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Electric Scotland News
Kept adding to the July issue of My Canadian Experience.
Again lots of videos for you to watch but mind you can fast forward through them so don't need to watch the entire video.
You can get to this issue at: http://www.electriccanadian.com/canada_add23.htm
--------
The story this week is about Sir Donald McLeod. I took this article from the BBC but would point out that this is how I discover material for the site. I used the Internet Archive to see if there was a book about him and discovered there was and so added this to the site.
I've also had a person contact me from Nova Scotia who is willing to provide more up to date information on the minerals industry in Canada so look forward to getting this to put up on the site.
Scottish News from this weeks newspapers
I am partly doing this to build an archive of modern news from and about Scotland and world news stories that can affect Scotland and as all the newsletters are archived and also indexed on search engines it becomes a good resource. I might also add that in a number of newspapers you will find many comments which can be just as interesting as the news story itself and of course you can also add your own comments if you wish which I do myself from time to time.
Here is what caught my eye this week...
Why 'pyramids' were built on a royal estate
Tucked deep in the woods of Balmoral, these intriguing structures tell a quiet story of love, grief and nation building.
Read more at:
https://www.bbc.com/travel/article/2...ds-of-scotland
The undersea tunnel network that could transform Shetland's fortunes
Shetland wants to ditch ageing ferries and replace them with undersea tunnels connecting five islands including Unst, the most northerly of the British Isles.
Read more at:
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cvg7jw27w1do
Canada and EU Sign Massive Aluminum Deal - US Isolated
In a stunning geopolitical move, Canada and the European Union have signed a strategic aluminum deal that completely EXCLUDES the United States. While President Trump doubled tariffs on imported metals, Ottawa and Brussels responded with precision, speed, and force—redrawing the global trade map and leaving Washington behind. As U.S. manufacturers face skyrocketing aluminum prices and production delays, Canada quietly repositioned itself as a global supplier of choice. This video uncovers the real impact of Trump’s tariff war, why Canada’s silent counterattack shocked the White House, and how this new alliance with the EU may reshape the global aluminum market in 2025 and beyond.
Watch this at:
https://youtu.be/SbZHW2GrYE0?si=Pij9_OeVXC88R1b7
How television ate politics
There are many reasons for the dire state of UK politics. But one explanation doesn’t get enough attention from Left or Right: the collapse of political parties as mass social movements. Starting in the 1980s, TV has turned politics into entertainment, and hollowed out the old parties it relied on. This isn’t sustainable.
Read more at:
https://capx.co/how-television-ate-politics
Reclaim the Enlightenment
By John Gray
Read more at:
https://sceptical.scot/2025/07/recla...enlightenment/
Tall Ships Races: Everything you need to know about
The Tall Ships Races Aberdeen - which organisers predict will be the biggest tourist event in Scotland this year - is under sail.
Read more at:
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cm260295n1no
Conrad Black: Liberals must retreat from their climate
The country is being bankrupted
Read more at:
https://nationalpost.com/opinion/con...ate-obsessions
Is America breaking the world’s economy?
With Donald Trump threatening sweeping new tariffs on the EU, the European Commission warns that transatlantic trade could become almost impossible a shock that would rattle supply chains and plunge business leaders into uncertainty. As economic forecasters grapple with volatility in Washington, we ask: is America heading for Reagan-style renewal or Carter-era stagflation?
You can watch this at:
https://youtu.be/ocJ27GjGOIc?si=hIcHymfndwOenAM1
Could fungi control your mind?
Countless species of fungi live in and on our bodies. Some scientists think they could be influencing our brains and behaviour.
Read more at:
https://www.bbc.com/future/article/2...nds-and-brains
What do we know about Donald Trump's visit to Scotland?
Donald Trump flies into Scotland on Friday for a four-day trip, his first visit to the UK since his re-election. The US president is due to visit his golf resorts at Turnberry on the Ayrshire coast and Menie in Aberdeenshire. The White House has described the visit as a "private" trip and said he will meet Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer.
Read more at:
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cgmw03e9423o
History and the national interest
Those who do not learn from the past are liable to misunderstand Britain’s place in the world
Read more at:
https://thecritic.co.uk/history-and-...onal-interest/
How The Barras became Glasgow's most exciting foodie destination
Whelks, mussels and white sugar-coated doughnuts might well be what first come to mind when you picture food from The Barras Market in Glasgow. None of the above is wrong, with the Loch Fyne Shellfish Bar on London Road celebrating 65 years in business and Danny’s Donuts still firing up their fryers every weekend.
Read more at:
https://archive.is/AMNFE
Carney says Canada won't settle for a 'bad deal' on US tariffs
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney has said his country "will not accept a bad deal" simply to reach a trade agreement with the US, as a deadline of 1 August looms before US President Donald Trump begins to impose new tariffs.
Read more at:
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c994e312ev5o
Electric Canadian
George Frederick Galt
Businessman, athlete, and office holder
Learn more about him at:
http://www.electriccanadian.com/makers/george-galt.pdf
The Gaelic College
New Mabou campus offers opportunities for post-secondary students
Learn more at:
http://www.electriccanadian.com/hist...ic-college.htm
Film and The Ukrainians in Canada 1921-1980
By Shirley Zaporzan and Robert B. Klymasz (Additional Entries by Jars Balan)
Read more at:
http://www.electriccanadian.com/hist...inian-film.htm
The Royal Readers
A series of 5 books which teach reading to children.
You can read these books at:
http://www.electriccanadian.com/chil...al-readers.htm
The Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders of Canada
Twenty-Fifth Anniversary Souvenir Compiled and Edited by Lieutenant-Colonel J. D. Sinclair, V.D. (1935) (pdf)
You can read this at:
http://www.electriccanadian.com/forces/P005942.pdf
Sketches of the Past and Present conditions of the Indians of Canada
By George M. Dawson, D.S., Assoc. R.S.M., F.G.S. Assistant Director Geol. Survey of Canada July 1879 (pdf)
You can read this at:
http://www.electriccanadian.com/hist...st/P000870.pdf
In Hindsight: Half a Century of Research Discoveries in Canadian History
You can read this at:
http://www.electriccanadian.com/hist...de-07-Text.pdf
Thoughts on a Sunday Morning - the 20th day of July 2025 - Uncommon Wisdom
By The Rev. Nola Crewe
You can watch this at:
http://www.electricscotland.org/foru...ncommon-wisdom
A Mother in Israel
Sketch of the Late Mrs. D. B. Blair (pdf)
You can read this sketch at:
http://www.electriccanadian.com/hist...sdbb00blai.pdf
In Memoriam - Jane Chisholm
OB. 30th Sept., 1865. AET. 19. Sermon, preached at West Branch East River, Pictou, in the 1st Day of October, 1865, by The Rev. S. McGregor, A. M. (pdf)
You can read this at:
http://www.electriccanadian.com/hist...nech00mcgr.pdf
Echoes from the Backwoods
Or Sketches from Transatlantic Life by Captain R. G. A. Levinge (Second Edition) (1847)
You can read this book at:
http://www.electriccanadian.com/hist...ebackwoods.htm
Candian War Cuts & Clippings
Volume I May 1915 to September 1915 (pdf)
You can read this volume at:
http://www.electriccanadian.com/forces/clips.htm
Eli Bornstein Life & Work
By Roald Nasgaard (2024) (pdf)
Learn more about him at:
http://www.electriccanadian.com/make...e-and-work.pdf
The Beaver Magazine
Added No. 1 Outfit 259 June 1928 (pdf)
You can read this issue at:
http://www.electriccanadian.com/tran...erJune1928.pdf
Electric Scotland
Westminster Politicians and Rectorial Elections in Scotland’s Universities 1820–1920
By Gordon Pentland (2025) (pdf)
You can read this article at:
https://electricscotland.com/lifesty...-1820-1920.pdf
The Story of Johnstown
Its early settlement, rise and progress, industrial growth, and appaling flood on May 31st, 1889 by J. J. McLaurin, Editor Harrisburg Telegram (1890) (pdf)
You can read this at:
https://electricscotland.com/history.../johnstone.pdf
Turning a Scottish Island Farm into a Victorian Paradise
We spent two years 'un-renovating' one of Scotland's most remote farms, taking it on a journey back through time to the 19th century. Peeling back a dozen layers of wallpaper, we found something truly astounding.
You can watch this at:
https://electricscotland.com/lifestyle/islandfarm.htm
Decisions of the Court of Session
From November 1760 to November 1764 collected by Patrick Murray, John Monro, Alexander Wight, John M'Laurin, Ilay Campbell, Archibald Cockburn, Advocates to which are added Decisions of the Court of Session in most important cases From June 1716 to January 1717, observed by Alexander Bruce, Esq., Advocate, never hitherto printed (1772) (pdf)
You can read this at:
https://electricscotland.com/history...t-of-_1772.pdf
Parisiana
The real truth about the bombardment or the volunteer with the besieged armies, 1870-71, adventure, anecdote, and active service by Cameron Stuart MacDowall, Indian Army, (3rd Bombay Light Cavalry) (1871) (pdf)
You can read this book at:
https://electricscotland.com/history.../Parisiana.pdf
Marse Henry
An autobiography by Henry Watterson, two volumes in one (1919) (pdf)
You can learn more about him at:
https://electricscotland.com/history...bi0000watt.pdf
Our Southern Highlanders
By Horace Kephart (1913) (pdf)
You can read this book at:
https://electricscotland.com/history...ghl01kepha.pdf
Through "New York" Eyes - 36 hours in Edinburgh
A video of this tour which I've added to the foot of our Edinburgh page.
You can watch this at:
https://electricscotland.com/history...urgh/index.htm
The Club-Book
Being original tales by various authors edited by the author of "The Dominie's Legacy" in three volumes (1831)
You can read these volumes at:
https://electricscotland.com/lifestyle/club-book.htm
The Blackwood Group
By Sir George Douglas, in the Famous Scots series, John Wilson, John Galt, D. M. Moir ('Delta'), Miss Ferrier, Michael Scott, Thomas Hamilton (1897) (pdf)
You can read this book at:
https://electricscotland.com/history...kwoodgroup.pdf
Tall Ships Aberdeen 2025
Some pictures from Stan Bruce and also a couple of videos.
You can see all this at:
https://electricscotland.com/history...lships2025.htm
Clan MacKenzie Initiative
Added information on their gathering at the Inverness Highland Games
You can read this at:
https://electricscotland.com/mackenz...vejuly2025.pdf
Story
The surprising connection between a gorgeous Himalayan town and a Scottish civil servant
McLeod Ganj hit British screens as Race Across the World contestants reached the Himalayan town in their latest challenge
You’ll struggle to find a corner of the globe untouched by Scotland’s influence, and that includes the soaring peaks of the Himalayas. High in the hills of northern India, nestled in the state of Himachal Pradesh, lies a place with an unmistakably Scottish name.
McLeod Ganj, a suburb of Dharamshala, was beamed into living rooms across Britain when it featured on the BBC’s hit travel series Race Across the World, as contestants raced into this spiritual sanctuary in the latest leg of their adventure.
Often called Little Lhasa, McLeod Ganj is more than just a picturesque hill station. It serves as the base for the Tibetan government in exile, a role it has held since the 1950s and '60s when thousands of Tibetans fled persecution in China.
Today, it remains a centre of Tibetan culture and Buddhism, home to the Tsuglag Khang complex, the temple of the Dalai Lama himself.
The area has also become a major destination for trekkers eager to explore the Himalayas, the world’s tallest mountain range, with trails snaking through forested slopes and snow-capped vistas.
But why the Scottish name? The answer lies in the legacy of Sir Donald Friell McLeod, an Anglo-Indian civil servant who was Lieutenant Governor of the Punjab from 1865 to 1870.
While ‘ganj’ is a Persian word meaning ‘neighbourhood’, the ‘McLeod’ comes from the man himself, a Scot by heritage and administrator by trade.
Though he was born in Fort William, it was not the Highlands town in the shadow of Ben Nevis. Instead, his birthplace was a colonial fort in Calcutta named after the town, where his Scottish father, Lieutenant-General Duncan McLeod of the Bengal Engineers, had been stationed.
At the age of just four, Donald McLeod was sent to the Scottish Highlands to be raised by his grandfather.
He was educated in Edinburgh and London before enrolling at the prestigious East India College at Haileybury, where many colonial administrators were trained.
He returned to Calcutta in 1828 and entered service with the East India Company, later becoming Judicial Commissioner of the British Punjab in 1854.
McLeod was known for his philanthropy and deep religious convictions. A devout Christian, he dedicated much of his life to charitable projects and helped to establish Lahore Oriental College, which later became part of Punjab University.
Tragically, his life came to a horrific end in London in 1872. On November 28 of that year, McLeod arrived at Gloucester Road station to catch a Metropolitan Line train towards South Kensington.
Told by the station inspector he was too late, he reportedly attempted to board a moving carriage.
Though his right arm was uninjured, likely from clinging to the footboard, both legs and his left arm were nearly severed in his failed attempt to clamber aboard. He died later that day at St George’s Hospital.
His legacy, however, lives on, not just in McLeod Ganj, but also in McLeod Road in Lahore and McLeod’s Mews in South Kensington, though the latter's link to him remains disputed.
You can learn more about him from the book about him...
Sir Donald McLeod, C.B., K.C.S.I.
A record of forty-two years service in India by Major-General Edward Lake, C.S.I. (1873) (pdf)
PREFACE
DURING the first twenty years after the Punjab became a British province, Sir Donald McLeod played so important a part in its administration, that a complete record of his life during those years would be in a great measure the history of the Punjab during that eventful period; for long before he became Lieutenant-Governor of the Punjab, scarcely any measure of importance was introduced regarding which his counsel was not sought, and his advice, to some extent, followed. But to give any such detailed history would be beyond the scope of the following brief memoir. The object is rather to concentrate attention upon a few questions of permanent interest, the growing importance of which is day by day becoming more apparent to those who have the welfare of our great Indian Empire at heart—such questions as the evangelisation of the people of India, and more particularly of her aboriginal races, the education of the masses, and the relations between Europeans as the governing class and the natives whom God’s providence has placed under British rule. Upon these important questions Sir Donald McLeod was eminently qualified to speak with authority, not only on account of the experience he had acquired during more than forty years’ service in India, but because from the beginning to the end of his career he mixed, freely with the natives of the country, and had, therefore, great opportunities for looking at these questions from the native standpoint as well as his own. He thus learnt that many of the objections raised to the evangelisation of the natives, and more particularly of the aboriginal races, were stalking-horses of British creation. Upon these and other important points Sir Donald McLeod’s views are given as far as possible in his own words, and this will explain why copious extracts are made from his letters and papers referring to these subjects.
“McLeod, in a word,” writes Lord Lawrence, who had known him for more than forty years, “was a worthy type of the best of our civilians; a man devoted to his duty, who spared no pains to accomplish the work he had to do, and who, while health and strength lasted, never wished to leave his post.”
The following pages will show how true this description is, and how at an early period, having cast in his lot with India, Sir Donald continued to serve the best interests of her people to the very end, when a terrible accident brought his earthly career suddenly to a close. They will also show that, while he was a devoted servant of the State, labouring in no selfish or self-seeking spirit, but in the interests of the people committed to his charge, he never forgot his obligations to his Divine Master, in humble imitation of whom he went about doing good, and whose cause and kingdom he was ever anxious to advance.
It only remains to add that a great part of this memoir has already appeared in the “Sunday at Home;” but there are here many additions, chiefly from Sir Donald McLeod’s own letters and papers.
EDWARD LAKE.
London : December 10, 1873
You can get this book at:
https://electricscotland.com/history...leod00lake.pdf
END.
Weekend is almost here and hope it's a good one for you.
Alastair
Kept adding to the July issue of My Canadian Experience.
Again lots of videos for you to watch but mind you can fast forward through them so don't need to watch the entire video.
You can get to this issue at: http://www.electriccanadian.com/canada_add23.htm
--------
The story this week is about Sir Donald McLeod. I took this article from the BBC but would point out that this is how I discover material for the site. I used the Internet Archive to see if there was a book about him and discovered there was and so added this to the site.
I've also had a person contact me from Nova Scotia who is willing to provide more up to date information on the minerals industry in Canada so look forward to getting this to put up on the site.
Scottish News from this weeks newspapers
I am partly doing this to build an archive of modern news from and about Scotland and world news stories that can affect Scotland and as all the newsletters are archived and also indexed on search engines it becomes a good resource. I might also add that in a number of newspapers you will find many comments which can be just as interesting as the news story itself and of course you can also add your own comments if you wish which I do myself from time to time.
Here is what caught my eye this week...
Why 'pyramids' were built on a royal estate
Tucked deep in the woods of Balmoral, these intriguing structures tell a quiet story of love, grief and nation building.
Read more at:
https://www.bbc.com/travel/article/2...ds-of-scotland
The undersea tunnel network that could transform Shetland's fortunes
Shetland wants to ditch ageing ferries and replace them with undersea tunnels connecting five islands including Unst, the most northerly of the British Isles.
Read more at:
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cvg7jw27w1do
Canada and EU Sign Massive Aluminum Deal - US Isolated
In a stunning geopolitical move, Canada and the European Union have signed a strategic aluminum deal that completely EXCLUDES the United States. While President Trump doubled tariffs on imported metals, Ottawa and Brussels responded with precision, speed, and force—redrawing the global trade map and leaving Washington behind. As U.S. manufacturers face skyrocketing aluminum prices and production delays, Canada quietly repositioned itself as a global supplier of choice. This video uncovers the real impact of Trump’s tariff war, why Canada’s silent counterattack shocked the White House, and how this new alliance with the EU may reshape the global aluminum market in 2025 and beyond.
Watch this at:
https://youtu.be/SbZHW2GrYE0?si=Pij9_OeVXC88R1b7
How television ate politics
There are many reasons for the dire state of UK politics. But one explanation doesn’t get enough attention from Left or Right: the collapse of political parties as mass social movements. Starting in the 1980s, TV has turned politics into entertainment, and hollowed out the old parties it relied on. This isn’t sustainable.
Read more at:
https://capx.co/how-television-ate-politics
Reclaim the Enlightenment
By John Gray
Read more at:
https://sceptical.scot/2025/07/recla...enlightenment/
Tall Ships Races: Everything you need to know about
The Tall Ships Races Aberdeen - which organisers predict will be the biggest tourist event in Scotland this year - is under sail.
Read more at:
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cm260295n1no
Conrad Black: Liberals must retreat from their climate
The country is being bankrupted
Read more at:
https://nationalpost.com/opinion/con...ate-obsessions
Is America breaking the world’s economy?
With Donald Trump threatening sweeping new tariffs on the EU, the European Commission warns that transatlantic trade could become almost impossible a shock that would rattle supply chains and plunge business leaders into uncertainty. As economic forecasters grapple with volatility in Washington, we ask: is America heading for Reagan-style renewal or Carter-era stagflation?
You can watch this at:
https://youtu.be/ocJ27GjGOIc?si=hIcHymfndwOenAM1
Could fungi control your mind?
Countless species of fungi live in and on our bodies. Some scientists think they could be influencing our brains and behaviour.
Read more at:
https://www.bbc.com/future/article/2...nds-and-brains
What do we know about Donald Trump's visit to Scotland?
Donald Trump flies into Scotland on Friday for a four-day trip, his first visit to the UK since his re-election. The US president is due to visit his golf resorts at Turnberry on the Ayrshire coast and Menie in Aberdeenshire. The White House has described the visit as a "private" trip and said he will meet Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer.
Read more at:
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cgmw03e9423o
History and the national interest
Those who do not learn from the past are liable to misunderstand Britain’s place in the world
Read more at:
https://thecritic.co.uk/history-and-...onal-interest/
How The Barras became Glasgow's most exciting foodie destination
Whelks, mussels and white sugar-coated doughnuts might well be what first come to mind when you picture food from The Barras Market in Glasgow. None of the above is wrong, with the Loch Fyne Shellfish Bar on London Road celebrating 65 years in business and Danny’s Donuts still firing up their fryers every weekend.
Read more at:
https://archive.is/AMNFE
Carney says Canada won't settle for a 'bad deal' on US tariffs
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney has said his country "will not accept a bad deal" simply to reach a trade agreement with the US, as a deadline of 1 August looms before US President Donald Trump begins to impose new tariffs.
Read more at:
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c994e312ev5o
Electric Canadian
George Frederick Galt
Businessman, athlete, and office holder
Learn more about him at:
http://www.electriccanadian.com/makers/george-galt.pdf
The Gaelic College
New Mabou campus offers opportunities for post-secondary students
Learn more at:
http://www.electriccanadian.com/hist...ic-college.htm
Film and The Ukrainians in Canada 1921-1980
By Shirley Zaporzan and Robert B. Klymasz (Additional Entries by Jars Balan)
Read more at:
http://www.electriccanadian.com/hist...inian-film.htm
The Royal Readers
A series of 5 books which teach reading to children.
You can read these books at:
http://www.electriccanadian.com/chil...al-readers.htm
The Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders of Canada
Twenty-Fifth Anniversary Souvenir Compiled and Edited by Lieutenant-Colonel J. D. Sinclair, V.D. (1935) (pdf)
You can read this at:
http://www.electriccanadian.com/forces/P005942.pdf
Sketches of the Past and Present conditions of the Indians of Canada
By George M. Dawson, D.S., Assoc. R.S.M., F.G.S. Assistant Director Geol. Survey of Canada July 1879 (pdf)
You can read this at:
http://www.electriccanadian.com/hist...st/P000870.pdf
In Hindsight: Half a Century of Research Discoveries in Canadian History
You can read this at:
http://www.electriccanadian.com/hist...de-07-Text.pdf
Thoughts on a Sunday Morning - the 20th day of July 2025 - Uncommon Wisdom
By The Rev. Nola Crewe
You can watch this at:
http://www.electricscotland.org/foru...ncommon-wisdom
A Mother in Israel
Sketch of the Late Mrs. D. B. Blair (pdf)
You can read this sketch at:
http://www.electriccanadian.com/hist...sdbb00blai.pdf
In Memoriam - Jane Chisholm
OB. 30th Sept., 1865. AET. 19. Sermon, preached at West Branch East River, Pictou, in the 1st Day of October, 1865, by The Rev. S. McGregor, A. M. (pdf)
You can read this at:
http://www.electriccanadian.com/hist...nech00mcgr.pdf
Echoes from the Backwoods
Or Sketches from Transatlantic Life by Captain R. G. A. Levinge (Second Edition) (1847)
You can read this book at:
http://www.electriccanadian.com/hist...ebackwoods.htm
Candian War Cuts & Clippings
Volume I May 1915 to September 1915 (pdf)
You can read this volume at:
http://www.electriccanadian.com/forces/clips.htm
Eli Bornstein Life & Work
By Roald Nasgaard (2024) (pdf)
Learn more about him at:
http://www.electriccanadian.com/make...e-and-work.pdf
The Beaver Magazine
Added No. 1 Outfit 259 June 1928 (pdf)
You can read this issue at:
http://www.electriccanadian.com/tran...erJune1928.pdf
Electric Scotland
Westminster Politicians and Rectorial Elections in Scotland’s Universities 1820–1920
By Gordon Pentland (2025) (pdf)
You can read this article at:
https://electricscotland.com/lifesty...-1820-1920.pdf
The Story of Johnstown
Its early settlement, rise and progress, industrial growth, and appaling flood on May 31st, 1889 by J. J. McLaurin, Editor Harrisburg Telegram (1890) (pdf)
You can read this at:
https://electricscotland.com/history.../johnstone.pdf
Turning a Scottish Island Farm into a Victorian Paradise
We spent two years 'un-renovating' one of Scotland's most remote farms, taking it on a journey back through time to the 19th century. Peeling back a dozen layers of wallpaper, we found something truly astounding.
You can watch this at:
https://electricscotland.com/lifestyle/islandfarm.htm
Decisions of the Court of Session
From November 1760 to November 1764 collected by Patrick Murray, John Monro, Alexander Wight, John M'Laurin, Ilay Campbell, Archibald Cockburn, Advocates to which are added Decisions of the Court of Session in most important cases From June 1716 to January 1717, observed by Alexander Bruce, Esq., Advocate, never hitherto printed (1772) (pdf)
You can read this at:
https://electricscotland.com/history...t-of-_1772.pdf
Parisiana
The real truth about the bombardment or the volunteer with the besieged armies, 1870-71, adventure, anecdote, and active service by Cameron Stuart MacDowall, Indian Army, (3rd Bombay Light Cavalry) (1871) (pdf)
You can read this book at:
https://electricscotland.com/history.../Parisiana.pdf
Marse Henry
An autobiography by Henry Watterson, two volumes in one (1919) (pdf)
You can learn more about him at:
https://electricscotland.com/history...bi0000watt.pdf
Our Southern Highlanders
By Horace Kephart (1913) (pdf)
You can read this book at:
https://electricscotland.com/history...ghl01kepha.pdf
Through "New York" Eyes - 36 hours in Edinburgh
A video of this tour which I've added to the foot of our Edinburgh page.
You can watch this at:
https://electricscotland.com/history...urgh/index.htm
The Club-Book
Being original tales by various authors edited by the author of "The Dominie's Legacy" in three volumes (1831)
You can read these volumes at:
https://electricscotland.com/lifestyle/club-book.htm
The Blackwood Group
By Sir George Douglas, in the Famous Scots series, John Wilson, John Galt, D. M. Moir ('Delta'), Miss Ferrier, Michael Scott, Thomas Hamilton (1897) (pdf)
You can read this book at:
https://electricscotland.com/history...kwoodgroup.pdf
Tall Ships Aberdeen 2025
Some pictures from Stan Bruce and also a couple of videos.
You can see all this at:
https://electricscotland.com/history...lships2025.htm
Clan MacKenzie Initiative
Added information on their gathering at the Inverness Highland Games
You can read this at:
https://electricscotland.com/mackenz...vejuly2025.pdf
Story
The surprising connection between a gorgeous Himalayan town and a Scottish civil servant
McLeod Ganj hit British screens as Race Across the World contestants reached the Himalayan town in their latest challenge
You’ll struggle to find a corner of the globe untouched by Scotland’s influence, and that includes the soaring peaks of the Himalayas. High in the hills of northern India, nestled in the state of Himachal Pradesh, lies a place with an unmistakably Scottish name.
McLeod Ganj, a suburb of Dharamshala, was beamed into living rooms across Britain when it featured on the BBC’s hit travel series Race Across the World, as contestants raced into this spiritual sanctuary in the latest leg of their adventure.
Often called Little Lhasa, McLeod Ganj is more than just a picturesque hill station. It serves as the base for the Tibetan government in exile, a role it has held since the 1950s and '60s when thousands of Tibetans fled persecution in China.
Today, it remains a centre of Tibetan culture and Buddhism, home to the Tsuglag Khang complex, the temple of the Dalai Lama himself.
The area has also become a major destination for trekkers eager to explore the Himalayas, the world’s tallest mountain range, with trails snaking through forested slopes and snow-capped vistas.
But why the Scottish name? The answer lies in the legacy of Sir Donald Friell McLeod, an Anglo-Indian civil servant who was Lieutenant Governor of the Punjab from 1865 to 1870.
While ‘ganj’ is a Persian word meaning ‘neighbourhood’, the ‘McLeod’ comes from the man himself, a Scot by heritage and administrator by trade.
Though he was born in Fort William, it was not the Highlands town in the shadow of Ben Nevis. Instead, his birthplace was a colonial fort in Calcutta named after the town, where his Scottish father, Lieutenant-General Duncan McLeod of the Bengal Engineers, had been stationed.
At the age of just four, Donald McLeod was sent to the Scottish Highlands to be raised by his grandfather.
He was educated in Edinburgh and London before enrolling at the prestigious East India College at Haileybury, where many colonial administrators were trained.
He returned to Calcutta in 1828 and entered service with the East India Company, later becoming Judicial Commissioner of the British Punjab in 1854.
McLeod was known for his philanthropy and deep religious convictions. A devout Christian, he dedicated much of his life to charitable projects and helped to establish Lahore Oriental College, which later became part of Punjab University.
Tragically, his life came to a horrific end in London in 1872. On November 28 of that year, McLeod arrived at Gloucester Road station to catch a Metropolitan Line train towards South Kensington.
Told by the station inspector he was too late, he reportedly attempted to board a moving carriage.
Though his right arm was uninjured, likely from clinging to the footboard, both legs and his left arm were nearly severed in his failed attempt to clamber aboard. He died later that day at St George’s Hospital.
His legacy, however, lives on, not just in McLeod Ganj, but also in McLeod Road in Lahore and McLeod’s Mews in South Kensington, though the latter's link to him remains disputed.
You can learn more about him from the book about him...
Sir Donald McLeod, C.B., K.C.S.I.
A record of forty-two years service in India by Major-General Edward Lake, C.S.I. (1873) (pdf)
PREFACE
DURING the first twenty years after the Punjab became a British province, Sir Donald McLeod played so important a part in its administration, that a complete record of his life during those years would be in a great measure the history of the Punjab during that eventful period; for long before he became Lieutenant-Governor of the Punjab, scarcely any measure of importance was introduced regarding which his counsel was not sought, and his advice, to some extent, followed. But to give any such detailed history would be beyond the scope of the following brief memoir. The object is rather to concentrate attention upon a few questions of permanent interest, the growing importance of which is day by day becoming more apparent to those who have the welfare of our great Indian Empire at heart—such questions as the evangelisation of the people of India, and more particularly of her aboriginal races, the education of the masses, and the relations between Europeans as the governing class and the natives whom God’s providence has placed under British rule. Upon these important questions Sir Donald McLeod was eminently qualified to speak with authority, not only on account of the experience he had acquired during more than forty years’ service in India, but because from the beginning to the end of his career he mixed, freely with the natives of the country, and had, therefore, great opportunities for looking at these questions from the native standpoint as well as his own. He thus learnt that many of the objections raised to the evangelisation of the natives, and more particularly of the aboriginal races, were stalking-horses of British creation. Upon these and other important points Sir Donald McLeod’s views are given as far as possible in his own words, and this will explain why copious extracts are made from his letters and papers referring to these subjects.
“McLeod, in a word,” writes Lord Lawrence, who had known him for more than forty years, “was a worthy type of the best of our civilians; a man devoted to his duty, who spared no pains to accomplish the work he had to do, and who, while health and strength lasted, never wished to leave his post.”
The following pages will show how true this description is, and how at an early period, having cast in his lot with India, Sir Donald continued to serve the best interests of her people to the very end, when a terrible accident brought his earthly career suddenly to a close. They will also show that, while he was a devoted servant of the State, labouring in no selfish or self-seeking spirit, but in the interests of the people committed to his charge, he never forgot his obligations to his Divine Master, in humble imitation of whom he went about doing good, and whose cause and kingdom he was ever anxious to advance.
It only remains to add that a great part of this memoir has already appeared in the “Sunday at Home;” but there are here many additions, chiefly from Sir Donald McLeod’s own letters and papers.
EDWARD LAKE.
London : December 10, 1873
You can get this book at:
https://electricscotland.com/history...leod00lake.pdf
END.
Weekend is almost here and hope it's a good one for you.
Alastair