h pride and admiration on the
matchless devotion displayed by the Highlanders, in 1745, in behalf of
the heir of him whom they acknowledged as their lawful king. No feeling
can arise to repress the interest and the sympathy which is excited by
the perusal of the tale narrating the sufferings of the princely
wanderer. That un-bought loyalty and allegiance of the heart, which
would not depart from its constancy until the tomb of the Vatican had
closed upon the last of the Stuart line, has long since been transferred
to the constitutional sovereign of these realms; and the enthusiastic
welcome which has so often greeted the return of Queen Victoria to her
Highland home, owes its origin to a deeper feeling than that dull
respect which modern liberalism asserts to be the only tribute due to
the first magistrate of the land.

The campaign of 1745 yields in romantic interest to none which is
written in history. A young and inexperienced prince, whose person was
utterly unknown to any of his adherents, landed on the west coast of
Scotland, not at the head of a foreign force, not munimented with
supplies and arms, but accompanied by a mere handful of followers, and
ignorant of the language of the people amongst whom he was hazarding his
person. His presence in Scotland had not been urged by the chiefs of the
clans, most of whom were deeply averse to embarking in an enterprise
which must involve them in a war with so powerful an antagonist as
England, and which, if unsuccessful, could only terminate in the utter
ruin of their fortunes. This was not a cause in which the whole of
Scotland was concerned. Although it was well known that many leading
families in the Lowlands entertained Jacobite opinions, and although a
large proportion of the common people had not yet become reconciled to,
or satisfied of, the advantages of the Union, by which they considered
themselves dishonoured and betrayed, it was hardly to be expected that,
without some fair guarantee for success, the bulk of the Scottish nation
would actively bestir themselves on the side of the exiled family.
Besides this, even amongst the Highlanders there was not unanimity of
opinion. The three northern clans of Sutherland, Mackay, and Monro, were
known to be staunch supporters of the Government. It was doubtful what
part might be taken in the struggle by those of Mackenzie and Ross. The
chiefs of Skye, who could have brought a large force of armed men into
the field, had d