Blair Collection > Celtic magazine > Volume 5

LITEEATURE. 119
and the theory might now have been passed unnoticed, had it not recently found
ingeniouB advocacy in Fraser's ' Earls of Cromartie.' . . . The Hiatory of the Mac-
kenzies of Kintail is a series of tragedies, here and there relieved by touches of rude
humour Mr Mackenzie is disposed to be more exact than some of his
predecessori, and is not guilty of such blunders as those of Mr "W. Fiaaer, who prefixed
to his book on the Earls of Cromartie a pedigree of the Seaforth line which was simply
a slavish copy, even to the eccentric spelling of Douglas's ' Peerage,' and repeated the
errors of that hook, although he had actually incorporated in his work the history by
George, Earl of Cromartie, where a more correct pedigree was given. . . . The work
has an intense interest of a certain kind, and there is a suggestivo picturesqueness about
the appellations of the chiefs. The various branches of the clan are traced genealogi-
cally to the present day, a stiff piece of labour for which Mr Mackenzie certainly de-
serves the thanks of his kinsmen."— Athenceum.
" It was certainly no ordinary task that the enthusiastic editor of the Celtic Magazine
imposed upon himself, in writing up the history of his clan ; but the nianner in which
he has accomplished the work reflects great credit, not only on his devotion to his farnily
name, but his historical faculty as well. His book is a monument of careful and pains-
taking labour. By many, however, not Mackenzies, the question may be put. Has not
the author thrown away great labour upon a work which nobody will read outside the
charmed circle of his clan ? Who in these busy times has leisure, even if he had the
will, to read the genealogical tree of a Highland family in which he has not the remotest
possible interest? The answer which the author would make, and justly, is that his
ijook is in effect a chapter of national as well as of family history, and as such lays claim
to be read by all who would make a study of Scnttisli history. Leaving out the genea-
logies, of course, the book is, in fact, a deeply interesting and instructive one, dealing as
it does with men like the Earls of Seaforth, who played such important parts in the
times of the Covenant, and the revolution which followed. There is Hot much to admire
in the characters which figure in this history — treacherv, rapine, murder followed too
closely on their heels, but Mr Mackenzie has been able to throw considerable light, not
only upon the Highland character, but also upon important historical facts such as the
conduct of Generals Hurry and Seaforth at the Battle of Auldearn. In a word.he who
would master the attitude of the Highlanders towards the Covenant and Jacobitism can-
not afford to pass by this history of the clan Mackenzie. Difference of opinion there
may be about the author's tracing of the clan back to the ancient Earls of Ross instead
of the Irish chief, Colin Firzgerald, but there can bo none as to the praiseworthy manner
in which he has discharged a most difficult taik ; and his book, at any rate, merits the
notice of all the loyal members of his clan."— Zonrfon Literary World.
" It furnishes an historical narrative of the family, its feuds, its victories, its acqui-
sitions of property, its sub divisions, and their several ramifications down to the present
day, including alliances by marriage so recent as the present generation. It is an extra-
ordinary volume. . . . Mr Mackenzip first published what he knew of the history
of his clan in the Celtic Magazine, an excellent expedient for acquiring additional infor-
mation ; for correspondence flowed in upon him copiously, correcting inaccuracies, and
pointing out fresh sources of supply. The present history has by this means been greatly
enhanced in value. . . . The History of the Mackenzies may be taken as typical of
the Highlands generally, more so, perhaps, than any other clan in this respect— that
their possessions extended uninterruptedly from the Outer Hebrides to the Point of
Tarbat Ness, from the western to the eastern extremity of the Highlands proper, and
the people shared the turbulent life of the Islands and west coast of the mainland,
as well as that of the peaceful agricultral districts of Easter Ross. . . . The labour
that must have been bestowed upon the work is amazing." — Inverness Courier.
" ]\Ir Mackenzie traces with laborious minuteness the history of the different chiefs,
and the feuds in which they were engaged with neighbouring clans, as well as the part
they played in the struggles which so frequently convulsed the Scottish nation. . . •
Mr M. gives exhaustive genealogies ©f the different branches of the clan, and an abstract
of the evidence bearing on the much-disputed question of the Chiefship, in the course of
which he records his opinion that the Mackenzies of Allangrauge appear to be heirs male
of the family of Seaforth." — Edinburgh Courant.
" Mr Mackenzie brings us down through centuries of rapine and bloodshed, in which
the feuds between the Mackenzies, the Macdonalds, and the Macleods, are amply re-
lated, . , . The action taken by the clan during the Jacobite rebellions forms an
interesting chapter in the histoiy, and the events of recent years are skilfully told. . .
The question of the chiefship is ably discussed. Mr Mackenzie has succeeded in
completing a very diflScult and laborious task, and we have no doubt his researches in
the interests of Celtic history will be favourably received."— Glasgow Neivs.
" Not only the members of the clan, but also all who take an interest in the annals of
Scotland and the Highlands, owe a debt of gratitude to the author for the research and
ability which he has devoted to this interesting volume, which is very handsomely got
up in Roxburgh bindieg, and the printing and general get-up are highly creditable to
North«rn enterprise,"— ii!o3S-iAire Journal,