A Treatise on the Language, Poetry, And

— THE BKEADALBANE SUCCESSION. The Lieutenant Donald Campbell referred to as a clai- mant of the Breadalhane title and estates has been long before the public as not only an enthusiastic Highlander, but also as a writer of great research and discriminating knowledge on all subjects deeply interesting to the Gael —especially on Highland tenures. The following, we are told, is the history of this curious case:—John, the first Earl of Breadalbane, got the estates deeply burdened, and was deeply in debt. He married, first Lady Mary Rich, with whom he received, considering the value of money at the time, an enormous fortune, which he applied te the payment of debts. By her he had two sous —Duncan, Lord Ornielie, and John, Lord Gleuurchy. The title and estates should go to the former, and his mother's tocher should go the latter. He afterwards married the Countess of Caithness, and with her received even a larger fortune than he got with Lady Mary Rich. By her he had one son, Colin, who was, of course, entitled to his mother's fortune; but the old Earl applied this sum also to the payment of the debts. In addition to bis sons, there was, apparently, only one other large creditor left as a burden on the estate—Colin Campbell, Carwhin, the nephew of the Earl, in whose favour bis father seems to have put a large burden on the estate. John, therefore, with the consent of his eldest son, Duncan, entailed the estate, "to be farmed out," to pay these debts. He reserved a sufficient provision for him- self and Duncan, his eldest son, and settled, with his consent, the title aud estates on his creditors, his second son, John, aud his third son, Colin ; and failing them, the estates, but not the titles, were settled on the i^xt heaviest creditors—viz., the two sons of his deceased nephew, Colin Campbell, Carwhin. But failing these, or on their being paid, the estates were to return to his son, Duncan, or his heirs. Tke heSs of John died with j the third Earl, and the presumption of law is, that Colin died without issue, since Carwhin's sons succeeded. The race of Carwhin were paid a hundred times over, and died out ; and the entail, by the first Eaii, embraced only his own sons and his nephew, Carwhhi. ^his entail has never been reduced. Hence, although H multi- tude of other entails were made, Capt. Donald Campbell j is lineally descended from Duncan, Lord Ormelie. Glenfalloch is a collateral branch ; but he is not, we are told, embraced by the original entail ; and, therefore, properly speaking, has no personce standi entitling him even to dispute the succession, unless he can prove that Duncan's race are extinct ; and our informant adds, every old man in Breadalbane knows that " Duncan of the 45," as he is uniformly called (although sometimes styled of Carwhin and sometimes of Margnaha), had the clan ready to join Piince Charles when he was takeu prisoner by the celebrated Colonel Campbell of Sfamor. Had he not been regarded as the chief, it is presumed that the clan would not have risen with him on that occasion, it being well known that the then possessor of the titles and estates was on the opposite side. Perth- shire Advertiser. The Morning Herald says:—"As many unfounded rumours are afloat concerning the Breadalbane succession, we are authorised to state that John Alexander G. Campbell is now Earl of Breadalbane, and is so acknow- ledged by all the relatives of the deceased Marquis, whose wish it was, as such, he should be treated with all respect by his near relations. The disposa1)le part of the Breadalbane property is divided equally between his thr*. 9 nieces and his nephew, the Duke of Buckingham and .Chaudos ; and Lady Elizabeth Pringle, his sister, inhabits the Berwickshire estates, through her luothei, ' the ft^t Marchioness of Breadalbi'.ne."--Tho Court " Joumai understands that the Earl .rf Breadalbane has left Loadon to pioceod north, for the purpose of making a tour ofinspection of his extensive estates in Perthaud: ArgyllBbiri*. previous to making a lengthened tour in the Soutb of Euz^^piL" Edinburgh: Maclai hi.a.n <\; SiEWAfiT. London : Simpkin, Marshall & <>. Glasgow : Tuo^rAs Murrav <V 8<^n Dublin : Hodges & Smith. Inverness : William Smith. J?rice Seven Shillings and Sixpence. THE LANGUAGE, POETRY, AND MUSIC HIGHLAND CLANS. R. COLUK AND SON, PRINTERS, KDINBORGH. : <,Z -iSrVr '^ ^^.j-A £^^£^? ^^^^^*^ EDINBURGH D. R. COLLIE & SON, 19 ST DAVID STREET. 1862. C^'^^'^^^Muc ^rf*i2&ì**--*- /u*«*j^^^^<^ ^aUAjyZiC t^ yU***^^ : .)i)lm. first Eai EDINBURGH D. R. COLLIE & SON, 19 ST DAVID STREET, 1862. A TREATISE LANGUAGE, POETRY, AND MUSIC HIGHLAND CLANS : ILLUSTRATIVE TRADITIONS AND ANECDOTES, AND NUMEROUS ANCIENT HIGHLAND AIRS. BY DONALD CAMPBELL, Esq. I.ATE LIEUT. .07th regiment. EDINBURGH -. D. R. COLLIE & SON, 19 ST DAVID STREET. 1862. PREFACE. Tee religious and civil institutions, and the state of society among the patriarchal or Highland Clans, have been so misunderstood and misrepresented, as to have made on the English-speaking public the impression that these Clans were in a state of lawless barbarity at the dawn of authentic history, and continued in that condition until a period within the memory of men still living. Several untoward circumstances, chiefly resulting from the translation of Ossian's poems, have occurred to confirm this impression. One learned and talented Enghshmen, with a direct reference to these poems, contended that such ideas and feelings could not be expressed in the rude gibberish of a barbarous people; and several English-speaking Lowlanders and Highlanders, taking up this view of the subject, and having the same conviction as to the rude uncultivated character of the language, maintained that the Highland Clans had no poetry, and could not have had any poetry, excepting that which had been recently forged for them in English, by writers of so unscrupulous a character as to father their patched-up plagiarisms on mythic bards, known only to the vulgar lore of a people who had never emerged from a state of lawless barbarity. That these gentlemen were in total ignorance of the subject on which they wrote so dogmatically, did not lessen the influence of their opinions on readers who had no means of detecting that ignorance, and who naturally gave them credit for too much honesty and decency, to believe them capable of writing so confidently on a subject of which they knew nothing. It is very true, that, on a recent occasion, the achievements and conduct of the Highlanders were such as could not fail to cause doubt in the minds of an enlightened people, on the ex parti statements of those who represented the Highland Clans as plundering barbarians ; since it is impossible to believe that a mere handful of barbarians could, not only encountei', but defeat a regularly trained army, or that lawless marauders, in overunning a country, should have committed fewer outrages than were ever known to have been committed by any disciplined army in similar circumstances. These facts were known to the writers to, above referred when they were writing down the Highlanders ! It ; may, I think, very fairly be assumed, that the age which witnessed these achievements and that conduct, and preferred believing ill-natured and dishonest assump- tions to fairly interpreting these well known facts, was neither intelligent nor generous. Nevertheless, the succeeding age approved of, and followed their example, if we may judge by the unabated prejudices against the Highlanders. When modern wealth and refinement created such a demand for all kinds of literature, it was naturally interpreted as unfavourable to the pretensions of the Gael, that that literature was found apparently nil ; nor, until within these few years did a single writer wield the pen to explain the reason, although it was quite easy to do so, by throwing light on the ancient institutions and tenures of the Celtic Clans, and showing that, when the patriarchal system was struck down by the disasters of Culloden, the rights and privileges of the people were violated, and the same effect given to feudal charters over the unconquered lands of the Highlanders, which they had long previously attained over the conquered lands of the people of England, and that the Gael had been thus placed in a state of transition and eviction, which was equally unfavourable to the pursuit or the remuneration of literature. The melodies, reels, and strathspeys of the Gael met with no better fate than the "Ossian" of Macpherson, and the " Sean Dana" of the Eev. Dr Smith; nobody believed in their antiquity. For how, it was philosophically argued, could a rude and barbarous people carry down from remote ages in their oral lore and every day amusements, such poetry and such music ? This was sound reason- ing ; for it is impossible to believe, (1.) that the music and poetry of a separate and distinct people could have two separate and distinct characters, from the indissoluble connexion between poetry and music, until within a very recent period. (2.) It was equally impossible to believe that the poetry and music of a people, and the people themselves, should be of two different and distinct characters ; that the people should be rude and barbarous, and their poetry and music not only intelhgent, but refined. Either of the two postulates must be conceded, therefore, to Dr Johnson, by whom the question of the authenticity of the poems was put on this sound and philosophic basis. The Doctor does not seem to have had the music of the Highlanders under consideration ; but I submit that the music and the poetry were twins,—born of the same parentage, nursed at the same bosom, and reared among the same glens and mountains ; and that whoever beheves in the one, is bound to believe in the other.

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