Such is our love of liberty, our country and our laws,

That, like our ancestors of old, we’ll stand in freedom’s cause,

We’ll bravely fight like heroes bold for honour and applause,

And defy the French, with all their art, to alter our laws.”

LOUDON’S—MONTGOMERY’S—FRASER’S—KEITH’S—CAMPBELL’S—DUKE OF GORDON’S—JOHNSTONE’S—FRASER’S—MʻDONALD’S.

Passing through the glens of the Grampians, northwards or westwards, we are introduced to the sterner grandeur of the Scottish Highlands. Having briefly viewed the glorious records of our Lowland regiments, we feel as more immediately in the heart of our subject when, entering upon its second part, we propose to give an account of our Highland regiments. We think we cannot fairly be challenged for an undue partiality to the latter, or be thought guilty of injustice to the former, in yielding the prominence to the Highlanders, because they retain more of the national characteristics, whilst the Lowlanders, intermingled with others, have sadly degenerated from the original purity of the Scottish, if indeed they have not already forfeited every claim, beyond the name, to be included in the catalogue of Scottish regiments.

The romantic story of the clans bids us return to the feudal age, when strange but true war revealed itself to be the unwitting civiliser of the ancient world; apparently the harbinger of evil, yet in reality the herald of good—the purifier—the evil out of which, in the mysterious providence of God, blessing should in the end abundantly flow. In the Highlands the memorials of these barbaric times of civil strife among the clans are sadly ample and very evident; scarce a dell but bears traces of the ruin which fire and sword had inflicted; scarce a glen but has its tale of woe; scarce a heath but beneath the cairn gathers to its shaggy bosom the ashes of some warrior chief. But there were also times in our history when the stormy tempest of angry passion was at least for the moment hushed, and the fiery valour of the clans, gathered into one, descended from the Highlands, resistless as the mountain torrent, to do battle for Scottish freedom in the day of Scotland’s need. And thus their gallant demeanour upon the field of Bannockburn has waked the muse of Scott to immortalise their fame, as he beautifully tells of our “Scottish Chiefs” in his “Lord of the Isles.”

The devoted loyalty of the clans to the unhappy Stuarts has given to their history a melancholy interest, and claims our admiration, because of the dauntless resolution with which they vainly strove to maintain the falling fortunes of that degenerate race, although manifested on the wrong side; furnishing, moreover, a theme for song which has given birth to some of the most touching lyrics of our bards.

Shortly after the battle of Culloden the fighting strength of the various clans was rated by Lord Forbes for the Government as follows:—

Argyle, 3000
Breadalbane, 1000
Lochnell and other Chieftains of the Campbells, 1000
Macleans, 500
Maclachlans, 200
Stewart of Appin, 300
Macdougals, 200
Stewart of Grandtully, 300
Clan Gregor, 700
Duke of Athole, 3000
Farquharsons, 500
Duke of Gordon, 300
Grant of Grant, 850
Macintosh, 800
Macphersons, 400
Frasers, 900
Grant of Glenmorriston, 150
Chisholms, 200
Duke of Perth, 300
Seaforth, 1000
Cromarty, Scatwell, Gairloch, and other Chieftains of the Mackenzies,1500
Menzies,300
Munroes,300
Rosses,500
Sutherland,2000
Mackays,800
Sinclairs,1100
Macdonald of Slate,700
Macdonald of Clanronald,700
Macdonell of Glengary,500
Macdonell of Keppoch,300
Macdonald of Glencoe,130
Robertsons,200
Camerons,800
MʻKinnon,200
Macleod,700
The Duke of Montrose, Earls of Bute and Moray, Macfarlanes, Colquhouns, MʻNeils of Barra, MʻNabs, MʻNaughtans, Lamonts, etc., etc.,5600
———
31,930