Blair Collection > Celtic magazine > Volume 5

208 THE CELTIC MAGAZINE.
flo-wers is, of course, taken down from their own lips ! The book closes
appropriately with a chapter on "funeral trees."
We conclude by again reiterating our unqualified testimony to the
excellence of the gifted author's labours, and the great beauty of the book
as a work of art. We have never seen a more successful attempt at
" holding the mirror up to Nature."
^enealoQiral £iott!S mil) %izxizs,
ANSWER TO QUERY.
The Macraes, — In reply to " Garbhag an t' Sleibhe," who writes from South Australia:— ' i
1. The Macraes are one of the most ancient clans in the North. They were for- ' ,;
merly very numerous in Kintail, where many still remain. A large number have, how- |
ever, emigrated. The old 78th Regiment of Hip;blander3 was very largely composed of: ^
Macraes, and the splendid stature and physique of the men from this clan are still ra. , I
reembered. The grenadier company was at first composed of Macraes, every one six,
feet or more in height. . . •
Their chiefs were the Macraes of Inverinate, on Loch Duich. This family is un- ;
doubtedly of very ancient origin. The tradition of the country says they were descended • •■!
from Fingal, and that this is the origin of the name Mac Ra— sons of Ra Mor. It isj |
certain that many of the ancestors of the present family were buried at lona. Thai '
Maoraes of Inverinate possessed these lands, with many others, on both sides of Loch j >
Duioh for about 400 years, but the estates were sold by the grand uncle of the present i y
chief, who is Mr Colin Macrae of Wellbank, Forfarshire, presently residing in Edin-,' t
burgh.
2. The arms of the clan are— Argent, a Fesse Azure, between two Mullets in chief,' i
and a lion Rampant in base-gulf a. The chief also has two Highlanders as supporter!. J i
The crest is a hand holding a sword. Motto, Fortitudine. The badge is the Fir Olu1b' ^
Moss. :
3. The Macraes have a distinct and very beautiful tartan, not unlike that of the,
Clan Fraser, although distinctly different. The late Mr Kenneth Macleay, who painted i i
a selection of some of the Highland clans, always regretted that he was not authoriasdi •
to paint a Macrae, as he said their tartan was, in his opinion, the most beautiful of all ' 1
the Clans. It is to be found in the best works on Clan Tartans, although not alwayi) 1
correctly given, and is well knewn. MacRab. : ]
A HISTORY OF THE HOUSE AND CLAN OF MACKIN: (
TOSH, by Alexander Mackintosh Shaw, author of " The Clan Battle ol i
Perth," and of " The Highland Family of Shaw," we are glad to find, is tc; i
be published this year by subscription. Separate accounts will be given! 'i
of the other families of Clan Chattan, such as the Macphersons, Mac-j J
gillivrays, Macbeans, Macqueens, Macphails, Shaws, Farquharsons, andj ;'
others. The readers of the Celtic Magazine will remember Mr Mackin- I
tosh Shaw as the author of the excellently written and valuable articles »i
published by us a few years ago on "Brigadier Mackintosh of Borlum."! i
His claims to do justice to this work may be judged by the sketch oi f
the Clan Chattan in Fullarton'a " Highland Clans ;" for we are informed i
by the editor in his preface that the narrative of the Clan ia that worh! i
" owes its value almost entirely to his (Mackintosh Shaw's) kindness,' i
" who," we are told at p. 197, " has revised the whole." Mr Mackintosh f
Shaw is engaged in excellent work, and we heartily wish him the success! ;
he so well deserves. We are apparently on the way for having a com-. J
plete series of Clan Histories worthy of our ancestors.
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