The anti-monopolist. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1874-1878, 1878-12-12
TIE Campbell CT AN.

IL view of the near approach of the
Marquis of Lorne. (and his wife the
Princess LouiSe,) the future governor
general of Canada, the following ac-
count of the seat of the Dukes of
Argyll may be interesting.
INVERARY
Il a hundred years ago the old town,
composed OF the most wretched
novels that could be imagined. says
Pennant, lay at the feet of the old
baronial castle, but now it is a quarter
OF mile away, and is a neat and
charmingly situated place of l, 900 in.
habitants. 1t is the capital Of Argyll
shire, having provost. two bailies, a
dean OF guild, seven common coun-
clllors, two branch banks and the
central telegraph station for the
Western Highlands. With all this
the town seems dead and deserted.
There is no trade. ''Ichabod'' is the
motto, for the glory Of Inverary
departed with the failure of the her
ring fishery. The armorial insignia
Of the "bnrge' are herring net with
number Of fish immeshed and the
motto, "Always to thee may a Herring
Hang - The efficacy of the prayer,
writes local wag, must also be held
to be IN suspense at present, and the
population is almost entirely depen-
dent upon the ducal estate for en-
ployment and the means Of living.
The whole town and country be-
longs to the Duke of Argyll, as also
portions Of the adjoining parishes.
No feeling is allowed. the present
Duke being opposed to any such per-
manent alienation of even small por-
tlons of the property
THE SEAT OF THE ARGYLLS.
Formerly the family which is now
seated amid its semi-regal domains in
Argyllshlre lived at Castle Campbell,
near the village of Dollar, in Fl
feshire. and later they were at
Ardchonnel Castle, on Loeb Awe.
The first foothold of the Camp
bells on the banks of the Array is
said to have been obtained by a
stratagem which bears a suspicious
resemblance to a well known classical
legend. The story goes that, in the
time of the first Stewart King, one Of
their most powerful chiefs, Colin
longataich, the thirteenth knight of
LochoW, who had obtained from the
Crown considerable holdings on the
cost of Loeb Fyne, but had rs yet got
none on the western shore, bargained
with the chief Of the MacNicars, to
whom the lands in that quarter be
longed. for as much space as might
be measured with Il fOal's skin. to
erect a residence for himself on the
banks of Loeb Fyne. and then. having
cut the skin into single thong
the Black Knight and his followers
measured of and took possession of Il
goodly extent of ground.
The old castle of Colin the Singular
was much more picturesque than the
present sham Gothic editice. erected
by Archibald, the third duke, in l144
close to its site. The Inverary Castle
of to-day consists of a massive bat
tlemented square building. having
round towers at each corner; in the
centre rises square keep higher
than the rest OF the building. The
material is grayish green slate found
III the neighborhood, soft enough to
be scratched with ones finger nail,
turning a dark color when wet. but
becoming light again when dry
scarcely the ideal walls for castle"
but the general effect of the mass
from distance, and especially from
the loch. is imposing. The chief
beauty of the place lies in its grounds
which is finely wooded, the best
timber having been planted in the
seventeenth century by the great Mar
Quis of Argyll and his son. who both
lost their heads on the block. More
than a million and half of dollars
have been expended on the castle
and grounds.