New Orleans daily crescent., 1860-11-08
The Gaelic setslement In Worth Carolina

i
In letter which the Inverness Courier has re.
ceived from friend in North Carolina are the fol-
lowing interesting particulars
1t may be interesting to some of our readers to
learn that the Scotch Highanders were among the
first settlers Of the State of North Carolina. The
majority of them were from the Hebrides, from Is
lay Jura, Null, Coll and Skye, and not few from
the mainland of Argyll. The precise date of the
landing OF the first Scotch emgrants in the Caroli-
mas cannot be very well aseertained 1t appears
that the Scotch families were settled on the Cape
Fear River previous to the division of the province
into North and South Carolina in lT29. Some time
betwean l744 and l7f6 Highlander named Neil
Macniel, from Argyllshire, visited North Carolina.
He returned to Scotland in HAS, and ia the follow
ing year landed in Wilmington, North Carolina,
with his family and about three hundred emigrants
(some say six hundred) from tho district Of Kin.
tyre Argyllshre. 1t is said that upon the arrival
Of unusual an importation at Wilmington the au-
thorties, struck with the address and language Of
the new comers required Macneti to enter into
bond for their peaceful and good behavior Per.
haps the warlike spirit Of the Celtic race struck the
Wimingtonians with such terror as led to the de-
mand of the bond. Our intrepid eouutryman man
aged to evade the demand, and ascended the Cape
Fear with this band of his countrymen. From this
period the emigration was yearly on the increase.
Mr.. Macdonald, of Kingsburgh and his wife, the
far-famed Flora Macdonald, famous for her ad-
herence to the unfortune Ptetender Prince
Charles in his forlorn condition after his defeat at
Culloden, emigrated with number of others from
the Isle OF Skye, so that every year added to the
number of Scotch Highland emigrants until they
soon formed the majority of the population and
controlled the civil and ecclesiastical interests of
no less than seven counties, viz Cumberland,
Baden Robeson, Richmond, Montgomery, Moore
and Harnett
The Gaelic language is spoken in its purity by
many in these counties, and in both my churches
preach in it every Sabbath. On last Sabbath as
sisted at the dispensation of the Lords Supper in
a congregation forty miles distance from home !;
and preached and served table at which upward
of one hundred and fifty had taken their seats, who
have not heard sermon in the language of their
childhood for the last ten years, Many tear was
shed during the service, many warm shake of
and many blessing was bestowed upon your cor
respondent at parting with the warmth hearted peo-
pie.
The Rev. Collin Maciver, o native of Stornoway,
Lews, was the last preacher who could preach In
Gaelic till came to the State two years ago He
died in this town in 1850 much respected and re-
GREETED by his conntrymen in North Carolina. |
will state an instance of the preponderance of the
Scotch Hghlanders in this State
The North Carolina Presbyterian, religious pa
per and the organ Of our Synpd published in the
town of Fayetteville, has upwards of eight hun
dred Macs on its list of subscribers besides those
who claim the honor of pertaining as much to the
Celtic race as those who bear that ancient paGro-
nymic.
rhe Presbytery of Fayetteville, of which and
one of my sons are members, has thirteen Macs
among its clerical members and seven Others who
will net yield the palm to their brethren of the Mac
families in tracing their Celtic origin; and thence
our Presbytery has the cogaomen of the Scotch
Presbytery, given to US by our brethren of tue
Synod of North Carolina.