Blair Collection > Celtic monthly > Volume 4, 1896

IB
THE CELTIC MONTHLY.
Chambers points out, is one of the greatest of
misfortunes, and if Charles Edward eventually
yielded to the frailties which inevitably ensure
degradation, surely the magnitude of his
sufferings may fairly be admitted as some
palliation. His lot liad been one to which few
men have ever been exposed, but, if judged by
hia early Ufa and behaviour during his brief
expedition in Scotland, he will be found to have
possessed all those qualities that go to make
an amiable and popular ruler, and a great
kmg. The man who induced Highland and
Lowland gentlemen to join his cause ; who led
a victorious army into the very heart of a
hostile country, and had the crown of the three
kingdoms akiiost within his grasp ; who in the
dark days after CuUoden bore his trials with
an equanimity which lasted through them all ;
•who cheered his comrades in hours of danger ;
and who displayed powers of physical endurance
hardly equalled by liis companions, must have
possessed qualities far above those of the
ordmary standard. Throughout his brief
military career Charles Edward Stuart proved
himself a Prince of marked abihties, a brave
soldier, a born general, and a true patriot
Till the last his heart was in the glens of
Scotland and with the Highlanders ; nothing
clouded the happiness of his declining yeai-s
more than the remembrance of the brave and
noble lives which were sacrificed on his behalf
—a sentiment to which Burns has beautifully
and touchmgly given expression in "The
ChevaUer's Lament." —
" Tlie deed that I dar'd, ctmld it merit their malice >.
A king and a fatiier to place uii his throne !
His right are these hills, hi.s right are these valleys,
Where the wild beasts iind shelter, tho' I can
find none 1
But 'tis not 1/11/ sutf'rings, thus wretched forlorn !
My brave gallant friends, 'tis ijovr ruin I mourn ;
Your faith proved so loyal in hot bloody trial-
Alas I can make it no better return I "
He died on the 30th January, 1788, in the
arms of the Master of Nairn, and beneath the
marble of St. Peter's Cathedral, Rome, the
bones of Charles Edward Stuart have long
since crumbled to dust. There also, stands a
monument erected by desire of George IV.— a
generous and graceful tribute to royalty in
misfortune— on which is inscribed three empty
titles not found on the roll of British kings—
James III., Charles III., and Henry IX. The
last of these unfortimate Princes died in 1807,
and with him ended "the hapless Stuart line."—
"No more for their cause shall the trumpets be
blown,
Nor their followers crowd to the field ;
Their hopes were all wreck'd when CuUoden was
won,
And the fate cf their destiny seal'd.
Cold, cold is that heart which could stand o'er his
grave,
Nor think of their fate with a sigh.
That the glory of kings, like a wreck from the wave,
Here lone and deserted must lie."
[The End.]
[Note.— Having recently visited Prince Charlie's
Monument at Glentinnan, I was much surprised
and sorry to find it in a lamentable state of
decay. Not only is the western portion of the
surrounding wall completely broken down, but
the masonry at the base of the tower is fast
falling away. Surely such a state of affairs
should not be allowed to exist ! A very trifling
sum would repair all the damage, and it would
reflect both honour and credit on the superior
of the ground to see that this, the only
monument in Scotland to the young Chevalier,
is not permitted to further crumble into
ruin. -J. H. M.]
REVIEWS.
The Minstrelsy of SroTL.\ND, 2(X) Scottish songs
adapted to their traditional airs, by Alfred Moffat.
London : Augener & Coy. This is a handsome
collection of songs arranged for tlie voice, with
pianoforte accompaniment, and supplemented with
historical notes. Until within recent years such
collections seldom or never included examples of
Highland minstrelsy, but now, thanks to the
patriotism of a few— Highland music has forced
itself on public favour and is now receiving that
attention to which it is justly entitled, and so we
are pleased to note that the present collection not
only contains a number of Highland airs set to
Lowland songs, but about a score <if genuine Gaelic
melodies with singable English translations of the
original words. The most of these have been taken
from "Fionn's" Cultic Li/ce, which of ilselt is a
guarantee of their genuineness, while others are
taken from Mr. L. MacBean's "Songs of the
Highlands," and a few from our own columns. The
historical notes are valuable and in many cases
exceedingly interesting, while the setting of the airs
is simple but eft'ective. The work is wonderfully
moderate in price, and should find its way into the
hands of all who can appreciate a genuine collection
of characteristic Scottish songs. Mr. Moffat is to
be congratulated on the thorough manner in which
he has performed his self-imposed task, and we
trust his labours will be appreciated as they deserve.
Mr. Alexanher Mackenzie has issued a new
and enlarged edition of his Gvide to Ii(rerne.is and
the Hiiihhinds, a book that should be in the hands
of every one who wishes to possess a reliable guide
book, and learn something of the history and anti-
quities of the places visited. We know nothing to
compare with it — it is a marvellous shillings worth.
The value of the book is very much enhanced by a
series of process plates giving views of the principal
places of interest in the North. Mackenzie's Chiiiie
can be had at any of the railway bookstalls or the
leading booksellers, and if you intend visiting the
" Land of the Gael " do not forget to provide your-
self with a copy.