Clan Fraser

“ We believe that no member of the Fraser clan in British North America, who is really anxious to do well, need be in want of the means of success, for if he only make his position known to the authorities of the “New Clan,” all needful assistance will be afforded him. Moreover, we understand, that any one of the name of Fraser, or allied to the clan, emigrating to the dominion from the old country, by applying to any member of the Colonial clan, will be put in the way of obtaining all assistance and information necessary to his comfortable settlement and success in his new home. ”

“ There was a good response to the call for the general meeting, letters having been sent broadcast over the Dominion. As chief of the Frasers of British North America, the Hon. James Fraser de Ferraline, in the Province of Nova Scotia, was elected. He was a scion of the Ferraline and Gorthlic families of the Clan. One hundred and eleven subordinate chieftains of provinces and districts were elected and Mr. John Fraser de Berry was appointed Secretary to the "New Clan Fraser," as it was called. ”

“ But I am to some extent emboldened and sustained by the reflection that, as this is in a sense a family gathering, the shortcomings of a Fraser will pass, if not unobserved, at least without provoking unfriendly comment. Permit me then, on behalf of the artists of our Clan, to thank you for the cordial and enthusiastic manner in which you have received this toast. Among the many distinguished clansmen who have, in almost every sphere of human endeavor and usefulness, shed unfading lustre, not only upon our Clan, but upon humanity in general, our artists have secured an honored place. ”

“ R. Lovat Fraser, Vice-chairman, in proposing the toast of "The Clan in Canada," said: The Clan in Canada is not, of course, as important as the Clan at large, but it has an importance altogether its own, and has a record not unworthy the parent stem. It is a branch of a goodly tree, and bears fruit of the finest quality. No clan has done more, if as much, for Canada as the Clan Fraser. Coming with the famous Seventy-Eighth regiment they did their duty at Louisburg and Quebec, and stamped the Clan name indelibly on the history of Canada, from ocean to ocean. ”

“ Undoubtedly the military character of the Clan goes back to its very origin, for if the Frasers did come from Normandy, they must have been selected on account of their military ability, for those were the days when length and strength of arm and good generalship were the most valuable qualifications a man could possess. But, coming down to the earlier times in Scotland, we find our clansmen heading the warlike and chivalrous nobles of that country, in their devotion to the Crown, and in their exploits in the field in defence of country and patrimony. ”

“ But from whatever clan or country the master shall come, the Frasers will be among the first to do him honor.
I thank you, Mr. Chairman and gentlemen, for the patient hearing you have given me.
The reply to the part of this toast referring to "Science" was made by Dr. J. B. Fraser, M. D., C. M., R. C. P. and S. K., Toronto. He said: Mr. Chairman, Vice-chairman, and Brother Clansmen, it gives me a great deal of pleasure to meet such a representative gathering of the old and distinguished "Clan Fraser" as we have here to-night. ”

“ There is not a better instance of the indifference of the common Highlanders as to whom they fought for, than the conduct of the clan Fraser in the rebellion of 1715. At the time this rebellion broke out, Lovat was in France, the headship of the clan being assumed by Mackenzie of Fraserdale, who favoured the cause of the Stuarts, and who had joined the Earl of Mar at Perth with 400 of the Frasers, many other members of the clan remaining neutral till the pleasure of Simon, their real chief, should be known. ”

“ The feudal lordship, in its genius and scope of operation, was diametrically opposed to the salient characteristics of the clan system. The distinctions need not be enlarged upon here, let it suffice to draw attention to the fact that clanship was a distinct form of government, under well recognized and applied principles. In modern literature we find the characteristic most emphasized to be the loyalty with which the clansman followed and served his chief, as in the words of the quotation on our toast list, "Master, go on and I will follow thee, to the last gasp, with truth and loyalty." ”

“ It is rather remarkable that Archibald Campbell Fraser, generally, from his command of the Invernessshire militia, called Colonel Fraser, should survive his five sons, and that the estates which Lord Lovat had sacrificed so much to secure to his own line should revert to another family of the clan Fraser,—the Frasers of Stricken, the present proprietors of Lovat and Stricken, being in Aberdeenshire the twenty-second in succession from Simon Fraser of Invernessshire. ”

“ The darkness of the night alone put an end to the combat. This was an unfortunate blow to the clan Fraser, which, tradition says, would have been almost entirely annihilated but for the happy circumstance that the wives of eighty of the Frasers who were slain were pregnant at the time, and were each of them afterwards delivered of a male child. [175]
As soon as intelligence of this disaster was brought to the Earl of Huntly, he again returned [88] with an army, entered Lochaber, which he laid waste, and apprehended many of the leading men of the hostile tribes, whom he put to death. ”

“ At the celebration of his majority, not long ago, there was a considerable gathering of clansmen and others to do him honor, and the manner in which he performed his part as host on that occasion is an augury of a distinguished future. It is said that he shows a deep interest in the welfare of his people, that he is a young man of highly patriotic feelings, and, as his sphere of usefulness is a wide one, he, no doubt, will have ample opportunity of filling the highest expectations of the Clan. ”

“ But while his fate is still held up as a warning to evil doers, it has been proved, beyond peradventure, that his character has been much maligned, and that he appears rather as a man of inexhaustible resources, availing himself of whatever means lay nearest to his hand to extricate himself from enormous difficulties and to attain objects which, though of personal advantage to himself and Clan, were as honorable as they were just, and wholly in keeping with the customs of his day. ”

“ The clansmen considered themselves as the children of the chief, and the system demanded that they subordinate themselves to his rule. Without a chief or his substitute there could be no organized clan, and it is rightly understood how important was his position under the clan system. Chiefs of our Clan proved themselves to be worthy of the position, as a rule, and Simon Joseph, Lord Lovat, the young nobleman who now holds the chiefship, already gives promise of faithfully following in the footsteps of his forefathers. ”

“ As a pioneer he has reached "the ends of the earth," possessing the unoccupied parts of the world. As a patriot he has established not a few of his cherished customs in the land of his adoption. His love of kindred is probably his most notable characteristic; it found embodiment in the clan system, under which his race achieved its greatest triumphs and enjoyed its greatest glories, and the bond of clanship, with its inspiring memories, the true clansman will never disregard. ”

“ Many of the forests which rang with the clash of the claymore in the struggle for British supremacy, fell afterwards to the axe of the Gaelic settler. His trail lies across the continent, from ocean to ocean. His energy and intelligence have been honorably felt in every walk of life, and his enterprise and skill have done much to develop and upbuild the Dominion. No body of people occupies a more distinguished place in this respect than the Frasers; indeed, even among the clans, no name is more closely identified than that of "Fraser" with the early days of Canada. ”

“ Down through history in the Highlands they have ever shown themselves to be a brave and warlike race, furnishing individuals of conspicuous ability and distinction in arms. No treatment of this toast would be complete that should omit a reference to Fraser's Highlanders that embarked under the command of the Chief of the Clan in 1757, and took part with Wolfe's army in all the engagements, from Louisburg to the close of the war. ”

“ At Quebec the Frasers distinguished themselves in an especial manner. In the struggles which took place early in the century, between the Canadians and Americans, the Frasers did their duty, proving that down to our own times they maintained their old reputation. In the British army, from the formation of the Highland regiments, in 1739, to the present day, the [Pg 90] Clan has given many distinguished officers and many brave men to its country's service, and I know I can speak with truth when I say that the old spirit still prevails, whether you look at home or abroad. ”

“ Of necessity, those of our Clan who have excelled in art are few in number; indeed, the artists of the world and of the ages might almost find standing room in this banquet hall. But our Clan has perhaps produced its quota, and some [Pg 75] of them have taken high rank. It is not my purpose to mention the names of all; in fact, I am unable to name more than two, viz., Charles Fraser and John A. Fraser. ”

“ We have men of distinguished ability at the head of the legal fraternity of our State; we have men whose [Pg 70] genius in business has secured them wealth and position; we have men who in humbler spheres have rendered patriotic services to the State, and who, one and all, show that they have not lost the characteristics of the Clan in new associations and callings. ”

“ Since rumours were daily increasing of the approach of Lord Athole's troops, the clan of Fraser was again, when Lady Lovat was conveyed from the scene of her anguish, called forth to assist their leader, and the wail of the coronach was again heard in that dismal and portentous night: for portentous it was. This crime, the first signal offence of Simon Fraser, stamped his destiny. Its effects followed him through life: it entailed others: it was the commencement of a catalogue of iniquities almost unprecedented in the career of one man's existence. ”

“ While the clan system, as such, would be impracticable in the British colonies under present-day conditions, even more so than in its old home in the Highlands of Scotland, its spirit lives, leavening the system of government and exercising no small influence in the fusion of heterogeneous elements into new and distinct peoples. ”

“ The Seventy-First did not leave many behind as settlers, and the reference to it here is only permissible as illustrating the high character of the Clan, of which the Seventy-Eighth, which left its quota of settlers behind, formed an important part. General Simon Fraser's intimate connection with Canada, as commanding officer of Fraser's Highlanders (1757) , and in other interesting respects, may suffice as a reason why a good anecdote of him may be here related. When the Seventy-First mustered at Glasgow, Lochiel was absent, being ill at London. ”

“ After some fruitless negotiation, it is true, with Lord Salton, and after availing himself of the power of his father, as chieftain, to imprison Robert Fraser, and several other disaffected clansmen whom that person had seduced from their allegiance, the Master of Lovat prepared for action. The traitors to his cause had escaped death by flight, but the clan were otherwise perfectly faithful to their chieftain. Fear, as well as love, had a part in their allegiance ”

“ A resolution was carried in favor of the formation of an organization of clansmen in Canada, having for its main objects the promotion of social intercourse among the members, the collection of facts from which to prepare a biographical album of the members and other clansmen, and the promotion of objects which may be of interest to the Clan; and that those present form a general committee to act in the matter, the Committee of this gathering to act as an Executive Committee, for the purpose of drafting a constitution for the Clan to be submitted to the next gathering of the Clan. ”

“ Their new homes have not the historical charm of the old, but wherever the Frasers have gone, away from the home of their fathers, they have acquitted themselves well. A scion of a Stratherrick house was James George Fraser, who many years ago settled at Galt, Ontario. Like his brother Capt. Charles Fraser, now residing in Glasgow, Scotland, he was attached to a Highland regiment in his younger days, but withdrawing from the service, he came to Canada with his young wife, Christina MacLeod. ”

“ Before lord Lovat engaged in the rebellion, Simon Fraser went to a wedding in his highland costume; when he entered the room where the party was assembled, an unfortunate wight of a bagpiper struck up the favourite march of a clan in mortal enmity with that of Fraser, which so enraged him, that he drew his dirk and killed the piper upon the spot. Fraser immediately fled, and found refuge in a mine in Wales. No law proceedings took place against him as he was absent, and supposed to have perished at sea. He married in Wales, and had one son, the old man abovenamed, who said he was about sixty. ”