Manners Customs And History Of The Highlanders Of Scotland

Excerpt from Manners, Customs, and History of the Highlanders of Scotland: Historical Account of the Clan Macgregor Ignorance regarding the Highlands - The Pretender and the High landers - Battle of Prestonpans - Advance into England - Retreat - Battle of Culloden. Everything belonging to the Highlands of Scotland has of late become peculiarly interesting. It is not much above a half a century since it was otherwise. The inhabitants of the lowlands of Scotland were, in deed, aware that there existed, in the extremity of the island, amid wilder mountains and broader lakes than their own, tribes of men called clans, living each under the rule of their own chief, wearing a peculiar dress, speaking an unknown language, and going armed even in the most ordinary and peaceful vocation. The more southern counties saw specimens of these men, following the droves of cattle which were the sole exportable commodity of their country, plaided, bonneted, belted and brogued, and driving their bullocks, as Virgil is said to have spread his manure,14 highlanders OF scotland. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.

Writing at the beginning of the 19th century, Scott surveyed the Highlands at a time when the old way of life was rapidly disappearing under the pressure of industrialization and the growing impact of an encroaching government. His history tells of a world gone by but still within living memory. This is not Scott as novelist but Scott as historian and a vivid picture he paints of people, their way of life, and their ideas and attitudes.