TWO CHAPTERS IN SCOTTISH HISTORY.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXII, Issue 7270, 7 March 1885, Page 1 (Supplement)

TWO CHAPTERS IN SCOTTISH HISTORY.

For the last few days we have had amongat us two members of the British Peerage belonging to renowned and ancient families. We have no peers in the colonies, and would never suffer such an institution to grow up among3t us. But we must always look with interest on the men who represent historio names, and who must feel impulses to noble and unselfish action by looking along a line of heroic ancestors, whose deeds are recorded in the history of their country. Not a few of the wealthiest and greatest peers of England cannot trace their lineage very far back, and some of them cannot feel much pride in how their land 3 and titles were acquired. But no such feeling can affect an Elphinstone or a Macdouald of the Isles. We have no doubt that our readers will peruse with interest a few historical reminiscences :—

Elphinstone, Baron (William Buller-Fuller-ton iilpuinatone), of Elphinstone, County of Stirling, in the Peerage of Scotland, is a representative Lord, a Knight of the Medjidie ; Captain Royal Navy, retired; lateaLord-in-Waiting to the Queen; born 18thNovember, IS2B ; succeeded his cousin as fifteenth Barou, 13th June, 1861 ; married, 16th June, 1564, Constance Euphemia Woroazou, second daughter of Alexander Edward, sixth liarl of JJuumore, and has iseue, three sons and two daughters. According to Niabet, the lands of Elphinstone, County of Edinburgh, were acquired by an ancestor of the family, who, in the reign of Robert 1,, married Margaret, daughter of Sir Christopher Seton by Lady Christian, his wife, sister to the said King .Robert. Sir Alexander Elphinstone, Kt., was raised to the Peerage of Scotland in 1509, by the title of Baron Elphinstone, of Elphinstoue, County of Stirling. He fell at Fiodden Field, four years afterwards, and was succeeded by his only son. Probably enough, Lord Elphinstone felt some qualms when the Scottish army was mustered on the Borough Muir, near Edinburgh, as to the expedition. The Scotch had no business at Flodden, no more than the English had at Bannock burn, and Providence kindly ordered it that each party should get thoroughly well thrashed when thev invaded their neighbours. However, Flodden was a heavy blow, for mauy of the nobility were, with Lord Elphinstone, slain while fighting round their King. The memory of the battle will be preserved forever by the pathetic song, " The Flowers of the Forest," which was a lament for the clean sweep made of the men from the district of Ettnck. Alexander, the second Baron, was slain at Pinkie in 1547. This battle was almost as fatal in its results as Flodden. It might be thought that a line of gentlemen who had the fortune to find themselves at Flodden and Pinkie at these awkward times, would have considerable chance of being cut off entirely. Alexander, the fourth Baron, however, escaped what seemed to be the hereditary fate of being killed in battle. He filled the office of Lord High Treasurer of Scotland, and, dying (in his bed) in 1638, was succeeded by his eldest eon. Charles, the 9th Baron, married Elizabeth, daughter of Sir William Primrose, of Carrington, ancestor of the Earl of Rosebery. Succeeding Barons connected the family with.the Keiths, Kuthvens, Erskines, and other Scottish families of note. The thirteenth baron was Governor of Madras, and subsequently of Bombay, where hie administration daring the mutiny of 1557 was most able. He was created a British Peer. The present seat of the family is at Carberry 'lower, Musselburgh, near Edinburgh, not far from where the Battle of Pinkie was fought. Lord Macdonald succeeded his brother as sixth Baron, 25th December, 1874; married, Ist October, 1875, Louisa Jane Hamilton, second daughter oE Colonel George William Holmea Ross, of (Jromarty. He is descended from Somerled, Thane of Argyle, who is so far back in the regions of mere tradition that history cannot say much positively about him. Angus, Lord of the Islee, descended from Somerled, afforded King .Robert Bruce an asylum in his castle of Ounaverty when he was defeated by the English. In his poem "The Lord of the Isles," Sir Walter Scott thus refers to the great chief : —

The heir of mighty Konald. from many a hero sprung, The fair, the valiant, and the young. Lord of the 1.-les, whose lofty name A thousand bards have given to fame, The mate of monarchs, and allied On equal terms with England's pride. In another part of the poem Scott thus speaks of the pomp manifested by these Island Lords: — Thus while they strove with wind and seas, Borne onward by the willing breeze Lord Ronald's swept by, Streamer'd with silk and tricked with gold, Manned with tue noble and the bold Of Island chivalry. Around their prows the ocean roars And chafes beneath their thousand oars, Yet bears them on their way. Bruce passed through many vicissitudes in his time, and is known to all school children as having won the Battle of Bannockburn and having gained a lesson in perseverance from a spider. To this day it would be unlucky for a Bruce to harm a spider. The descendant of this generous friend of the Bruce, Donald, Lord of the Isles, entered j into a treaty with Richard 11. in 1381 on the footing of a sovereign Prince. He married Lady Margaret Lesly, only daughter of Euphemia, Countess of Boss, by Sir Walter Lesly, in his right Earl of Rosa, and subsequently took up arms to establish hie right to that earldom. He waß defeated, however, or, more correctly speaking, weakened, by the Earl of Marr, who engaged him at Harlaw, near Aberdeen, 12tn July, 1411. The battle was bloody and obstinate, but indecisive. On the side of Donald the chiefs Macintosh and McLean fell, with about nine hundred men, while Marr lost about five' hundred, amongst whom were some persons of rank. The Lord of the Isles was forced to retire; and the Kegent Duke of Albany marched to and took possession of the Castle of Dingwall. Eventually Donald was compelled to abandon his pretensions to the earldom, to make personal submission, and to give oaths and hostages for indemnification and future observance of the peace. His son, Alexander, Lord of the Isles, was defeated by James I. at Lochaber, 23rd June, 1429, and reduced to the most abject submission. In absolute despair, the Lord of the Isles sent an embassy to sue for peace, which, being refused, he resolved to throw himself upon the King's mercy. For that purpose he came privately to Edinburgh, and on the 27th August, 1427, attired only in his shirt and drawers, presented his sword to the King upon his knees, before the high altar of flolyrood Church, in presence of the Queen and nobles. History does not say that the Queen of James I. was scandalised at seeing a man in his shirt and drawers. Probably women were not then so squeamish as they are, or profess to be, in these dsys. Considering the manner of clothing in 1429, and that the Lord of the Isles was a Highlander, we have grave doubts about the drawers. We believe that if we had time thoroughly to investigate this interesting point, we should be able to show that the,, drawers were an invention of a later annalist, who had more regard for delicacy than for truth. The family seem to have been incorrigible rebels, for wo find that John, son of the gentleman who appeared before the Court in his shirt, entered into a treaty of alliance with Edward IV. of England in 1462. This treaty is printed at length in the notes to "The Lord of the Isles." This was, of course, an unpardonable offence in the eyes of the Scottish King. The fact is, that the Lords of the Isles bad been for generations independent sovereigne over their islands of the western sea and the coast adjaoent, and had strong objections to taking a lower position, or, we *ould say nowadays, in slang language, a '" back seat." John, however, did nut succeed any better than his father. Bβ did not appear at Holyrood

Palace in his shirt, bat he had to surrender the Earldom of Ross, which was inalienably annexed to the Crown. Coming further down, we find that in 1537 Donald styled himself Lord of the Isles, as he thought he he had good right to do; but James V., keeping a sharp eye on the family, refused him the dignity. Donald's first idea was, as a matter of course in these times, to take np arms in support of his pretensions. He laid seige to the Castle of Elendounan, but from the battlements he was shot dead with an arrow. This made an end of him and his rebellion. His son, who was also named Donald, was restored by Mary Queen of Scots to the lands of Slate forfeited by his father, and in gratitude he fought on the side of the Queen (that bewitching woman who, like other beautiful women, "was no better than she should have been") during the civil wars of 1565. The two succeeding in the title seem to have led quieter lives, but we then come to Sir James Macdonald, who joined the Marquis of Montrose in 1645, and sent some of his men to the assistance of Charles 11. when he marched into England in 1641. It will be observed that the Macdonalds of the Isles seem to hare had the luck always to get on the wrong side, which also proved the unfortunate side. The grandson of this one, not taking a lesson in prudence and political foresight —not reading aright " the signs of the times," must needs join the rebellion of 1715, in favour of the Stewarts, and was attainted. In 1776 the family did make a step in advance, for Sir Alexander Macdonald was elevated to the Peerage of Ireland, by the title of Baron Macdonald, of Slate. The present Lord Macdonald has a seat at Grunthwaite, Yorkshire, and at Armidale, Isle of Skye. He owns, we believe, more than 100,000 acres in Skye, and probably has his own difficulties with the crofters.