Blair Collection > Celtic monthly > Volume 7, 1899

160
THE CELTIC MONTHLY.
wag born and spent her childhood in Berbice, re-
members that Glen Nevis was generally esteemed
in the Colony for his high and honourable character.
If it be the fact that there are no male descen-
dants of this last Glen Nevis chieftain, there are
yet other Camerons who can undoubtedly claim
descent from earlier chieftains, as for example, the
members of the Dawnie family, and I daresay there
are representatives of other branches, as must be the
case with your correspondent, Mr. Donald Cameron.
Donald Charles Cameron, of Barcaldine, my wife's
great-uncle, left descendants ; so did his next brother
Ewen, of Tallisker, in Skye. The eldest brother,
John Cameron (of the Tilth), my wife's grandfather,
married a Kennedy of Lianachan (mi.sspelt Lis-
machan on p. 4G4 of "Loyal Lochaber "), and his
eldest surviving son, another Donald Charles, became
a successful colonist in Queensland, where he is now
represented by his son, John Cameron, the present
head of the Dawnie branch of Glen Nevis. The
youngest son of John Cameron and Isabella Kennedy
was my wife's father, Alexander Gordon Matheson
Cameron, M.D., (born ]82!t, died 1884), who went
oiit as a young man to Demerarawith which colony
his family had been long connected as I have shewn.
He married in Berbice (18ii5) Edith, third daughter
of Richard Martin Daly, of Demerara, Attorney, by
Sarah, his wife, only child of Thomas O'Brien,
Captain R.N., son of John O'Brien, an officer in the
Enniskillen Dragoons, and a cadet of the ancient
House of Thomond.
By this marriage Dr. Cameron had, besides three
daughters who are all married with issue, two sur-
viving sons, the elder of whom, Alistair Cameron,
occupies a leading jiosition in Barbados, as managing
attorney for the several sugar estates of an old
West-Indian firm, and is married, with a family of
one son and four daughters ; whilst the younger,
Evan Donald Cameron, holds a junior post on one
of the estates of the Hon. W. A. Wolseley, in
Demerara. — I am. Yours truly,
T. Clakk Smith, M.A. (Oxon.
THE JEW ADMIRES THE KILT.
A PARAGRAPH has more than once appeared in the
Cidtic calling attention to the fact how adroitly the
Jews, when settling in an English-speaking country
drop their "chosen" names and deck themselves
with Highland names instead.
Of course, it is no news I give when I state that
the Jews adore the tartan. Who doesn't? To-day
the tartan waves in every capital in Europe : in
every city in America. It is as n)nch at home in
the cloak-room of the Grand Opera-house as it is in
the humble dwelling of the poor. No wonder,
then, that the Jew — after all a most impressionable
creature, with an eye as keen for the shapely turn
of a ankle as for the colour of a diamond, should
succumb to its seductiveness.
The oft-quoted saying, that admiration with the
Jew is but ihe prelude to acquisition, led lue to
fear further conqiiests ; hence 1 longed to ascertain
his attitude towards the kilt. It has ct>me ; and
with the knowledge appears a picture of the Jew in
a new light. Chance furnished the opportunity,
and a daughter of Eve the inspiration, for extracting
an opinion on this interesting subject. It^came
about in this way. Last autumn, I went down to
see the Caledonian Games which were held in
Ambrose Park, South Brooklyn. On the ferry-boat
which conveyed the crowd of Caledonians thither,
was another and gayer crowd bound for Manhattan
Beach. Among the latter, I observed a handsome,
well-dressed man whose Hebraic cast of feature was
unmistakable. He was accompanied by one of
these radiantly beautiful creatures— a summer girl.
The twain were very happy together, and merry
were the remarks passed on everything and every-
body as we steamed down the bay. Suddenly she
of the snowy raiment espied some stalwart Scots in
the Highland dress. " Just look at them," she said,
" I call that dress perfectly horrid ; there is nothing
more shocking to me than to see these men in their
bare 1-1-leg- (limbs, I mean) walking along Broad-
way." The Jew turned quietly around, looked at
the offending Scots in a kindly, nay almost wistful,
way, and remarked: "I beg to differ from you.
Singular as it may seem, the appearance of that
dress always raises strange thoughts within me,
which would be hard for me perhaps to express,
but I like the dress."
Such a tribute from a gentleman Jew shows that
even to the stranger there is something in the Garb
of Old Gaul which appeals to the imagination, some
mysterious something hard to define, but which
seems everlastingly entwined with feelings of a
strongly martial nature. What would be the sen-
sation of the same son of Israel on seeing a kilted
regiment swing by I "The thin red line" would
appeal to his mystic Oriental mind more as the
forked lightning of the storm-cloud of war ; while
their tread would but awaken echoes of the rusli of
opposing hosts, the clash of steel, and the shout of
battle.
It is said of the late President Grant when present
at a review of British troops that he allowed
regiment after regiment of the boys in breeks to pass
by in stolid indiS'erence, without a single comment,
although their bearing was faultless ; but the
moment that the tartan swung into line, the eyes
of the old general lit up as he exclaimed : " Ah !
they have the sweep of empire in their stride! "
Free though some Jews of a certain class have
been with Highland names, and much though they
may admire the tartan, I now feel fully assured
that they will let the kilt alone. Yes, I think it
can be confidently asserted that when a Jew is seen
prancing along the Glasgow Trongate in tartan
array, the steady tramp of Macaulay's New Zea-
lander can be heard in the distance as he goes
marching on towards London Bridge.
New Yoik. MacDhai.
The Clan Maclean have had a very successful
year, the membership now being 400, and the funds
£227, truly a very gratifying position. An "At
Home" will be given in Glasgow in October, at
which SirFitzroy and'Lady Maclean will be present.
The Inverness-shire Assoiiation have also just
completed the winter's work. The Association is
second to none in this city, and has the promise of
greater successes in the future. Mr. James Grant
was re-elected president.