The Sun.
London, England, 1849-06-22 00:00:00

THE SCOTTISH SOCIETY OF

LONN.
The great success which attenDO ded the fete of this so-
ciety
on Wednesday was continued and brought to its
climax by the proceedings of yesterday. Nothing could
be more satisfactory, not only to the feelings of Scotch-
men, but of all who are interested in the cause of healthy
public amusements. Not only were the whole arrange•
ments of the fete conducted with the most perfect order,
but there was a spirit of goodwill and alacrity shown
throughout, which redounis greatly to the credit of all
who were present. The jealousies of country and race
seemed on this occasion at least to have been completely
laid aside, and one common sentiment of good fellowship
and sociality appeared to prevail. The stands were
densely crowded with a highly fashionable assemblage of
spectators, and the whole space beyond the enclosure re-
served for the celebration of the games was filled with
visitors. The general character of the scene was as
nearly as possible that which was presented on- the pre-
vious day, and of which yesterday's impression conveyed
a description; but the effect was greatly heightened
by the increased numbers present, by the éclat
which always attends a meeting honoured by the
patronage and the presence of royalty, and last,
but not least, by the unexpected, yet welcome, appear-
ance of his Grace the Duke of Wellington in the grounds
of Hollank-park. During the early part of the day
some doubts were expressed whether her Majesty would
condescend to be present; but all leer on that subject
was removed by the knowledge, which soon spread
abroad, that arrangements had been made for giving her
a suitable reception, and that she would arrive shortly
before four o'clock. As might have been expected, an
announcement of the kind sent the prevailing excitement
up to boiling point. Hundreds of fresh visitors poured
upon the grounds, and before the time when the Royal
party were expected to appear there could not have been
less than from 7,000 to 8,000 people present. The pro-
gramme previously drawn out was slightly altered, so as
to afford her Majesty an opportunity of witnessing the
games which were most likely to attract her attention;
and preparations were made for rendering her recep-
tion as striking as passible. On a raised platform in
front of the Grand Stand were pieced the pipers
entered as competitors. The way thence to the entrance
of the ground was Heed with Highlanders. The large
'body of archers waited outside to receive her Majesty
and escort her to the enclosed space; and the noble-
men and chiefs present occupied the position where they
could most appropriately and effectively welcome the
Royal party. Just as these arrangements had been
cowpleted, a signal was given that the illustrious visitors
whose presence was expected had arrived, and the vast
assemblage, rising spontaneously, prepared to give them
a loyal and right hearty welcome. Their expectations,
however, were disappointed. It was not her Majesty,
but the Duke of Wellington, who walked up between the
double line of Highlanders, and who, it is almost unne-
cessary to say, was received with every sign of enthu-
siasm. In the stands the ladies waved their handker-
chiefs, and, below, the gentlemen cheered lustily.
The military bands struck up the accustomed " See
the Conquering Hero comes," and his Grace ap-
peared greatly delighted at the spectacle before
him, and the hearty enthusiasm with which he was
welcomed. As if from habit, he paced along close

to the kilted Highlanders who guarded the are-roacl
seemingly inspecting them as he went, and touching his
hat in his own peculiar manner at each fresh outbreak of
applause. As the excitement which attended his Grace's
arrival was beginning to subside, the outriders of the
royal cortige, in their scarlet liveries, nppeared upon the
ground, and immediately aftergards her Msjesty drove,
in an open carriage, right into the centre of the space
enclosed for the games. The carriage, which was also
occupied by his Royal Highness Prince Albert and three
of the Royal children, drew up immediately in front of
the grand stand, and there, after sufficient time had been I
allowed for the expression of a loyal welcome, the horses
were unharnessed, and the games proceeded.
These details have been given out of the order in,
which the proceedings of the day ran, because they fur-
nish the best material for supplying an accurate idea of
the great success with which yesterday the fete of
the society was crowned. The performances of the
o )mpetitors yesterday, circumscribed as they had
been in numbers by the results of the precious day,
were naturally looked forward to with great interest.
The best men were pitted against each other in each
class, and the spirit of emulation in each was con-
centrated by the knowledge that he had an antagonist
whom it would require his greatest efforts to overcome.
As on the previous day the proceedings commenced with
archery, varied and enlivened by the performance of the
military bands and the pipers in attendance. This was
succeeded by a match not included in the programme,
but got up by the judges for the throwing of the light
hammer. This hammer ought to have been 161 b.
weight, but was, in fact, considerably heavier, yet it was
thrown a distance of 90 feet 5 inches by Sandy M'flardy,
who won the first prize, and of 90 feet, 2 inches by Cohn
Macdonald, Cranachan, who won the second. It is pro
bable that next year greater attention will be paid then
was to be expected on the present occasion to the rules
upon which this beautiful and highly-striking game
ought to be conducted. Mr. Fox Maule suggested that
the whirl round, now generally adopted by pia) ers,
should be done away with; and certainly the great grace
and precision with which one competitor, named John
Cameron, threw the hammer, appears fully to sustain
the value of this suggestion. There is also another ob-
j• ction to which the practice observed yesterday is open;
the thrower of the hammer, while required not to over-
step a certain line, was not limited so strictly as ho
should have been as to the point of the line from
which he threw, nor as to the direction in which he
sent the hammer. The consequence was, that throws
made from the extremity of the log, behind which each
player stood, and which took a down-hill direction, had
an undue advantage over throws from the centre of the
log, which went straight forward. These observations
are not made in an invidious spirit, and are merely in •
tended for the introduction of better rules into this ad-
mirable game.
Dancing and pipe music succeeded the hammer, and
gave the greatest delight to the body of the spectators
present. The Terpsichorean art in the Highlands is a
very different thing from what fashion has recognised in
England. The reel is a wild and striking performance
---1:111 of animation, of rapid movement, of violent
though not ungraceful exercise, in which the hands, the
fingers, and the voice take past equally with the feet.
There is something very characteristic of the people in
these national dances, of their enthusiasm, and of the
energy with which they embank in any cause which has
once engaged their affections. The dancing was of a
very superior kind yesterday, the best performers only
appearing, and the applause of the spectators encourag-
ing them to put forth their best efforts.
The next game was the final contention in the putting
of a stone, 21 lb. weight. Prizes were awarded as
:ollow:-
1. Alexander M'Hardy
2. Thomas Menzies

.. 34 feet 5 inches.
... 33 fret 10 inches.

Both successful competitors distinguished themselves
greatly in this game, and the groat distance to which
they put the stone, and the clean, admirable manner in
which it was put, excited general praise.
At this point in the proceedings the president and
vice-president of the society, the judges, and other noble
and influential persons present, begin to make the ar-
rangements for her Majesty's reception, to which by
enticipetion we have already alluded. The interval of
time thus left was very agreeably passed in witnessing
the performances of the boys of the Caledonian Asylum
in dancing reels and playing bagpipes. One little fellow
created no small amusement in this last department,
being in such a state of excitement at the competition to
which ho was exposed that his tiny fingers often missed,
or imperfectly covered, the holes of the chanter, and
sounds
on e laughablyconsolation void
remainingo
of melodyfeo r
thisn•e r e
uthv the
mle result
piper, h
thatere
if he lives he may have many years of practice, and yet
play well before he is a man. The instrument which he
flieT
is
blew was quite as large as himself, though, thanks to
the diet of the Caledonian Hospital, not made of such
solid materials.
After the arrival of her Majesty the proceedings were
re-opened with dancing, in which those who wou the
prizes took part, and with which her Majesty, Prince
Albert, and the Royal children seemed to bo highly de
lighted. This
owatsesstucceeded by the final contention for
prizoesfo on
theirntthhee previous
contest,
re rowin of the heavy hammer. The men
wh
.d astyk eee,eenresstreuleo.cgtleedefnosruetdha.t
Victory
purpose
mastered
in the
fo
centrerthe of,fatohweinegiaccli,oomsepdetsiptoacres.:_and, strip-
ping
at last declared
1. Colin Macdonald, Cranachan 80 feet 3i inches.
2. Sandy Mac Hardy ... 80 feet ll inch.
At the close of this game broad sword playing and
stick practice commenced, and was carried on with the
same spirit and skill as on the previous day. The men
who had already distinguished themselves most were
pitted against each other., and the company were highly
delighted with the result. Mr. li.. B. M.lan and Mr.
Rowland,-both in the Highland dress, and with naked
broadswords in their hands, acted as judges; yet so
rapid were the movements of the players, that even
their practised eyes were sometimes at fault as to
whether there had been a hit or no. Besides the
sword play and stick practice, an interesting exhibition
of strength was made by professor Bushman, who, with
a sweep of his sword, cleft in two au immense thick bar
, of lead, and by, a,different,, though not less expert use.
of his weapon, cut right through a thin handkerchief
resting upon its edge. The prizes in this department
were awarded as follows:-
1. Corporal-Major Ashling, of the Blues.

2. Corpora: Sutton, 1,4 Life Guards.
3. Mr. G. Pleas (a civilian).
After the sword playing, came the "tossing of the
caber," a game peculiar to the Highlands, requiring re-
markable strength and great nctiv:ty, and pssessing as
much as any other included in the programme of the
society those striking and picturesque characteristics
which supply tho principal charm of out-door :parts and
pastimes. The clher is formed from the trunk of a larch
or fir tree, the branches being lopped off, and the size
reduced so as to enable a man by resting it on his shoul-
der, and raising the thin end with his hands from the
ground, until he is almost in an erect position, suddenly
to toss the long mass of timber into the air in such a
manner that the heavy end, previously aloft, descends,
while the thin end rising up des:.:ribes 23 it were a so-
mersault. There were no less than three cabers in the
field yesterday, the first two of which were easily tossed
by nearly all the men who tried them. The third proved
too much for any of the competitors; but the judges,
guided by the merits of the different attempts to toss it,
decided in favour of the following names :

1. John Cameron. 2.V Samuel Kennedy.
(This is a diff rant mode of deciding from whet is
practised in the north of Scotland, and, upon the whole,
it seems not to be so good a one.) There only one caber
is used, and it is reduced in size on the spot until the
best man tosses it.

Two foot races were run during her Majesty's stay on
the grounds, one by the bare-legged Highlanders, in which
Colin Macdonald, Cranachan, was the winner; the other
made up from the boys of the Caledonian Asylum, and
which, from the number of tumbles and thekeen struggles
of the little fellows for superiority, excited a lively iR•
tere.st. Her Majesty remained more than two hours
upon the ground, and her departure took place amidst
manifestations of affection and loyalty still more en-
thuAiastic and striking than those which greeted her ar-
rival. Indeed this was the only point in the proceed-
ings when the order, previously observed so completely,
was interrupted. The spectators confined beyond the in-
closed space burst in on all sides, and surrounding her
Majesty's escort to the entrance of the park, repeated
cheer after cheer with deafening effect. After a time,
order was restored by the archers, who brought the open
air proceedings of the fete to a close.
A banquet was then given in a pavillion erected on
the grounds, at which Lord Drumlanrig, as vice. presi-
dent of the society, in the unavoidable absence of the
Marquis of Breadalbane, filled the chair. In discharging
the duties which thus devolved upon him, his Lordship
was ably supported by the Right Hon. Fox Manle, the
Chisholm, and other gentlemen well known for their
high national spirit, and the interest which they take in
everything connected with Scotland. The Chisholm
especially was most happy in giving the right tone and
character to the proceedings of the society. He an-
nounced the list of prizes. Many of the successful can-
didates have had their names already recorded, but
there are some who still remain to be mentioned; the
most important of these, and indeed of any, is the list
of those who have been successful in archery, and to
whom prizes to the amount of 300 guineas in plate, or
otherwise, will be awarded. They are as fellow:—
Greatest gross score,Mr.R.Morce (West Not folk Archers) 617
Greatest number of hits, Mr. H. Ford (Queen's-park
Archers) ... ... 132
Second greatest gross score, Mr. C. Garnett (Lichfield
Archers) 571
Second greatest hits, Mr. P. Muir (Edinburgh Salisbury
Archers) ... ... 124
Third gross score, Mr. J. Bramhall (West Norfolk) ... 472
Third gross hits, Mr. J. R. Heath (St. George's Archers) 88
Gross golds, Mr. H. Hippisley (Royal Toxopholites) ... 7
Greatest score at 100, Mr. E. Mevrick (West Barks) ... 130
Greatest number of hits at 100, Mr. T. Meyler (West Berks) 34
Greatest score at 80, Mr. E. W. Willis (Queen's.park
Archers) ... ... 185
Greatest hits at 80, Mr. Marr (St. George's Archers) ... 36
Greatest score at 60, Mr.Hutchon (St.. George's Archers) 110
Greatest hits at 60, Mr. Flood (Queen's•park Archers) 23
Golds at 100, Mr. Leathern (Wakefield Archers)... ... 3
Golds at 80, Mr. J. Mellor ... .. 3

Golds at 60, Mr. IL Garnett (Lichfield Archers)...
The list of pipers ss who gained pr.z is is as follows:
RoderickWKay, piper to Mr. M‘Kay, of Arisaig.

... 3

2. Donald MaenZie,Yaymouth Castle.
3. Donald M'lnncs.
4. Charles Macdonell, piper to Captain Charles Forbes.
FOR THE SWORD DANCE.

1. Alexander Cameron, piper to the Hon. W. Scarlett.
2. Angus Macintosh.
FOR REELS.

1. Donald M•Crzw.
2. Donald Maenzte, Taymouth Castle.

FOR THE BEST-DRESSED BIGHLANDER.

1. John M'Kerizie, piper to the Marquis of Breadalbaue.
2. James WLennan. _

3. ])onald M•Pherton, head•keeper to Sir Henry Meux.
The CHISOLM also announced that Cohn M'Donald,
Cranachan, had won the largest number of prizes given
at the fete, and was therefore entitled to an extra prtz:.•
on that account.
The CHAIRMAN also announced during the evening
that ber Majesty and Prince Albert had subscribed 501.
to the society, and that Lord Holland had consented to
allow the use of his park at the repetition of the na-
tional games next year.
The proceedings at the banquet terminated soon after
ten o'clock, and the company assembled there returned
to town.

LA. PRIMA BALLERINA.

SKETCH.
(From Her Majesty's Theatre.)

'Along the shadows of the mountains
That have frowns for Roman land—

By the forests and the fountains
Are encamped the brigand band.
On the mission of their plunder
They have ceased awhile to roam,
And their hearts are softened under
The tender touch of home!
Bright wives and pretty children
Group laughing round their knees—
Their hearts are proud, their voices loud,
With flushing revelries!
The rubbers glory, where they dwell,
In spoils of recent booty,
The while sweet smiles around them tell
Of playfulness and beauty.

11.
Now lift your heart and listen
To the tumult of their noise;
They drink, and game, and glisten
In the glory of their joys;
While their younger and their purer,
Who yet have done no wrong,
Are leaping to the mandoline,
And dancing to the song!

111.
What ho! there screams a whistle,
That comes shrilly on its way—
Now half that band of brigands
Leap up to their foray!
They know that plunder-warning—
Alive their pubes throb—
There are victims on the highwsy,
And the time is come to rob!

Iv..
On bravely rolls a carriage
Upon its easy track;
You hear the mule-bells jangle,
Postilion's sharp whips crack!
There are riches to be, gained, tho',

Aud luxuries to lop,
And your true Italian Turpins
Have raised the shout to" Stop 1"

Courier, cameriera,
Postilion—all are seized!
Ba sure the gentleman inside
Is anything but pleased!
He is the m'ghty maitre
Of the ballet of all France;
But, " will be nill he„" now, I vow,
He must get out to dance!

He capers in grim terror
As the bandit chiefs approach,
When, lo! the Captain lights upon
A tr,anire in the coach!
A fair and lovely lady,
With light whose bright eyes brim—
Will the Captain e'er get tired
Of their shining upon hint !
Will he rob her of no kisses?
Will he spare her purse and life,
Will he woo his beatzty-prisoner,
And win her for his wif..?
Will he tease the Bailet• Maitre,
And consummate his woe?
Or will he ask 11.4'eselle to dance,
And after—let her go?
yr.
Yes, that's the resolution
The Chief is prone to take,
For there is no evolution,
He hears, she cane of make;
The Ballet-Maitre tells him,
Beyond all sort of doubt,
That bliem',:elle beats all dancers
In Creation out and out!