The Palatka daily news. (Palatka, Fla.) 1884-1888, 1886-10-24
LETTER FROM SCOTLA-

he unfortunate Queen Mary g, has much
interest to the American trx ve.er. The
nd castles of the fifteenth ~ Id sixteenth
centuries are mostly ruins The clans
who once inhabited the hi ghlands, and
did the bidding of the feudi i chiefs, have
but small representation in their descend
ants. The population OF 81 ,oJland hardly
equals that of the city OF London, but
her sons are occupying the principal
DIaces of trust throughO ut the United
I<ingdom, John Knox, the great Re
former of the seventee nth century, so
IMPRESSED himself upo the people of
Scotland that to-day no land il
marked for greater II telligence, more
integrity, or purer morality. This city
is noted for one of the first universities
in the world, and such regard for the
Sabbath that none OF the railways, street
cars or omnibuses are running. No
newspaper is published or cried on the
street. saloons, restaurants and every
Mace of business is scrupulously closed,
and even the hours of meals at the hotels
are arranged for the accommodation of the
chrrch-goer. This in city of quarter
of a million of inhabitants. Few cities
of its size are more beautiful for sit
uation more cleanlY kept, or possesses
more historical interest. To those who
do not believe that the world is making
progress, or that its people are growing
better. let them study the portraits OF
the kings or queens of England and
Scotland in the thirteenth TO sixteenth
centuries in Hollywood Castle, and those
of the statesmen of the eighteenth cen
tury in the Parliament Buildings at
Edinburgh. The common people are in
telIigent, and il was witty and truthful
response TO the Englishmau who twitted
the Scotchman on his oatmeal diet,
food that the Englishnan fed to his
horses. And where" replied the Scotch
man, edo you find such men as we raise
in Scotland, or such horses as are raised
in England"
Chalmers, Knox, Black, Burns, L.iv-
ingstone, Walter Scott and Gladstone
the statesmen of the age; Stevenson, the
inventor of the railway system ;HaveloCk,
the Christian soldier, and shundreds Of
others the people of Scotland delight ID
honor. A description of Edinburgh-Ee
castles, her cathedrals, her monuments,
her gardens, her university-would be OF
little interest, so often has 1t been des
cribed by correspondents in newspapers,
in illustrated magazines, and IN bound
books. The descendants of the land of
Burns all over the world keep green in
their memory their native hills by annual
anniversary of st. Andrews day. The
South has goodly representation Of
Scotchmeu, and it was my pleasure to
meet in the country home in the vicinity
of Castle Douglass many of them. 1t is
in the Galloway district and has been
made memorable in one of the Waverly
novels. l. was the home of the Black
Douglas who in the sixteenth century
lived IN supposed impreguable castle;
| his clan made their forays, making re-
prisais on the helpless inhabitants OF
| butter, cheese, mutton, beef, and what
| ever my lady" wife or mistress of the
| Black Douglass, demanded. \ project
| ing stone, from the walls OF the castle
served as a gallows, from which were
suspended those who offended the feudal
chief, and tradition says, seldom was
the stone without its suspended tassel. :"
| These depredations, after time, became
| unbearable and the inhabitants of tho
vicinity, furnished heavy bars of iron to
| a brawny blacksmith who fashioned
them into a cannon by binding them with
| hoops of iron.
On a given day the cannon was hauled
| to the top of hill, three miles from Cas-
tie ThIeave, the home of the Black
| Douglas, and granite balls hewR for mis-
siles. So secure did the inmates OF the
castle feel that tradition says they hung
| out target on the wall for the gunner
| TO take his aim. One shot was discharged
to get the range, and the second one
| pierced both walls of the castle and re-
| lieved my lady" of an arm which was
raising glass of wine to her lips. Our
party stood on the summit of the hill
| from which the cannon was fired, and
could see the aperture made by the gran
tie ball fired from the muZZle of mons.
| Meg This cannon was afterwards re-.
moved TO the castle in Edinburgh, and
was bursted in firing salute in honor OF
some of the royalty few years since.
This broke up the power of the Doug
lass in the Galloway district.
Free trade in the United Kingdom Is
helping TO depopulate Scotland. HeI
farmers cannot compete with American
beef and grain. Rents have been re
duced from % to SO per cent, and still
the tenant cannot live. Beef and grain
are brought to the English coast from
America at less cost of transportation
than the charges to move it to the int
rior. English farmers cannot pay So
SO an acre rent, fer tiliZe with costly
manures, and raise grain and beef tC
compete with the American trade, ever
with h9-vest hands at % cents r. day
| Hence { sCOntent and suffering Ia many
places among the rural population, lesi
a1d less land cultivated each year. anC
depopulation nearly of large districts
America has got them ALL" said s
Scotchman to me, while he was deplcr
ing the absence of communities that ex
listed in his boyhood.
The Scotch highlanders, with kilt aul
plaids, and bare knees, marching to the
music of the bagpipe, are the finest bod,
of soldiers l ever saw. Their bare legs
six inches above and below the knees, a
first strikes the behoider as little in
docOrous, but he soon becomes accus
toned 10 it, and admires the per.ec
health and soldierly bearing, ana gre
tesque uniform of the Highland soldier
as he marches aud countermarches OF
the parade ground.
We reluctantly leave Scotland. Tn
Trossacks, the Highlands. Loeb Lob
mond, Loeb Katrine, Ben Lohmond an,
Zen Ccna are ir.dellhly irnnrnsSnl INN,