Works ofCharles G. D. Roberts
The Prisoner of Mademoiselle
The Watchers of the Trails
The Kindred of the Wild
The Heart of the Ancient Wood
Earth Enigmas
Barbara Ladd
The Forge in the Forrest
A Sister to Evangeline
By the Marshes of Minas
A History of Canada
The Book of the Rose
Poems
New York Nocturnes
The Book of the Native
In Divers Tones (Out of print)
Songs of the Common Days (Out of print)
Cameron of Lochiel
(Translated from the French of Philippe Aubertde Gaspé)
L. C. PAGE & COMPANY
New England Building
Boston, Mass.
Cameron of Lochiel.
(See page 68.)
CAMERON OF LOCHIEL
BY
PHILIPPE AUBERT DE GASPÉ
TRANSLATED BY
CHARLES G. D. ROBERTS
NEW EDITION
With a frontispiece by
H. C. EDWARDS
BOSTONL. C. PAGE & COMPANYMDCCCCV
Copyright, 1890
By D. Appleton and Company
——
Copyright, 1905
By L. C. Page & Company
(INCORPORATED)
PREFACE TO NEW EDITION
This leisurely and loose-knit romance of de Gaspé's,which he called "Les Anciens Canadiens," has for heroone who was not a Canadian, but a Scotch exile sojourningin Canada. It is on the creation of this character,consistently developed and convincingly presented, thatthe book must mainly base its claim to be called a workof fiction, rather than a volume of memoirs and folklore.I have ventured, therefore, at the suggestion of my publishers,to take a liberty with the author's title, and namethe story after this young Scotch exile, "Cameron ofLochiel." I am the more willing to take this libertybecause I feel that de Gaspé has not hitherto beengranted the place he is entitled to in the ranks of Canadianfictionists. Considered purely as a romance, itseems to me that the sincerity, simplicity, and originalityof this work quite outweigh its sprawling looseness ofstructure, and make it one of the unique ornaments of thecomposite literature which we are building up in Canada.If by so changing its title as to emphasize the fictionalcharacter of the work I can the better call attention to theworth of de Gaspé's achievement, I feel that I am justified,even in the face of such anticipatory protest as mayseem to be implied in the author's too modest introduction.
When all this has been said, however, the fact remainsthat it was not its many merits as a romance that inducedme to translate this work, but the riches of Canadian tradition,folk-lore, and perished customs embalmed in theclear amber of its narrative, coupled with my own anxietyto contribute, in however humble a way, to the increaseof understanding and confidence between the two greatbranches of the Canadian people. It is a beautiful andgracious life, that of old French Canada, as depicted inde Gaspé's lucent pages,—a life of high ideals, andfamily devotion, and chivalry, and courage. This is anatmosphere it is wholesome to breathe. These are peopleit is excellent to know; and the whole influence of thestory makes for trust and a good understanding.
C. G. D. R.