Blair Collection > Celtic monthly > Volume 5, 1897
(19)
Download files
Complete book:
Individual page:
Thumbnail gallery: Grid view | List view
THE OELTIO MONTHLY.
boniface of tlie "hostel," who fancied himself
I'olilied of his annual harvest, and one night
when the manse was thi'onged with guests, and
the inn very empty, he slyly took down his sign-
post and stuck it over the minister's dining
room window. Dr. Stuart's first intimation
that he had set up in the public line was the
fiery visage of the inn-keeper glaring in upon
the well-spread breakfast table, with the
ominous words — " Since ye hae taen awa' the
company, ye maun as weel hae the sign alang
wi' them ! "
Janet, Lady Colquhoun, and Sir James.
Lady Colijuhoun formed an association called
the "Luss and Arrochar Bible Society," and
spent her life in forwarding every good move-
ment in the cause of Christ, both in Edinburgh
and on the family properties. She survived her
husband about ten years and died at Rossdhu,
full of faith and hope, sixty-six years of age.
She was buried in the Chapel at Rossdhu,
wearing her wedding ring, and a ring containing
her husband's hair, by her own desire. When
tlie grave had closed over all that was mortal of
Sir James some ten years before, there wa.s
great lamentation over him. An aged clansman
was propped up in bed to see the mournful
procession pas.s, and fainted away when he
caught sight of the hearse containing the lifeless
form of his much-loved Chief, borne as usual on
the shoulders of three Colquhouns and three
Grants. There were also present some retainers
of the family, whose heads had become blanched
in the successive service of three or four
generations, but who retained undiminished
that feeling of devoted attachment which is the
characteristic of the Highlanders of the north
and west.
On those who have had progenitors such as
those mentioned devolve special responsibilities
— " Noblesse oblige," and it is a joy to add that
the ])resent Chief and his family do all in their
power to shew that they feel tlie earthly
inheritance is a trust to be accounted for to
the Heavenly Master, who is making them meet
some in one way, some in another, for the
" Inheritance of the Saints in Light," where
God grant we may meet " one day all in our
Father's Home at last ! "
(To be continued.)
DONALD MATHESON OF THE LEWS.
Jl'^lO early as the fifteenth century the
tfjvS^ ancestors of Mr. Matheson were chiefs
'N^ of no small repute in Sutherland. The
progenitor of the family was Donald Ban
Matheson, whose wife was a daughter of the
Earl of Caithness. The clan took part in
several of the numerous conflicts which disturbed
the peace of Sutherland during the sixteenth
century. In 162G we find the head of the
family, Colonel George M^itheson of Shiness,
accompanied .Sir Donald Mackay, First Lord
Reay, in the wars of Gustavus Adolphus of
Sweden. In the Jacobite risings of 171.5 and
'45 the clan, like the Mackays and Sutherlands,
es|)0used the side of the (iovernment against
the Stuarts.
Donald Matheson. who had served in the
Sutherland Fencibles of 1759 and 1779, married
Catherine, daughter of the Rev. Thomas
Mackay of Lairg, descended from the Mackays
of Scourie. His second .son, .James Sutherland
.Matheson, joined the great mercantile house of
Messrs. Jardine, Matheson & Co., India and
China, and amassed a large fortune. He
)iurchased the Island of Lewis from the
Seaforths, and spent a vast sum in improving
the property and erecting a most magnificent
Castle at Stornoway. He died in 1878, leaving
Lews and Achany in life-rent to Lady Matheson,
and entailed on his nephew, Donald Matheson,
]iresent representative of the ancient family of
Shiness, who recently succeeded to the estates.
Such is a brief sketch of the history of this
ancient and distinguished family. Mr. Donald
Matheson, of the Lews, worthily maintains the
high reputation of his race. He was educated
at the High School of Edinburgh, and being
devoted to a business career proceeded to China
as an assistant in the firm of Messrs. Jardine,
Matheson it Co. Being of a deeply religious
disposition his experience of the opium tratiic
was such that he became an intensely earnest
anti-opiumist. On his return to Scotland, he
married, in 1849, Jane Ellen, daughter of
Lieutenant Horace Petley, R.N., who is still a
sympathetic partner of his domestic joys, and a
helper in his public life. During the subsequent
years Mr. Matheson has devoted himself mainly
to mission work in Edinburgh and London.
As an ardent Presbyterian he has rendered
valuable service in the London Presbytery, and
for a lengthened period acted as Hon. Secretary
of their Presbyterian Mission in India. Mr.
Matheson is also a Vice-President and Treasurer
of the Evangelical Alliance ; and he has done
good service as a worker in the Foreign
Evangelization Society. He gave evidence
before the British Opium Commission at West-
minster, and strongly denounced the sale of that
drug in India under Government patronage.
Mr. Matheson has two sons, Duncan, Major
of the Inniskilling Dragoons, and Donald,
Minister of the Presbyterian Church, Putney,
near London. Editor.
boniface of tlie "hostel," who fancied himself
I'olilied of his annual harvest, and one night
when the manse was thi'onged with guests, and
the inn very empty, he slyly took down his sign-
post and stuck it over the minister's dining
room window. Dr. Stuart's first intimation
that he had set up in the public line was the
fiery visage of the inn-keeper glaring in upon
the well-spread breakfast table, with the
ominous words — " Since ye hae taen awa' the
company, ye maun as weel hae the sign alang
wi' them ! "
Janet, Lady Colquhoun, and Sir James.
Lady Colijuhoun formed an association called
the "Luss and Arrochar Bible Society," and
spent her life in forwarding every good move-
ment in the cause of Christ, both in Edinburgh
and on the family properties. She survived her
husband about ten years and died at Rossdhu,
full of faith and hope, sixty-six years of age.
She was buried in the Chapel at Rossdhu,
wearing her wedding ring, and a ring containing
her husband's hair, by her own desire. When
tlie grave had closed over all that was mortal of
Sir James some ten years before, there wa.s
great lamentation over him. An aged clansman
was propped up in bed to see the mournful
procession pas.s, and fainted away when he
caught sight of the hearse containing the lifeless
form of his much-loved Chief, borne as usual on
the shoulders of three Colquhouns and three
Grants. There were also present some retainers
of the family, whose heads had become blanched
in the successive service of three or four
generations, but who retained undiminished
that feeling of devoted attachment which is the
characteristic of the Highlanders of the north
and west.
On those who have had progenitors such as
those mentioned devolve special responsibilities
— " Noblesse oblige," and it is a joy to add that
the ])resent Chief and his family do all in their
power to shew that they feel tlie earthly
inheritance is a trust to be accounted for to
the Heavenly Master, who is making them meet
some in one way, some in another, for the
" Inheritance of the Saints in Light," where
God grant we may meet " one day all in our
Father's Home at last ! "
(To be continued.)
DONALD MATHESON OF THE LEWS.
Jl'^lO early as the fifteenth century the
tfjvS^ ancestors of Mr. Matheson were chiefs
'N^ of no small repute in Sutherland. The
progenitor of the family was Donald Ban
Matheson, whose wife was a daughter of the
Earl of Caithness. The clan took part in
several of the numerous conflicts which disturbed
the peace of Sutherland during the sixteenth
century. In 162G we find the head of the
family, Colonel George M^itheson of Shiness,
accompanied .Sir Donald Mackay, First Lord
Reay, in the wars of Gustavus Adolphus of
Sweden. In the Jacobite risings of 171.5 and
'45 the clan, like the Mackays and Sutherlands,
es|)0used the side of the (iovernment against
the Stuarts.
Donald Matheson. who had served in the
Sutherland Fencibles of 1759 and 1779, married
Catherine, daughter of the Rev. Thomas
Mackay of Lairg, descended from the Mackays
of Scourie. His second .son, .James Sutherland
.Matheson, joined the great mercantile house of
Messrs. Jardine, Matheson & Co., India and
China, and amassed a large fortune. He
)iurchased the Island of Lewis from the
Seaforths, and spent a vast sum in improving
the property and erecting a most magnificent
Castle at Stornoway. He died in 1878, leaving
Lews and Achany in life-rent to Lady Matheson,
and entailed on his nephew, Donald Matheson,
]iresent representative of the ancient family of
Shiness, who recently succeeded to the estates.
Such is a brief sketch of the history of this
ancient and distinguished family. Mr. Donald
Matheson, of the Lews, worthily maintains the
high reputation of his race. He was educated
at the High School of Edinburgh, and being
devoted to a business career proceeded to China
as an assistant in the firm of Messrs. Jardine,
Matheson it Co. Being of a deeply religious
disposition his experience of the opium tratiic
was such that he became an intensely earnest
anti-opiumist. On his return to Scotland, he
married, in 1849, Jane Ellen, daughter of
Lieutenant Horace Petley, R.N., who is still a
sympathetic partner of his domestic joys, and a
helper in his public life. During the subsequent
years Mr. Matheson has devoted himself mainly
to mission work in Edinburgh and London.
As an ardent Presbyterian he has rendered
valuable service in the London Presbytery, and
for a lengthened period acted as Hon. Secretary
of their Presbyterian Mission in India. Mr.
Matheson is also a Vice-President and Treasurer
of the Evangelical Alliance ; and he has done
good service as a worker in the Foreign
Evangelization Society. He gave evidence
before the British Opium Commission at West-
minster, and strongly denounced the sale of that
drug in India under Government patronage.
Mr. Matheson has two sons, Duncan, Major
of the Inniskilling Dragoons, and Donald,
Minister of the Presbyterian Church, Putney,
near London. Editor.
Set display mode to: Large image | Transcription
Images and transcriptions on this page, including medium image downloads, may be used under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International Licence unless otherwise stated.
Early Gaelic Book Collections > Blair Collection > Celtic monthly > Volume 5, 1897 > (19) |
---|
Permanent URL | https://digital.nls.uk/75851203 |
---|
Shelfmark | Blair.57 |
---|---|
Additional NLS resources: | |
Attribution and copyright: |
|
More information |
Description | A selection of books from a collection of more than 500 titles, mostly on religious and literary topics. Also includes some material dealing with other Celtic languages and societies. Collection created towards the end of the 19th century by Lady Evelyn Stewart Murray. |
---|
Description | Selected items from five 'Special and Named Printed Collections'. Includes books in Gaelic and other Celtic languages, works about the Gaels, their languages, literature, culture and history. |
---|