Blair Collection > Celtic monthly > Volume 7, 1899

THE CELTIC MONTHLY'.
85
Tho' bleak be the clime, an' but scanty the fare,
My heart's in the Highlands, O gin I were there.
*■ *
The Highlands ! the Highlands ! far up the grey
glen
Stands a cosy wee cot, wi' a hut and a hun,
And a dess at the door, wi' my auld mither there.
Crooning — ' Haste ye back, Donald, an' leave us
nae mair.'"
These .simple verses illustrate the attachment
that Highlanders have for their land of brown
heath and shaggy wood, for —
'' The tempest and the torrents roar.
But bind them to their native mountains more."
Why, then, should we exile our fellow
countrymen when there are thousands of
acres in our own land, equally as fertile
a.s the liohest virgin soil in Manitoba, ay!
land far lesS difficult to till than the tough
]iiairie lands of Canada or the arid plains of
Australia, and which is now lying practically
waste — the abode of the sheep or wild red deer (
Until every available acre of tillable land is
occupied in the Highlands of Scotland, we should
have no emigration. The congested communities
we find along the sea-board of the mainland,
and in many of the islands, are the results of
continuous evictions and the gradual driving of
people down from the rich glens, until their
progress has been checked by the wild waves of
the Atlantic Ocean, where they squatted down,
multiplied and .sunk into the chronic state we
now find them in. Notwithstanding that many
districts are over-populated, if we take the entire
area of the Highland.?, or even of any single
county or particular parish, we see that the
country is not too densel}' populated, but that it
has sustained in less prosperous yeais a larger,
more contented and wealthier community than
we have this day in our midst.
To demonstrate this I have selected the
combined counties of Ross and Cromarty.
These counties will represent a fairer average of
the depo})ulation that has taken place during
this century, than will, ])erhaps, any of the
other counties in the Highlands ; for we find no
material increase in any of the towns or villages,
thereby giving a truer idea of the actual extent
of rural depopulation.
The total population of Ross and Cromarty-
shires in 1851 was
82,707,
and in 1881, 78,547,
Decrease, 4,610 of population in 30 years.
The number of paupers on the roll
during the year 1888, - - - 3583.
Number of poor persons obtaining
relief in the year 1800, - - 1813.
Increase of paupers, 1770.
[To be continued).
JOHN MACKAY, C.E., J.P.,
HEREFORD.
|p|3|HEUE is perhaps no
Vly nmwe better known to
>j J^ Highlanders than that
of " Hereford," and there is no
man living who has done more
for his countrymen than the
subject of these brief remarks.
It is not our intention here to
give a sketch of his career, for
a veiy interesting account of it appeared in our
issue for December, 1892, copies of which may
still be had. The i)ortrait which we give is
considered a life-like likeness, and was taken for
thepreparationof the large oil painting which was
jM-esented to theClan Mackay Society at the recent
Cathering by Mr. James H. Mackay, of London,
whose daughter, Miss E. Rose Mackay, was the
distinguished artist. It is to be held by each
President during his terra of office, and is now
in the ))ossession of Major A. Y. Mackay,
Grangemouth. Clansmen in all parts of the
world will doubtless be glad to possess such an
e.xcellent portrait of the "grand old man" of the
Mackay Clan. Before parting from this subject,
we may say that it has often been a matter of
wonder to us upon what principle Her Majesty
bestows her honours. Probably many of our
readers have shared our surprise. But what we
do think is, that if honours are given as an
acknowledgmeiit of services ]ierformed on behalf
of our fellow men ; of a noble and lofty example
in matters calculated to ins[)ire feelings of
|)atrioti.sm ; of a generous, practical support of
every movement intended to advance the material
and intellectual interests of the Highland race ;
and for notable achievements in business pursuits
affecting the welfare of the nation at large ; then,
we ask, how have the distinguished services of
such men as Mr. John Mackay of Hereford and
Dr. Charles Eraser-Mackintosh never been
properly recognised '? Of recent years several
Highlanders have been honoured, and probably
deservedly so; but not one of them has
rendered services equal to those associated with
the names of these two outstanding represent-
atives of the Highland race. We quite
recognise that they are gentlemen who would
shrink from, rather than court such honours; yet
it is a matter affecting the whole Highland race,
and we think that when official recognition is
given for distinguished services to the nation.
Highland sentiment ought to receive some con-
sideration. In making these remarks, we know
that we are expressing the feelings of the
Highland people at home and abroad.