In 1844 there was great
political activity and agitation. The controversy on the Corn Laws was
approaching its acute stage, and Factory Legislation was initiated. Lord
Ashley, afterwards Lord Shaftesbury, made a strong effort to secure a
ten hours day, but he did not as yet succeed, although on a resolution
he twice defeated the Government. In their bill, however, Ministers
successfully resisted the clause, but their measure contained useful
provisions regulating the labour of children. The long trial of Daniel
O’Connell and his confederates on charges of conspiracy and sedition
resulted in their conviction in Dublin, but the judgment was upset by a
majority of the House of Lords. Peel passed his Bank Charter Act for
England, and there was considerable apprehension of his interference
with the Scottish Banking system. Mr Gladstone carried a bill for the
improvement of railway carriages for third class passengers. Mr Disraeli
was beginning to make his influence felt in the House of Commons. A
dispute with France about Tahiti was settled this year. There was much
indignation in this country at the repudiation of debts by public
authorities in the United States. Socially, the visits to England of the
Czar Nicholas and King Louis Philippe excited interest.
In Scotland the expansion of the Free Church was earned forward. New
churches were rapidly erected in the Highlands. There was a good deal of
friction in connection with sites, but only a few of the northern
proprietors refused for any length of time. The first scheme for a
railway between Inverness and Perth was put forward. In the town of
Inverness there was a warm dispute between the High Church and the Town
Council on the subject of seat rents. Queen Victoria and Prince Albert
visited
Blair-Atholl, and the Grown Prince of Denmark and the King of Saxony had
a tour in the Highlands, which included Inverness.
From the “Inverness Courier-”
January 3.—The new English Free Church in Inverness, the first building
erected in Bank Street by the Free High congregation, was opened on the
previous Sabbath, when Rev. O. C. Mackintosh, of Tain, afterwards of
Dunoon, conducted the services forenoon, afternoon, and evening. The
church was crowded all day, and in the evening the standing-room in the
passages was occupied. The total collection amounted to £61 3s 11d. It
is stated that two beautiful collection plates, presented by Mr Forbes
of Culloden, were used for the first time on this occasion.
Ibid.—An account is given of the raising of the “Uncertain,’’ of
Sunderland, a vessel which had sunk in eleven fathoms of water in
Broad-bay, island of Lewis, by Mr Bremner, shipbuilder and civil
engineer, Wick. It is stated that the vessel was the heaviest ever
lifted in Britain in such an exposed place.
January 10.—A service of plate was presented to Provost Sutherland,
Inverness, on the occasion of his opening the Glenalbyn Distillery, in
testimony of his enterprising spirit and public services.
January 17.—Several persons concerned in the mobbing and rioting at
Cromarty and Resolis in connection with Church affairs were tried at the
High Court of Justiciary in Edinburgh. Two were sentenced to six months’
imprisonment, and a third who had assisted in breaking into Cromarty
jail was sentenced to imprisonment for nine months. It turned out that
the cell from which the mob had released the woman was known as the
black hole, and had no window except a hole unglazed and with iron
stanchions on a level with the ground. The size of the cell was eleven
feet by twelve. The woman, however, was in it only a short time. When
the mob attacked the jail the jailer locked himself in another room.
Ibid.—It is announced that the island of Lewis has been purchased by Mr
James Matheson of Achany, M.P., for £190.000. The population of the
island at the time is given as about 15.000, but it was really over
17,000. At the census of 1901 the population was close on
29.000. The purchase by Mr Matheson was regarded as matter for
rejoicing. “Thousands of the poor islanders are in a wretched!
condition; the worst fed, worst clothed, and worst housed peasantry in
Britain are to be found in this remote, uncultivated island.’’ It has
been calculated that between 1844 and his death in 1878 Sir James
Matheson (he was created a baronet in 1851) spent on his island property
£384,363, besides the purchase money, making a total of £574,363.
January 24.—There is notice of a pamphlet by Sir George Mackenzie of
Coul on the choice of wheat for seed.—A meeting of Ross-shire farmers
petitioned against any interference with the Corn Laws.
January 31.—Major Mackenzie, Fodderty, died the previous week in his
seventy-fifth year. He is described as an eminent agriculturist, who
might lie said to have introduced scientific culture into Ross-shire. He
was the first to apply lime to the soil.
February 7.—In this issue a letter appears from London headed “From our
Private Correspondent.” It is contemporaneous with the opening of
Parliament. In previous years there had been an occasional letter,
written probably by a friend or by the editor himself on his visits to
London. This date, however, is the beginning of the series written by Mr
Roderick Reach, and continued afterwards by his son, Mr Angus B. Reach,
and by other correspondents for many years. Mr Roderick Reach had been a
solicitor and accountant in Inverness, but he went to London in 1843,
and lived there till his death in 1853. His letters were much
appreciated in the North of Scotland. In the first lie describes a bout
between Sir Robert Peel and Mr Villiers on the subject of the Corn Laws.
Sir Robert declared “that the Ministry had never contemplated and did
not now contemplate making anv change on the existing Corn Laws.” The
correspondent, however, shrewdly observed that the words did not convey
as much consolation as they seemed to do; that they almost appeared like
an invitation for more pressure from without. “We are squeezable, but
the screw wants a turn or two yet.” It is stated that the earnestness of
Mr Villiers, at that time the champion in Parliament for the removal of
the Com Laws, “gave great and telling effect to the fierce denunciations
which he hurled at the aristocracy and the landowners.”
Ibid.—There was a meeting of agriculturists in Dingwall which passed
resolutions against the repeal of the Corn Laws. Provost Cameron
dissented, and proposed an amendment, but found no seconder.
Ibid.—The parish minister of Kilmnllie, in Lochaber, had cut down a
number of trees on the glebe before his demission. The heritors raised
an action in the Fort-William Sheriff Court, and it was decided that he
had exceeded his right of administration, and that the heritors were
entitled to take possession of the timber.
February 14.—The widow of Mr Robert Logan, of Egham Lodge, Surrey, whose
maiden name was Elizabeth Mackenzie, died recently in London. She was a
granddaughter of Provost Hosack, of Inverness, and daughter of the Rev.
Murdoch Mackenzie, one of the ministers of the Inverness High Church,
whose work in the eighteenth century was long remembered. It is stated
that he was a warm friend of evangelical religion, and admitted John
Wesley to the High Church pulpit.
February 21.—The trial of Daniel O’Connell and his colleagues for
sedition and conspiracy in connection with the agitation for the repeal
of the Union hadi been going on for weeks in Dublin. The jury had now
returned a verdict of guilty. The editor expressed considerable
hesitation in accepting the judgment as sound. It was a case of
constructive conspiracy, as not a single act committed was in itself
illegal.
Ibid.—The London correspondent writes— “Lieutenant Grant, the second of
Lieutenant Munro in the late unfortunate duel, has been acquitted. There
is of course no moral doubt as to his having acted as second, but the
legal proof as to his identity was deficient. There is a very strong
impression that had Lieutenant Munro surrendered, the same absence of
legal proof of identity would have led to his acquittal also.”
Ibid.—'a difference has for some time past existed between the
Magistrates and Council [of Inverness] and a portion of the seat-holders
of the High Church, who demand that a sum of £70 shall be annually
appropriated from the seat rents towards augmenting the stipend of the
minister of the third charge. The seat-holders having obtained an
opinion of counsel on their case, proposed a conference with the
Council, which the latter declined on the ground that it was premature,
until an opportunity was afforded to the Magistrates and Council of
examining and materially considering the memorial and opinion of counsel
obtained by the seat-holders." The Council circulated a paper dated
1769, showing how the Magistrates and Council had undertaken the
building of the existing church, borrowing £1000 for the purpose.
February 28.—Further particulars are given of the dispute Between the
Kirk-Session of the High Church and the Town Council, and a copy is
published, of the legal opinion obtained by the seat-holders. It is
stated that in 1769, when the old church had! fallen into disrepair, the
Presbytery threatened a prosecution of the Magistrates and heritors, and
that this led to the agreement to build the new church. The Magistrates
borrowed a considerable sum of money, and Sir Hector Munro gave a
donation of £1000 to aid in the erection of the church. It was contended
that by uplifting the seat-rents the original cost of the building,
principal and interest, had long been repaid.
Ibid.—There is a paragraph on the death of an old man named Robert
Grant, Grantown, who had acted for many years as ferryman at Gromdale.
He possessed an inexhaustible fund of traditionary lore, and an
extraordinary power of narrative and description.
March 6.—The London correspondent refers to the “Young England” group of
the Conservative party. He gives as the principal members Lord John
Manners, Lord Mahon, Mr Smythe, Mr Raillie Cochrane, Mr Monckton Milnes,
“and last, not least,” Mr Disraeli. The writer says their notions are
extreme, yet generally advocated with a talent and acuteness that secure
the attention of the House. “But it is the sort of attention which
grown-up folks bestow on clever, precocious children.” He notes that
they blow hot and cold on Sir Robert Peel’s Government.
Ibid.—An obituary notice from a Toronto paper records the death at River
Raisins, near Williamstown, Glengarry, of Captain Donald M’Gillis, “A
U.E. Loyalist, and a native of Glengarry, Inverness-shire, from which he
emigrated in 1773, along with his father’s family and a number of his
countrymen, who formed a settlement on the banks of the Mohawk River, in
the then province of New York.” On the outbreak of the Revolutionary War
he took an active part on the Loyalist side, and in 1784 settled at
Charlottenburgh. Captain M’Gillis was eighty years of age.—Another
notice records the death of Captain Gregory Grant, a distinguished
officer of the Royal Navy, who died at Burnside, Cromdale, aged 66.
Ibid.—A meeting was held to revive and improve the Mechanics
Institution. There was still a sum of from £30 to' £40 at the credit of
the institution, and a good collection of books. It was proposed to
raise subscriptions and establish a reading-room.
March 13.—The death is recorded of Captain George G. M. Cobban, of the
50th Foot, “Onr brave townsman’’ who fell at the battle of Penniar in
India. He was gallantly leading his company to capture some guns when he
was struck down by grape-shot.
Ibid.—A largely attended meeting of heritors and farmers was held at
Inverness in support of the Corn Laws—Mackintosh of Mackintosh
presiding. The speakers in favour of the existing laws were the
Chairman, Mr Fraser-Tytler, convener of the county; Mr Burnett, Kinchvle;
Mr Baillie of Leys, Dr Nicol, Mr Mactavish, town-clerk; and Mr France,
Wester Lovat. A resolution recommending a moderate fixed duty was
proposed by Mr Grant, yr. of Ballindalloch, seconded by Lord Lovat, and
supported by General Sir John Rose of Holme ; Mr Gentle, Dell; the
Provost of Inverness, &c. The vote stood 45 in favour of the existing
protection as against 18 in favour of a fixed duty. Mr C. Rose, Dean of
Guild, proposed a motion on behalf of total abolition of the Corn Laws,
but he found no seconder.
Ibid.—In removing, some stones from a large cairn at the foot of
Graigoury, in the barony of Kincardine, Abemethy, the workmen discovered
a small vault, about five feet long and three wide, which contained a
quantity of human bones, including two skulls of uncommon size. It was
obvious that the bodies could not have been laid at full length. The
cairn was known to old residents as Carn-na-fheal, translated by the
contributor as “Cairn of flesh.” It is stated that “there are many
cairns and other vestiges of old warfare interspersed throughout the
truly romantic district of Kincardine.”
March 20.—A Ross-shire meeting advocating the retention of the Corn Laws
was held at Dingwall, and resolutions were passed on the subject. There
were, however, a few dissentients, consisting of Colonel Ross of
Strathgarve, Provost Cameron, Mr Ross, Humberston; Provost Gillanders,
Fortrose; and Mr Laidlaw, Contin. Sir George Mackenzie of Coul and the
Hon. Mrs Stewart Mackenzie of Seaforth wrote letters condemning the Corn
Laws. The meeting otherwise was unanimous, and was large and
influential. General Munro of Teaninich was in the chair, and Mr
Davidson of Tulloch was one of the chief speakers.
Ibid.—The winter had been long and severe. The snow-storm was of seven
weeks’ duration, and still remained. Shortly afterwards, however, it
disappeared.
March 27.—It is mentioned as a sign of progress that a reading-room had
been established at Invergordon. “A century has not passed away since
the first bookseller’s shop was established! in Inverness. Matters have
now assumed a different aspect, and intelligence travels with the
rapidity of a steam-carriage.”
April 3.—The workmen engaged in the Caledonian Canal found at Bona, near
Loch-Ness, a silver coin of the reign of Queen Elizabeth in excellent
preservation.
April 10.—“Generations have passed away without seeing a rat on the
island of Tarinsay, on the west coast of Harris. An innumerable swarm of
these annoying and destructive vermin has, of late, spread over the
island, notwithstanding the efforts made by Mr Macdonald, the tacksman,
to extirpate them. They appear to be increasing so fast that they
threaten to over-run the whole island, and keep violent possession of
it. They are supposed to have come from the island of Soay, wliich lies
at the distance of about three miles from Tarinsay, and into which the
Earl of Dunmore, some years ago, ordered some rabbits to be sent. Soon
after this the rats, which were formerly very numerous in the island of
Soay, completely disappeared, having removed in a body to the
neighbouring island of Tarinsay, from which they are not inclined' to
make their departure in a hurry.”
April 17.—The English Free Church congregation of Inverness had agreed
to give a call to the Rev. Joseph Thorburn, Forglen. The call came
before the Synod of Aberdeen on the 9th inst. Mr Thorbum expressed his
desire to remain in Forglen, as he considered it the field for which he
was most suited. The Synod accordingly declined to translate him, but
the parties from Inverness appealed to the General Assembly.
Ibid.—The death is announced of Lord Abinger, Chief Baron of the
Exchequer, long known as Sir James Scarlett. “His active and1
distinguished life was passed during the reigns of four sovereigns.”
Ibid.—A presentation was issued in favour of Mr Alexander Macgregor,
M.A., licentiate of the Church of Scotland, to become assistant and
successor to his father, the Rev. Robert Macgregor, in the parish of
Kilmuir, Skye. Mr Macgregor was afterwards minister of the West Church,
Inverness.
April 24.—'The revived Mechanics’ Institute had been established in
Inverness, and promised to prove a success.
May 1.—Mr Macpherson-Grant, yr. of Ballindalloch, and Mr Ogilvy of
Corriemony, were appointed joint conveners of the county of
Inverness.—The Rev. John Lees, M.A., was presented to the Church and
parish of Stornoway. He was the father of Dr Cameron Lees, Edinburgh.
May 8.—Alastair Muidhe Maelodair, who was regarded as the last of the
Gaelic bards, died in Gairloch, Ross-shire, at the age of 84. He was
bard to the lairds of Gairloch, from whom he had a pension. The editor
reminds his readers that a young hard had arisen, Evan Maccoll, author
of “The Mountain Minstrel.”
May 15.—A preliminary meeting of gentlemen connected with the North was
held in the Inverness Town Hall, on the requisition of Provost
Sutherland, to consider the practicability of constructing a railway
between Inverness and Perth, by the way generally of the Highland road,
through Strathspey, Badenoch, and Athole. A report was read from Mr
Joseph Mitchell, C.E., which suggested a route through Petty, across the
River Nairn at Geddes, and thence by Dulsie towards Lochindorb and
Strathspey. A committee of inquiry was appointed.
May 22.—The London correspondent records the ceremony of laying the
foundation-stone of the Girls’ School to be attached to the Caledonian
Asylum.—The fee for membership of the Inverness Mechanics’ Institute was
fixed at 5s per annum, and 3s for apprentices.
May 29.—The Free Church General Assembly resolved by a majority to
translate the Rev. Joseph Thorbum from Forglen to Inverness. Mr Thorburn
said that though he continued of the same opinion as he had formerly
expressed, he left the case to the wisdom and prayers of his fathers and
brethren. The Assembly also dismissed on appeal from Marvburgh, in
Ross-shire, and confirmed the proposal to transfer the Rev. George
Macleod from Maryburgh to Lochbroom.
June 5.—The judgment in the Irish State trials is reported. Daniel
O’Connell was sentenced to be imprisoned for twelve months, to pay a
fine of £2000, to enter into his own recognisances for good behaviour
for the space of seven years in the sum of £5000 and two sureties of
£2500 each. The other parties were sentenced to nine months’
imprisonment each, a fine of £50, and to enter into security, themselves
in £1000, and two sureties of £500 a-piece. There was an a,ppeal pending
to the House of Lords, but meantime execution of the sentence was not
delayed.
Ibid.—The General Assembly came to a decision respecting questions at
issue between the West Church and the Presbytery of Inverness. The
Assembly found that it was ultra vires of the Church Courts to divide
the parish of Inverness in the manner arranged in the Presbytery
minutes, and declared that the united parish of Inverness and Bona was
still but one parish quoad omniae and that the ministers and elders
connected with the English, Gaelic, and West Churches formed one united
session, the communicants in each church being entitled to the same
standing in the communion roll of the entire parish. It appeared that
the debts still due on the West Church amounted to £1807, and that Mr
Clark had accepted the sole liability, holding the building and property
as his security. The Assembly declared that their finding was not to be
understood as in any respect weakening this security.
Ibid.—The Inverness Town Council agreed to confer the freedom of the
burgh on Mr Rowland Hill in recognition of his services in establishing
the penny post.
June 12.—The death is announced of Dr J. G. Malcolmson, a native of
Forres, which took place at Dhoolia on the 21st of March. “Dr
Malcolmson’s attainments in science were of a high order. In geology he
particularly excelled, and his writings in connection with that science
called forth the unqualified approbation of some of the most eminent
philosophers of the day.”
Ibid.—There is a long extract taken from the report of the Poor-Law
Commission, on the condition of the poor in the Highland districts. The
poverty in the western districts was set down largely to the desultory
habits of the people and the lack of regular employment. Their ignorance
of the English language operated against them. The relief of the
able-bodied by means of a poor-law seemed to the Commission and their
witnesses to be of doubtful expediency. What was required was “the full
development of industrious habits. ”
Ibid.—A suggestion was made from Aberdeen for a railway between that
city and Inverness. “No railway in the kingdom, of the same length,
could be executed with more facility or at less expense.”
June 19.—Frederick, Grown Prince of Denmark, who was on a tour through
the country, visited Inverness the previous week, having come with his
suite through the Caledonian Canal. He paid a visit to Culloden
battlefield, where Mr George Anderson acted as guide. Mr Forbes of
Culloden and Mr Mackintosh of Raigmore were also present, and the former
presented the Prince with part of a pistol and a cannon ball both dug up
on the field. The Prince was entertained to luncheon in the Northern
Meeting Rooms, and afterwards travelled across the Black Isle to
Cromarty, where he embarked on board a Danish frigate for a visit to the
Faroe Islands.
Ibid,—“ Mr Macgiliivray, schoolmaster at Farr, Strathnairn, lately
discovered while trenching his garden to more than the usual depth, an
ancient and very rude stone patera, or drinking cup, formed out of a
solid piece of granite, or rather primary hornblende rock. It is 3^
inches wide and about 1£ deep, with a knob or handle on one side of it,
which was perforated so as to receive a string or thong for carrying it.
It weighs one pound nine ounces, and holds a gill of imperial measure.
Two rude lilies are carved round the lip, with cross lines scooped
between them, after the form common on the most ancient sepulchral
urns.” It is added that several cups of the same kind were in the
museum.
June 26.—On the 17th inst. Mr Stewart Mackenzie of Seaforth was married
in London to Miss Hope Vere, eldest daughter of the late Mr Hope Vere of
Craigieliall and Blackwood. The 'bride was given away by the Duke of
Wellington. Rejoicings were held on the Seaforth estates.
Ibid.—About 1500 workmen were at this time engaged in the deepening and
repairing of the Caledonian Canal, There had been a drought which
reduced the waters of Loch-Oich to an exceptionally low level, and this
afforded facilities for removing from the channel some hundreds of
trees, consisting chiefly of the finest black oak—some of the blocks 3j
feet in diameter, and other logs from 25 to 30 feet in length. Several
were in a high state of preservation, others charred by fire. “There
were also found a few logs artificially hollowed out, which, to all
appearance, were made for serving the purpose of canoes. These
interesting relics were almost completely destroyed in being fished up,
with the exception of one, which, though materially injured, is in a
better state of preservation. It is about 15 feet in length—the sides of
the hollow 15 to 18 inches deep, curving inwards a little at one end,
and the width at bottom being 9 or 10 inches.” Mr Jackson, the
contractor, proposed to have the pieces of the canoe put together and
deposited in the Inverness Museum. It is not there now.
Ibid.—The death is announced of the poet Thomas Campbell, and a sketch
of his life extends to a column-and-half.
July 3.—The opening of Mazzini’s letters by the authorities of the
Post-office vas a subject of Parliamentary and public controversy. Sir
James Graham bore the brunt of the attack, which was afterwards renewed.
It was found that he had not overstepped the law, and the power still
remains in the hands of Secretaries of State. Mr Stuart Parker, however,
in his Life of Sir James, acknowledges that probably “this furious
outburst of ill-informed popular indignation’’ has restricted the use of
warrants for inspection.
Ibid.—Several items may be grouped. The Inverness Town Council appointed
a committee to see whether arrangements could be made for running an
omnibus from the Exchange to Kessock Ferry at a fare of threepence. The
idea was to offer a premium not exceeding £5 to a contractor. The same
meeting appointed a committee to communicate with the Avoch fishermen
with the view of procuring a supply of white fish for the town during
the season of the herring fishery.—A young roe swimming in Loch-Ness was
pursued and captured by Captain Turner and crew of the steamer “Helen
Macgregor.”— The Inverness and Northern Horticultural Society had a
successful summer exhibition. —The Duke of Sutherland had now granted
sites for Free Churches in every parish in Sutherland.—A boat was upset
at Ness, in the Lews, and five lives were lost.
July 10.—Several persons attempted to resist, in the Sheriff Court, the
payment of an assessment for the relief of the poor. Decrees, however,
were given against them.—Two attempts were made at Nairn by
resurrectionists to open a child’s grave, but on both occasions they
were discovered and fled.
July 17.—’A large number of noblemen and gentlemen in the Northern
Counties formed themselves into a committee to inquire into the scheme
for constructing a railway between Inverness and Perth.
Ibid.—The prices at the Inverness Wool Market were particularly good.
Compared with the previous year the advance on sheep was from 20 to 25
per cent., and on wool from 30 to 50 per cent. Prices for Cheviot
wedders ran from 21s to 24s and 26s, and in one exceptional case to 29s;
for ewes, from 10s to 16s; blackfaced wedders fetched on an average
about 15s or 16s, but a few lots reached 18s and 19s, and one lot
fetched 21s; blackfaced ewes ran from 6s 6d to 10s 6d. The best Cheviot
lambs realised 10s 6d and 11s, blackfaced lambs from 5s to 7s, and in
one case 8s. Crosses were also in active demand at high prices. Cheviot
wool was quoted from 15s to 17s; the Dunrobin lot sold at 18s. “A lot of
Cheviot wool, prepared in a peculiar manner, without the usual tar aud
butter, was sold by Dr Mackenzie, Kinnellan, at 19s 6d.” A lot of
half-bred wool realised 25s 6d. On the market days Professor Johnston,
chemist to the Agricultural Chemistry Association, delivered in the
Sheriff Court House a series of three lectures on soils, manures, and
vegetable produce. His services had been obtained by the Inverness
Farmer Society.
Ibid.—A large school of whales was driven on the 1st inst. into a bay
near Stornoway, and slaughtered. The total number is given as 179. The
whales were sold for £483. In subsequent issues there are notices of
captures in the Orkneys and Shetland. The season was remarkable for the
movement of whales.
July 24.—The Inverness Town Council agreed to give £10 to assist in
running an omnibus to Kessock Ferry. They also agreed to offer a premium
of Is 3d “for every full-sized creel of fish brought into the town
during the time of the herring fishing."—The Gaelic Church congregation
proposed to give a call to the Rev. D. Maconnochie, late of the
Presbytery of Picton, Nova Scotia. The charge had been vacant since
27lli September, but the Presbytery had waived their right of
presentation, and at their next meeting sanctioned the call.—The Rev.
Joseph Thorburn was inducted to the charge of the Free English
congregation.
July 31.—A correspondence between the Rev. John Mactavish, Free Church
of Baliachulish, and Mr Maclean of Ardgour, regarding a site for a Free
Church, illustrates the temper of the times.—The visit to Inverness of a
famous vocalist, Mr Templeton, created “admiration amounting to
enthusiasm.”—A paragraph from the “John o’ Groat Journal” states that
“the implement of household use on which the celebrated John o’ Groat
was accustomed to hang his kettle over the fire is now in the possession
of a woman in the parish of Caaiis-bay.” Naturally she attached great
value to the old “crook.”—No fewer than 500 bottlenosed whales appeared
in Soapa Bay, Orkney, and 100 of them were captured.
Ibid.—The King of Saxony was on a tour through Scotland. He visited
Staffa and Iona and Glenfinnan, and would have climbed Ben-Nevis had it
not been for the unfavourable weather. On his way through the Caledonian
Canal he sketched Invergarry Castle and visited the Falls of Foyers.
Sunday was spent in Inverness. In the morning his Majesty went to
examine the vitrified fort of Craig-Phadrick, and afterwards attended
service in the Roman Catholic Chapel. In the afternoon he drove to
Culloden Moor, Kilravock, and Cawdor. The King returned south by way of
Dunkeld. “Nothing could be more simple or unostentatious than the
demeanour of the Saxon monarch. He is strongly attached to geological
and botanical pursuits, and seems averse to all courtly splendour and
display.”
August 7.—The marriage of Lady Elizabeth Georgina, eldest daughter of
the Duke of Sutherland, to the Marquis of Lorne, only son of the Duke of
Argyll, took place the previous week at Trentham. Rejoicings were held
on the Sutherland estates.—A list of shooting tenants in the Highlands
consists of about ninety names.
August 14.—A great Burns festival took place at Ayr, at which the sons
and near relatives of the poet were present. The editor, who gives a
long and graphic account of the pageant, procession, and banquet, says
that from fifty to sixty thousand persons assembled to do honour to the
memory of the poet. He mentions the presence of one faithful friend—“one
on whom Time has gently laid her hand, as if in fulfilment of the poet’s
dying benediction. We allude to Mrs Thomson, Dumfries, the Jessie of
some of his sweetest lyrics and verses, who helped to support his
sinking frame the last time he was seen abroad, and on whom, while she
ministered to his relief in sickness, he made his last effort at
poetical composition.” The Earl of Eglinton was in the chair at the
banquet, and Professor Wilson (Christopher North) was croupier.
Ibid.—The property of Kernsary was purchased by the tutors of Sir
Kenneth Mackenzie of Gairloch for £6000.
Ibid.—A memorandum on the proposed railway from Inverness to Perth
states that “there are at present nine daily coaches, as well appointed
as any in Britain, starting from and arriving at Inverness; regular
steamers ply thence to London, Leith, and Glasgow ; and our Highland
roads are confessedly inferior to none. Why then should not the Northern
Counties communicate with the south by railway?”
August 21.—An Ayr newspaper acknowledges “a very ingenious and tasteful
piece of penmanship’’ executed by one of the pupils of Mr Falconer, of
the Inverness Royal Academy, and transmitted by Mi Carruthers as an
offering for Burns’ monument. The sheet contained in the centre an
excellent portrait of Burns, round which was wreathed a tribute to the
immortal genius of the poet. The young artist was Arthur Joass, aged
thirteen years. “The present well deserves a niche in the monument. It
does credit to the young gentleman both as respects its merits and the
feelings which prompted its execution.”
Ibid.—The death took place at Forres of Lieut. -Colonel Lewis
Carmichael, aged 52. He began his career as an ensign in the 59th Foot
in 1809, and was on active service in the Peninsula and in India. At St
Sebastian he was the only officer out of thirteen who accompanied the
advance which entered the town. During the disturbances in Canada “the
Glengarry Highlanders looked up to him as a brother, while they obeyed
him as a chief. The cairn raised by them in honour of Lord Seaton was
planned at the suggestion of Colonel Carmichael, and his own assistance
in rearing this singular structure was not wanting.” Colonel Carmichael
cherished the language and customs of the Gael. His remains were
interred among his native hills in the Church-yard of Cromdale.
Ibid.—This week the first number of a monthly publication called “Tlio
Inverness and Northern Agriculturist,” price twopence, was issued from
the “Courier” Office. It was undertaken by Mr Carruthers at the
recommendation and request of Professor Johnston, and a large number of
the landed proprietors and farmers of the Northern Counties.
August 28.—An attempt was made at this time to naturalise in this
country the alpaca of Peru1, “an animal valuable both for its fleece and
carcass.” This issue mentions that the total of pure and mixed breeds in
the country, apparently both in England and Scotland, was estimated at
210, divided among various individuals. The Marquis of Breadalbane had a
few for a short time, but they all died except one. “It was the opinion
of the Marquis’s people who had charge of them that the pasturage was
too rich, and that they would have done better on hill ground.” The
alpaca and llama were to be seen grazing on fields belonging to Mr
Stevenson near Oban, feeding exactly like Highland cattle, and going out
with the cows to pasture. One authority believed that the alpaca could
thrive in Scotland! as well as blackfaced sheep. From a book published
at this time it would seem that experiments at naturalising the alpaca
had been going on for about twenty-five years.
Ibid.—Mr Sim, Scotsburn, Ross-shire, gives an account of the application
of guano to the soil. “It is three years since the first few experiments
were made with this manure in Britain. Their success led to further
ones. But it is only now, in 1844, that a general impression of its
importance has been arrived at.”
Ibid.—The new omnibus between the Inverness Exchange and Kessock Ferry
began running the previous day.—The freedom of Dingwall was conferred on
Mr Matheson of Achany, M.P....There is a long notice of the second
number of the “ North British Review,” signed R. R., probably Roderick
Reach. The contribution contains an appreciative account and some
criticism of an article attributed to Hugh Miller, on Scottish
Fishermen.
September 4.—“We understand that our countryman, John Fraser, Esq.,
formerly Provost of Inverness, has just removed from Sherbrooke, in
Canada, to Chatham, in the Western district, as agent for the Montreal
Bank. Our respected townsman will there be in a milder climate, at the
head of the Thames River navigation, and surrounded by a splendid and
improving country. We cordially wish him all health and prosperity.’’
September 11.—A show of Cheviot sheep was held at Lairg, in Sutherland,
the previous week. The editor took occasion to pay a visit to the spot,
and) wrote two very interesting columns on the district and its
traditions.
Ibid.—The writ of error brought by O’Connell and his colleagues against
the judgment of the Irish Court was sustained by a majority of the
House-of Lords. “The question being put, Lords Denman, Cottenham, and
Campbell voted for the reversal of the judgment, and the Lord Chancellor
and Lord Brougham for its affirmation. The decision of the Court then
was that the judgment of the Court below ought to be reversed, and the
traversers were virtually declared innocent and once more free.”
September 18.—The Queen and Prince Albert visited Scotland. They
travelled by their yacht to Dundee, and thence proceeded to Blair
Castle.
Ibid.—“Many of our northern parochial schoolmasters having joined the
secession of last year, have been called upon by the Presbyteries to
re-subscribe the Confession of Faith and formula of the Church of
Scotland, and upon their refusal to comply have been summarily deposed
from their office. Some of them resolved on retaining possession
notwithstanding, and it has in consequence been deemed necessary to
apply for the aid of the civil authority to expel them.” One of these
cases occurred at Contin, in Ross-shire.
September 25.—A communication from Mr Grant of Kincorth to the Inverness
Farmer Society describes the plantations he had made on the outskirts of
the Sands of Culbin, near Forres. These plantations covered about
seventy acres, in the form of a belt extending about a mile in length,
and varying from 100 to 400 yards in breadth. Part of the ground was a
flat, sandy moor, but a large part consisted! of sandhills alone. The
planting began in 1837, and was continued annually in portions of from
fifteen to twenty acres. Mr Grant was satisfied that he had made a
successful attempt to clothe pure sand hills with thriving plantations
of Scotch and larch firs. He did not expect the timber to be of any
great size or value, but the trees clothed a sandy spot, and might be
useful for many rural purposes.
Ibid.—A sum of £75 9s 6d was collected in Inverness for the National
Memorial to Rowland Hill.
October 2.—It is mentioned that at the annual ball given by Mr and! Mrs
Lowe to their pupils in the Northern Meeting Rooms the great novelty of
the evening was the polka, which had lately become fashionable. “The
dance was exhibited here for the first time, and excited a strong
interest, especially when performed in the Bohemian costume.”
Ibid.—The same issue contains a description of Falkirk Tryst, a market
of long standing, and then steadily rising in importance. It is stated
that occasionally there had appeared at the market 25,000 head of cattle
and 45,000 sheep; and that the total amount of money which changed hands
at the three markets in August, September, and October was estimated at
upwards of half-a-million sterling.
October 9.—Satisfactory progress was being made with the preliminaries
of the proposed railway between Inverness and Perth. Mr Joseph Mitchell,
C.E., was carrying out a fresh survey for the promoters.—Mr Thomas
Fraser, solicitor, Inverness, was appointed Sheriff-Suibstitute of Skye.
Ibid.—In carrying out the improvement of the Caledonian Canal
considerable excavations were made at Bona and the site of the ‘‘ rude
keep or fortress ” called Castle Spiritual. “In removing some of the
ruins of the Castle, a number of human bones, the teeth being remarkably
fresh and entire, and one complete skeleton, were found. Some coins of
the reign of Elizabeth were also dug up; but what occasioned most
surprise was the discovery of a nest of toads, completely encased in the
solid wall, with apparently not the slightest opening by which ingress
could be obtained. In a small cavity, about three inches in diameter,
were found six toads and a lizard. On their first admission to the light
of day the toads appeared insensible, but on being touched by the men
they speedily revived!.”
Ibid!—Races, Highland games, and a competition of pipers formed the
outdoor programme of the Northern Meeting. The weather was not very
favourable, but the attendance was as large as usual. The Duke of
Richmond presided on Thursday and Lord Saltoun on Friday.—A column and
a-half, bearing the initials A. B. R. (Angus Bethunc Reach), describes
Boulogne and Picardy.—A public meeting was held at Dingwall to instal Mr
Dickson, the new teacher of the Burgh School, and his assistant, Mr
Borthwick.
Ibid.—On the previous Tuesday the Queen and Prince Albert brought their
visit to Blair Castle to a close, joining their yacht at Dundee for
Woolwich. On the day before their departure the Queen and Prince drove
down Glen-Tilt. “It is stated that no fewer than fifteen thousand deer
were collected before the view of her Majesty, who was so delighted1
that she looked on the scene for hours, causing them to be repeatedly
separated and driven back, and then again sent forward to disport on the
beautiful slopes with which the banks of Glen-Tilt abound.”
October 16.—A numerous
and well-mounted party of gentlemen in hunting dresses met for coursing
at the Longman. They failed to start a hare, and then let out a bagged
fox. No persuasion, however, could make him run. As he moved about
watching the crowd, the hounds dashed in, but were driven off with
whips. “In the course of half-an-hour some hundred or so of boys, headed
by a yelping cur dog, bore down on the field, and great was their joy
when the fox, no longer able to brook their din, sprang over the dyke,
and at a rattling pace dashed down the Longman, closely followed by his
tormentors, with the dogs snuffing at his heels; but in spite of them
all he pursued the even tenor of his way, turning in the direction of
the river’s mouth, where he took the water, amid a volley of stones,
but, heeding them not, he breasted the billows and landed safe in
Ross-shire.’’
October 23.—“The old bell in our fine steeple, which was broken at the
time of the rejoicings consequent on the victory of Waterloo, was taken
down on Friday week, to be recast or exchanged for a new one. It was
found to weigh nearly 3 cwt., and bears the following inscription:
—‘Recast and augmented by Sir Alexander Grant of Dalvey, Bart., Member
of Parliament for Inverness, &c. Anno 1763.’ ”—The Town Council at this
time subscribed £10 to have a clock placed in the Merkinch, in a new
liouse which was being built at the junction of four streets.
Ibid.—As part of the improvement of the Caledonian Canal, it was
resolved to construct a new lock at Gairlochy, at the western end of
Loch-Lochy, to serve as a protection against the rise of floods in the
lake. The foundation-stone was laid with great ceremony on the 16th
inst. by Mr James Loch, M.P., one of the Commissioners. It is stated
that the principal contractor was Mr Thomas Jackson, from Aston,
Birmingham, whoso contract ran to £137,000.
Ibid.—At the October meeting of the Inverness Farmer Society there was a
discussion on the best mode of applying guano.
October 30.—“Dr Mackenzie, Kinellan [better known in later days as of
Eileanach, Inverness], is about to confer on the tenants of Gairloch the
practical benefits of the allotment system, which is to be commenced on
a liberal scale, namely, to the extent of 700 allotments, varying from
two to four acres. Dr Mackenzie visited Eastbourne, in Sussex, where the
allotment system is pursued; and so perfectly satisfied was he of its
simplicity, general practicability, and results that he has unceasingly
laboured to introduce a similar practice into the Highlands. Whether oup
inferior soils and climate will suit as well as the richer lands of
Sussex for the small allotment system may be doubted, but the
experiment, under benevolent guidance and support, is at least worth a
trial.”
November 6.—The Calcutta mail brought news of the death of Lieut.
Mackintosh, formerly aide-de-camp to Lord Ellenborough, to whom was
confided the safe custody of the Mysore princes. He was the youngest son
of the late William Mackintosh of Balnespick, and an officer of great
promise.
November 13.—The Inverness municipal elections created little interest.
In Dingwall Mr Hugh Innes Cameron was re-elected Provost.
November 20.—A report is given of a lecture on the Island of Lewis,
delivered in Glasgow by Mr Smith of Deanston. He describes the mode of
life andl husbandry. Mr Smith thought that if the land were properly
improved, it would maintain twice the number of the then
inhabitants.—The same issue devotes four columns to a report of the
soiree of the Mechanics’ Institution.
November 27.—The Nairnshire Farmer Society had offered premiums for the
best experiments in raising turnips or potatoes by means of guano or
other new manure. A long statement of the results is published.
December 4.—At the Inverness Martinmas market there was a competition in
butter and cheese for premiums offered by the Highland and Agricultural
Society. There had been a competition for butter the previous year, but
not for cheese. “The effect of these competitions on the district
generally was observable in the vast quantities of butter and cheese
exhibited! at this Martinmas market, which in general, for quality and
cleanliness, were decidedly and greatly superior to what they used to
be.”—In the same issue the editor makes a strong appeal for the repair
and improvement of the Ness Islands. “The bridge on the Bught side of
the river is an eyesore, broken down as it is, and half-covered with
water.”
Ibid.—Lieut.-General Sir John Cameron, K.C.B., nephew of Cameron of
Callart, died recently in Guernsey. Born in 1773, he entered' the army
in 1787, and served with great distinction in the West Indies and in the
Peninsula. Sir John was subsequently appointed Lieutenant-Governor of
Plymouth, and had the military command of the western district, which he
held for fourteen years. In 1835 he was appointed to the colonelcy of
the 9th Regiment.
December 18.—An agitation had been going on in Scotland against
interference with the system of Scottish banking, which Sir Robert Peel
was believed to have in contemplation. A meeting was held in Inverness,
with Mr Henry J. Baillie, M.P., in the chair, which passed resolutions
of protest.—The same week there was a meeting to consider a proposal for
the erection of a lunatic asylum at Inverness. A sum of £1700 had been
subscribed, which included £200 from the Duke of Sutherland and £500
from Mr Matheson of Achany.
December 25.—The London correspondent records long-continued depressing
weather in the metropolis. “Bitterly severe winds, almost blistering to
the skin, prevail to the great discomfort of man and beast. Until
yesterday we had not seen one blink of the sun since 28th October, when
the Queen visited the city.” |