SCOTTISH COLONIAL SCHEMES.
(To THE EDITOR or THE " SPECTATOR."1 Sin,—May I point out a slight error that appears in your notice of my book, Scottish Colonial Schemes, 1620-1686 1 In the course of his summary of Scottish colonial enterprise your reviewer writes : " The young Lochinvar obtained a grant of Cape Breton Island, and built a fort in 1629 near the site of the future Louisville . . ." Sir Robert Gordon of Lochinvar, whose varied and strenuous activities in the cause of Scottish colonization furnish a most interesting commentary on Scottish economic and social history of the early decades of the seven- teenth century, died in November, 1627. The Scottish pioneers who in the summer of 1629 built their &italic* on one of the coves of the Cape Breton coast were led by Lord Ochiltree.
Your reviewer appears to regard Sir Robert Gordon as " the young Lochinvar " of Sir Walter's ballad. It is a presumption one is tempted to make, but I am afraid there are insuperable historical obstacles in the way. I shall, however, be grateful to your reviewer if he can justify his identification of " the young Lochinvar " with the historical Sir Robert Gordon. There is a passage in the Register of the Privy Council of Scot- land that narrates activities characteristic of the hero of the ballad. In the summer of 1601 Robert Gordon's father, Sir John Gordon of Lochinvar, was called upon to present the young Laird, his cautioners, and servants before the Privy Council : the servants were to answer " for their accompanying and assisting of Sir Robert Gordoun, Younger, of Lochinvar, in his persute of the Laird of Barnbarro in his hous, for con- vocatioun of our lieges in weirlyke maner, and for beiring and weiring of pistolletis prohibits to be borne or worne be our lawes." Against this, however, must be put the fact that "Lochinvar " is Lady Heron's song in " Marmion " (Canto v.).
[Our reviewer writes: "I did not venture to identify the Sir Robert Gordon who was interested in colonization with the hero of the ballad. There was, of course, many a' young Lochinvar' in the history of the family. But the identification is plausible, as Dr. lash shows."—Ea. Spectator.]
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