records of a family of engineers-第2节

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　alas！　cannot　possibly　be　more　near　than　a　collateral。　　It　was　on　August　12；　1678；　that　he　heard　Mr。　John　Welsh　on　the　Craigdowhill；　and　‘took　the　heavens；　earth；　and　sun　in　the　firmament　that　was　shining　on　us；　as　also　the　ambassador　who　made　the　offer；　and　THE　CLERK　WHO　RAISED　THE　PSALMS；　to　witness　that　I　did　give　myself　away　to　the　Lord　in　a　personal　and　perpetual　covenant　never　to　be　forgotten'；　and　already；　in　1675；　the　birth　of　my　direct　ascendant　was　registered　in　Glasgow。　　So　that　I　have　been　pursuing　ancestors　too　far　down；　and　John　the　land…labourer　is　debarred　me；　and　I　must　relinquish　from　the　trophies　of　my　house　his　RARE　SOUL…STRENGTHENING　AND　COMFORTING　CORDIAL。　　It　is　the　same　case　with　the　Edinburgh　bailie　and　the　miller　of　the　Canonmills；　worthy　man！　and　with　that　public　character；　Hugh　the　Under…Clerk；　and；　more　than　all；　with　Sir　Archibald；　the　physician；　who　recorded　arms。　　And　I　am　reduced　to　a　family　of　inconspicuous　maltsters　in　what　was　then　the　clean　and　handsome　little　city　on　the　Clyde。

The　name　has　a　certain　air　of　being　Norse。　　But　the　story　of　Scottish　nomenclature　is　confounded　by　a　continual　process　of　translation　and　half…translation　from　the　Gaelic　which　in　olden　days　may　have　been　sometimes　reversed。　　Roy　becomes　Reid；　Gow；　Smith。　　A　great　Highland　clan　uses　the　name　of　Robertson；　a　sept　in　Appin　that　of　Livingstone；　Maclean　in　Glencoe　answers　to　Johnstone　at　Lockerby。　　And　we　find　such　hybrids　as　Macalexander　for　Macallister。　　There　is　but　one　rule　to　be　deduced：　that　however　uncompromisingly　Saxon　a　name　may　appear；　you　can　never　be　sure　it　does　not　designate　a　Celt。　　My　great…grandfather　wrote　the　name　STEVENSON　but　pronounced　it　STEENSON；　after　the　fashion　of　the　immortal　minstrel　in　REDGAUNTLET；　and　this　elision　of　a　medial　consonant　appears　a　Gaelic　process；　and；　curiously　enough；　I　have　come　across　no　less　than　two　Gaelic　forms：　JOHN　MACSTOPHANE　CORDINERIUS　IN　CROSSRAGUEL；　1573；　and　WILLIAM　M'STEEN　in　Dunskeith　（co。　　Ross）；　1605。　　Stevenson；　Steenson；　Macstophane；　M'Steen：　which　is　the　original？　which　the　translation？　　Or　were　these　separate　creations　of　the　patronymic；　some　English；　some　Gaelic？　　The　curiously　compact　territory　in　which　we　find　them　seated　…　Ayr；　Lanark；　Peebles；　Stirling；　Perth；　Fife；　and　the　Lothians　…　would　seem　to　forbid　the　supposition。　（1）

（1）　Though　the　districts　here　named　are　those　in　which　the　name　of　Stevenson　is　most　common；　it　is　in　point　of　fact　far　more　wide…spread　than　the　text　indicates；　and　occurs　from　Dumfries　and　Berwickshire　to　Aberdeen　and　Orkney。

‘STEVENSON　…　or　according　to　tradition　of　one　of　the　proscribed　of　the　clan　MacGregor；　who　was　born　among　the　willows　or　in　a　hill…side　sheep…pen　…　〃Son　of　my　love；〃　a　heraldic　bar　sinister；　but　history　reveals　a　reason　for　the　birth　among　the　willows　far　other　than　the　sinister　aspect　of　the　name'：　these　are　the　dark　words　of　Mr。　Cosmo　Innes；　but　history　or　tradition；　being　interrogated；　tells　a　somewhat　tangled　tale。　　The　heir　of　Macgregor　of　Glenorchy；　murdered　about　1858　by　the　Argyll　Campbells；　appears　to　have　been　the　original　'Son　of　my　love'；　and　his　more　loyal　clansmen　took　the　name　to　fight　under。　　It　may　be　supposed　the　story　of　their　resistance　became　popular；　and　the　name　in　some　sort　identified　with　the　idea　of　opposition　to　the　Campbells。　Twice　afterwards；　on　some　renewed　aggression；　in　1502　and　1552；　we　find　the　Macgregors　again　banding　themselves　into　a　sept　of　'Sons　of　my　love'；　and　when　the　great　disaster　fell　on　them　in　1603；　the　whole　original　legend　reappears；　and　we　have　the　heir　of　Alaster　of　Glenstrae　born　'among　the　willows'　of　a　fugitive　mother；　and　the　more　loyal　clansmen　again　rallying　under　the　name　of　Stevenson。　　A　story　would　not　be　told　so　often　unless　it　had　some　base　in　fact；　nor　（if　there　were　no　bond　at　all　between　the　Red　Macgregors　and　the　Stevensons）　would　that　extraneous　and　somewhat　uncouth　name　be　so　much　repeated　in　the　legends　of　the　Children　of　the　Mist。

But　I　am　enabled；　by　my　very　lively　and　obliging　correspondent；　Mr。　George　A。　Macgregor　Stevenson　of　New　York；　to　give　an　actual　instance。　　His　grandfather；　great…　grandfather；　great…great…grandfather；　and　great…great…great…　grandfather；　all　used　the　names　of　Macgregor　and　Stevenson　as　occasion　served；　being　perhaps　Macgregor　by　night　and　Stevenson　by　day。　　The　great…great…great…grandfather　was　a　mighty　man　of　his　hands；　marched　with　the　clan　in　the　'Forty…　five；　and　returned　with　SPOLIA　OPIMA　in　the　shape　of　a　sword；　which　he　had　wrested　from　an　officer　in　the　retreat；　and　which　is　in　the　possession　of　my　correspondent　to　this　day。　　His　great…grandson　（the　grandfather　of　my　correspondent）；　being　converted　to　Methodism　by　some　wayside　preacher；　discarded　in　a　moment　his　name；　his　old　nature；　and　his　political　principles；　and　with　the　zeal　of　a　proselyte　sealed　his　adherence　to　the　Protestant　Succession　by　baptising　his　next　son　George。　　This　George　became　the　publisher　and　editor　of　the　WESLEYAN　TIMES。　　His　children　were　brought　up　in　ignorance　of　their　Highland　pedigree；　and　my　correspondent　was　puzzled　to　overhear　his　father　speak　of　him　as　a　true　Macgregor；　and　amazed　to　find；　in　rummaging　about　that　peaceful　and　pious　house；　the　sword　of　the　Hanoverian　officer。　　After　he　was　grown　up　and　was　better　informed　of　his　descent；　‘I　frequently　asked　my　father；'　he　writes；　‘why　he　did　not　use　the　name　of　Macgregor；　his　replies　were　significant；　and　give　a　picture　of　the　man：　〃It　isn't　a　good　METHODIST　name。　　You　can　use　it；　but　it　will　do　you　no　GOOD。〃　　Yet　the　old　gentleman；　by　way　of　pleasantry；　used　to　announce　himself　to　friends　as　〃Colonel　Macgregor。〃　'

Here；　then；　are　certain　Macgregors　habitually　using　the　name　of　Stevenson；　and　at　last；　under　the　influence　of　Methodism；　adopting　it　entirely。　　Doubtless　a　proscribed　clan　could　not　be　particular；　they　took　a　name　as　a　man　takes　an　umbrella　against　a　shower；　as　Rob　Roy　took　Campbell；　and　his　son　took　Drummond。　　But　this　case　is　different；　Stevenson　was　not　taken　and　left　…　it　was　consistently　adhered　to。　　It　does　not　in　the　least　follow　that　all　Stevensons　are　of　the　clan　Alpin；　but　it　does　follow　that　some　may　be。　　And　I　cannot　conceal　from　myself　the　possibility　that　James　Stevenson　in　Glasgow；　my　first　authentic　ancestor；　may　have　had　a　Highland　ALIAS　upon　his　conscience　and　a　claymore　in　his　back　parlour。

To　one　more　tradition　I　may　allude；　that　we　are　somehow　descended　from　a　French　barber…surgeon　who　came　to　St。　Andrews　in　the　service　of　one　of　the　Cardinal　Beatons。　　No　details　were　added。　　But　the　very　name　of　France　was　so　detested　in　my　family　for　three　generations；　that　I　am　tempted　to　suppose　there　may　be　something　in　it。　（1）

（1）　Mr。　J。　H。　Stevenson　is　satisfied　that　these　speculations　as　to　a　possible　Norse；　Highland；　or　French　origin　are　vain。　　All　we　know　about　the　engineer　family　is　that　it　was　sprung　from　a　stock　of　Westland　Whigs　settled　in　the　latter　part　of　the　seventeenth　century　in　the　parish　of　Neilston；　as　mentioned　at　the　beginning　of　the　next　chapter。　It　may　be　noted　that　the　Ayrshire　parish　of　Stevenston；　the　lands　of　which　are　said　to　have　received　the　name　in　the　twelfth　century；　lies　within　thirteen　miles　south…west　of　this　place。　　The　lands　of　Stevenson　in　Lanarkshire　first　mentioned　in　the　next　century；　in　the　Ragman　Roll；　lie　within　twenty　miles　east。


CHAPTER　I　DOMESTIC　ANNALS


IT　is　believed　that　in　1665；　James　Stevenson　in　Nether　Carsewell；　parish　of　Neilston；　county　of　Renfrew；　and　presumably　a　tenant　farmer；　married　one　Jean　Keir；　and　in　1675；　without　doubt；　there　was　born　to　these　two　a　son　Robert；　possibly　a　maltster　in　Glasgow。　　In　1710；　Robert　married；　for　a　second　time；　Elizabeth　Cumming；　and　there　was　born　to　them；　in　1720；　another　Robert；　certainly　a　maltster　in　Glasgow。　　In　1742；　Robert　the　second　married　Margaret　Fulton　（Margret；　she　called　herself）；　by　whom　he　had　ten　children；　among　whom　were　Hugh；　born　February　1749；　and　Alan；　born　June　1752。

With　these　two　brothers　my　story　begins。　　Their　deaths　were　simultaneous；　their　lives　unusually　brief　and　full。　Tradition　whispered　me　in　childhood　they　were　the　owners　of　an　islet　near　St。　Kitts；　and　it　is　certain　they　had　risen　to　be　at　the　head　of　considerable　interests　in　the　West　Indies；　which　Hugh　managed　abroad　and　Alan　at　home；　at　an　age　when　others　are　still　curveting　a　clerk's　stool。　　My　kinsman；　Mr。　Stevenson　of　Stirling；　has　heard　his　father　mention　that　there　had　been　‘something　romantic'　about　Alan's　marriage：　and；　alas！　he　has　forgotten　what。　　It　was　early　at　least。　　His　wife　was　Jean；　daughter　of　David　Lillie；　a　builder　in　Glasgow；　and　several　times　‘Deacon　of　the　Wrights'：　the　date　of　the　marriage　has　not　reached　me；　but　on　8th　June　1772；　when　Robert；　the　only　child　of　the　union；　was　born；　the　husband　and　father　had　scarce　passed；　or　had　not　yet　attained；　his　twentieth　year。　　Here　was　a　youth　making　haste　to　give　hostages　to　fortune。　　But　this　early　scene　of　prosperity　in　love　and　business　was　on　the　point　of　closing。

There　hung　in　the　house　of　this　young　family；　and　successively　in　those　of　my　grandfather　and　father；　an　oil　painting　of　a　ship　of　many　tons　burthen。　　Doubtless　the　brothers　had　an　interest　in　the　vessel；　I　was　told