大象传媒

Tha genus de lusan ann an Ameireagaidh a Tuath ris an canar Frasera 鈥� mar eisimpleir Frasera speciosa. Tha iad c脿irdeach do na 鈥榞entians鈥� againne no lusan a鈥� chr霉bain ann an G脿idhlig. Chaidh an genus ainmeachadh airson fear Fraser no Friseal 鈥� a bha am measg an luchd-cruinneachaidh lusan a b鈥� ainmeile ri a linn. Chan e a-mh脿in gun robh e Albannach a tha inntinneach dhuinn, ach gun robh G脿idhlig aige.

Rugadh Iain Friseal ann an seachd ceud deug is leth-cheud (1750) ann an Tom na Croise ann am Br脿igh na h-脌irde faisg air Inbhir Nis. Bha athair 鈥� D貌mhnall Friseal 鈥搉a thuathanach no croitear. 鈥橲 e G脿idhlig a bh鈥� aca a-staigh, ged a tha d霉il gun robh a鈥� Bheurla Shasannach is Albais aig Iain cuideachd.

Nuair a bha e fichead bliadhna a dh鈥檃ois no mar sin, ghluais e a Lunnainn agus dh鈥檉hosgail e b霉th, a鈥� reic cl貌. Bha e a鈥� fulang aig amannan leis a鈥� chaitheamh agus, a r猫ir choltais, 鈥檚 ann airson leigheas fhaighinn don ghalar sin a fhuair e turas a dh鈥橝lba Nuadh ann an seachd ceud deug, ochdad 鈥檚 a dh脿 (1782). Bha e p貌sta le dithis ghillean 貌ga aig an 脿m. Thagh e Alba Nuadh oir bha e fh猫in is an t-Admaral Iain Caimbeul m貌r aig a ch猫ile 鈥� agus fhuair an Caimbeulach dreuchd mar Riaghladair Alba Nuaidh.鈥橲 ann nuair a bha e thall an sin a th貌isich Friseal air lusan a chruinneachadh. Chuir e a dhreuchd mar cheannaiche cl貌 an d脿rna taobh. Agus cha do thill e thuice airson聽a鈥� ch貌rr de a bheatha.

An ceann greis bha e sna Carolinas agus Georgia. Fhuair e e貌las air fear Frangach, Andr茅 Michaux, a bha a鈥� cruinneachadh lusan airson Riaghaltas na Frainge, agus rinn iad obair c貌mhla. Agus bha e ann an conaltradh le Albannach eile, Uilleam Forsyth, a bha na phr矛omh gh脿irnealair don R矛gh ann an Lunnainn.

Chuir Friseal seachad 霉ine ann an 鈥淒霉thaich nan Innseanach鈥� mar a ghabh e fh猫in oirre. Bha na Cherokee ris an do thachair e laghach is s矛theil, agus l矛on e bogsaichean le lusan. Agus thachair e ri fear T貌mas Bhaltair a bha a鈥� cur cr矛och air leabhar m貌r mu lusan Charolina. Tha e coltach gun do dh鈥� aontaich Friseal an leabhar a chur an cl貌 nuair a thilleadh e a Shasainn. Ach chaochail Bhaltair goirid mus do th貌isich Friseal air a shlighe dhachaigh ann an seachd ceud deug, ochdad 鈥檚 a h-ochd (1788).

Nuair a thill Friseal a Bhreatainn, thug e leis trithead m矛le sampall de lus (a bha marbh) agus grunn bhogsaichean de lusan be貌. Bha e gun sgillinn ruadh, ge-t脿, agus reic聽e m貌ran de na lusan. Ach tha e coltach nach robh sin a r猫ir an aonta a bh鈥� aige le feadhainn a chur airgead don phr貌iseact aige. Ghabh cuid dhiubh air an t-sr貌in e. Nam measg bha fear de na lus-e貌laichean as ainmeile anns an t-saoghal 鈥� Sir I貌saph Banks.

Co-dhi霉, fhuair am Frisealach airgead gu le貌r airson am Flora Caroliniana aig Bhaltair fhoillseachadh.聽
Bha ionad-脿raich lusan aige ann an Lunnainn a bha a鈥� c貌mhdachadh dusan acaire.
Bha e a鈥� reic lusan Ameireaganach, a bha gu m貌r anns an fhasan. Ach bha ceangal aig Friseal cuideachd don Ruis agus, a r猫ir cuid, don Bhan-矛mpire as ainmeile ann an eachdraidh na d霉thcha sin. Innsidh mi tuilleadh anns an ath Litir.

Tom na Croise: Tomnacross; Iain Friseal: John Fraser; riaghladair: governor; T貌mas Bhaltair: Thomas Walter; ionad-脿raich lusan: plant nursery; spaideil: smart; ban-矛mpire: empress.

luchd-cruinneachaidh lusan: plant collectors; chan e a-mh脿in gun robh e Albannach a tha inntinneach dhuinn: it鈥檚 not only that he was Scottish that is interesting to us;鈥檚 e G脿idhlig a bh鈥� aca a-staigh: it was Gaelic that was spoken in the home; tha d霉il gun robh a鈥� Bheurla Shasannach is Albais aige cuideachd: it is thought that he also spoke English and Scots; dh鈥檉hosgail e b霉th, a鈥� reic cl貌: he opened a shop,selling cloth; a鈥� fulang aig amannan leis a鈥� chaitheamh: sometimes suffering from tuberculosis; 鈥檚 ann airson leigheas fhaighinn don ghalar sin a fhuair e turas a dh鈥橝lba Nuadh: it was for getting a cure for that disease that he undertook a journey to Nova Scotia; p貌sta le dithis ghillean 貌ga: married with two young boys; bha e fh猫in is an t-Admaral Iain Caimbeul m貌r aig a ch猫ile: he and Admiral John Campbell were fond of each other; chuir e a dhreuchd mar cheannaiche cl貌 an d脿rna taobh: he gave up his career as a draper; cha do thill e thuice airson a鈥� ch貌rr de a bheatha: he didn鈥檛 return toit [fem] for the rest of his life; pr矛omh gh脿irnealair: chief gardener; 鈥淒霉thaich nan Innseanach鈥� mar a ghabh e fh猫in oirre: 鈥淚ndian Country鈥� as he himself called it; laghachis s矛theil: pleasant and peaceful; an leabhar a chur an cl貌 nuair a thilleadh e a Shasainn:to print the book when he returned to England; nach robh sin a r猫ir an aonta: that wasn鈥檛 in accordance with the agreement; ghabh cuid dhiubh air an t-sr貌in e: some of them tookit badly (on the nose); anns an fhasan: in fashion; as ainmeile: most famous.

Br脿igh na h-脌irde: Kiltarlity Parish. I鈥檇 like to make a plea for you to be careful to use proper Gaelic geographical terms, and not fall into the trap of translating from English, without checking reference sources. Here is a good example of the potential pitfalls. The village of Kiltarlity (near Beauly) derives the English form of its name from the Gaelic Cill Targhlain (鈥楾alorcan鈥檚 church鈥�). Thus one might be tempted to translate 鈥楰iltarlity Parish鈥� as Sg矛re Cill Targhlain. However the Gaelic for the parish is quite different from the name of the village. It is Br脿igh na h-脌irde,meaning the upper part of the Aird, a local area name (still referred to in Gaelic as An 脌ird and in English as The Aird).

fichead bliadhna a dh鈥檃ois no mar sin: twenty years of age or about that.

Tha 鈥淟itir do Luchd-ionnsachaidh鈥� air a maoineachadh le MG ALBA