"An robh e sgiamhach mar dhearsa na Greine; "Am bu co thlachd-mhor a shiubhal's a chruth ? "'S taitneach t fhonn an cluais Oisein, "Am measg t aisling air aomadh na'n sliabh ; " Is caoin faiteal na'm fonn, a Mal-mhine, "Ach claoidhidh iad anam gu deoir : "Tha solas ann tuireadh le sith, ""Nuair dh'aomas cliabh tuirse gu bron. "Claoidhidh fad thuirse siol do'ruinn, "A thla nighean Thoscair na'n cruaidh bhenm ; "Is ainmic an laethe o'n neoil: "Tuitidh iad mar chuiseig foi 'n Ghrein, "'Nuair sheallas e sios na shoilse, "An diaidh d' an dubh cheathaich siubhal d' an bheinn, " 'S a throm cheann foi shileadh na hoi'che. 22 Ruled with tyrannic sway the Grampian hills.-P. 19. My utmost diligence of research has not been successful, in order to ascertain with any tolerable degree of pre cision, the exact period when the Feudal System was en grafted on that of the Patriarchal amongst the Gael of the Grampians and Western Islands. Prior to the reign of Malcolm III., every thing respecting Scottish history seems strangely enveloped in impenetrable obscurity. All we know with certainty, is, that when Macbeth assassinated Duncan the son of Beatrice and Malcolm M Kenneth, second of that name (A. D. 1039.) the two sons of the murdered king, Malcolm and Donald, the former surnamed Cean-more, or great-head, and the latter, Bane, or fair, both fled in opposite directions : Malcolm the eldest sought refuge in Cumberland; and Donald the younger passed over to the Hebrides, where he was gladly received by the islanders, and there remained till his brother died. Meanwhile Siward, earl of Northumberland, placed his grandson Malcolm, thẹ Scottish prince, under the protection of Edward the Confessor, at whose court he remained, till Macduff, thane of Fife, headed a formidable faction in favour of the exiled Malcolm, in order to expel the usurper, and restore the lawful heir to the throne of his ancestors. The Scots, aided by the Northumbrians, led on by Malcolm in person, pursued the regicide Macbeth, and soon completed his destruction. After the usurper was slain, Malcolm was crowned at Scone on the 25th April 1057. And as he resided so long in England, and afterward married Margaret the grand-niece of Edward, (and sister of Edgar Ætheling, heir of the Saxon line of English monarchs, who fled for protection to the Scottish court, when William duke of Normandy usurped, or rather seized in right of conquest, the throne)-hence it is reasonable to sup But pose that Malcolm must have imbibed strong prejudices in favour of English, manners, laws, customs, and usages; consequently a gradual change took place in the eastern coast with regard to the arrangement of property, and spread by degrees westward to the foot of the Grampians, thence into the fastnesses, and at length to the shores of the Atlantic. The western islands, however, were as yet independent of the main land, or Scotland properly so called, and were nominally in subjection to the sovereigns of Norway. On the death of king Malcolm, (who was slain near Alnwick castle*, where also his eldest son Edward died of his wounds two days thereafter; and the pious Margaret, who lay stretched on her death-bed, only survived to learn the death of her beloved son and royal consort) Donald Bane landed from the Hebrides, and usurped the dignities of the Scottish crown. Duncan, a natural son of the late king, expelled the usurper, and reigned in his stead. Duncan, however, was murdered, and Donald once more ascended the throne. But he was again expelled by the uncle of the lawful heir, who placed Edgar on the throne, made Donald captive, condemned him to captivity for life, and, by a refinement in cruelty, peculiar to the times, put out his eyes, and left him to languish in a dungeon. After this, the intercourse of the two kingdoms of South and North Britain was friendly and lasting. And the intermarriages of the princes and nobility of either realm, opened an easy way for the establishment of AngloSaxon and Norman adventurers north of the Tweed. Hence the gradual change with respect to system. And what accelerated the introduction of it into the Gram *Nov. 13. 1093. pians, was the progress of religious houses, which, by acquiring grants of lands from pious individuals, as well as from the Crown, were anxious to have their newly acquired property well secured; and, for this purpose, it was necessary to have documents for their rights; hence the origin of charters and written grants of landed property. And the oldest writings now extant, (copies of which are to be found in Anderson's Diplomata), are of the age of Duncan, the bastard son of Malcolm III., who made a grant of lands to the monks of Durham (vide Diplomata, N. v.) By this time, (A. D. 1095.) religious establishments had made considerable progress in Scotland. It is a remarkable historical fact, and worthy of particular notice, which Lord Hailes mentions on the authority of Turgot, who wrote the life of Queen Margaret, that the Scottish ecclesiastics did not seem to understand the Saxon tongue at the period alluded to; but in order to illustrate this, I shall quote the words of Lord Hailes for the reader's satisfaction. "For the reforma❝tion of certain erroneous practices which prevailed in "the Scottish church, Margaret held frequent confer"ences with the clergy. The king understood the Gaelic Language as well as the Saxon. He willingly perform"ed the office of interpreter between his consort and the "Scottish ecclesiastics." (Vide Ann. Scot. Malcolm III.) This historical passage puts us in possession of two very curious facts: 1. That the religious establishments, prior to this period, stood greatly in need of reformation. 2. That the ecclesiastics understood not the Saxon; consequently, were unacquainted with the ScotoSaxon (a kindred dialect) if it then existed: and that the Gaelic, or Irish, was the court, and most likely the : prevailing language toward' the close of the eleventh century. In confirmation of the Gaelic being long after the prevailing language, we find the bishoprics of the Isles, Argyle, Dumblane, Dunkeld, Brechin, Aberdeen, Moray, Ross, and Caithness, which are either wholly situated within the confines of the Grampians, or extend considerably within the boundaries, were the most considerable sees in the northern section of Great Britain, (St Andrews and Glasgow excepted). And we also find many religious houses established among the Grampians and Western isles at a very remote period of our authentic history for instance the monastery of Loch-Tay in Perthshire, founded in A. D. 1122. Of Sadeal, in Kintyre, Argyleshire, founded in 1164. The Abbey of Beaulieu, in Ross-shire, founded in 1230. The monastery of Ardchattan in Lorn, Argyleshire, founded in 1230. The convent of Dominicans in Inverness, founded n 1233. The abbey of Ferne, in Ross-shire, founded in the reign of Alexander II. (about the middle of the thirteenth century.) Of the monastery of Dornoch in Sutherland-Shire, founded in 1271. Of Strathfillan, in Breadalbane, Perthshire, founded by Robert the Bruce after the battle of Bannockburn (A. D. 1314.) and other religious houses of lesser note, which were established among the Grampian mountains, demonstrate, in the most satisfactory manner, what power the clergy must have had in those interior regions in very remote ages. And being ever attentive to their own interests, they did not. fail to reap every advantage which hope, fear, credulity, and good nature, threw in their way, with respect to donations. Hence, we find their cartularies full of grants of |