The new North-west. [volume] (Deer Lodge, Mont.) 1869-1897, 1893-06-03

ET TEHHF|HF' ter and coheir o1
81 81 late George, Nol
r. Y VI land Ackers
81 81 Esq, of Moretor
- a Hall, Cheshire
and has four
sons Such is the entry in the peeraye
and tbaronetage Of 1881 to designate the
gentleman who has subsequently by the
death. of his father become head of the
great Clan Maclean and is to preside at
the world reunion of that famous clan
at Chicago in June. The chief {now Sir
Fitzroy) and the chieftains Of Penny
CROSS, Loch Buie, Ardgour. Urquhart
and Kingerloch are to arrive together,
and on June ID the Clan Maclean of
America will give them reception in
the Auditorium, after which will come
banquets and concerts at which every
Maclean from every land who can posi-
bly, do SO is expected to be present.
OF course such an occasion will not
only attract many descendants of other
clans, but will excite in millions of
Americans an intense feeling of sy1npa
thetic interest. for in all history there is
nothing more romantic and touching
than the annals of the highlanders.
Even their failings leaned to virtues
side, and while there was much lawless-
ness, much of hot blood and hasty re-
venge, there were for many hundred
years fafthfulness to clan and chief
tain which despised death and a sense
Of honor so keen that it felt stain more
than u wound.
The origin Of the Clan Maclean as of
the most of the other clans is lost in
the mists of antiquity, but its written
record is traceable at least as far back ais
the'twelfth century. At the time of the
first complete and official registry of
the clans when the lordship of the isles
eofr:+ad +1.o---.$ -.$----.--
. ent branches of the Clan Chilean, and
this was before the first syllable Of the
many Gaelic names had been replaced by
the universal Mac, which has about the
same force as tho French and Spanish
De, the German Won, the Dutch Van and
the Irish 0.
Of these four the most important was
that Of Quart, who have been lords of
Null for SO many centuries and whose
Quart castle, overlooking the sound of
land. The founder of this branch was
Lachlan Maclean, surnamed Lubanich.
who in 1866 married Margaret. daughter
of ohm, first lord of the isles Maclean
of Quart has ever been considered the
head Of all the Macleans, but to trace
down the descent to the present Sir Fitz-
roy Donald Maclean would fill several
columns like this. The second branch
was the Macleans of Lochbuy. The
third was that of Coll, which produced
the famous "Coll of the Cows" cele-
brated by Macaulay. Fourth were the
Macleans of Ardgour, merely an offshoot
of the house of Quart.
The history of Scotland, as every reader
knows, begins with tho visit Of Julius
Caesar, at which time all Great Britain
from Lands End to John O'Groat's was
peopled by a race almost purely Celtic
or Gaelic, When Agricola invaded
North Britain in the year 81, the region
now called Scotland was inhabited by 81
tribes, Of which the Caledonians were
the greatest and eventually gave name
to the whole. The Scots came from Ire
land, and early in the fifth century the
combined Celts had driven out the Ro-
mans. There were then 40 kings of the
Picts or Caledonians and 20 of the Scot
Irish race, sometimes contemporary and
sometimes successive, which dynasties
lasted to the year 843. Then the regular
Scottish kings began to rule over toler-
ably united nation, and their dynasty
lasted until 1897. And through all these
years the distinction between highland
and lowland was not sufficient to cause
trouble, as all the Saxons and Normans
in the country were either guests, exiles
or captives taken in war.
In 20O years took place one of the most
extraordinary changes in history. The
reigning family became almost as An:
glo-Norman-Saxon as that of England,
q modified English was generally spoken
in the lowlands, while the highlands re-
mained unchangeably Gaelic in blood,
speech and, one might say, religion. Of
course the most desperate of the con-
quered lowlanders fed to the hills. All
royal favor was Withdrawn from that
section, and a fierce spirit of hatred and
desire for revenge ruled, and the people
naturally rallied around talented men
who could lead them in war, protect
tlaem inSpeace and judge impartia!ly be-
tween them in their fierce disputes. And
out Of this chaos of blood and fire emer-
ged, when comparative peace was re-
stored, the famous Scottish clans.
OF course there always were chieftains
in the highlands, and equally of course
there was always difference between
the people there and on the plains, just
as there is marked difference between
the men of tidewater Virginia and pied
mont Virginia, though all of the same
race and religion. But by the year 14O0
the racial differences were as marked as
those between the Tipperary Celt of to-
day and the Englishman of Hampshire
or Kent. And by the same date the chief
tain had acquired an authority without
parallel anywhere else on earth. It was
at once patriarchal and despotic, at once
the result of awe. fear, respect and a
love which fell but little short of idol
airy. Where the chieftain led the clans