The Middlebury register and Addison County journal. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1883-1885, 1884-03-21
QUEEN VIC10RIIS BOOK.
EXTRACTS FROM HER RECENTLY
ISSUED JOURNAL.
A Scottish Celebrating
rHalIOYvcen-''Jui the Sheep
"A lHighlnnd Christmns.

drina, Queen of Great Britain and Ire
land and Empress of India, is entitled
"More Leaves from the Journal of a Life
in the Highlands of 404 pages, printed
in large type on thick, heavy paper. 1t
contains a number of engravings, among
them portrait of the Queen, John
Brown, Esq, Princess Beatrice, Helena,
Louise. John Grant, General Grey Jane
Churchill, the favoritc collie dog-men-
toned quite often in the book-another
dog named Sharp, sketch of Gelder
Shiel and view of the cross erected at
Balmoral in memory of Princess Alice.
We give number of extracts from the
book Here is an account of Il Scotch
dance which took place in the ncighbor-
hood of Kiliccrankie:
again heavy mists on the hills-most
provoking without rain The Ouch
ess came to ask if had any objection to
the servants and gilles having Il dance
for two hours in the evening, to which |
said certainly not and that | would go
to it myself. At 10 80 we went down
Through the lower passages to the serv-
ants hall, in which the little dance took
place. All the duchess servants, the
wives of the men servants the keepers,
the wood-forester q. McGrcgor, who has
an extensive charge over all the woods
on the Atholc property, the gardener
and some five or six others who belong
to my guard eight people, belonging to
the duchess or to the town, who take
their turn of watching two by two at
night, beside all our servants, were
there; only Grant and two of the gillies
did not appear, which veXed us; but the
gillcs had not any proper shoes, they
said, and therefore did not come. jamie
Ely came also Mr.. Kerr, and both were
very active; General Grey only looked in
for a moment, as he was suffering severe
ly from cold. The tddlcrs played in very
good time, and the dancing was very
animated, and went on without ccasing.
Louise and Arthur both danced good
deal. Nothing but reels were danced
Even the duchess old French maid
Claricc, danced
OF Halloween and its celebration in
the Highlands the queen says
"While we were ut Mrs. Grants we
saw the commencement of the keeping
of Halloween. All the children came
out with burning torches shouting and
jumping The Protestants generally keep
Halloween on the Old day, November H.
and the Catholics on this day; but hear
ing had wished to see it two years ago,
they all decided to keep it o-day When
we drove home we saw ali the gllics
coming along with burning torches, and
torches end bonfires appeared also on the
opposite side of the water. We went
upstairs to look at it from the windows,
from whence it had a very pretty effect
son the same day in the following
year, viz, Thursday, October 81, 1867,
we had an opportunity of again seeing
the celebration of Halloween, and even
of taking part in it. We had been out
driving, but we hurried back to be in
time for the celebration. Close to Don
aid Stewards house we were met by two
gillies bearing torches. Louise got out
and took one, walking by the side of the
carriage, and looking like one of the
witches in "MaCbeth. As we APP
preached Balmoral, the keepers and
their wives and children, the gilies
and other people met us all with torches,
Brown also carrying one We got out
at the house where Leopold joined us,
and torch was given to him. We
walked round the whole house, preceded
by Ross playing the pipes, going down
the steps of the terrace. Louise and
Leopold went first, then came jamie Ely
and |, followed by every one carving
torches which had very pretty effect.
After this a bonfire was made of all the
torches, close to the house, and they
danced reels while Ross played the
pipes
OF the ceremony of "Juicing the
Sheep" the queen thus writes
At II :45 drove off with Louise and
Leopold in the waggonette up to near
the Blush" (the residence of William
Brown, the farmer, fourth brother of
john, to see them ''juice the Sheep
This is practice pursued all over the
Highlands before the sheep are sent
down to the low country for the winter.
1t is done to preserve the wool. Not far
from the burnside, where there are a few
hillOcks, was pen in which the sheep
were placed, and then, Just outside it,
large sort of trough filled with liquid to-
bacco and soap, and into this the sheep
were dipped one after the other: one man
DANES Brown, my shepherd the elder
brother, who came up on purpose to
help, took the sheep one by one out of
the pen and turned them on their backs
and then William and he, holding them
by their legs, dipped them we'll in, after
which they were let into another pen into
which this trough opened, and here they
had to remain to dry. TO the left,
little lower down, was a cauldron boiling
over fire and containing the tobacco
with water and soap. This was then
cmptied into a tub, from which it was
transferred into the trough. A very
rosy-faccd lassie, with a plaid over her
head, was experimenting this part of the
work, and helped to fetch the water from
the burn, while children and many collie
dogs were grouped about, and several
men and shepherds were helping, 1t
was very curious and picturesque sight
Here we have the Queens account of
Highland Kirstnin:'
AT 4 80 drove, with Louise, Beatrice
and Lady Ely to John Thompson, the
wood fore'ter's house, for the christening