Small Animal Care and Management 4th

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Chapter 6: Nutrition and Digestive Systems
Learning Domain - Cognitive

Level of Learning – Comprehension

Time Allocation – Approximately 55 minutes

Learning Objectives:
• Define the terms nutrition and nutrient

• List the six basic nutrient groups

• Discuss the difference between the ruminant and nonruminant digestive

system

• Discuss the importance of the various nutrients in the diets of animals

Vocabulary Introduced:
• absorption
• anemia
• antibodies
• assimilation
• biochemical reaction
• black tongue factor
• black tongue disease
• cation
• ceca (cecum)
• cloaca
• coprophagy
• digestion
• enzymes
• gizzard
• grit
• hemoglobin
• hormones
• macrominerals
 • microminerals
• nitrogen-free extract (NFE)
• nonruminant animals
• nutrient
• nutrition
• pH
• pellagra
• proventriculus
• respiration
• ruminant animals
• scurvy
• solubility
• ventriculus
• vitamin deficiency

Needed Equipment/Materials:
Instructor: PowerPoint presentation equipment
Student: paper, pencil

References: Small Animal Care and Management

I. Introduction

[Time Allocation: 5 min.]

A. This chapter will define and discuss the terms nutrition and nutrient
B. You will learn the difference between the ruminant and nonruminant
digestive systems
C. This chapter will also discuss the importance of specific nutrients in
animal diets

Reference: Small Animal Care and Management, p. 147

Slide: 6-2

II. Nutrition

[Time Allocation: 25 min.]

A. Overview
1. Nutrition refers to the animal receiving a proper and balanced
food and water ration so that it can:
a. Grow
b. Maintain its body
c. Reproduce
d. Supply or produce the things we expect from it
2. Animals can provide us with:
a. Work
b. Egg production
c. Milk production
d. Meat production
e. Production of offspring for sale
f. Fur or pelt production
g. Companionship
B. Water
1. Water is in every cell of the animal and is necessary for:
a. Supporting biochemical reactions:
i. Respiration is the process by which oxygen is supplied to
the cells and tissues in exchange for carbon dioxide
ii. Digestion is the breakdown of food materials and the
absorption of nutrients
iii. Assimilation is the conversion of food material Into a form
that can be absorbed
b. Transporting other nutrients
c. Helping maintain body temperature
d. Helping give the body its form
e. Carrying waste from the body
 2. Water is more important than any other nutrient group
a. An animal can go several days without food
b. Without drinking water
i. There will be a loss of water from the blood
ii. Which results in a failure of proper circulation and
decrease in the oxygen-carrying capacity
iii. Tissues become dehydrated and the body becomes
overheated
iv. Cells are starved for oxygen, and there is a slowdown in
normal body functions
v. There is a lowering of the body’s resistance to disease
c. Water is quickly absorbed into the body through the walls of
the stomach
i. Good clean, fresh water is important
ii. Any disease organisms (bacteria and parasites) in the
water are also quickly absorbed into the animal’s body
d. Water makes up about 55 to 65 percent of an animal’s body
C. Proteins
1. Proteins are complex nutrients composed of carbon, hydrogen,
oxygen, and nitrogen
2. Proteins are needed in an animal’s body for the following:
a. Developing and repairing body organs and tissues, such as
muscles, nerves, skin, hair, hooves, and feathers
b. Producing milk, wool, and eggs
c. Developing the fetus
d. Building material for enzymes and hormones
e. Developing antibodies
f. Transmitting DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid)
3. Proteins found in feed materials are broken down into amino
acids during the digestive process
a. Amino acids are considered the building blocks of proteins
b. Essential amino acids are those that cannot be produced by the
animal’s body and therefore must be supplied in the ration
c. Ruminant animals can manufacture the amino acids they need
if one or more amino acids are given in large enough quantity
d. Essential amino acids: arginine, isoleucine, histidine, leucine,
methionine, threonine, phenylalanine, lysine, tryptophan, and
valine
e. The amount of the essential amino acids needed varies
depending on the animal’s function and stage of growth
D. Carbohydrates
1. Animals convert carbohydrates into energy for the following:
a. Supporting bodily functions, such as breathing, digestion, and
exercising
b. Producing heat to keep the body warm
c. Storing fat
 2. Carbohydrates are made up of the group of chemicals called
sugars, starches, and crude fiber
a. Nitrogen-free extracts are the more easily and completely
digested sugars and starches
b. Crude fiber is composed mostly of nondigestible bulk or
roughage
c. Some animals, such as the ruminants, can handle larger
amounts of crude fiber than the single-stomached animals
E. Fats
1. Fats are made up of the same chemical elements as
carbohydrates, but in different combinations
2. They contain 2.25 times as much energy as an equivalent amount
of carbohydrates and proteins
3. Fats are essential in the diet for the following:
a. Providing energy
b. Aiding in the absorption of fat-soluble vitamins
c. Providing fatty acids that are essential in the diet of animals
F. Vitamins
1. Vitamins are organic substances required in very small amounts
2. Vitamins do not build body tissues but are necessary for specific
biochemical reactions, such as the following:
a. Regulating digestion, absorption, and metabolism
b. Developing normal vision, bone, and external body coverings
such as hair and feathers
c. Regulating body glands
d. Forming new cells
e. Fighting disease and strengthening the immune system
f. Developing and maintaining the nervous system
3. Vitamins are classified on the basis of their solubility
a. Fat-soluble vitamins can be stored and accumulated in the
liver, fatty tissues, and other parts of the body
b. Only limited amounts of the water-soluble vitamins are stored
4. Examples of vitamins
a. Vitamin A
i. Prevent poor vision, respiratory ailments, digestive
problems, and reproductive difficulties
ii. Green leafy plants contain carotene (provitamin A), which
animals convert to vitamin A in the body
b. Vitamin D
i. Made in the animal’s body after exposure to ultraviolent
(UV) rays from the sun
ii. Occurs in two forms: vitamin D2 (ergocalciferol) and D3
(cholecalciferol)
c. Vitamin E
i. Required in female rats for normal gestation and in the
male rat to prevent sterility
 ii. In ruminants, a lack of vitamin E is associated with a
degenerative muscle disease
iii. A lack of vitamin E in rabbits can cause a lack of interest in
breeding, poor fertility, abortions, and miscarriages
d. Vitamin K
i. Necessary for maintenance of normal blood coagulation
ii. Green forages, seeds, and good hay should provide
sufficient amounts of vitamin K
e. Vitamin C, or ascorbic acid
i. Synthesized by most animals and is not a consideration in
feeding rations
ii. However, guinea pigs and primates must receive dietary
vitamin C to prevent scurvy
f. Vitamin B1, or thiamine
i. Symptoms of thiamine deficiency are decreased appetite,
muscular weakness, and a characteristic paralysis
ii. Mink and fox fed raw, fresh fish develop thiamine
deficiency
g. Vitamin B2 is also referred to as riboflavin
i. Riboflavin functions in enzyme systems important in the
metabolism of amino acids and carbohydrates
ii. Whole or skim milk, green forages, and good-quality hay
are sources of this vitamin
h. Niacin
i. Prevents pellagra, or black tongue factor
ii. A lack of niacin can cause digestive problems and retarded
growth
iii. Most feeds contain some niacin, but usually not in
sufficient nutritional amounts
i. Pantothenic acid
i. Deficiency appears as abnormal skin condition around the
beak and retarded growth in chicks and turkeys
ii. In swine, a deficiency results in the development of a
peculiar gait of the hind legs referred to as goose stepping
iii. Pantothenic acid is available from chemical sources at
reasonable prices
j. Vitamin B12, or cyanocobalamin
i. Essential for normal growth, reproduction, and blood
formation
ii. The most economical and reliable source of vitamin B12 is
the chemically pure form
k. Choline
i. Functions in the transportation and metabolism of fatty
acids
ii. Animals lacking choline develop what is referred to as fatty
liver
 l. Folic acid, or folacin
i. Required for normal cell development
ii. Essential in certain biochemical reactions
iii. Poor growth and various blood disorders are common
symptoms of deficiency
m. Biotin
i. Important in carbohydrate and fat metabolism
ii. Dermatitis, loss of hair, and retarded growth are common
deficiency symptoms
n. Vitamin B6, or pyridoxine
i. Helps build proteins
ii. Is essential in the metabolism of carbohydrates
iii. It is needed in the biosynthesis of unsaturated fatty acids
G. Minerals
1. Minerals are inorganic elements essential to life’s processes
a. Seven are required in large amounts, called macrominerals
b. Eight are needed in trace amounts, called microminerals
2. Calcium
a. Required by vertebrates in larger amounts than any other
mineral
b. Essential for bone, teeth, and eggshell formation; for normal
blood coagulation; and for milk production
c. Lack of calcium
i. Causes retarded growth and deformed bones in the young
ii. Prolonged and extreme deficiency causes rickets, which is
characterized by soft, flexible bones
iii. In older animals, may lead to two common conditions:
osteoporosis and osteomalacia
d. Sources
i. The most economical sources are limestone, oyster shell,
bone meal, and defluorinated phosphates
ii. Crushed eggshells and cuttlebone are also good sources
3. Phosphorus
a. Closely associated with calcium in animal nutrition
b. Essential for the formation of bones, teeth, and body fluids and
is required for metabolism, cell respiration, enzyme-based
reactions, and normal reproduction
c. Symptoms of phosphorus deficiency are similar to those of
calcium deficiency in growing animals
d. Good sources are wheat bran and middlings, high-protein
feeds, bone-containing feeds, whole or skim milk, and grains
4. Potassium
a. Required for many body functions
i. Maintaining osmotic pressure and acid-base balance
ii. Activating enzymes
iii. Regulating neuromuscular activity
 iv. Helping to regulate heartbeat and digestion
b. Symptoms of a deficiency are decreased feed consumption,
slow growth, stiffness, and a loss of weight
c. Grains and most feeds are sufficient in potassium; supplements
are usually not required
5. Chlorine
a. Activates numerous enzymes and is a component of
hydrochloric acid (HCl) found in gastric fluids
b. Can be supplied by sodium chloride (common salt)
c. Deficiency is rare, since it is plentiful in most feeds
6. Sodium
a. Required larger amounts of sodium than can be supplied in a
diet consisting only of plant material
b. Important in the transmission of nerve impulses, heart activity,
and in absorption of sugars and amino acids
c. Essential nutrient in the regulation of blood volume, blood
pressure, osmotic equilibrium, and pH
d. Sodium chloride (common salt) is the primary source of
sodium in an animal’s diet
e. Prolonged lack of salt will cause loss of appetite, weight loss,
fatigue, and hair loss
7. Sulfur
a. Primarily found in the body in the form of the sulfur-containing
amino acids cystine, cysteine, and methionine
i. These amino acids are the building blocks of proteins found
in hair, nails, and skin
b. Found in the vitamins biotin and thiamine, in the hormone
insulin, and in the metabolic coenzyme A
c. A deficiency expresses itself as a protein deficiency
8. Magnesium
a. Necessary in the activation of enzyme systems, particularly
carbohydrate and lipid metabolism and nervous system
b. Most common feeds contain enough magnesium so that a
deficiency usually does not occur
c. Deficiencies cause hypomagnesemia with toxic symptoms and
frequently death; referred to as grass tetany or grass staggers
9. Iron
a. Necessary in the formation of hemoglobin
b. Anemia is a condition associated with iron deficiency
i. Animals with anemia show a loss of appetite, poor growth,
and listlessness and become weak
ii. Around three days of age, piglets begin to show signs of
anemia unless iron shots are administered
iii. Young calves and lambs on pasture usually do not show
signs of anemia
iv. Those raised on only mother’s milk may develop anemia
 v. Anemia may occur in laying hens, and can occur in other
animals if not fed properly formulated diets
c. Anemia can be caused by other factors besides iron deficiency
i. Sudden and severe blood loss can lead to shock and even
death in cases in which large amounts of blood are lost
ii. Hemolytic anemia occurs when red blood cells are
destroyed by toxins, trauma, infections, and immune
system defects
10. Copper
a. Necessary for the following:
i. Proper iron absorption
ii. Hemoglobin formation
iii. Various enzyme systems
iv. Synthesis of keratin for hair and wool growth
b. If the soil is lacking in copper, feeds grown in those areas may
contain low amounts of copper
c. Closely associated with iron, and a deficiency normally shows
up as an anemic condition
11. Iodine
a. Important in the production of thyroxin by the thyroid gland
b. Iodine is added to salt, but the amount added has steadily
declined over the years
c. Common symptoms of iodine deficiency:
i. Goiter (a swelling of the thyroid glands in the neck area)
ii. Dead or weak animals
iii. Hairlessness
iv. Impaired brain development
v. Suppressed estrus in females
vi. Infertility in males
12. Cobalt
a. Component of the vitamin B12 molecule
b. Necessary in ruminant animals for synthesis of vitamin B12
c. Symptoms of deficiency include:
i. Poor appetite
ii. Unthriftiness
iii. Weakness
iv. Anemia
v. Decreased fertility
vi. Slow growth
vii. Decreased milk and wool production
13. Manganese
a. Involved with enzyme systems that influence:
i. Estrus
ii. Ovulation
iii. Fetal development
iv. Udder development
 v. Milk production
vi. Growth
vii. Skeletal development
b. Deficiencies cause:
i. Delayed estrus
ii. Reduced ovulation
iii. Reduced fertility
iv. Deformed young
v. Poor growth
vi. Lowered serum alkaline phosphates
vii. Abortions
viii.Resorptions
ix. Lowered tissue manganese
14. Zinc
a. Needed for the following:
i. The immune system
ii. Manufacture of proteins and genetic material
iii. The activity of more than 200 enzymes
iv. Stimulating hair growth
v. Sense of smell and taste
vi. Healing wounds
b. Deficiencies cause:
i. Poor appetite
ii. Slow growth
iii. Wounds that do not heal
iv. Hair loss
v. Frequent infections
vi. Trouble with sense of smell and taste
c. Yeast, bran and germ of cereals, and fish meal are good sources
15. Molybdenum
a. Component of the enzyme xanthine oxidase, which is
important in poultry for uric acid formation
b. Important in stimulating action of rumen organisms
16. Selenium
a. Necessary for the absorption and utilization of vitamin E
b. Symptoms of deficiency are similar to vitamin E deficiency
i. Heart failure
ii. Paralysis
iii. Poor growth
iv. Low fertility
v. Liver necrosis
vi. Muscular dystrophy
c. Many areas of the country produce forages that are deficient in
selenium, and supplementing diets is very important
 Reference: Small Animal Care and Management, pp. 148-158
Slides: 6-3 and 6-16

III. Animal Digestion

[Time Allocation: 20 min.]

A. Overview
1. Digestion in animals is the process of breaking down food into
nutrient forms that can be absorbed into the bloodstream
2. Digestive systems in animals are basically of two types:
a. Ruminant animals
i. Referred to as forage-consuming or multistomached
animals
ii. Cattle, sheep, and goats, elk, deer, giraffes, buffalo, camel,
and antelope
b. Nonruminant animals
i. Referred to as single-stomached or monogastric animals
ii. All of the small animals discussed in this book
iii. Birds, rabbits, and horses are considered nonruminants
because they have single-compartmented stomachs
B. Ruminants
1. Have four compartments to their stomach
a. Rumen
i. The largest compartment; makes up about 80 percent of
the total capacity of the stomach
ii. When the food material reaches the rumen, it is worked on
by millions of bacteria and microorganisms
iii. Food material not fully digested in the rumen can be
regurgitated in the form of cud
iv. The animal chews on this cud and then swallows it back
down into the rumen for further digestion
b. Reticulum
i. Because of its beehive interior appearance, it is also
referred to as the honeycomb
ii. Works with the rumen in the formation of the cud for
regurgitation
iii. Can hold foreign bodies, such as nails or pieces of wire, for
long periods without causing a serious injury
iv. Referred to as the hardware stomach for this reason
v. If the walls are punctured, metal pieces can puncture the
heart, or bacteria can enter the abdominal cavity causing
hardware disease
vi. To prevent hardware disease, a permanent magnet can be
placed in the reticulum or rumen
 c. Omasum
i. Made up of many layers of strong muscular tissue referred
to as the many plies
ii. The function is to remove large amounts of water from
food
d. Abomasum
i. Referred to as the true stomach
ii. Functions very similarly to the stomach found in single-
stomached animals
C. Nonruminants
1. The first step in the digestive process is the breaking, tearing,
cutting, and grinding that takes place in chewing
a. Saliva is mixed with the food material in the mouth
i. Aids in the chewing process
ii. Helps the animal swallow
iii. Aids in controlling the pH of the stomach
b. Saliva contains the first digestive enzymes in the digestive
process
2. In nonruminant animals, food passes from the mouth to the
stomach through the esophagus
a. Food is moved through the esophagus by a series of
involuntary muscle contractions
b. The stomach breaks down food material by muscular
movement and to secrete digestive juices
c. Food passes from the stomach to the small intestine, which
digests and absorbs carbohydrates, fats, and proteins
d. The material then moves on to the jejunum, where the
breakdown of the food material is completed
e. Undigested food material passes from the small intestine into
the large intestine
f. The large intestine absorbs the water, adds lubricating mucus,
and shapes the material for easier passage
g. The undigested material moves through the rectum and out
the anus
3. Horses
a. Consume large amounts of forages, but are not considered
ruminant animals
b. Have a small, single stomach, but also have a large cecum and
colon located between the small and large intestines
c. Do not have gallbladders
4. Rabbits
a. Have digestive systems similar to horses
b. A large cecum allows for the utilization of high-quality
roughage material
c. Bacteria are present in the cecum and help break down
roughages
 5. Eating feces
a. Many animals, including rabbits and rodents, eat their feces
b. This is referred to as coprophagy
i. In rabbits, this practice is usually done late at night or
early in the morning
ii. Rodents will often be seen consuming feces directly from
the anus
c. Food material is not held for a long enough time and the
products of the digestive process are not fully absorbed
i. Feces eaten by the rabbit are usually light green, soft, and
have not been completely digested
ii. Consuming undigested feces allows a rabbit’s digestive
system to fully use the bacterial action of the cecum
D. Digestion in birds
1. Birds, although considered single-stomached animals, have
several different organs in their digestive systems
2. Birds do not have teeth, but saliva is added to aid in swallowing
a. Food material passes down the esophagus, often referred to
as the gullet, into the crop
i. An enlargement of the esophagus that serves as a storage
area for food material
ii. Softens the food material
b. The next step is the proventriculus, which is the true stomach
i. Gastric acids and enzymes begin the chemical digestive
process
c. The food material then passes to the ventriculus, commonly
referred to as the gizzard
i. The largest organ of the bird’s digestive system
ii. Primary purpose is to grind and crush food before it enters
the small intestine
iii. Composed of a horny, lined structure that is heavily
muscled
iv. Involuntary muscular action breaks up the food material,
much like teeth action in other animals
d. Food material then passes on to the small intestine
i. Birds have two pouches, called ceca, located where the
small intestine connects into the large intestine
ii. Very little digestion of the fiber is believed to occur here
e. Food material passes from the small intestine into the large
intestine and then into the cloaca
i. A common junction for the bird’s digestive, urinary, and
reproductive systems

Reference: Small Animal Care and Management, pp. 159-164

Slides: 6-17 and 6-20
IV. Summary

[Time Allocation: 5 min.]

• Nutrition refers to an animal receiving a proper and balanced food

and water ration for optimum health
• The term nutrient refers to a single component of food that supports
animal life
• There are six basic nutrient groups: water, proteins, carbohydrates,
fats, vitamins, and minerals
• Digestion in animals is the process of breaking down food material
into various nutrient forms that can be absorbed into the animal’s
bloodstream
• Digestive systems in animals are basically of two types: ruminant and
nonruminant

Reference: Small Animal Care and Management, p. 164

Slide: 6-21 and 6-22

V. Assignment – Read Chapter 7 in Small Animal Care and Management

Another random document with
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IV.

“I have won me a youth,” the Elf-queen said,

“The fairest that earth may see;
This night I have won young Elph Irving,
My cupbearer to be.
His service lasts but for seven sweet years,
And his wage is a kiss of me.”
And merrily, merrily laughed the wild elves,
Round Corrie’s greenwood tree.—
But oh! the fire it glows in my brain,
And the hour is gone, and comes not again.

V.

The Queen she has whispered a secret word,

“Come hither, my Elphin sweet,
And bring that cup of the charmèd wine,
Thy lips and mine to weet.”
But a brown elf shouted a loud, loud shout,
“Come, leap on your coursers fleet,
For here comes the smell of some baptized flesh,
And the sounding of baptized feet.”—
But oh! the fire that burns, and maun burn;
For the time that is gone will never return.

VI.

On a steed as white as the new-milked milk,

The Elf-queen leaped with a bound,
And young Elphin a steed like December snow
’Neath him at the word he found.
But a maiden came, and her christened arms
She linked her brother around,
And called on God, and the steed with a snort
Sank into the gaping ground.—
But the fire maun burn, and I maun quake,
And the time that is gone will no more come back.

VII.

And she held her brother, and lo! he grew

A wild bull waked in ire;
And she held her brother, and lo! he changed
To a river roaring higher;
And she held her brother, and he became
 A flood of the raging fire;
She shrieked and sank, and the wild elves laughed,
Till mountain rang and mire.—
But oh! the fire yet burns in my brain,
And the hour is gone, and comes not again.

VIII.

“Oh, maiden, why waxed thy faith so faint,

Thy spirit so slack and slaw?
Thy courage kept good till the flame waxed wud,
Then thy might began to thaw,
Had ye kissed him with thy christened lip,
Ye had won him frae ’mang us a’.
Now bless the fire, the elfin fire,
That made thee faint and fa’;
Now bless the fire, the elfin fire,
The longer it burns it blazes the higher.”

At the close of this unusual strain, the figure sat down on the grass,
and proceeded to bind up her long and disordered tresses, gazing
along the old and unfrequented road.
“Now God be my helper,” said the traveller, who happened to be
the Laird of Johnstonebank, “can this be a trick of the fiend, or can it
be bonnie Phemie Irving, who chants this dolorous song? Something
sad has befallen, that makes her seek her seat in this eerie nook amid
the darkness and tempest: through might from abune, I will go on
and see.”
And the horse, feeling something of the owner’s reviving spirit in
the application of the spur-steel, bore him at once to the foot of the
tree. The poor delirious maiden uttered a piercing yell of joy as she
beheld him, and, with the swiftness of a creature winged, linked her
arms round the rider’s waist, and shrieked till the woods rang.
“Oh, I have ye now, Elphin, I have ye now!” and she strained him
to her bosom with a convulsive grasp.
“What ails ye, my bonnie lass?” said the Laird of Johnstonebank,
his fears of the supernatural vanishing when he beheld her sad and
bewildered look.
She raised her eyes at the sound, and, seeing a strange face, her
arms slipped their hold, and she dropped with a groan on the
ground.
 The morning had now fairly broken: the flocks shook the rain from
their sides, the shepherds hastened to inspect their charges, and a
thin blue smoke began to stream from the cottages of the valley into
the brightening air. The laird carried Phemie Irving in his arms, till
he observed two shepherds ascending from one of the loops of
Corriewater, bearing the lifeless body of her brother. They had found
him whirling round and round in one of the numerous eddies, and
his hands, clutched and filled with wool, showed that he had lost his
life in attempting to save the flock of his sister.
A plaid was laid over the body, which, along with the unhappy
maiden in a half lifeless state, was carried into a cottage, and laid in
that apartment distinguished among the peasantry by the name of
“the chamber.” While the peasant’s wife was left to take care of
Phemie, old man, and matron, and maid had collected around the
drowned youth, and each began to relate the circumstances of his
death, when the door suddenly opened, and his sister, advancing to
the corpse with a look of delirious serenity, broke out into a wild
laugh, and said,—
“O, it is wonderful, it’s truly wonderful! that bare and death-cold
body, dragged from the darkest pool of Corrie, with its hands filled
with fine wool, wears the perfect similitude of my own Elphin! I’ll tell
ye—the spiritual dwellers of the earth, the fairyfolk of our evening
tale, have stolen the living body, and fashioned this cold and
inanimate clod to mislead your pursuit. In common eyes, this seems
all that Elphin Irving would be, had he sunk in Corriewater; but so it
seems not to me. Ye have sought the living soul, and ye have found
only its garment. But oh, if ye had beheld him, as I beheld him to-
night, riding among the elfin troop, the fairest of them all; had you
clasped him in your arms, and wrestled for him with spirits and
terrible shapes from the other world, till your heart quailed and your
flesh was subdued, then would ye yield no credit to the semblance
which this cold and apparent flesh bears to my brother. But hearken
—on Hallowe’en, when the spiritual people are let loose on earth for
a season, I will take my stand in the burial-ground of Corrie; and
when my Elphin and his unchristened troop come past with the
sound of all their minstrelsy, I will leap on him and win him, or
perish for ever.”
 All gazed aghast on the delirious maiden, and many of her auditors
gave more credence to her distempered speech than to the visible
evidence before them. As she turned to depart, she looked round,
and suddenly sunk upon the body, with tears streaming from her
eyes, and sobbed out, “My brother! oh, my brother!” She was carried
out insensible, and again recovered; but relapsed into her ordinary
delirium, in which she continued till the Hallow-eve after her
brother’s burial.
She was found seated in the ancient burial-ground, her back
against a broken grave-stone, her locks white with frost-rime,
watching with intensity of look the road to the kirk-yard; but the
spirit which gave life to the fairest form of all the maids of Annandale
was fled for ever.

Such is the singular story which the peasants know by the name of
Elphin Irving, the Fairies’ Cupbearer; and the title, in its fullest and
most supernatural sense, still obtains credence among the
industrious and virtuous dames of the romantic vale of Corrie.
 CHOOSING A MINISTER.

By John Galt.

The Rev. Dr Swapkirk having had an apoplexy, the magistrates

were obligated to get Mr Pittle to be his helper. Whether it was that,
by our being used to Mr Pittle, we had ceased to have a right respect
for his parts and talents, or that in reality he was but a weak brother,
I cannot in conscience take it on me to say; but the certainty is, that
when the Doctor departed this life, there was hardly one of the
hearers who thought Mr Pittle would ever be their placed minister,
and it was as far at first from the unanimous mind of the magistrates,
who are the patrons of the parish, as anything could well be, for he
was a man of no smeddum in discourse. In verity, as Mrs Pawkie, my
wife, said, his sermons in the warm summer afternoons were just a
perfect hushabaa, that no mortal could hearken to without sleeping.
Moreover, he had a sorning way with him, that the genteeler sort
couldna abide, for he was for ever going from house to house about
tea-time, to save his ain canister. As for the young ladies, they
couldna endure him at all, for he had aye the sough and sound of
love in his mouth, and a round-about ceremonial of joking
concerning the same, that was just a fasherie to them to hear. The
commonality, however, were his greatest adversaries; for he was,
notwithstanding the spareness of his abilities, a prideful creature,
taking no interest in their hamely affairs, and seldom visiting the
aged or the sick among them.
Shortly, however, before the death of the Doctor, Mr Pittle had
been very attentive to my wife’s full cousin, Miss Lizzie Pinkie,—I’ll
no say on account of the legacy of seven hundred pounds left her by
an uncle, that made his money in foreign parts, and died at
Portsmouth of the liver complaint, when he was coming home to
enjoy himself; and Mrs Pawkie told me, that as soon as Mr Pittle
could get a kirk, I needna be surprised if I heard o’ a marriage
between him and Miss Lizzie.
Had I been a sordid and interested man, this news could never
have given me the satisfaction it did, for Miss Lizzie was very fond of
my bairns, and it was thought that Peter would have been her heir;
but so far from being concerned at what I heard, I rejoiced thereat,
and resolved in secret thought, whenever a vacancy happened (Dr
Swapkirk being then fast wearing away), to exert the best of my
ability to get the kirk for Mr Pittle,—not, however, unless he was
previously married to Miss Lizzie; for, to speak out, she was
beginning to stand in need of a protector, and both me and Mrs
Pawkie had our fears that she might outlive her income, and in her
old age become a cess upon us. And it couldna be said that this was
any groundless fear; for Miss Lizzie, living a lonely maiden life by
herself, with only a bit lassie to run her errands, and no being
naturally of an active or eydent turn, aften wearied, and to keep up
her spirits, gaed, maybe, now and then, oftener to the gardevin than
was just necessar, by which, as we thought, she had a tavert look.
Howsoever, as Mr Pittle had taken a notion of her, and she pleased
his fancy, it was far from our hand to misliken one that was sib to us;
on the contrary, it was a duty laid on me by the ties of blood and
relationship to do all in my power to further their mutual affection
into matrimonial fruition; and what I did towards that end is the
burden of this narrative.
Dr Swapkirk, in whom the spark of life was long fading, closed his
eyes, and it went utterly out, as to this world, on a Saturday night,
between the hours of eleven and twelve. We had that afternoon got
an inkling that he was drawing near to his end. At the latest, Mrs
Pawkie herself went over to the manse, and stayed till she saw him
die. “It was a pleasant end,” she said, for he was a godly, patient
man; and we were both sorely grieved, though it was a thing for
which we had been long prepared, and, indeed, to his family and
connections, except for the loss of the stipend, it was a very gentle
dispensation, for he had been long a heavy handful, having been for
years but, as it were, a breathing lump of mortality, groosy and oozy,
and doozy, his faculties being shut up and locked in by a dumb palsy.
 Having had this early intimation of the Doctor’s removal to a
better world, on the Sabbath morning when I went to join the
magistrates in the council-chamber, as the usage is, to go to the laft,
with the town-officers carrying their halberts before us, according to
the ancient custom of all royal burghs, my mind was in a degree
prepared to speak to them anent the successor. Little, however,
passed at that time, and it so happened that, by some wonder of
inspiration (there were, however, folk that said it was taken out of a
book of sermons, by one Barrow, an English divine), Mr Pittle that
forenoon preached a discourse that made an impression, insomuch
that, on our way back to the council-chamber, I said to Provost
Vintner that then was—
“Really, Mr Pittle seems, if he would exert himself, to have a nerve.
I could not have thought it was in the power of his capacity to have
given us such a sermon.”
The provost thought as I did; so I replied—
“We canna, I think, do better than keep him among us. It would,
indeed, provost, no be doing justice to the young man to pass
another over his head.”
I could see that the provost wasna quite sure of what I had been
saying; for he replied, that it was a matter that needed consideration.
When we separated at the council-chamber, I threw myself in the
way of Bailie Weezle, and walked home with him, our talk being on
the subject of the vacancy; and I rehearsed to him what had passed
between me and the provost, saying, that the provost had made no
objection to prefer Mr Pittle, which was the truth.
Bailie Weezle was a man no overladen with worldly wisdom, and
had been chosen into the council principally on account of being
easily managed. In his business, he was originally by trade a baker in
Glasgow, where he made a little money, and came to settle among us
with his wife, who was a native of the town, and had her relations
here. Being, therefore, an idle man, living on his money, and of a soft
and quiet nature, he was, for the reason aforesaid, chosen into the
council, where he always voted on the provost’s side; for in
controverted questions every one is beholden to take a part, and he
thought it his duty to side with the chief magistrate.
 Having convinced the bailie that Mr Pittle had already, as it were, a
sort of infeoffment in the kirk, I called in the evening on my old
predecessor in the guildry, Bailie M‘Lucre, who was not a hand to be
so easily dealt with; but I knew his inclinations, and therefore I
resolved to go roundly to work with him. So I asked him out to take a
walk, and I led him towards the town-moor, conversing loosely about
one thing and another, and touching softly here and there on the
vacancy.
When we were well on into the middle of the moor, I stopped, and,
looking round me, said,—
“Bailie, surely it’s a great neglec’ of the magistrates and council to
let this braw broad piece of land, so near the town, lie in a state o’
nature, and giving pasturage to only twa-three of the poor folks’
cows. I wonder you, that’s now a rich man, and with een worth pearls
and diamonds,—that ye dinna think of asking a tack of this land; ye
might make a great thing o’t.”
The fish nibbled, and told me that he had for some time
entertained a thought on the subject; but he was afraid that I would
be over extortionate.
“I wonder to hear you, bailie,” said I; “I trust and hope no one will
ever find me out of the way of justice; and to convince you that I can
do a friendly turn, I’ll no objec’ to gie you a’ my influence free gratis,
if ye’ll gie Mr Pittle a lift into the kirk; for, to be plain with you, the
worthy young man, who, as ye heard to-day, is no without an ability,
has long been fond of Mrs Pawkie’s cousin, Miss Lizzie Pinkie; and I
would fain do all that lies in my power to help on the match.”
The bailie was well pleased with my frankness, and before
returning home, we came to a satisfactory understanding; so that the
next thing I had to do was to see Mr Pittle himself on the subject.
Accordingly, in the gloaming, I went over to where he stayed: it was
with Miss Jenny Killfuddy, an elderly maiden lady, whose father was
the minister of Braehill, and the same that is spoken of in the
chronicle of Dalmailing, as having had his eye almost put out by a
clash of glaur, at the stormy placing of Mr Balwhidder.
“Mr Pittle,” said I, as soon as I was in, and the door closed, “I’m
come to you as a friend. Both Mrs Pawkie and me have long
discerned that ye have had a look more than common towards our
friend Miss Lizzie, and we think it our duty to inquire your intents,
before matters gang to greater length.”
He looked a little dumfoundered at this salutation, and was at a
loss for an answer; so I continued—
“If your designs be honourable, and no doubt they are, now’s your
time;—strike while the iron’s hot. By the death of the Doctor, the
kirk’s vacant, the town-council have the patronage; and if ye marry
Miss Lizzie, my interest and influence shall not be slack in helping
you into the poopit.”
In short, out of what passed that night, on the Monday following,
Mr Pittle and Miss Lizzie were married; and by my dexterity,
together with the able help I had in Bailie M‘Lucre, he was in due
season placed and settled in the parish; and the next year, more than
fifty acres of the town-moor were inclosed, on a nine hundred and
ninety-nine years’ tack, at an easy rate, between me and the bailie, he
paying the half of the expense of the ditching and rooting out of the
whins; and it was acknowledged, by every one that saw it, that there
had not been a greater improvement for many years in all the
country-side. But to the best actions there will be adverse and
discontented spirits; and, on this occasion, there were not wanting
persons naturally of a disloyal opposition temper, who complained of
the inclosure as a usurpation of the rights and property of the poorer
burghers. Such revilings, however, are what all persons in authority
must suffer; and they had only the effect of making me button my
coat, and look out the crooser to the blast.—“The Provost.”
 THE MEAL MOB.

During the winter of 18—, there was a great scarcity of grain in the
western districts of Scotland. The expediency of the corn laws was
then hotly discussed, but the keen hunger of wives and children went
further to embitter the spirits of the lower orders. The abstract
question was grasped at as a vent for ill-humour, or despairingly, as a
last chance for preservation. As usual, exaggerated reports were
caught up and circulated by the hungry operatives, of immense
prices demanded by grain-merchants and farmers, and of great
stores of grain garnered up for exportation. As a natural consequence
of all these circumstances, serious disturbances took place in more
than one burgh.
The town of ——, in which I then resided, had hitherto been
spared, but a riot was, in the temper of the poor, daily to be expected.
Numbers of special constables were sworn in. The commander of the
military party then in the barracks was warned to hold himself in
readiness. Such members of the county yeomanry corps as resided in
or near the town were requested to lend their aid, if need should be.
I was sitting comfortably by my fireside, one dark, cold evening,
conversing with a friend over a tumbler of toddy, when we were both
summoned to officiate in our capacity of constables. The poor fellows
who fell at Waterloo sprang from their hard, curtainless beds with
less reluctance. We lingered rather longer than decency allowed of,
buttoning our greatcoats and adjusting our comforters. At last,
casting a piteous look at the fire, which was just beginning to burn up
gloriously, we pressed our hats deeper over our eyes, grasped our
batons, and sallied forth.
The mischief had begun in the mills at the town-head, and as the
parties employed in the mob went to work with less reluctance than
we had done, the premises were fairly gutted, and the plunderers,
(or, more properly speaking, devastators) on their way to another
scene of action, before a sufficient posse of our body could be
mustered. We encountered the horde coming down the main street.
The advanced guard consisted of an immense swarm of little ragged
boys, running scatteredly with stones in their hands and bonnets.
These were flanked and followed by a number of dirty, draggle-tailed
drabs, most of them with children in their arms. Upon them followed
a dense mass of men of all ages, many of them in the garb of sailors,
for the tars had learned that the soldiery were likely to be employed
against the people, and there is a standing feud between the “salt-
waters” and the “lobsters.” There was also a vague and ill-regulated
sympathy for the suffering they saw around them, working at the
bottom. All this array we half saw, half conjectured, by the dim light
of the dirty street lamps. The body was silent, but for the incessant
pattering of their feet as they moved along.
The word was given to clear the street, and we advanced with right
ill-will upon them. The first ranks gave back, but there arose
immediately a universal and deafening hooting, groaning, yelling,
and whistling. The shrill and angry voices of women were heard
above all, mingled with the wailing of their terrified babes. “We
maun hae meat;” “Fell the gentle boutchers;” “Belay there! spank
him with your pole;” resounded on every side, in the screaming tones
of women, and the deep voices of sailors, garnished and enforced
with oaths too dreadful to mention. Nor was this all: a shower of
stones came whizzing past our ears from the boy-tirailleurs
mentioned above, levelling some of our companions, jingling among
the windows, and extinguishing the lamps. Some of the boldest of the
men next attempted to wrest the batons from the constables who
stood near them. In this they were assisted by the women, who
crushed into our ranks, and prevented us giving our cudgels free
play. The stones continued to fly in all directions, hitting the rioters
as often as the preservers of the peace. The parties tugged and pulled
at each other most stubbornly, while the screams of pain and anger,
the yell of triumph, and hoarse execrations, waxed momentarily
louder and more terrific.
At last the constables were driven back, with the loss of all their
batons and most of their best men. The mob rushed onward with a
triumphant hurrah, and turned down a side street leading to a
granary, in which they believed a great quantity of grain was stored
up. The proprietor’s house stood beside it. A volley of stones was
discharged against the latter, which shattered every window in the
house, and the missiles were followed by a thunder-growl of
maledictions, which made the hair of the innocent inmates stand on
their heads, and their hearts die within them. The crowd stood
irresolute for a moment. A tall athletic sailor advanced to the door of
the granary. “Have you never a marlin-spike to bouse open the
hatchway here?” A crowbar was handed to him. “A glim! a glim!”
cried voices from different parts of the crowd. It was now for the first
time discovered that some of the party had provided themselves with
torches, for after a few minutes’ fumbling a light was struck, and
immediately the pitch brands cast a lurid light over the scene. The
state of the corn merchant’s family must now have been dreadful.
The multitude stood hushed as death, or as the coming
thunderstorm. All this time the sailor of whom I have spoken had
been prising away with his bar at the granary door.
At this moment a heavy-measured tread was heard indistinctly in
the distance. It drew nearer, and became more distinct. Some
respectable burghers, who had assembled, and stood aloof gazing on
the scene, now edged closer to the crowd, and addressed the nearest
women in a low voice: “Yon’s the sodgers.” The hint was taken, for,
one by one, the women gathered their infants closer in their arms,
and dropped off. First one and then another pale-faced,
consumptive-looking weaver followed their example in silence. The
trampling now sounded close at hand, and its measured note was
awful in the hush of the dark night. The panic now spread to the
boys, who flew asunder on all sides—like a parcel of carrion flies
when disturbed by a passenger—squalling, “Yon’s the sodgers!” So
effectual was the dispersion that ensued, that when the soldiers
defiled into the wider space before the granary, no one remained
except the door-breaker, and one or two of the torch-holders.
The latter threw down their brands and scampered. The lights
were snatched up before they were extinguished, by some of the
boldest constables. Of all the rioters only one remained—the tall
sailor, who may be termed their ringleader. The foremost rank of the
soldiers was nearly up to him, and others were defiling from behind
to intercept him should he attempt to reach the side streets. He stood
still, watchful as a wild beast when surrounded by hunters, but with
an easy roll of his body, and a good-humoured smile upon his face.
“Yield, Robert Jones,” cried the provost, who feared he might
meditate a desperate and unavailing resistance. But instead of
answering, Robert sprung upon a soldier who was forming into line
at his right side, struck up the man’s musket, twisted off the bayonet,
and making it shine through the air in the torchlight like a rocket,
tripped up his heels. “Not yet, lobster!” he exclaimed, as the bayonet
of the fallen hero’s left-hand man glanced innocuously past him, so
saying, the sailor rapidly disappeared down a dark lane.—Edinburgh
Literary Journal.
 THE FLITTING.

It was on the day before the flitting, or removal, that John

Armour’s farm-stock, and indeed everything he had, excepting as
much as might furnish a small cottage, was to be rouped to meet his
debts. No doubt it was a heart-rending scene to all the family, though
his wife considered all their losses light, when compared with her
husband’s peace of mind. The great bustle of the sale, however,
denied him the leisure which a just view of his condition made most
to be dreaded; so that it was not till late in the evening, when all was
quiet again,—his cherished possessions removed, and time allowed
him to brood over his state,—that the deep feelings of vexation and
despair laid hold of his spirit.
The evening was one of remarkable beauty; the birds never more
rapturous, the grass never greener around the farm-house. The turf
seat on which old Hugh was wont to rest, in the corner of the little
garden, was white with gowans; the willows and honeysuckles that
overarched it all full of life; the air was bland, the cushat’s distant
cooing very plaintive;—all but the inhabitants of the humble dwelling
was tranquil and delighted. But they were downcast; each one
pursued some necessary preparation for tomorrow’s great change,
saying little, but deeply occupied with sad thoughts. Once the wife
ejaculated—
“Oh, that the morn was ower!”
“Yes,” said her husband, “the morn, and every morn o’ them!—but
I wish this gloaming had been stormy.”
He could not settle—he could not eat—he avoided conversation;
and, with his hat drawn over his brow, he traversed wearily the same
paths, and did over and over again the same things. It was near
bedtime, when one of the children said to her mother—
 “My faither’s stan’in’ at the corner o’ the stable, and didna speak to
me when I spak to him;—gang out, mother, and bring him in.”
“If he wad but speak to me!” was the mother’s answer. She went
out,—the case had become extreme,—and she ventured to argue with
and reprove him.
“Ye do wrang, John—this is no like yoursel;—the world’s fu’ of
affliction—ithers ken that as weel as you—ye maunna hae a’ things
your ain way: there’s Ane abune us wha has said, ‘In sorrow shalt
thou eat thy bread all the days of thy life.’ Ye canna expect to gang
free; and I maun say it wadna be gude for ony o’ us. Maybe greater
ills are yet to befa’ ye, and then ye’ll rue sair that ye hae gien way at
this time; come in, John, wi’ me; time will wear a’ this out o’ mind.”
He struck his hand against his brow—he grasped at his neckcloth—
and after choking on a few syllables which he could not utter, tears
gushed from his eyes, and he melted in a long heartrending fit of
weeping. Oh, it is a sorrowful thing to see a strong hard-featured
man shedding tears! His sobs are so heavy, his wail so full-toned!
John Armour, perhaps for twenty years a stranger to weeping, had
now to burst the sealed sluices of manhood’s grief, which nothing but
the resistless struggle of agony could accomplish, ere relief could
reach his labouring breast. Now it was he sought the dearest
sanctuary on earth—he leaned upon his wife’s bosom, and she
lavished on him the riches of a woman’s love. At length he went to
rest, gentler in spirit, and borne down by a less frightful woe than
what had lately oppressed him.
Next morning brought round the bustle of flitting. There is a deep
interest attending a scene of this kind, altogether separate from the
feelings of those who have to leave a favourite abode. Circumstances
of antiquity—of mystery—belong to it. The demolition even of an old
house has something melancholy; the dismantling it of furniture is
not less affecting. Some of the servants that had been at one time
about the farm assisted on this occasion, and entered fully into the
sentiments now described.
“That press has been there, I’ll warran’, this fifty years; it was his
mother’s, and cam on her blithe marriage-day; the like o’t ye’ll no see
now-a-days—it’s fresh yet. Few hae seen the back o’ thee, I trow,
these twa days, but the wabsters and sclaters; they winna ken what to
mak o’ this wark; let me look into the back o’t.”
 “I wad be a wee eerie,” said another, feeling the gloomy
appearance of the old empty dwelling suggest thoughts allied to
superstition, “about ganging into that toom house at night; I wad aye
be thinkin’ o’ meeting wi’ auld Hugh, honest man.”
The flitting set off to a cottage about two miles distant; two cart
loads of furniture, one milk cow, and the old watch-dog, were its
amount. John Armour lingered a little behind, as did his wife, for she
was unwilling to leave him there alone. He then proceeded to every
part of the premises. The barn and stable kept him a few moments;
the rest he hurried over, excepting the kitchen and spence. When he
came to the kitchen (for it was the apartment he visited last), he leant
his head for an instant against the mantelpiece, and fixed his eyes on
the hearthstone. A deep sigh escaped him, and his wife then took him
by the hand to lead him away, which he resisted not, only saying,—
“I hae mind o’ mony a thing that happened here;”—then casting
his eyes hastily round the desolate apartment,—“but fareweel to thee
for ever!” In a few minutes they overtook the flitting, nor did he once
turn again his head towards the desolate place which had so firm a
hold of his heart.—“My Grandfather’s Farm.”
 EWEN OF THE LITTLE HEAD:
A LEGEND OF THE WESTERN ISLES.

About three hundred years ago, Ewen Maclean of Lochbuy, in the

island of Mull, having been engaged in a quarrel with a neighbouring
chief, a day was fixed for determining the affair by the sword.
Lochbuy, before the day arrived, consulted a celebrated witch as to
the result of the feud. The witch declared, that if Lochbuy’s wife
should on the morning of that day give him and his men food
unasked, he would be victorious; but if not, the result would be the
reverse. This was a disheartening response for the unhappy votary,
his wife being a noted shrew.
The fatal morning arrived, and the hour for meeting the enemy
approached; but there appeared no symptoms of refreshment for
Lochbuy and his men. At length the unfortunate man was compelled
to ask his wife to supply them with food. She set down before them
curds, but without spoons. The men ate the curds as well as they
could with their hands; but Lochbuy himself ate none. After
behaving with the greatest bravery in the bloody conflict which
ensued, he fell covered with wounds, leaving his wife to the
execration of his people.
But the miseries brought on the luckless chief by his sordid and
shrewish spouse did not end with his life, for he died fasting; and his
ghost is frequently seen to this day riding the very horse on which he
was mounted when he was killed. It was a small, but very neat and
active pony, dun or mouse coloured, to which Lochbuy was much
attached, and on which he had ridden for many years before his
death. His appearance is as accurately described in the island of Mull
as any steed is in Newmarket. The prints of his shoes are discerned
by connoisseurs, and the rattling of his curb is recognized in the
darkest night. He is not particular in regard to roads, for he goes up
hill and down dale with equal velocity. His hard-fated rider still
wears the same green cloak which covered him in his last battle; and
he is particularly distinguished by the small size of his head.
It is now above three hundred years since Ewen-a-Chin-Vig
(Anglice, “Hugh of the Little Head”) fell in the field of honour; but
neither the vigour of the horse nor of the rider is yet diminished. His
mournful duty has always been to attend the dying moments of every
member of his own numerous tribe, and to escort the departed spirit
on its long and arduous journey.
Some years ago, he accosted one of his own people (indeed, he has
never been known to notice any other), and shaking him cordially by
the hand, he attempted to place him on the saddle behind himself,
but the uncourteous dog declined the honour. Ewen struggled hard,
but the clown was a great strong, clumsy fellow, and stuck to the
earth with all his might. He candidly acknowledged, however, that
his chief would have prevailed, had it not been for a birch tree which
stood by, and which he got within the fold of his left arm. The contest
became then very warm indeed. At length, however, Ewen lost his
seat for the first time; and the instant the pony found he was his own
master, he set off with the fleetness of lightning. Ewen immediately
pursued his steed, and the wearied rustic sped his way homeward.—
Lit. Gazette.
 BASIL ROLLAND.

Chapter I.
In May, quhen men yied everichone
With Robene Hoid and Littil John,
To bring in bowis and birken bobynis,
Now all sic game is fastlings gone,
Bot gif if be amangs clowin Robbynis.—A. Scott.

The period at which the circumstances recorded in the following

narrative happened was in the troubled year of 1639. At that time the
points in dispute betwixt Charles and his subjects were most
violently contested, and the partizans of each were in arms all over
the country, endeavouring, by partial and solitary operations, to gain
the ascendancy for their faction. The first cause of these disturbances
was the attempt of the monarch to establish Episcopacy over
Scotland—a form of worship which had always been disliked by the
Scotch, as they considered it but a single step removed from Popery.
The intemperate zeal with which Charles prosecuted his views
(occasioned by a misconception of the national character of his
subjects), and his averseness to compromise or conciliation, first
gave rise to the combination called the Covenanters; weak at first,
but in a short time too powerful to be shaken by the exertions of the
High Churchmen.
One of the first and most politic steps taken by the Council of the
Covenant, denominated “the Tables,” was the framing of the
celebrated Bond or Covenant; the subscribers of which bound
themselves to resist the introduction of Popery and Prelacy, and to
stand by each other in case of innovations on the established
worship. Charles seeing, at last, the strength of this association,
uttered, in his turn, a covenant renouncing Popery; he also dispensed
with the use of the Prayer Book, the Five Articles of Perth, and other
things connected with public worship which were obnoxious to the
Covenanters.
During this contention, the citizens of Aberdeen remained firmly
attached to the royal interest, and appear to have come in with every
resolution that was adopted by the government. In 1638, a
deputation from “the Tables,” among whom was the celebrated
Andrew Cant (from whom the mission was denominated “Cant’s
Visitation”), arrived in the town, for the purpose of inducing the
inhabitants to subscribe the Covenant; but as their representations
entirely failed of success, they were obliged to desist. The Earl of
Montrose arrived in Aberdeen in the spring of 1639, and, partly by
the terror of his arms, partly by the representations of the clergy that
accompanied him, succeeded in imposing the Covenant on the
townsmen. After his departure, a body of the royalists, commanded
by the Laird of Banff, having routed the forces of Frazer and Forbes,
took possession of the town, and wreaked their vengeance on all who
had subscribed the Covenant. They only remained five days in the
town, and, on their departure, it was occupied by the Earl of
Marischal, who in turn harassed the royalists. As soon as Montrose
heard of these occurrences, being doubtful of the fidelity of the
inhabitants, he marched to Aberdeen again, disarmed the citizens,
and imposed a heavy fine upon them. The citizens, who had been
impoverished by these unjust exactions, were somewhat relieved,
when Montrose, their greatest scourge, after another short visit,
marched into Angus and disbanded his army.
It was in the month of June that the citizens began to feel
themselves elated by the prospect, if not of peace, of the seat of the
war being removed from their dwellings, on the disbanding of
Montrose’s forces, and at liberty to say anything about the Covenant
that might seem good unto them. Those who had subscribed it under
the influence of fear (and they were not a small number) veered
round to the king’s party, and sounded the praises of the Viscount of
Aboyne, who had landed at Aberdeen on the part of his Majesty.
Their former losses and sufferings were all forgotten, and a general
disposition for rejoicing was to be seen among them. Provost Leslie
and his colleagues were inclined to encourage this, as it might lead