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When the year 1855
opened, the country was greatly perturbed by the reports which were
coming to hand of the condition of the British Army in the Crimea,
exposed, as it was to a severe winter without sufficient clothing or
protection. In the House of Commons on 25th January Mr Roebuck gave
notice of his intention to move for a Committee of Inquiry. Lord John
Russell wrote to the Prime Minister saying that he did not see how this
motion could be resisted, and tendering his resignation. This step
paralyzed the Government, and on a division Mr Roebuck’s motion was
carried by a majority of 157. Thereupon Lord Aberdeen resigned, and
after Lord John Russell and Lord Derby had each failed to form an
administration, Lord Palmerston was called to the head of affairs. But
the difficulty was not at an end. The new Prime Minister accepted the
motion for an inquiry, while substituting a new Committee. Mr Gladstone,
Sir James Graham, and Mr Sidney Herbert were opposed to an inquiry, and
persisted in resigning. Sir Comewall Lewis succeeded Mr Gladstone as
Chancellor of the Exchequer, and Lord John Russell returned to the
Government as Colonial Minister in place of Mr Sidney Herbert. Lord
Panmure (Fox Maule) combined in his own person the hitherto distinct
functions of Secretary at War and Secretary for War.
Another dispute soon arose. A European Conference took place at Vienna,
to which Lord John Russell had been accredited. On his return Lord John
stronglv condemned in the Commons the proposals made at Vienna.
Thereupon the Austrian Plenipotentiary declared that at Vienna Lord John
had approved of these very proposals. This Lord John admitted, but said
he had since changed his opinion. Sir Edward Bulwer Lytton gave notice
of a motion of want of confidence in Lord John, and the latter withdrew
from the Ministry.
In March the Czar Nicholas died, and in June Lord Raglan.
Commander-in-Chief of the British forces in the Crimea, also passed
away. He was succeeded by General Simpson. The south side of Sebastopol
fell in September. This practically put an end to the war, but our
soldiers were obliged to spend another winter in the neighbourhood of
Sebastopol. They were, however, comfortably clad and housed in wooden
huts. Negotiations for peace continued during the rest of the year.
In August the Inverness Suspension Bridge was opened for traffic, and in
November the railway was opened from Inverness to Nairn.
From the "Inverness Courier.”
1855.
January 4.—The “Times” had begun its sweeping charges against the
administration of the army in the Crimea, and public opinion was in an
unsettled and angry state. The arrival of winter clothing, however, for
at least a portion of the army, was to some extent reassuring.
Ibid.—A proposal to adopt the Public Libraries Act in Inverness was
brought before a public meeting, but the attendance was so small that
the motion was not proposed. More than twenty years had to pass before
the Act was adopted. In 1855 it was stated that the penny rate in
Inverness would yield only a sum of about £72 a year.
Ibid.—Quotations are given from an autobiography contributed to the
“Gardener’s Chronicle” by Mr Donald Beaton, a gardener who had done good
work at Altyre and in the south of England. It is stated that when he
was at Altyre the garden boy there was James Sinclair, who afterwards
entered the service of Prince Woronzoff in the Crimea, where he laid out
beautiful gardens, which were much admired by the allied armies when
they went there.
January 11.—A report on plantations on the estate of Fairburn, by Mr
Stewart-Mackenzie of Seaforth. received the gold medal of the Highland
Society, and is published in this issue. The total extent of the
plantations was 363j acres, and the expenditure £389. “The profits from
plantations,” says the writer, “can only be looked forward to at a
distant period; this more than any other cause impedes their spread
throughout the country. But though their profits are slowly realised,
yet ultimately, with ordinary skilful treatment, they amply repay every
outlay."
Ibid.—The small estate of Wester Newton, in the neighbourhood of Nairn,
was sold by public auction. The property consisted of one farm of about
sixty acres and 12 acres of firewood, and was purchased for £2340 by Mr
Augustus J. Clarke of Achareidh.
January 18.—A Scottish Judge, Lord Robertson, died the previous week. He
was a friend of Lockhart, the biographer of Scott, and was famous for
his wit and humour. It was Robertson who said to his fellow-advocates,
when he saw the tall, conical white head of Scott approaching, “Hush,
boys, here comes old Peveril. I see the Peak.” When the witticism was
reported to Scott, he retorted, “As well Peveril o’ the Peak as Peter o’
the Painch” (paunch), and the epithet stuck to the portly humorist. At
the age of fifty Patrick Robertson came forward, to the surprise of his
acquaintances, as a sentimental poet, and his caustic friend Lockhart
privately circulated the still remembered epitaph—
“Here lies the peerless paper peer,
Lord Peter,
Who broke the laws of gods and men and metre.”
As an advocate Robertson was an admirable
and effective speaker, and both at the bar and on the bench displayed
sagacity and sound judgment.
Ibid.—War steamers were at this time stationed in Cromarty Firth, and
bodies of sailors, recruiting from the Baltic, were daily visitors to
Inverness, driving about in an open omnibus, and otherwise filling the
pockets of horse-hirers. Culloden Moor was a favourite place of resort.
They were full of fun and frolic, and a source of great entertainment to
the younger generation. “Yesterday a good-humoured battle took place on
Petty Street; the tars bought a great quantity of turnips and potatoes,
with which they pelted a crowd of urchins through the whole street.”
There was, however, no violence or outrage
January 25.—An ancient cairn had been opened by workmen at Guisachan,
Strathglass. It contained a stone coffin and a quantity of moist earth
and dust.
February 1.—The Right Rev. David Low, D.D., late Bishop of the Scottish
Episcopal Church in Ross. Morav, and Argyll, died at Pittenweem on the
26th. ult., in the sixty-seventh year of his ministry and the 35th year
of his Episcopate. He was elected Bishop of Ross and Argyll, at
Inverness, in 1819, and on the death of Bishop Jolly in 1838, the
district of Moray was added to his diocese. Bishop Low made many
factions to the church, and was a man greatly respected.
Ibid.—-Lord John Russell had resigned office, and Mr Roebuck’s motion
for inquiry into the condition of the army before Sebastopol had been
carried by a large majority. The result was the resignation of Lord
Aberdeen as Prime Minister, and the reconstruction of the Government,
with Lord Palmerston as Premier.
February 8 to 22.—The political crisis and discussions on the progress
of the war fill up a large part of the space. The Militia had been
embodied and billeted on the citizens, a practice which naturally caused
annoyance. Sir Charles Napier, home from the Baltic, gave voice in an
after dinner speech to complaints of the Admiralty, and on the same
occasion Lord Cardigan gave his account of the charge of the Light
Brigade.
February 22.—North Uist had been purchased by Sir John Orde, Bart, of
Kilmorey, “and thus,” says a correspondent, “the whole of the Long
Island has changed hands within the last quarter of a century.”
Ibid.—Mr Brown of Dumbrcxliill a gentleman long connected with the
Highlands, died the previous week at the age of 81. In his youth he had
the management of the Clanranald estates, and afterwards of the Seaforth
estates. In the Islands he encouraged the crofters to grow flax, and
established industrial schools. Latterly Mr Brown acted as commissioner
for the Duke of Hamilton
March 1.—This issue records the resignation of Sir James Graham, Mr
Gladstone, and Mr Sidney Herbert, who retired from the Ministry rather
than agree to the inquiry into the war administration proposed by Mr
Roebuck, even although the censure implied in the motion had been
modified by the nomination of a Committee selected by the new
Government. The London correspondent refers to the rout of the Peelites,
indulging in the following lines after the style of Sir Walter Scott: —
Vain was then the Gladstone brand,
Vain Sir James’s vaunted hand,
Vain long Herbert’s twist and quirk,
Showing how he spoiled his work;
Solemn Cardwell sped away,
Sped their chieftain, stern Lord A.,
And in triumph stood alone
Henry, Viscount Palmerston.
“We have now,” says the correspondent, “a
pure blood Administration, and not a coalition. All the new men are
Whigs and a little more.” It was in the debate on this occasion that Mr
Bright delivered his famous speech on the war. “The angel of death,” he
said, “has been abroad throughout the land; you may almost hear the very
beating of his wings.” The news from the Crimea, however, was now
re-assuring, though the hospitals at Scutari were crowded. At home there
had been severe frost and snow, but a thaw had set in. The issue records
the death of Mr Joseph Hume, M.P., a man whose integrity and public
services were acknowledged by all parties.
Ibid.—A great part of Armadale Castle, the seat of Lord Macdonald in
Skye, was destroyed by fire on the 18th of February. The Castle had been
erected about 1815 after a design by Mr Gillespie Graham.
Ibid.—Sergeant John Macpherson, of the 42nd Highlanders, died at
Kingussie the previous month, in the 83rd year of his age. Ho served
under Abercromby in Egypt, and was wounded at Aboukir. He was body
servant to Abercromby, and was one of the sergeants who accompanied his
remains to Malta. Discharged in 1801, he drew a pension for fifty-four
years. On his return to his native district, he was appointed head
gamekeeper to the Duke of Gordon in Badenoch. It was to Sergeant
Macpherson that Sir Robert Peel wrote and sent a present on the occasion
of his last visit to the Highlands.
Ibid.—Extracts are given from Sir John M'Neill’s report on the
administration of the poor law in Glenelg, the result of an inquiry
arising out of the Knoydart evictions. Sir John’s report was favourable
to the local authorities, but the editor holds that he was misinformed,
and adduces evidence in support of his view. Sir John mentions that the
change from crofting to sheep farming had brought an increase of revenue
to the estate of £166 4s lid, as compared with the average of the five
years from 1847 to 1852. The editor points out that the years selected
for comparison were chiefly years of famine, and says that the evictions
were disgraceful, and could not be justified by any increase of rent to
the proprietor.
March 8.—The sudden death of the Emperor Nicholas created throughout
Europe “a mingled feeling of astonishment, awe, and hope.” The war,
however, went on under his successor, the Emperor Alexander.
Ibid.—A veteran officer, Lieutenant Kenneth Murchison, died on the 21st
ult., at the age of seventy-eight. In his day he was “one of the
handsomest and strongest men in the British Army.” Mr Murchison was a
native of Skye, and saw a good deal of service, but for many years
conducted at Inverness the recruiting service of the 78th Highlanders.
He had a family of five sons, who all became military officers, and his
wife, who' was a Miss Urquhart from Fort-George, also had four officer
brothers.
Ibid.—The Rev. Alexander Fraser, Free Church minister of Kirkhill, had
been sent out as chaplain to the Crimea. It is stated that after a few
days’ stay at Scutari he had gone to Balaclava.
Ibid.—The Provost of Inverness, Mr Sutherland, resigned office on
account of pressure of business and growing infirmities. Cordial
tributes were paid to his services.
March a and 15.—A dispute was going on between the directors of the
Inverness Royal Academy and the directors of the Inverness and Nairn
Railway Company, the latter proposing to acquire or feu part of the
Academy grounds for the purposes of their undertaking. The Academy
directors offered to sell their whole buildings and grounds for the sum
of £5000, but the railway company refused this offer, and served
compulsory notices for a portion of the ground. Ultimately the
difference was arranged by the Academy directors agreeing to feu an
angle of their ground to the Company, at 4s per foot of frontage.
Ibid.—The Rev. Mr Macnaughton, Belfast, had declined to allow the call
from the congregation of the Inverness Free High Church to be proceeded
with, and the congregation now resolved to give a call to the Rev. W.
Trail, Manchester. In a subsequent issue it is stated that in a single
day over 540 names were adhibited to the call.
March 22.—Daniel Grant, Manchester, one of the “Cheeryble Brothers”
immortalised by Dickens, died the previous week, his brother William
having pre-deceased him in 1842. Their father was a Strathspey farmer,
whose losses led him to seek employment in England, where the sons built
up a great business. A Manchester paper, at the time of Daniel’s death,
declared that “the man docs not live who can accuse the house of Grant
Brothers of one single shabby transaction.”
Ibid.—Letters are given from the Rev. Mr Fraser, Kirkhill, with
particulars relating to his mission to the seat of war. He says that at
Scutari there were 7500 patients, and the deaths while he was there were
from 60 to 70 per night. Mr Fraser sends the names of men connected with
Inverness who were in the Highland Brigade, and who were either in good
health, sick, or convalescent. Most of them were well.
March 29.—The Governor of Gibraltar, Sir Robert Gardiner, had erected a
monument in the Cathedral Church of Gibraltar in memory of his respected
companion in arms, Major Rose of Kilravock. The following was the
inscription on the monument—“Sacred to the memory of Brevet-Major John
Baillie- Rose of the 55th Regiment. Among the brave and honourable who
fought and1 gained the ever-memorable battle of the Alma, on the 20th
September 1854, he fell mortally wounded, and died on the following
morning at four a.m.” Major Rose was on the staff of Sir Robert Gardiner
when at Gibraltar.
April 5.—Mr C. Lyon Mackenzie of St Mlartins was elected Provost of
Inverness, in room of Air Sutherland, resigned. The motion for Mr Lyon
Mackenzie’s election was made by Mr Mackintosh of Raigmore, and seconded
by Bailie Andrew Fraser. The election was unanimous.
Ibid.—The London letter describes a dramatic performance given in behalf
of Mr Angus B. Reach, who had been for many months disqualified for
mental exertion. The writer, after a warm encomium on Air Reach, says
:—“His Inverness letter was always a labour of love; he struggled to
write it when he had abandoned other work, and he persevered in seeking
to frame it at a time when prudence warned him to repose. It was with
reluctance that he acceded to the arrangement which transferred the work
temporarily to the hand of a friend.” This friend was Air Shirley
Brooks, and it was he and Air Albert Smith who arranged for the dramatic
performance, in which they received most willing assistance. Among the
audience were the Duke and Duchess of Wellington, the Lord President of
the Council, the Marchioness of Ailesbury, and nearly all the literary
men of mark in London, including Dickens and Thackeray.
Ibid.—A fire occurred in the village of Auldearn in a house and shop
occupied by one Robert Donaldson, who lost his life in the disaster.
There was an explosion of gunpowder, which had been kept on the
premises.
April 12.—There is news of the defeat of the Russians in a desperate
sortie which they made on the night of the 22nd March on the French camp
before Sebastopol. Among the incidents of the siege, it is mentioned
that “Sir Colin Campbell stops the grog of all his men who do not
occasionally write home to their parents.”
Ibid.—“We understand that the property of Strichen, in Aberdeenshire,
has been sold by Lord Lovat for the sum of £140,000. It is said that
this is from £20,000 to £30,000 beyond what it was valued at a few years
ago, when it was offered in three several lots, but failed to attract
purchasers."
April 19.—The Emperor and Empress of the French had arrived at Windsor
on a visit to Queen Victoria. They met with an enthusiastic reception in
their progress through London.
April 26.—The Vienna Conference had ended in the rejection by Russia of
the demands of the Allies. “She will risk the consequences of the war
rather than yield her preponderance in the Black Sea, and the
negotiations are therefore at an end.” The bombardment of Sebastopol was
in progress.
Ibid.—Mr Robert Sinclair, Borlumbeg, Glen-Urquhart, died on the 5th
inst. in the 68th year of his age. He had been for many years factor on
the estate of Glenmoriston, and was held in great respect. “He possessed
a rich fund of anecdote connected with the manners and customs of the
Highlanders of bygone generations; and with their achievements from the
times of Montrose and Dundee to the memorable episodes of the ’15 and
the ’45.”
May 3.—While the Emperor Napoleon was riding in the Champs Elvsees. ail
Italian named Liverani fired a pistol at him from a distance of a few
paces. The Emperor was not hit, and rode quietly forward. Much
satisfaction was expressed that no attempt was made on his life during
his visit to England.
May 10.—The Rev. William Trail was on this date inducted as minister of
the Inverness Free High Church. The Rev. Mr Campbell, Petty, preached,
and the new pastor received a hearty welcome.
Ibid.—The two regiments of Inverness-shire and Ross-shire Militia were
under orders to occupy Fort-George. The Master of Lovat was gazetted
captain in the Inverness-shire Militia. He was at the moment at
Sebastopol, a spectator of the operations at the seat of war, but was
expected home in a short time.
Ibid.—Five persons were drowned off the coast of Stoer, in Sutherland,
by the swamping of a boat. The boat was overladen, and was filled and
overturned by a heavy wave.
Ibid.—The London correspondent mentions that in the Sculpture Room a t
the Exhibition of the Royal Academy, the post of honour in the centre
was given to a lovely group of children by Alexander Munro (Inverness.)
Munro had no fewer than seven works in the Exhibition, among them a bust
of Mr Gladstone. There were also some good busts by Park, including that
of the French Emperor.
May 17.—A movement for the erection of a Lunatic Asylum at Inverness was
in progress. Representations had been made to the Lord Advocate by local
authorities, and a commission had been appointed to make enquiries. A
Scottish Education Bill was before Parliament, but was meeting with!
strong opposition. It is stated Mr Cumming Bruce of Dunphail appeared to
be acting as Conservative leader on Scottish questions.
May 24.—The Rev. John Mackenzie, Established Church clergyman at
Williamston, in Glengarry, Canada, died on 21st April. He was a native
of the parish of Urquhart. in Inverness-shire, and had laboured1 for
thirty-five year* in the country of his adoption. Mr Mackenzie was known
as “The Father of the Church in Canada.”
May 31.—News had come of the fall of Kertch, brought about by an
expedition which sailed under the command of Sir George Brown. “Their
very appearance was the signal of success. The Russians blew up their
fortifications and fled, having also, in the fierce and savage spirit of
their war policy, destroyed their magazines at Kertch, and sunk thirty
vessels. An equal number of vessels has, however, fallen into our hands,
with fifty guns, and the batteries on the coast at Kertch and Yenikale
are now in our power. The sea of Azoff is thus in the occupation of the
Allies, and the principal source whence the Russian army at Sebastopol
derived their supplies has been cut off.” A London newspaper compared
Sir George Brown’s exploit to that of Caesar—“Certain it is that Sir
George landed, saw, and conquered.”
June 7.—The estate of Kilmuir, in Skye, was sold to Captain Fraser of
Culbokie for £80,000.
Ibid.—One of the oldest generals in the British service, Sir William
Macbean, died on the 24th ult., at Brompton. Born in 1782, he entered
the army [it is stated] in his thirteenth year, and saw much service in
Ireland, the Peninsula, and the Cape. Descended from a race of soldiers,
he had a distant connection with Inverness, his great-grandfather, the
Rev. Mr Mac-bean, having been one of the ministers of Inverness in the
begining of the eighteenth century. Sir William was colonel of the 92nd
Regiment.
Ibid.—The newspaper Stamp Bill, which had been under discussion during
the session, had now passed the House of Lords. It then became optional
to print stamped or unstamped newspapers, the stamped copies, however,
having the right to be retransmitted through the post-office. The
“Courier,” unstamped, was now to be had for 3|d per copy.
June 14.—Rapid progress is reported in the construction of the Inverness
and Nairn Railway. The cuttings had been easy, except for a rather stiff
piece of work on the estate of Raigmore, below Stoneyfield, about two
and a half miles from Inverness'. Underneath the gravel a bed of hard
clay—the boulder clay of geologists— had been found, which required the
free use of the pick-axe. Several large boulders of granite had been
turned out, showing very decidedly the rubbing and high polishing to
which they had been subjected by ice. In the sandy district of Petty,
the materials cut through had been open and loose, generally shingle or
pure sand; “and in some places, such as at the Tom-Mhoit, an old
Court-hill on the edge of the moss at Petty, the sand is so exceedingly
small and light that the slopes will require to be sown with grass,
silver-weed, and other binding plants, to keep them from slipping or
being injured bj- the rain and winds.”
Ibid.—One of the workmen employed by Mr Rose, Kirkton, at his farm on
Culloden Moor, had recently discovered, at a place adjoining the scene
of the battle, a pocket knife which bore every trace of being a genuine
relic of the period of the ‘45. “It consists of a strong steel blade and
a large steel pin, which was probably used for pricking the touch-hole
of the musket. Both double into the handle by means of an excellent
joint. The handle appears to be of common horn; it is handsomely
ornamented with the brass of the same pale colour as the brass of which
Highland ornaments of a much older date were usually formed. A brass
plate is affixed to the end of the instrument, on which a seal appears
to have been engraved, but tho tracings are obliterated. Round the
fastenings of the point is a star in brass very well executed. The
workmanship and quality of the knife are very superior, and the relic is
in excellent preservation.”
Ibid.—A public meeting was held in Inverness to protest against militia,
billeting, and to recommend the erection of barracks.
Ibid.—The hunting trophies of Roualevn Gordon Cumming had been removed
from Inverness for exhibition in London. “The collection is probably the
most extraordinary ever made by one individual; some idea of its extent
may be form eel from the fact that when removed last week by the
Martello steamer, it was found to require three hundred barrels-bulk for
the accommodation of the different articles.”
June 21.—The Suspension Bridge over the Ness was now nearly finished,
and it was understood that the cost, including the approaches, had
exceeded the original estimate by not less than £U000. “According to the
Act of Parliament, Government made a grant of £7700, and advanced
£10,700 by way of loan, to be repaid by an assessment on the counties of
Inverness, Ross, Sutherland, and Caithness. This, we presume, has all
been spent, and £6000 in addition, making the whole cost of the bridge
and the approaches £24,400.”
Ibid.—Mr George Giant, of the firm of Messrs Gladstone, Wylhe, and Co.,
Rangoon, and third son of the late Rev. James Grant, of Nairn, died at
sea on 22nd April. He was one of the earliest commercial pioneers in
Burmah, but lived only to see his efforts successful and his work
beginning to assume form and shape. It was believed that only one
Englishman besides himself had visited Ava during the previous quarter
of a century. Mr Grant was only thirty years of age.
Ibid.—A magistrate of Inverness, who had recently resigned, Bailie Angus
Macbean, No. 15 High Street, was about to proceed to Canada West. Before
his departure he was entertained to a public dinner in the Guildry
Hall.—The sann issue records that no fewer than forty-two whales went
ashore at Sconser, in Skye, and were left by the tide on the beach. The
largest measured about twenty-one feet in length, and the others
averaged about sixteen feet.
June 21 and 28.—The failure of the London banking house of Strachan,
Paul, and Co. (Sir John Paul was the best known partner) excited much
comment. The liabilities were very heavy, and many prominent people
suffered.
July 5.—A communication to the county of Inverness from the
Commissioners of Highland Roads and Bridges showed that the cost of the
Ness Suspension Bridge was even higher than the latest expectation. The
figures submitted by Mr J. M. Rendel, C.E.. gave the total amount
“expended and to be expended to complete the bridge” at £27,057. The
county had to bear its proportion of the extra cost. Air Rendel’s report
stated that to render the bridge safe beyond all doubt, it had been
deemed necessary “to lay its foundations so much below the level of the
bed of the river, that the intended deepening of the harbour on the one
hand, and the violence of Loch-Ness on the other, should not scour the
river at the new bridge to such a depth as to undermine the bridge
works.” The excavations went down twenty-three feet below high flood and
spring-tide level. The expense had also been increased by the failure of
two contractors.
Ibid.—The Mackintosh of Mackintosh had presented seats for the Ness
Islands. He had also previously given a large donation of trees and
shrubs for planting.
Ibid.—Mr James Loch, formerly M.P. for Sutherland, died the previous
week. He was born in 1780. and was n member both of the Scottish and
English bar. Mr Loch was commissioner for the Duke of Sutherland and for
other great estates. He was the author of an “Account of the
Improvements on the Marquis of Stafford’s Estates in Stafford, Salop,
and Sutherland.”
Ibid.—The death of Lord Raglan, Commander-in-Chief in the Crimea, is
announced.
July 12.—Air Ross of Cromarty, who had been Provost of the burgh for
some years, intimated his resignation, because he found that “by the
articles of war, no officer in the army or militia, can legally hold any
municipal situation.” Mr Robert Ross, banker, was elected Provost in his
room.
July 14 and 19.—These dates include the Wool Market Circular. The market
was stiff, but for lambs and wedders there was a slight advance in
prices, Cheviot lambs realising from £14 10s to £10 10s per clad score,
and wedders from £29 to- £31, a few exceptional cases bringing £35 and
£30. In ewes there was a decline. For wool, however, there was a brisk
demand, and prices were good. “Little business was done last year, and
the highest price then obtained for Cheviot wool was 11s 6d per stone.
This afternoon various lots have been sold from 17s to 18s Gd. and some
as high as 20s. The bulk of the Sutherland wool may he quoted at 18s 6d,
and the Inverness-shire and Ross-shire at 17s 6d.” There were few
transactions in blackfaced stock.
July 19.—Lord John Russell had resigned office on account of his speech
relating to the Conference at Vienna.
Ibid.—An account is given of the plantations made at Reelig by the
proprietor, Mr J. B. Fraser, who was a practical improver, as well as a
traveller and author. He had planted not only fir and larch, oak and
beech, but also on both sides of the picturesque Reelig burn, more
delicate trees such as the turkey or evergreen oak, the Spanish
chestnut, the hemlock pine, the black American spruce, and the silver
and balm of Gilead Fir. Among shrubs were quantities of laurels,
rhododendrons, yews, hollies, &c. Mr Fraser was also fond of the Cedar
of Lebanon, which he planted in groups and single trees in his lawn and
garden. Speaking generally of the North Highlands, the writer says— “Not
sixty years ago, there were no plantations, except a few woods of sombre
Scotch fir, and no drives or pleasure grounds, except round the
castellated mansions of our feudal aristocracy. Now the reclaimed
grounds of the arable farmer, and the wooded slopes which lead on tlhe
eye to the bare upland pastures, nearly divide, in many districts, the
lower portions of the country into pretty equal but beautiful variegated
sections. The larch and many species of the pine tribe now show
themselves to be nearly as hardy as the native fir, and the homesteads
of our enterprising farmers, partly at their expense, and partly by the
wise expenditure of landlords, are becoming in many places as highly and
richly decorated with trees and gardens as the seats of our older
gentry.”
Ibid.—A great number of bottle-nosed whales, which had been moving about
the Moray Firth, advanced up the Cromarty Firth, and were stranded about
two miles from Dingwall. The number is given at 114, or according to
another account 164. The whales varied from 12 to 20 feet in length.
Ibid.—An officer of the Royal Marines, Lieutenant Macintyre, died on the
30th of June at Inverness, where he had been resident for more than
forty years. He was born at Camusnaherie in Lochaber, and served in the
war with France in the Virginia frigate, under Captain Brace. When
placed on half-pay he settled at Inverness, of which he was made a
burgess in April 1812. In a collection of Gaelic lyrics, the “Filidh,”
published about 1840, there were several pieces by Mr Macintyre under
the signature of “Cruachan.” By his special directions his remains were
laid with those of his ancestors in the Isle of Mung, in Loch Leven.
July 26.—Notice is taken of a- gradual improvement in the quality and
variety of the vegetables exposed for sale in the Inverness market. The
writer says:—“At present fruits and vegetables are sold in Inverness
three or four times dearer than in England, and nearly six times higher
than in the commonest villages on the Continent.” The opening of the
railway, it was hoped, would put an end to this costliness. A small sale
was springing up in bouquets of flowers.
Ibid.—A bill for advancing a loan of £3000 for completing the Ness
Bridge had passed through the House of Commons. Meanwhile the works were
suspended for want of wooden blocks to finish the roadway. They were
lying at Leith waiting for shipment. This leads to strong criticism,
ending with the remark—“Every step with regard to this bridge seems
doomed to misfortune or mismanagement.”—Note is made of a party of
visitors to Inverness “under the auspices of Mr Cook of Leicester.”
August 2.—The scheme for the completion of railway communication by a
line to connect the Inverness and Nairn Railway with the Great North of
Scotland Railway was now launched. It was known as the Inverness and
Aberdeen Junction Railway. The Chairman was the Earl of Sea-field, and
the Deputy-Chairman the Marquis of Stafford.
Ibid.—A great storm of thunder and lightning, accompanied with torrents
of rain, is reported from Skye. The river which flows from the Coolin
Mountains rose into uncontrollable fury, and at Rhuendunan, the
residence of Mr Hugh Macaskill, carried away the garden wall- and burst
into the house in a stream three feet deep. The inmates were rescued
with difficulty.
August 9 and 16.—The stir and excitement at the opening of the shooting
season are mentioned, the town being then more lively than it is
nowadays with the arrivals and preparations. Rumours had been current
that the severity of the winter and spring, and the return of disease
among grouse, had all but ruined the prospects of the season, but these
reports proved fallacious. “The quantity of grouse is not less than the
average of years, and is scarcely below last season—an extraordinary one
in sporting annals ; while the maturity to which the young birds had
attained in many instances exceeded our expectations.” The season was
memorable for whales. A large number appeared off the Lews, and 64 were
captured at Back.
Ibid.—The Inverness Town Council was interested in the right of way in
Godsman’s Walk. One of the magistrates, Bailie Dallas, carried a motion
for the preparation of a memorial on the subject. He gave an interesting
history of the lands of Aultnaskiach and the footpath. Some fifty or
sixty years before the lands belonged to the Duke of Gordon. They were,
he said, comparatively valueless, but were occupied together with
Aultnaskiach Cottage by an Englishman named Captain Godsman, who acted
as factor for the Duke of Gordon. At that time, “and from time
immemorial before it,” there was a right of way for the citizens of
Inverness to pass through the moorland, covered with whin and broom, to
the lands of Drummond and Campfield, and towards Essich. To get rid of
many foots paths, Captain Godsman made a walk, and fenced it with stones
gathered from the fields. About forty-seven years prior to 1855 Captain
Godsman died, and was succeeded in the occupancy of the lands and
cottage by Dr Robertson, who subsequently purchased the property. At
that time the path was open, but Dr Robertson, in concert with a
solicitor, set about shutting it up. They first built a dyke and placed
a gate upon it, without a lock; then the gat© came to have a lock upon
it; and ultimately the gate was converted into a dead stone wall. This
was the narrative on which the motion was adopted. Another member of
Town Council revived the proposal for adopting the Free Libraries Act,
but in the end the proposal was again found to be premature. The revenue
of the town had first to improve.
August 23.—Queen Victoria with Prince Albert, the Prince of Wales ami
the Princess Royal, went to France on a visit to the Emperor and Empress
of the French. They travelled by way of Boulogne, and had a splendid
reception. The Royal visitors made a State entry into Paris, and stayed
with their hosts at St Cloud.
Ibid.—Me Patric Park, sculptor, who was on a professional visit to Mr
Pender of Speke-hall, died at Warrington, in Lancashire, in his 41tli
year. When Air Park was at the railway station, observing a porter
struggling to lift a hamper of ice, he stepped forward to lend
assistance, and in the effort burst a blood-vessel. Though the bleeding
was staunched, it burst out afresh, and the effects proved fatal. The
deceased was a native of Glasgow, and studied under Thorwaldsen at Rome.
All the public journals spoke highly of his genius as a sculptor. His
portrait busts were best known. Among those who sat to him were the
Emperor Napoleon, the Duke of Cambridge, Lord Dundonald, Sir Charles
Napier, Sir Harry Smith, and Alison, the historian. Air Park was a
son-in-law of the late Dr Carruthers.
Ibid.—'The Suspension Bridge across the Ness was at last open for
traffic. “Carriages and foot passengers have to-day (August 23) for the
first time had a free passage across it, and throughout this week Mr
Rendel has endeavoured to give every accommodation in his power to
vehicles having occasion to cross the river. Now that the bridge is all
but finished, we must do it the justice to say that it is by far the
finest construction of the kind in the North of Scotland. The span is
225 feet, and the solidity and finish of the work are spoken of by all
competent judges as unequalled in the Highlands, and unsurpassed
anywhere.” Six and a half years had passed since the stone bridge was
swept away in 1849.
Ibid.—The estate of Mountgcrald, near Dingwall, was purchased by Mr
Mackenzie of Findon for £15,000.
August 30.—The Earl of Derby, the ex-premier, paid a visit to the Duke
of Richmond at Gordon Castle. He spoke at an agricultural dinner.
Ibid.-Mr Andrew Dougall, of the Dundee and Perth Railway was appointed
general manager of the Inverness and Nairn line. —At a public meeting in
Inverness Mr Dallas’s motion for the adoption of tho Public Libraries
Act was rejected.
September 6.—An account is given of the battle of Ichernava, where the
Busmuiis attacked the French and Sardinians, but after a fierce conflict
were driven back with great loss. The attack was partly a surprise.
resembling the battle of Inkermann. The defeat of the Russians was
largely due to the excellent service of the Sardinian artillery.
September 13.—News bad come of the fall of Sebastopol. The French had
succeeded in capturing the Malakoff, and though the British had failed
to take the Redan, the town became untenable, and Sebastopol was
evacuated during the night. Full details of the desperate fighting and
the evacuation are given in subsequent issues. General Sir George Brown,
who had returned from the Crimea owing to ill-health, was entertained to
a public banquet at Elgin. He was the first general officer to mount his
charger on the landing of the British troops in the Crimea, and one of
the first on the heights of Alma. He was severely wounded at Inkermann,
but returned to active service until ill-health compelled him to return
home.
September 13 and 20.—The Northern Meeting is reported in these issues.
The proceedings were of the usual kind, but it is stated that the
attendance at the second ball was larger than on any similar occasion
for a number of years.
September 27.—Lieutenant-Colonel Alexander Brodie Campbell, formerly of
the Bombay Army, died at Elgin on the 17th inst. He bequeathed £500 to
build a school in the vicinity of Fornighty, parish of Ardclaoh, where
he was born, and £2500 as a fund for perpetual endowment. To each of the
parish ministers of Ardclaoh-Auldearn, and Cawdor he left a legacy of
£100. Several legacies were left to private friends, and the residue of
his fortune went for bursaries in King’s College, Aberdeen, at from £10
to £20 per annum. Another paragraph states that the late Major Rose of
Kilravock, who fell while leading the Light Company to the heights of
Alma, was an enthusiastic horseman. He had left a manuscript, which had
just been published in a small volume of fifty pages, entitled “Four
Short Chapters on Horses, Hunting, and the Turf.” The produce of the
sale was to be paid over to the Soldiers’ Infant Home.
Ibid.—Mr James Ross, Colombo, had collected the sum of £58 3s 9d from
friends in Ceylon to assist in defraying the expense incurred in opening
the Ness Islands to the public.
October 4.—An interesting article appears on the population of the
Highlands. In view of the rather meagre enlistment of 60)kliers from the
district, the question had been discussed by London and Scottish
newspapers—one side maintaining that there had been depopulation, the
other that the Highland counties had been increasing in a greater ratio
than other Scottish counties. The writer in the “Courier” points out
that, according to the census returns, there had undoubtedly been a
large increase of population, but that important changes had taken place
in the condition and distribution of the people, and that forty years of
peace had made them less inclined to join the army. “The fact seems
strangely omitted in all these discussions, that the difficulty of
recruiting is felt q.11 over the three kingdoms, and not merely in the
Highlands.” The decrease in Highland population, it may be observed,
occurred after this period.
Ibid.—A short article oil sport says:—“The season has been an excellent
one for grouse-shooters, with a very few exceptions, and there has not
been such havoc among the feathered tribes as to leave us without hope
of as good sport next year. One of the best moors this season has been
that of Sir Henry Wilmot and party, Carr-Bridge. Up to Saturday last
they had bagged 2843j brace of grouse, upwards of 300 hares, and other
game in proportion.” The deer forests had also yielded satisfactory
results.
Ibid.—The Rev. Alexander Fraser, Free Church minister of Kirkliill, had
been obliged to return from his work in the Crimea. He had suffered
severely in health, but was recovering.
Ibid.—Mr Lachlan Cumming died at Hoy, near Thurso, in his fifty-sixth
year. He had been Controller of Customs at the port of Inverness for
twenty-five years, when he retired on a pension. He then took to
business as an importer of guano, and afterwards rented the large farm
of Ratter in Caithness. A man of active mind, and of great kindliness
and integrity, he had made many friends. Mr Cumming was a native of
Caithness.
October 11.—Sir James Macgrigor, late Director of the Army Medical
Department, wrote to Sir James Matheson suggesting the erection of some
memorial to Assist-ant-Surgeon Thomson of the 44th Regiment, who fell a
victim to his exertions in succouring the wounded, both British ind
Russian, after the battle of the Alma. Sir James sent the letter to
Seaforth, to be brought before the Ross-shire County Meeting, and
subscribed a sum of ten guineas for the proposed object. Surgeon Thomson
was a native of Cromarty, and the meeting, having cordially approved of
the proposal, asked Mr Ross, convener of Cromarty, to organise measures
for raising the necessary funds and for determining the kind of monument
to be erected.
October 18.—A public meeting was held in Inverness, the Provost in the
chair, for the purpose of enforcing the propriety of the different
Presbyterian congregations in town holding the sacramental fast-days and
observances at the same time. A change in dates had previously been
made, which all the congregations, owing to some misunderstanding, did
not accept. The question had evidently aroused public feeling, and the
report extends to more than four closely-printed columns. Resolutions in
favour of observing the fast-days at the same time were passed, and
concurred in by the clergymen present.
Ibid.—The Highland Society of Scotland awarded a gold medal to Mr John
Mitchell, factor for Seaforth, for a report of improvements on the
estate at Arcan, in Ross-shire. A large extent of swampy land had been
reclaimed and protected from the river by embankment. The operations, it
was stated, had proved to be profitable.
October 25.—A correspondent sends particulars of Surgeon Thomson’s work
after the battle of the Alma. It appears that when the British Army was
about to move away, 750 Russians were lying on the ground in agony and
unfit for removal. Lord Raglan was averse to leave them without help,
and Dr Thomson volunteered his services, although there was danger from
prowling Cossacks. For many a week he laboured among the wounded,
assisted only by a private soldier named Maccarthy, who acted as his
servant. British ships appeared just in time to enable them to escape
from a band of Cossacks who were approaching. Dr Thomson, however, had
been able to rescue from death 340 men, who were full of gratitude, and
were able to take ship for Odessa. He reached the British headquarters,
but died of cholera next day, worn out by the hardships he had
undergone.
Ibid.—Under a new Act Mr W. R. Grant, assessor, had completed the
valuation of the county of Inverness. The estimated rental was £196,275.
It is stated that a valuation was made for the Property Tax in 1814,
which included the burgh of Inverness, and the total was then £152,078.
This latter valuation included the rent derived from kelp, which at that
period was at its highest price.
Ibid.—Mr Henry Cocbburn Macandrew, afterwards so well known as a
distinguished townsman, was on this date .admitted a Procurator before
the Sheriff and other Courts of Inverness.
Ibid.—On the 8th inst., during service, the roof of the parish church of
Kintail partially gave way, causing great alarm to the congregation.
Happily the falling roof rested on the sarking and plaster, and did not
drop into the body of the church. The clergyman, Mr Morrison, by
appealing to the people, averted a panic, and no one was injured,
although the danger was more serious than any one at the moment knew.
The church was a very old fabric, dating, it was believed, from
pre-Reformation times.
November 1.—The amount collected for the Patriotic Fund in
Inverness-shire was £2427 6s 10d, of which £571 16s was raised in the
burgh and £1855 10s 10d in the county.
November 8.—On Monday, the 5th, the railway from Inverness to Nairn was
opened. A great crowd gathered to see the first train start. There were
two engines decorated with flags, and the stokers turned out in spotless
white. “By noon everything was in readiness; the carriages were crammed
by nearly 800 people, and the Provost and Magistrates with the
directors, headed by Raigmore and Aldourie (their names, by the way,
being appropriately bestowed upon the two locomotives), had taken their
seats. The doors of the carriages were then closed, and after two or
three whistles from either end of the train, Mr Dougall, the manager of
the line, gave the final order to start, and in a moment the train was
in motion. A couple of small guns were fired; ai row of flags drawn
across the opening were hitched some yards higher, and amidst deafening
cheers the train launched forth upon its first trip.” Next day there was
a similar trip from Nairn to Inverness, of which between four hundred
and five hundred persons took advantage The line was regarded as being,
what it was, the beginning of through railway communication. A proposal
had been on foot for a branch line to Burghead, but this was abandoned.
Ibid.—The Hon. John Macgillivray, a native of Inverness-shire, died at
Williamstown, Glengarry, Canada, at the age of 84. He had formerly been
a partner in the Hudson’s Bay Company, from which he retired with a
competent fortune, and filled many offices in the colony.
November 15.—An amended prospectus of the Inverness and Aberdeen
Junction Railway Company was issued, the junction with the Great North
to be at Keith. By abandoning the proposed branch line to Burghead, the
Company had secured the co-operation of Morayshire and Nairn, which had
previously opposed the scheme. The capital required for the extension
from Nairn to Keith was put at £325,000. It was expected that steamers
would run between Invergordon, Nairn, and Lossiemouth.
Ibid.—Mr Lyon-Mackenzie was re-elected Provost of Inverness, and Mr John
Maciver, banker, was elected Provost of Dingwall, in place of Sir James
Matheson, who had declined to be again nominated.
November 22.—A Council of War in the Crimea had decided that further
operations against the enemy were to be abandoned during the winter, and
that arrangements should be completed for the comfortable accommodation
of the troops. The allied troops were in good winter quarters, and ample
stores were daily pouring into the camps. In this district the Militia
were still maintained at Fort-George, the battalion consisting of
Forfarsliire Artillery, Ross-shire Rifles, and some companies of the
Inverness-shire Light Infantry. They had been in camp during the summer,
but were now in barracks.
Ibid.—Mr Keith Thomson, music master, Inverness, died on the 17th inst.,
aged 83. “He was one of the gentlest and most amiable of men, retiring
and unobtrusive; but as a teacher of music, a citizen, and elder of the
Church, he was regarded with the highest esteem and respect. Mr Thomson
was a half-brother of Mr George Thomson, the correspondent of Burns, and
like him was enthusiastically devoted to music. The magistrates of
Inverness induced him to teach here, guaranteeing him a sum of £40 per
annum; and arriving in 1795, Mr Thomson taught for the long period of
sixty years."
November 29.—Mr Murdo Cameron, Town-Clerk of Dingwall, died on the 21st
inst., in the 62nd year of his age. He had been Town-Clerk of Dingwall
for twenty years, and took an active interest in the affairs of the
burgh.
December 6.—The estate of Flichity, in the county of Inverness, had boon
purchased by Mr John Congreve, who had been a shooting tenant in Easter
Ross for several years. The purchase price is not mentioned.
December 13.—A Hungarian band, consisting of eleven musicians, gave two
concerts in Inverness in connection with the Mechanics’ Institution.
Their leader was named Kalozdy, and their performances excited great
interest.
Ibid.—Mr Alexander Mactavish, Town-Clerk of Inverness, died on the 8th
inst. in his fifty-sixth year. He was a native of Stratherrick, and had
been Conservative agent for the county. Besides being a solicitor in
good practice, he was an enterprising agriculturist. “He carried into
the practice of the law the same active and fearless energy which he
displayed as a sportsman or improving farmer among the hills, and as a
political agent or leader at a public meeting he had few equals in the
North. He was well versed in all local interests and affairs; as fluent
in Gaelic as in English, fertile in resources and prompt in action. He
was, indeed, a man of indomitable spirit and strong natural talent,
capable also of close application and study, and possessing a
considerable range of information on most subjects, fitting him equally
for society and business.”
December 20.—There is a notice of the death of Samuel Rogers, the poet
(in his 93rd year), and also a notice of two volumes of Macaulay’s
History of England, with extracts from his account of Inverness and the
Highlands. As regards Macaulay’s description of Inverness in 1689, the
editor says:—“It is an error to suppose that there were even then no
slated houses in the town. The old town residences of the neighbouring
gentry, though few in number, were substantial buildings; and as
Inverness had then nearly all the trade north of the Spey, some of the
burghers enjoyed a share of substantial comfort and prosperity. Claret
and brandy were cheap, game and fish could be had at a nominal price."
Ibid.—A short period of intense frost had been followed in some parts of
the northern district by heavy rain and floods. In Lochbroom the rivers
had risen to a height unexampled even bv the flood of 1849, and bridges
had been carried away.
Ibid.—It is noted that Inverness had so far advanced that it was deemed
expedient to issue a local Directory. The compiler and publisher was Mr
P. Grant, High Street, and the work was pronounced a full and correct
local guide.—The issue gives an extract from a magazine describing
Roualeyn Gordon Cumming and his exhibition in London.
December 27.—A public meeting in Tain adopted a resolution in favour of
celebrating the New-Year holiday on the 1st of January instead of the
12th (old style) as formerly. The meeting also resolved to send a copy
of the resolution to the ministers in Easter Ross, “requesting their
cooperation in this desirable reform, by bringing the subject before
their respective congregations.” Another paragraph says that through the
exertions of the Rev. Mr Cameron, Ardersier, the Justices of the Peace,
ministers, farmers, and leading tradesmen in the Ardersier district had
resolved to keep the 25th of December and the 1st of January as holidays
instead of the old style. One of the speakers at the Tain meeting
observed that Russia was the only great Power that adhered to the old
style, and “that we ought to show that we were opposed to them on this
as well as on other questions". |
