The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1874-12-19 00:00:00

MARTYRS' GRAVES, OLD GREYFRIARS

EDINBURGH.
(From the Martyrs Graves of Scotland.)

To the south of Henderson's monument, in the corner
of the churchyard, is an enclosure within an iron gate
—the gate put up when it was formed. The enclosure
was made in 1636, and is still known as the Covenanter's
Prison. Here the prisoners taken at the battle of
Bothwell Bridge. June 22nd, 1679, were confined when
brought to Edinburgh. 'Upwards of twelve hundred
were brought in from the field of battle, and about two
hundred from Stirling, who were taken as they were
coming south to assist their friends. All were put
within this enclosure, now somewhat narrowed by the
tombs that have been erected in it, but then open from
end to end. Here they had to Bleep in the open air,
on the cold ground, let the weather be what it might,
--many of them scantily clothed, for they had been
all but stripped naked when taken prisoners. Their
provision was no better than their accommodation—
four ounces of bread daily to each person, and this
sometimes deficient in weight. The people of Edin-
burgh were not wanting in effort to supplement this
miserable allowance, but the soldiers often put ob-
stacles in their way, and would not suffer the women
who came with provisions—for men wer not permitted
to come near them—until near nightf. After some
weeks the greater number were set free subscribing
a bond not to take up arms against ti,. 2-overnment.
About four hundred either refused to subscribe,

or an opportunity for subscription was not afforded
them, because regarded as ringleaders. Of these, ul-
tfmately about a hundred managed one way or another
to escape, either by climbing the wails or by getting
out disguised in women's clothes. The rest remained,
with no shelter but a few rough huts which they were
allowed to erect as the winter set in, until the 15th
November, when, early in the morning, without pre-
vious intimation either to themselves or to their
friends,two hundred and fifty-seven—apparently all
that survived, for many had died —were hurried down
to Leith, and put on board a vessel lying in the Roads.
The vessel was so email that they endured dreadful
horrors before they sailed, which was twelve days
after they left the shore of Leith. During this
interval, friends in Edinburgh collected upwards
of £llooo sterling for their use when they reached
America, but the created part never needed it, for
after being tossed about for a fortnight, they cot
no farther than the Orkneys ; and on the 10th Decent-
her (ley cast anchor off the island ot Mainland.
During the night a stolen sprung up, the ship drifted,
and was driven on a wild headland, familiar to the
voyager to Kirkwall—the Moul Head of Deerness.
The seamen got ashore, but the captain had battened
down the hatches and was deaf to all the entreaties of
the prisoners to open them, no that of the two hundred
and fifty-seven, forty-eight alone managed to get
ashore on boards of the ship RA it broke up and two
hundred and nine perished, as certainly martyrs for the
cause of truth and liberty as if they had suffered at the
stake. Right opposite the Covenanters' Prison, in the
north-east corner of the churchyard, is the spot where
rests the dust of those who suffered at Edinburgh
as "Witnesses for the Crown Rights and Royal
Prerogatives of Jesus Christ" during the twenty-eight
years persecution. The place where they lie, dear as
it is now to every pious visitant, was once the place of
infamy—the corner of the churchyard where the bodies
criminals were interred. But the tradition is, that
*hile the orders of Government were that the martyrs
be buried in this place of shame the gravediggers, who
secretly favoured the cause for which they had suf-
fered, took care that it should be in a corner of the
churchyard that had hitherto been undisturbed by any
criminal that had died at the hands of justice; where,
indeed, no corpse had yet been laid. The two have
thus never in any way intermingled.

THE SURRENDER OF THE FIJI
• ISLANDS.
The Sydney papers give particulars of the negotia.
tions which resulted in the unconditional surrender of
the Fiji Islands to Great Britain. In the first instance,
Sir Hercules Robinson had an interview with the king.
The latter then met his own chiefs, and talked the
matter over with them. Further and fuller deliberations
afberwards took place before the cession was made.
The Sydney Morning Herald congratulates the Aus-
tralian colonies on the annexation of the islands, the
condition of which had for some tune been a matter
of great anxiety. "Not the less (it adds) may we
congratulate the Fijians themselves. The king and
the chiefs will not find that they have lost anything
that was worth having by becoming British subjects.
If they give up something, they will get far more in
return, and the exchange will be the pride of
barbarism for the pride of civilization. As for the
great mass of the Fijian population, there can be no
doubt whaliever but that their condition will be
improved. They will live in conditions of greater
security, their personal liberty will be better assured,
they will only be taxed by law, and the capital that
will flow into the islands will make their labour a more
valuable commodity."