In 1803, at the age of fourteen, Robert Hay joined the Royal Navy and spent the next eight years at sea. His colorful memoir describes a sailor s hard life during the period and includes actions off the French coast and in the East Indies, where he was badly wounded. When his ship ran aground off Plymouth, he deserted but was quickly taken by a press gang, escaped, and eventually reached home in Scotland. A talented writer, Hay offers not only an entertaining yarn, but thoughtful observations of early nineteenth-century naval life and the human condition.
This island of Lismore boasts a remarkably rich heritage, both in terms of historic monuments and of an unbroken tradition of Gaelic culture. From their first sight of Tirefour Broch, dominating approaches from the mainland, visitors to the Isle of Lismore can explore an outstanding heritage of monuments to the past - Bronze Age cairns, medieval castles, the Cathedral of Argyll, carved graveslabs, deserted townships and watermills, not to mention a Stevenson lighthouse. Because of its strategic position at the mouth of the Great Glen and its fertility, the island played an important part in the prehistory and early history of the West Highlands and Islands. In this book, Robert Hay tells the story of Lismore from earliest times to the present day, providing fascinating insights into the island's history, as well as that of the whole area.
In 1830, the little Hebridean island of Lismore was one of the granaries of the West Highlands, with every possible scrap of land producing bere barley or oats. The population had reached its peak of 1500, but by 1910, numbers had dwindled to 400 and were still falling. The agricultural economy had been almost completely transformed to support sheep and cattle, with ploughland replaced by the now familiar green grassy landscape. With reference to documentary sources, including Poor Law reports, the report of the Napier Commission into the condition crofters in the Highlands and Islands, as well as local documents and letters, this book documents a century of emigration, migration and clearance and paints an intimate portrait of the island community during a period of profound change. At the same time, it also celebrates the achievements of the many tenants who grasped the opportunities involved in agricultural improvement.
This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work was reproduced from the original artifact, and remains as true to the original work as possible. Therefore, you will see the original copyright references, library stamps (as most of these works have been housed in our most important libraries around the world), and other notations in the work. This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work. As a reproduction of a historical artifact, this work may contain missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.
This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work was reproduced from the original artifact, and remains as true to the original work as possible. Therefore, you will see the original copyright references, library stamps (as most of these works have been housed in our most important libraries around the world), and other notations in the work. This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work. As a reproduction of a historical artifact, this work may contain missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.
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