The daily morning journal and courier., 1895-06-24
BANNOCKBURN.
Anniversary of the Great Climax in Scot lands Fierce Fight for Liberty-The Causes That Led Up to 1t.

To-day Is the anniversary of the bat
 tie of Bannockburn, which in the eyes
 of Scotsmen ranks with Marathon and
 Morgarten as the greatest patriotic
 battles of the world. Bunker Hill and
 Saratoga having occurred after San
 dy'' had been bought into the firm of
 John Bull & Co.,, are only admitted by
 the enthusiastic Scot after deliberation,
 The causes that led up to Bannockburn
 -Scotland's great fight for iberty-are
 ito the Scot at least-particularly sad.
 Ever since the Caledonians under
 Galgacus met and baffled the Romans
 under Julius Agricola at Mons Grampus
 the men of the North Countrie," de-
 spite the attack of Saxon, Scot and Nor
 man, gradually developed and extended
 their kingdom till the middle Of the
 thirteenth century found it one of the
 most compact and prosperous of the
 European monarchies.
 At that time Gin 1240 Alexander III.
 a boy under eight years of age, was
 crowned at Scone The ceremonials at
 this coronation were most elaborate
 and two-fold; first according to feudal
 custom within the walls of the ancient
 abbey church and then clad in his roy
 al robes, bearing his crown and sceptre,
 sitting on the mysterious stone Of desti-
 ny, long since the seat of the coronation
 chair at Westminster, but then placed
 by the cross that stood in the church.
 yard of Scone he was ordained accord
 ing to the Celtic usage. A Semachy
 or bard clad in scarlet advanced, knelt
 before the fatal stone, recite in Gaelic the pedigree of the royal boy and pro-
 claimed him "Ri Alban" by right of long descent.
 At Christmas. 1251, while yet child under eleven, Alexander was conducted to York to be united in wedlock with the equally youthful Princess Margaret of England. The following twenty years were undoubtedly the brightest and most prosperous period during Scotland's separate monarchy, and in the earliest known specimen of Low land Scottish poetry is described as a time ''of wyne and wax, of gamyn and glee"
 While Queen Margaret clung fondly to her father and brothers she was ut terly devoted to her own Alexander and thus bound the two nations togeth- CT by the strong, invisible band of pure unselfish affection. Her most frequent visitor and the most honored guest at the Scottish court being her brother Edward Longshanks), the princely and courteous heir to the English throne and in later years Scotland's 8 most dead- ly foe.
 Alexander's cup of happiness must in deed have been full; he was passionate ly attached to the pure and beautiful woman who as his queen grew up be- side him from childhood: their family, Alexander and David. were children of much promise, and the na- ton was enjoying unexampled prosper ity, but eight years changed his over flowing cup of joy to an equal measure of bitter woe. In 1275 Queen Margaret died in his arms, and five years later she was followed to the grave by Prince David. Tn 1283 the Princess Margaret | who had become the wife of Eric, king | 1f Norway, died, leaving an infant | daughter, and the ship that brought | the news to Scotland found the king | the death of his last child, Prince Alexander.
 These untoward events brought the | 1irect Celtic royal line of Scotland to be | only by King Alexander and the sickly infant princess of Nor way, and the Scottish estates (paria- | nenD was convened to decide as toiSne | which in the meantime was settled on the maid of Norway and the Hing urged to re-marry. To Alexander ] second marriage was not only un- bought of, but apparently repulsive; 'st he yielded to his duty to the state lnd in 12S4 he married Joleta, a daugh- CT of the Count of Dreux.
 On March 18th, the following year. he ttended a council of state in Edin- 'urgh castle, promising to join the ueen at BurntislanS in the evening. It the adjournment of the council, ac- by two esquires, he galloped eastward to the Queensferry, crossed he Firth of Forth in safety, but in the and storm they missed their yay, the kings horse stumbled and tith it's rider went over precipice at Singhorn.
 When found by his attendants life ad left the bruised and battered form, nd the dynasty which-with little in- erruption-had ruled Scotland wisely nd well for nearly five centuries, came ractically to an end. l The cloud of dark foreboding which ' tarted from the deathbed of Prince AL ( xander now enshrouded the entire land l gloom, with only one feeble ray of ] opeful light gleaming from distant { Torway, where the frail life of a sickly { aild formed the only barrier to Scot md becoming a prize to be contested f IT by Norman barons, who claimed her z 5 their inheritance through descent in le female line from her native mon- a rchs. Alexander was laid beside his c Ithers in the abbey of Dumfernline. l nd swift and solemn heraIds sped to :, le most remote borough or baronial III to call meeting of the estates for :, le purpose of forming a regency to act r the infant sovereign. Shortly afterwards the Scots avidi- n Isly grasped the proposal of Edward z of England to wed their queen to his n, the first heir to the Engllsh&hrone. ho bore the title of Prince of Wales. U forwards Edward ID In this eaty--which was formed at Brigham p Id ratified by both nations-there is a e ause that Scotland was an indepen- Il mt sovereign state, over which Eng e nd had no claims whatever In Sep- 5 mber, 1290, the last hope of Scotland a