Blair Collection > Celtic monthly > Volume 1, 1893

THE CELTIC MONTHLY.
173
JOHN MACKAY ("Ben Reay").
§T is not necessary to be born in the High-
lands to be a true Highlander, for John
— Maekay (better known to his clansmen as
" Ben Reay "), one of the most enthusiastic of
Gaels, was born at Eestalrig, near Edinburgh,
about sixty-five years
ago. He had hoped
for a military career,
but though family
considerations pre-
vented his entering
the army, he found
some scope for his
soldierly instincts in
Canada (where he had
gone when a young
man) by getting a
commission in the
militia; and, as a
captain in that ser-
\ ice, organised a com-
pany of Home Guards
during the Fenian
troubles of 1865-66.
He was about twenty
years in Canada, and
devoted himself
chiefly to fruit-grow-
ing and experimental
farming. He was one
of the first to try and re-
commend "ensilage,"
or pitted fodder, for
cattle-feeding, as he
was firmly convinced
of the advantage of
this method of pre-
serving grasses and
green crops, from the
success which at-
tended the use of it
on his own property.
A short paper of his
on the subject was
read before the High-
land and Agricultural
Society hi 1884 He
returned to Scotland
from Canada in 1875,
but since he sold Herriesdale (a small estate in
Kirkcudbrightshire), a few years ago, he has
resided chiefly in Germany.
Besides his contributions to various maga-
zines and newspapers, Mr. Maekay is the author
of " An Old Scots Brigade," being a history of
the famous regiment raised by the 1st Lord
lleay, which did noble service under the Kings
of Denmark and Sweden in the thirty years'
war ; and was known in Germany as the in-
vincible old regiment. Two articles of Mr.
Maekay' s, recently contributed to The Scot-
tish Review, attracted considerable attention,
and both have been reprinted in American
magazines — the first, entitled " An Old
Scots Society," is an account of the oldest
charitable association
in North America, a
society founded by a
few Scotsmen in
Boston in 1657; the
other is a note on the
" Death of Gustavus
Adolphus," being the
substance of a curious
document on that
event, which he found
in the archives in the
castle at Marburg.
We understand
that Mr. Maekay has
been engaged for a
compiling a new his-
tory of the Clan Mae-
kay, and hope he will
see his way ere long
to give the result of
his labours to the
public. We may add
that he is the senior
representative, in the
male line, of the
Mackays of Melness ;
and that he takes a
lively interest in all
matters pertaining to
his clan, and espe
cially to the Clan
Maekay Society, of
which he is an " Hono-
rary Member," a dis-
tinction, so far, which
has been conferred on
three members only,
viz. : Sheriff Maekay ;
the writer of this ;
and the subject of the
present notice.
Mr. Maekay mar-
ried, in 1877, the younger daughter of the
Hon. A. Ware, a Judge of the District Court
of the United States, and has an only child,
a daughter, born in 1879.
H„,„wrf John Mackay.
Gaelic Society of London.— The winner of Mr. C.
Fraser-Mackintosh's prize of £20 for the best Highland
patriotic air will be announced in our next issue.