The Sun.
London, England, 1863-08-31 00:00:00

THE PRINCE AND PRINCESS OF WALES

IN THE HIGHLANDS.

THE BRAEMAR GATHERING.
The Braemar gathering, with a chance of witness-
ing a meeting of the clans—after the modern fashion
—has of late been one of the principal attractions
towards Deeside, and no doubt the numbers present
this season, even under ordinary circumstances,
would have been considerable. There can be no
question, however, but that the intimation which
had been publicly made that the Prince and Princess
of Wales intended to honour the Highlanders by
visiting the gathering, proved the loadstone which
drew together the large company who last week
bent their steps to the upper valley of the Dee. For
weeks past the Earl and Countess of Fife have been
making preparations to render the reception of the
Prince and Princess worthy of this their first visit
to the Highlands, a loyalty and thoughtfulness
which have been fittingly recompensed by their
Royal Highnesses graciously becoming the guests
of the Earl and Countess at Mar-lodge from Thurs-
day till Saturday. Mar-lodge, which tourists to
the Linn of Dee will know better as the roman-
tically situated Corriemulzie Cottage, in the vicinity
of the beautiful Falls of Corriemulzie, was suddenly
converted into as pretty a Highland palace as eye

could desire to look upon.
The gathering of the Highlanders for competi-
tion in feats of strength and skill was fixed to take
place on the ample lawn in front of old Mar Castle,
and to this spot tourists and residents alike con-
verged by midday on Thursday. Across the road
leading to the castle a very handsome triumphal
arch, composed chiefly of heather and birch and sur-
mounted by a crown of the former. was erected,
while the grim old castle itself looked quite gay in
its bedeckings. Immediately in front of the castle
snow white tents were placed for the reception of
the Princo and Princess, and the company from
Mar-lodge, a slightly elevated dais being so con-
• strneted that their Royal Highnesses could
witness the sports comfortably, whether the
weather should prove wet or dry, by being under
or beyond canvass. Between 1 and 2 o'clock the
sound of the pibrochs coming across the water an-
nounced the approach of the Fife and Farquharson
Highlanders, " all plaided and plumed in their
tartan array," &c. The Forbes, or " Lonach" men,
from Strathdon, who have always made the most

imposing appearance at these meetings, were un-
fortunately absent on the present occasion, through
recent domestic affliction in the family of their re-

spected chief, Sir C, Forbes, of Newe. Each of the
Fife men carried a pike in hand and sported the family
emblem, the sprig of the holly in his bonnet ; while
the Farquharsons bore broadswords and displayed a
branch of the yew. The former clans were com-
manded by Lord Macduff, Mr. Kennedy Erakine,
Mr. Daff Abercromby, M.P., and Mr. J. C. 0.
In the absence of Colonel Farquharson the men
of his clan were under the command of Mr.
Brown, the resident factor on the Invercauld estates.
Up till about 3 o'clock the day had been cold and
dusty, "dirty weather," in short, as a sailor might
say, while the portentous mist that floated in thick
clouds overhead and crept like smoke up the sides of
Craig-neich, Craig Vallech, Craig Nurron, Craig in-
taucht, and the other lofty mountains that enclose
the old Castle of Mar and the fine valley in which
it is set, gave no hopeful tokens of the sun lending
his powerful influence to aid in the enjoyment—to
say nothing of comfort—at the gathering. Just
about 3 o'clock, however, the flying showers ceased,
and when the Prince and Princess drove up, the
weather may be said to have become on the whole
favourable. Their Royal Highnesees, who were
in an open carriage, were received by the High-
landers and the spectators with loud cheers, which
they graciously acknowledged. The Prince was
dressed in full Highland costume, with broadsword,
sporran, and dirks complete. The " garb," it was
universally admitted, became him remarkably well.
The Princess wore a dress of the Victoria tartan
pattern, and thereby won additional favour in the
eyes of the Highlanders. Immediately on the Prince
and Princess taking their seats on the dais prepared
for them, the sports began. Among the company
present were the Duchess of Roxburghe, the Master
of Lovat, Mr. and Lady Susan Grant Suttie, Sir
Thomas and Lady Louisa Moncrieffe and the Misses
Moncrieffe, Lady Annally, the Hon. Miss G. White
and the Hon. Capt. White, the Hon. Lewis Wing-
field, the Earl of Brecknock, Viscount Boringdon,
Sir James Elphinstone, M.P. ; Sir Frederick John-
stone, the Earl and Countess of Listowel, Lord
Berkeley Paget, Major Balfour, Mr. John Phillip,
R.A. ; Col. Phipps ; Col. Forbes, of Inverarnon ;
Mr. Charles Forbes, jun., of Newe; Mr. W. R.
Duff, of Fetteresso, M.P.; Mr. Augustus Lumley,
Mr. Theodore Williams, Captain Balfour, of her
Majesty's ship Winchester, and Mrs. Balfour, Dr.
Will, Colonel Kinloch,
The games commenced with " putting the stone,"
followed by " throwing the hammer" and " tossing
the caber," feats peculiar to the Highlanders, and
in which excellence depends chiefly on strength of
arm. For " putting the stone" Donald Dinnie,
known as " the Dceside Champion," and a sore
thorn in the sides of the Highlanders, as he is not
of them, being a modest-looking lowland lad, firmly
knit, and evidently a man of vast power of arm,,
stood first, throwing a stone of 281 b. a distance. of
exercise
Uearles
27ft. Din nie also was victor at the next
making a hammer of 161 b. fly thr.ouglitheair 84ft.
At "tossing the caber"—that is, making a pen,.
right over
do
ne r oeunsd treev without
u2to or
touching 3 ef .
highlander, was proclaimed
i n I
the
eg t
gh
rsopui
rin
Ilataly, a stout young
hero. A long race followed, and was won by Robert-
son, a Glenisla man. But the Highlanders cannot lay
particularsill are necessary.m eri t
in games 'where
csplaeiemd,
atgoiliay tyn;orskill
in raein—
e, or
leaping they can give no examples of -what train-
ing and fleetness will achieve such as Westhall,
White, Brighton, or the crack Eaglisb. competitors
display, while the grace of attiviote and quickness