Small octavo notebook, ca. 1840s, in marbled covers. Folios i-ii, pages 1-110 (89-110 blank), folio iii. Contents and pagination in the hand of Alexander Stewart.

A stitched but unbound booklet of 12 leaves, containing a verse narrative in English in a different hand, is loosely inserted at the back.

The notebook contains 31 songs, of which 27 are in Gaelic, three in Scots, and one in a macaronic mix of both. No names of tunes are given, but the refrains, headed 'Luinneag', are marked with great care and set apart from the stanzas by the use of a more upright style of writing, resembling the use of italic and non-italic type in contemporary printed poetry collections. They are usually given at the beginning and repeated at the end of a song.

The author, who refers to himself as "Alaistar" on p. 38, was probably Alexander Stewart, the fourth and youngest son of John Stewart, farmer in Milton of Callander on Loch Venachar, and his wife Margaret MacDonald. He was baptised on 27 January 1824. He went to Glasgow University and is found enrolled in the Logics class of Prof. Robert Buchanan in 1842 (Addison, 'Matriculation Albums', p. 441, no. 14415: "Filius natu quartus Joannis agricolae in parochia de Callander et Comitatu de Perth"), and also appears in the list of members for the session 1841-1842 in the minute book of An Comunn Oiseanach of Glasgow University, MS Gen 1363, p. 134; see A. MacCoinnich, 'Sgeul na Gàidhlig. The Gaelic Story at the University of Glasgow. The relationship of Gaelic speakers with a Scottish institution since 1451' (forthcoming). His signature in the members' list, "Alaistir Stiubhart", closely matches the handwriting of the present manuscript. According to the account of a contemporary of his, taken down in 1907 (at the link below), he studied for the ministry but died before his studies were completed.

The majority of the songs in the volume seem to have been composed while he was a student in Glasgow. He names the area of Loch Venachar, near Callander, as his home. The volume contains a mixture of traditional song themes, but there are additional themes more common to the song traditions of the Gaelic diaspora, such as homesickness, his missing his native Gaelic language and his dislike of Glasgow, which is the subject of several songs of dispraise, also in one of his Scots songs.

Three of the songs were published with translations in Michael Newton, 'Bho Chluaidh gu Calasraid : From the Clyde to Callander' (repr. with corr., Glasgow 2010).

Contents (the entries for the songs begin with their opening lines):

"An clar inneadh [sic]", a contents list. Folio ii.

'O gur mise tha gu truagh / Mun mhnaoi oig as dreachmhor suugh', headed "Oran gaoil". 11 stanzas of 4 lines, with a refrain of 2 lines beginning 'Hi ri ri o huge o hilil agus o'. Pages 1-3.

'Theid mi sios as theid mi suas / Theid mi deas as theid mi tua', headed "Gruagach Chalasraide". 9 stanzas of 4 lines, with a 4-line refrain (written as 3 lines) beginning 'Hilil agus o hi ri ri o thugi o'. Pages 3-5.

'Twas some night this last week / A bha mi am thamh', song in Gaelic and Scots, headed "Oran na sgoill chiul". 5 stanzas of 16 lines. Pages 6-9.

'An cualadh shibse [sic] mun a pharti', headed "Oran a rinneadh air ball". 9 stanzas of 4 lines, with a refrain written in 2 lines, beginning: 'Hi riri o thugi o sein iriri o thugi o'. Pages 10-12.

'Failte ort earraich thug thu barrach / Air a gharrach Gheamhraidh', headed "Oran an Earraich". 14 stanzas of 2 lines with a 4-line refrain beginning 'Heterin airin hiren ohoro / Heterin airin oro'. Pages 12-14. Published in Newton, 'Bho Chluaidh gu Calasraid', pages 70-71.

'Cumaibh cluas as eisdibh / Mur dheirich dhoms gabhaibh feartde [?]', headed "Oran don tsirreadh". 7 stanzas of 4 lines, with a refrain of 2 lines beginning 'Hon tsirreadh hin tsirreadh'. Pages 14-16.

'Tha truas aig cuid dfheur so ghaol', headed "Pog an cuil". 8 stanzas of 4 lines with a refrain of 4 lines beginning 'Pog an ciul on run bu mha leam'. Pages 16-18.

'S toil le cuid an cogadh garg / Leona marbh agus pronadh', headed "Oran gaoil". 10 stanzas of 4 lines with a refrain of 4 lines beginning 'S shiubhalin fraoch le mo ghaol'. Pages 18-21.

'Tha mise fuidh mhighean / S mi 'n Glaschu nan stiopal', headed "Cruineg nam bo". 20 stanzas of 4 lines (two are crossed out) with a refrain of 4 lines beginning 'Gun dug mi mo ghaol do chrineag nam bo'. Pages 21-26.

'Nuair bha mi gun fhiasaig / Gun fhioradh gun chiubaig', headed "Ioram an tsuireadhich". 10 stanzas of 4 lines, with a refrain of 3 lines, possibly beginning 'A ruith feudh na gruagach caitheamh mo bhrogan'. Pages 26-29.

'O mo chailag lathach aoidheil / Shuntach shuairc a chridheil aotrom', headed "Comhradh eadar gile agus nighean". 9 stanzas of 4 lines with refrain of 3 lines that alternates between the speakers. Pages 29-32.

'Tha miese ro dhuch / S fuidh mhulad an drasda', headed "Marbhrann a choin duin". 7 stanzas of 8 lines. Published in Newton, 'Bho Chluaidh gu Calasraid', pages 116-117 (4 stt. only). Pages 32-35.

'Thigibh dhfhaigin uam m naigheachd, / Mar a chaith min gemhradh', headed "Geamhradh an an Glaschu". 10 stanzas of 2 lines with a refrain of 2 lines, beginning 'Heterin air ilil ohoro'. Pages 35-36.

'Tha mise an Glaschu na stiopal / Aite as comadh leam da rireadh', headed "Litir gaoil". 8 stanzas of 4 lines with a refrain of 4 lines, beg. 'A nighean don na mala caoil'. Pages 37-39.

'O chaneil bron no curam orm / Smi cuir mo chul ri Cluidh so', headed "Oran air bhi fagail Glaschu". 9 stanzas of 4 lines, with a refrain of 4 lines beg. 'Sein thug i o gur suntach'. Pages 39-41.

'Tha mise sia miosan us cor / On thanig mi Glasachu mor', headed "Dimolladh Glaschu". 9 stanzas of 4 lines, with a refrain of 4 lines, 'Horo gur mor thug mi dhfhua [3x] / do bhaile mor salach na fuaim'. Pages 42-44.

'O gur mise a tha gu truagh / Tha mo chridhe mor am luaithe', headed "An dealuich". 8 stanzas of 4 lines, with a refrain of 4 lines beginning 'Their mi oro agus o / Hilil agus ally o'. Pages 44-46.

'Thig s thoir crathad laimh dhomh / A ghraidh as inns do sgeul domh', headed "An coimhneacha". 9 stanzas of 4 lines, with a refrain of 4 lines beginning 'Gur caithrimeach thu daonan'. Pages 47-49.

'Mile failte ort mo dhuich aile / S tu fein an taite a rinn marach og', headed "Failte taobh lochmheanchair". 5 stanzas of varying length. Published in Newton, 'Bho Chluaidh gu Calasraid', pp. 268-271. Pages 49-53.

'Fhir as duibha sna crogan / Le guth molach an rochan', headed "Rann a rinneadh do ghile og air dha fein a bhi air iarraidh oran a dheanamh dha", 7 stanzas of 8 lines. Pages 53-56.

'Fhir a chrocaireas an ollain / Chan urrain domhsa do mhathe', headed "Aoir a mhuileir olladh". 5 stanzas of 8 lines. Pages 56-58.

'Here I again take up my pen / To srible a few lines to you' [in Scots], headed "A letter to a friend from Glasgo". 16 stanzas of 4 lines. Pages 58-62.

'O come ye a and lend an ear / And I intend to let you hear' [in Scots], headed "On a singing school". 8 stanzas of six lines, in the form known as the 'Burns stanza'. Pages 62-64.

'Ye girnin barkin bitin bitch' [in Scots], headed "Answer to an episte from a mason". 13 stanzas (Burns stanza) of 6 lines. Pages 65-69.

'S iomad daiteart agus dircas [?] / Thig air fearibh oga', headed "Litir Ghaoil". 11 stanzas of 4 lines with a refrain of 4 lines beginning 'Their mi oro agus o'. Pages 69-72.

'Chaneil mi moran bhlianachan / Mur dhinseas cli no n ciabac dhuibh', headed "Oran do na boireanaich". 8 stanzas of 4 lines with a refrain of 4 lines beginning 'Hilubha ho thug orinan'. Pages 72-74.

'Mo chaillinn deas bhoieach / Bha mi og ort an deigh', headed "Oran gaoil". 8 stanzas of 4 lines, with a refrain of 4 lines beginning 'U hi ra bha ghlaidh / S tu caillag mo ghraidh'. Pages 75-77.

'S chridheil sundach an tigh smiuraidh', headed "Oran tigh smiuraidh". 11 stanzas of 2 lines, with a refrain of 2 lines beginning 'Heterin arin hirin oho ro'. Pages 77-79.

'S lionmhor masibh mo mhaldaig / S mor areamh deagh bhuinibh', headed "Oran gaoil". 17 stanzas of 2 lines, with a refrain of 2 lines beginning 'Hou i horin o'. Pages 79-81.

'Gur tupisdeach bha Cupid / Deanamh cluiche rium as cluaineas', headed "Duanag". 13 stanzas of 2 lines with a refrain of 3 lines beginning 'S a ghruaigich an leaduin duin' [hard to read]. Pages 82-84.

'O gur mise a tha fuidh mhighen / On a dhfhag mo ghaol an tire so', untitled. 6 stanzas of 4 lines, with a refrain of 4 lines beginning 'Hilu ho hil orinan. Pages 84-88.

Pages 89-110 are blank.

The loosely inserted booklet, Acc.9134/2, has 24 unnumbered pages, the last of which is blank, and contains a humorous narrative in rhymed couplets in English by an unidentified author. It tells the story of the arrival of the first steamer on Loch Katrine and its fate at the hands of the locals, 1843. It has not title and begins 'Dear Robt here I once again / Lay hold upon my stumpy pen'. The addressee is possibly Robert Stewart (1813-1856), Bochastle, Callander, the oldest brother of Alexander Stewart.