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«48
DRINKS.
for
curing
all
diseases,
and,
consequently,
he
was
re-
sorted
to
by
pilgrims
both
far
and
near.
Could
it
be
that
he
had
a
whiskey
still
?
I
know
not
;
but
to
this
day
a
spring
on
the
site
of
his
hermitage
helps
to
supply
the
Langholm
distillery.
Perhaps
the
earliest
historical
account
of
Scotch
whiskey
is
the
grant,
in
1690,
to
Duncan
Forbes
of
Culloden,
in
consideration
of
his
services
to
William
III.,
of
the
privilege
of
distilling
whiskey,
dutyfree,
in
the
barony
of
Ferrintosh.
Naturally,
a
number
of
distilleries
were
erected
there,
and
Ferrintosh
became
the
generic
term
for
whiskey.
In
1785
this
grant
was
annulled
on
payment
of
;,^
20,000
to
the
representatives
of
Duncan
Forbes,
a
proceeding
which
Robert
Burns
thus
wrote
about,,
in
his
"
Scotch
Drink
"
:
"
Thee,
Ferrintosh
!
O
sadly
lost
$cotland
laments
from
coast
to
coast
1
Now
colic-grips
an*
barkin'
hoast
May
kill
us
a'
;
For
loyal
Forbes'
chartered
boast
Is
ta'en
awa'."
The
Highland
risings
made
the
Lowlanders
more
familiar
with
this
spirit
;
but
it
wa^
a
long time
before
the
drink
became
general,
and
a
far
longer
before
it
was
generally
introduced
into
England.
"
Bonnie
Prince
Charlie"
got
too
fond
of
it,
and
his affection
for
strong
drinks
was
life-long.
George
IV.,
on
his
visit
to
Scotland,
thought
the
best
way
to
popularise
himself
on
his
arrival
was
to
call
for,
and
drink,
a
glass
of
whiskey
;
and
even
our
good
Queen
has
tasted
"
Athol-brose."