The Sun.
London, England, 1833-09-27 00:00:00

MEETING AT lONA.

The lona Club, which was lately instituted for
he purpose of illustrating the history and antiquities
of the Island and Islands of Scotland, held a Meet-
ing or -Fite on Friday, the 6th instant, on the Island
of lona. Arrangements had been so well concerted
with the steam-boats plying on the west coast for
the conveyance of passengers, that many members
of the Club, with their friends, were enabled to
attend from the South of Scotland, and even from
England, without inconvenience. Great numbers
came from the neighbouring island of Mull; and
Mr. Campbell, of Dunstaffnage, and Mr. M'Neill,
Collonsay, brought with them large parties of their
friends in their yachts and pleasure-boats. Such
was the interest taken by the countrypeople in the
proceedings of the Club that on the morning of
Friday about three thousand persons had assembled,
from Mull, Ulva, and the adjacent islands, and the
coast of Morven. The members of the club held a
meeting within the walls of the Cathedral, and, after
several new candidates were balloted for and admitted
members, proceeded to examine the various interesting
remains of antiquity in this most venerable seat of
religion and learning. The Secretary, who had
obtained permission from the Duke of Argyll, the
President of the Club, in the handsomer manner,
to search, and, when necessary, to excavate the
ground, for relics of antiquity calculated to throw
light on the objects of the institution, made a clear
and satisfactory report of the discoveries that had
been made. Among those present on this very in-
teresting occasion were—the Very Reverend Prin-
cipal Baird, Mr. Campbell, of Dutistaffnage, Mr.
Donald Gregory, the Secretary of the Club, and
Mr Arch,bald M'Neill and Mr. James Robertson,
Counsellors ; Mr. Aynsworth, of Clanmagherry ;
Mr. Forbes M'Neill, of Collonsay; Captain Ro-
bertson, 92d Highlanders; Captain M'Ketaie, of
Gruinord ; Major Maclaine, of the Royals ; the
Reverend algal Campbell, of Iona; the Reverend
Donald Campbell, of Kilfinichen ; Mr. D. 0. Hill,
Secretary to the Scottish Academy of Painting,&c.;
Mr. N. Lamont, &c. &c. The party were highly gra-
tified with the result of their examinations, as well as
with the picturesque appearance of the monastic ruins
around them, and the romantic beauties of the
island of lona, and the neighbouring shores of Mull.
The country people were entertained with a variety
of Highland games, into which they entered with
enthusiasm and spirit. The boat-races, in particu-
lar, both rowing and sailing, were keenly contested
by numerous competitors, and conducted with ad-
mirable skill. Fortunately the day, which had been
cloudy and rather unpropitious in the morning,
cleared up beautifully towards noon. In the
evening, about sixty ladies and gentlemen sat down
to an excellent dinner, under a spacious tent, pro-
vided fur the occasion, Mr. Campbell, of Dunstaff-
nage, in the chair. The usual loyal and patriotic
toasts were given, together with many others pro-

The following is an interesting account of the
chase of a gigantic specimen of the red ourang_
outang :—" A boat party, under the command of
Mes,rs. Craygvman and Fish, officers of the brig
Mary Anne Sophia, having landed to procure water
at a place called Ramboom, near Touraman, on the
• north-west coast of Sumatra, on a spot where there
was much cultivated ground and but few trees, dis-
covered on one of them a gigantic animal of the
monkey tribe. On the approaei of the party he
came to the ground, and when pursued sought re
fuge in another tree at some distance, exhibiting, as
he moved, the appearance of a tall man-like figure
covered with shining brown hair, walking erect, with
a waddling gait, but sometimes accelerating his mo-
tion with his hands, and occasionally impelling him-
self forward with the bough of a tree. His motion on
the ground was plainly not his natural mode of pro-
hsgfirimecsksa imiot now,nagfsostriroeewevsea,nnidnwvhoaercdni
lel aar sttsioni stt e;s dti
itmbza.atsehni
sehasasgnaidrhyst
yt ooarsne,aei
hi
strength. On being driven to a small clump he
ga!ned by one spring a very lofty branch, and
bounded from one branch to another with the ease
:Ind alacrity of another monkey. Had the country
been covered with wood it would have been almost
impossible to prevent his escape, as his mode of
travelling from one tree to another is described to
be as rapid as the progress of a swift horse. Even
irridst the few trees that were on the spot his
movements were so quick that it was very difficult
olAtigtwettted aim, and it was only by cutting
down one tree after another that his pursuers, by
confining him within a very limited range, were
enabled to destroy him by several successive shots,
some of which penetrated his body and wounded
his viscera. Having received five balls, his exer-
tions relaxed, and, reclining exhausted on one
of the branches of a tree, he vomited a consider-
able quantity of blood. The ammunition of the
hunters being by this time expended, they were
obliged to fell the tree in order to obtain him,
and did this in full confidence that his power
was so far gone that they could secure him
without trouble ; but were astonished, as the
tree was falling, to see him effect his retreat to an-
other with apparently undiminished vigour. In
fact, they were obliged to cut down all the trees
before they could drive him to combat his enemies
on the ground, against whom he still exhibited sur-
prising strength and agility, although be was at
length overpowered by numbers, and destroyed by
the thrusts of spears, and the blows of stories and
other missiles. When nearly in a dying state he
seized a spear made of a stipple wood, which would
have withstood the strength of the stoutest man,
and shivered it in pieces; in the words of the nar-
rator, he broke it as if it had been a carrot. It is
stated by those who aided in his death, that the
human-like expression of his countenance, and
piteous manner of placing his hands over his wounds,
distressed their feelings, and almost made them
question the nature of the act they were committing.
When dead, bath natives and Europeans contem-
;dated his figure with amazement. His stature, at
the least computation, was upwards of six feet."—
The Naturalist's Library.

ANCIENT URNS FOUND.

A few weeks ago. some workmen employed by
the Earl of Seafielo's farester were digging in a
gravel pit, about a mile and a half west of Cullen-
house, in the woods, when one of them untxpec-
redly came on an urn. Supposing it contained
treasure, and being anxious to secure it for himself,
instead of clearing away the gravel, he stuck his
pick into the side. It contained bones in a very
decayed state. When the nature of its contents
was ascertained, the urn was deliberately dug ow.
It was about five feet below the surface, and
covered with a large flat stone. The colour of the
composition is red, very much resembling a modern
tile or brick, with some streaks of a black material
running through it on the inside. It is about 13
inches deep, tapering or bulging out gradually from
the mouth and bottom towards the middle, where
he diameter is about ten inches. It is of exceed-
ingly
j plain work, and in shape not unlike the
n' earthears used for holding butter. In the same
pit, about three yards from this urn, was found
another, like the former, covered with a large flat
stone, and containing decayed bones. It was also
similar in every other respect, except in its
fragility, which was so great, that the workmen were
unable to dig it out without breaking. It had an em-
bossed ring round its bugle, and on the ring were
rude carvings in straight lines crossing each other
obliquely. Before being put in, the bones seemed
to have been burnt, and several pieces of charcoal
were found among them. They were much cal-
cined; but one of them retained much of its original
form, and gas evidently a jawbone. The urns
were given over to the charge of Mr. Anderson, of
Cullen House, in whose possession they continued
for some time, and are now in the Banff Museum.
The pit, before being broken up, was part of a
small round eminence covered with heath and trees.
Directly over the first-found urn there stood a large
Cif-tree. The undoubted fact of a battle having
been fought in the 10th century, either on this spot
or its immediate vicinity, between an army of in-
vading Danes, who landed at the burn mouth of
Cullen, and a Scots army headed by King Indulfus,
authorizes the conclusion that these urns contained the
remains of some Scottish warriors fallen in the action.
Buchannan gives an account of this battle, and re-
la:es, that while it was being keenly contested on
both sides, the Danes were surprised and put to flight
by Greme and Dunbar suddenly arriving with
forces from the Lothians, and attacking the enemy
in the rear. Being unacquainted with the localities,
the Danes, he says, took refuge in a "woody
Indulfus was slain after the conflict. About
a furlong or so from the hillock where the urns were
tb,g up there is another and larger one. It consisted
principally of stories, now cairied out of it. This
hillock formerly went under the name of the " King's
Cairn," and latterly under that of "Boulie's Cairn ;"
and it is alluded to both by tradition and statistical
writers as the tumulus of King Indulfus. There
are two other recent occurrences, probably having
some connection with tho,etimes. One is the dis-
covery of a stone coffin, in the moss of Cullen, by
Mr. Taylor, at Barnyards. It contained bones, and
is conjectured to have been constructed by the Danes
as a receptacle for the remains of some of their fallen
chiefs. The other is the lately ascertained existence of
a huge brander, or raft of wood, at the burn mouth
of Cullen. It is embedded at a emisiderable depth
below the sand and stones on the sea shore; and
from the waves washing away the superincumbent
stones, parts of it are now and then laid bare, and
one large plank, soft and spongy, was altogether
taken up.--Scotch Paper.

It is a curious fact that the s2ainen of Boulogne
hal fort told, 10 hours before it occurred, the storm which
brake out ou the 31st of August last. In the morning of
that day they observed an odd smell from the sea, and an
unusual agitation at its surface, which was the more re-
rnark3ble as there b!ew no gale at the time to occasion
They inferred from these circumstances that a storm cs?s
raging about 40 leauges off to the west, and that it would
alight on Boulogne in the evening.
•

Four cast-away seamen, to the
Union, of Woodbridge, wrecked in
..,
btheeh'inagtei ug
ltu rric toe,
were kindly received on board the steamer Prince Fre-
&rick, of Hull. When off Ahlborough, nearly within
sight of home, the C,ptain ~f the steamer hailed a pilot-
bo it, the Robert and Afar", of that port, the boatmen
of whiet deminded the exorbitant charge of 81. to put
them on shore. The poor ferows being unable to raise
so large a rum (at the same time off,ring their 2-
0 all, 4
",
which was refuied) were compeled 10 proceed t,, Ln_
duo, and reached home on Mocday week
anearly barefoot
aid penniless.—Suffolk Chronicle.