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Kidnapped (novel)
''Kidnapped'' is a historical novel, historical fiction adventure novel by Scottish people, Scottish author Robert Louis Stevenson, written as a boys' novel and first published in the magazine ''Young Folks (magazine), Young Folks'' from May to July 1886. The novel has attracted the praise and admiration of writers as diverse as Henry James, Jorge Luis Borges, and Hilary Mantel. A sequel, ''Catriona (novel), Catriona'', was published in 1893. The narrative is written in English with some dialogue in Lowland Scots Language, Lowland Scots, a Germanic language that evolved from an earlier incarnation of English. ''Kidnapped'' is set around real 18th-century Scottish events, notably the "Appin Murder" and the Highland Clearances, which occurred in the aftermath of the Jacobite rising of 1745. Many of the characters are real people, including one of the principals, Alan Breck Stewart. The political situation of the time is portrayed from multiple viewpoints, and the Scottish Highland ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Robert Louis Stevenson
Robert Louis Stevenson (born Robert Lewis Balfour Stevenson; 13 November 1850 – 3 December 1894) was a Scottish novelist, essayist, poet and travel writer. He is best known for works such as ''Treasure Island'', ''Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde'', ''Kidnapped (novel), Kidnapped'' and ''A Child's Garden of Verses''. Born and educated in Edinburgh, Stevenson suffered from serious bronchial trouble for much of his life but continued to write prolifically and travel widely in defiance of his poor health. As a young man, he mixed in London literary circles, receiving encouragement from Sidney Colvin, Andrew Lang, Edmund Gosse, Leslie Stephen and William Ernest Henley, W. E. Henley, the last of whom may have provided the model for Long John Silver in ''Treasure Island''. In 1890, he settled in Samoa where, alarmed at increasing European and American influence in the Polynesia, South Sea islands, his writing turned from Romance (literary fiction), romance and adven ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Highland Clearances
The Highland Clearances ( , the "eviction of the Gaels") were the evictions of a significant number of tenants in the Scottish Highlands and Islands, mostly in two phases from 1750 to 1860. The first phase resulted from Scottish Agricultural Revolution, agricultural improvement, driven by the need for landlords to increase their income – many had substantial debts, with actual or potential bankruptcy being a large part of the story of the clearances. This involved the enclosure of the Open-field system, open fields managed on the run rig system and shared grazing. These were usually replaced with large-scale Pastoral farming, pastoral farms on which much higher rents were paid. The displaced tenants were expected to be employed in industries such as fishing, quarrying, or Kelp#Uses, kelp harvesting and processing. Their reduction in status from farmer to Croft (land), crofter was one of the causes of resentment. The second phase involved overcrowded crofting communities from ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Skiff
A skiff is any of a variety of essentially unrelated styles of small boats, usually propelled by sails or oars. Traditionally, these are coastal craft or river craft used for work, leisure, as a utility craft, and for fishing, and have a one-person or small crew. Sailing skiffs have developed into high performance competitive classes. Many of today's skiff classes are based in Australia and New Zealand in the form of , , and skiffs. The 29er, 49er, SKUD and Musto Skiff are all considered to have developed from the skiff concept, all of which are sailed internationally. The term skiff is also used for a racing shell called single scull for competitive rowing. Etymology The word is related to ''ship'' and has a complicated etymology: "skiff" comes from the Middle English ''skif'', which derives from the Old French ''esquif'', which in turn derives from the Germanic origin (German ''Schiff''). "Ship" comes from the Old English">German_language.html" ;"title="Italian langu ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Firth Of Forth
The Firth of Forth () is a firth in Scotland, an inlet of the North Sea that separates Fife to its north and Lothian to its south. Further inland, it becomes the estuary of the River Forth and several other rivers. Name ''Firth'' is a cognate of ''fjord'', a Norse word meaning a narrow inlet. ''Forth'' stems from the name of the river; this is ('slow running') in Proto-Celtic, yielding in Old Gaelic and in Welsh. It was known as ' in Roman Empire, Roman times and was referred to as ' in Ptolemy's ''Geography_(Ptolemy), Geography''. In the Norse mythology, Norse sagas it was known as the . An early Welsh language, Welsh name is , or the 'sea of '. Geography and geology Geologically, the Firth of Forth is a fjord, formed by the Forth Glacier in the last glacial period. The drainage basin for the Firth of Forth covers a wide geographic area including places as far from the shore as Ben Lomond, Cumbernauld, Harthill, Scotland, Harthill, Penicuik and the edges of Gleneagles H ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Brig
A brig is a type of sailing vessel defined by its rig: two masts which are both square rig, square-rigged. Brigs originated in the second half of the 18th century and were a common type of smaller merchant vessel or warship from then until the latter part of the 19th century. In commercial use, they were gradually replaced by Fore-and-aft rig, fore-and-aft rigged vessels such as Schooner, schooners, as owners sought to reduce crew costs by having rigs that could be handled by fewer men. In Royal Navy use, brigs were retained for training use when the battle fleets consisted almost entirely of iron-hulled steamships. Brigs were prominent in the coastal coal trade of British waters. 4,395 voyages to London with coal were recorded in 1795. With an average of eight or nine trips per year for one vessel, that is a fleet of over 500 Collier (ship), colliers trading to London alone. Other ports and coastal communities were also served by colliers trading to Britain's coal ports. In the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Cabin Boy
A cabin boy or ship's boy is a boy or young man who waits on the officers and passengers of a ship, especially running errands for the captain. The modern merchant navy successor to the cabin boy is the steward's assistant. Duties Cabin boys were usually 13–16 years old, but sometimes as young as 8, and also helped the cook in the ship's kitchen and carried buckets of food from the ship's kitchen to the forecastle where the ordinary seamen ate. They would have to scramble up the rigging into the yards whenever the sails had to be trimmed. They would occasionally stand watch like other crewmen or act as helmsman in good weather, holding the wheel to keep the ship steady on her course. They could be found on pirate ships sometimes. Royal Navy officers Several prominent British Royal Navy officers began their career as cabin boys. The list includes officers that achieved an admiralty rank before 1801. * Admiral of the Fleet Sir William Parker, 1st Baronet of Shenstone * Admi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Small Beer
Small beer (also known as small ale or table beer) is a lager or ale that contains a lower amount of alcohol by volume than most others, usually between 0.5% and 2.8%. Sometimes unfiltered and porridge-like, it was a favoured drink in Medieval Europe and colonial North America compared with more expensive beer containing higher levels of alcohol. Small beer was also produced in households for consumption by children and by servants. History At mealtimes in the Middle Ages, persons of all ages drank small beer, particularly while eating a meal at the table. It is hard to establish the associated alcoholic content, since systematic records of brewing practice do not exist much before the Georgian era. It was common for workers who engaged in laborious tasks to drink more than ten imperial pints (5.7 litres) of small beer a day to quench their thirst. Small beer was also consumed for its nutrition content. It might contain traces of wheat or bread suspended within it. In 17th ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Porridge
Porridge is a food made by heating, soaking or boiling ground, crushed or chopped starchy plants, typically grain, in milk or water. It is often cooked or served with added flavourings such as sugar, honey, fruit, or syrup to make a sweet cereal, or it can be mixed with spices, meat, or vegetables to make a Savoury (dish), savoury dish. It is usually served hot in a bowl, depending on its consistency. Oat porridge, (known as oatmeal in North America) is one of the most common types of porridge. Gruel is a thinner version of porridge and congee is a savoury variation of porridge of Asian cuisine, Asian origin. Type of grains The term "porridge" is used in British English (Britain, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand) specifically for oatmeal. This is a hot mixture of oatmeal or oats slowly cooked with water or milk. It is typically eaten for breakfast by itself or with other ingredients, including salt, sugar, fruit, milk, cream, or butter. Other grains used for porridge include ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Blunderbuss
The blunderbuss is a 17th- to mid-19th-century firearm with a short, large caliber Gun barrel, barrel. It is commonly flared at the muzzle (firearms), muzzle to help aid in the loading of Lead shot, shot and other projectiles of relevant quantity or caliber. The blunderbuss is commonly considered to be an early predecessor of the modern shotgun, with similar military usage. It was effective only at short range, lacking accuracy at long distances. A blunderbuss in handgun form was called a ''Dragon (firearm), dragon'', and it is from this that the term ''dragoon'' evolved. Etymology The term "blunderbuss" is of Dutch language, Dutch origin, from the Dutch word ''donderbus'', which is a combination of ''donder'', meaning "thunder", and ''bus'', meaning "container, tin" (Middle Dutch: ''busse'', box, jar, from Latin ''buxus'', box tree). The transition from ''donder'' to ''blunder'' is thought by some to be deliberate; the term ''blunder'' was originally used in a transitive verb, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Cramond
Cramond Village (; ) is a village and suburb in the north-west of Edinburgh, Scotland, at the mouth of the River Almond where it enters the Firth of Forth. The Cramond area has evidence of Mesolithic, Bronze Age and Roman activity. In modern times, it was the birthplace of the Scottish economist John Law (1671–1729). Cramond was incorporated into the City of Edinburgh by the Edinburgh Boundaries Extension and Tramways Act 1920 ( 10 & 11 Geo. 5. c. lxxxvii). Etymology It was once believed that Cramond Roman Fort was known to the Romans as ''Alaterva''. A stone altar was dug up in the grounds of Cramond House dedicated "To the Alatervan Mothers and the Mothers of the Parade-ground."Site Record for Cramond Edinburgh, Cramond Roman Fort Details – Royal Commission on the A ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Scottish Lowlands
The Lowlands ( or , ; , ) is a cultural and historical region of Scotland. The region is characterised by its relatively flat or gently rolling terrain as opposed to the mountainous landscapes of the Scottish Highlands. This area includes cities like Edinburgh and Glasgow and is known for its fertile farmland, historic sites, and urban centres. It is the more populous and industrialised part of Scotland compared to the sparsely populated Highlands. Culturally, the Lowlands and the Scottish Highlands, Highlands diverged from the Late Middle Ages into the modern period, when Scots language, Lowland Scots replaced Scottish Gaelic throughout most of the Lowlands. Geography Geographically, Scotland is divided into three distinct areas: the Scottish Highlands, Highlands, the Central plain (Central Belt, in the Central Lowlands), and the Southern Uplands. The Lowlands cover roughly the latter two. The northeast plain is also "low-land", both geographically and culturally, but in ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ettrick Forest
Selkirkshire or the County of Selkirk is a Counties of Scotland, historic county and registration county of Scotland. It borders Peeblesshire to the west, Midlothian to the north, Roxburghshire to the east, and Dumfriesshire to the south. It derives its name from its county town, the royal burgh of Selkirk, Scottish Borders, Selkirk. The county was historically also known as Ettrick Forest. Unlike many historic counties, Selkirkshire does not have its own lieutenancy areas of Scotland, lieutenancy area, but forms part of the Roxburgh, Ettrick and Lauderdale lieutenancy area. History In the 1st Century Anno Domini, AD Selkirk formed part of the lands of the native people who hunted it rather than settled there. Neither the Roman Empire, Romans, Angles (tribe), Angles, or the Saxons cleared much of the forestry there and for centuries Selkirk was known for its forest coverage. Indeed, an alternative name for the county was Ettrick Forest. Under the Scottish kings the forest was ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
