大象传媒

Tha mi cinnteach gun cuala sibh mu Chatr矛ona Uaibhreach, Ban-矛mpire na Ruis.鈥橲 d貌cha gu bheil sibh nas e貌laiche oirre mar Catherine the Great. Bha i os cionn na Ruis aig deireadh an ochdamh linn deug. Bha i cumhachdach agus tha e coltach gun robh i air leth measail air na fir, ma tha sibh gam thuigsinn.

Thathar ag r脿dh gun robh i measail air lusan cuideachd agus, anns an leabhar aice Seeds of Blood and Beauty: Scottish Plant Explorers, tha Ann Lindsay ag r脿dh gun d鈥� fhuair an G脿idheal, Iain Friseal, c霉mhnant bho Chatr矛onaairson lusan a chruinneachadh dhi ann an Ameireagaidh.

Chan e a-mh脿in gun tug Friseal lusan Ameireaganach don Ruis (agus a Bhreatainn) ach thug e cuideachd lusan Ruiseanach a dh鈥橝meireagaidh. Am measg sin bha an siridh ris an canar Tartarian Cherry 鈥� air a bheil daoine gu math measail anns na St脿itean Aonaichte fhathast. Nuair a bha e thall 鈥� ann an Tennessee, Kentucky is Ohio 鈥� lorg e Rhododendron catawbiense. Thug e sin dhachaigh leis a Bhreatainn 鈥� agus bha f猫ill mh貌r air.

Air an turas sin bha Iain c貌mhla ri a mhac, air an robh Iain cuideachd. Air an rathad dhachaigh, chaidh iad a Chi霉ba. Ach bha Ci霉ba ann an l脿mhan na Sp脿inne agus bha an Sp脿inn agus Breatainn ri cogadh an aghaidh a ch猫ile. Charobh na Frisealaich airson leigeil a-mach gur e Breatannaich a bh鈥� annta. Fhuair iad gr猫im air ceadan-siubhail fuadain Ameireaganach. Ach chaidh c霉isean ce脿rrorra bhon toiseach.

Chaidh an long aca air sgeir agus, fad sia latha, ch霉m iad gr猫im air spr霉illeach na luinge. Thog long Sp脿inneach iad. Ach, anns an tubaist, chaill iad na ceadan-siubhail Ameireaganach aca, agus cha b鈥� urrainn dhaibh dearbhadh gun robh iad 鈥淎meireaganach鈥�. Dh鈥檌nnis iad eachdraidh bhreugach do theachdaire Ameireaganach ann an Ci霉ba. Ghabh esan rithe mar an fh矛rinn agus chaidh leigeil leotha cumail a dol gu Havana.

Fhad 鈥檚 a bha Iain air taobh thall a鈥� chuain, dh鈥檃tharraich c霉isean gu m貌r anns an Ruis. Bha a鈥� Bhan-矛mpire Catr矛ona fon fh貌id. Bha Friseal an d霉il gun robh an t-脤mpire 霉r 鈥� P貌l 鈥� mac Catr矛ona 鈥� ag iarraidh nan lusan aige. Ach cha robh P貌l air an r矛gh-chathair fada.聽Bha e air a mhurt ann an ochd ceud deug 鈥檚 a h-aon(1801). B鈥� e an t-脤mpire 霉r an gille aige, Alasdair. Cha robh Alasdair de貌nach airgead a thoirt do Fhriseal airson na chruinnich e de lusan. Chuir Friseal seachadm矛osan anns an Ruis, feuch airgead fhaighinn bho na h-霉ghdarrasan. Aig a鈥檆heann thall, fhuair e gl猫 bheag agus dh鈥檉huiling a shl脿inte gu m貌r.
Aig aois caogad 鈥檚 a seachd, bha Iain Friseal ann an staing a thaobh airgead. Bhiodh aige ri dhol air ais a dh鈥橝meireagaidh aon turas eile, airson lusan 霉ra a chruinneachadh a bhiodh e a鈥� reic. Nuair a bha e thall, thuit e far each. Chat脿inig piseach air a shl脿inte agus chaochail e beagan mh矛osan 脿s d猫idh sin ann anochd ceud deug is aon-deug (1811) ann an Lunnainn.

Iain Friseal: John Fraser; Na St脿itean Aonaichte: The United States; lus-e貌laiche: botanist.

Catr矛ona Uaibhreach, Ban-矛mpire na Ruis: Catherine the Great, Empress of Russia; gun robh i air leth measail air na fir, ma tha sibh gam thuigsinn: that she was very keen on men, if you know what I mean; chan e a mh脿in gun tug Friseal lusan Ameireaganach don Ruis: it wasn鈥檛 just that Fraser took American plants to Russia; bha f猫ill mh貌r air: it was very well received; c貌mhla ri a mhac, air an robh Iain cuideachd: along with his son who was also called John; bha Ci霉ba ann an l脿mhan na Sp脿inne: Cuba was in Spanish hands; bha an Sp脿inn agus Breatainn ri cogadh an aghaidh a ch猫ile: Spain and Britain were at war against each other; airson leigeil a-mach gur e Breatannaich a bh鈥檃nnta: to let it be known that they were Britons; ceadan-siubhail fuadain Ameireaganach: false American passports; chaidh c霉isean ce脿rr orra bhon toiseach: things went wrong for them from the start; chaidh an long aca air sgeir:their ship struck a rock/reef; cha b鈥� urrainn dhaibh dearbhadh: they couldn鈥檛 prove; eachdraidh bhreugach: a false account; ghabh esan rithe mar an fh矛rinn: he accepted it as the truth; chaidh leigeil leotha cumail a dol: they were allowed to continue; air taobh thall a鈥� chuain: on the far s矛de of the ocean; fon fh貌id: buried(dead); cha robh P貌l air an r矛gh-chathair fada: Paul was not on the throne long;bha e air a mhurt: he was murdered; airson na chruinnich e de lusan: for the plant she (had) gathered; dh鈥檉huiling a shl脿inte: his health suffered.

thuit e far each: he fell off a horse. In previous聽Litrichean I鈥檝e given the examples thuit fear far an eich a bha e a鈥� marcachd (a聽man fell from the horse he was riding) and leum am m猫irleach far eich (the robber leapt from his horse), with the noun each in its genitive singular form eich. The聽difference in the current example is that there is no article. While the compound聽preposition far commands a noun in the genitive case, in modern Gaelic this is only seen following a (definite) article. There is no article in the example in the current Litir. With the example leum am m猫irleach far eich the article is understood because there is a hidden possessive adjective present (ie 鈥渉is鈥� horse,rather than 鈥渁鈥� horse).

Cha t脿inig piseach air a shl脿inte: his health did not聽improve.

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