NEW ZEALAND GAELIC SOCIETY.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 7317, 29 July 1885, Page 3

NEW ZEALAND GAELIC SOCIETY.

The above-mentioned society held their annual gathering in the Lyceum Hall yesterday evening, the Rev. Dr Stuart (president of the society) in the- chair.

A tea, to which between 200 and 300 people sat down, was the first' proceeding on. the programme, and at the conclusion of this, The Chau-man delivered a short address, iv "which he took an opportunity "to advocate the establishment of a Gaelic bursary at the University.

The following annual report was then read: —

The Council of Jlauagemeut of the New Zealand Gaelic Society have much pleasure i:i submitting to you their fourth animal report, and in congratulating the members ou the continued existence and usefulness of the society. As a matter of fact the work of two years falls to be recordeel on the present occasion, because, en account of the very pleasant and successful New Year's gathering which was helel in the liattray street hall at the beginning oflBS-l.it was thought that the regular annual meeting coming so sooii thereafter would be likely to fail of that success which should characterise an annual gathering of Highlanders, and it was therefore postponed till to-night. It thus happens that, since last annual report was read the society has held 24 monthly meetings—one on every first Wednesday of the month—besides innumerable meetings of the council of management. The former, with an average attendance of 40 members and friends, was presided over almcst exclusively by Mr Dugald M'Lauchlau, 01. Purakanui, and conducted mainly in the Gaelic language, the proceedings consisting in the discussion of questions affecting the interests of Highlanders, in listening to bagpipe music frequently illustrated by characteristic step-dancing, in the singing of Gaelic songs (original and select), original translations of English songs and hymns into Gaelic, together with English translations of Gaelic proso and poetry, all tending to educate the members in the -use of their native tongue, to popularise the beauties of the Gaelic classics, and generally to further one of the main objects of the society's existence—the conservation of the Gaelic language. Early in the period of which our report treats— when the land question, as affecting the Scottish Highlands, was receiving much attention, your council of i management invited the Eev." Dr M'Gregor, of Oamaru, to lecture on that important subject under the auspices of the society. ■ The rev. gentleman, responding to that invitation, elelivered two public lectures in this hall, at which a number of-the leading citizens of Dunedin, including the present Premier of New Zealand, were interested and delighted listeners. These lectures were afterwards published, and were acknowledged to be most valuable additions to the literature of the laud question.

About the same,time the cable and the Pi-ess carried to our shores details of the then severe distress existing in the Highlands and islands, and the society responded to the implied appeal, and cooperating with others set on foot a subscription which resulted in a remittance of £150 being sent to the Helief Committee in Glasgow. Benevolence of a more private nature was exercised by the society in severaliustauces. The family of a Highlander who was accidentally injured; aiid had to be. removed to .the hospital; was visited by one of the vicelirCsiderits., and fdiuid to be in very reduced circumStariceS. He instantly disbursed from liis own pocket enough to mfet the immediate necessities of the case; and au appeal to the next meeting of the society resulted in substantial help. Later on a Highland woman .up country, deprived of her husband by a fatal accident, and left with a large family,-was subscribed for, the Highlandgirls present at the meeting at which it was done heading the subscription-list. I.urther charitable acts; being of very recent date, need not be particularised. In this connection your council of • management lyduld suggest td charitably-disposed Highlanders to first of all enroll themselves as members of the society, and then, instead of merely exerting themselves iii their private capacity to relieve distress or promote auy other benevolent scheme, to bring the same before the society, whereby unity of action might be directed to the desired end, and the extra nioral weight secured which attaches to tlie acts of a corporate representative body. Por the purpose of piaking.the fiinds available for beuevolent purposes the objects of the society were altered in th.it direction duriug last-session. The first promoters of the Sdciety seem to have had no object in view, as far as the funds were concerned, except the purchase of Gaelic books with the proceeds of subscriptions, after paying, current expeuses; but the frequent recurrence of calls for benevdlent assistance forced on your council df management the necessity of making tlie relief df such calls one of the principal objects of the society; It is needless to say, however, that nothing important can be accomplished in this direction without very much more substantial support than has hitherto been accorded to the society. If all tlie Highlanders within a reasonable radius of-Duneelin werfe constant members, and their annual subscriptions came regularly rolling in, a fund would soon be created which would enable the society to do much good without entailing on the comparative few who are constant in their payments and attendance the additional expense of subscribing from their own pockets to each,new case of distress that crops up, and that without imperilling the other object alreaelv mentioned—viz., the collection of a Gaelic library.' .-. The formation df a Gaelic library, which was'the first dream of the society's existence.your council of management regret to say has not vet been realised. This has been partlydue to an accident—an order for Gaelic books, sent Home to a friend, haviii"- been returned unexecuted owing .to tho said friend bavin" left the country in the interim. It is, however pretty certain that before the end of this session the nucleus of a Gaelic library will be purchased. And it has been suggested that, as there must be many Highland gentlemen in Otago and elsewhere'who have Gaelic books, or books relating to Celtic subjects lying idle on their private bookshelves; suuh gentlemen be hereby invited or permitted to immortalise themselves by making free gifts of such books to the Gaelic library.- As the society is now permanently located in the Oddfellows' Hail, Stuart street no doubt a bookcase could at any time be erected oil the premises for the reception of the books. ■ Your council cannot close this report without referring to a subject which frequently engaged their attention and enlisted their warmest sympathies— viz., the abject condition of poverty into which many of their couutrymen at Home—the crofters and small tenantry of the Highlands and islands of Scotlanel— have been sunk by long years of tvraiinyand oppression by theiruuscrupulouslandlords, backed, unfortunately, by the iniquitous and one-sieled land laws of Great Britain. They most sincerely hope that the crofters, and those who are interesting themselves ou theirbehalf, may for the sake of the Highlands, and tor the sake of the nation itself, succeed in blotting from the statutebookof Great Britain thelaws mider which euch atrocious wrongs and cruel evictions could be perpetrated on an iuoffensive population as lias been the common practice in the Highlands" for a century past. They would also record their admiration of the Highland people who", in the face of conr.V o n"i most villainous provocation from the days of the Sutherland clearances to the landing of the marmesyin Skye, never stained .their hands with a crime, except the very doubtful one iv o-iven circumstances of deforcing a sheriff's officer. I" conclusion, the council would entreat all true Highlanders, and descendants of Highlanders, torally -round, the' standard of tlie society, and help in ail tne efforts which are being madefortheadvancement of their fellow-countrymen at Home and abroad.

Dr M'Leod, in moving the adoption of the report, spoke, of the praiseworthy efforts being made at : Home to ameliorate the condition of the Highlanders,, and obtain a revision of the laud laws. Highlanrlers in this Colony-could not do better than support such a movement in a substantial manner. He strongly condemned the .miserable pittance of land which it was proposed to offer Highland immigrants'" to "this Colony. This was a delusion and a snare, and we should rather eliscourage them from coming out on such terms. The Government should give them not 10 acres but 160 acres for nothing, and then they might get a really good class of settlers out. As a word of advice, he recommended the society to have less dancing at their gatherings and more entertainments of a literarycharacter.

Rev. Dr Stuart expressed his regret that Dr M'Leod should have spoken so disparagingly of the efforts made by Mr Macandrew. He was sure that of all men in New Zealandnot one loved the Highlanels more than Mr Macandrew. In the motion initiated in Parliament last session he committed merely au error of judgment. His heart was right, and ho was honestly of opinion that 20 or 30 acres in a fine part of the country on the shores of the Pacific, which abounded with fish, would be sufficient to afford; support to a family. The speaker was sure that he had no thought of bringing them out to poverty or deprivation. However, Dr M'Leod's opinion of Mr Macandrew would probably not injure the latter very much.

Dr M'Leod said he never mentioned Mr Macandrew's name, but tbe matter was public property, and he considered that he had a right to express his own opinion. He had seen far more of the world, perhaps, than Mr Macandrew. He had travelled in America and Canada anci seen his countrymen thriving there, but not on 10 acres of swamp.

Mr John M'Donald and the Vice-vresident supported the report, speaking in. Gaelic. The report was then adopted. A programme, consisting of Scotch and Gaelic songs, varied by step dancing and bagpipe music, followed, after which the hall, was cleared for elancing, which was kept up with spirit for several hours.