The Highlanders of Scotland - Clan Strachan Society

30 THE HIGHLANDERS [part i
CHAPTER III.
The Scottish Conquest— Its Effects did not extend to the
Northern Picts, but were confined exclusively to the
Southern Picts, or Picts inhabiting the Lowlands—The
Northern Picts were altogether unaffected by that
Conquest, and remained in some degree independent of
THE Scottish Dynasty, which then began to rule over
THE greater part OF SCOTLAND.
Having now examined, at some length, the internal state
and constitution of the different tribes inhabiting Scotland in
the year 731, and ascertained their relative position, we shall
be better enabled to determine the nature and extent of the
singular revolution which took place in the ninth century. In
doing this we are unfortunately deprived of the usual mode of
ascertaining an historical point, as the silence of the best authorities
for the history of this period, and the fables of
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No distinct
i i • •
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autiioiity the Other historians, have lelt us no distinct authority
regarding - . ... •, i i
the Scottish for the nature 01 the event. It is still possible, how^conquest.
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ever, in a point of this nature, to make a considerable
approximation to the truth, by reasoning as well from the
natural consequences of the events which we know to have
happened previously to the revolution as from the condition of
the country after it. Either of these modes of reason-
TsMrtained^ iug in thcmselves would afford a strong presumption
ofrel^onhfg^^ that the conclusion to which we are brought by them,
was probably the true one, but if the result of both
accurately coincides, we are then warranted in concluding that
we have made the nearest approximation to the truth, which it
is possible to attain regarding the nature of a revolution occur-
ring at so very distant a period.
In the first place, then, we shall ascertain the principal events
of the history of Scotland, between the )-ear 731 and that in