HIGHLANDS OF THE HUDSON HIGHNESS. 



common people. Kadi chief had hi< lard, who sung 

 the deeds of his race, and of the individual members 

 of the clans. These singers were held in high esteem, 

 and were, like the senachies, or the elders of the 

 tribes, the preservers of old stories, which they re- 

 tained in memories strengthened by continual exer- 

 cise, in the absence of a written literature. The 

 favourite musical instrument was the bagpipe, and 

 its lively sounds in battle supported the animation of 

 the contest. A warm imagination, affected in a lively 

 manner by the sublimity and the perfect solitude of 

 the landscapes of their country, was the source of 

 many of their peculiar superstitions. 



The Highlands form the only country in Europe 

 that never has been disturbed by religious contests, 

 nor suffered from religious persecution. The Presby- 

 terian and Catholic are the prevailing forms of belief. 

 The latter is chiefly limited to the county of Inver- 

 ness, and some of the islands. Among the nobility 

 there are also some adherents to the Episcopal church. 

 Protestants and Catholics live together in a very 

 friendly manner. 



The political measures of 1747 gave the first im- 

 pulse to the great change which took place, in the 

 course of time, in the manners of the Highlanders, 

 although it did not manifest itself decidedly till twenty 

 years later. This change was seen in the whole 

 character and condition of the Highlanders, and not 

 merely in their manners and exterior, but even in the 

 appearance of their country. Lands which were long 

 under the plough became wild ; whole valleys, once 

 the dwelling-place of powerful clans, were made 

 desolate ; and families which, like Alpine plants, 

 were rooted in their native soil, saw themselves com- 

 pelled to seek support in manufacturing cities, or to 

 emigrate to America. 



The character of the Highlanders has lost much 

 of its romantic and chivalrous tone. One of the 

 most striking traits of the altered Highlander is his 

 great indifference to the old relations of the clan, 

 although, long after the abolition of clanship, the 

 attachment of the people to their chief continued, 

 and what the law denied, fidelity gave undiminished. 

 The impatient desire of acquisition on the part of the 

 landlords, also, caused many oppressions, which gra- 

 dually loosened the bonds of love and fidelity. Still 

 we find, indeed, some landholders who seem like 

 remnants of former days, and have secured to them- 

 selves the attachment of their dependants. But 

 many have been estranged from their country by a 

 residence in London and Edinburgh ; and, to meet 

 the increased expenses occasioned by their style of 

 living, they have been led to measures which have 

 injured the poorer classes of the people; and the 

 great increase of sheep-breeding, particularly, has 

 taken from the people the means of support. Thou- 

 sands have emigrated to America within thirty years, 

 to whom the beloved home of their fathers offered 

 nothing but the prospect of poverty. 



See major-general David Stewart's Sketches of the 

 Character and Present State of the Highlanders 

 (3d edition, Edinburgh, 1825, 2 vols.) ; to which we 

 may add, Remarks on Col. Stewart's Sketches, &c. 

 (London, 1823) ; see, also, the work of doctor 

 M'Culloch, entitled The Highlands and Western 

 Isles of Scotland (London, 1824, 4 vols.). This 

 work is written in an exaggerated style, and many 

 of its statements have been proved by Dr Brown to 

 be inaccurate. Still it contains much information 

 regarding the Higlilands. Logan's Scottish Gael 

 (London, 1831, 2 vols. 8vo) and Brown's Clans of 

 Scotland may also be consulted. The statistics, &c., 

 of the Highlands, will come to be treated of at 

 length, under the article Scotland. 



HIGHLANDS OF THE HUDSON (called, also, 



Highlandt of AVw ///., i'ishkill Mountains, ar 

 Mattcawan Mountains) ; a range of mountains in 

 New York, extending in a nortli-east and south-west 

 direction across the Hudson, in the counties ot Rock- 

 land, Orange, Westchester, Putnam, and Duchess. 

 They are fifty-three miles above the city of New 

 York, and occupy a space from sixteen to twenty 

 miles in width. The Indian name was Matteuintn, 

 which signifies the country of good fur ; and the same 

 name is still properly applied to the whole range. 

 Some of the highest peaks are Beacon Hill, Grand 

 Sachem, Breakneck, Blue Hill, and Butter Hill. 

 The heights of the summits above the level of the 

 Hudson, vary from 1100 to 1685 feet. 



HIGHMORE, JOSEPH, a portrait and historical 

 painter, born in London, June 13, 1692. He early 

 displayed a strong partiality for the fine arts, which 

 was discouraged oy his iamily, who placed him in a 

 solicitor's office. The whole of his spare time was, 

 however, devoted by him to the study of his favourite 

 pursuit ; and, immediately on the expiry of his clerk- 

 ship, when only seventeen years of age, he aban- 

 doned the law, resolved to trust in future to his 

 talents as a painter alone for his chance of fame and 

 fortune. The year following, he married, and con- 

 tinued rising in reputation, till, on the revival of the 

 order of the Bath, he was selected as the artist to be 

 employed in painting the knights in full costume. 

 The years 1732 and 1734 were spent by him in pro 

 fessional tours through the Netherlands and France, 

 and, on his return, he applied himself with renewed 

 exertions to the cultivation of an art which he exer- 

 cised nearly half a century. He died in 1780. 

 Among his best paintings are, the Hagar and Ish- 

 mael, in the foundling hospital ; the Finding of 

 Moses, &c. The illustrations to the original editions 

 of the novels of Richardson, were also from his easel. 

 As an author, he is known by the Critical Examina- 

 tion of Rubens's two Paintings in the Banqueting 

 House, Whitehall (4to) ; Observations on Dodwell's 

 Pamphlet against Christianity ; the Practice of Per- 

 spective (1763) ; and two vols. of Moral and Reli- 

 gious Essays ; with a translation of Brown, on the 

 Immortality of the Soul. 



HIGHNESS ; a title of honour given to princes. 

 The kings of England and Spain had formerly no 

 other title, the first till the time of Henry VIII., the 

 second till that of Charles V. The petty princes of 

 Italy began to receive this title in 1630, and the 

 duke of Orleans assumed the title of royal highness 

 in 1631, to distinguish himself from the other princes 

 of France. The prince of Conde took the title of 

 most serene highness. At present, the children of 

 crowned heads are generally styled royal highness. 

 Those of the emperors of Austria and Russia are 

 styled imperial highness. The grand dukes and the 

 elector of Hesse Cassel are called royal highness. 

 The French altesse royale corresponds to royal high- 

 ness, but altesse is not the same as highness, it being 

 used for your grace, and the German Durchlaucht. 



HIGH PRIEST ; the head of the Jewish priest- 

 hood. Moses conferred this dignity upon his brother, 

 in whose family it descended without interruption. 

 After the subjugation of the Jews by the Seleuckte, 

 the Ptolemies, and the Romans, it was often arbi- 

 trarily conferred by the foreign masters. In the 

 time of Jesus, the office appears to have been held 

 by several priests alternately. The importance of 

 this officer is indicated by the splendour and costli- 

 ness of his garment, which was among the most 

 beautiful works of ancient art. The breastplate of 

 the liigh priest is particularly celebrated. It was 

 called urim and thummim, i. e., according to Luther, 

 light and right. According to other commentators, 

 it received its name from twelve precious stones, 



