Scottish Gaelic Column January 1999 - Setting Course with the Hector (A' Cur Cùrsa leis a' Hector)

The Scottish Gaelic Column

Tha an colbh Gàidhlig seo air a tharraing à "Cothrom", an ràitheachan dà-chànanach aig CLI. Thèid "Cothrom" fhaighinn an asgaidh le buill ChLI, an carthannas airson luchd-ionnsachaidh is luchd-taic na Gàidhlig.

This Gaelic column is drawn from "Cothrom", the bilingual quarterly magazine from CLI. "Cothrom" is distributed free to members of CLI, the charity for learners and supporters of Scots Gaelic

	A' Cur Cùrsa leis a' Hector	Setting Course with the Hector
Bho chionn ghoirid thadhail Canaideanach is neach Gàidhlig Frang MacUilleim air Pictou ann an Alba Nuadh far a bheil mac-samhail dhen "Hector" - long a tha ainmeil air gach taobh dhen Chuan Siar air son a pàirt ann an eilthireachd nan Albannach - ga togail. Tha sinn an comain Fhraing air son CLI adhartachadh ann an Canada agus air son a chead an aiste seo a thoirt a Gaelforce Five, an iris aige fhèin mun Ghàidhlig - faic an sanas air duilleag 55. (eadar-theangachadh)	Canadian Gàidhlig activist Frank Wilson recently visited Pictou in Nova Scotia, where a replica of the "Hector" - the ship renowned on both sides of the Atlantic for its part in Scottish emigration - is being built. We are indebted to Frank for promoting CLI in Canada and for permission to reproduce this article from Gaelforce Five, his own Gaelic-interest periodical - see the advert on page 55. (original text)
Tha e an-còmhnaidh duilich sgeul a sgrìobhadh mu aon tachartas ann an eachdraidh gun a bhith a' faireachdainn gu bheil thu a' tòiseachadh anns a' mheadhan agus a' fàgail air dhearmad mar a thàinig cùisean gu bhith sa chiad dol a-mach. 'Sann mar sin a tha e le sgeul a' Hector, long de 200 tunna is 110 troigh a chaidh a togail san Òlaind: Car son a bha na daoine seo a' trèigsinn Alba air son dùthaich is beatha nach b'aithne dhaibh anns an t-soitheach thrì-chrannach gun druim seo?	It is always difficult to write a story about one incident in history without feeling you are starting in the middle and leaving out the reason why things happened in the first place. And so it is with the story of the 200 ton, 110ft Hector: Why were these people leaving Scotland for an unknown country and an unknown future in this three-masted, flat-bottomed, Dutch-built vessel?
Tha e follaiseach gu robh gnothach aig na Fuadaichean agus aig an aomadh choitcheann ann an cor beatha na Gàidhealtachd an dèidh Bliadhna Theàrlaich ris an turas seo. Dh'fheuch mi ri smaoineachadh dè an cor inntinn agus dè an cor beatha a bh'aig an fheadhainn a rùnaich imrich as Alba nuair a leugh iad an sanas a chaidh a chur ann an Sanasair Dhun Èideann le fear John Pagan an 1773, is e a' leigeil fhaicinn gum biodh an long Hector a' dèanamh air Cala Phictou. Dhen 200 pasaindear bha 25 'nam fir shingilte; ach bha barrachd aire agam dha na 33 teaghlach a chuir romhpa falbh cuideachd.	Clearly this journey was connected with the Highland Clearances and the general deterioration of living conditions in the Highlands after the '45 rebellion. I tried to imagine the state of mind of those who chose to make this journey, and their circumstances in Scotland, as they looked at the advert inserted in the Edinburgh Advertiser by one John Pagan in 1773, announcing the intended departure of the ship Hector for Pictou Harbour. Of the 200 passengers, 25 were single men; but I thought more about the 33 families who also decided to go.
Tha e coltach gun deach deòntasan air son an aon 200,000 acaire fearainn ris an canar Siorrachd Phictou an-diugh a thoirt dha na h-uimhir de chompanaidhean is de dhaoine, agus gu robh aonta ann an cumhaichean nan deòntasan gun dèanadh na daoine an dìcheall an tìr a thuineachadh. Thurchair gun d'fhuair Seon Pagan, a bha mar-thà air luchd imrich a thoirt a Alba a Bhoston air a' Hector, a-steach air na bha dol. Mar sin dheth dh'fhastaich e neach ionaid dham b'ainm Seumas Ros gus luchd taca eile a thàladh. Air an tairgsinn bha aiseag, tac agus solar bliadhna. Thàinig 200 Gàidheal air adhart air son an turais thiamhaidh seo.	It seems that a number of companies and individuals had been given grants to the approximately 200,000 acres of land now known as Pictou County, and there was an understanding under the terms of the grants that these individuals make a serious attempt to settle the land. It came about that the John Pagan, who had already brought Scottish immigrants to Boston on his ship the Hector, acquired some of these shares. So he secured an agent by the name of James Ross to attract other Scottish tenant farmers. The deal included passage, a farm lot and a year's provision. 200 Highland passengers signed on for this tragic voyage.
Fo chomannd a' mhaighstir luinge Seon Speirs, sheòl a' Hector a Loch Bhraoin ann an Ros an-Iar san Iuchar 1773. 'S gann gun creidseadh tu an t-àite còmhnaidh fon deag. Sreathan de dhà bhunca air sia troigh a dh'fhaid gun dìomhaireachd ach bho chùrtairean clò; gun uidheam slàinteachais ach dusanan de bhucaidean a' laighe air an ùrlar, le cuinneagan dhan fheadhainn air an robh cur na mara.	Under the command of John Speirs as Master, the Hector departed Loch Broom in Wester Ross in July 1773. Accommodation below decks was almost beyond our ability to visualise. Rows of six-foot bunks in two tiers with cloth curtains to provide meagre privacy. Dozens of wooden buckets lay on the floor as the only means of sanitation, and for those who were sea-sick smaller buckets were provided.
Chaidh an t-sìde bhuaithe agus bh'aca ri fuireach gu h-ìseal fad làithean mòra, agus cha robh e fada mus do bhuail an spùt agus a' bhreac air na pasaindearan truagha. Dhen 28 duine cloinne fo dhà bhliadhn a dh'aois cha d'ràinig Pictou ach deichnear. Chaidh an còrr a thiodhlagadh aig muir. Air dhaibh teannadh ri Newfoundland dh'èirich gailleann chruaidh agus chaidh an iomain air ais an aghaidh an slighe. Thug e dà sheachdain eile an t-astar sin a bhuannachd a-rithist. Bha tomhas mionaideach air a bhith air a dhèanamh air biadh is bùrn, agus bha na seachdainean a bharrachd 'nan srì èiginneach a thighinn beò - chaidh mìrean liatha bìdh a thional as a' bhulg is an ithe.	As the weather deteriorated they were forced to stay below for days on end and soon dysentery and smallpox struck the hapless passengers down. Of the 28 children under two years old only ten survived to see Pictou - the rest were buried at sea. As they reached Newfoundland a severe storm broke and they were driven back in the opposite direction. It took two more weeks to regain their former position. The food and water had been carefully calculated, and the extra weeks became a desperate struggle for survival -mouldy scraps of food were collected from the bilge and eaten.
Mu dheireadh, an dèidh dà mhìos air fairge, thilg a' Hector acair ann an Cala Phictou. Bha na bh'air tighinn beò tro uiread a chruadal a-nis air am fàgail a thighinn beò air tìr. Cha robh an solar a chaidh a ghealltainn dhaibh idir ann. Bha iad air am fàgail air an ceann fhèin. Ach 'se dream treun a th'ann an Gàidheil na h-Alba agus rinn iad a' chùis.	Finally, after two months at sea, the Hector dropped anchor in Pictou Harbour. The survivors who had endured so much hardship were now left to survive on land. The supplies which had been promised simply did not exist. They were on their own. But the Scottish Highlanders are a hardy breed and survive they did.
Cha robh e fada mus robh iad a' brosnachadh an luchd dàimh gus an leantainn, agus 'sann bhon t-sìol seo a thàinig mìltean de Ghàidheil gu bhith a' tàmh san dùthaich ùir. Ro 1803 bha 5,000 duine ann am Pictou agus thàinig mìltean eile air son sgaoileadh air feadh Alba Nuaìdh, a' gabhail a-staigh Antigonis is Eilean Cheap Breatainn, agus gu Eilean a' Phrionnsa agus na Roinnean Uachdarach. Seo uile a' leantainn air an sgioba fhiùghantach a dh'fhàg Loch Bhraoin an latha ud air a' Hector.	Soon they were encouraging their relatives to follow in their foot-steps, and thus from this seed came the settlement of thousands of Highlanders to the new land. By 1803 there were 5,000 people in Pictou and thousands more came to spread throughout Nova Scotia, including Antigonish and Cape Breton Island, and to Prince Edward Island and the Upper Provinces. All of this from the hardy souls who set out that day on the Hector from Loch Broom.
An-diugh tha còmhlan fiùghantach eile de dhaoine dùrachdach a' feuchainn ri mac-samhail ceart dhen Hector a thogail, ach aig àm sgrìobhaidh tha an t-ionmhas air traoghadh agus tha a' phròiseact 'na thàmh. Chunnaic mi an long ann an doc tràighte sa chala, agus 'se pròiseact eagalach mòr a th'ann gun teagamh. Chuireadh e ioghnadh ort meud nan sailthean a tha dhìth agus a' chiùird làimhe leis an cumar na reangan aibheiseach seo.	Today another hardy group of dedicated people are trying to build an exact replica of the Hector, but at the time of writing they are out of funding and the project is at a standstill. I saw the ship in dry dock at the harbour, and the magnitude of this project is a challenging one to say the least. The size of the timbers required and the skill to hand-form these massive ribs has to be admired.
Tha fhios agam gun tèid leotha. Feumar a' phròiseact a thoirt gu ceann - thathas air tighinn ro fhada gu bhith stad. Tha an taigh tasgaidh fhèin 'na obair ealanta agus feumaidh tu fhaicinn gus am beachd as lugha fhaighinn dhen chiùird làimhe a chruthaich e. Mar phàirt dhen taisbeanadh tha sgeul nam Fuadaichean, a tha fiù 's nas oillteile na tè a' Hector. Bheir an t-àite air fad air do chridhe gluasad.	I know that they will succeed. This project has to be completed - it has gone too far to stop. The museum itself is a masterpiece and you simply have to see it to get any idea of the workmanship that went into its creation. Included in the museum is the story of the Highland Clearances, which is even more shocking than that of the Hector. Altogether an emotional experience.

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