New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1884-09-21
A STRANGE STORY.
PROPHECIES BY A HIGHLAND SEER.

the swift railway along the bTluk OF It's plut 0,t-
lake few will fail TO note the long. low, sandy
isthmus projecting far into the firth. and marked by
The duh fOrtihcatlons Of Fort George name once
hateful to the ears of all true Hghlanders, whose
friends and knSwen had been slam on the neigh
borlnQ mOOrland of Cu,loden. and TO whom the
puke of Cumbcrlaud's fortress an abhorreut
and OhtruSive memorial of q foreign yoke, and Of
the downfall of dearly loved royal race.
ON the opposite shore of the great bay lies Fort
rose q name which does not. as We might suppose,
recall another military station, hut was rather an
ecclesiastical centre. The aurien burgh of forrose
was once place of considerable Importance ana
was the eadQuarters of the Bishop OF Ross, whose
palace stood near the cathedral. This va, me
building of red sandstone. eut only the south al'e
now remains the cathedral IL fOrjioNc, "Ietl'i
with the Bishop palace and the nelghborng lriory
of Beauty having been demolished 10y the ruthless
puritans, VINO there found con veulcnt quarres ol
ready hewn stone for the construction of Crom-
wells Fort at Inverness. II Is satisfactory to kno"
that the fort 50 sacrilegIously built not long
suffered to cumber the soil of the Highland capital
for mt the restoration of King Charles was totally
demolished and only rampant remains 10 marx
the spot where for little while. II commanded the
entrance of the iieauly Firth.
With the turn of fortune the prosecuted ecclesi-
astcs were reinstated IN what they might recover OF
their former position 50 far at least as state proteo
ton could avail. Ot the abuse OF that power a
painful instance Is recorded m local tradition ana
Is commemorated by an uprlehl monouIa nttaI nc
modern lighthouse. on the extremity OF the low
sand-spit which runs ont hall across the hrth, OPP
posite 20 that on which stands Fort 6eofge' houEh
bali-bured m drifting sand, this weatheT-De3u9
stone still marks the spot where, two hundred
years ago, cruel tragedy was enacted Win iuh
sanction of the Church. This was the burning 0i a
local prophet, Conneach Gag. or " young Kenneth
also a led Coiuneach Ore that Is. " brown Ken
Meth or. as ms Gaelic-speaking informant put IT,
dun" a. You would say. q dun COW, but now
generally known a. the seer of Brahan "a man
who was reputcd 10 possess that extraordinary z ~
of second sight which has ever held an important
which they account phlos0phically Tor hnumeiaDle
visions of things not vet come To pass Whlch Ger
family are totally nexpllcable by any ordinary pro-
cess of reasoning. d., 49,.
Forcmosr IN the ranks of those endowed with this
strange faculty was this far-seeluR prophet OF ho1s
shire whose mysterious sayings were caf'iulF
Ous literary men. notably Sir walter scout ana
wonderful indeed IL the accuracy with when many
have been fulfilled. while others Yet uhaccom-
plishcd afford food for speculation ~ TO possible
future
Though internal renee IL better assured nowadays
than 10 was IN the tune of the seer ~ Is nevertheless
strange that long before the calamilous 1AYs oi
Prince Charles last struggle. COnueach behold pa
a vision the bloody battle of CuIloden. As he
crossed that bleak moOrand, then known as Drum
mosaic he foretold how ere many generations had
pa ssed away the hest blood OF the highlands woulC
there be shed. aud he rclOlced that lac should not
live 10 see that dismal day.
b. Foolish indeed must have sounded IN the ears ol
his contemporaries his assurance that lu4-rggrd
vessels would one day be seen pass NJ to and il0
through the wooded valley that extends westward
from Inverness. But hundred ana MY years
later. the great Caledonan canal wac Dug connect,
ing the chain OF inland lakes one with another ana
entering the sea at Inverness
Many must have listened as to the rawlings OF a
maniac when he toretold IN prophetic vision lhat
long strings of carriages without horses would run
with lightning sped between Inverness ana the Isle
of SKYE and when he told of rushing fires moving
across the mOOrland between these points WhIcu
then were accounted far apart. But few wears
have elapsed. since the construction OF the lnVer-
ness and Skye Railway has turn shed the iulhlment
OF widely known but previously mcomDrehenslOio
prophecy
would come when FIRE and water would run IN
streams through all the streets and alleys or lnVer
ness. such words must, TO our tOretathers, nave
seemed 70 augur death and destruction. Yet they
have received a very peaceful solution slnce gas
End water have been laid on all over the city
The seer. whose mystic words have been so care
fully preserved was born IN the early part OF lhe
seventeenth century "a few years before the COM
monwealth. The name he bore-kenneth Macken-
gle-ls common to many members oi tht cah
which claims descent from COnueach Mac ChOm-
mich. l. G.. Kenneth the son of kenneth
his birthplace was On the estate OF Brahan Castle.
I'm the county of RossshTe the property of the Mac
kenzes OF SealOrth. His social position was mat Oh
a arn-servant, aud many smart OF MS c9uSIc WIZ
was sped at the expense OF the farmers VIE,
cross-gIalneH 4aGs t th ",I,[nre of hi.
tests bv causing his death Accordingly. one day
when ais master bad sent young Kenneth Mackenzie
- the mooriand 10 cut peat, for incl ana sne hu I'D
send him his dinner. she seasoned 10 WIN POISONOUS
herbs and trusted never again 10 hear ms voice.
But Coinneach being weary, had lam down %
resi- on "a little kuou-doubtlesS a iairles hll' ION
when Inc awakened he found under his head SINAI.
wlut, stone with hole ln the centre, such a.. 20
Highlander would az once recogh ~ az d my 1,I' "a
vIuuL stone. According 10 one account lue ''''
derived his knowledge from "a >malI rouh@ '.uc
prIllr. which bad been bestowed on hl- ODD hri ni
Tie spirit of Norwegian princess who had rIi der
gray, one night to revisit Norway. and, ere return
IN ave tins .aft To- tine brave Highland woman
whom sine fluu. watching beside her empty tomb.
anI .hp even dare To bar the entrance oil lhe driA
byp.Iriug hcr dI,t1t upon the crave. ,.
Pressing up tLr pebble he naturally AppI'I Do l'
manned by d.. m stress. $50 when the mr-~cu-ti
brpr ,lt his DINNER he gave 10 90 poor dog VINO
sVa.Iu,ecd 10 trustuely. but soon atterwaTd "td POD
agony. Then Kenneth returned to tauut the cruel
woman with Der evil Intentions
FROM that Time forward bus tame a@ "a seer @lI
frauI wide. and many % strange iorc''dmt OBJ 'N'
all b. venture 90 inter concerning county i1uIr-.
the. iu the zenith of thrf lower luI ''r'n- ~ n
diced have these been fulfilled. tor instance t'i.
crru,us the powerful family of Narkculc of Rose
Ilnt. Doe iorctoJ ther downfall When " ""IlsH
JAue." should bc lard aud through -cn7rl loss lI"'
fbc ,.lt should replace oboe deer and hsu'rur. ''
Avp.. rule oyer the Black Isle ID" present 2'n'-
ration has .cen the fulhlmeut of these rugm1i"'|
Syor- with various Diet ais OF local interest for te
care. of folly of tine last SIR James uocrs, lcd ih'
go a.. 0. lands ou the Black Isle % Alr Jlc.. tIr
sou of 1000 Avocu fisherman. who hy marriage .iN
fbr q trhrr- assumed their uaiur and drN'iih
bearings with Che goat a. a crest lhn- il' l'I''u.
deer head of zine Mackenzcs sreplac'o oy lh' s'"I
Of tie tlctchcrs!
Strangely accurate was the forecast ol the down
fall OF the once mighty house OF MtcueI "l b|.I"
When tine bland man with twenty iou huRrr7 1hD
IL. ..runs officer with the big Thumbs shall m.r,
u Bura thcu NAV MAGNET prepare for tno.n t'ln-.
I.,rIv in Ia. present century a celebrated bind
L,,rir haviu. Sis fingers on each hand, aud -A
1o... Du each foot who hence WI. known IL I.rIr
a. tlt blunt. with twcut -ioIr hu'tr' 10 -jt.I'.
ON % begging cNpcI tlou through ihr Long l-'
rate South lII from Bara. and Then t4t N.- For.
Tor fr ow -pa,-rug ger sheuh~ officer whose Gaelic
uickuamc described him a- the man with the uIe
fIuuf,.' This mans trrIud was 1"fu1.lF fn -rr.r
a Summon. ou Nlcucll of Blrrt. who tNtItrp.u Nas
rou.p.Il~d 90 d" UIt' dud make way for t.t I.N
owner of has estates.
Ia .,r more improbable wa, young N,ruct.s
t,r...a.t concerning lIIruum Tower. -tIou -iIIlU
Clt.. flr- of ~,aturth, overlooking lleI bands ui
BraIan. and inhabited by branch OF t4c 1l1.aDa-
zie-. kiusineu of the chlci
q .e ewes of the seer. however looked Gar beyond
~ present scene AMI ho spoke uuH. ttrlug words.
,ry,. iy a fu-urc wien the broad land. OBJ Doe I,i