Clan Fraser in Canada

MILITARY CHARACTER OF THE CLAN. 89
ciate to the fullest extent that spirit which distinguished them
and probably in no small degree share it, out I am not a man
of words, and I feel I shall not be able, even in a small way,
to do justice to this theme. Undoubtedly the military char-
acter of the Clan goes back to its very origin, for if the
Frasers did come from Normandy, they must have been
selected on account of their military ability, for those were
the days when length and strength of arm and good general-
ship were the most valuable qualifications a man could
possess. But, coming down to the earlier times in Scotland,
we find our clansmen heading the warlike and chivalrous
nobles of that country, in their devotion to the Crown, and
in their exploits in the field in defence of country and
patrimony. I need not enter into a detailed description of
the times when the Lowland Frasers served their country
and their king with an unswerving devotion whose lustre time
will not dim, nor the researches of modern historians tarnish.
Down through history in the Highlands they have ever shown
themselves to be a brave and warlike race, furnishing indi-
viduals of conspicuous ability and distinction in arms. No
treatment of this toast would be complete that should omit a
reference to Fraser's Highlanders that embarked under the
command of the Chief of the Clan in i 757, and took part with
Wolfe's army in all the engagements, from Louisburg to the
close of the war. At Quebec the Frasers distinguished
themselves in an especial manner. In the struggles which
took place early in the century, between the Canadians
and Americans, the Frasers did their duty, proving that
down to our own times they maintained their old reputa-
tion. In the British army, from the formation of the
Highland regiments, in 1739, to the present day, the