(Highland News - Saturday 07
August 1897 -Image
© THE BRITISH LIBRARY BOARD. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED)
This
edition of the Highland News included a section with several snippets
of news from Harris (transcribed below in italics) to which I have appended some observations together with links to further reading:
HARRIS
NEWS NOTES.
WEATHER
AND CROPS.—The weather this summer has been very favourable, only
that it was a little too dry and warm; yet this has been compensated
by recent showers. Crops of all kinds look well, and a fair yield is
anticipated.
Ah,
“a little too dry and warm”, but
then a century-and-a-quarter ago the whole
island
would have been
swaying with oats and barley, glad to slake their thirst on those 'recent showers'.
POLITICAL
DISSATISFACTION.—Great dissatisfaction is felt with Mr Baillie's
inactivity in matters pertaining to the Hebridean portion of his
constituency, and the fact that he voted against a proposal to make
the acquisition of land compulsory has caused deep regret.
James
Evan Bruce Baillie (1859 – 6 May 1931) was the Unionist MP for
Inverness-shire from June 13, 1895 - October 1, 1900. He is recorded
in Hansard a mere 7 times during his time in Parliament.
SPECIAL
BENEVOLENCE.—Mrs Beckett (late Mrs Thomas), Edinburgh, who by her
personal influence has often acted as a benefactress and
philanthropist to Harris, has this year decided to appoint a
qualified nurse in the district of Manish, South Harris. A suitable
house to accommodate such nurse is in course of erection.
I first wrote about this development over a decade ago and that piece, including an
invaluable clarification regarding the use of the building, may be
read here.
CATTLE
MARKET.—The annual cattle market recently held in Harris caused
great disappointment to farmers and crofters. Somehow or other the
buyers were not so numerous or conspicuous as on former occasions.
Consequently most of the people brought home their cattle, so that at
present a large number of purchasable stock is on hand.
A
hundred years prior to this, Harris cattle ,of which more may be read
here , were being taken by drovers on the long journey south.
FISHERIES.—The
Harris fisheries. once so famous, especially for quality, are
practically dead since the great fishing in Loch Seaforth in the
winter of 1890. In Harris at present there is not one fishing boat of
the first, or even the second class; but the fishermen are fairly
supplied with small boats, which diligently ply along the
neighbouring coasts, and visit such fishing centres as Stornoway,
Portree, and Loch Hourn when herrings are near hand.
A
reminder that Tarbert was never to be developed along the lines
envisaged by John Knox in the 18thC, and that Captain MacLeod’s plans for Rodel were cut short.
I believe Knox also penned this interesting account of the interior
of a house in Tarbert.
TOURIST
SEASON.—The number of tourists calling here this summer has been
fair considering the recent Jubilee attractions in the South. Some
come by the daily mail boat; while others come on a "weekly tour
to the Hebrides" by the "Dunara," which visits Tarbert
every Saturday, staying till Monday morning, and making an occasional
call at St Kilda. Many yachts of various descriptions also call and
stay for a day or two.
Interesting
that tourism was already noteworthy at this time, and it may well
have been some of the yachtsmen recorded here who were crewing some
of the visiting vessels.
Records
of such visits by the “Dunara”, serendipitously caught during the
censuses of 1881-1901, are described in each of these pieces:
http://direcleit.blogspot.com/2010/03/ss-dunara-castle.html
http://direcleit.blogspot.com/2010/03/ss-dunara-casle-1891.html
http://direcleit.blogspot.com/2010/03/ss-dunara-castle-1901-port-tarbert.html
THUNDERSTORM.—On
Sunday evening, between seven and eight o'clock, a terrible
thunderstorm, accompanied with lightning and occasional showers of
rain, burst over Harris, and continued till after two o'clock on
Monday morning. The thunder pealed incessantly, and the lightning
flashed uninterruptedly, zigzag rents of deep red being often visible
in the clouds. Persons of intelligence and experience, who sometimes
witnessed a similar scene in America, declare that they only very
seldom saw anything to equal it in point of display, but never in
duration. But, happily, no accident or disaster occurred.
I
like the comparison with meteorological events ‘in America’ as a
means of emphasising the scale, and scarcity, of such a storm.
GOVERNMENT
GRANT Of £3500 LOST.—It will be remembered that some time ago the
County Council sanctioned the construction of two piers in Harris—one
at Scalpay and another at West Tarbert. The estimated cost was £2500
for the one at West Tarbert, and £1500 for the one at Scalpay; but
we are informed that Sir Samuel Scott agreed to pay £500 of said
expense, thus making the Government grant amount to £3500.
Proceedings went so far that tenders were asked by public
advertisement., and an offer accepted, but before a start could be
made the Tory Government withdrew the money. Surely there is need in
Harris for the Congested Districts Bill. Piers, roads, footpaths, and
other public works demand special attention, as well as the fact that
there is not one first or second-class fishing boat in Harris.
The
story of these two piers, which did eventually get constructed, is
for another time but what we can glean from this is not only the huge
disappointment at the Government withdrawing the grant but also yet
another example of how well the North Harris Estate was treated by its
Scott landlords. The contrast between the situation in the two Harris
estates following Sir Edward Scott's purchase of North Harris when the original estate of Harris was divided in
1867 cannot be overstated.
Although these eight wee 'News Notes' are, in themselves, just that, when placed within the wider context of island history they each add yet another new and welcome element to our understanding.