LORD INCHCAPE.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LIX, Issue 18173, 19 August 1922, Page 2 (Supplement)

LORD INCHCAPE.

..„—..— ....— . QUAINT REMINISCENCES. "RALPH, THE ROVER." .Many are the activities which, during a hasy life-time* have engaged the attentions of Lord Inchcape." Yet it ismore directly in regard to merchant shipping that he is -jbert known in New Zealand, as in the XTnited Kingdom- A native of the Scot- ' ti&h port of Arbroath, he has *rom his early boyhood been intimately concerned ■with the ocean-carrying ti-ade all over the . world. Fittingly enough, only a few weeks tgo he was presented with the freedom of his native burgh. In acknowledging the nonour conferred npon him, Lord Inchcape delivered a long breezy speech, containing stories of his youth, from which address the following extracts are taken:— I have been the recipient of a good ■ many honours during my life, all of them unsolicited, but I am sure you will believe me when I say that none has tiveu me greater pleasure than to receive tha-J?ree-dom of the Ancient Burgh in which I was born—which was unsolicited too. (Applause.) Some eleven years ago, when Hia Majesty the King was gaciously pleased to give me 6 peerage, we looked about for a name, and came to the conclusion that nothing would be more appropriate than to take the title of "Inchcape," the revolving light which we had both seen from our childhood; and the Commissioners of Uorthern Lights, to whom I applied for permission to assume the name, readily and most courteously granted my request. Shortly after this, one evening in London, the late Judge Snagg, a great humorist, who had taken my wife down to dinner, v said to her: "I have had a good many agreeable surprises in my life, but I never expected to find myself sitting beside the Inchcape Bell." Speaking of the Inchcape Rock reminds me of a visit I paid to it -when a boy. I went off in the sailing tender which used to take out reliefs and supplies; once a month—l do not know if it does so still. The cutter had an improvised fishermen crew and the commissioners were generous in providing provisions and a greybeard or two confciining beer. One of the crew, Sandy Cargill, had .been applying himself to the jars rather freely, and he several times, without result, pressed me to join him. Eventually he got rather nettled and said: " Mon, laddie, tak a drap o' that ale! it's no very good, but it's a damned siehfc better than water." (Laughter.) When we eventually landed on the Rock covered with slippery seaweed, Sandy's legs gave way and he had to be lifted back into the beat with a sprained ankle. Early Earnings. Visiting Arbroath again recalls my boyhood days I acquired the rudiments of my (business training in the office of my revered lord and master the late Mr. Francis Webster. I had the magnificent salauy o: £6 the first year, £10 the second and £15 the third, but there was compensation for the meagre salary in the long office hoars. Wo began at 9 a.m., and were supposed to finiah at 8 p.m., hut it was moiie frequently ten or eleven at night before the office closed. These* long hours, however, were alleviated 'occasionally by flax weighing from a ship in the harbour! which Began nt 6 o'clock in the morning. Speaking of the harbour reminds me that I had gone down one Saturday evening to see the schooners sail. 'The cwn«r of one, an elder of the Auld Kirk, was there helping to get. her away, letting go warps and assisting generally. The skipper, who had evidently been having a parting glass, was not bestirring himself very much and the owner shouted from the quay of the ©lei harbour to the skipper, " Hurry up now, Geordie, or you'll be missing the tide." "Hurry up, is 1 it," was the reply, "you old rascal. '' What you're after is to save Sunday. The Church Plate in the one hand and the spyglass in the other.." (Laughter.) The owner answered "Tu«. tut, Geordie, you're no yoursel the day.". The schooner was warped out and her foresail was set to a favouring northerly breeze between the «ew quay and the .pilot's watch house, and the elder looking over the protection wall saw her safely acnaita the bar on her way to Sunderland cargo of coal, ■'/- '\ "Ower"' Amhltious. I remember a remark made by Mr. Webster to my guardian, the late Mr. ~ James Muir, a respected citizen, and for .."-.» long time Provost of Arbroath. My guardian had asked Mr. Webster how I warn getting on and if Mr. -Webster had hena here to-day I am afraid he would have considered his answer was fully justified, avt'ihls reply -was, *' Jeemie is no ia bad laddie, but he's a damned sic-lit. wirer ambitious. ' (Laughter,) I have never been a Bailie, although 1 havi9 had the honour to be a sheriff. If I had ever been a bailie and had been called upon to dispense justice from the bench, I would not have forgotten what occurred when I was a boy in Arbroath. Bailie Whightman was on the Bench and m man was Drought up before him accused of sleeping in a field of growing corn on* the Seaton Estate. He pleaded guilty, and without a moment's hesitation the "bailie gave hira six weeks. The Commissioner of Police whispered,.'' That's rather a heavy sentence. "Awa* wi' ye," said the bailie. '* That's the blackguard wha' cleared my /nither's fish hake last week." - (Laughter.) I might, if yon will jperrait me, before I sit down, say a word or two to those Who are about the age which I was when I. left Arbroath in 1872, just 50 years ago. Let me recommend them not to be afraid to eo into the world. There is no scope in Scotland for the energy, the brains, the initiative and the ambition of ail the youth ©f the country, but England and the rest of the British Empire, China,; the United States. South America, are full of opportunities for well educated, hard-working, persevering, self-denying, intelligent, ambitious and honest Scotsmen, and if there is no prospect for: you here, the sooner you get away, the better. Not that you will necessarily abandon your domicile; ■very few Scotsmen ever do that. If you go .way you will still leave your heart in beotland, and if you take my advice when ;«,,-£ amves and circumstances permit, Work as Recreation, an id6a abroad that should ' work * ZLF ,OT *. ih r 42 or "8 hours' T d b ?..* wot «d *> mi and \T w,thia .the mark when 1 kri Wd Z* er l gB week of wor k for the a hi LI n has no 48 b ° u "> fcourf. ° r haß ««»ded 98 &2?1 JT** * My , whence is that than that in this world than that which is derived from work 2S f '«f h^-) " the^heapesi x r sr can •* ««%? iS!°! d .w lo,! ? a ß° b y a friend.who do«g a short cruise with me in a yacht (named the Rover, which I have the felicity of possessing, that the skipper confided to S 25tf?K tb p at the V£ iord SheafS was Ralph the Rover. I had never heard extinct when Ralph's ship went down with a imrglinp sound with all hands, on the ?S?«A ock - I - fel * p . roßd to tbil * that I had each an ancient lineage and though *J^IJ"Z & bad * a ?, asßin K re S ret tha t the founder of my family was a pirate I felt consoled when I remembered that most of our noble families if they choose to do so, caii trace themselves back to someone who <Lsto ** r morals than my reputed I have always been fond of the sea. I WbG&t "*%£&* to . Archangel when a child of six wwh niy father in a barque called the £!fZ.' i?? n Z Montrose and returning to Sa«caidy. Since then I have always ffjad the odour of tar,.