_Highland Kilts._--I have waited a "reasonable time" to learn a little
about _kilts_ from your correspondents; but seeing that no one has yet
entered the arena, I forward an additional glove to cast before any
member of the Scottish societies luxuriating in London. It is from a
work written by one of themselves, hight Dr. Macculloch, who, in his
_Highlands and Western Isles of Scotland_ (vol. i. p. 176.), gives a
whole chapter on northern attire, which is well worth attention. To be
sure, he is rather merciless on some of Sandy's present likings, showing
them to be of no standing as to time; and he declares that the kilt
resembles the loricated skirts of the Roman tunica, only just as much as
Macedon does Monmouth. I will not mention how he laughs at the groups of
masquerading Highlanders; but will proceed to lay an extract before you,
which may incite inquiry and reply:
"A few enthusiasts have amused themselves with deriving the
Highland kilt from one of the dresses of the Romans, to which
the resemblance is sufficiently vague. These worthy antiquaries
forget the anger they feel at the bare notion that the Romans
ever interfered with the Highlanders...."
"The Roman theory of the kilt is, indeed, demolished at one
blow, by the fact, that this article of dress in an independent
form, or the philibeg, (feala beg), is of very modern
introduction, and, what is still worse, that it was the
invention of an Englishman. It was first introduced at Tyndrum
about a century past, (_this was published in_ 1824), by
Rawlinson, the superintendent or agent for the lead mines; who,
finding his labourers encumbered with their belted plaids,
taught them to separate the two into the present form."
[Greek: S]
_Derivation of Penny._--Not from the Celtic _Pen_, but from the German
_Pfennig_, _pf_ being softened into _p_, as in _pfau, peacock_, and _ig_
into _y_, as in _hereig, hearty_.