The Scotsman - Friday, 11th February 1927, page 12

SGGTTISH-AMERICANS . EAKLY EMIGRA 1 MTS' DEEDS . FAME ACROSS THE ATLANTIC

Mb Whdeht L. Bosnej, American Consul in Edinburgh, in a talk to tho' Edinburgh' Rotary Club yesterday on "Some Early scottish Americans ," gave a long and interesting list of Scots, or descendants of Scots, who havo achieved fame and distinction in America. Eotarian Allan Stevenson presided, the occasion being tho weekly luncheon , held in the North British Station Hotel. Mr Bonney said that when Colonel Archibald Montgomerio's famous regiment of Highlanders was disbanded in New York in 1763 many of'its members remained in the Colonies, after their, five years' fighting against FVeneh and Indians, and thus such names as Grant, "Macdonald, Campbell, and Mackenzie became American names by adoption . Amon^.tho Scots who were conspicuous on the side of the colonists were:—Brigadier-General Hugh Mercer, ' born at Aberdeen in 1721, who bad served in the army of Prince Charlie.. Major-General Arthur St Clair, born at Thurso in 1734. He was in command of Fort Ticonderoga; and was Governor of tho North-West. Major-General Alexander M'Dougall, born in Arjryllshiro.in 1751, a member of the American Congress and Senate. Brigadier-General La.ch.lan M'Intosh , of Inverness. Maior-Gnneral William Alexander, claimant a9 Earl of Stirling, who bad at different times command of nearly every brigade in the American Army. Colonel John Murray, of Perthshire. Colonel Win. Fleming,- of Lanarkshire. Captain James Swan, one of tho members of the' Boston Tea Party, born in Fife in 17!$. Among the 6even Colonial minute men who fell at the first fire at Lexington was the Scot, Robert Muntoe, and it is interesting to note that tho English officer who gave the order to fire was also a Scot, Major Jolin Pltcairn, of Dysart. Thus tho Scot was not satisfied to fight for a cause—he wanted to fight on both sides of it. (Laughter.) Tho names and services of those brilliant Scots, Alexander Hamilton and John Paul Jones, _ -were too well known to require mention. Of the signers of their Declaration of Independence George Ross and Thomas M"Kean were Scots. James Wilson was also a nativo of St Andrews, and Dr John Wjtherspoon was born at Yester, in Haddingtqnshire . Amons; civilians conspicuous in the Colonial cause were John Watt, of Rosebill, Edinburgh; John Roxburghe, of Berwickshire; and Rev. Charles Nisbet., of Yester, in Haddingtonshiie; and William Murdoch, of Glasgow; General J. Morlin Scott, a member of the Provincial Council of New York and a member of Congress. CREDIT TO scottish MOTilEKS. The Livingston family, which originated at Ancrum, had boon a notable Scots lamily in. tlie United States, furnishing them with a Chancellor of the State of New York, a signer of the Declaration of Independence, a Justico of the Supreme Court, a Secretary of Stato of tho United.States, and a. Governor of Now Jersey, besides men of the highest rank in other walks of life. He did not givo any particular credit to Scotsmen for this state of affairs. He thought practically all the credit should go to tho scottish mothers. Ho must not forget Edward Telfair, of Kirkcudbright, who was Governor of. Georgia and a delegato to the Continental Congress, and afterwards a member of the American Congress; nor Cadwalladen Colden. the last of the British Governors of tho Colonies, who married a girl from Kelso, and was ono of tho most accomplished of all tho royal Governor! of tho Colonies. Nor must hn iorsat, Wm. Burnet. of Crimond, an early Governor of New ;York, nor Robert Hunter, of Hunterston, AyrsUire, " Governor of Virginia, who " governed wisely and well, like a prudent magistrate, like an affectionate parent" Andrew Hamilton was born in Edinburgh in 1627, and was a merchant in that city. He went to New Jersey as agent for Lord Neil Campbell, and became acting Governor of tho Colony, and organised the first postal service of tho colony. His son, John, was also acting Governor of New Jersey, while his grandson James, became tho firsfcnativeborn Governor of tho State of Pennsylvania. New Jersey becamo known in early days for its liberality in religious matters, and attracted the Quakerss ^ and dissenters, and was therefore naturally , tho homo of many Scots. Gavin Laurie, a ' native of Edinburgh, weut as deputy for the Governor about 1685, and Alexander Skene, of Aberdeen, was Governor of the Colony and a Quaker. The city of Perth Amboy, N.J., -was named for thn Earl of TWtl>. FLURA MACJJUNALD'S HUSBAND. The scottish heroine Flora. MacDonald married Alexander MacDonald in 1750, and in 1773 they emigrated to Fayetteville, North Carolina. It is said there were so many Highlanders in that section that Gaelio was spoken in sis counties around Fayettevillo MacDonald took the sido of King George, and was in Quebec when it was stormed by Benedict Arnold. In 1733 Flora MacDonald and her husband returned to Skye. ' * Gabriel Johnston was an early Professor of Oriental Languages at St Andrews University. He went to America in 1730, and became Governor of North Carolina, which post he held for 18 years until his deatb. One of his first acts as Governor was to urge upon the Colonial Assembly the need for a thorough school systom. Ho was instrumental in settling thousands of Scots Highlanders in Carolina. A nephew of Gabriel Johnston , Samuel Johnston, born in Dundee, became one of the trusted leaders in the American War of Independence. A man revered for his integrity, he was a member of the Continental Congress, Governor of his State , a Senator of tho United States, and Justico of the Supreme Court of tho United States Governor Alexander Spottiswood, of Berwickshire, served from 1710 to 1722 as Lieutenant for the Earl of Orkney. Those who had read Washington Irving's ' Astoria" would remember that Donald Mackenzie and Robert Stuart wore partners of Astor in his Far West trading. Stuart was born at Callander in 1785, and settled first in Oregon and afterwards at Mackinaw, Mich., and Detroit, Mich. > Irving's father was a native of Orkney. The city of Chicago was founded by one Jolin M'Kenzie, whose name was mutilated into Kinzie, and ono of the principal Etreots of that great metropolis was now Kinzie Street. Charles Williamson, born in Edinburgh in 1757. was agent of the great Pulteney estate of 1,200,000 acres in western New York. Ho founded a town bearing his name, and organised Steuben County, New York. He becamo a Judge, and was active m inducing scottish immigration to the Pulteney lands. Sir William Pulteney was William Johnstone , Bart, of Dumfriesshire, who married Miss Pulteny, took her name, and lived in Edinburgh in St Andrew Square. He was very successful in his American speculation.' Tho town of Patterson, JSew York, was settled almost entirely by Soots prior to 1750; named for Matthew Patterson, a fecots Soldier, who afterwards was nino times elected to the New York Leffislaiute. STRENGTH AND INTELLIGENCE. - Capt. Laughlin Campbell, of Argyllshire, in 1758 took 83 scottish families to a grant of somo 47,450 acres on Lako George. In his History of New York, Ellis H. Roberts said:—"These Highlanders wero the pioneers of a multitude whose coming in successive years was to add strength, thrift, and intelligence beyond the ratio of their numbers to the communities in which they set un their homes." Their General Winfield Scott. heTo of tho Mexican War, and candidate for tho Presidency , was a grandson of a Scot who fought with Prince Charlie at Culloden, and who made his escjpe to Virginia. It is scarcely necessarv to mention tho wellknown Alex. Graham Bell, born in Edinburgh in 1847,, and James Gordon, Bennett founder and editor o£ the flTeio York BenM , born near Keith m 1795, and Whitelaw Reid, journalist and diplomatist . There was no time to go into the record of iho Scots in science, literature , financo, and business. But ho must mention Rumsey, Dr John Spence, Robert Erskine, Dr James M'Naughton, William M'Clure, and David Douglas and James B. Forgan, President of the First National Bank of Chicago, whom he knew. The names of Brownlee, Ogilvie, Gilmore, Gillespic, Buchanan, Maxwell Knox, Rankin, Fraser. Stark, Stevenson, Drumraond . Wallace, Robertson, Stuart, Mitchell, Wilson , M'Cosh, Macfarlane Beveridge, Hunt, and others belonged in that brief sketch. As to the Bonnoy family, it is alittlo embarrassing to speak of theni, as he had discovered ono to bo a pirato and another to bo a whisky smuggler. Ho thought, the matter had better rest there. (Laughter.) NINE scottish PRTilSTriKNTS He had . observed beforo that in the United States tho Scots wero one of the smaller of the foreign contingents. Ho believed they . stood twelfth in numbers. In fact, there were only 731.000 people thero of scottish parentage/only a fraction of 1 per cent. Yet, noto tho most amazing " fact that of their 30 Presidents, nine .have, been " of scottish or scottish-Irish extraction. These Presidents wero Monroe, Jackson, Polk, Buchanan, Heyos, Arthur, M'Kinley, Wilson, and Harding. Ho could add nothing to that {act by comment, -it-was ono of those facts which challenged the^wbrld's attention. It was not a fact arranged or premeditated by men , nor imposed >y law or tradition. Undoubtedl y Alexander Hamilton would have been another Scots Prosident if he had not been born abroad. The Scot did riot seem to bo spoiled by contact with tho world. < He was fortified by a home- training which was usually proof against folly and unreality . '" Ho understood bis environmentand , mastered it, but was not overcome ¦ by, it. He observed, but ho was usuall y not convinced. And in a world of liars the Scot persists in telling the truth. That is what, makes* him so funny. (Laughter.) America's debt , to tho scottish people was so great that he could only give the most brief and inadequate sketch of one item,of it. It was a proud record, and only,a catalogue\of facts was necessary, 'nothing need be added * by .way of eulogy or interpretation. Scotland. had contributed many timos her sharo. to . ' make-up-.the fabric of America's, national existence, .their-institutions , ¦ and ... their civilisation. . " Scotland's ideals had.becomo,theirs by deliberate choice, and so Americans'*thou ght they ', had a" special ' understanding qfs. scottish' character and mentality^ In a sense Mie -Soot' s wero -.Mi, chosen, , people, ' , not by a'ny .Dwine;. nomination , ' :, -but' !ibecauso-thOYv had made themselves fit t^be cho sen,: ; (Arinlau5ei) -

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