The Sun.
London, England, 1840-09-08 00:00:00

NEW STATISTICAL ACCOUNT Of

SCOTLAND.

This excellent work steadily progresses, as tli
Americans say, towards a conclusion. The Twenty-
seventh Number, which has just appeared, contain,
the description of two districts, situated at the two
extremities of Scotland, the county of Bute, and
part of the counties of Ross and Croinarty ; and
though, in many of the returns, there is consider-
able sameness, many of the local details are full of
interest even to the general reader. In the history
of the parish of Kilbride, for instance, the following
account of a disciple of St. Columba gives an
amusing picture of by-gone ages :
Alolios (or, as the name means in Gaelic, the
shaved servant of Jesus), was a disciple of St. Columba,
who, not considering the discipline of lona sufficiently
rigid, retired for greater seclusion from the vices of the
world, to this lonely isle, whence he diffused the light of
Christianity among the formerly Pagan inhabitants of
Arran. The cave which formed his residence is merely
an excavation in the red sandstone, hollowed out by the
sea, when its level was higher than at present, with its
mouth defended by a wall of loose stones. On the ro
of the cave there is a 1-I..anic inscription, stating the
name and office of the saint, and a little raised above
its floor, a shelf of rock, said to have been his bed. In
the neighbourhood of the cave, there is a large flat stone,
called his dining.table, and.a spring of pure water (his
bath) much resorted to in the ages of superstition, and cele-
brated for the healing virtues alleged to have been com-
municated to it by the prayers and blessings of the saint.
Martin speaks of a curious stonebcqueathed by this saint,
and long famed for its many miraculous properties ;
more especially its power in curing diseases, and pro-
tecting in battle the lives of its fortunate pots ,ssors.
This stone was so carefully transmitted as a valuable
heir-loom from one generation to another, that it was
lost only within these few years, by being committed
to the custody of a gentleman who partook too much
of the scepticism of the age to have any faith in its vir-
tues. It retained, however, some share of its credit, till
its final disappearance. Some, even of the present ge-
neration, have had recourse to it for the cure both of
man and beast. This esteemed relic was a smooth
green globe, probably of jasper, about the size of a
goose egg.

Another equally interesting account of an old
saint is given in the history of the palish of
Rosemarkie, in Ross-shire, of which St. Boniface
was the iavourite saint and patron. " In the year
693, or, according to others, about the year 697,
Boniface, an Italian, a grave and venerable person,
came to Scotland to make up our acquaintance with
the Church of Rome. He built the Nunnery of
St. Peter, a church where lie landed at the mouth
of a little river between the shires of Angus and
Mearns ; erected another church at Felin, a third
at Restennoth, and a fourth at Rosemarckle, where,
being taken with the pleasantness of the place, he
thought fit to reside, and was buried there. Bishop
Leslie speaks of It osemrchie as decorated with the
relics of the saint, and the very ancient sepul-
chres and monuments of him and his parents,
whence it would seem that he had brought his pa-
rents from Italy with him in this pious expedition.
From this traditional account of St. Boniface,

it would appear that the parish church had its foun-
dation laid by him. In repairing it in 1735, in a
vault under a very ancient steeple there were found
some stone coffins of rude workmanship, one
of which might probably contain the bones of this
venerable apostle. To perpetuate his memory we
have here an annual market called St. Boniface
Fair, and a spring of excellent water is also dis
tinguished by his name ; nay, what is still more,
the seal of the Cathedral, or Diocesan seal, is yet
preserved and used as the public seal of the burgh.
St. Peter stands on it with his keys, and Boniface
with his crook, in excellent order."

In this Number these antiquarian details are
more copious than usual, and as they relate chiefly
to the habits of a primitive people, we have no oc-
casion to make an excuse for giving another of con-
siderable length. It relates to the famous President
Forbes, who took such an active part against the
Pretender in the Rebellion of 1745 :
So far as has been observed by the writer, it has not
been noticed in any of the published accounts of that
eventful period. It has been preserved among the old
people in these bounds, and as of its authenticity there
can be no doubt, it may not be improper to introduce
i here.

Some time previous to the battle of Culloden, a de-
sign had been formed by the rebels to surprise Presi-
dent Forbes, Lord Loudon, and other friends of the
Government, who were then at Culloden House,
guarded by a party of the l'errintosh and Culloden
tenants. To execute this plan, a detachment was sent
down with great secresy from the Aird along the water
of Nairn. The officer in command, with a view to the
accomplishment of the object proposed, concea'el
party in a wood in the vicinity of Culloden House,
which he intended to surround in the night, after ate r-
taining that the loyal party had not previously depart d.
In this state of things, a woman residing on the mains
of Culloden, happened, in looking for some sheep, to
go near the wood, when, to her great consternation, a
tall Highlander, completely equipped in armour, sud-
denly presented himself before her, and in a whisper
inquired whether she knew the President or not. In-
stantly suspecting mischief, she made no reply. But
the warrior, assurinc, her that he was no enemy to his
Lordship, charged her,e if she valued his life, without
the least delay, to deliver into his own hand a letter
which he pulled out of his sporan, and which he stated
contained intelligence of the last importance to the Pre-
sident. The woman, hastening with the letter as di-
rected, arrived at the Castle just after the company had
taken their seats at the dinner table ; she had accord-
ingly great difficulty in obtaining access, but her urgency
induced some of the servants in attendance to mention
her earnest request to be admitted immediately to his
Lordship. She was ordered in, and walking up to the
head of the table, with a profound courtesy, delivered
the letter, requesting at the same time that it should be
forthwith read, as she had reason to believe it related
to a matter of great moment to all present. The Pre-
sident was not the man to act the part of the Theban,
to whom a letter, warning him of imminent danger, had
been brought as he was sitting at a feast, and which,
instead of reading, ho put sealed under his pillow, say-
ing "in crastinum defero res severas." The sagacious
patriot acted differently, and having instantly read the
letter, became aware of the perilous situation in which
he was placed, in time to escape with his life. For so
seasonable and important information, he was indebted,
as was said, to the gratitude of Coll Bain (Macdonald)
of --, who had some years before then, stood trial
before the Court of Justiciary, on a capital charge, and
had been, contrary to his own expectations, acquitted
through the able services of the President, at that time
practising as an advocate in the Courts. Coll, aware
of the danger that now threatened his benefactor, re-
paid him his important services ; enabling him, by con-
veying this timely intelligence, to escape the clutches of
his mortal foes. In this critical situation, the Presi-
dent's usual prudence and promptitude did not forsake
him. Orders were given to treat the men with ample
cheer—the bagpipes were blown, and dancing was com-
menced on the lawn. Everything betokened the ab-
sence of alarm, till arrangements for a speedy Tight
were completed. Then the whole party darted away
towards the Kessock, and reached the boats just in time
to escape the rebels, who, having observed the move-
ment from the castle, gave chase with the swiftness of
the mountain stag. As the boats were crossing, some
bullets whizzed past the ears of the loyalists, but hap-
pily no person received injury. The President and his
friends having thus narrowly escaped, purs'.4t I their
flight to the mountains between Ross and Sutherland,
where they skulked for several weeks, in a state of most
painful anxiety, enduring the inclemency of the weather,
and reduced to the greatest extremity of hunger. The
inhabitants of those districts, being generally in favour
of Charlie, would afford the fugitives neither shelter
nor supply of food ; nay, on one occasion, they actually
hunted them with dogs. And, but for the seasonable
kindness of some friend of the Government, who with
great secresy sent them a present of a few sheep, &c.,
they must have perished of famine. Intelligence of the
battle of the 'l6th April, however, released them from
these hardships, and was considered a rich reward for
all their privations and sufferings. So reduced were
the men, however, on their return to their homes, that
their families could scarcely recognize them. A daughter
of one of the Ferrintosh tenants, who formed part of
the President's escort on this occasion, still survives,
and states that she remembers perfectly having often
heard her mother declare, that the children of the fa
milt' fled affrighted from their father when he first pre-
sented himself on his own floor after his return, so
was his aspect changed, like Nebuchadnezzar
sojourn among the beasts of the field.
I:if rtcoartl hisy

NEW REMEDIES IN ITALY.—It is stated that
a sick nun here, who had been given up by the physiciani,
recovered, after swallowing afew threads from the ch( -
mise of a female saint, administered to her in some broth.
She died soon afterwards, indeed, but of course she could
not expect to escape the common fa:e of mortals. Tell
our friend H— to take care to get this medicine intro.
duced into the Prussian Pharmacopoeia. Another specific
a Iministarsdsome time ago to a nun wrought a still mare
surprising miracle—namely, a double life ! Swint cuique
..—Live and let live I—Reimer's Italy and the Italians.
FALLING STARS.—The pupils at the Obser-
vatory at Paris carefully watched the number of meteorduring the nights of the 9th and 10th of August. Until
midnight the number did not exceed 18 per hour, 0:
nearly a mean of what are observed on ordinary nights;
but at three o'clock M. Mauvais counted 35 in one holk,
ur
The greater proportion fell almost parallel to the milk'
way, which at this time extended from the zenith towards
t e ar!st, a little inclined to the south.