The Montreal Highland Games, with many exciting activities in sports, culture, music, entertainment and food, represent a wonderful opportunity for participants, visitors and Montrealers alike to discover the great treasures, legends and history of the rich Scottish/Celtic culture mixed in with Montreal flair!
In 2015, the event will be held on August 1, 2 and 3, with the main event on Sunday August 2 at a very central location in Montreal, used for the first time last year with great success: ARTHUR-THERRIEN PARK in Verdun, with two subway stations very close-by. An official Launch Party is also planned for Saturday evening August 1, and a Closing Brunch for Monday, August 3 (that Monday is a Holiday in Ontario, so many Ontarians come to Montreal for the event).
Electric Canadian
Building of Rogers Pass CP Rail line
Found a very interesting video on the building of this line which was the largest such project since the building of the Canadian Pacific railway. You can view this at:
http://www.electriccanadian.com/transport/steelndx.htm
Canada's place in World War I
I found a couple of interesting books...
General Currie’s First Stand – The Capture of Hill 70 By Richard Laughton (pdf) at:
http://www.electriccanadian.com/forc...reOfHill70.pdf
and
Canada's Hundred Days with the Canadian Corps from Amiens to Mons, Aug. 8 - Nov. 11, 1918. By J. F. B. Livesay (1919) (pdf) athttp://www.electriccanadian.com/forc...00liveuoft.pdf
I do note that Canada's contribution to both world wars was immense but little is heard about them in the UK or indeed Scotland. Likewise Australia and New Zealand also contributed much so I likely need to see what I can find about their contributions as well.
A Sermon on the Sin of Torturing Animals
By the Rev. John Moffatt, Minister of the Scotch Kirk, Bayfield, Canada (pdf).
I'd never come across a sermon on this topic so thought it would be interesting to include this on the site which you can read athttp://www.electriccanadian.com/Religion/horrors.pdf
I might note that this sermon was also preached in Greenock as well.
Electric Scotland
A Tour in Sutherlandshire
With extracts from the field-books of a Sportsman and Naturalist by Charles St. John, Esq. in two volumes 2nd Edition (1884).
We have now completed Volume 1 of this publication which takes us through to September.
You can read this book at http://www.electricscotland.com/hist...land/index.htm
The Scottish Historical Review
Added Volume 17.
Volume 17 includes: A Neglected Source for the History of the Commercial Relations between Scotland and the Netherlands during the 16th, 17th and 18th Centuries. By S. Van Brakel, Utrecht; Bellenden’s Translation of the History of Hector Boece. By R. W. Chambers and Walter W. Seton; The Orkney Townships. By J. Storer Clouston; Lord Guthrie and the Covenanters. By D. Hay Fleming; The Causes of the Highland Emigrations of 1783-1803. By Miss Margaret I. Adam; Old Edinburgh. By Sir James Balfour Paul; Scottish Middle Templars, 1604-1869. By C. E. A. Bedwell; List of Scottish Middle Templars; The Fenwick Improvement of Knowledge Society, 1834-1842. With an Introduction by George Neilson; The Spanish Story of the Armada. By W. P. Ker; Clerical Life in Scotland in the Sixteenth Century. By Sir James Balfour Paul; Le Testament du Gentil Cossovs. By David Baird Smith; Constitutional Growth of Carlisle Cathedral. By the Rev. Canon Wilson; Minutes of the Fenwick Emigration Society, 1839. With Note by George Neilson; Review of Books.
I might add that I find these volumes to be extremely interesting and while the articles themselves are excellent the review of books often highlight books of interest for the site. There are also a number of books reviewed which are not available online but for some will be excellent resources if they can be found. Such a book in this issue is on the name Farquharson which might be found in second hand book shops. Also due to this issue I've found a book on the history of Normandy which I'm intending to make available on the site as many clans can trace their origins to Normandy.
You can get to this volume at: http://www.electricscotland.com/book...view/index.htm
Songs by John Henderson
John sent in four more poems and songs this week and have added them to the foot of his page at:
http://www.electricscotland.com/poetry/doggerels.htm
Tommy Macpherson
Last week I brought you the story of Tommy Macpherson and I was happy to receive several emails saying how much you enjoyed it. Since then I also got sent in a short video of the man himself during his book launch and I also found an obituary of him which provides further information about him which you can view and read at http://www.electricscotland.com/hist...macpherson.htm
Old Scottish Burghal Life Illustrated from Kirkcudbright Records
By W. Dickie. from minutes of proceedings covering the period from 1576 to 1682.
I propose to place before you extracts from the earliest extant records of the Town Council of the royal burgh of Kirkcudbright. These are selected from a manuscript volume of minutes of proceedings covering the period from 1576 to 1682.
Added a link to this book on our Dumfries & Galloway page at:
http://www.electricscotland.com/coun...s_galloway.htm
Old Scottish Clockmakers from 1453 to 1850
Added a link to this book at the foot of our Trades of Scotland page at:
http://www.electricscotland.com/hist...ish_trades.htm
An especially interesting book and particularly so if like me you have an old grandfather clock made in Glasgow in 1851.
Papers relating to the Royal Guard of Scottish Archers in France
Added this book to the foot of our page on the Ancient Alliance between Scotland and France at:
http://www.electricscotland.com/france/alliance.htm
The early establishment of the Royal guard of Scottish Archers in France, the length of time during which they were maintained, and the numerous privileges conferred upon them, render their history curious and interesting. They undoubtedly contributed in no small degree to promote those friendly relations, which subsisted between Scotland and France, from the age of fabulous story, till the independent existence of the former kingdom merged in the British Crown. The nobles and gentlemen of Scotland enrolled themselves in that honourable corps, and were the means of attracting to the French service many of their countrymen, whose glory was sealed at Bauge, VemeniI, and other bloody fields, and of thereby cementing an alliance unparalleled in history.
Records of the Coinage of Scotland
From the Earliest Period to the Union collected by R. W. Cochran-Patrick of Woodside in 2 volumes (1925).
This fills an important gap in the history of Scotland as I had little information on the site to do with the coinage of Scotland so at one fell swoop we have now filled this gap in our knowledge.
You can get to this publication at http://www.electricscotland.com/books/pdf/coinage.htm
Hylton Newsletter
Newsletters 8 - 10 A trip to the UK also taking in the Scottish Borders. You can read this at:
http://www.electricscotland.com/fami...olis/index.htm
Interesting account of their visit to the Reiver’s Festival.
The Records of a Scottish Cloth Manufactory at New Mills 1681-1703
Edited from the Original Manuscripts, with Introduction and Notes, by W. R. 5COTT, M.A., D.Phil., Litt.D. (1905) (pdf). Added a link to this book at the foot of our page on the Scottish Records Society at: http://www.electricscotland.com/history/records/
This is a unique look at this trade and in it you will find many comments on the social life of the times.
The Scotch Element in American Civilization
By Neva Beryl Wiley (1909) (pdf)
Came across this wee book quite by chance and thought you might enjoy reading it. It contains information on Scottish settlement in North and South Carolina, Georgia and East Jersey.
You can read this at http://www.electricscotland.com/hist...entamerica.pdf
Wholesale Co-operation in Scotland
The Fruits of Fifty Years' Efforts (1868-1918). Added a link to this book at the foot of the page at:
http://www.electricscotland.com/business/coop/index.htm
An interesting account which I enjoyed reading. My mother made great use of the Co-op in Scotland and made good use of her dividend book. I well remember that around the corner from our home in Grangemouth was the Co-op Grocery store, next to which was the Co-op Fruit and Veg shop and next to it was the Co-op Butcher. Then down town we had the Co-op department store where you could not only purchase clothes and household items but also get plumbing and painting services. They also had their own funeral service and travel service. The Co-op was a great institution in Scotland and it still survives today although like all retail outlets it has its own challenges.
A practical treatise on Mineral Oils and their By-Products
A Short History of the Scotch Shale Oil Industry by Iltyd I. Redwood (1897) (pdf). Added a link to this book at the foot of our page on James Young at:
http://www.electricscotland.com/hist...ames_young.htm
As there is a lot of talk of fracking these days I thought this book would be of interest as it would seem this could revive the old shale oil industry in Scotland.
A Complete Word & Phrase Concordance
To the Poems and Songs of Robert Burns Incorporating a Glossary of Scotch Words, With Notes, Index, and Appendix of Readings. Compiled and Edited by J B Reid, M A (1889) (pdf).
I have never come across a concordance on Robert Burns so I thought I'd add this to the site for you to download. It is a great way to find a quote by Robert Burns if you were giving a talk on almost any subject.
You can read this at http://www.electricscotland.com/burn...oncordance.pdf
Robert Burns Lives!
Edited by Frank Shaw
At the suggestion years ago of several friends, most notably Thomas Keith of New York City, I began collecting Burnsiana. I started with little items and now have several boxes…yes, boxes, because when we moved to Lake Lanier north of Atlanta, there was not as much room as we had and so some are still boxed. In the meantime, I became interested in collecting Burns sculptures and found some less than two feet high that I could display on my desk and credenza. As the years went by, my images of Burns grew in size when we purchased several busts of Burns, including a bronze created at a foundry in Texas and a marble crafted in Edinburgh. Last week I took possession of a bronze head of the Bard by accomplished and well-known artist and sculptor Deirdre Nicolls of Edinburgh. Deirdre had displayed the piece several years ago during the annual Burns Conference at University of Glasgow’s Centre for Robert Burns Studies.
No two paintings of Burns are alike, and I have studied the different shapes of his head sketched over the years. But a talk at the Burns Club of Atlanta by Professor Patrick Scott was very revealing to me as he and Professor Ross Roy gave members of the club a fascinating presentation on this subject. My conclusion was that no one really captured the looks of Burns while he was alive. While Deirdre’s sculpture was entirely different from the usual ones of Burns and from the photos that we see, her work kept gnawing at me as time passed. Simply put, her explanation below was what sold me on her model of Burns. Susan and I decided to go for it and I can’t believe we will ever regret doing so. We are proud to have this fine interpretation of Burns by Deirdre.
In emails we started referring to him as Mr. Burns, and it was so gratifying to receive one of the last from her saying, “Mr. Burns is on his way” to his American home. A few days later I could reply that “Mr. Burns is safely at home in America.” Well, Mr. Burns is still sitting where he was unpacked and will remain there until we decide where he will be most comfortable. I do not think you are supposed to say men are beautiful, but I can truthfully say without hesitation that this Mr. Burns is!
It is a pleasure to welcome Deirdre Nicholls to our pages this week. I decided to use her email explaining how her interpretation of Mr. Burns came about. She recently finished a sculpture of Nelson Mandela that sits in what we here in the States would call Glasgow’s City Hall. I plan to share with you how the other Burns busts ended up at our lake house Waverley over the weeks to come.
You can read this article, Welcome Home, Mr. Burns by Deirdre Nicholls at
http://www.electricscotland.com/fami...s_lives217.htm
THE STORY
To fight under 18 different flags is an astonishing achievement so here is part of his story...
The Life and Adventures of Brigadier-General MacIver (1841–1907)
ANY sunny afternoon, on Fifth Avenue, or at night in the table d'hote restaurants of University Place, you may meet the soldier of fortune who of all his brothers in arms now living is the most remarkable. You may have noticed him; a stiffly erect, distinguished-looking man, with gray hair, an imperial of the fashion of Louis Napoleon, fierce blue eyes, and across his forehead a sabre cut.
This is Henry Ronald Douglas Maclver, for some time in India an ensign in the Sepoy mutiny; in Italy, lieutenant under Garibaldi; in Spain, captain under Don Carlos; in our Civil War, major in the Confederate army; in Mexico, lieutenant-colonel under the Emperor Maximilian; colonel under Napoleon III, inspector of cavalry for the Khedive of Egypt, and chief of cavalry and general of brigade of the army of King Milan of Servia. These are only a few of his military titles. In 1884 was published a book giving the story of his life up to that year. It was called “Under Fourteen Flags.” If to-day General MacIver were to reprint the book, it would be called “Under Eighteen Flags.”
Maclver was born on Christmas Day, 1841, at sea, a league off the shore of Virginia. His mother was Miss Anna Douglas of that State; Ronald Maclver, his father, was a Scot, a Ross-shire gentleman, a younger son of the chief of the Clan Maclver. Until he was ten years old young Maclver played in Virginia at the home of his father. Then, in order that he might be educated, he was shipped to Edinburgh to an uncle, General Donald Graham. After five years his uncle obtained for him a commission as ensign in the Honourable East India Company, and at sixteen, when other boys are preparing for college, Maclver was in the Indian Mutiny, fighting, not for a flag, nor a country, but as one fights a wild animal, for his life. He was wounded in the arm, and, with a sword, cut over the head. As a safeguard against the sun the boy had placed inside his helmet a wet towel. This saved him to fight another day, but even with that protection the sword sank through the helmet, the towel, and into the skull. Today you can see the scar. He was left in the road for dead, and even after his wounds had healed, was six weeks in the hospital.
This rough handling at the very start might have satisfied some men, but in the very next war Maclver was a volunteer and wore the red shirt of Garibaldi. He remained at the front throughout that campaign, and until within a few years there has been no campaign of consequence in which he has not taken part. He served in the Ten Years’ War in Cuba, in Brazil, in Argentina, in Crete, in Greece, twice in Spain in Carlist revolutions, in Bosnia, and for four years in our Civil War under Generals Jackson and Stuart around Richmond. In this great war he was four times wounded.
It was after the surrender of the Confederate Army, that, with other Southern officers, he served under Maximilian in Mexico; in Egypt, and in France. Whenever in any part of the world there was fighting, or the rumor of fighting, the procedure of the general invariably was the same. He would order himself to instantly depart for the front, and on arriving there would offer to organize a foreign legion. The command of this organization always was given to him. But the foreign legion was merely the entering wedge. He would soon show that he was fitted for a better command than a band of undisciplined volunteers, and would receive a commission in the regular army. In almost every command in which he served that is the manner in which promotion came. Sometimes he saw but little fighting, sometimes he should have died several deaths, each of a nature more unpleasant than the others. For in war the obvious danger of a bullet is but a three hundred to one shot, while in the pack against the combatant the jokers are innumerable. And in the career of the general the unforeseen adventures are the most interesting. A man who in eighteen campaigns has played his part would seem to have earned exemption from any other risks, but often it was outside the battle-field that Maclver encountered the greatest danger. He fought several duels, in two of which he killed his adversary; several attempts were made to assassinate him, and while on his way to Mexico he was captured by hostile Indians. On returning from an expedition in Cuba he was cast adrift in an open boat and for days was without food.
Long before I met General Maclver I had read his book and had heard of him from many men who had met him in many different lands while engaged in as many different undertakings. Several of the older war correspondents knew him intimately; Bennett Burleigh of the Telegraph was his friend, and E. F. Knight of the Times was one of those who volunteered for a filibustering expedition which Maclver organized against New Guinea. The late Colonel Ochiltree of Texas told me tales of Maclver’s bravery, when as young men they were fellow officers in the Southern Army, and Stephen Bonsai had met him when Maclver was United States Consul at Denia in Spain. When Maclver arrived at this post, the ex-consul refused to vacate the Consulate, and Maclver wished to settle the difficulty with duelling pistols. As Denia is a small place, the inhabitants feared for their safety, and Bonsai, who was our charge d’affaires then, was sent from Madrid to adjust matters. Without bloodshed he got rid of the ex-consul, and later Maclver so endeared himself to the Denians that they begged the State Department to retain him in that place for the remainder of his life.
Before General Maclver was appointed to a high position at the St. Louis Fair, I saw much of him in New York. His room was in a side street in an old-fashioned boardinghouse, and overlooked his neighbors’ backyard and a typical New York City sumac tree; but when the general talked one forgot he was within a block of the Elevated, and roamed over all the world. On his bed he would spread out wonderful parchments, with strange, heathenish inscriptions, with great seals, with faded ribbons. These were signed by Sultans, Secretaries of War, Emperors, filibusters. They were military commissions, titles of nobility, brevets for decorations, instructions and commands from superior officers. Translated the phrases ran: “Imposing special confidence in,” “we appoint,” or “create,” or “declare,” or “In recognition of services rendered to our person,” or “country,” or “cause,” or “For bravery on the field of battle we bestow the Cross”.
As must a soldier, the general travels “ light,” and all his worldly possessions were crowded ready for mobilization into a small compass. He had his sword, his field blanket, his trunk, and the tin despatch boxes that held his papers. From these, like a conjurer, he would draw souvenirs of all the world. From the embrace of faded letters, he would unfold old photographs, daguerreotypes, and miniatures of fair women and adventurous men: women who now are queens in exile, men who, lifted on waves of absinthe, still, across a cafe table, tell how they will win back a crown.
Once in a written document the general did me the honor to appoint me his literary executor, but as he is young, and as healthy as myself, it never may be my lot to perform such an unwelcome duty. And to-day all one can write of him is what the world can read in “Under Fourteen Flags,” and some of the “foot-notes to history” which I have copied from his scrap-book. This scrap-book is a wonderful volume, but owing to “political” and other reasons, for the present, of the many clippings from newspapers it contains there are only a few I am at liberty to print. And from them it is difficult to make a choice. To sketch in a few thousand words a career that had developed under Eighteen Flags is in its very wealth embarrassing.
Here is one story, as told by the scrap-book, of an expedition that failed. That it failed was due to a British Cabinet Minister; for had Lord Derby possessed the imagination of the Soldier of Fortune, his Majesty’s dominions might now be the richer by many thousands of square miles and many thousands of black subjects.
On October 29, 1883, the following appeared in the London Standard: “The New Guinea Exploration and Colonization Company is already chartered, and the first expedition expects to leave before Christmas.” “The prospectus states settlers intending to join the first party must contribute one hundred pounds toward the company. This subs scription will include all expenses for passage money. Six months’ provisions will be provided, together with tents and arms for protection. Each subscriber of one hundred pounds is to obtain a certificate entitling him to one thousand acres.”
The view of the colonization scheme taken by the Times of London, of the same date, is less complaisant. “The latest commercial sensation is a proposed company for the seizure of New Guinea. Certain adventurous gentlemen are looking out for one hundred others who have money and a taste for buccaneering. When the company has been completed, its shareholders are to place themselves under military regulations, sail in a body for New Guinea, and without asking anybody’s leave, seize upon the island and at once, in some unspecified way, proceed to realize large profits. If the idea does not suggest comparisons with the large designs of Sir Francis Drake, it is at least not unworthy of Captain Kidd.”
When we remember the manner in which some of the colonies of Great Britain were acquired, the Times seems almost squeamish.
In a Melbourne paper, June, 1884, is the following paragraph:
“Toward the latter part of 1883 the Government of Queensland planted the flag of Great Britain on the shores of New Guinea. When the news reached England it created a sensation. The Earl of Derby, Secretary for the Colonies, refused, however, to sanction the annexation of New Guinea, and in so doing acted contrary to the sincere wish of every right-thinking Anglo-Saxon under the Southern Cross.
“While the subsequent correspondence between the Home and Queensland governments was going on, Brigadier-General H. R. Maclver originated and organized the New Guinea Exploration and Colonization Company, in London, with a view to establishing settlements on the island. The company, presided over by General Beresford of the British Army, and having an eminently representative and influential board of directors, had a capital of two hundred and fifty thousand pounds, and placed the supreme command of the expedition in the hands of General Maclver. Notwithstanding the character of the gentlemen composing the board of directors, and the truly peaceful nature of the expedition, his Lordship informed General Maclver that in the event of the latter’s attempting to land on New Guinea, instructions would be sent to the officer in command of her Majesty’s fleet in the Western Pacific to fire upon the company’s vessel. This meant that the expedition would be dealt with as a filibustering one.”
In Judy, September 21, 1887, appears:
“We all recollect the treatment received by Brigadier-General Macl. in the action he took with respect to the annexation of New Guinea. The General, who is a sort of Pizarro, with a dash of D’Artagnan, was treated in a most scurvy manner by Lord Derby. Had Maclver not been thwarted in his enterprise, the whole of New Guinea would now have been under the British flag, and we should not be cheek-by-jowl with the Germans, as we are in too many places.”
Society, September 3, 1887, says:
“The New Guinea expedition proved abortive, owing to the blundering shortsightedness of the then Government, for which Lord Derby was chiefly responsible, but what little foothold we possess in New Guinea is certainly due to General Maclver’s gallant effort.”
Copy of statement made by J. Rintoul Mitchell, June 2, 1887:
“About the latter end of the year 1883, when I was editor-in-chief of the Englishman in Calcutta, I was told by Captain de Deaux, assistant secretary in the Foreign Office of the Indian Government, that he had received a telegram from Lord Derby to the effect that if General Maclver ventured to land upon the coast of New Guinea it would become the duty of Lord Ripon, Viceroy, to use the naval forces at his command for the purpose of deporting General Macl. Sir Aucland Calvin can certify to this, as it was discussed in the Viceregal Council.”
Just after our Civil War Maclver was interested in another expedition which also failed. Its members called themselves the Knights of Arabia, and their object was to colonize an island much nearer to our shores than New Guinea. Maclver, saying that his oath prevented, would never tell me which island this was, but the reader can choose from among Cuba, Haiti, and the Hawaiian group. To have taken Cuba, the “colonizers” would have had to fight not only Spain, but the Cubans themselves, on whose side they were soon fighting in the Ten Years’ War; so Cuba may be eliminated. And as the expedition was to sail from the Atlantic side, and not from San Francisco, the island would appear to be the Black Republic. From the records of the times it would seem that the greater number of the Knights of Arabia were veterans of the Confederate Army, and there is no question but that they intended to subjugate the blacks of Haiti and form a republic for white men, in which slavery would be recognized. As one of the leaders of this filibustering expedition, Maclver was arrested by General Phil Sheridan and for a short time cast into jail. This chafed the General’s spirit, but he argued philosophically that imprisonment for filibustering, while irksome, brought with it no reproach. And, indeed, sometimes the only difference between a filibuster and a government lies in the fact that the government fights the gunboats of only the enemy while a filibuster must dodge the boats of the enemy and those of his own countrymen. When the United States went to war with Spain there were many men in jail as filibusters, for doing that which at the time the country secretly approved, and later imitated. And because they attempted exactly the same thing for which Dr. Jameson was imprisoned in Holloway Jail, two hundred thousand of his countrymen are now wearing medals.
The by-laws of the Knights of Arabia leave but little doubt as to its object.
By-law No. II reads:
“We, as Knights of Arabia, pledge ourselves to aid, comfort, and protect all Knights of Arabia, especially those who are wounded in obtaining our grand object.
“III—Great care must be taken that no unbeliever or outsider shall gain any insight into the mysteries or secrets of the Order.
“IV—The candidate will have to pay one hundred dollars cash to the Captain of the Company, and the candidate will receive from the Secretary a Knight of Arabia bond for one hundred dollars in gold, with ten per cent interest, payable ninety days after the recognition of (The Republic of) by the United States, or any government.
“V—All Knights of Arabia will be entitled to one hundred acres of land, location of said land to be drawn for by lottery. The products are coffee, sugar, tobacco, and cotton.”
A local correspondent of the New York Herald writes of the arrest of Maclver as follows:
“When Maclver will be tried is at present unknown, as his case has assumed a complicated aspect. He claims British protection as a subject of her British Majesty, and the English Consul has forwarded a statement of his case to Sir Frederick Bruce at Washington, accompanied by a copy of the by-laws. General Sheridan also has forwarded a statement to the Secretary of War, accompanied not only by the bylaws, but very important documents, including letters from Jefferson Davis, Benjamin, the Secretary of State of the Confederate States, and other personages prominent in the Rebellion, showing that Maclver enjoyed the highest confidence of the Confederacy.”
As to the last statement, an open letter I found in his scrap-book is an excellent proof. It is as follows:
“To officers and members of all camps of United Confederate Veterans: It affords me the greatest pleasure to say that the bearer of this letter, General Henry Ronald Maclver, was an officer of great gallantry in the Confederate Army, serving on the staff at various times of General Stonewall Jackson, J. E. B. Stuart, and E. Kirby Smith, and that his official record is one of which any man may be proud.
“Respectfully, Marcus J. Wright,
Agent for the Collection of Confederate Records.
“War Records Office, War Department, Washington, July 8, 1895.”
At the close of the war duels between officers of the two armies were not infrequent. In the scrap-book there is the account of one of these affairs sent from Vicksburg to a Northern paper by a correspondent who was an eyewitness of the event. It tells how Major Maclver, accompanied by Major Gillespie, met, just outside of Vicksburg, Captain Tomlin of Vermont, of the United States Artillery Volunteers. The duel was with swords. Maclver ran Tomlin through the body. The correspondent writes:
“The Confederate officer wiped his sword on his handkerchief. In a few seconds Captain Tomlin expired. One of Major Maclver’s seconds called to him: * He is dead; you must go. These gentlemen will look after the body of their friend/ A negro boy brought up the horses, but before mounting Mac-Iver said to Captain Tomlin’s seconds: ‘ My friends are in haste for me to go. Is there anything I can do? I hope you consider that this matter has been settled honorably?"
“There being no reply, the Confederates rode away.”
In a newspaper of to-day so matter-of-fact an acceptance of an event so tragic would make strange reading.
From the South Maclver crossed through Texas to join the Royalist army under the Emperor Maximilian. It was while making his way, with other Confederate officers, from Galveston to El Paso, that Maclver was captured by the Indians. He was not ill-treated by them, but for three months was a prisoner, until one night, the Indians having camped near the Rio Grande, he escaped into Mexico. There he offered his sword to the Royalist commander, General Mejia, who placed him on his staff, and showed him some few skirmishes. At Monterey Maclver saw big fighting, and for his share in it received the title of Count, and the order of Guadaloupe. In June, contrary to all rules of civilized war, Maximilian was executed and the empire was at an end. Maclver escaped to the coast, and from Tampico took a sailing vessel to Rio de Janeiro. Two months later he was wearing the uniform of another emperor, Dom Pedro, and, with the rank of lieutenant-colo-nel, was in command of the Foreign Legion of the armies of Brazil and Argentina, which at that time as allies were fighting against Paraguay.
Maclver soon recruited seven hundred men, but only half of these ever reached the front. In Buenos Ayres cholera broke out and thirty thousand people died, among the number about half the Legion. Maclver was among those who suffered, and before he recovered was six weeks in hospital. During that period, under a junior officer, the Foreign Legion was sent to the front, where it was disbanded.
On his return to Glasgow, Maclver foregathered with an old friend, Bennett Burleigh, whom he had known when Burleigh was a lieutenant in the navy of the Confederate States. Although to-day known as a distinguished war correspondent, in those days Burleigh was something of a soldier of fortune himself, and was organizing an expedition to assist the Cretan insurgents against the Turks. Between the two men it was arranged that Maclver should precede the expedition to Crete and prepare for its arrival. The Cretans received him gladly, and from the provisional government he received a commission in which he was given “ full power to make war on land and sea against the enemies of Crete, and particularly against the Sultan of Turkey and the Turkish forces, and to burn, destroy, or capture any vessel bearing the Turkish flag.”
This permission to destroy the Turkish navy single-handed strikes one as more than generous, for the Cretans had no navy, and before one could begin the destruction of a Turkish gunboat it was first necessary to catch it and tie it to a wharf.
At the close of the Cretan insurrection Maclver crossed to Athens and served against the brigands in Kisissia on the borders of Albania and Thessaly as volunteer aide to Colonel Corroneus, who had been commander-in-chief of the Cretans against the Turks. Maclver spent three months potting at brigands, and for his services in the mountains was recommended for the highest Greek decoration.
From Greece it was only a step to New York, and almost immediately Maclver appears as one of the Goicouria-Christo expedition to Cuba, of which Goicouria was commander-in-chief, and two famous American officers, Brigadier-General Samuel C. Williams was a general and Colonel Wright Schumburg was chief of staff.
In the scrap-book I find “General Order No. II of the Liberal Army of the Republic of Cuba, issued at Cedar Keys, October 3, 1869.” In it Colonel Maclver is spoken of as in charge of officers not attached to any organized corps of the division. And again:
“General Order No. V, Expeditionary Division, Republic of Cuba, on board Lilian ” announces that the place to which the expedition is bound has been changed, and that General Wright Schumburg, who now is in command, orders “ all officers not otherwise commissioned to join Colonel Maclver’s ‘ Corps of Officers.”
The Lilian ran out of coal, and to obtain firewood put in at Cedar Keys. For two weeks the patriots cut wood and drilled upon the beach, when they were captured by a British gunboat and taken to Nassau. There they were set at liberty, but.their arms, boat, and stores were confiscated.
In a sailing vessel Maclver finally reached Cuba, and under Goicouria, who had made a successful landing, saw some “ help yourself ” fighting. Goicouria’s force was finally scattered, and Maclver escaped from the Spanish soldiery only by putting to sea in an open boat, in which he endeavored to make Jamaica.
On the third day out he was picked up by a steamer and again landed at Nassau, from which place he returned to New York.
At that time in this city there was a very interesting man named Thaddeus P. Mott, who had been an officer in our army and later had entered the service of Ismail Pasha. By the Khedive he had been appointed a general of division and had received permission to reorganize the Egyptian army.
His object in coming to New York was to engage officers for that service. He came at an opportune moment. At that time the city was filled with men who, in the Rebellion, on one side or the other, had held command, and many of these, unfitted by four years of soldiering for any other calling, readily accepted the commissions which Mott had authority to offer. New York was not large enough to keep Maclver and Mott long apart, and they soon came to an understanding. The agreement drawn up between them is a curious document. It is written in a neat hand on sheets of foolscap tied together like a Com-mencement-day address, with blue ribbon. In it Maclver agrees to serve as colonel of cavalry in the service of the Khedive. With a few legal phrases omitted, the document reads as follows:
“Agreement entered into this 24th day of March, 1870, between the Government of his Royal Highness the Khedive of Egypt, represented by General Thad-deus P. Mott of the first part, and H. R. H. Maclver of New York City.
“The party of the second part, being desirous of entering into the service of party of the first part, in the military capacity of a colonel of cavalry, promises to serve and obey party of the first part faithfully and truly in his military capacity during the space of five years from this date; that the party of the second part waives all claims of protection usually afforded to Americans by consular and diplomatic agents of the United States, and expressly obligates himself to be subject to the orders of the party of the first part, and to make, wage, and vigorously prosecute war against any and all the enemies of party of the first part; that the party of the second part will not under any event be governed, controlled by, or submit to, any order, law, mandate, or proclamation issued by the Government of the United States of America, forbidding party of the second part to serve party of the first part to make war according to any of the provisions herein contained, it being, however, distinctly understood that nothing herein contained shall be construed as obligating party of the second part to bear arms or wage war against the United States of America.
“Party of the first part promises to furnish party of the second part with horses, rations, and pay him for his services the same salary now paid to colonels of cavalry in United States army, and will furnish him quarters suitable to his rank in army. Also promises, in the case of illness caused by climate, that said party may resign his office and shall receive his expenses to America and two months’ pay; that he receives one-fifth of his regular pay during his active service, together with all expenses of every nature attending such enterprise.”
It also stipulates as to what sums shall be paid his family or children in case of his death.
To this Maclver signs this oath:
“In the presence of the ever-living God, I swear that I will in all things honestly, faithfully, and truly keep, observe, and perform the obligations and promises above enumerated, and endeavor to conform to the wishes and desires of the Government of his Royal Highness the Khedive of Egypt, in all things connected with the furtherance of his prosperity, and the maintenance of his throne.”
On arriving at Cairo, Maclver was appointed inspector-general of cavalry, and furnished with a uniform, of which this is a description: “It consisted of a blue tunic with gold spangles, embroidered in gold up the sleeves and front, neat-fitting red trousers, and high patent-leather boots, while the inevitable fez completed the gay costume.”
The climate of Cairo did not agree with Maclver, and, in spite of his “gay costume,” after six months he left the Egyptian service. His honorable discharge was signed by Stone Bey, who, in the favor of the Khedive, had supplanted General Mott.
It is a curious fact that, in spite of his ill health, immediately after leaving Cairo, Maclver was sufficiently recovered to at once plunge into the Franco-Prussian War. At the battle of Orleans, while on the staff of General Chanzy, he was wounded. In this war his rank was that of a colonel of cavalry of the auxiliary army.
His next venture was in the Carlist uprising of 1873, when he formed a Carlist League, and on several occasions acted as bearer of important messages from the “King,” as Don Carlos was called, to the sympathizers with his cause in France and England.
Maclver was promised, if he carried out successfully a certain mission upon which he was sent, and if Don Carlos became king, that he would be made a marquis. As Don Carlos is still a pretender, Maclver is still a general.
Although in disposing of his sword Maclver never allowed his personal predilections to weigh with him, he always treated himself to a hearty dislike of the Turks, and we next find him fighting against them in Herzegovina with the Montenegrins. And when the Servians declared war against the same people, Maclver returned to London to organize a cavalry brigade to fight with the Servian army.
Of this brigade and of the rapid rise of Maclver to highest rank and honors in Servia, the scrap-book is most eloquent. The cavalry brigade was to be called the Knights of the Red Cross.
In a letter to the editor of the Hour, the general himself speaks of it in the following terms:
“It may be interesting to many of your readers to learn that a select corps of gentlemen is at present in course of organization under the above title with the mission of proceeding to the Levant to take measures in case of emergency for the defense of the Christian population, and more especially of British subjects who are to a great extent unprovided with adequate means of protection from the religious furies of the Mussulmans. The lives of Christian women and children are in hourly peril from fanatical hordes. The Knights will be carefully chosen and kept within strict military control, and will be under command of a practical soldier with large experience of the Eastern countries. Templars and all other Crusaders are invited to give aid and sympathy.”
Apparently Maclver was not successful in enlisting many Knights, for a war correspondent at the capital of Servia, waiting for the war to begin, writes as follows:
“A Scotch soldier of fortune, Henry Maclver, a colonel by rank, has arrived at Belgrade with a small contingent of military adventurers. Five weeks ago I met him in Fleet Street, London, and had some talk about his ‘expedition.' He had received a commission from the Prince of Servia to organize and command an independent cavalry brigade, and he then was busily enrolling his volunteers into a body styled ‘ The Knights of the Red Cross/ I am afraid some of his bold Crusaders have earned more distinction for their attacks on Fleet Street bars than they are likely to earn on Servian battlefields, but then I must not anticipate history.”
Another paper tells that at the end of the first week of his service as a Servian officer, Maclver had enlisted ninety men, but that they were scattered about the town, many without shelter and rations:
“He assembled his men on the Rialto, and in spite of official expostulation, the men were marched up to the Minister’s four abreast—and they marched fairly well, making a good show. The War Minister was taken by storm, and at once granted everything. It has raised the English colonel’s popularity with his men to fever heat.”
This from the Times, London:
“Our Belgrade correspondent telegraphs last night:
“‘There is here at present a gentleman named Maclver. He came from England to offer himself and his sword to the Servians. The Servian Minister of War gave him a colonel’s commission. This morning I saw him drilling about one hundred and fifty remarkably fine-looking fellows, all clad in a good serviceable cavalry uniform, and he has horses.'”
Later we find that:
“Colonel Maclver’s Legion of Cavalry, organizing here, now numbers over two hundred men.”
And again:
“Prince Nica, a Roumanian cousin of the Princess Natalie of Servia, has joined Colonel Maclver’s cavalry corps.”
Later, in the Court Journal, October 28, 1876, we read:
“Colonel Maclver, who a few years ago was very well known in military circles in Dublin, now is making his mark with the Servian Army. In the war against the Turks, he commands about one thousand Russo-Servian cavalry.”
He was next to receive the following honors:
“Colonel Maclver has been appointed commander of the cavalry of the Servian Armies on the Morava and Timok, and has received the Cross of the Takovo Order from General Tchernaieff for gallant conduct in the field, and the gold medal for valor.”
Later we learn from the Daily News:
“Mr. Lewis Farley, Secretary of the ‘League in Aid of Christians of Turkey/ has received the following letter, dated Belgrade, October 10, 1876:
“‘Dear Sir : In reference to the embroidered banner so kindly worked by an English lady and forwarded by the League to Colonel Maclver, I have great pleasure in conveying to you the following particulars. On Sunday morning, the Flag having been previously consecrated by the Archbishop, was conducted by a guard of honor to the palace, and Colonel Maclver, in the presence of Prince Milan and a numerous suite, in the name and on behalf of yourself and the fair donor, delivered it into the hands of the Princess Natalie. The gallant Colonel wore upon this occasion his full uniform as brigade commander and Chief of Cavalry of the Servian Army, and bore upon his breast the ‘Gold Cross of Takovo' which he received after the battles of the 28th and 30th of September, in recognition of the heroism and bravery he displayed upon these eventful days. The beauty of the decoration was enhanced by the circumstances of its bestowal, for on the evening of the battle of the 30th, General Tchernaieff approached Colonel Maclver, and, unclasping the Cross from his own breast, placed it upon that of the Colonel.
“(Signed) Hugh Jackson.
“Member of Council of the League.”
In Servia and in the Servian Army Maclver reached what as yet is the highest point of his career, and of his life the happiest period. He was general de brigade, which is not what we know as a brigade general, but is one who commands a division, a major-general. He was a great favorite both at the Palace and with the people, the pay was good, fighting plentiful, and Belgrade gay and amusing. Of all the places he has visited and the countries he has served, it is of this Balkan kingdom that the general seems to speak most fondly and with the greatest feeling. Of Queen Natalie he was and is a most loyal and chivalric admirer, and was ever ready, when he found any one who did not as greatly respect the lady, to offer him the choice of swords or pistols. Even for Milan he finds an extenuating word.
After Servia the general raised more Foreign Legions, planned further expeditions; in Central America reorganized the small armies of the small republics, served as United States Consul, and offered his sword to President McKinley for use against Spain. But with Servia the most active portion of the life of the general ceased, and the rest has been a repetition of what went before. At present his time is divided between New York and Virginia, where he has been offered an executive position in the approaching Jamestown Exposition. Both North and South he has many friends, many admirers. But his life is, and, from the nature of his profession, must always be, a lonely one.
While other men remain planted in one spot, gathering about them a home, sons and daughters, an income for old age, Maclver is a rolling stone, a piece of floating seaweed; as the present King of England called him fondly, “that vagabond soldier."
To a man who has lived in the saddle and upon transports, “neighbor” conveys nothing, and even “comrade” too often means one who is no longer living.
With the exception of the United States, of which he now is a naturalized citizen, the general has fought for nearly every country in the world, but if any of those for which he lost his health and blood, and for which he risked his life, remembers him, it makes no sign. And the general is too proud to ask to be remembered. To-day there is no more interesting figure than this man who in years is still young enough to lead an army corps, and who, for forty years, has been selling his sword and risking his life for presidents, pretenders, charlatans, and emperors.
He finds some mighty changes: Cuba, which he fought to free, is free; men of the South, with whom for four years he fought shoulder to shoulder, are now wearing the blue; the Empire of Mexico, for which he fought, is a republic; the Empire of France, for which he fought, is a republic; the Empire of Brazil, for which he fought, is a republic; the dynasty in Servia to which he owes his greatest honors has been wiped out by murder. From none of these eighteen countries he has served has he a pension, berth, or billet, and at sixty he finds himself at home in every land, but with a home in none.
Still he has his sword, his blanket, and in the event of war, to obtain a commission he has only to open his tin boxes and show the commissions already won. Indeed, any day, in a new uniform, and under the Nineteenth Flag, the general may again be winning fresh victories and honors.
And so, this brief sketch of him is left unfinished.
There is a complete book about him in pdf format which I've added to the foot of his page at:
http://www.electricscotland.com/hist...eg/maciver.htm
And that's it for this week and hope you all enjoy your weekend.The Life and Adventures of Brigadier-General MacIver (1841–1907)
ANY sunny afternoon, on Fifth Avenue, or at night in the table d'hote restaurants of University Place, you may meet the soldier of fortune who of all his brothers in arms now living is the most remarkable. You may have noticed him; a stiffly erect, distinguished-looking man, with gray hair, an imperial of the fashion of Louis Napoleon, fierce blue eyes, and across his forehead a sabre cut.
This is Henry Ronald Douglas Maclver, for some time in India an ensign in the Sepoy mutiny; in Italy, lieutenant under Garibaldi; in Spain, captain under Don Carlos; in our Civil War, major in the Confederate army; in Mexico, lieutenant-colonel under the Emperor Maximilian; colonel under Napoleon III, inspector of cavalry for the Khedive of Egypt, and chief of cavalry and general of brigade of the army of King Milan of Servia. These are only a few of his military titles. In 1884 was published a book giving the story of his life up to that year. It was called “Under Fourteen Flags.” If to-day General MacIver were to reprint the book, it would be called “Under Eighteen Flags.”
Maclver was born on Christmas Day, 1841, at sea, a league off the shore of Virginia. His mother was Miss Anna Douglas of that State; Ronald Maclver, his father, was a Scot, a Ross-shire gentleman, a younger son of the chief of the Clan Maclver. Until he was ten years old young Maclver played in Virginia at the home of his father. Then, in order that he might be educated, he was shipped to Edinburgh to an uncle, General Donald Graham. After five years his uncle obtained for him a commission as ensign in the Honourable East India Company, and at sixteen, when other boys are preparing for college, Maclver was in the Indian Mutiny, fighting, not for a flag, nor a country, but as one fights a wild animal, for his life. He was wounded in the arm, and, with a sword, cut over the head. As a safeguard against the sun the boy had placed inside his helmet a wet towel. This saved him to fight another day, but even with that protection the sword sank through the helmet, the towel, and into the skull. Today you can see the scar. He was left in the road for dead, and even after his wounds had healed, was six weeks in the hospital.
This rough handling at the very start might have satisfied some men, but in the very next war Maclver was a volunteer and wore the red shirt of Garibaldi. He remained at the front throughout that campaign, and until within a few years there has been no campaign of consequence in which he has not taken part. He served in the Ten Years’ War in Cuba, in Brazil, in Argentina, in Crete, in Greece, twice in Spain in Carlist revolutions, in Bosnia, and for four years in our Civil War under Generals Jackson and Stuart around Richmond. In this great war he was four times wounded.
It was after the surrender of the Confederate Army, that, with other Southern officers, he served under Maximilian in Mexico; in Egypt, and in France. Whenever in any part of the world there was fighting, or the rumor of fighting, the procedure of the general invariably was the same. He would order himself to instantly depart for the front, and on arriving there would offer to organize a foreign legion. The command of this organization always was given to him. But the foreign legion was merely the entering wedge. He would soon show that he was fitted for a better command than a band of undisciplined volunteers, and would receive a commission in the regular army. In almost every command in which he served that is the manner in which promotion came. Sometimes he saw but little fighting, sometimes he should have died several deaths, each of a nature more unpleasant than the others. For in war the obvious danger of a bullet is but a three hundred to one shot, while in the pack against the combatant the jokers are innumerable. And in the career of the general the unforeseen adventures are the most interesting. A man who in eighteen campaigns has played his part would seem to have earned exemption from any other risks, but often it was outside the battle-field that Maclver encountered the greatest danger. He fought several duels, in two of which he killed his adversary; several attempts were made to assassinate him, and while on his way to Mexico he was captured by hostile Indians. On returning from an expedition in Cuba he was cast adrift in an open boat and for days was without food.
Long before I met General Maclver I had read his book and had heard of him from many men who had met him in many different lands while engaged in as many different undertakings. Several of the older war correspondents knew him intimately; Bennett Burleigh of the Telegraph was his friend, and E. F. Knight of the Times was one of those who volunteered for a filibustering expedition which Maclver organized against New Guinea. The late Colonel Ochiltree of Texas told me tales of Maclver’s bravery, when as young men they were fellow officers in the Southern Army, and Stephen Bonsai had met him when Maclver was United States Consul at Denia in Spain. When Maclver arrived at this post, the ex-consul refused to vacate the Consulate, and Maclver wished to settle the difficulty with duelling pistols. As Denia is a small place, the inhabitants feared for their safety, and Bonsai, who was our charge d’affaires then, was sent from Madrid to adjust matters. Without bloodshed he got rid of the ex-consul, and later Maclver so endeared himself to the Denians that they begged the State Department to retain him in that place for the remainder of his life.
Before General Maclver was appointed to a high position at the St. Louis Fair, I saw much of him in New York. His room was in a side street in an old-fashioned boardinghouse, and overlooked his neighbors’ backyard and a typical New York City sumac tree; but when the general talked one forgot he was within a block of the Elevated, and roamed over all the world. On his bed he would spread out wonderful parchments, with strange, heathenish inscriptions, with great seals, with faded ribbons. These were signed by Sultans, Secretaries of War, Emperors, filibusters. They were military commissions, titles of nobility, brevets for decorations, instructions and commands from superior officers. Translated the phrases ran: “Imposing special confidence in,” “we appoint,” or “create,” or “declare,” or “In recognition of services rendered to our person,” or “country,” or “cause,” or “For bravery on the field of battle we bestow the Cross”.
As must a soldier, the general travels “ light,” and all his worldly possessions were crowded ready for mobilization into a small compass. He had his sword, his field blanket, his trunk, and the tin despatch boxes that held his papers. From these, like a conjurer, he would draw souvenirs of all the world. From the embrace of faded letters, he would unfold old photographs, daguerreotypes, and miniatures of fair women and adventurous men: women who now are queens in exile, men who, lifted on waves of absinthe, still, across a cafe table, tell how they will win back a crown.
Once in a written document the general did me the honor to appoint me his literary executor, but as he is young, and as healthy as myself, it never may be my lot to perform such an unwelcome duty. And to-day all one can write of him is what the world can read in “Under Fourteen Flags,” and some of the “foot-notes to history” which I have copied from his scrap-book. This scrap-book is a wonderful volume, but owing to “political” and other reasons, for the present, of the many clippings from newspapers it contains there are only a few I am at liberty to print. And from them it is difficult to make a choice. To sketch in a few thousand words a career that had developed under Eighteen Flags is in its very wealth embarrassing.
Here is one story, as told by the scrap-book, of an expedition that failed. That it failed was due to a British Cabinet Minister; for had Lord Derby possessed the imagination of the Soldier of Fortune, his Majesty’s dominions might now be the richer by many thousands of square miles and many thousands of black subjects.
On October 29, 1883, the following appeared in the London Standard: “The New Guinea Exploration and Colonization Company is already chartered, and the first expedition expects to leave before Christmas.” “The prospectus states settlers intending to join the first party must contribute one hundred pounds toward the company. This subs scription will include all expenses for passage money. Six months’ provisions will be provided, together with tents and arms for protection. Each subscriber of one hundred pounds is to obtain a certificate entitling him to one thousand acres.”
The view of the colonization scheme taken by the Times of London, of the same date, is less complaisant. “The latest commercial sensation is a proposed company for the seizure of New Guinea. Certain adventurous gentlemen are looking out for one hundred others who have money and a taste for buccaneering. When the company has been completed, its shareholders are to place themselves under military regulations, sail in a body for New Guinea, and without asking anybody’s leave, seize upon the island and at once, in some unspecified way, proceed to realize large profits. If the idea does not suggest comparisons with the large designs of Sir Francis Drake, it is at least not unworthy of Captain Kidd.”
When we remember the manner in which some of the colonies of Great Britain were acquired, the Times seems almost squeamish.
In a Melbourne paper, June, 1884, is the following paragraph:
“Toward the latter part of 1883 the Government of Queensland planted the flag of Great Britain on the shores of New Guinea. When the news reached England it created a sensation. The Earl of Derby, Secretary for the Colonies, refused, however, to sanction the annexation of New Guinea, and in so doing acted contrary to the sincere wish of every right-thinking Anglo-Saxon under the Southern Cross.
“While the subsequent correspondence between the Home and Queensland governments was going on, Brigadier-General H. R. Maclver originated and organized the New Guinea Exploration and Colonization Company, in London, with a view to establishing settlements on the island. The company, presided over by General Beresford of the British Army, and having an eminently representative and influential board of directors, had a capital of two hundred and fifty thousand pounds, and placed the supreme command of the expedition in the hands of General Maclver. Notwithstanding the character of the gentlemen composing the board of directors, and the truly peaceful nature of the expedition, his Lordship informed General Maclver that in the event of the latter’s attempting to land on New Guinea, instructions would be sent to the officer in command of her Majesty’s fleet in the Western Pacific to fire upon the company’s vessel. This meant that the expedition would be dealt with as a filibustering one.”
In Judy, September 21, 1887, appears:
“We all recollect the treatment received by Brigadier-General Macl. in the action he took with respect to the annexation of New Guinea. The General, who is a sort of Pizarro, with a dash of D’Artagnan, was treated in a most scurvy manner by Lord Derby. Had Maclver not been thwarted in his enterprise, the whole of New Guinea would now have been under the British flag, and we should not be cheek-by-jowl with the Germans, as we are in too many places.”
Society, September 3, 1887, says:
“The New Guinea expedition proved abortive, owing to the blundering shortsightedness of the then Government, for which Lord Derby was chiefly responsible, but what little foothold we possess in New Guinea is certainly due to General Maclver’s gallant effort.”
Copy of statement made by J. Rintoul Mitchell, June 2, 1887:
“About the latter end of the year 1883, when I was editor-in-chief of the Englishman in Calcutta, I was told by Captain de Deaux, assistant secretary in the Foreign Office of the Indian Government, that he had received a telegram from Lord Derby to the effect that if General Maclver ventured to land upon the coast of New Guinea it would become the duty of Lord Ripon, Viceroy, to use the naval forces at his command for the purpose of deporting General Macl. Sir Aucland Calvin can certify to this, as it was discussed in the Viceregal Council.”
Just after our Civil War Maclver was interested in another expedition which also failed. Its members called themselves the Knights of Arabia, and their object was to colonize an island much nearer to our shores than New Guinea. Maclver, saying that his oath prevented, would never tell me which island this was, but the reader can choose from among Cuba, Haiti, and the Hawaiian group. To have taken Cuba, the “colonizers” would have had to fight not only Spain, but the Cubans themselves, on whose side they were soon fighting in the Ten Years’ War; so Cuba may be eliminated. And as the expedition was to sail from the Atlantic side, and not from San Francisco, the island would appear to be the Black Republic. From the records of the times it would seem that the greater number of the Knights of Arabia were veterans of the Confederate Army, and there is no question but that they intended to subjugate the blacks of Haiti and form a republic for white men, in which slavery would be recognized. As one of the leaders of this filibustering expedition, Maclver was arrested by General Phil Sheridan and for a short time cast into jail. This chafed the General’s spirit, but he argued philosophically that imprisonment for filibustering, while irksome, brought with it no reproach. And, indeed, sometimes the only difference between a filibuster and a government lies in the fact that the government fights the gunboats of only the enemy while a filibuster must dodge the boats of the enemy and those of his own countrymen. When the United States went to war with Spain there were many men in jail as filibusters, for doing that which at the time the country secretly approved, and later imitated. And because they attempted exactly the same thing for which Dr. Jameson was imprisoned in Holloway Jail, two hundred thousand of his countrymen are now wearing medals.
The by-laws of the Knights of Arabia leave but little doubt as to its object.
By-law No. II reads:
“We, as Knights of Arabia, pledge ourselves to aid, comfort, and protect all Knights of Arabia, especially those who are wounded in obtaining our grand object.
“III—Great care must be taken that no unbeliever or outsider shall gain any insight into the mysteries or secrets of the Order.
“IV—The candidate will have to pay one hundred dollars cash to the Captain of the Company, and the candidate will receive from the Secretary a Knight of Arabia bond for one hundred dollars in gold, with ten per cent interest, payable ninety days after the recognition of (The Republic of) by the United States, or any government.
“V—All Knights of Arabia will be entitled to one hundred acres of land, location of said land to be drawn for by lottery. The products are coffee, sugar, tobacco, and cotton.”
A local correspondent of the New York Herald writes of the arrest of Maclver as follows:
“When Maclver will be tried is at present unknown, as his case has assumed a complicated aspect. He claims British protection as a subject of her British Majesty, and the English Consul has forwarded a statement of his case to Sir Frederick Bruce at Washington, accompanied by a copy of the by-laws. General Sheridan also has forwarded a statement to the Secretary of War, accompanied not only by the bylaws, but very important documents, including letters from Jefferson Davis, Benjamin, the Secretary of State of the Confederate States, and other personages prominent in the Rebellion, showing that Maclver enjoyed the highest confidence of the Confederacy.”
As to the last statement, an open letter I found in his scrap-book is an excellent proof. It is as follows:
“To officers and members of all camps of United Confederate Veterans: It affords me the greatest pleasure to say that the bearer of this letter, General Henry Ronald Maclver, was an officer of great gallantry in the Confederate Army, serving on the staff at various times of General Stonewall Jackson, J. E. B. Stuart, and E. Kirby Smith, and that his official record is one of which any man may be proud.
“Respectfully, Marcus J. Wright,
Agent for the Collection of Confederate Records.
“War Records Office, War Department, Washington, July 8, 1895.”
At the close of the war duels between officers of the two armies were not infrequent. In the scrap-book there is the account of one of these affairs sent from Vicksburg to a Northern paper by a correspondent who was an eyewitness of the event. It tells how Major Maclver, accompanied by Major Gillespie, met, just outside of Vicksburg, Captain Tomlin of Vermont, of the United States Artillery Volunteers. The duel was with swords. Maclver ran Tomlin through the body. The correspondent writes:
“The Confederate officer wiped his sword on his handkerchief. In a few seconds Captain Tomlin expired. One of Major Maclver’s seconds called to him: * He is dead; you must go. These gentlemen will look after the body of their friend/ A negro boy brought up the horses, but before mounting Mac-Iver said to Captain Tomlin’s seconds: ‘ My friends are in haste for me to go. Is there anything I can do? I hope you consider that this matter has been settled honorably?"
“There being no reply, the Confederates rode away.”
In a newspaper of to-day so matter-of-fact an acceptance of an event so tragic would make strange reading.
From the South Maclver crossed through Texas to join the Royalist army under the Emperor Maximilian. It was while making his way, with other Confederate officers, from Galveston to El Paso, that Maclver was captured by the Indians. He was not ill-treated by them, but for three months was a prisoner, until one night, the Indians having camped near the Rio Grande, he escaped into Mexico. There he offered his sword to the Royalist commander, General Mejia, who placed him on his staff, and showed him some few skirmishes. At Monterey Maclver saw big fighting, and for his share in it received the title of Count, and the order of Guadaloupe. In June, contrary to all rules of civilized war, Maximilian was executed and the empire was at an end. Maclver escaped to the coast, and from Tampico took a sailing vessel to Rio de Janeiro. Two months later he was wearing the uniform of another emperor, Dom Pedro, and, with the rank of lieutenant-colo-nel, was in command of the Foreign Legion of the armies of Brazil and Argentina, which at that time as allies were fighting against Paraguay.
Maclver soon recruited seven hundred men, but only half of these ever reached the front. In Buenos Ayres cholera broke out and thirty thousand people died, among the number about half the Legion. Maclver was among those who suffered, and before he recovered was six weeks in hospital. During that period, under a junior officer, the Foreign Legion was sent to the front, where it was disbanded.
On his return to Glasgow, Maclver foregathered with an old friend, Bennett Burleigh, whom he had known when Burleigh was a lieutenant in the navy of the Confederate States. Although to-day known as a distinguished war correspondent, in those days Burleigh was something of a soldier of fortune himself, and was organizing an expedition to assist the Cretan insurgents against the Turks. Between the two men it was arranged that Maclver should precede the expedition to Crete and prepare for its arrival. The Cretans received him gladly, and from the provisional government he received a commission in which he was given “ full power to make war on land and sea against the enemies of Crete, and particularly against the Sultan of Turkey and the Turkish forces, and to burn, destroy, or capture any vessel bearing the Turkish flag.”
This permission to destroy the Turkish navy single-handed strikes one as more than generous, for the Cretans had no navy, and before one could begin the destruction of a Turkish gunboat it was first necessary to catch it and tie it to a wharf.
At the close of the Cretan insurrection Maclver crossed to Athens and served against the brigands in Kisissia on the borders of Albania and Thessaly as volunteer aide to Colonel Corroneus, who had been commander-in-chief of the Cretans against the Turks. Maclver spent three months potting at brigands, and for his services in the mountains was recommended for the highest Greek decoration.
From Greece it was only a step to New York, and almost immediately Maclver appears as one of the Goicouria-Christo expedition to Cuba, of which Goicouria was commander-in-chief, and two famous American officers, Brigadier-General Samuel C. Williams was a general and Colonel Wright Schumburg was chief of staff.
In the scrap-book I find “General Order No. II of the Liberal Army of the Republic of Cuba, issued at Cedar Keys, October 3, 1869.” In it Colonel Maclver is spoken of as in charge of officers not attached to any organized corps of the division. And again:
“General Order No. V, Expeditionary Division, Republic of Cuba, on board Lilian ” announces that the place to which the expedition is bound has been changed, and that General Wright Schumburg, who now is in command, orders “ all officers not otherwise commissioned to join Colonel Maclver’s ‘ Corps of Officers.”
The Lilian ran out of coal, and to obtain firewood put in at Cedar Keys. For two weeks the patriots cut wood and drilled upon the beach, when they were captured by a British gunboat and taken to Nassau. There they were set at liberty, but.their arms, boat, and stores were confiscated.
In a sailing vessel Maclver finally reached Cuba, and under Goicouria, who had made a successful landing, saw some “ help yourself ” fighting. Goicouria’s force was finally scattered, and Maclver escaped from the Spanish soldiery only by putting to sea in an open boat, in which he endeavored to make Jamaica.
On the third day out he was picked up by a steamer and again landed at Nassau, from which place he returned to New York.
At that time in this city there was a very interesting man named Thaddeus P. Mott, who had been an officer in our army and later had entered the service of Ismail Pasha. By the Khedive he had been appointed a general of division and had received permission to reorganize the Egyptian army.
His object in coming to New York was to engage officers for that service. He came at an opportune moment. At that time the city was filled with men who, in the Rebellion, on one side or the other, had held command, and many of these, unfitted by four years of soldiering for any other calling, readily accepted the commissions which Mott had authority to offer. New York was not large enough to keep Maclver and Mott long apart, and they soon came to an understanding. The agreement drawn up between them is a curious document. It is written in a neat hand on sheets of foolscap tied together like a Com-mencement-day address, with blue ribbon. In it Maclver agrees to serve as colonel of cavalry in the service of the Khedive. With a few legal phrases omitted, the document reads as follows:
“Agreement entered into this 24th day of March, 1870, between the Government of his Royal Highness the Khedive of Egypt, represented by General Thad-deus P. Mott of the first part, and H. R. H. Maclver of New York City.
“The party of the second part, being desirous of entering into the service of party of the first part, in the military capacity of a colonel of cavalry, promises to serve and obey party of the first part faithfully and truly in his military capacity during the space of five years from this date; that the party of the second part waives all claims of protection usually afforded to Americans by consular and diplomatic agents of the United States, and expressly obligates himself to be subject to the orders of the party of the first part, and to make, wage, and vigorously prosecute war against any and all the enemies of party of the first part; that the party of the second part will not under any event be governed, controlled by, or submit to, any order, law, mandate, or proclamation issued by the Government of the United States of America, forbidding party of the second part to serve party of the first part to make war according to any of the provisions herein contained, it being, however, distinctly understood that nothing herein contained shall be construed as obligating party of the second part to bear arms or wage war against the United States of America.
“Party of the first part promises to furnish party of the second part with horses, rations, and pay him for his services the same salary now paid to colonels of cavalry in United States army, and will furnish him quarters suitable to his rank in army. Also promises, in the case of illness caused by climate, that said party may resign his office and shall receive his expenses to America and two months’ pay; that he receives one-fifth of his regular pay during his active service, together with all expenses of every nature attending such enterprise.”
It also stipulates as to what sums shall be paid his family or children in case of his death.
To this Maclver signs this oath:
“In the presence of the ever-living God, I swear that I will in all things honestly, faithfully, and truly keep, observe, and perform the obligations and promises above enumerated, and endeavor to conform to the wishes and desires of the Government of his Royal Highness the Khedive of Egypt, in all things connected with the furtherance of his prosperity, and the maintenance of his throne.”
On arriving at Cairo, Maclver was appointed inspector-general of cavalry, and furnished with a uniform, of which this is a description: “It consisted of a blue tunic with gold spangles, embroidered in gold up the sleeves and front, neat-fitting red trousers, and high patent-leather boots, while the inevitable fez completed the gay costume.”
The climate of Cairo did not agree with Maclver, and, in spite of his “gay costume,” after six months he left the Egyptian service. His honorable discharge was signed by Stone Bey, who, in the favor of the Khedive, had supplanted General Mott.
It is a curious fact that, in spite of his ill health, immediately after leaving Cairo, Maclver was sufficiently recovered to at once plunge into the Franco-Prussian War. At the battle of Orleans, while on the staff of General Chanzy, he was wounded. In this war his rank was that of a colonel of cavalry of the auxiliary army.
His next venture was in the Carlist uprising of 1873, when he formed a Carlist League, and on several occasions acted as bearer of important messages from the “King,” as Don Carlos was called, to the sympathizers with his cause in France and England.
Maclver was promised, if he carried out successfully a certain mission upon which he was sent, and if Don Carlos became king, that he would be made a marquis. As Don Carlos is still a pretender, Maclver is still a general.
Although in disposing of his sword Maclver never allowed his personal predilections to weigh with him, he always treated himself to a hearty dislike of the Turks, and we next find him fighting against them in Herzegovina with the Montenegrins. And when the Servians declared war against the same people, Maclver returned to London to organize a cavalry brigade to fight with the Servian army.
Of this brigade and of the rapid rise of Maclver to highest rank and honors in Servia, the scrap-book is most eloquent. The cavalry brigade was to be called the Knights of the Red Cross.
In a letter to the editor of the Hour, the general himself speaks of it in the following terms:
“It may be interesting to many of your readers to learn that a select corps of gentlemen is at present in course of organization under the above title with the mission of proceeding to the Levant to take measures in case of emergency for the defense of the Christian population, and more especially of British subjects who are to a great extent unprovided with adequate means of protection from the religious furies of the Mussulmans. The lives of Christian women and children are in hourly peril from fanatical hordes. The Knights will be carefully chosen and kept within strict military control, and will be under command of a practical soldier with large experience of the Eastern countries. Templars and all other Crusaders are invited to give aid and sympathy.”
Apparently Maclver was not successful in enlisting many Knights, for a war correspondent at the capital of Servia, waiting for the war to begin, writes as follows:
“A Scotch soldier of fortune, Henry Maclver, a colonel by rank, has arrived at Belgrade with a small contingent of military adventurers. Five weeks ago I met him in Fleet Street, London, and had some talk about his ‘expedition.' He had received a commission from the Prince of Servia to organize and command an independent cavalry brigade, and he then was busily enrolling his volunteers into a body styled ‘ The Knights of the Red Cross/ I am afraid some of his bold Crusaders have earned more distinction for their attacks on Fleet Street bars than they are likely to earn on Servian battlefields, but then I must not anticipate history.”
Another paper tells that at the end of the first week of his service as a Servian officer, Maclver had enlisted ninety men, but that they were scattered about the town, many without shelter and rations:
“He assembled his men on the Rialto, and in spite of official expostulation, the men were marched up to the Minister’s four abreast—and they marched fairly well, making a good show. The War Minister was taken by storm, and at once granted everything. It has raised the English colonel’s popularity with his men to fever heat.”
This from the Times, London:
“Our Belgrade correspondent telegraphs last night:
“‘There is here at present a gentleman named Maclver. He came from England to offer himself and his sword to the Servians. The Servian Minister of War gave him a colonel’s commission. This morning I saw him drilling about one hundred and fifty remarkably fine-looking fellows, all clad in a good serviceable cavalry uniform, and he has horses.'”
Later we find that:
“Colonel Maclver’s Legion of Cavalry, organizing here, now numbers over two hundred men.”
And again:
“Prince Nica, a Roumanian cousin of the Princess Natalie of Servia, has joined Colonel Maclver’s cavalry corps.”
Later, in the Court Journal, October 28, 1876, we read:
“Colonel Maclver, who a few years ago was very well known in military circles in Dublin, now is making his mark with the Servian Army. In the war against the Turks, he commands about one thousand Russo-Servian cavalry.”
He was next to receive the following honors:
“Colonel Maclver has been appointed commander of the cavalry of the Servian Armies on the Morava and Timok, and has received the Cross of the Takovo Order from General Tchernaieff for gallant conduct in the field, and the gold medal for valor.”
Later we learn from the Daily News:
“Mr. Lewis Farley, Secretary of the ‘League in Aid of Christians of Turkey/ has received the following letter, dated Belgrade, October 10, 1876:
“‘Dear Sir : In reference to the embroidered banner so kindly worked by an English lady and forwarded by the League to Colonel Maclver, I have great pleasure in conveying to you the following particulars. On Sunday morning, the Flag having been previously consecrated by the Archbishop, was conducted by a guard of honor to the palace, and Colonel Maclver, in the presence of Prince Milan and a numerous suite, in the name and on behalf of yourself and the fair donor, delivered it into the hands of the Princess Natalie. The gallant Colonel wore upon this occasion his full uniform as brigade commander and Chief of Cavalry of the Servian Army, and bore upon his breast the ‘Gold Cross of Takovo' which he received after the battles of the 28th and 30th of September, in recognition of the heroism and bravery he displayed upon these eventful days. The beauty of the decoration was enhanced by the circumstances of its bestowal, for on the evening of the battle of the 30th, General Tchernaieff approached Colonel Maclver, and, unclasping the Cross from his own breast, placed it upon that of the Colonel.
“(Signed) Hugh Jackson.
“Member of Council of the League.”
In Servia and in the Servian Army Maclver reached what as yet is the highest point of his career, and of his life the happiest period. He was general de brigade, which is not what we know as a brigade general, but is one who commands a division, a major-general. He was a great favorite both at the Palace and with the people, the pay was good, fighting plentiful, and Belgrade gay and amusing. Of all the places he has visited and the countries he has served, it is of this Balkan kingdom that the general seems to speak most fondly and with the greatest feeling. Of Queen Natalie he was and is a most loyal and chivalric admirer, and was ever ready, when he found any one who did not as greatly respect the lady, to offer him the choice of swords or pistols. Even for Milan he finds an extenuating word.
After Servia the general raised more Foreign Legions, planned further expeditions; in Central America reorganized the small armies of the small republics, served as United States Consul, and offered his sword to President McKinley for use against Spain. But with Servia the most active portion of the life of the general ceased, and the rest has been a repetition of what went before. At present his time is divided between New York and Virginia, where he has been offered an executive position in the approaching Jamestown Exposition. Both North and South he has many friends, many admirers. But his life is, and, from the nature of his profession, must always be, a lonely one.
While other men remain planted in one spot, gathering about them a home, sons and daughters, an income for old age, Maclver is a rolling stone, a piece of floating seaweed; as the present King of England called him fondly, “that vagabond soldier."
To a man who has lived in the saddle and upon transports, “neighbor” conveys nothing, and even “comrade” too often means one who is no longer living.
With the exception of the United States, of which he now is a naturalized citizen, the general has fought for nearly every country in the world, but if any of those for which he lost his health and blood, and for which he risked his life, remembers him, it makes no sign. And the general is too proud to ask to be remembered. To-day there is no more interesting figure than this man who in years is still young enough to lead an army corps, and who, for forty years, has been selling his sword and risking his life for presidents, pretenders, charlatans, and emperors.
He finds some mighty changes: Cuba, which he fought to free, is free; men of the South, with whom for four years he fought shoulder to shoulder, are now wearing the blue; the Empire of Mexico, for which he fought, is a republic; the Empire of France, for which he fought, is a republic; the Empire of Brazil, for which he fought, is a republic; the dynasty in Servia to which he owes his greatest honors has been wiped out by murder. From none of these eighteen countries he has served has he a pension, berth, or billet, and at sixty he finds himself at home in every land, but with a home in none.
Still he has his sword, his blanket, and in the event of war, to obtain a commission he has only to open his tin boxes and show the commissions already won. Indeed, any day, in a new uniform, and under the Nineteenth Flag, the general may again be winning fresh victories and honors.
And so, this brief sketch of him is left unfinished.
There is a complete book about him in pdf format which I've added to the foot of his page at:
http://www.electricscotland.com/hist...eg/maciver.htm
Alastair
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