COTTISH -^^A>n T71 At'TON Water, Ayrshire. LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. Windings of the Forth (/;w« /ii/«//«^'^j' Zi'tfK^//) , . FronlispUce Distant Viuw of Balmoral ....... 'I'Ule Afton Water, Ayrshire. ........ v Ailsa Craig .......... vii A Highland Crofter ......... viii ACROSS THE BORDER: TO EDINBURGH AND GLASGOW. Bothwell Castle, on the Clyde . . . page 2 The Braes of Yarrow ..... 3 Tower at Prestonpans ..... 3 Herwick-on-Twced ..... 4 Dunbar Castle ....... 5 The Bass Rock : Waiting for the Homeward Bound 7 Mrs. Carlyle's Grave ; Haddington Church : ' the Lamp of Lothian ' . . . . . -9 Tantallon Castle ...... 10 Colonel Gardiner's Monument . . . .11 Melrose Abbey, from the River . . . 12 Dryburgh Abbey 13 On the Upper Ooon . Abbotsford Abbotsford Abbotsford Abbotsford Abbotsford the Drawing- Room . the Study .... the Library . the Armoury llawlhornden ..... Roslin Chapel, with the 'I'renticc Pillar . Habbie's Howe. .... Stonebyrcs Falls ..... The Auld Brig o' Doon, Alloway, .\yrshire The Martyrs' Grave, Irongray. Covenanters' Monument 30 page 14 15 15 16 16 18 20 22 25 27 28 29 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. GLIMPSES OF EDINBURGH AND GLASGOW. Holyrood Palace and Chapel, with Arthur's Seat pag. Edinburgh, from ' Rest and be Thankful ' Birthplace of Lord Brougham, Cowgate, Edinburgh Staircase, Holyrood ..... Castle and Grassmarket, Edinburgh Edinburgh University ..... Magdalen Chapel, Cowgate, Edinburgh Signing the Covenant, Greyfiiars' Churchyard . John Knox's Study ...... Knox's Grave ...... The Covenant Stone ...... Head of West Bow, Edinburgh, with the Assembly Hall ; and old houses (now removed) . Covenanters' Monument, Greyfriars' Churchyard 32 33 34 34 36 37 40 41 41 42 44 45 The Broomielaw, Glasgow Craigcrook Castle, residence of Jellrey The Scott Monument. . . . , Knox's Pulpit ..... Choir of St. Giles's Church, Edinburgh View from the Burns Monument, Calton Hill The Forth Bridge from the South .Side. Queen Margaret's Bower, Linlithgow Queen Margaret's Bower, Linlithgow (Interior) The Trongate, Glasgow .... Glasgow Cathedrjil, from the South-oast Interior of Glasgow Cathedral. . . Glasgow University ..... Glasgow University in the Eighteenth Century The 'College' Railway Station, Glasgow 64 /"i''- 46 47 49 50 51 53 56 56 57 59 60 61 62 6.^, BY THE CLYDE, TO THE WESTERN COAST. Arran ..... Entrance to Fingal's Cave . The Clyde, Dumbarton . Loch Kanza Goat Fell, from Brodick Bay . Oban .... lona ..... The Shore of lona Tombs of the Kings, lona Fingal's Cave . Fingal's Cave, from the Interior Scene of the Massacre, Glencoe The Sisters, Glencoe Glencoe : a ' Wild Day ' The Great Glen of Scotland . 66 Ben Nevis. ...... 67 Section of the Ascent, with the Successive Stations 68 Diagram of the Summit, showing the Positions 70 Mr. Wragge's Huts and Instruments 71 Plan of the Route up the Mountain 72 Observatory Station on tlie Summit of Ben Nevis 74 Marscow from Scuir-na-Gillean . 75 Loch Coruisk ...... 77 Scene in the Hebrides : ' Return from the Shielin 79 The Quiraing, Skye ..... 81 Interior of Crofter's Cottage, Skye 82 An Open-air Service in Skye .... 83 Portree ....... 84 A Female Crofter 85 Scottish Crofter at Work .... of 86 87 87 88 89 92 93 94 96 97 98 99 loi 102 THROUGH THE WESTERN HIGHLANDS. Through the Trossachs ' The Deep Trossachs' Wildest Nook ' Ben Arthur, or ' The Cobbler ' . Ben Lomond, from the Loch . Loch Katrine, with Ellen's Isle . The Silver Strand, Loch Katrine . Ucn Venue .... THE CENTRAL HIGHLANDS: STIRLING TO INVERNESS Relics of Birnam Wood View from Stirling Casllc The Bore Slone, liannockburn Stirling Casllc Wallace Monument, Stirling Dunblane Calhedtal Carsc of Gowrie Larches at Dunkcid Loch Turrit Hermitage Bridge, Dunkcid . Paiui of Killiccrankic . Bilks of Abcireldy . Taymoulh Caillc Olcn Till , . . . 104 In Glen Dochart . . ■ . 105 Head of Loch Awe and Kilchurn Castle 106 Lower Fall of Foyers 107 I'lowcrdalc, Gairloch, Ross-shire . :o8 Inverness ..... 109 Loch Maree ..... 1 1 1 Ben Slioch ..... IJ4 Mountain Pass in the Gramjiians . 125 Loch Ruicht and Cairngorm . 126 liruar Water ..... 12.S 'i'lic Grampians as seen from Avieniorc : Kot 129 murcluis Forest in the Middle Distance 130 Elgin Cathedral ... 130 On ihe Findhorn .... 132 On the Findhorn ..... 133 Dulsie Bridge ..... 135 Cawdor Cattle ...... 136 View friim the Ladies' Walk, Granlown, Spcyside 137 Moulli of Nairn Harbour in (he Flood of 1S29 . 138 Culloden Mo(jr 140 Scotch Fisher-Folk 114 116 118 120 121 122 122 142 >43 MS >47 150 152 J S3 >53 "54 "55 >57 158 lOo UST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. THE EASTERN COAST AND DEESIDE. Curling. ...... B.inks of the Devon, ncir Rumbling Briilf;c L(tch Lcvcn ...... Roy.ll Palace, Dunfermline . .St. Andrew's Catliedr.il : West Front Priory Gateway, St Andrews. The Tay Bridge, prior to December 28, 1S79 Dundee ...... Triumphal Arch, Dundee Bell Rock Lighthouse. Dr. Guthrie's House, Loch Lee page 162 Loch Lee Churchyard. . 163 King's College, Aberdeen 164 Crathie Church ..... . 165 Lochnagar ..... 167 The Albert Cairn, IJalmural . 16S Balmoral 169 The Home Faim, Balmoral. . 170 Scene in the Grampians ; Stormy . 170 Linn of Dee ..... . 171 Bridge over Sluggan Water, near Braemar 172 The ' Cauldron ; ' Bullers of Buchan page 173 174 176 177 180 181 183 184 1S5 187 1 89 TO THE FAR NORTH. Sunday on the Northern Coast : Going Home Kirkabister Lighthouse ..... St. Duthus' Church, Tain .... ' Murray's Pulpit,' Tain .... .\uUnagealgach, Sutherlandshire . Smoo Cave, near Durness ; on the Norther Coast Suilven-Assynt, near Lochinver . Dunrobin Castle ...... ' John o' Groat's' ..... Badgall Bay, Edrachillis ; on the Western Coast 192 Handa Island : above Scourie Bay, Sutherlandshire 203 193 Orkney and Shetland Islands .... 205 193 Fair Isle ; the ' Sheep Craig ' . . . . 206 194 Fair Isle ; ' Shcldrie Clifl" .... 206 195 The Holm of Noss ...... 207 ' Giant's Leg,' Noss, Shetland. . . . 208 196 The Drongs, Shetland ..... 2C9 198 Lerwick, Shetland ...... 210 199 The Brough of Mousa . . . . .211 200 Cape Wrath ....... 214 202 Steamer among the Hebrides .... 215 AiLSA Cr.mu, *tlllvh'.:-r.i' A IIlGllLANI) CroIIKR. ACROSS THE BORDER: TO EDINBURGH AND GLASGOW. > H O The Uraes of \'arro\v. ACROSS THE BORDER: TO EDINBURGH AND GLASGOW. 1 "() R practical purposes, a pleasure tour in Scotland generally begins with Edin- buro;h or Glaso-ow. Travellers are too much in haste to reach the Highlands to spare time for the Border, renowned though it be in song and story ; or to take any leisurely survey of the country that lies between the last towns left on the English side, and the two great Scottish cities. Yet this country is worth visiting in every part of it, for its own sake, and for that of its memories. Draw a straight line across from Greenock to Leith, and south of it, from cast to west, will ' be found much, if not most, that is associated with the chief historic glories of .Scotland. The tourist may well then linger ; and it is liard to say which particular route will prove of the highest interest. There is the Eastern line, by Berwick-on- Tweed and the coast of the Firth of Forth ; or the Western, which crosses the Solway Frith near Carlisle. Travellers, again, by the latter may strike across to Edinburgh by the ' Waverley Route,' or i; 2 -N:,>^^^^' SCOTTISH PICTURES. may follow the course of the infant Clyde by way of Carstairs Junction, or may take the South-western line to Glasgow by the dales of the Annan and the Nith. We have travelled by all these lines in turn, and have found in every one a special charm. In picturesqueness perhaps the palm must be conceded to the route by the East coast, on which, from the first glimpse of Berwick with its encircling wall, its high red roofs, and its houses, seeming from the railway above to be crowded together on the steep river's bank, every mile is full of charm ; especially where the line reaches the verge of the cliff, with the noble expanse of the German Ocean full in view, or where, diverging inland, it passes through the rich pastures and 4^^l«rtt?l'i -■^^:^,; BER\V1CK-0N-T\VEEI). great c(jrnfields of Haddingtonshire (or East Lothian'), throughout which, down to the close-cropped hedges, economising arable space, everything speaks of high farming on a kindly soil. The traveller may do worse than stay for a nigin, or, still better, pass a quiet .SalAath, at Dunisak, with its old shattered castle on a rocky brow, in which lime and weather and the hand of in.ui lia\'e wrought such havoc, that it is hard to distinguish the foundations of the fabric from the rugged cliff, or to decide which of the imdcrground recesses are ocean-hollowed caves, and which are ancient castle crypts. Here was spent the strange sad honeymoon of IIoiluvcll and Mary: and with this the ' Kni^liKlmun arc often |>crplcxcd about the Lothians, especially at clcclion-timcs. Is it suiierfliious lu lufcirm !ionu- rciidcis thai Ilansliirc' is Kast Ixilliiaii, I.inlilliRowsliire West I.nlhian, and l',iliiiliuii;1isliirr Mid I (illiiaii f ACROSS THE BORDER: DUNBAR. history of the fortress really ends, as the pile was soon afterwards reduced to a ruin by the Oueen's half-brother, the Regent Murray. The precincts ot the castle now form a fnie recreation ground for the week-day use of the people: on the Sal)bath, it was observable that chains were drawn across the swing-gates at the entrances — showing that we were in Scotland. The chains, however, it may be remarked, were there rather by way of testimony, than DuNiiAR Castle. as a material hindrance ; not a tew graceless urchins having climbed over them, without let or hindrance, into the enclosure. But upon the whole, the stillness and peacefulness of the day were very refreshing. We remarked here, what afterwards became so noticeable in many a Scottish town, the peculiar resonant tramp of feet on the pavement at the time of the services. There was little or no sound of wheels to break the effect, rendered more SCOTTISH PICTURES. impressive by contrast with the previous silence. It was pleasant to join in the worship of the Free Church, led by a pastor, hale though venerable, who had been one of the seceders in 1843, and had ever since that stormy time held on his useful way in this quiet little town. In the course of the services there was a pathetic allusion to the fewness of the survivors of that great conflict. Some of us remember it all so well, and it is already history ! The intervening years, it is not too much to say, have revolutionised the religious life of Scotland ; not simply by the organisation and the vigorous work of another ecclesiastical community, but by the new vigour inbreathed into all the churches. Much in the neighbourhood of Dunbar invited a longer stay, had it been possible. To the south-east there is the undulating pastoral district of Lammermoor — scene of Sir Walter Scott's most tragic story, the localities of which are duly pointed out to the visitor. Wolfs Crag, the home of the Master of Ravenswood, famous for the humours and the devices of Caleb Balderstone, is unquestionably recognisable in Fast Castle, on a wild pro- montory to the east. Not far from the town, again, is the battle-field, where, in 1650, Cromwell defeated the Scottish army under General Leslie. Readers of Carlyle's Croviwcll will recollect the careful accuracy with which the locality is sketched : ' The small town of Dunbar stands high and windy, looking down over its herring-boats, over its grim old castle, now much honey-combed, on one; of those projecting rock-promontories with which that shore of the Inrth of Forth is niched and vandyked, as far as the eye can reach. A beautiful sea ; good land too, now that the plougher understands his trade ; a grim niched barrier of whinstone shelterintr it from the chafinsjs and tumblincjs of the big blue German Ocean. Seaward, St. Abb's Head, of whinstone, bounds your horizon to the east, not very far ofi"; west, close by, is the deep bay and fishy little village of Belhaven, the gloomy Bass and other rock islets, and farther the hills of I'ifc and foreshadows of the Iliglilands arc visible as ycju look seaward. I'nim tin; bolttim ^A Belhaven Bay to that of the ne.\t sea-bight St. Abb's-ward, the town and its environs form a peninsula. Along the base of which peninsula, "not much above a mile and a half from sea to sea," Oliver Cromwell's army, on Monday, the 2nd of September, 1650, stands ranked, with its tents and town behind it — in very forlorn circumstances.'' The description, as we know from Carlyle's biography, was the result of careful personal examination ; and in the Lcltcrs of Mrs. Carlylc we read of the author's visit, and his windy walk over the high plain. I'"qnally striking is the battle picture. '" 1 never saw such a charge of foul aiul horse," says (Hie; nor did I. Oliver was still near to Yorkshire Hodgson, when the shock succeeded. Hodgson heard them say, "They run! I profess ihey ' Oliver Cromwell's LtlUrj ami Speeches, with Elucidations, liilioiliiclioii tu Letters cxxxix.-cxlvi. z c ACROSS THE BORDER: DUNBAR AND HADDINGTON. 9 run." And over St. Abl/s Head, and the; German Ocean, just then, bursts the first gleam of the level sun ujwn us, "and I heard Nol say, in the words of the Psalmist, ' Let God arise, let His enemies be scattered,'" or in Rous's metre, ' " Let God arise, and scattered Let all His enemies be ; And let all those that do Him hate Before His presence flee!" ' Iwen so, the Scotch army is shivered to utter ruin ; rushes in tumultuous wreck, hither, thither, to Belhaven, or, in their distraction, even to Dunbar ; the chase goes as far as Haddington, led by Hacker. "The Lord General Mrs. Cari.yle's Grave ; Haddington Church : 'The Lamp of Lothian. made a halt," says Hodgson, "and sang the hundred and seventeenth psalm," till our horse could gather for the chase. Hundred and seventeenth psalm, at the foot of the Doon hill. Then we uplift it, to the tune of Bangor, or some still higher score, and roll it strong and great against the sky : ' " O give ye praise unto the Lord All nati-ons that be ; Likewise ye people all, accord His name to magnify ! For great to us-ward ever are His loving-kindnesses ; His truth endures for evermore ; The Lord O do ye bless." ' And now, to the chase again ! ' The remembrance of it survives in the local popular name of the battle : SCOTTISH PICTURES. Tuesday s Race, from the day of the week on which it was fought, and from the hurry of the flight and pursuit which followed. Out at sea the Bass Rock is grandly in sight, and those who have visited it describe the excursion as very pleasant. The enormous flight of ACA'OSS THE BORDER: NORTH HER WICK. II sea-birds when disturbed by visitors or by the firing of a jrun, is truly wonderful. The ruins of Tantallon Castle occupy a rocky promontory nearly oi)i)osite, at a short distance from the pretty sea-bathing resort of North Berwick. Apparently corresponding to the Bass Rock are the inland craggy hills peculiar to this district, and termed Laius. North Berwick Law is one of the most commanding of these heights. Traprain Law is another, near Linton Station, inland, and not far from Hailes Castle, where Ahu-y and ^;^>:a^ak.\>4 V^ '^"j;rt.£:^: Colonel Gardiner's Monu.ment. Bothwell lived for a time before the surrender of the former at Carberry I nil. The country people say that the name 'Traprain Law' was derived from this capture, as it was thereabouts that /a reine was /rapped. Not a bad illustration of the way in which etymologies are made! On the way to Edinburgh the leisurely traveller may turn aside to Haddington with its fine Gothic remains. The town is famous as John Knox's birthplace ; and the grave of Mrs. Carlyle will, to many visitors, invest the ruined abbey with a new and pathetic interest. SCOTTISH PICTURES. Nearer Edinburgh is Preston Pans (the pans are for getting salt by evaporation), where Prince Charles Stuart defeated the King's troops under Sir John Cope, on the 21st of September, 1745. It was chiefly this delusive gleam of success which encouraged the Young Pretender to march southward, to his ruin ; but the chief interest of the scene to ourselves is that Colonel fames Gardiner fell in the skirmish, for it was MELROSI; AliUEY, FROM THE KlVER. little more. We give, on the preceding page, a sketch ol his monument, as it stands on the field. To this day the Life of Gardiner by Dr. Doddridge remains one of the finest portraitures we possess of a tyjic of character very real, and hap|)ily not infrequent in our day — the brave and humble-minded Christian soldier. And Sir Walter Scott, in Wavcrhy, has done more justice to this brave God-fearing man than to some other of his Puritan heroes. ACROSS THE BORDER: A PP ROACH TO EDINBURGH. 13 Soon after leaving Preston Pans the train plunges into a tunnel, from which it emerges in the ra\ine over which seem to tower, height beyond height, the massive buildings of ICdiniscrcii. The a[)[)roach is curiously unliif a great collegiate chmi h, ihi luagiiiliccnce would have seenud more ACROSS THE BORDER: TO EDrxnURG/l AND GLASGOIV. 2\ in place. The chapel is now fitted up with seats, has an organ gallery at the western end, and is used for the worship of the Scottish Episcopal Church. The 'Prentice Pillar, with its wreathed-work of foliage, will of course be noted by the visitor ; and the custodian of tlu' place tells the story effectively, as he has rehearsed it a thousand times. Is there any one of our readers who has not heard it.'' In the temporary absence of the; master-builder, an apprentice, essaying his hand upon a portion of the fabric, so far surpassed him in skill that the jealous and exasperated master struck the youth dead upon the spot. The story is found in various forms, but with the same main incident, in many ages, and in relation to diff(;rent walks of art. It is probably but a legend, so true to human nature that it has been accepted as an ' ower true tale,' and shows to us how myths are made. Leaving the chapel, we find ourselves in the little village of Roslin, or Rosslyn, as it .seems now generally to be written, and about seven minutes' distance from the railway station for lulinburgh. There are, however, very few trains in the day, and careful arrangement is necessary that time may not be ve.vatiously thrown away in a place; where, after the glen and the chapel, there is literally nothing to see. Part of the int(;rest of this e.KCursion, no doubt, as Sir Walter .Scott long ago remarked, is that its picturesque features form so sudden and une.xpected a contrast to the surrounding country. In the highlands few persons would take the trouble to walk up Hawthornden glen, but its nearness to Edinburgh, and the neighbourhood of Roslin, attract crowds of visitors every summer. Still farther south, below the south-eastern slopes of the Pentland 1 1 ills, is the yet more romantic glen of Ilabbie's Howe, with its waterfall, supposed to have suggested the description in Ramsay's Gentle ShepJicrd ; and the whole surrounding region is full of pastoral and sylvan beauty. Returning, however, to Carlisle : there are two other railway routes of great interest, and more direct, at least in their access to Glasgow. They unitedly traverse the old Solway Moss, once the notorious haunt of freebooters, and pass through the flat ' debateable ground ' where, until the union of the two kingdoms, bold marauders bade defiance to the laws of both, until the little river Sark is cro.s.sed, and the train reaches Gretna Green, once famous for runaway weddings. The idea of making the Scottish marriage law available to fugitives from England, seems to have first occurred to a man named Paisley, residing here about i 760 ; Gretna being fixed upon as near the Border, although, of course, any other part of .Scotland would have answered the purpose; and it was not until 1856 that the usage was stopped by Act of Parliament, reqi;iring previous residence as a condition of marriage. The country now has but little attraction ; once it was a vast forest, but in the days of Border rapine the wood was cleared away to destroy the haunts oi the moss-troopers, and it is now for the most part a bare open plain. On 22 SCOTTISH PICTURES. the left is Annandale, where Edward Irving spent his youthful days ; and some twelve miles from the Border the traveller reaches Ecclefechan, an IIaiiiiii.'s IIowk. uninteresting-looking village, Imt fundus as the native place ol '1 lioinas Carlyle. Visitors are shown the 'work' of (arlylr's father, tlie sltn-dy Ciod- fcaring Scottish mason. And truly, wliatevei- else may be thought ol Carlyle's AC/HOSS THE BORDER: ANXANDALE. 23 Reminiscences, the pictures of his father and mother as there delineated, will live as long as the fame of their illustrious son shall last. T\\v. type of man is familiar to all who have watched the stalwart shepherd tramping over the hills with his colley by his side, or who have stopped for a little talk with a fisherman on the shore, or who have joined the group of country folk on the mountain side as they wended their way on the Sabbath morning to the humble house of prayer ; but Carlyle has disclosed the secret of its inner nobleness, and has shown to us how a li\ing faith, with that true humility that does not shrink from self-assertion where it knows itself in the right, creates the true heroic character. Carlyle could hardly have written his CroiHivell so sympathetically, had he not known his father so well. And who is not touched by the picture of that peasant mother, with her anxious cares for her son, denying herself and caring for all his little material comforts, that he might be able to climb to a level whither her earnest sjiirit could not follow him, save with anxious longings for his spiritual welfare ! To read those simple-hearted letters of hers is infinitely touching, and we do not wonder that the son who cherished them and gave them to the world after more than half a century, notwithstanding the scorn and bitterness with which he looked upon men in general, and especially on those who had found a deeper secret in life than his own, could not but believe in the truth and goodness embodied in the belief, the work and the worship of that lowly home. But we must pass from Kcclefechan, over the district where the line climbs upwards along the banks of the Annan, to Beattock, from which station a line is now opened to Moffat, a charming little town among the hills of L'pper Annandale, overtopped by the Hartfell range, the highest in Southern Scotland. There is a pleasant walk to the Spa, with its mildly sulphureous water, in great request ; or a longer excursion between the bare hill-ranges to the waterfall called the Grey Mare's Tail, and over the summit of the pass to St. Mary's Loch, where, near the famous little hostelry of Tibbie Shiel, a statue of the Ettrick Shepherd stands by the roadside. From the Loch, at the other extremity, springs the Yarrow ; but, for the present, we return to spend ])leasant restful days at Moffat. The air is most pure and exhilarating, and, in addition to the ordinary watering-place; accommodations, there is, in the immediate neighbourhood, a noble Hydropathic Establishment, as at Melrose, Peebles, Crieff, Dunblane, Pitlochrie, Callander, Rothesay, Forres, and many other places of popular resort in Scotland. We resume our journey at the Beattock junction, and having crossed the watershed at the heiarht of about a thousand feet above the sea, soon discern a narrow stream making its way with many a winding over the green moor. This is the Clyde, which we cross and recross before reaching the junction at Carstairs, whence radiate lines to Edinburgh, to Glasgow, to Stirling, and the North. It will be a pity, however, not to stay at least for 2+ SCOTTISH PICTURES. two or three hours to see Lanark and the Falls of the Clyde. The town itself has little that is interesting, unless we are moved by curiosity or by old association to visit the settlement in which Robert Owen, about sixty years ago, strove to organise industry, and to inaugurate a new moral world. The parallelograms and manufactories of the Socialist schemes failed, as might ha\'e been expected ; but there was some practical wisdom in his choice of a locality, since the mills of New Lanark, now the property of Manchester manufacturers, are thriving and successful, while the aspect of regularity and good order which they present may be in some measure due to the projector's plans. But we must hurry on to the waterfalls, which may perhaps impress us all the more because the glen in which they make their grand successive descents is surrounded by few accessories of beauty of any kind. The country, to say the truth, is uninteresting until the river is reached ; but the three falls are magnificent. Corra Linn, the central one, nearest to New Lanark, is the finest ; but Bonnington Linn, the highest, divided into two parts, with a rocky island between — a miniature .Schaffhausen — is also imposing, and Stonebyres, three miles from Lanark, by the roadside, with its surroundings of cliff and foliage, is also well worth visiting. The tourist will see no finer waterfalls than these three until he reaches Foyers on Loch Ness. The railway journey from Carstairs to Edinburgh has no points of special interest ; that to Glasgow gives the opportunity, by a very slight detour, of visiting Hamilton Palace, once famous for its art-treasures, and still sumptuous, although despoiled. More attractive, however, will be the remains of the old Caledonian Poorest, where the celebrated herd of Scotch wild cattle still roam at large, with the ruins of Cadzow Castle, the ancient 1 lamilton Palace, commemorated by Sir Walter Scott. Very near al.so is ' Bothwell Brig,' where the Covenanters were defeated by the Duke of Monmouth and Claverhou.se, on the 22nd of June, 1679, as described in Old ATortalily. Pnil these scenes of historic iiUc'rest will, perhaps, be better visited from Glasgow, than taken on the way to thi; city. A day could scarcely be better spent than in traversing them. The last of the alternative routes to Gla.sgow, as mentioned above, denominated the ' South Western,' is more circuitous than that just described, but derives a special interest from its giving the tourist an opportunity of visiting, at small expenditure of \.'m\v., the land of Burns. Turning aside at Gretna, the line passes through Annan, where it crosses the river, and at Dumfries reaches the Nith, up which it pursues its way. For lovely glimpses of hill and woodland, with fc-rtile cornfields and pastures between, mmX the gleaming river amidst them all, llu re can hardly be a plejusanter summer evening's journey than this. y\t least, .so we found it, after a long morning of wondcrfiil iiUcnsi spent at Di'mikii:s, beginning, of 4 .^l CROSS THE nORDER: DUMFRIES. course, with a visit to the cemetery where, beyond a crowd of nioiuiments, stands the mausoleum over the poet's grave. Much cannot be said for the monument itself. It is a poor Grecian temple, olazed between the columns, and the allegorical design — the genius of Scotland casting her mantle over the ploughman — has a commonplace effect. The attempt at classic forms and figures seemed in truth singularly infelicitous ; though it could not but be deeply interesting, apart from all such accessories, to know that here was the last earthly resting-place of Burns, the poet to whom, with Cowper and Wordsworth, each according to his sjiecial genius, belongs the distinction of having so widened the domain of poetry as to include the commonest interests and homeliest cares that touch the heart of man. We might have Ss^ TiiK Aii.D Brig o' Doo.n, Ali.oway, Ayrsiiike. gone to sec the house in which Burns spent his last days, and which still has much to remind the visitor of the poet ; but time pressed, and we were bent on another errand. For Dumfries is famous in the annals of martyrdom. In the cemetery itself, a plain obelisk marks the grave of some who suffered in 1667. A lovely drive by the Water of Cairn brought us to Irongray Church, near which, among overshadowing trees, is the grave of two others, with the quaint inscription : ' By Legg and liloodie Bruce' commands We were hung uj) Ijy hellish hands ; And so, their furious wrath to stay. We died near Kirk of Irongray ; And boundless peace we now partake For freedom's and religion's sake.' iS SCOTTISH riCTi'RES. In the churchyard, at close distance, is the tomb of Helen Walker, the original of Jeanie Deans, with an inscription written by Sir Walter Scott. But we had not yet finished with the Covenanters' memorials ; as perhaps the most interesting of all was one among the hills, not to be discovered without difficulty — a long drive, then an ascent through a rugged lane, and a " ' :;c> ^fC', Till-; Martyrs' i.kavi;, Ikonckav. walk over a piece ol bai'rcii undulating mdorlainl, with iiimh climbing over stone fences. The place; was well adapted in ils seclusion for a solemn service held there in the summer of lOjS, when for the last lime a band of Covenanting brethren met together to celebrate the Lord's .Sup|)er. 'Ihen they parted, some to fall in battle, others to suffer on the gi])bet, few to survive the conflict f)f that teiriiijc tiiu<-, Iml all In huld fast b\ the fiilh to ACJiOSS THE BORDER: IRONGRAYj AYR. 29 which they tlicii renewed their solemn pledge. It is no wonder that this bleak spot is regarded with affectionate veneration, the very stones which served for the table and for seats in the service being marked as the Coninuniion Stones of Irongray. But, lest the outward features of the scene should become obliterated or unrecognisable, a simple monument, surmounted by the representation of the Cup, has been raisetl in recent years ; and in all Scotland there is scarcely a memorial so deeply impressive as this emblem of our faith and ho[)e, with all its sacred and stern associations, on those lonely moorland hills ! Near the head of Xithsdale may be visited another ' Martyrs' Grave,' not far from Cumnock ; but that we did not stay to see. The country has many such me- morials ; and not far off is the battle-field of Drumclog, where the Covenanters gained a temporary success, June i, 1679, three weeks before the rout of Bothwell Bridge. But the neighbourhood of A\ 1; attracted us again a little from the direct line, to visit Alloway Kirk, the ' Twa Brigs,' the birthplace and the monument of Burns. The South-western line may be left for this purpose at Mauchline, about twelve miles from Ayr. After a night in Ayr, we strolled through its streets to the two bridges, auld and new, celebrated in Burns's Dialogue, then down to the steam wharf, and foimd that prepa- rations, which we afterwards learned were made almost daily through the summer, were in full readiness to conduct e.x- pected visitors to the shrine. As soon as the boat from Glasgow arri\ed, a stream of waggonettes and other ' machines ' started in full [)rocession through the town. We followed on foot ; there was no mistaking the way ! After a somewhat uninteresting walk of two miles, we reached the i^ocl's birth-place — an unpretending cottage in front, a gaudy drinking-saloon behind, probably erected over the cottage-garden for the reception of visitors, a crowd of whom had evidently just left. The saloon is hung with pictures representing scenes from the poet's works. About half a mile farther on, a (light of steps leads through a gap in a wall to a small roofless building, the ruin of ' Alloway's auld kirk.' Here are the tombstones of Burns's father and mother, with a new one to the poet's sister, Mrs. Begg. The new Coven ANTKRs' Mo.nument. SCOTTISH PICTURES. church — a somewhat tlorid Gothic structure — is on the other side of the road. The monument stands high beyond. There is, it must be confessed, something very striking in this memorial to the poet, whatever may be thou^'ht of its good taste or appropriateness. The nine Corinthian columns that support the circular structure are said to be emblematic of the nine muses. In a chamber within are copies of the chief editions of the poet's works, a bust, and a copy of the celebrated portrait by Nasmyth, with an old Bible, his last present to ' High- land Mary.' From the summit of the building there is a pretty view of jIl the banks of the Doon, ■ and of the surrounding !i scenery. Outside in the grounds under a canopy sit the statues oi two men boozine and orin- ning — Tam o' Shanter and Souter Johnnie ; copies of which in clay or plaster, or carved in wood, are to be seen everywhere in the neigh- l)ourhootl, for purchase, it one had a mind for such a memorial ol what after ever)' drawback was a truly memorable visit! The tourists were found in full force around the monument, enjoying ihemsehes according to their respective tastes, the inaj(>rit\- in the inn garden, in which were seats and a summerhouse, and which descends to tlie river ; others going farther afield, down to the bank from which there is a pretty view of the old higli archcil bridge mentioned in Tam d Slianler. A new bridge spans the stream just by the inn ; and, crossing this, we found a jilcasanl walk Ijack to Ayr on the other sitii: of the river, arriving in lime to reach Glasgow carl) in the cNening. On lilt L iTiiK JJuuN. I GLIMPSES OF EDINBURGH AND GLASGOW. m EDIMirKGll, I'KoM ' kl'.SI AND BK TlIAN KFU I.. ' GLIMPSES OF EDINBURGH AND GLASGOW. '' T ^ 1 1 M I'lrst sight of Eiuxdukcii is something never to be forgotten. Many X strangers have their earhest view of the city from the higli bridge that crosses from the Old Town to the New, as they emerge from the railway station below ; others, more fortunate, who have arrived after dark, or in the twilight of a summer's evening, see it for the first time in the morning light from some hotel window in Princes Street, commanding the long sweep of Old Edinburgh downward from the Castle Rock, fronted by tall buildings and towers that overhang the ravine ; while the slopes below are gay with shrubs and flowers, and Arthur's Seat beyond rears its massive head. The graceful spire of the Stdii Monument forms an appropriate foreground ; to the right the low colonnades of the Art Galleries close in the garden view, while to the left the eye ranges from the monuments of the Calton Hill and the stately buildings at its foot, almost down to the level on which stand Holyrood Palace and Chapel ; although indeed these are (juite shut out of sight by intervening buildings and the lofty North Bridge. One excellence of Edinburgh is that its plan is so simple. There is first the Old Town, Edinburgh proper — the Edinburgh of eighteenth- century writers — an immense sweep of tall houses with spires and towers interspersed, ' from a palace in the plain to a castle in the air ' ; behind D 34 SCOTTISH PICTURES. Birth-place of Lord Brougham, CowGATE, Edinburgh. these, narrow streets, with some more modern, as 'Chambers Street' and 'Jeffrey Street,' worthily preserving the names of men of whom Scotland is proud ; at the back of all these one of the noblest of infirmaries, built on the ' pavilion system,' with its spacious groimds, and a fair walk close by ; the far-famed Heriot's Hospital, and the yet more famous Greyfriars' Churchyard, beside which we may descend by several different ways to the broad level Grassmarket at the foot of the pre- cipitous Castle Rock, and return to the higher [larts of the city by the Cowgate, stopping, if we please, to look at the house in which Lord Brougham was born. It is no part of our purpose to describe the cit\- in detail. Excellent Guide-books are to be had, and intelligent canny guides also, by those who care to be ' personally conducted ' from spot to spot in regulated order, and to be duly reminded of the history or the legend attached to each. But most visitors, we suspect, prefer to wander at their own will, and to select the special localities or objects to which their taste or their knowledge may attract them. The Castle is visited, of course, as much for its superb view of the city, as for anything that it contains, the INIons INleg, or even the Scottish Regalia. At the other e.Ktremity, Ilolyrood must also be seen, with its apartments, strangely small for ro)alty, its pathetic associations, and ili.it dim stain of Rizzio's blood ! The chapel behind is lovely in its ruins, though tourists often neglect it for the more easily comprehended wonders of the palace. Then, from Ilolyrood, few who are good walkers, or who enjoy a fine drive, will fail to ascend Arthur's Seat, where on one side they will come upon a lonely loch, to all appearance as far from the haunts of men as though it were in some 1 iighlaiul mountain recess ; and on the other will skirt or traverse .Salisbury Crags, and think of the Ilcarl of Mid-Lolliian. From the suinnnt the view is fine, embracing the city outspread as a map at the beholder's feet, though too often veiled in smoke, with the I'irlh of I'drtli extending to the north and east, and in an MAIKCAbli, lloLVRUUl). D 2 a H < EDINBURGH. 37 opposite direction a H^ir roach of country terminated by the graceful outlines of the I'entland Mills. Hut the city view here is less intercstinp; on the whole than that from the Castle Rock ; while the Firth of T'orth, with the hills of Fife behind, is seen better from the Calton Hill. In returning- to the city, the toin-ist may pass thnnioh Ncnvinoton, and i Ji^r „«^' Edinburgh University. by the aid of a tramcar may proceed along Nicolson .Stn-et for the sake of looking at least at the outside of the University Ikiildings and at the College of Surgeons opposite, reaching the head of Princes Street, near the Post Office, over the North Bridge. Should a kc-en north-east wind be blowing as he crosses this bridge, he will understand why many people inveigh against the spring climate of lulinburgh. The wind whose praises 38 SCOTTISH PICTURES. Mr. Kingsley has sung nowhere gives a better taste of its quaUty than in Edinburgh ; and this lofty crossing from the Old Town to the New is the ver)- place to test it to the uttermost. Shall we look down from the North Bridge for a moment, into what we have called a ravine, where once spread the unfragrant waters of a shallow loch, but where dingy roofs of iron and glass, and long station platforms, and high flights of steps, and multitudinous branching lines of rail occupy the whole space, from tunnel to tunnel ? Is it a blemish upon this noble city that the railway is thus in the very heart of it .'' At the first view it would appear so ; and yet there are two sides to this question. Think of the Charing Cross Terminus and the Cannon Street Station in London, and it will appear a happy thing for the effect of Edinburgh architecture that its main railway offices are packed a\va\-, so to speak, below the general surface. Still, it is true, there is too much smoke and steam for the fair gardens that border on part of the line ; but at any rate there is no ohtrusixe ugliness ; even the .spectator on the Waverley Bridge has so much to attract his upward looks in e\'ery direction that he forg(;ts to look downwards at all ! Add to this, that the traveller entering- iulinburgh from the south is not carried past the upper storeys of mean and squalid streets, as in so many English towns and cities, l)ut is afforded just one glimpse of llolyrood, a glance at Arthur's Seat, and is then plunged into a tunnel from which lie cincrgcs at tln' foot of all that is most characteristic in the architecture of the city. In this respect, therefore, the balance of advantage seems to be with the northern capital. '\ he Old Town, as might be expected, contains many memorials of the p;ust, although more have disappeared. Auriml courts and wynds sufficiently illustrate the street architecture of bygone days. Common stairs still lead and not in these parts of the city only to tenement above ttMUMuent, the value and the respectability diminishing with the height. To all pastoral Magualen Chai'ki,, Cowgate, Edinburgh. piiiiiMllia^^ '■. .'^ .! u> o < z > o u EDINBURGH. 41 Knox's Grave. v'isitation ;iml mission work in I'2clinburgli .uul most Scottish towns, tliis style of building adds a toilsomcncss that tloublcs the fatigue. It is remark- able that, while the arrangement into flats seems coming into fashion in London for the middle classes, there .seems a growing preference in Scotland for • self-contained houses.' Certainly the great height which the former method enables architects to give the tenements for all classes is a creat element in picturesqueness ; and when several of the.se vast dwellings are lighted up at night the effect is "- singularly fine. There can hardly be a cit)- in the " 1 » world in which a general illumination is so imposing as it is in Edinburgh. Of the old houses which the traveller may care to visit, none perhaps will attract him more than the manse of John Kno.x, dark and small, the rooms of which have been carefully preserved, though filled with modern ' relics ' and accessories. The quaint inscrip- tion over the lower storey : ' Luie . Gor^ . .m.ove . AL . AND . VOVR . NICHTHOVR . AS . VI . SELF ; ' and the figure above the door pointing to the word God graven in three languages, date, it is said, from Knox's own time. It is natural to ask for the gra\c of the great preacher, but the spot is uncertain. He would have no monument to commemorate his fame. No, he would be laid among his people in the old burying- place of St. Giles's, and the rude in.scription, ' I. K. 1572,' on a stone in the pavement of what is now Parliament .S(|uare, close by the Cathedral and the interesting City Cross, restored at Mr. (Gladstone's expense, is the only indication of the place where Knox's remains are supposed to rest. For the monuments of others, who after his time helped to make Scotland famous, we must go to the Greyfriars' Churchyard, entered through a gateway to the right, after crossing the high causeway leading to the Infirmary and Hcriot's Hospital, called George the Fourth's Bridge. The large ugly building just inside the gateway is Greyfriars' Church, where the National Covenant was adopted in 163S. The document was brought out into the churchyard for signature, so as to make room for the anxious crowd who pressed forward to add their names or to witness the signature of others. The stone is still pointed out — an authentic and very characteristic Scottish relic! But more impressive still are the ranges John Kno.ks sicdv. of tombs, with the names they bear of th(! noi)le 43 SCOTTISH PICTURES. and the obscure. All ranks, all characters, all creeds are here, with inscriptions, curt or elaborate, quaintly original or elegantly commonplace — material enough for a Biographical History of Scotland! The scene is one in which to spend musing hours, though destitute of the romantic accessories which tempt the sentimental traveller into many a ' God's acre.' The situation indeed is magnificent, beneath the Castle walls and with a grand view over the city ; but nothing can be more formal than the arrangement, nor more tasteless than most of the tombs. The favourite mode of honouring the illustrious dead in this cemetery is by enclosing a flat grave by tall iron railings, which are sometimes carried over it as well as on its three sides, the wall with its monument forming the back of the enclosure. The effect is that of a o-reat iron cage ; and many of the plots, being uncared for even to the planting of a flower, have a singularly desolate appearance. But for all that there are few, if any, places in Edinburgh to compare in true interest with this Greyfriars' Churchyard. Here the persecutor and the persecuted rest together ; one of the most elaborate of the monuments is that to ' Bluidy Mackenzie,' as he was long called by those of whom in his lifetime he had been the terror ; while the memorial to the Covenanters who suffered for their faith, many of them in the Gra.ssmarket below, is of a touching simplicity. If we wish to pass from these extinct forms of strife to the discussions, and often the controversies of the present, we should take care to visit Edinburgh in May, and to secure tickets for the meetings of the three great F.cclesiastical Parliaments, the Established, the Free, and that which is universally called in Scotland the U.P., ' United Presbyterian ' being too large a phrase for every-day use. An F.nglishman is above all things struck the promincnl place; which the; and ecclesiastical debates of the several Assemblies occupy in the newspapers. I )iscussi()ns on dif- ficult points of Biblical criticism, or on details of church polity and order, engross a space in the daily press which in London would rarely be accorded to anything but politics, art, or popular annisemeiits. In ihe A.s.semblies thcm.selves, the galleries are thronged by audiences content to listen for hours; dispersing late in the afternoon, only to resume their eager attendance in the excning. On one memorable day in 1876, we had tin; happiness to be present in the FVee Church Assembly, when the Reformed Presbyterian Church, representative of the ancient Cameronians, was .solcninly incorporated into the body, and Dy theological I III: CoVl'.NANT STONK, EDINBURGH. 45 in ihe centre of the Assembly ; and when the there became to ,ill intents ami purposes one sect fewer in Protestant Christendom ! The proceedings were partly formal, — th(; reading of docu- ments, articles of ,ioi-t>cment, etc., but there was a dignity and a seriousness about the wht)le that kept the attention strained to the utmost. A vacant space had been reserved preliminary business was over, the representatives of the newly-atlmitted Church, who had as- sembled elsewhere to terminate, in their own .Assembly, their denomi- national e.vistence, entered in long procession, and took their places, the multitude that crowded the hall standing in un- broken silence to receive them. It was not until the last had entered that the pent-up enthusiasm of the multitude welcoming their brethren found vent ; and the proceedings ot the morning were fitly crowned by an address from Dr. Goold, Mode- rator of the happily ab- sorbed community, which for dignity, tenderness, and real oratorical power seemed to us about the noblest speech we had ever heard. All this was but an i-pisode. Now and then the atmosphere of the Assemblies grows electric with the discussion of great religious questions ; and of late years, as every one knows, these have had to do with very vital matters of Biblical criticism and interpretation, as well as with the doctrine of inspi- ration itself The intense seriousne.ss, as well as the vigour and brilliancy with which the debates are conducted gives them a surpassing interest ; the hearers in the galleries take sides, and are often loud in their CuvfcNANifcKs' Monument, (;reyfriaks' Ciiurcmyard. 46 SCOTTISH PICTURES. expressions of approval or otherwise. The keenness with which all classes thus engage in religious discussion no doubt sometimes degenerates into acrimony ; and the eagerness with which some minor points are debated appears to an Englishman out of proportion to their real importance ; and yet on the whole the enthusiasm is healthy. Almost anything is better than religious indifference. The associations of Edinburgh with literature, art, and science are in their way as signal and unique as its connection with matters theological and ecclesiastical. But this is a topic hardly within our present scope, or our Edinburgh ' Pic- lures ' might well include a portrait-gallery of men who have done more to influence thought and action during the past century than any equal number of persons taken from any single locality. Whether the title of ' the Modern Athens ' was first conferred in banter, or whether the chief reference was originally to the outward semblance of the city, with the Castle Rock for the Acropolis, we need not inquire. In sober seriousness, the intellectual pre-eminence of Edinburgh justifies the name. The very atmosphere of society in this favoured cit)- seems charged with mental energy. I*"or the scientific visitor there is the Museum of Science and An, adjoining the Lhiiversity Iniildings, and admirably arranged, especially in the departments of Natural History and i)f British manufactures. The National (iallery of Antiquities, upon the Mound, contains a splendidly-arranged series of objects illustrating the history of civilisation in Scotland, from the fiint axes and arrow-heads of a barbart)us people, with relics from their caves and lake dwellings, down to the time when the ancient Celtic Church had attained to a high degree of artistic refinement, as shown in ecclesiastical relics and sculptures of much beauty, and onward to quite m(xlern times. There are some grim memorials, too, recalling times of strife and persecution: the ' ihunil)ikins ' u.sed to extort the secrets of the Covenanting recusants, and the ' Maiden,' thai j)rimitive guillotine beneath whose cruel knife so many of the best and bravest in Scotland fell. lohn Knox's pulpit from St. Giles's Cl.mxli is also preserved in this great collection ; with originals of the Covenants in their successive forms ; and — not the least noteworthy among the curiosities — the very 'cutty stool' that jenny Geddes hurled at the Dean's head in .St. Giles's when lie atlenipltd to introduce the C'RAIGCROOK Castle, Residenxe ok Jeffery. The Scott Monument. EDINBURGH. 49 English Liturgy into the Scottish Church, on the; 231x1 of July, 1637. Autograph letters of David Hume, Robert Burns, James Hogg, and other Scottish worthies add to the interest of this superb collection. There is also a checpie written a;nl signed by Sir Walter Scott, with deeds, charters and royal signatures not a few. "lender the same rooi is a gallery of sculpture, small and crowdcil, l)ut with fme facsimiles of the most notable statues in the world. Close by, again, is the National Ciallery of Art, a noble collection, which if it were only in a foreign city, every visitor would make a point of seeing. Here also in the early spring is held the annual Exhibition of the Scottish Academy, generally, as might be e.\[)ected, peculiarly rich in pictures of Scottish scenery, thouerh with a fair number of other paintings, and often including masterpieces from the London Academy Exhibition of the pre- ceding year. The visitor to Edinburgh who has time and inclination to inspect the interiors of great buildings must by all means visit two great churches, at least, in the city. The principal, St. Giles's, is often called the Cathedral ; though rigid Presbyterians disclaim the appella- tion, there being no cathedra or bishop's chair in their ecclesiastical arrangements. A mournful interest attached to the sumptuous and tasteful restoration of this building, which for the first time brought out its full design, in stateliness of plan and richness of decoration. The work was carried on at the expense of Mr. William Chambers, the elder of the two brothers whut we have been led too far from St. Giles's Church, especially as we have to refer to anotlier and a vim-)- diftereni ecclesiastical structure in Edin- burgh as well worthy of a visit. Tliis is .St. Mary's Cathedral, erected for the worship of the Scottish Episcopal Church, and (jne of tlie most important works of the late .Sir Cilbcrt Scott. It wouKl be superlluous to attempt a descri])linn of this truly magnificent building: the first view of those who look for a masterpiece of architectural design may be a little disappointing, owing to the disproportionate heaviness of t\\v. spire, which, we may add, will not have its full effect until it is balanced by the two lofty towers with the spires al the western front, which as yet exist only in the architect's plan. ( )n entering the interior, the beauty and harmony of every part is fi k at once, the great simplicity of jtlan being well CiioiK OF St. Gii.ks's Ciium h, Iuhmiukcii. EDINIWRGII. ijf set off by the elaborate siilcndour of the details, especially in the choir. To pass in one morning from St. (Giles's, the oklest of luliiiburgh churches, to this of St. Mary's, the newest, is most interesting and impressive. More than six hundred years separate the two structures in point of date ; and between the forms of faith which they severally represent, the difference has sometimes .seemed correspondingly great. I lajipily, we live in days in which the: true worshijiper, howe\'er strong his preference may be for one or for the other, may fuid Christian fellowship in Ixith. Tliere may be many folds : btit there is ' own Jlock, and one Shepherd.' View fro.m tiii; Kurns Munume.ni- Cai.ton Hill. I'rom these ecclesiastical rellections, however, into which we have been betrayed by our visits to these great churches, it is good to escape again into the open air, and, quitting St. Mary's Cathedral, by way of Melville Street, and passing by St. (George's Church, and through Charlotte .Square, to make our way; either by the stately hou.ses and terraces which lie to the north of Princes Street, or by Princes Street itself, with its range of shops and hotels on one side, and its lovely gardens on the other, extending as far as the Scott Monument and the Waverley l>ridge, and along Waterloo 1-: 2 SCOTTISH PICTURES. Place, to the Calton Hill. Here the visitor, if he feels so inclined, may ascend the Nelson Monument, which towers above the city like a gigantic telescope, and commands a magnificent view over the Firth of P^orth in one direction, and beyond the city southward to the Pentland Hills. We do not know, however, that the prospect from the summit is so much finer than that from the base, as to repay the labour of climbing. Certainly, on a clear summer's day in early morning, before the smoke of the city, with that of Leith and Portobello, has obscured the scene, there can hardly be a more enchanting view than this from the Calton Hill, rich as it is in the beauty of both land and sea, while the ' romantic town ' as a foreground serves to enhance the charm. To the other monuments on the hill no doubt a passing glance will be given. Much cannot be said in their favour individually, yet in their combination they certainly add to the attractiveness of the place. The National Monument has the effect of a classic ruin ; although, as every one knows, the picturesque incompleteness is due only to want of funds. Why the Parthenon should have been adopted as the most appropriate type for the commemoration of the W^aterloo heroes, it is hard to say ; nor why the monument to Burns, a little lower down, should also be classical in form. It was the taste of the times : and, to say the truth, the adoption of another style in the Wallace Monument near Stirling has not been so conspicuously successful as to make us altogether discontented with the classic ideal. In satisfying beauty of form, the Scott Monument remains unapproached. Still, the grouping of the somewhat heterogeneous structures on the Calton Hill is without doubt effective : and the large buildings on its southern edge, the High School and the Prison, are even imposing. The visitor to Edinburgh who is not intending to proceed northwards in the direction of Dundee and Aberdeen, ought, at any rate, to devote an afternoon to visiting the P'orth Bridge on the line of the North British Railway. P^ven should he l)e taking the longer journey, he will find it worth while to make a special trip to Oueensferry, to view the stupendous structure from the foot ; as in crossing the bridge by train but little notion can be gained of its structure and proportions. The drive from the city, of about seven miles along a wide well-kept road, will be found far pleasanter than the short railway ride. Large four-hor.se waggonettes are constantly ])lying on the route; which passes beneath Cjarslorphine Hill, and Lord Jeffrey's Craigcrook Castle on the left: and soon afterwards skirts on the right Lord Rosebery's beautiful estate of Dalmeny. Then the l'"()rth is reached, a wide and beautiful estuary, although here contracted tu a strait, with a small rocky islanil near tin; middle, as If to adord ficilitii:s lor this wonderful structure. I'rom the Iront of the little inn, or the stone pier used for the ferry-boats of a former time, the eye takes in the plan and (outline of the brid^^e at once, as shown in our cut; but it is some time EDINBURGH. SS before its real vastness is apprehended. Trains and engines crossing it appear from below like mere toys, and one has to adjust one's sense of size and distance before fully apprehending the facts that each of the two great arches spans the distance of one-third of a mile, and that the length of the bridge as nearly as possible equals the distance from the Duke of York's Column in London to St. Paul's. From the Oueensferry pier small steamers, in fine weather, are continually passing to and fro, enabling passengers to have a good view of the structure, the immense elaboration ami cost of which, and of the Tay Bridge, to be noticed further on, enable the traveller to save an hour or so in the journey between luiinburgh and Aberdeen. It is, however, for their own sake, and as trium[)hs of modern engineering, that they are noticeable here. The railway journey from Edinburgh to Glasgow is not particularly interesting, save for the opportunity of visiting Linlitiicow by the way, if the longer route be taken. The walls of the old Palace in their square massiveness are a striking object from the railway, and the traveller who has an hour or two to spare may well alight to e.\[)lore the ruin, with the picturesque little lake on the border of which it stands. ' Of all the palaces so fair. Built for the royal dwelling, In Scotland, far beyond comp;>re Linlithgow is excelling; And in its park, in jovial June, How sweet the merry linnet's tune, How blithe the blackbird's lay ! The wild buck bells from ferny brake. The coot dives merry on the lake, I'he saddest heart might pleasure take To see all Nature gay.' So sings the Minstrel, in Marniion. The fern-brakes are still there, the linnet carols as in the olden days, and there is enough of stateliness remaining in the shattered pile to show what the place must have been when the Lady Margaret, Queen of James the Fourth, there had her bower, in which, after the fatal day of Flodden, she mourned in widowed state. To Linlithgow James the Fifth conducted his bride Mary of Guise, who expressed her admiration of the place in words which are still remembered ; and here their ill-fated daughter ALiry Stuart was born, in a room which is pointed out to the visitor. The church, dedicated to St. Michael, also deserxes a visit, as 'one of the few specimens still left of the ancient Scottish parish church.' Part of it is still used for Divine worship. It was in this church that James the P'ourth is said to have been warned by an apparition not to advance to P'lodden : ' Sir King, my mother hath sent me to desire thee not to pass at this time whither thou art purposed : for if thou dost, thou wilt not fare well on thy journey, nor any that passeth with thee.' It was in the street of Linlithgow, also, that the Regent Murray was shot by Hainilton of Bothwellhaugh, in nn-enge for a grievous wrong, for which, however, the Regent was not wholly responsible. Proceeding down this street, the !,6 SCOTTISH PICTURES. QuEF.y Marcarkt's Bower, Linlithgow. only for ;i little while in the city itself, intersecting one another at right angles, the most important of them being traversed ceaseless!)' by tramcars, — among the best-appointed in the king- dom, — occupy a slope upwards from the north bank of the Clyde. The business streets are nearest the river ; Argyle .Strc;et, continued by the Tron- gate, being the chief; farther upward the straight thoroughfares are lined with stately residences and offices, with many handsome churches, chic'lly be- longing to the three Presbyterian ( oininiinitiis. To tlur northeast is the grand ( alhedral, with its wonderful crypt, a magnificent though glooin) vaulted chamber, p.irl of which was form<:rly used as a (hunli; ilic ' laigh (low) kirk,' as .Scott calls il in Kob J\oy. In this crypt is the gra\c of Mdward Irving, ui .tinguished \)y a visitor will notice one or two drinking fountains, one of which, dedicated to St. Michael, is surmounted by a rudely- carved representation of the archangel, with the inscription underneath, '1720. Saint Michael is kinde to strangers.' A speedy run by Polmont Junction, past the great Carron Ironworks, brings the traveller to Glascow. Here he enters an altogether new scene, in a great, energetic, progressive, hospitable city. It is a second London ; our view of the Trongate will be thought to bear more than a distant resemblance to Cheapside ; and the Clyde will at least stand comparison with the Thames ; while in the glories of the estuary into which it opens not very far from the city there is no comparison at all ! Wc can linger in our capacity as tourists The broad atul noble streets, mostly i^>ii:i:v \lAui;\iU!.r's l.:;..i i., l.iM.rriu;u\v (Intkrioi,). -5 X w H O ■/. o > H n O GLASGOW. 59 brass plate under a stained glass window representing^ John the Baptist. Next to the crypt, the most notable feature of the cathedral is the profusion of stained glass, which cost, it is said, a hundred thousand |)Ounds. It is chiefly modern, the finest of the windows having been executed at Munich. An hour or two may well be spent In the study of these very splendid specimens of modern skill, reproducing the style and tone of ancient art. The subjects are arranged in Bible order, beginning with the Expulsion from Paradise, and continuing the Old Testament history along both sides Glasgow Cathf.drai., from the South-east. of the nave ; the choir and Lady chapel being devoted to the New. A catalogue, to be had in the building, gives a description of the pictures, with the names of donors, and of the persons to whose memory the windows are severally dedicated. That this cathedral remains in so good a state of preservation, when most of the ecclesiastical buildings of Scotland are in ruins, furnishes a fine illustration of the national forethought. The Cdasgow people in the year 1579 were bent upon its demolition, and had already destroyed many of the imap-es in its niches, when the chief magistrate of the city shrewdly 6o SCOTTISH PICTURES. proposed that a new church should be buih before the old one was pulled down. A counsel, this, of wide application ! The citizens acknowledged the* good sense of the advice, and so the cathedral continues to this day : ' A Interior of Glasgow CATiiKnuAi.. brave kirk,' says Andrew l''airscrvice : 'None ol your whigmaleeries and ciirlicwurlies and o|)enstcek hems about it a' solid, wccl-jouUcd niason-wark, that will stand as lang as the worUl keep hands and gunpowlher alf it.' GLASGOW. 6i The choir of the cathedral is used, under the name i)f the lligh Church, for the simple Presbyterian worship. Nearly opposite the cathedral, on the site of the old Archbishops' Palace, is the Glasgow Royal Inllrmary : and a little farther on, crossing a bridge, aptly named the Bridge of Sighs, we reach the Necropolis, a burial-ground notable, perhaps, beyond all other British cemeteries, for the number and variety of its monuments. The hillside on which they stand contributes greatly to their effect, when viewed from a little distance, and Glasgow University. the column erected to the memory of Knox, towering in the midst of them, seems to give a fine completeness to the whole. From the east to the west of the city, we may pass by the unpro- nounceable Sauchiehall Street, leading to Kelvin Grove Park, which rises steeply to the new University buildings. P'ew of our cities can boast a place of public resort at once so accessible, so beautifully laid out, and with so superb a prospect, reaching from the smoky city away to the verge of the Highlands. The University is a noble pile, worthy of a great nation, and it is characteristic of Scotland that the finest site in its greatest commercial city should be crowned by a building devoted to liberal education. SCOTTISH PICTURES. Pursuing our way westward across the Kelvin, by the Botanic Gardens, the wealth and tastefulness of the merchant princes of Glasgow show them- selves in the long lines of sumptuous buildings with many a charming pleasaunce. The distant hills now rise to view. Few suburban drives are in their way more beautiful than that by the Great Western Road, through a pleasantly-undulating wooded country, to the verge of the Kilpatrick Hills, where the Clyde is reached ; and the way back is through the ancient village of Partick, older, it is said, than Gdasgow itself At some points along the route the river may be crossed by well-appointed ferries, giving access to ,l>.> CJLASGOVV UnIVKKSHV in IIM. IClGlI 1 i;i.N 1 11 Cl.NlURV. what is really another city, — Glasgow south of the Clytle, extending lioni Govan and I'lillokshields in the west to the crowded districts ol Tradeston, Laiiriestown, I lutchinsontown, and the (lorbals, with a nobl)-situated park, the '(Jueen'?,' (;n a height to the south. I'rom this district, several handsome bridges lead back to the northern side, where to the east of the city the great open Glasgow Green will w('ll reji.iy a \isit. It was in the University of Gla.sgow, nur readers will remember, that Archibald Campbell Tait, the great Archbishop of Canterbury, received (1827-1830) part of his collegiate training; and fmm this University also GLASGOir. Oi he received the Exhibition which enabled him to proceed to Ralliol College, Oxford. A record of great names, indeed, might easily be compiled from the lists of students, generally at an age much younger than that of Entrlish collecrians, and who have attended the classes within the ancient walls which now in their massiveness enclose a railway station. Nor need we sentimentally regret the change. Rather let us regard it as characteristic of a practical and ingenious people, who, however, before devoting their academic halls to baser [uirposes, took care to [)rovide for learning so appropriate and magnificent a home. The visit to this College Station has taken us again into the neighbour- hood of the Cathedral. The 'CoLLiiGE' Railway Station, Glasgow. Few who have bent their steps hitherward will fail to notice the statue of Dr. Norman Macleod, the genial minister of the Barony Church, whose multifarious labours, pastoral and literary, were the admiration of his con- temporaries, and exhausted at length the energies of his superb constitution. The tribute of our Queen to his worth will be long remembered ; but the good Doctor had also a warm place in the esteem of the very poorest. The church in which he ministered, a plain unlovely building, has now given place to a noble structure, and his work is worthily carried on, as he him- self could have wished. If there is time for yet another walk, It must be to the 15roomielaw, as 64 SCOTTISH PICTURES. the great quay is called from which the Clyde steamers depart to the fasci- nating seaside resorts, the access to which is one of the attractions of this busy city. In our next chapter we shall give some glimpses of the various destinations of these vessels, some of which are among the finest that float upon the waters of any nation, and which in the season are always crowded. As several of them start betimes in the morning, we recommend an early visit ; and if the atmosphere of the quay is dark with smoke, it may only quicken the sense of contrast with the clear sky and blue waters which are so near to the fortunate denizens of Glasgow. Inland, there are not many excursions to take. Bothwell Castle and Hamilton Palace have been already noticed ; with the pleasant drive to the Kilpatrick Pi ills and Partick. For the rest, the highways leading from the great city bear too many traces of manufacturing industry to be picturesque ; and the Clyde itself, though in places imposing from its breadth is but sluggish — not to say turbid — above Dumbarton. A visit to one or another of the great ship-building yards which line the river will be full of interest to all who can discern in such forms of busy activity much, at least, of the secret of our national greatness. On the whole, these yards ■ are, and must remain, the greatest sight of prosperous, ambitious, energetic Glasgow. lllli URuUMIliLAW, OLAb BY THE CLYDE TO THE WESTERN COAST. < Entrance to Fingal's Cave. BY THE CLYDE, TO THE WESTERN COAST. FOR all Glasgow people, as was intimated at the close of the preceding chapter, the great holiday is down the Clyde. No city in Great Britain, perhaps none in Europe, has such immediate access to scenes where the highest beauty of land and sea combines with every bracing and exhilarating quality of the atmosphere to minister health and delight. Accordingly, ' the coast,' as it is familiarly called, is annually thronged by visitors, and the broad waters of the estuary are crowded by one of the finest lleets of river steamers in the world. For several miles below Glasgow the river pursues a somewhat mono- tonous course between low banks, vast ranges of shipbuilding yards extending far beyond the city. The waters are muddy, and, it must be said, odoriferous, especially when churned by the paddles or the screw of some mighty steamer. Let no squeamish traveller arrange to leave Glasgow by a boat where breakfast is served between the city and Greenock. In truth, the fare is so good that it is a pity to spoil its relish by any intrusive accessories from the t 2 SCOTTISH PICTURES. -n-« \m i ih l?Xi-. u river. Many tourists prefer to save time and avoid discomfort by taking the rail to Greenock, or to Helens- burgh, nearly opposite ; but once, at any rate, the visitor who desires to have a full impression of what the commerce of this great city really is should embark at the Broomielaw, and note, as the steamer bears him swiftly down the river, the enor- mous vessels, countless in number, and, as it would seem, from every nation under heaven, busily load- ino- or unloading, or anchored in the stream. We do not wish to trouble the reader with stating the tonnage that annually enters or leaves the port of Glasgow. These are found in all books of commercial statistics ; and every one who has passed through those miles of ship- ping will easily understand that the amount is something enormous. But our errand to-day is one of recreation. After passing Dumbar- ton, with its singular two-peaked rock, the river widens out ; we are in llie blue water ; and before Greenock or 1 leli'usburgh is reached the eye already revels in the splendid panorama of encircling hills, ginlled by fair woods and studded with white villas, with misty mountain- tops ht;re and there beyond. A word must be given in passing to tiie steamers which ply along this favoured coast. They now form a llict unequalled in swiftness and comfort, as well as in the lowncss of their fares. At their head con- fessetlly is the Colnmba, which runs daily b(lw(HMi Glasgow and Ardris- haig on Loch I")n(', i)y way of DOWN THE CLYDE. 69 Rothesay and the Kyles of Bute. The lona, which this magnificent vessel has succeecletl, will be renienihercd by almost all Scottish tourists as having for many years performed the same service. I'or swiftness — the rate is about twenty miles an hour — and for commodioiisness, these steamers are as unrivalled as is the scenery through which they daily carry their crowds of happy passengers. Other steamers, more fitted for a wild and open sea, ply ilin)ughout the year round the Mull of Cantyre ; but we must now suppose the short holiday roulv to be taken, b'rorn Greenock for some distance the river seems at many points closed in by the hilly shores like a lake. Large creeks or sea lochs run inland upon the right, suggesting more exquisite beauties still of shore and mountain. Were there time, it would be pleasant to sail by Helensburgh up the Gareloch, or, better still, to ascend Loch Long to Arrochar ; whence again a short walk over a hilly pass would conduct to Tarbet, where the glories of Loch Lomond are full in view. But this cannot be for us to-day : we pass the pretty watering-places of Kilmun, Dunoon, Inellan, and others, looking very lovely from the water, and all crowded with summer guests. We do not land at any of these places now ; they are too hot and relaxing for us, although they have the glorious freshness of the sea, and their accessibility from Glasgow makes them favourite resorts of men of business with their families. On the left a more level shore faces the west, with the bracing seaside villages of Wemyss Bay, now accessible from Glasgow by railway, Skelmorlie and Largs. The Great and Little Cumbraes seem, in the distance, to bar the entrance to the river, and complete its lake-like appearance. But the steamer now crosses to Rothesay, on its lovely little bay in the Isle of Bute. There a multitude generally disembark ; and truly, for a day's or a week's holiday, they could find no fairer resting-place. The wooded hills beyond the town are picturesque and attractive, and suggest many a pleasant little excursion over the heights or through the valleys of the island. Leaving Rothesay, the steamer enters the narrow passage between Bute and the mainland in a channel between green hills, strikingly beautiful in one or two places, especially where, near the entrance to a small sea loch (Loch Ridden), lies the village of Tighnabriuaich, which has only recently been discovered, as it were, by summer holiday- makers, but is rapidly becoming a crowded watering-place. We now turn sharply to the south, and soon emerge from the narrow Kyles into open water, with the peaks of Arran full in view. But our vessel to-day does not go near this island — which must be reached in other ways, but which should on no account be omitted by the lovers of bracing air and of noble scenery, especially if their pedestrian powers are good. Loch Ranza, Corrie, Brodick, Lamlash, Whiting Bay, have all their attractions ; but Corrie or Brodick, should be chosen by the stranger for his landing-place, as he mttst ascend Goat Fell. Every one will ask him if he did this : in fact, the question is so universal that, having failed in our first attempt, we found it advisable 70 SCOTTISH PICTURES. whenever we referred afterwards to having visited Arran, to add, ' but we did noi ascend Goat Fell.' The ascent (2866 feet) is at once easy and most charming, in the two grand glens, up one or other of which the finest part of the route lies, Glen Sannox from Corrie, Glen Rosa from Brodick. We follow the burn nearly to its source, then turn off to a track amid vast rough boulders, very precipitous in parts and dangerous, if the prescribed path be left. When the summit is gained, the view over sea and land is on all sides magnificent : and we no longer wonder at the question with which we were plied by our friends. Not to have ascended Goat Fell is to have missed one of the noblest and most varied prospects which Great Britain affords. Loch Ranza. But Arran has attractions for others than mountain climbers. Its climate seems, if a flying visit gives sufficient warrant to speak of it, simply perfect — at least, when it docs not rain ! The belt between the shore and the hills is so equable in temperature tii.il the pl.uUs ami slnuibs of warm climates flourish there all the year round, wliile on every side breezy uplands are accessible. The glens, beside those just named, are rich in foliage as they approach llie sea, stern and craggy in their upper reaches ; the burns that ripple over their rocky beds abound in tidul and jierch, gc'nerall)- small, but delicious. No doubt the accommotiation and the fare are in general homely. At ]>rodick the traveller may live sumptuously in a fine hotel, with prices corresponding : but in general the lodgings are the farmhouses ol the island, ARRAN. 71 <]uitted for the summer visitors by their occupants, who themselves make shift in cottagi' out-iniiklings. TIu' houses are in j^reat request, and tht^m- selves form a refreshing contrast with the arrangements and supposed necessities of citv life. If any one wishes to prove with how little luxury he and his faniil)- can be contented, blithe and strong, let him apply early in the year - for this is necessary — to secure a farm lodging for July or August in the interior of Arran. It is not wonderful that many who have experienced this kind of life revisit the island year after year, hardly caring Goat Ii;li., from Krodick Bay. to go elsewhere, and often becoming very fanatics in their appreciation of this fair Atlantic isle. But we must resume our sail in the Cohinilni, now rapidly drawing to a close, as rounding Anllamont Point, we turn our back on Arran, and the breadth of Loch Fyne opens before us. Calling at Tarbert, separated only by a narrow isthmus from the waters of the Atlantic, we sail rapidly past beautifully-wooded shores into a little recess on the left, Loch Gilp, at the head of which the passengers stream forth upon the quay, many of them SCOTTISH PICTURES. startingf to walk across the neck of land that separates them from the Hebridean sea, others making their way over a dusty hillside to the canal steamer — it was the Linnet when we visited the place — and passing through some lochs, rather tediously, to Crinan on the other side. Women and children selling milk and flowers greet us in our progress, pleasantly, but importunately. At last we reach the steamer for Oban, and perceive at once from the difference of its build that it is made for rougher seas than the holiday ' swift ' Columba, though still admirable in all its appointments. ()i;AN. I he coiu\sc now lies past the once terrible whirlpool ot Corryvnkcn ('tiie caul(hv)ii ol the haunted sea), through a \'ast archipelago, the islands varying almost iiifmilely in form and extent. .Sometimes they almost close around the ship, then again lliey open out grandly, disclosing the basaltic precipices of Mull lo the north-west. The rocks on both sides now become grander and give to the voyager who [jurposes to lollow the coast Iin(! to the extreme north of Scotland a foretaste of what he may e.xpect. I'or .soon th(; steamer enters a narrow sound between the green island of Kerrera and the mainland ; a little bay op(;ns to the right, and he is at Oi3AN, where the OSAN. 73 loncf ranp^e of shops and hotels frontinq; the shore, and the villas on the heiLjhts, with an imincnse iiiihnished building;, intended for a Hydr<)[jatiiic Establishment, not to mention the sountl of the railway whistle, leli him that he has reached the great tourist centre, the ' Charing Cross of Western Scotland.' The charm of Oban to the stranger is that it affords so ready a way of access to all that is most beautiful in Scotland. Yet a Sunday spent in the little town several years ago is not to be forgotten. It was a sacramental occasion. h>om an early hour boats were seen coming in frcjm the surrounding islands, and at the time of service the little churcli on the hill was crowded to its utmost capacity, while a larger congregation still had assembled on the green sward without for a Gaelic service. The High- land folk had evidently come for a feast, and hour after hour the\- remained there beneath the l)lue sky, as one minister after another ascended the ' pulpit of wood ' which had been placed there for the purpose, and by turns expounded or prayed, or called the congregation to sing, all seated, accord- ing to their wont; the i'salms being given out line ]))■ line. One of the tunes was the 'plaintive Jlfar/yrs ,' and never did those touching strains so much affect us as when the melody floated upwards in the still summer air from that congregation of hardy men and women. The sermon appeared amazingly to interest the audience, though no sign of emotion of any kind escaped them. Then came the ' fencing of the tables,' and the solemn administration, with further e.xhortation and appeal ; at the close of which the benediction was uttered, and the congregation — suddenly, as it seemed — exchanged their (juiet, reverent attitude for a scamper down the hills to their boats, while the delight of the dogs was unrestrained ! We could not of course leave Oban without a visit to Staffa and lona. Happily the day for the e.xcursion was bright, the sea was calm, and we could enjoy to the full the little voyage that to some is a drawback to a visit which under any circumstances must be one of rare interest. As we approached lona, the first object visible was the ruined cathedral tower, surmounting the low dark line of coast. The sight brought to mind at once the ancient name and story of Icolmkill, the ' Island of Columba's Church,' with the Culdee traditions, from the dimness of which this fact at least emerges, that out of the churches in Ireland formed by Patrick's preaching there arose, a century and a half afterwards, an evangelist of princely blood,' who dedicated himself to the work of Christ in Scotland. As the old Latin rhyming verse has it : ' Sancte Columba pater ! quem fudit Hibernia mater, Quern Christi numen dedit Ecclesije fore lumen.' That the brave missionary and his companions chose this Hebridean island for their resting-place, was due to the opposition of the savage Picts : but ' See Usher, DrilanitUarum Ecclesiarum Aniiquitates, c. xv. (Works, 1864, vol. vi. p. 230). 74 SCOTTISH PICTURES. they seem to have assiduously visited the mainland, and to have been successful in the highest sense. We can fully adopt the conclusion of Dr. Merle D'Auhigne, that though Columba might not have had the faith of a Paul or a John, he lived as in the sight of God. ' He prayed and read, he wrote and taught, he preached and redeemed the time. With indefatigable activity, he went from house to house, and from kingdom to kingdom. The king of the Picts was converted, as were also many of his people ; precious manuscripts were conveyed to lona, a school of theology was founded there, in which the Word was studied : and many received through faith the saKation which is in Christ Jesus. Ere long a missionary spirit breathed over this ocean rock, so justly named "the light of the western world." lONA. ' I'hc Judaical sacerdotalism which was l)eginning to e.\tend in tht- Christian Church found no support in lona. I'hcy had forms, but not to them did they look for life. It was the I ioly Chost, Columba maintained, that made a servant of (iotl. When llu; youth of Caledonia assembled around their elders on these savage shores, or in their hnml)le chapel, these ministers of the Lord would say to them: " Tlic I IoIn Scriptures are the only rule of faith . . . Throw aside all merit of works, and look for .salvation to the grace of Cod alone . . . P)eware of a religion which consists of outward (jl;servanccs : it is belter to keep )()ur heart |iin'e lielore (loil ih.xn to al)stain from meats . . . ( )ne alone is your heael, Jesus ( Inist. " ' ' ' Jhitoiy oj the Kejormatton, viil. v. buok .wii, cli. I. s n s o ION A. 77 Many a wild and foolish legend no doubt became attached to the later records of a life which we thus see dimly through the mist of centuries and the imagination of the great evangelist's biographers. We reject the Saint Columbu of the hagiologies, but we are able to believe in Columba, the great simple-hearKxl missionary to the Highlands of Scotland ; and if the form of truth that he introduced was defaced by some errors, there was at any rate the vitality in it which proved it to contain the essentials of Tr)Ml« OF TIIF. KlNOS, lONA. the faith, and which in times to come was to acconii)lish its further purification. The occasion of our visit proved of especial interest to the islanders, as it was the first excursion of the season. A large number came to the shore to greet our landing, and the conductor of our trip, whose name is now famous among travellers throughout the world, having pro\-ed a warm friend to the islanders, in regard to their temporal and spiritual wants, was received with a warmth of welcome that it was good to see. We visited th(! ruined cathedral, inspected the curious crosses which the island contains, and the unique burying-place, where in close array are ranged the tombstones of the old Scottish kings, forty-eight in number, it is said ; Shakcspc^are's Macbeth 78 SCOTTISH PICTURES. being the last of the series, following his victim Duncan, whose body had been ' Carried to Colmekill, The sacred storehouse of his predecessors, And guardian of their bones.' From lona we passed to Staffa, reversing what we believe is the usual excursion route. Here, too, the first visit of the season was hailed by the inhabitants ; the sea-birds flew in thousands from the cliffs and caves, surround- ing our boat with dissonant terrified screaming, imtil fragments of biscuit thrown abroad created a diversion, and prepared them afterwards to hail the approach of mankind. Had we brought guns with us, as many tourists do, the effect might have been reversed. We entered Fingal's Cave without much difficulty by aid of the steamer's boats, and climbed the wonderful broken columns ; our good conductor reaching the farthest verge, and when all the company had grouped themselves in the cavern side, leading off with the Doxology, followed by a verse of God save the Queen. The effect of the strain, echoed from the vault of the cavern, and blending with the restless moan of the sea around the entrance, was something not to be forgotten, while the effect was enhanced by the wild cries of the birds, startled anew at this invasion of their haunts. After a climb by ladder to the summit of this wonderful island, and a walk on its grassy platform, we returned to Oban, with new zest for one yet further excursion northwards. But now came in the difficulty of choice. Happily we have since had opportunities of enjoying by turn all the chief tours to which Oban opens the way, and they are all so rich in charm that we hardly know how to counsel the intending traveller. He may take the steamer northwards, passing Dunolly and Dunstaffnage Castles, crossing the mouth of Loch Etive, and after a fine sail through the lower part of Loch Linnhe, iialting at the point where the white cottages and clumps of trees which mark Hallachulish and its quarries line the shore of an inlet, opening among the mountains. Landing there, you are at the mouth of (ilencoc ; and a day may well be spent in exploring its gloomy grandeurs. A thunderstorm in the heart of this glen, a few days after the visit to Staffa and lona just recorded, was a wonderful experience. Only once or twice, in the Alps, have we heard such tremendous re-echoing peals, incessant flashes gleaming between, while a pair of eagles .screaming overhead seemed to add to the wildness of the scene. The rain that followed came down as rain only can in the Western Highlands, in a very short linn- the burn in the valley had swollen to a torrent, and ca.scades were leaping from all the hills, '{"his was a little beyond the .scene of ' the massacre,' a tragedy (Hi whicli enough has been written, and which no parlizanship or sjiecial pleading can make to appear anything but an atrocious crime The stern, frowning ruggedness ol this great glen seents in GLENCOE. 8i harmony with the q^loomy associations of its history, ami well corresponds with its name, which, hkc the Hebrew Jiaca, signifies 'the Valley of W'eepini;.' As Lord Macaulay says in his Ilislory of Eii inland : 'The pro- gress of civilisation, which has turned so many wastes into fields yellow with harvest, or gay with apple-blossoms, has only made Glencoe more desolate.' Some travellers pursue their course wy C^ilencoe over the (h-cary summit Fingal's Cave, from the Interior. of the pass to Kingshou.se, and thence up a tremendous ascent, followed by a descent through a vast treeless 'Forest' — for in .Scotland a forest does not by any means necessarily imply trees — to a little lake, then over a wild pass again to Tyndrum, near which the road is crossed by the Oban railway, of which more anon ; and the route loses its character of wild sterility as it approaches the head of Loch Lomond. The journey is one which emphati- o 82 SCOTTISH PICTURES. cally is not to be recommended. For wearying monotony of savage stony grandeur, it stands out beyond any other day's excursion we remember ; but this was before the days of the railway. A much finer finish to the drive from Ballachuhsh would be to turn westwards from Kingshouse, and to descend to Loch Etive, following the northern bank, and crossing the loch near its mouth, at Connel Ferry, opposite Dunstaffnage Castle. This road leads between fine mountain masses all the way, with Ben Cruachan grandly towering to the south. But instead of turning aside at Ballachulish, the tourist may pursue his way up Loch Eil, into which Loch Linnhe suddenly narrows. Both sides Scene of the Massacre, Glencoe arc bounded b\- low hills descending to a level shore, where we now see the 'crofts' or small homesteads with plots of land attached, of which so much has lately been heard. Some of these have a comfortable, well-to-do appearance as seen from the deck of the steamer, and contrast well with the heathery wastes above, while others seem hardly more than a part and pared of the waste, forced b\- painfiil efforts into some semblanci; of fertility. The steamer touches at Ardgour, near the narrow entrance of the loch, where, on occasion of our last visit, the inhabitants of the village seemed all to have assembled on tin; pier lo welcome a I)right-looking lad apparently of nineteen or twenty, with uhom we had been dialling a little «)n board the steamer, who had Ijeen sent up from some cottage home to PsALJ ACHri ISII TO FORT \\l LI.IA.-\t. 83 'Glasgow College.' and was returning- radiant with good humour from his first session. It was good to sec how he went from one to another, shaking hands with fishermen and peasants, and respectfully greeting the minister, who stootl in the background of the animated grouj) ; then walking off rapidly with his mother and sister, raising his hat as he passed to th(; occupants of a carriage, evidently containing the great people of the village, who had driven down to the pier to show their interest in the youth's return. l nc whole scene, rapidly as it passed, was like .some charming idyll, and was characteristic of one of the best sides of Scottish peasant life. As the steamer pursues its way up the loch, lien Nevis -'^■r.-^^^.^ST' itoT-'**^'**' comes into view on the rieht The Sisters, Gi.encoe. hand, a vast elephantine mass, with none of the picturesque grandeLU' of outline which in some aspects it presents. After seeing the peaked Ben Cruachan, and the gracefully towering outline of Hen Lomond, it is hard to believe that this mountain surpasses both in height. Snow, it is said, lies here in drifts all the year round. When we were there once in y\pril the whole summit was covered with snow — some who had recently ascended the mountain telling us, to the depth of eighteen feet. The ' swift steamers ' had not yet begun to l)ly on these rough waters ; the Caledonian Canal, which opens into the G 2 84 SCOTTISH PICTURES. head of Loch Eil, was still closed, and Fort William was the end of the journey. The weather, however, was bright and genial, and the great Glen Nevis, which leads up to the heart of the mountain, was lovely with spring flowers and mosses in every crevice of its vast and rugged rocks, while the stream, swollen by the melting snow, dashed grandly downwards amono-st the boulders. There was a charm in the place which simimer visitors lose : and in a home-like little inn, exquisitely clean and comfortable. lii.ioNcuK : A ' \\ i 111 Day.' at the extremity cjf the village, one had k;isurc', denied in the full rush • it ilic 'tourist season,' to dwell upon tin; as|)cct of the scene. Crossing the canal by a bridge near its outlcl, we had a magnificent view of Hen Nevis; its snows and precipices lightetl by the declining sun; and it was possible now to feel the grandeur of this monarch among Scottish mountains. With a very deep interest, too, we heard, on returning lo the inn, of those meteorological observations which h,i\c of lale years matle lien Nevis so BEN NEVIS. 8S Ben Nevis had been notable in a scientific point of view. Mr. Wraggc himself was absent, but of course his work was familiar to many in the little town ; and about the same time a singularly interesting sketch of his disinterested labours, from his own pen, had recently appeared in a scientific periodical.' For five months, from the first of June to the first of November, 1881, ascended everv morninQ- bv Mr. Wraofgre or his assistants, without one day's intermission ; and the meteorological observations were reported daily in the London papers, for readers who could have but little notion of the toil involved in making them. The observations were first taken at five the morning, at the Achintore Station, I'ort m William. The route then led upwards for two miles and a quarter to what Mr. Wragge called the ' Peat Moss Station,' which was reached on horseback between half-past five and si.\. This point is but forty feet above the sea-level. There followed a climb to Livingston's Boulder .Station, a mile and a quarter farther, 840 feet high, reached at a quarter past six. Another mile led to a lake, a thousand feet higher, on a small plateau on the side of the mountain-spur JMeall an i'-Siiid/ic, The Hill of Rest. Here also a- station had been fixed, and observations were taken. Soon after passing this point the pony which had carried our energetic observer thus far was left behind. Three stations succeeded, on the main slopes of Ben Nevis, at intervals of half a mile. Ijrown's Well, 2,200 feet high. Red liurn Crossing, 2,700 feet, and Buchan's Well, 3,575 feet. This last was reached at half- past eight .\.M. Then came the final effort over rocks and boulders to the summit of the mountain, somewhat more than a mile farther on, 4,406 feet above the sea, reached at nine o'clock. Here huts had been erected to contain the scientific instru- ments, and five sets of observations were made, at half-hour intervals, from 9 to 11, comprising the following elements : ' Pressure, by mercurial baro- meter ; comparison pressure by aneroid ; temperature of air and evaporation (dry and wet bulbs) ; wind and force ; kind of cloud, amount, and velocities of strata; hydrometers and remarks in fullest detail as at the sea-level and ■ A'alure (Macmillan & Co.), March 22, 1883. We have to acknowledge the courtesy of the publishers in allowing the use of the diagrams on pp. 87, 88. TiiK Great Glen of Scotland. 86 SCOTTISH PICTURES. intermediate stations ai all the above times ; maximum and niinimuni shade tempera- ture, solar maximum and tcrrt^strial mini- mum temperature, and rainfall by four 9 A.M. ; temperature of Wragge's Well and of grounti at depths of i and 2 feel between 9 and 1 1 a.m. Ozone for periods of \ hour, 1 hour, il hour, .uul 2 hours between 9 and i i .\.m. : also by two ditlercnlly exposed tests for 24 hours ending 9 a.m.; actinism of the sun's rays antl of daylight by Dr. Angus .Smith's appar.itus for 2\ hnurs ending 10.17 a.m. Ilygrometric conditions prevailing afjoui <) o'clock ihc previous night by self-registering nEN NEVIS, 87 dr) .md wet bulbs, were noted at 10.15 a.m. Rainband by lirowning's spectroscope was observed at various altitudes, and its indications proved of considerable value. bull notes were taken of the cloud limits, and of any important changes observed between the stations. llic indefatigable observer then retraced his steps, making a second set opcw.«*» fin t ; -»«/5 'f I'VlttCSTONS ODUlOe" StATIOM l>CMT ¥OSS STATION ; I BCN NfVIS rwRkOics Section of the Ascknt, with the Successive Stations. THINK or GREAT PRCCIPICC of observations at each statiun, and rcachini,' the fool of the hill by 3 cm. ; observations having been taken at the Achintore Station simultaneously with every observation on the mountain side and summit, and being continued until night. .\ few paragraphs from Mr. Wragge's graphic records will still be read with interest, as showing the diffi- culties with which the pioneers of scientific enterprise have to con- tend. ' One of my greatest diffi- culties,' he writes, ' was as to the pony on which I rode to and from the lake, where it was left to graze and await my descent. Occasion- ally the stable-boy overslept, and I had to make up for lost time, — no easy matter, as the wretched track leads over deep ruts and treacherous swamps, and the poor brute had a trying time of it. Still more frequently the person to whom it belonged gave me rotten saddlery, in spite of all re- monstrance ; and on commencing the ascent the girth would break, and I had to turn the animal adrift and plod on to the lake my fastest. This was decidedly hard, inasmuch as I was obliged to climb afoot some 2,500 feet from the tarn in less than two ca Diagram of the Su.mmh, showing the Positions of Mr. Wragge's Huts and Instru.ments. 83 SCOTTISH PICTURES. hours by a circuitous route and o\er rough rock, stopping to observe at the other intermediate stations. Again, the pony often wandered in his hobbles, or having broken the tethering rope had made off to the moss ; so also on the homeward journey I had sometimes to leave him and run my hardest over ruts and through swamps, by a short cut, to get my readings at the next station. Other trying parts of the work consisted in the journeys between Buchan's Well and the top in the allotted time, in having the two hours' exposure on the summit in bad weather, and in becoming chilled after profuse perspiration. The rude hut, with its walls full of holes of all shapes and angles, through which the wind whistles and the snow-drifts drive, afforded but a poor shelter from the drenching rain and cold, and it was ACHINToacroPT WIUIADt .BAS£ STATIOS. sir ^PCAT MOSS •■ STATION "K: fT uvmasTONs boulder STATION etO':T iTHCLAXe STATIOM ia*o "■ X HORSE LCfT HERE ■**. ff/-. I BaoHN s wr LI , STATION iiOO fT STATION)^ IfCO BURN CPOSSINO > 27 JO ' ' STATION* ^buchan's weiL .3575"^ •'A. \ -> >^-^ I ' ■ FURLONGS Plan ok the Route ur the Mountain. \ X /'"-BEfmiviS SUMMIT STATION impossibl': to keep anything dry. My hantls often became so numbed and swollen, and my paper so saturated, that I had the utmost difficully in handling keys, setting instruments, and entering my observations. Usually so laden was the air with moisture, and so xcry dense and lasting was the cloud-fog, that, even when no rain had actually fallen, all the fixings antl instruments wen! drijiping; and although, of course, 1 made a jjoint of wiping the dry Ijulb, it almost innnediately bcicame wet again. Occasionally I timed the interval between wiping and fresh condensation on the l)ulb, and have fotmd it wet again within thirty seconds. 'After November i, then, I had to discontinue the work. The hut had become choked with snow, and the carrying on of the undertaking BEN NEVIS : TO THE WESTERN COAST. 89 satisfactorily impossible. I was, however, satisfied ; and very pleased that I had secured live months' observations withoul the break of a single day.' The work is of national interest ; and it is well known that as the result of these arduous labours, a properly appointed observatory, erected by the Scottish Meteorological Society, now occupies the summit of the mountain, from which the results of the observations made are printed every morning in the London newspapers, and despatched to all parts of the kingdom. ll the tourist should be disposed for an excursion in which every form ■^j'«'if Observatory Statio.n on the Summit of Ben Nevis. of beautiful scenery, mountain, lake and glen, rich woodland and rippling stream, may be enjoyed in ever-varying combination, and where a fairly good road, out of the line of the crowd of travellers, opens up these attractions to easy access, let him drive' or walk from Banavie, on the opposite side of the loch to Fort William, to Arisaig, on the Atlantic coast. The distance is about thirty-nine miles, the road for one-third of the way ' The mail-cart here, as in many other parts of the Highlands, is a really comfortable 'trap,' the driver of which is permitted to take three passengers at a reasonable charge ; although, of course, they must not have much luggage. 90 SCOTTrSH PICTURES. continuing along the shore of Loch Eil, which at Fort William makes an abrupt bend westward. At the foot of Glenfinnan, some six miles beyond the loch, there is a little inn, very welcome to pedestrians as a ' half-way house.' Here there is a colossal statue of Prince Charles, to mark the place where he first unfurled his standard in 1745, with a part of the clan Cameron, headed by the laird of Lochiel. Loch Shiel is now in view, grandly stretching in a south-westerly direction to the Atlantic. Leaving this, the road winds on in alternate ascents and descents, passing to the left a lovely litde lake, and reaching the inn of Kinloch Aylort, ten miles from Arisaig. From this point every mile is full of beauty, especially when on the approach of autumn the hillsides put on all their splendour of colour- ing : while in all seasons, excepting those of incessant misty rain, the sea views are very fine. Arisaig is prettily situated on the head of an inlet, in face of a picturesque group of rocky islets, and just opposite the singular basaltic island of Eigg, with its almost flat-topped precipitous peak (Scuir Eigg), like a stupendous broken column, towering to a height of 1,274 feet above the sea. By timing the visit to Arisaig carefully, the tourist may catch the steamer southwards to Oban ; or northwards to Skye, Lewis, and Cape Wrath, should he wish to extend his journey to the grandest and wildest coast and island scenery in Great Britain. From Arisaig the steamer crosses the open sea, passing to the left the rocky islands of Rum and Muck, names to which the long u's give a pronunciation more elegant than the appearance of the words ! Thence Loch Scavaig, on llie southern side of Skye, is reached, magnificent in the lonely desolation of its broken cliffs of basalt and its rocky caves, though not without softer touches of foliage, shrubs and flowers, in the ravines that descend from the Cuchullin (or Coolin) hills to the shore. The description of Loch .Scavaig by Sir Walter Scott in the Lord of the Isles is well known, and is as accurate as il is pot:tical : ' For raruly hiiinan i;yc lias known A scene so stern as that dread lake, With its dark ledge of barren stone, iieems that primeval eartliquake's sway Hath rent a strange and sliattercil way Through the rude bosom of the hill ; And that each naked precipice, Sab'c ravine and dark abyss, Tells of the outrage still. The wildest glen but this can show Some touch of Nature's genial glow : On high lien More green mosses grow And heathbelis bud in deep Glencoe, And c ojjse in Cru( han Hen : II IN ;III1 |i; mum I'lP!!;!' ii: f !;'' ..i;, THE ISLE OF Sh'VE. 93 But here — above, around, below. On mountain or in glen, No tree nor shrub, nor jjlant nor flower. Nor aught of vegetative power. The weary eye may ken : For all is rocks at random thrown, Black waves, bare crags, ami banks of stone, As if were here denied The summer sun, the spring's deep dew. That clothe with many a varied hue The bleakest mountain side.' Canto iii. 14. Loch Coruisk is a little inland, and the passengers have often the opportiniity, while the steamer waits, of climbing over rocky groinul to take Loca Coruisk, a rapid view of its melancholy grandeurs, as it lies there among vast and sterile rocks at the base of the [)innacled mountains. A long walk k^ads from the foot of Loch Coruisk through Glen Sligachan towards the inhabited part of the island. The path, which throughout is very wild, and in parts romantic, runs along the western Hank of the Cuchullins, first climbing steeply upwards, with fine views of Loch Coruisk to the left, then skirting in its descent a little stream, beyond which the view of the peaked hills, 94 SCOTT iSH PICTURES. and especially of Scuir-na-Gillean (the 'scaur of the gillies,' i.e. rock of the young men), is very fine. From the Sligachan Hotel there is a long un- interesting carriage road to Portree, the capital of Skye, which travellers who have kept to the steamer have reached more quickly than those who left the vessel at Loch Scavaig. The little town on its steep upward slope has few attractions, beyond the fact of its opening up to the visitor rock Scenic in xiir, 1Ii:iiridks: ' Rktuun fkom xiir. Siiiki.inc..' ' and mountain scener\- ol whose wild ruggcdness nt)lhing that him an ad((|uatc idea. 1 "he dri\'es inl.uul seen could have given he lias y(;t arc as well ' III llic Hebrides, during the summer montlis, tlie callle are U.inslerreil fnmi llie luw pnvlures near llie villages to more distant and liif,'lier ground. During lliis period llic women live in shielings (luiis built of turf on tlie hillside) tending the eallle ; each day, however, returning lo the villages willi the milk. This they carry in' large cans which aie placed in their 'creels,' and covered over willi a llaKy moss, which serves fur fuliiie sloie ns of poverty and hard living everywhere prove that ' the season ' is an inestimable boon to the inhabitants. To the visitor who looks beyond the immediate enjoyment, and endeavours to estimate what must be the conditions of living all the year round, the very elements of the summer i)icturesqueness appear almost mournful. It was in the early spring that our latest visit was paid to these island coasts. The tourists had not l)cgun t(j arrive, the swift steamers were still laid up in their winter moorings, and the chief passengers in the vessels that continued to ply were commissioners and agents sent to inquire into the distress, and if possible to relieve it. The questions arising out of all this sore need are plainly not yet settled. The case of the Highland crofters generally has been .so touchingly and .strongly presented as to arouse the sympathies of the nation : but what is to be the position of these honest hanl- working peasants for the future ? Here, too, is a ' Land question,' likely to employ our wisest thinkers and ablest administrators for many a day to come ! But our business is now with the picturesque. The e.xcursion to Uig and Ouiraing, with its fantastic table rock, will of course be taken ; also, quite as interesting, though less strange in its surroundings, the drive to Dun- vegan Castle, on the north-west of the island, the whole route affording mag- nificent views of mountain and sea. The CuchuUin hills are better seen from the road between Dunvegan and Sligachan than from any other part of the island ; but to the nearer view of this wild romantic mountain-range we are inclined to prefer such distant prospects as may be gained, for instance, from the heights above Strome Ferry, on the mainland opposite. On a still summer's evening, nothing can be more beautiful than the view of the island beyond the narrow strait, with the bold and peaked range beyond, blue-grey and purple, dappled with cloud shadows and the gloom of many a ravine, standing out against the sunset sky. From this wonderful island, the King of the Hebrides, the tourist may, if he will, pursue his way over a grandly open sea to Stornoway, the little capital of Lewis, or 'the Lews." The charm of this voyage is chiefly that of th* fresh and bracing air, with the changeful colouring of sea and sky. Lewis is bleak and wild enough, but after the wonders of Skye, few will II I.NTERIOR OF CROFTER'S IIUT, SkVE. SCOTTISH PICTURES. care to explore this island or its neighbour Harris very closely. The sports- man and fisherman, however, will reap here a rich harvest. Another grand sea excursion is to Cape Wrath, the north-westerly extremity of Scotland, a magnificent granite headland chafed incessantly by an angry sea. The whole coast of Ross-shire and Sutherlandshire, indeed, from Strome Ferry to this promontory, is one succession of noble clifTs, indented by lochs and faced by innumerable islets; while at almost halt the distance, Loch Inver will be An Ul'IiN-AIR Sl'.KVllJh liN .SkSK. tound tnw ol those charming seasiile nocjks about whiili all who have ever explored their beauties prove enthusiastic. .Sea, shore, ri\ir and lake, glen and motnil.iiii hciglit, cnnibine to make this little spot an earthly paradise. Would it were more accessible ! The calls ol the steamer here are infrequent, and the only other public conveyance is the mail cart from Lairg, nearly fifty miles inland. Ikit we must leave these fascinating scenes. None but JI 2 LOCH INVER. loi those who have explored them can understand how great are their fasci.._ tions. Pure air, glorious scenery, the splendour of the sea and sky, and th"<> na- A Female Croftek. pleasant if transitory companionshii) of the like-minded, who have also learned to love these islands and shores, deepen the attachment of visitors, who year by year desire no better holiday resort, and find that they can visit SCOTTISH PICTURES, these scenes with increasing facility and comfort. Yet, to confess the truth, these fair western isles, so lovely amid their grandeur in the summer sunlight, have their seasons of gloom and tempest, with long and trying days of driving rain and mist, with what to many will be worse, an angry raging sea. But even these have their compensations. The sunsets after storm are often gorgeous beyond a poet's dream ; and the ' mountain glory ' is hardly to be apprehended by those who know nothing of the ' mountain gloom,' while the effect of both is aided beyond description by the changing aspects of the sea. SCOJTISll CKOlTKIi A|- WdUK. THROUGH THE WESTERN HIGHLANDS. 'The Deep Trossachs' Wildest|Nook.' THROUGH THE WESTERN HIGHLANDS. THE route by sea from Glasgow to Oban, described in the foregoing pages, has of late years found a formidable rival in the railway, which also gives to leisurely travellers a fine opportunity of visiting Loch Lomond, with Loch Katrine and the Trossachs. The 'circular tour' to these scenes is indeed the best known excursion in Scotland, but it is too hurried for perfect enjoyment. If the reader who has not visited the country would like to know how in three or four days he can see as much as possible of its most characteristic and most beautiful scenery, we would recommend him to go from Glasgow to Oban by way of Loch Lomond, his halting-places being Tarbet, the foot of Loch Katrine, and Killin or Dalmally. A short railway journey from Glasgow by way of Dumbarton takes him to Balloch, where the Loch Lomond steamer is waiting for passengers at a little inlet, whence there is hardly a glimpse of the loveliness and grandeur beyond. It is well to begin such a tour quietly — it may be with a little disappointment. But the beauties of the lake soon unfold themselves, as the steamer swiftly makes its way among green wooded islands, and the mountain heights which line the upper reaches of the lake become visible in the distance. When the pretty village of Luss, on the western bank, is fairly passed, the mountain grandeurs disclose themselves in ever-varying forms beyond the expanse of io6 SCOTTISH PICTURES. blue water at their feet. Ben Lomond towers on the right, while to the left the fantastic peaks of Ben Arthur, or the ' Cobbler,' and the grand precipices of Ben \'oirlich stand out against the sky. There will be time, should the; IJi.N .AkUIIK, UK ''I'lll'. I III. 1,1 1 K. weather |)rove favourable, fur the hanl\- pedestrian lo land ,il Kdwardeiinan, and to walk f)ver the sunnnit of Hi n I, omond, descending at Inversnaid. The path is comparatively easy, antl the prospect on a clear summer's e\cning is of transcendent beauty, ranging from Arran in ilie wcsl lo \\\v Jirih LOCH LOMOND. 107 of Forth in the east. Travellers who decline this effort will nevertheless have from Tarbet, on the opposite shore, a magnificent view of the mountain, seeming to descend sheer into the waters to an unfathomable depth, and rising upwards to a noble pyramid. There is no place where a few days' summer-quiet, or a Sabbath's rest, may be more exquisitely enjoyed. ' 1 wonder,' once exclaimed Dr. Chalmers, ' whether there is a Loch Lomond in heaven ! ' Across a narrow isthmus Loch Long is easily reached, or a long day's Ben Lomond, from the Lock. ramble may be taken in the wild and rugged Glencoe, at least as far as the ' Rest and be thankful ' seat to which Wordsworth's sonnet refers : — ' Doubling and doubling witli laborious walk, Who that has gained at length the wished-for height, This brief, this simple wayside call can slight, .And rest not thankful.'' From this point it is time for us to return to Tarbet, whence we cross to Inversnaid, made famous agfain by Wordsworth, in his Jlisrhland (lirl. ' The bay, the waterfall,' of which the poet sings, are still there in unspoiled beauty : but the ' cabin small ' has been replaced by a large hotel, chiefly known to tourists as the starting-point for Loch Katrine, which is reached by a five miles' drive or walk over a rough and uninteresting road that crosses one part of the watershed between the Clyde and the Forth. For the two lakes, .so near, and to the thoughts of many persons so inseparable, lielong to two different water systems. Loch Lomond, almost on the sea- level, discharges its waters in the great western estuary. Loch Katrine, io8 SCOTTISH PICTURES. 350 feet higher, issues by Lochs Achray and Vennachar into the Teith, which joins the Forth a Httle above StirHng, and so flows into the German Ocean. Such at least is the natural course of the Katrine waters : we all know how science and skill have interfered to turn a great portion of them westward also, and to make them tributary to human needs. Somewhat sneeringly I was told by a fellow-traveller that we were going to see the great ' Glasgow Reservoir ; ' and, in fact, knowing that the level of the lake had been raised four or five feet by embankment, with a view to this water supply, and that of course large engineering works had been constructed at the place of issue, it was natural to expect some diminution of the old romantic charm. But there is really little, if any. For one thing, the water-works are placed at some distance from the more picturesque part of the lake, and are passed Sss^j ^>f'*g; Locu Katrine, with Ellen's Isle. by the little steamer, on which we embarked at Stronachlachar pier, some time before we reached fair Ellen's Lslc, the Silver Strand, or the opening to the Trossachs. The beauty that surrounds the outlet of the lake is thus left unimpaired. Then, the (low of water for Glasgow uses, vast as it is, bears but a small proportion to the capacity of the lake. Loch Katrine contains in round numbers 5,620 millions of gallons : the daily sup|)ly re(iuircd for Glasgow ami its suburbs is at the rat(- of 54 gallons a head per day for a pojiulalion of three (juarters of a million ; something less than 40 millions of gallons in all. .Speaking roughly, therefore, the lake contains 140 days' supply, were the r.iinl.ilj ciiiinly to cease and e\cry tril)utary striiam from the mountains annmd to be cut off. As it is, there is no deficiency, and though the trees on the margin of the lake seem in places to have suffered, LOCH KATRINE. 109 ihc outfall to Loch Achray is, generally speaking, as copious as ever ; while, to i)revent any diminution in the river Teith, Loch Vennachar has been embanked, so as greatly to increase its storage ; while little Loch Drunkie, a mountain tarn 416 feet above the sea, that discharges into Loch Vennachar (269 feet) is also used for storage." There is thus no fear that the supply may prove insufficient; and in fact Loch Katrine at the very lowest falls laut three feet below the old summer level, while, as we have seen, it may touch four feet above that level, a total range of but seven feet. I'rom the lake the water is conveyed to Glasgow, a distance of thirty-four miles ; partly by tunnels through the hills, partly by aqueducts, overarched, and carried across valleys by lofty bridges ; while in three valleys, those of the Dochray Water, the The Silver Strand, Loch Katrine. River Lndrick, and the Blane Water, the water is conductetl down the slope and ascends on the opposite side in cast-iron pipes four feet in diameter. Eight miles out of Glasgow, at Mugdock, there is a great service reservoir 317 feet above the sea-level, with a capacity of 550 millions of gallons ; and from this the water is carried to Glasgow by several mains, each to its own quarter of the city and suburbs. The result is that the inhabitants of this favoured town have everywhere in their houses and manufactories a practically ' Here are the exact figures for the informatiun of the curious :—iStf^A Kalrine^ raised 4 feet above the old bUmmer level, has a water surface of 3,059 acres, and a capacity of 5,623,581,250 gallons ; Lech Vennachar, raised 5 feet 9 inches, covering 1,025 acres, capacity 2,588,960,350 g.iUons ; Loch Drunkie, raised 25 feet, covering 138 aaes, capacity 773,750,063 gallons; total 4,222 acres of water level, and a capacity of 8,986,291,663 gallons. These figures, and the facts given above, are taken from a remarkably interesting paper On the Latest Additions to the Loch Katrine Water-^uorks, by Mr. James M. Gale, C.E., in the Transactions of the Itutitution of Engineers and Shipbuilders in Sc.tland, March 20, 1883. SCOTTISH PICTURES. unlimited supply of the purest water, carefully filtered in its course, and carrying health, cleanliness and comfort everywhere. Who that knows facts like these will not look on Loch Katrine with an interest even deeper than that inspired by the Lady of the Lake .' Or, at any rate, who will not be willing to turn his thoughts for a moment from the adventures of Fitzjames and Roderick Dhu, to acknowledge that the most illustrious memory con- nected with this beautiful lake is that on the fourteenth of October, 1859, our gracious Queen, by opening the first sluice and letting the waters flow, conferred upon one of the greatest cities of her empire this gift beyond all price ? We have been led to dwell on this achievement of science somewhat disproportionately perhaps for a book like the present ; and yet it seemed necessary, to meet an impression not uncommon among those who have never seen Lochs Katrine, Vennachar and Achray, with their guardian mountains, 'huge Ben Venue' and 'Ben Ledi's ridge in air.' Nothing has impaired, and truly nothing can e.xcel, the beauties of the opening to the Trossachs as they unfold before the traveller, borne swiftly past Ellen's Isle, and stepping, full of expectancy and of Sir Walter Scott, upon the little landing near Airdcheanochrochan. This portentous word, we believe, is Gaelic for 'the high point at the end of the knoll.' He is now in the Trossachs, or the ' bristly country ; ' and perhaps his expectations have been unduly raised? by the poet's description, for we have known some visitors to confess disappointment, and have even been confidentially asked, ' But which arc the Trossachs ? ' The truth is, we pass through this lovely glen too quickly to take in all its beauties. We are in a hurry, perhaps, for luncheon at the hotel, or are wondering whether there will be room on the coach. It is ])est to linger. The crowd will soon have left ; and when the ilistant horn announces the departure of the coach, the lo\er of solitude may have his fill of delight as he makes his way to the Silver Strand, that edges the lake (jn the western side a little less than a mile from the landing, or rambles on the opposite side to the Bass of Beil nain-ho ('Bass of the Cattle'), on the rocky flank of lien \'enuc. The name speaks of the wild times when the cattle stolen by Highland Caterans from the pastures beyond were driven down this ])ass to the refuge of the Trossachs. Katrine itself, so melodious in its sound, is only this Catcran di.sguised ! The Robber Lake! So at least Sir Walter Scott informs us. But, without endeavouring to settle this point of etymology, we can now re-enter the glen, in the light of the westering sun, and gi\e om-scbes np lo the full Ijcaiity of the scene. On each side the crags, knolls, ami moinuls rise 'confusedly,' streaked grey weather-stained, green with moss, purple with heather. From every crevice where a root could fasten the feathery birch-tree and (piivering aspen spring: — ' Aloft, tlic ;isli ;uk1 warrior oak Cast anchor in the riftud rock.' Ben Venue. LOCH KA TA'/y/i. Look upwards at the sunlight ghstcning through the boughs, or down- ward on the long shadows that cross the path, or through the trees at the grey mountain forms dimly discernible. The view at every point is ' So wuiulrous wild, the whole might seem The scenery of a fairy dream.' But even more beautiful is the (|uiet siunmer's morning in this e.\(iuisite glen, when the dew glistens on every spray, and the birds hll the air with music. The crowd of tourists will soon arrive, but at present the place is free. Walk or drive to Callander, by the Bridge of Turk and beautiful V'ennachar ; you will soon meet the long procession of carriages and coaches, with red-coated drivers showing to their passengers the successive points of scenery described in the Lai/y of the Lake. ' There ' — pointing with his whip — ' is Coilantogle Ford — now occupied by the sluice and salmon ladders connected with the water-works : ' — then, breaking into poetry, the driver recites some lines of Scott. To him there is but one poem ; and every character in it is historical. It is pleasant to see such enthusiasm, even though after-thoughts of profit may be connected with it. We have driven through famous historic scenes beside some sullen coachman who had nothing but a gruff Yes or No to our most eager questions. Such drivers woukl find no phice in the Trossachs ! Probably we may not be able to remain in the neighbourhood of Loch V'ennachar, or there are lovely spots that would well repay the e.xplorer. As a rule, however, these are as lonely all through the summer season as though the crowd of e.xcursionists were not daily rushing past. One bright summer day stands out in memory, spent years ago with congenial friends Ijy 'the only Lake in Scotland.' For all the rest are lochs: this of Menteitii, for some inscrutable reason, is always called a lake. Here is 'Queen Mary's Bower' in Inch-ma-home, the 'Island of Rest;' and here, with the ' fotir Maries' as her attendants, the ill-fated princess passed her brief and happy childhood. For varied loveliness of woodland, streamlet, hill, lake, and island, with glimpses of sterner majesty beyond, no little excursion could well be more charming than this from Dullater, at the outlet of V'ennachar, to the Port of Menteith, and to Aberfoyle, near the foot of beautiful Loch Ard, described in Rob Roy. From this village a mountain-road leads past Loch Drunkie to the Trossachs. Callander itself, excepting the pretty fall of Bracklinn above the village, presents no jjoints of special interest. The 'Dreadnought' Hotel is familiar to tourists as a place for coming and going ; but most travellers now seek the railway station ; and if bound, as we are now, for Oban, they will soon find themselves on one of the finest routes by rail uhich these islands can boast. Many people complain that railways interfere with the enjoyment of scenery. In some localities this may be true. But here the natural features I 114 SCOTTISH PICTURES. In (.i.h.N liuciiAKi. of the country arc on so vast a scale that the Httle railway line (mostly single) and the infrcfiucnt trains seem no profanation either of the stillness I 2 < o o J o c HIGHLAND RAILWAY ROUTES. 117 or of the bc:auty. To the traveller almost every mile is now full of charm. l'"irst of all he proceeds up the glen of the Leny, a stream that llows over rocky banks from Loch Lubnaig to the Teith : the lake then opens up, and the railway continues close upon its banks from end to end in view of crags and wooded knolls i)n the opposite side. Soon the line mounts upwards to a height above Loch F,arn 1 lead, a magnificent view of the loch with its girdling mountains being obtained from the railway carriage windows. Glen Ogle that follows is wild and rocky, the line being carried like a slender thread among its gigantic crags. At Killin Station, three or four miles from the village, there is a junction for Loch Tay, beyond which Ben Lawers rises grandly. Glen Dochart, which is next ascended, brings into view the mighty pyramid of Ben More, and the line still rises to Crianlarich, at the head of Glen I'^alloch, anil to Tyndriun. After passing the summit level we obtain a fine open view over Glen Orchy to the north, and soon after passing Dalmally reach the head of Loch Awe, near Kilchurn Castle. At Loch Awe .Station a fine hotel commands a grand j)rospect of lake and mountain, seen in too brief glimpses from the train, which after pursuing its way for somewhat more than a mile by the lake side plunges into the Pass of Brander, shared by the railwa)' with the road and the broad swift river. The latter is crossed just above Taynuilt, and Loch Etive is reached, near the outlet of which, by Dunstaffnage Castle, the train turns off through a green valley encircled by low rocky hills to its destination at OiJ.\N. The only other railway route to compare with this in varied beauty also crosses the Highlands from east to west, but is much farther north. It may be entered at Inverness, though its proper starting-point is at Dingwall, where the line diverges westward from the railway to the north. From Oban to Inverness the best way is up what has been called the (ireat Glen of .Scotland," by way of Loch Linnhe, the Caledonian Canal, Loch Lochy and Loch Ness. This route has already been sketched in these pages, as far as Vox\. William : the part beyond, though the passing of the canal locks is tedious, is very beautiful in fine summer weather, especially between the green hills and woods that line the shore of Loch Ness. I'oyers will of course be visited ; though it is far better to take a more leisurely survey of this grand waterfall, ' out of all sight and sound,' .says Professor Wilson, 'the finest in Great Britain,' than is possible amid the rush of tourists while the steamer waits. It is a scene over which to linger through half a summer's day : and although the Lower Fall is by far the finer, the Upper is worth visiting too, and the paths up the glen are of rich and various beauty. Inverness was to us unexpectedly attractive. We had read of a 'little Highland town,' but we found a modern city, bright, clean, and evidently ' See map, \t. 85. llS SCOTTISH PICTURES. prosperous, while the swift clear Ness flowing from the loch to the sea (quite independently of the outlet to the Caledonian Canal) added greatly to the I.OWKR I'ALl. Ol- I'OYEKS. charm. l>ul there was nt; time to stay, beyond one (|uiet Sunday, where in a church hcside the Ness we not only heard a most atlmirable sermon, but i INVERNESS. 121 listened to sonic remarkably iinc choral and con- gregational sing- ing without any instrumental ac- companiment. If the service of song could always be so conducted, we thought, there would be no ' organ ([uestion ' to disturb the Assemblies and the churches ! The next morning early found us on the way to Dingwall for what is called the ' Skye Rail- ^^ way,' having its ^ terminusat Strome Ferry, in full view of that wonderful island. I'Vom Dingwall the first stage led to the broad open vale f Strathpeffer, with Ben Wyvis rising grandly to the north, while from the i^ife nearer foreground in every direction ■ arose mountains exquisitely diversified in contour. The place invited a longer stay, even apart from the attractions (jf its mineral waters : but time forbade, and Auchnasheen farther on promised yet greater charms. After passing through a wonderful ravine and through many a rocky cutting, an expanse of rich pasture end hjvely woods opened uijon the view, with glimpses of a calm lake seeming to recede among the hills. The mountain-heights that bounded the valley in all directions became softer and less rugged to the view, as well as almost infinitely varied in form. At Auchnasheen, on the margin also of a little lake, the railway was left awhile for an ex- cursion to Loch Maree and Gairloch, easily attainable by a good pedestrian, though in the season there is generally sufficient coach accommodation for Inverness. SCOTTISH PICTURES. Loch Maree, ■>^ the tourists who come so far. So much is now said about Loch Maree by those who have visited it that expectation is apt to be disappointed. Yet those who care most for the sterner aspects of Nature, who delight in bold mountain forms, and see more beauty in the dark green of pine forests on grey hill slopes, than in the ' birks of Aberfeldy ' or the oaks and hazels of the Trossachs, will give the palm to Loch Maree over perhaps all other scenery in Scotland. The green islands on the lake are picturesquely beautiful, and Ben Slioch rises on the farther shore, a very giant among the surrounding mountains. lil-N Sliucii. THE CENTRAL HIGHLANDS: STIRLING TO INVERNESS. j View from Stirling Castle. THE CENTRAL HIGHLANDS: STIRLING TO INVERNESS. rHE Scottish Highhuids are sometimes spoken of so as to convey the impression that there is a clearly-defined mountain district, contrasted with ' the Lowlands,' as though the latter were a vast plain. There could hardly be a greater mistake. I'rom Kirkcudbright to Caithness, there is hardly a county without its hill-ranges ; and without leaving the Southern districts, the lover of mountain beauty will find noble heights and solitary glens, with many a rippling burn from tarns among the hills. At some of 126 SCOTTISH PICTURES. these we have already glanced ; and it is almost with reluctance that we leave the rest for the grander, sterner hill country of the North. It is at Stirling that the traveller from the South first begins to discern the immensity of the mountain region to which he is directing his way ; and in comparison with the other routes that have been already described in these pages, or that may be sketched here- after, possibly the region that lies about ' the Highland Railway' affords the most varied as well as the wildest and most magnificent range of scenery. The line really starts from Perth, but the access from Stirling is an ap- propriate and striking introduction to its wonders, although it may be approached a little more directly from Edinburgh by crossing the Firth of Forth, and proceeding through Fifeshire. A detour by Dunfermline and Kinross we found very pleasant, especially as it gave the opportunity of visiting Loch Leven, famed for Queen Mary's romantic escape ; but the journey on the whole proved rather tedious, antl the route by Stirling proved preferable, especially if the traveller is imbued with TiiK Hour. Stonk, Hannockiiurn. BANNOCKBURN: STIRLING. 127 the romance of Scottish history, and is able to stop at Bannockhurn. The name had always a peculiar charm to us through Sir Walter Scott's Talcs of a Grandfather — surely the best child's history ever w ritten : and although the place itself is llat and rather disenchanting, the very sight nf It brings back some of the old enthusiasm. Standing by the ' Bore Stone where Bruce placed his banner — now protected by an iron grating — it is impossible not to recall that noblest of battle songs, ' Scots, wha hae wi' Wallace bled ; ' or the stirring lines in which Scott describes the frenzy that fired the mixed multitude that watched the contest from afar : ' Each heart had caught the patriot spark, Old man and stripHng, priest and clerk, Bondsman and serf; even female hand Stretched to the hatchet or the brand. * * ¥ * " To us, as to our lords, are given A native earth, a promised heaven ; To us, as to our lords, belongs The vengeance for our nation's wrongs; The choice, 'twixt death or freedom, warms Our breasts as theirs. To arms ! to arms ! " To arms they flew, — axe, club, or spear, — And mimic ensigns high they rear. And like a bannered host afar, Bear down on England's wearied war.' It is somewhat remarkable that in all the strifes of this period our English sym[)athies should be with the Scotch ! The pride of the Scottish people themselves in their patriot heroes, no Act of Union or blending of interests seems ever able to diminish. In Stirling itself the chief interest is concentrated in the Castle, which, as every one knows, surmounts a precipice fronting the plain of the Forth, the town being built upon the slopes behind. Vxom. the terraces of this grand rock the view is magnificent. Courteous guides will tell the visitor where Queen Mary stood to admire the prospect, or where Queen Victoria gazed upon the scene. Or, enticing you within, they will show the ' Douglas room,' and repeat the tradition of the murder foully wrought, pointing out also memorials of John Knox, side by side with relics from Bannockburn — a singular combination ! Then for the sightseer there arc the quaint decora- tions of the Palace, and the Chapel Royal, now a store-room. But the chief attraction is still without, in the glorious open plain girded by its amphitheatre of mountains. The windings of the Forth, partially seen frDin the Rock, so fertilise the vale as to have given rise to the saying, ' The lairdship of the bonny Links of Forth Is better than an earldom in the N'orth.' I2S SCOTTISH PICTURES. •^^^m-M Appearing to rise almost sheer from the level in the distance, may be traced, in the west, the outlines of Ben Lomond, Ben X'enue, Ben Ledi, Ben X'oirlich, and of many lesser heights, while in the east the nearer and still more beautiful Ochill Hills close in the prospect. mr STIRLING: BRIDGE OF ALLAN. 129 The view is a fitting introduction to the mouiUaiii land. Of course we cast our stone, metaphorically, at the unfortunate Wallace Monument, erected in 'the baronial style '—whatever that may be— upon a wooded crag ne.irly two miles off, an outlying spur of the Ochills that had formerly been one of the most charming features of the scene. We are told for our comfort that the structure is 220 feet high, and that if we please we can ascend it for ij^-f.n' -y» ; Wallace Monument, Stirling. the sake of the extensive view from its summit. Declining the offer, and hardly caring to remain in Stirling, we pass on to rest for the night at the Bridge of Allan, a watering-place on the brow of the Airthrey range, luxuriantly wooded, and favoured not only by invigorating air, but by mineral waters, which, on ascending to the pump-room before breakfa;;t the next morning, we find we may drink ad libitum, on a small payment at entrance. Several persons are already pacing in front of the building with tumblers K SCOTTISH PICTURES. in their hands ; but the genial stim- ulating air of the hillside seems at present all we want, and a delightful ramble through the woods higher up sends us back to our comfortable hotel with appetite ready for a Scottish breakfast, to be followed by a long journey to the Grampian Highlands. The line to Perth crosses and re- I crosses the fair Allan Water, passing Dunblane with its old cathedral — worth a visit, were there time — then reaches Crieff Junction, or rather, the Junction for Crieff, that lovely rest- ing-place in the strath or valley of the Earn being still at a consider- able distance. Should there be time for a visit, an excursion up the wild Glen Turrit to the foot of Ben Chonzie would be found wonderfully enjoyable ; but we must now press on from the junction, and leave these scenes for the time unvisited. Auchtcrarder is next passed, a name once famous in ecclesiastical controversy ; and the train traverses a broad fertile valley until it rolls into the wide echoing station of PiKiii. The 'fair city,' however, need not detain us. Its far-famed Inches Dunblane Cathedral. are broad level meadows. Kinnoul lli and for its fine views towards the Grampian Mountains, while the Carse of GowTie, an expanse of rich meadow- land bordering the Tay, stretches east- ward, and the blue waters of the estuary gleam beyond. It is said that Moncrieff II ill, on the other side of the river, is equally fuic ; but we had no time to ascend both, or rather, as the time of our visit to Kinnoul hap- '_ pencd to be the .Sabbath evening after Ki^-y the services of the day, it was more f,' ' congenial to rest, in quiet talk, as we < watched the sunset over the distant ' hills. Returning to llic railway station in '-^ the morning, we find two sets of trains bound for the Highlands. One is by I'"orfar to .'Aberdeen and the east ; the is beautiful for its wooded walks t'ARSE OF GOWRIK. THE HIGH LA XD R,\ ILW.W : D UN K ELD. 133 Other by Blair Athole more directly northward ; both routes meeting again at Forres, and passing along the southern shore of the Moray Firth to Inverness. It is the Blair Athole line that is called distinctively the ' Highland Railway' ; and happy are those travellers who can linger at its successive points of interest, and explore at leisure the wonderful regions that lie eastward and westward, offering within a short distance scenes of alternate grandeur and loveliness, enhanced by the stern and rugged desolation by which, on the eastern side especially, they are shut in. At first, however, all is tranquil loveliness, as the train rapidly ascends the valley of the Tay, with many a view of the fair river. Dunkeld is soon reached — to many travellers the first introduction to the Highlands. The town Is at some distance from the station, and the best way to apprehend its beauty is to walk to the Loch Turrit. bridge over the Tay, from which a panorama of the richest beauty is obtained, the hills, nowhere vast, but picturesque in outline, being clothed to their summits with thickly-planted trees. The little town with its old cathedral tower is in front of the spectator ; Birnam Hill, beyond the railway station, rises behind him. Undoubtedly at Dunkeld the two things to be done are to ascend this hill, and to walk through the Duke of Athole's grounds. Birnam is perfectly accessible, even to ordinary walkers ; the ' w^ood ' which Shakespeare has made famous' is represented by some fine old trees ; the path to the summit winds round a dense plantation of fir and birch ; above which a grand view of the distant mountains is obtained, with Dunkeld in the foreground, guarded as it were by the wooded bluff of Craigie- Barns. The ' Mr. Pennant s.ivs tli.-il ' Birnam Wood has never recovered the march which its ancestors made to Dunsinane.' 134 SCOTTISH PICTURES. sparkle of lakelets in the valley, and the luxuriance of the foliage on every height, afford a charming contrast in colour to the purple and grey of the mountains ; while the broad and beautiful Tay may be traced both upwards and downwards for many a mile. It is only the background of rugged desolateness that seems wanting to the perfection of this fine view. The harsher features are softened by distance, and the spectator looks abroad as on an earthly Paradise. Descending to Dunkeld, and visiting the cathedral or not, as his anti- quarian tastes may incline him, the tra\'eller must next make a point of visiting the Duke of Athole's grounds, passing on the way some old larch- trees, among the first introduced into Great Britain, having been brought from the Tyrol in 1738. There is a payment at the Duke's gates which nobody will grudge, and the prejudice with which some persons are apt to enter show-grounds of any kind will soon disappear. True, there is much of art in the laying out of walks and shrubberies, and opinions will differ as to the effect produced in ' Ossian's Hall,' near the Hermitage, where the throwing open of a door suddenly discloses a cataract, which a cunning dis- position of mirrors makes to appear as though environing the spectator on all sides, and ready to pour on his head. Some years ago a traveller, whose aesthetics probably were too much for his honesty, wantonly destroyed the place with gunpowder, and left the falls to produce their own impression. Ossian's Hall has, however, been rebuilt, and forms a more tasteful, if less astonishing, framework for the falls than before. But apart from such devices, the natural beauties of the scene are of such a kind as to be really enhanced by taste and culture. The Tay, with its lovely tributary the Braan, the surrounding hills, and the kindly soil, were all ready to hand ; and the result of wisely directed expenditure and labour is seen in thv. charm of the turfy walks, the magnificence of the imuinierable trees, and the selection of best points for the opening up of vistas, whence the chief beauties of the place may be seen. The Hermitage Bridge and Fall in the Braan Valley is perhaps the place that will most tempt the lingering footsteps of the visitor ; although the ' Rumbling Bridge ' beyond (not to be con- founded with the more celebrated Rumbling Bridge over the Devon, between Kinross and .Stirling) is romantically wild. Altogether, it will be seen, Dunkeld is a place that may well become the Cai)ua of the tourist who gives way to its fascinations. There is harder work before him, if he wishes to see tin: Highlands as they are. I'or, as we jiroceed northwards, we shall leave this luxuriance and s[jlcn(l()nr behind, antl shall better perhaps be able to enter into the descri[Hion of Dr. Beattie, author of 'J7/c Miuslrcl and of Essays on Taste, who thus refers to the .Scottish Highlands: 'The I lighlands of .Scotland are a picturescjue but in general a melan- choly country. Long tracts of mountainous desert, covered with dark heath, and often obscured by misty weather ; narrow valleys, thinly inhabited, and THE HIGHLANDS. •35 bounded by precipices resounding with the fall of torrents ; a soil so rugged and a climate so dreary as in many parts to admit neither the amuscniL-nts of pasturage nor the labours of agriculture ; the mournful dashing of waves along the friths and lakes that intersect the country ; the [)ortentous noises which every change of the wind and every increase and diminution of the waters is apt to raise in a lonely region, full of echoes, and rocks, and caverns ; the grotesque and ghastly appearance of such a landscape hy the light of the moon Hermitage Bridol', JJuNRtLu. — objects like these diffuse a gloom over the fancy, which may be com- patible enough with occasional and ^ social merriment, but cannot fail to tincture the thoughts of a native in the hour of silence and solitude.' Dr. IJeattie's remarks occur in an F.ssay on Music, and are intended to explain how the Highland music is naturally plaintive and much in minor key; but that it is not therefore devoid of pleasing melody, the works of great composers, notably Mendelssohn in his Highland Symphony, as well as the native Scottish music, sufficiently attest. Yet the description has interest, as showing how much the enthusiasm about Highland scenery is the result 136 SCOTTISH PICTURES. of association. That the taste for such scenery is of comparatively recent origin is shown in the Letters of the poet Gray, who writes ahnost as if the wonder and beauty of the Highlands were a new discovery. It must be remembered that General Wade's roads, giving easy access for the first time to the chief beauties of this mountain district, were but newly opened. ' The Lowlands,' writes Gray, ' are worth seeing once, but the mountains are ecstatic, and ought to be visited in pilgrimage once a year.' And again, Pass of Killiixkankik. speaking of Killiecrankie: 'A iiill rises, covered with oak, with grotesque masses of rock staring from aiming their trunks, like the sullen countenance of I'ingai and all his family, frowning on ilie Utile mortals of modern days. I'rom between this liill and the atljacent mountains, pent in a narrow channel, comes roaring out the river Tummel, and lalls headlong ilown, enclo.sed in white foam, which rises in a mist all around il. Hut my paper is deficient, and I must say nothing of the Pass itself, the black river Garry, the Blair ABERFELDY. 137 of Athol, Mount Beni-gloe, my return (hy another road) to Dunkeld, the Hermitage, the Stra-Jiraaii, and the RumbUng l^rigg. In short, since I saw the Alps, I have seen nothing subHme till now.' ' The railway, keeping for the most part to the valley, shuts out at present the sterner features of the scenery ; though by-and-by it will pass through a dreary country enough ! The route continues from Dunkeld to the point where, in an open valley, the Tay branches to the west : the river that comes down from the north to join it at this spot is the Tummel. It is worth while again to leave the direct line for a brief visit JJlKK.T N .\\\V^^^' Gi.i;n lii.i riTLOCHRIE: KI LLI F.CRANKIE : UI.MR ATIIOLE. 141 endless curves and slopes ciilminatinij in the mighty pyramid of Schichallion. Should it be impossible to proceed as far as Loch Rannoch, the visitor may well turn back to Pitlochrie. He will see nothing finer of its kind in all Scotland. The Hydropathic Establishments at Pitlochrie attract many visitors: the vale here expands into a wide strath; the air, without being chil or harsh, is very bracing, and, though we cannot here speak from experience, it is said to be well adapted for tender lungs in winter, being dry and pure, while all the sunshint; thai there is, falls upon this happy sheltered valley. Instead of resuming the railway journey at i'itlochrie, the traveller should — we might almost say must, for the sake of the rich beauty of the scene — proceed on foot or liy carriage along the road as far as Killiecrankie, passing up the river Garry from its junction with the Tummel. Road, rail, and river, are all carried along the glen ; and though even the railroatl does not spoil its magnificence, but, on the contrary, affords many fine views of the wooded heights which seem to close it in, the best view, incomparably, is from the path below, close by the rushing river. A chatty, and, as he described himself, a vara cecvil, guide accompanied us : such attendance seems to be the rule when the footpath is taken. He was, as .Scottish guides generally are, full of honest enthusiasm for the beautiful ravine of which he was the custodian. The only defect of the pass is that there is so little of it. Not far from the end, we reach the Soldier's Leap, the river being hemmed in by great boulders to a width of not more than ten or twelve feet, where it is said a Highland soldier, hotly pursued after the battle in July, 1689, cleared the chasm and saved his life. There always is a Lover's Leap, a Soldier's Leap, or a Smuggler's Leap, over such narrow gorges! The battle-field is just outside the glen, not far from the station, and close by Urrard House, where Claverhouse died from the wound received in the conflict. We seem to linger on these fair scenes : but in fact we are not yet at an hour's distance by train from Dunkeld. Yet a little higher, and we reach Blair Athole, where now the traveller begins to feel the coldness of the hills. The village lies in an open plain, and possesses no remarkable features, apart from the castle and grounds of ' the Duke.' These we did not care much to see, nor even to visit the grave of Claverhouse, who is interred here, but without a monument. For time was limited ; and Glen Tilt, that wondrous path into the mountain land, had supreme attractions. The Tilt is the little river which here comes down from the east into the Garry ; and after following its upward course through a l^eautiful valley for a few miles, we emerge upon a grand bare glen, in the bed of which the stream dashes among its rocks. A narrow path is carried along the mountain side on the right bank of the river : opposite and in front of the pedestrian, hills rise beyond hills, in endless variety of bold magnificent outline ; torrents, which 142 SCO TTISH PICTURES. in dry weather dwindle into rivulets, descend from the heights ; and one of these, the Tarff, when in flood has proved a barrier to many a stout pedes- trian. Readers of the yoiirnal of our Life in the Highlands will remember a picture of the royal party crossing the ford on horseback. This seems adventurous enough ; but sometimes the ford has been entirely impracticable, and the traveller on foot who has been resolved to proceed has found it necessary to ascend the rough and broken path by the torrent for about two miles, to some rude stepping-stones. Life has even been lost at the ford ; but a Jl'jL.MAl.N J'ASS IN THE GRAMI'IANS. bridge has now been erected over the stream by the; ' .Scottish ]\iglus of Way Society.' Some distance higher up the pass, the 'Jilt, now an inconsiderable burn, is easily crossed ; Loch 'lili, the desolate mountain tarn from which it issues, is a little to the left ; and the weary traveller, having gained the summit, is at the watershed between the systems of the Tay and the Dee, on the border of the counties I'dth and Aberdec'n. Before him arc! the giants of the Ciram|)ians — Cairnloul, l)cn-!\liiich-(lhui, and Cairngorm; and the stream which begins to appear through the stones and heather on his FALLS OF THE liRUAR. '45 right hand is one of the affluents of the Dee. He is now on his way to Braemar ; but we cannot follow him, as we must return to complete our journey over the 'Highland line' After leaving Hlair Athole, this line becomes very dreary ; the last of the woodland glens, with whose beauty we have been almost surfeited, IJlvlAU Waii-.k, being at the I*"alls of the Bruar, a tributary of the Garry, to the right. The trains mostly stop at Struan Station, and wc would strongly recommend any tourist who cares to see another cataract to alight there and walk up to the series of falls. In its higher reaches the torrent dashes over the wildest, grimmest rocks ; lower down the ravine is clothed with firs and other trees, L 146 SCOTTISH PICTURES. in accordance with the petition of Burns, who in his admiration of the scene felt that it only needed the adornment of woodland : ' Let lofty firs and ashes cool My lowly banks o'erspread, And view, deep bending in the pool. Their shadows' watery bed. Let fragrant birks, in woodbines drest, My craggy cliffs adorn ; And for the little songster's nest, The close embowering thorn.' The line now borders the Forest of Athole — a vast dreary undiilatin,!^ waste, scarred by many a storm, with boulders from the heights lying in all directions, to tell of fierce battling of the elements through winter days and nights. The Garry to the right Hows over its wild, rocky, treeless bed ; few habitations of men appear, and the glories of the distant hills are mostly hidden by the high curves of the desert region close at hand. This is the district of which we of the south so often read in winter time that it is ' snowed up,' ' impassable.' More than once a train has been actually missing, until dug out — as wanderers on the St. Bernard are dis- covered by the faithful hounds! In summer time, however, the air is exhilarating, and some indefatigable pedestrians who have climbed this watershed between the Tay and the Spey have avowed that they found Glengarry delightful to the end. Near the summit of the line the river is crossed ; Loch Garry, from which it issues, lies a little to the left : and at the Pass of Drumouchter ('the upper ridge'), a 'dip' between the counties of Perth and Inverness, the highest point is reached, fifteen hundred feet above the sea-level, near two singular moimlains, the ' Badenoch Boar' and the ' Athole Sow,' which rise right antl left of the line, while a little farther on is a glimjjse of Loch Ericht — the Scottish Wastwater, only gloomier and bigger. The rtiiming stream which we now cross and recross in its stony bed, shows us that we are beginning to descend ; and the pace quickens through the dreary wilderness until we reach the Spey, already a fine river swiftly llowing from the west ; and fair woods and pasture land are once more seen. Kingussie (of which the u, be it observed, is long) is the first considerable village reached ; the line soon skirts a pretty little lake (Loch Insh), and beyond the woods on our right hand the highest mountains of the Grampian range appear ; not frowningly, as seen from Glen Tilt, but with considerable beauty of outline, enhanced by the fore- ground of forest. Rothicmurchus, on Spey-sitle, is a most attractive resting- place, as we can testify, iinni the memory i)f bright sunnncr il,i\s spent in roaming through the forests, or eliin!)ing the neighboiu-iiig heights, or pl(;asant converse with friends in a certain sh(K)ling-lodgc not iar from the mighty slopes and ravines of Cairngorm. l'"or we are now in the haunts rothiemurchus forest in the middle Distance. I. 2 SPORT: LOCH RUICHT: ELGIN. 149 of the wild deer ; and the sport which to its votaries not unnaturally seems the noblest and most inspiritincf, as well as the most healthful form of recreation, engrosses the thoughts of all. It is indeed difficult not to share the enthusiasm of the deerstalker, when some noble quarry — the prize of skill, patience, and hardy endurance — is brought home in triumph from the hills. Grouse-shooting, too, though making a far inferior claim upon the physical powers, has its ardent votaries ; and a glance down the pages of the Sporls- nians Guide to the Rivers, Lochs, Moors, and Deer Forests 0/ Scotland, pul^lished monthly in the summer, will show by the rents attached to the several ' shootings,' how highly the opportunity of sport is rated. Still the sport is but secondary, and the main gift of these wild moors and mountain airs is equally for those who have never held a gun. It is the gift of health, recovered energy of brain and limb, elasticity of s])irits, power to resolve and to achieve ; so that much of the noblest work wrought by our highest and best through the winter and the spring, may be traceil to those autumnal days spent among the moors of Scotland. The Spey now gathers volume, and the railroad continues close beside it as far as (iraiitown ; the views of the river, the woodland and the distant hills continuing very fine, notably where the Braes of Abernethy mark the confluence of the little river Nethy from the east with the grander stream. A beautiful excursion of about ten miles may be taken from Grantown to Loch Ruicht, near Glen More, reflecting on its surface the precipitous sides of Cairngorm and the summits of the greater and smaller Bynach. The scenery around is of the wildest character — the neighbouring moor is studded with pine trunks blackened by fire : the forest is said, but we believe unjustly, to have been maliciously set on fire, and the crime is spoken of as the ' Shepherd's Revenge.' The loch at its western extremity is the resort of wild fowl, who breed without disturbance among the water-lilies and flags. At the other end the sandy beach is indented with the countless footprints of the deer, who come down to drink, or to relieve themselves from flies by swimming to the opposite shore. To the east of the loch lies a rocky defile known as ' The Thieves' Road,' along which the cattle ' lifted ' from their southern neighbours were driven by the Highland marauders. The mountains become less elevated ; Strathspey opens to the right, and there is a pleasant route along the banks of the river, turning off, some miles below its mouth, in the direction of Elgin. Here there is little very noteworthy but the cathedral, once a truly noble pile, and now imposing in its ruins. The western towers, though dilapidated, stand in their original massiveness : and the chapter-house at the north-east angle is almost intact; — 'an elegant octagonal room supported by one .slender central pillar beautifully flowered and clustered, which sends forth tree-like as it approaches the roof its branches to the different angles, each with its peculiar incrustation of rich SCOTTISH PICTURES. decorations, and its grotesque corbel.' The desk to which a copy of the Scriptures was formerly chained is still attached to the pillar The architecture of the cathedral is in general 'Decorated English ;' the building was founded in 1224, burned in 1390 by Alexander Stewart, son of Robert 11., commonly called the Wolf of Badenoch, and rebuilt during the first quarter of the fifteenth century. A magnificent steeple rose from the centre, but this fell in 1506, and being rebuilt to the height of 198 feet, fell 'fffim ''■" l&'t^i y' *' ' '\ Elgin Cathedral. again in 171 i. I'cforc this the building had been irretrievably despoiled in 1568 by the Regent Murr.iy, who sold its leaden roof for money to pay his soldiers. Perhaps, however, some of the most interesting of the reminiscences connected with this venerable pile are those associated with the name of Andrew Anderson. A litilc dark room is still shown to the visitor between the chapler-honse and llic north cloister, said to have been anciently used ELGIN CATHEDRAL: ANDREW ANDERSON : FORRES. iji as a lavatory, or, according to some, as the sacristy of tlie building. Here, about the year 1747, a poor distraught woman took up her abode, with an infant, whom she cradled in an ancient font. Once Margaret Gilzean had been among the loveliest of the fiir maidens of Elgin ; but she had married a soldier, and had gone off with him without her parents' consent ; he seems to have fallen in one of the battles of the '45 rebellion, and the poor young widow with her babe returned to find herself despised and disowned. Under the accumulated trouble her wits gave way, and resisting all tardy offers of kindness and shelter, she clung to this forlorn home in the ruined cathedral, wandering about with her boy, living on charity, and known by all as ' daft Mary Gilzean, a harmless creature, that wept and sang by turns.' The boy Andrew received a gratuitous education at the Elgin Grammar School, being appointed ' Pauper' to that institution, sweeping the rooms and tending the fires in return for the instruction received. At the end of his school course he was apprenticed to a cruel master, a stay-maker by trade — brother to the soldier Anderson, his father — from whose harsh treatment at last he absconded antl found his way to London. He obtained work as a tailor's assistant, and in that capacity attracted the notice of an officer bound for India, who was struck by his appearance and induced him to enlist as his servant. Some forty or forly-five years afterwards Andrew Anderson returned, after many an adventure that it would take too long to tell, a Lieutenant-General In the East India Company's service. None recognised him, as he sought the cathedral which had so strangely sheltered his infancy, and inquired of the old sexton, Saunders Cooke, ' if he knew whereabouts in the churchyard a poor woman called Marjory Gilzean had been buried.' ' Na,' answered Saunders, ' she was a puir worthless craitur ; naebody kens where she is buried. But I can tell ye where she liveil. It was in that place they ca' the Sacristy. .She brought up a bairn there, in a hollow stone that was ance a font for holy water. I mind the laddie wecl ; he grew up a browe loon (Morayshire for a "stout boy") and was pauper at our school.' ' Unfortitiiatc' replied the stranger with much emotion, 'but never worthless!' He took up his summer abode in Elgin ; and some years afterwards assigned the bulk of his property to endow a hospital for ten old and indigent persons, a school of industry for sixty poor children, and a free school for two hundred and thirty scholars. The building was to be called 'the Elgin Institution,' the founder desiring to suppress his own name ; but as ' Anderson's ' it is, and doubtless always will be known. A story like this gives to a somewhat commonplace-looking edifice a dignity which surpasses even the time-worn splendours of the cathedral. The Highland railway itself leaves Strathspey near Grantown, and pro- ceeds directly northwards, first climbing to the summit of a ' blasted heath ' (but not Shakspeare's) on the road to h'oRRi-s. The descent to this famous 152 scoTTrsn pictures. place is long. We did not find it very interesting. ' How far ist called to Fo7'i-es ? ' was a question that recurred irresistibly. At length we alighted, and soon found comfortable quarters, after a journey filled with excitement and delight. Two or three days were spent here in exploring the neigh- bourhood, especially the course of the Findhorn. Nothing that we had heard On the Findhorn. or read hatl prepared us for the exceeding Ijeauty cjf this river, dashing as it does over its rocky bed, amid vast granite boulders and between high, precipitous, wooded Ij.uiks ; llic brouii water, with crests and fringes of white foam, hurrying tumnlluously onward in rapiil and innumerable small cataracts. 1 here are some charming grounds, through which a path leads above the THE UNDHORS: DULCIE BRIDGE. "53 U.N TllL, l'lMjituUi\. river, traversing noble woods. Soon after emerging, we came upon the junction of a mountain torrent, the Uivie, with the Findhorn, and walked a little way up the lovely glen, returning, however, to the main stream, and following its course upwards as far as Dulsie Bridge — a walk altogether of some thirteen or fourteen miles from Forres, as rich in pictur- . — _ estjue beauty as any ramble in these islands. ' What spot on earth,' writes Mr. St. John, 'can exceed in beauty the landscape comprising the old bridge of Dulsie, spanning with its lofty arch the deep, dark pool, shut in by grey and fantastic rocks, surmounted with the greenest of greenswards, with clumps of ancient weeping birches, backed by the dark pine trees } ' The bridge, as will be seen from our cut, consists of one bold lofty arch spanning the yawning chasm, and of one smaller sub- DULCIE liRIUGE. 154 SCOTTISH PICTURES. sidiary one, carrying the roadway from a high rock onwards to the north bank. The greater arch is 46 feet in width. Here are indications even yet of 'the Morayshire Floods' in 1829, when the wild little river rose between its granite banks to a height of forty or fifty feet above its ordinary level,' overspreading much of the neighbouring country, sweeping ■• ^ W '^V% Cawdok Castle. away stone bridges, and spreading so much desolation around that the catastro|)he has become an epoch of reckoning ; and old peo])l(' at I'Orrcs will tell you of events ' Ijefore tin; flood.' At 1 )ulsie liridge the mass of water was so confined that it com])l(:lcl)' filled the smaller arch, and rose in the greater to uiiliin iliree feci of ihe keystone; being thus no less than ' ."^cc J/ii- Moiaysliiic I'/ooJs, by Sir 'P. I). I.:uiil(i-, I'.nrl. View from the Ladies' Walk, Gka.niuwn, Sievsilie. CAWDOR CASTLE: NAIRN. 157 forty feet in perpendicular height above the usual level. From this spot a ' machine ' carried us by a good road to Cawdor, where the castle again called up Shakspearean recollections. The building is a fine unmodernised specimen of feudal architecture, with drawbridge ami battlemented tower, commaniling a magnificent view over the surrounding country. The old and splendid trees by which it is environed increase its charm. 'Duncan. This castle hath a pleasant seat; tlic air Nimbly and sweetly recommends itself Unto our gentle senses. Banquo. This guest of summer, The temple haunting martlet, does approve. By his loved mansionry, that the heaven's breath Smells wooingly here : no jutty, frieze, Buttress, nor coign of vantage, but this bird Hath made his pendent bctl and procreant cradle : Where they most breetl and haunt, I have observeil, The air is delicate.' ' We fear, however, that there can have been but little connection between this castle and the Cawdor Thane. Macbeth flourished about .\.i). 1040: the castle was erected in 1464 ; and the scene of Duncan's assassination was probably Rothgouanan ('the .Smith's dwelling'), in the neighbourhood of Elgin. F"rom Ciiwdor, a pleasant drive of six miles along the broad valley of the Nairn leads to the town at the mouth of the river, also called Nairn. This town is very ancient : at one time the burgh was intersected by the 1 1 ighland boundary, a fact which James the First (of England, Si.xth of Scotland) humorously expressed before some of his London courtiers : ' I have a toune in auld Scotland where the folk at t'anc end canna understand the language spoken at t'ither end ' — the Gaelic here, the broad Scotch there ! The grassy and sandy beach of Nairn is unsurpassed, we should think, for bathing purposes, while the great golf course is a rival to that of .St. Andrews, containing the complement of eighteen holes, and a walk, in all, of about two miles. There is also a museum of remarkable interest, containing Mouth uv Nair.n Harbour in the Flood of 1S29. ' Shakspearc, Macbeth, Act i. sc. 6. 158 SCOTTISH PICTURES. minerals from the neighbourhood, and a rich collection of local antiquities. Altogether, travellers from the South in search of a pleasant and healthy resting-place could hardly do better than take up their quarters at Nairn ; the highest charm of which will ever lie in the clear freshness of its air, as well as in the charms of the beautiful Moray Firth, with the distant view of Ben Wyvis rising grandly to the west, beyond the Black Isle and the head of Cromarty Firth. It may be added, as a further encouragement to visit this fascinating place, that Nairn, 'according to the statistics of the .-f.:.; m ."V?^^'-^^^"^'"^*^ v- =" ■ ^'* ^^:;- _Oi-r^\v2 Hf^W Cui.i.oDEN Moor. Meteorological Society, is one of the driest towns in Scotland.' Many tourists will know how to appreciate this recommendation ! I'urther attractions might have been discovered by us in the place ; but time pressed, and we had to return to the little inn at I'orres by rail, it would have been easy to reach Inverness from Nairn, passing nc^ar Culloden Moor, where I'rince Charles Fdwanl was defeated in 1746 by the Duke of ( uinbei-j.md, ami ilie cause ol the Stuarts was Imally lost. The battlefield, on the moor ot DrununDSsic-, is three miles from the Culloden station : a bleak and melancholy waste, not inappropriate to that scene of slaughter. CULLODEN: ' MACBETH'S HILL :' FOCHABERS : BANFF. 159 where a thousand Highlanders gallantly laid down their lives in the last struggle for a hopeless cause ; and their tlescendaiUs, while admiring their courage, now unanimously admit their mistake. There are none now, as there were in the days of Sir Walter Scott, to cherish the Jacobite tradition ; and though the cruelties perpetrated by the Duke of Cumberland after the battle have stam[jed his name with everlasting infamy, all Highland men are now loyal to the cause for which he fought. Returning to l"'orres, we visited its two monuments with no little interest. The modern one, a 'Pharos' in honour of Nelson, stands on Cluny II ill, a little to the east of the town, and commands an extensive view. 'It is worth mentioning, as a fine instance of patriotic feeling, that every individual man and woman in b'orres contributed by labour or money to the erection of this interesting public work.' The other monument, in a field at the roadside, is the mysterious relic known as ' Sweno's Stone ; ' a Runic obelisk, erected, says Camden, to commemorate a victory gained by King Malcolm MacKenneth (a.d. 1014) over Sweno, King of Denmark. It is twenty-three feet high, and is divided into compartments, five on one side, and three on the other, all filled with rude figures of men and animals, much defaced. As far as can be made out, one set seems to represent a military triumph, while the emblems of the other point to some religious meaning : but there is an clcpJiant depicted at the summit of the military side, an inexplicable symbol ; and the whole monument is still a puzzle to antiquaries. Some have seen in it a relic of Macbeth ! The ' blasted heath ' where that chieftain met the witches is identified in a reach of waste land partly reclaimed, on the border of a wood, five or six miles from Forres on the road to Nairn. A spot called ' Macbeth's Hill,' near the Lumphanan station, perpetuates the tradition : but, when we passed it, the general effect of the scene was moderately cheerful, not to say commonplace. There was, at any rate, no help to the imagination in the aspect of the heath, though it was possible to conjecture what it might be ' in thunder, lightning, and in rain,' when clouds that have gathered over the Grampians sail on the wings of the south wind, gathering blackness as they move, and at the Moray Firth seem to ' mingle sea and sky.' From Forres, a traveller with time at his disposal may make most interesting little tours by rail or road throughout the northern part of this ' north-eastern neuk o' Scotland.' Passing Elgin again, we soon reach Fochabers, a pretty village, where the visitor, according to his tastes, may explore the stately domain of Gordon Castle, the seat of the Uukes of Richmond, or may inspect with admiration .\le\ander Milne's nobly-endowed free school, one of the finest in the country. Near to Fochabers, the widening Spey falls into the Moray Firth. A little eastward, the picturesque port of Banff is reached, where the visitor will probably be struck by the old-world air of the place, which no amount of modernisation has been able i6o SCOTTISH PICTURES. to overcome. On some of the old houses are curious inscriptions. One runs thus : SaV . NA . MAIR . ON . ME . THAN . YOU . VALD . I . SAID . ON . YE. Inland, the town of Turriff is also interesting from its inscriptions. One, at Forglen House, runs thus : do veil and doopt nociit Althocii tiiov be spyit ; He IS LVTIL GVID VORTH That is nociit envvit. Tak tiiov no tent QvHAT eyerie man tels ; Gyve tiiov vald leive ondemit Ganc qviiair na man dvels. These, it is said, were favourite lines with Sir Walter Scott. But we must close our peregrinations in this interesting district. The fisher-folk all round the coast to Aberdeen are a fine stalwart race, simple, courteous, unspoiled ; and although this part of the country is hut little traversed by tourists, it will be acknowledged by all who have made acquaintance with it, to contain much that is best and most characteristic in the homely life of Scotland. Scotch 1'1siikk-I''<)i.k. THE EASTERN COAST AND DEESIDE. M Ill ll ^ lit* « Uanks of the Devon, near Rumbling Bridge. THE EASTERN COAST AND DEESIDE. AN excursion to Scotland would hardly be complete without a visit to the Grampians from their eastern side. It is not only that some of their most characteristic beauties are thus to be seen, but that an oppor- tunity will at the same time be given for at least a glimpse of that Highland home whose name is so familiar to all the subjects of our Queen. Balmoral, Crathie, Hraemar, are household words with us all, and 1 64 SCOTTISH PICTURES. it is as much a feeling of loyalty as a love of the picturesque that sends so many of our countrymen and countrywomen every year along that fair valley which we call Deeside. The city of Aberdeen gives entrance to it, and may be reached most easily by a route already described, through Stirling and Perth, where a line branches eastwards to Forfar. Another way, far more interesting, is across the births of b'orth and Tay ; the traveller pausing, if he will, to visit Dinikkmlink, with its singularly beautiful ruined palace wall, and the room where Charles the First was born ; proceeding thence to Kinross and Loch Leven, sparing half a day at least, to the banks of the Devon, especially to the beautiful scenery of Rumbling Bridge ; and arrang- ing, if possible, for a short stay at St. Andkkavs. This ancient city ought to be seen, if only for its fine bay and its stately ruins over- looking the sea. To another class of visitors the fine golfing links will have a supreme attraction. There is no place in Great Britain where that fascinating and increasingly popular game is cultivated with greater persistency and enthusiasm, or on more favourable eround. Some English readers may not even yet precisely know what this ' royal and ancient ' game may be. Some have proved so benighted as to confound it with ' curling,' a splendid game, also, it is true, as played over the vast smooth ex- panse of some frozen loch. Golf is yearly becoming more appreciated south of the border, and yet its proper home is still in the North. ' No game,' writes an expert, ' stirs a keener enthusiasm in its votaries ; and very few people who have ever fairly coinniiiicil themselves to the serious practice of it will be found to deii)' its extreme fascination. It is a manly and eminently healthful recreation, pursued, as it is mostly, amid the frc\sh sea breezes ; while as exercise it has this particular merit, that, according to pace, it may he made easy or smart at pleasure, and tluis e(|ually adapts itself to the overflowing t^.xuberance of youth, the matured and tempered strength of manhood, and the gt^ntler decays of age.' ' ' I .ncychpitdia Jiritannica, ninth edition, vol. x. art, ' Golf,' by P. 1'. Alexander. I.ocii Leven. ?3 O O c z w S V. GOLF: ST. ANDREWS. J67 We are bound to say that in the game, as it was our good fortune to witness it at St. Andrews, there was not much of the ' exul:)erance of youth ; ' but it was interesting to see how for hours the patient middle-aged players, attended by ' cadies ' carrying their sheaves of clubs, followed the little balls over the sandy grassy ' links,' never seeming to (luicken their p;ice, and only showing the energy that was in them when the cluli was uplifted for some mighty stroke, that sent the ball 180 yards or more towards its desti- nation. The rest was science ; and the skill with which the liny ball was sped to its resting-place was often really e.xtraordinary. No one who has St. Andrews Catiiedrai, : West Front. watched the game well played on these breezy uplands by the sea will wonder at its popularity. Any of us who could and would take easy healthful exercise in the hnest of air, without mental distraction or excite- ment, for several hours together, through successive days of early summer, would find the result in the bracing and exhilaration of the whole system ; and it is into exercise like this that the game beguiles its votaries. But we shall be accused of giving way to the tendency of the times, by thus presenting St. Andrews as famous for its golfing ground, rather than for its University. This is the oldest in .Scotland, having been foundctl in i6S SCOTTISH PICTURES. 141 1, and it has a noble record, as well as great present influence and power. Well does it maintain the traditions which attach to the earliest of the great institutions which for centuries maintained the standard of general education in Scotland so high above that of other nations. For there has not been through all these generations a barefooted laddie in Scotland who might not hope to become a University student. The common school system instituted by John Knox, and the University system originated in St. Andrews by Bishop Wardlaw, ha\-e mainly made the Scottish people what they are ; and ^x-c^teiri^tv?'': Triury Gateway, St. Andrews. of the latter England too has reaped the benefit, as not a few of her greatest names attest. Hut when we visited .St. Andrews lliert' was no opporUniit) of studying even the external features of its University life. I'or the session was over, the college buildings seemed given up to whitewashers, masons and carpenters, and the little city was decidedly dull, sav(- when happy bright-looking school- children streamed forth upon its pavement, reminding the sj^ectator that St. Andrews is as famous for its elementary school system' as for the University ' Dr. Hell, the founder of the 'Madras' system of instruction, was a native of Sl. .Vndrews, and iho Madras College here, foumled hy his bequest, has about nine hundred pupils, of both sexes. THE TAY BRIDGE. 169 itself. The time for seaside holidays had scarcely arrived, or we could have wondered at the fewness of visitors to a i)lace which must surely be one of the most healthful and bracing resorts in (Ireat Britain. The dry pure air was delightfully in\ igorating, ami the view over the German Ocean in the bright summer weather was magnificent. Possibly a visitor's impression might have been different in other aspects of the sea and sky ; and, like our eastern shores generally, St. .\ndrews may be subject to the visitation of bitter east winds and driving mists, when the weather on tht- western coasts is clear and bright. Thus the balance assuredly is not entirely against the West. b'rom .St. Andrews to Dundee, by the Tay Bridge, was but a brief run. The overthrow of that structure in the terrific storm of December 28, 1879, will be fresh in the memory of my readers. In the preceding summer we had crossed it, and, like many a passenger, had noted how frail it seemed. \'et the The Tay Bridge, trior to December 28, 1879. assurances of its safety appeared decisive, until the crisis came. The present structure, also on a long range of piers, if less wonderful than the Forth Bridge, is noble and imposing, and appears likely to stand against all such fury of wind and sea as destroyed its predecessor. Our illustration represents the earlier bridge. Dundee itself is apt to disappoint the visitor, — very much, perhajis, because he has .so often heard the city called ' bonnie Dimdee.' Assuredly this is not exactly the epithet one would choose for the great commercial port. As the yotirnal already quoted tersely puts the matter, ' Dundee is a very large place, and the port is large and open ; the situation of the town is very fine, but the town itself is not so.' No doubt the views up and down the Tay are imposing ; but we suspect that the ' bonnie ' is from the old Jacobite songs, and means not this cit\- at all, but Viscount Dundee, better known to us as John Graham of Claverhouse ! The city has at least the interest which belongs to a thriving centre of industr\-, mostly I70 SCOTTISH PICTURES. Dundee. mode ;rn, with an intelligent energetic working population ; flax, jute, and ,=.^_ bitter oranges being constantly un- ""*'-'' 'Spr^^^rv"- . loaded at its busy wharves, for -■~^'^ii^,..''" ' _-5;,^^. the staple products of the place. There is also a fine People's Park, a memorial of the honoured name of David Baxter; and from Dun- dee Law, a hill in the neiy^hbour- hood, there is a fine sea view, including the Bell Rock, famed through Southcy's ballad of the Abbot of Aberbrothock (Arbroath), with the lighthouse that has suc- ceeded the ' warning l)ell ' of the 1)1(1 tradition. The journey to Aberdeen will probal)ly not be broken, else the fiiu; land locked estuary of MoNi- KUSK, should the visitor be fortunate enough to see it when the tide is high, would richly repay a few ' ■ .^^S^^ hours' tarrying, not to mention 'iRiuMi'iiAi, Arch, Uuni.ek. the handsome town with its breezy LOCH LEE: STONEHAVEN : ABERBEEN. 171 links, and Ferryden Craig with its magnificent view. It should be added that for travellers to Deeside who wish to leave the beaten [)ath, there is a short cut bej'ond railways, through l''orfarshire, by way of Bkixiiin, hence twenty miles to Loch Lee, a little lake of rare beauty, surrounded by magnificent scenery, where, in farmhouse or cottage lodgings, a few families spend their summer. It was a favourite retreat of the late Dr. Guthrie. Hence a road across the shoulder of Mount Keen leads to Ballater. The route is but little known ; but there are few which have more to repay the lover of fine scenery who can be independent of hotels X^^e^ ^j^^tsmn^ . ^ "^ ,SC- Bell Kock Lighthouse. for some thirty miles of the distance. If the tourist has already seen Aberdeen, he should by all means take this journey. Otherwise he will probably prefer to visit De(;side by way of the 'Granite City' and the comfortable, well-appointed railway. After Montrose, the railway runs along a level pretty country, approaching the sea near Stonehaven, and thence continuing near the shore with many grand glimpses of the German Ocean, until crossing the north of the Dee it enters the low-lying spacious Aberdeen station, above which tower the lofty granite houses of Casde and Union Streets. There is no more solid-looking imposing city in Great Britain. Union Street in particular is unecjualled in its aspect of 172 SCOTT JSH PICTURES. Stately strength. Rut the interest of Aberdeen is chiefly in its colleges, King's and Marischal, incorporated into the University, and in its cathedral, of which the choir and transepts have been long destroyed, and only the grand nave remains. Marischal College was specially attractive to us from the memories of the two friends Robert Hall and James Mackintosh, who there together began their career, two lads of eighteen. ' They read together,' says Hall's biographer, ' they sat together at lecture, if possible ; they walked together. In their joint studies, they read much of Homer and Herodotus, and more of Plato ; and so well was all this known, exciting LiR. Guiukie's IluUbi;, Locii Lee. admiration in some, in others envy, that it was not unusual, ;is they went along, for llnir class-fellows to point at them aiul say, " There go Plato and Ilcrodoliis ' " I>ut the arena in which they met most fre<|uently was that of morals and metaphysics, furnishing topics of incessant disputation. After having sharpened their weapons by reading, they often repaired to the spacious sands ujion the sea-shore, and still more lr(i|u(:iuly to tlic |)icturesque scenery on the banks of the Don, above the old town, to tliscuss with eagerness the various subjects to which their attention had been directed. There was scarcely an important position in Berkeley's Alinntc Philosopher, in Sutler's Analogy, or in lulwards On (he IVill, over which the)' hatl not thus debate<1 \\ith the utmost intensity. Night after night, na)-, month after ABERDEEN. 173 month, for two sessions, they met only to study or to dispute ; yet no unkindly feeling ensued. The process seemed rather, like blows in that of vveldiny; iron, to knit them closer together.' ' On one of our visits it was our good fortune to attend the ' capping ceremony' — that is, the conferring of degrees in the chapel of King's College. \'ery interesting was it to witness the enthusiasm of the youths of the University, allieit displayed in e.\uberant ways. Still more pleasing was the eager delight of the successful students' kinsfolk — many of them evidently of the humbler classes. For in Scotland tlie honour anil reward of learning are Loch Lee Churchyard. accessible to all, irrespective of their social rank ; hence the people at large regard the Universities as in every sense their own. From the 'capping ceremony' we went into the noble library of King's College ; then to the Old Town. It lies on the way to the mouth of the river Don, and in its amplitude and repose affords a strange contrast to the great and busy city a mile away. The abcr, or river mouth, of Aberdeen, it should be noted, is that of the Don, not of the Dee, as some have supposed ; and so the citizens are often called ' Aberdonians.' Yet the tide of population and commerce has long been shifted to the latter river. A little way beyond the Old Town is the famous Bridge of Don, otherwise known as the Brig o' Balgownie, made famous by Lord Byron, who spent the first ten years of his ' Life of Rev. R. Hall, by Dr. Olinthus Gregory, Hall's Works, vol. vi. pp. 14, 15. '74 SCOTTISH r/CTUKES. life at Aberdeen, and to whose youthful fancy the old prediction respecting it had a strange and awful fascination — ' Brig o' Balgownie, black's your \va' ; Wi' a wife's ae son, an' a mare's ae foal, Down ye shall fa'.' Byron, be it remembered, was an only son. liut the bridge has not fallen yet, and its tall pointed arch has outlasted more than five centuries and a half of change. On one of our visits to Aberdeen, we had the opportunity of attending a King's College, Aherdeen. ^r?M^^^^M^0'^^^&'^-^ ' performance by the 'Dundee Children's Choir' ot Handel's Messiah. The choir, it appears, is composed of scholars from the dilfcnnl board schools; and a party of 220 of these were visiting Aberdeen for the evening, with about sixty grown-up singers for the bass and tenor parts. Three-foin-ths of the singers were actually children, from eight years old to fourteen, and very beauti- fully they sang. We never heard children's singing .so sweet and true. A tall tenor, and a bass singer, who to(;k tlu; nece.ssary solos, looked like good-natured giants in front of the little miles. The; soprano solos were sung by children themselves, and the effect was very thrilling and tender, while the choruses DEESWE: DM. LATER. 175 were delightful. There was a very large and enthusiastic audience, and the general effect was truly impressive. Perhaps Scottish children can undertake such a task more gravely and seriously than would be the case in England : certainly there were no signs of self-consciousness or of a tendency to display : and a pleasanter evening has rarely been spent by us than in listening to those little folks from Dundee. The ' Deeside Railway' to Hallatcr pursues its way through a country beautifully wooded, and for the most part close beside the river, which in a swift and lovely Hood comes down from the hills. At the time of our visit the woods that lined the banks were still brown and leafless, save where fir- trees were abundant. By degrees we gained the upper levels, where the \'iew beyond the river was grandly closed by dark hills, with streaks and fieUls of snow. Hallater at last was reached — a village on a somewhat con- siderable plain, where the river makes a great curve before fairly entering the region of the hills. A conical wooded hill, Craig-an-darroch, ' crag of the oaks,' rising close by the village, gives a picturesqueness to the scene, which otherwise would be somewhat tame. This hill should be ascended for the sake of the view to be obtained, at a very slight expenditure of time and trouble, of the river Uee, both upward and downward ; the Grampian heights closing in the prospect to the west. To the north is Morven, bare and massive, though scarcely beautiful, and disappointing to those who have formed their anticipations from Byron's lines : ' When I roved a young Highlander o'er the dark he;ith, And climbed thy steep summit, O Morven, of snow, To gaze on the torrents that thundered beneath. Or the mist of the tempest that gathered below.' The so-called 'Pass of Ballater ' runs behind Craig-an-darroch, and is simply a narrow lane .separating it from the heights that rise steeply beyond. It is overrated, we think, by those who call it ' romantic' The true beauty of the neighbourhood is upon the open road that leads from jjallatcr. This was now comparatively deserted. Public conveyances had not yet begun running, and the glorious freshness of the spring air, the beauty of the sun- shine, and the tender grace of the early flowers, were all lavished on a stray tourist or two, with a few elderly salmon-fishers, stalwart educated gentlemen from the South, whose evening talk, though naturally dealing over-much with sport, was very pleasant. They seemed like men who had done a good work in life, and who now had a right to their enjoyment. We left them by the river-bank, while pursuing our way to Braemar. There was a little characteristic scene at starting. It appears that the post-cart, here as elsewhere, is allowed to take a few passengers. We therefore asked the driver, a youth, whether he had any places to spare. Quite impcrturbably, he answered, N'o ! It was a specimen of the way in which Scottish people 176 SCOTTISH PICTURES. -"->$'?/f^Sfej spare their words. In the South, it would probably have been, ' T/ic places arc all taken, to-day ;' or ' Very sorry, but we are full this viorning.' But the driver's No was at least sufficient, and not another word did he speak. Not that he was inconsiderate, for he afterwards readily consented to take our knapsacks to Braemar for the small sum of sixpence. And here again was a little incident quite as characteristic. All this took place in front of the post office. We had not wherewithal to pay the si.xpence — only gold, for which the postmistress had not sufficient change, but she at once took up si.xpence and handed it to us, saying, ' Oh, I'll lend it ye ! ' not knowing of course whether she would ever see us again, and apparently not caring — on that ground, at least ! The walk was grand ; the beautiful Dee was with us all the way, now and then receding in lovely bends round ,-: fir-clad peninsulas, but soon reappearing. Its music was unceasing. Every mountain river, it has been said, has its own joeculiar tone ; and certainly the song of the Dee, whether in its ripple or its bolder dash, was characteristic all along. The moun- tains gradually swelled to greater vastness ; Loch- nagar, especially (so- called from a lakelet, 'The Hare's Loch,' at its base), with its peaks and curves, its recesses and precipices, now white with dazzling snow, was not unworthy of the Oberland. As in .Switzerland, too, the lesser heights in the foreground were covered with pine forests, interspersed with woods of birch and alder, with that lovely yXpril lUish upon their brownness that presages the breaking into leaf. i'or miles we met nobody: reaching in due course the Prince of Wales's .shooting lodge Abergeklie, on the opposite side of the river. There, by the way, we noticed what we had heard before, that the banks of tlie river are linetl with beautiful birch-tree woods. The birlcs o{ Adcj'gcldie h&mg famous, Burns was led partly I))- tin- alliteration to celebrate instead the 'Mrks of Aber- feldy,' which are also (\nv., though far inferior in number to these beside the Dee. I'he tower of B.\i.iMui<.\i. next rose into view, low down amid a Crathie Church. LOCHNAIIAR. BALMORAL: CRATHIE. ,79 grand amphitheatre of hills. On a knoll to tin; right .slot)d the little church of Crathie, humble and simple in appearance, very like many a villace chapel in I'^ngland. On the other side of the road, towards the river, is the churchyard, surrounding the ruins of the ' auld kirk,' a very vale of rest amid the silence and splendours of the mountains. Her Majesty's faithful attendant Mr. John Brown had been interred there only a few days before. It was easy to discover his grave, in an inclosure where are grave- stones to his ancestors and relatives, most of them erected by himself The grave was covered with wreaths of immortelles and other (lowers : many with cards attached bearing the names of the givers ; princesses, countesses, some other great people, and John Brown's own associates and kindred. One wreath had on the card, 'A tribute of love to dear Uncle John from his little niece, Victoria.' Probably the Queen had been godmother to his brother's or sister's child. At the head of the grave was a wreath of some lovely purple flower, with the Queen's card attached to it, and in her own hantlwriting the words : . / Iribute 0/ loving gralcfiil and everlasting friendship and affecHon from It is truest best and fnost faitli/n! friend, Victoria J\. and I. It was very touching to see such an illustration of that spirit of true-hearted faithful service which too often appears like a tradition of the past. A handsome memorial stone has now been erected over the orave. Balmoral itself need not be described : its outward form is familiar to us all. In beauty of situation, as beauty is reckoned in the Highlands, it is almost incomparable, being surrounded by the grandeur of forest sweep and purple mountains, and, at the time of our visit, vast dazzling snow- fields ; with the blue sky and sunshine over all, and the pellucid, rushin"-, singing Dee beneath. In different directions the heights are surmounted by cairns, pyramidal or beehive-shaped, commemorative of royal visits, birthdays, and other events. These do not add to the impressiveness of the scenery yet it was impossible not to sympathise with the feelings which thus seek expression. They tell of a blithe and happy family life in past days, such as we do not always associate with our ideas of royalty. The grounds of the castle appeared in [perfect order, with lawns, paths, and drives, all ap[)roached by a bridge, as the palace is on the opposite side of the river from the main road : but access is rigorously forbidden whether Her Majesty is there or not. All looked very lonely : not even a gardener was visible in the grounds, and the blinds of the peilace windows were down. The only sign of movement about the place was in the clock at the top of the tower, which was going as usual, and struck one as we were looking on, reminding us of luncheon, that soon was obtained at a charming little roadside inn at Crathie, a mile farther on, exquisitely clean and beautifully situated. In fact, so attractive was the place that we instantly engaged lodgings for the night on our return ; our business was now to get to Bkaem.\k, or rather, as it should be called in lull, Castleton of N 2 I^O SCOTTISH PICTURES. Braemar. The walk now became surpassingly beautiful — the road leading through pine-woods that extend to the river's edge, while the endless mountain forms, black with heather, grey with granite, richly green with firs, and in the background ever lustrous with snow, gave a variety and charm to every turn. In many places there were fearful signs of the late winter's havoc. Vast forests had been cut through by the gale almost as cleanly as standing corn by the sweep of the sickle, and the gaps were strewn with hundreds of uprooted trees, some lifting their roots high in air, The Albert Cairn, Balmoral. grasping huge stones and masses of earth, as if in convulsive effort to stay the catastrophe. At length a few people appeared upon the lonely road — a very few, but sufficiently numerous to show that groups of human habitations could not be far off. Then Castle Braemar was seen, and immediately afterwards, to the left, the village of Castleton, high up on a hill slope or brae, commanding, of course, an extensive view of \alleys and mountains. in a comfortable hotel the (;nly other occupant was again a salmon fislur, dis- appointed but aspiring. 'There are no fish in the Dee this year,' he said; 'there is no sport at all!' Yet he seemed to enjoy himself so much that we could not help suggesting there was plenty of spoii, though perhaps no sah/ion Ill 'I'll 1 ,1 ' \ i||l| I'l/ I 1,1 I BR A EM A R. t83 The Home Farm, Uai.moral. i84 SCOTTISH PICTURES. according to the ozone standard. Yet its mountains are here too near to make the scenery very grand, as for the full effect of mountain prospects a clear space is required, opening up to the loftier heights which of necessity recede from the rest. But the glory of Braemar is that in all directions paths lead directly to the mountain solitudes and sublimities ; while the Dee may be followed by ' linns ' and rapids and a vast rocky wilderness, to the Scene in the Grampians : Stormy. point where th(; infant stream leaps from a ledge a ihousantl feel high, and begins its swift journey to the sea. We couKl not pmietrate to this ledge, high up among the secrets of the Cairngorm mountains ; although those who have followed the path between the stu|jendous heights of Ben INluich Dhui t(j the right and Cairn lOnl to the left, irossing the summit of the glen by the I'ass of Larig, and (Icsccmliiig ihrough the Kolliicnun-chus forest to THE GRAMPIANS. 185 Aviemorc, declare that there is nothing so fine in all Scotland. It was {Kjssible only to take the compara- tively easy road which leads up- wards to the head of Glen Tilt, commanding after the first mile or two a magnificent view across the valley of the highest mountains in the Grampian range ; Ben Muich Dhui, the loftiest of all, being grandly conspicuous. Some pretty falls are passed at the Linn of Corriemulzie, and at six miles distance the Linn of Dee is 1 86 SCOTTISH PICTURES. reached, where a handsome bridge of white Aberdeen granite, opened by the Queen in September 1S57, spans the river. The Linn itself is a narrow fissure between slaty rocks, through which the river chafes and tumbles ; and at the time of our visit, the melting snows having swollen the torrent almost to the projecting edges of the rocks, the force of the river was tremendous. Three miles beyond this the river-side is left, and the climb to the water-shed fairly commences. But to attempt this the snow forbade, and there was nothing for it but to return to Braemar, taking now the opposite, or left bank of the Dee, and visiting on the way the pretty glen and Linn of Ouoich, ' the Cup.' Some distance below this glen the little Sluggan Water falls into the Dee, and is spanned near the juncture by one of General Wade's bridges. The route by Glenshee past ' the Spital,' or Hospice, a good, though in parts very tedious carriage-road in summer, to Blairgowrie and the valley of the Tay, was likewise impracticable. We could only take this road for a little distance up the beautiful Glen Clunie, and our visit to Braemar was over. The Braemar Highlands, like most far-spreading mountain regions, have many a tale and tradition of ancient strife, with weird stories of the super- natural, such as the winter terrors of the mountain land may well suggest. A long evening on our return to the charming inn at Crathie was spent in reading these tales of olden time. It was interesting to find that the district had, like other mountain countries of the west and east, its William Tell. Here is the narrative. ' A young man named M'Leod had been hunting one day in the Royal Forest. A favourite hound of the king's having attacked M'Leod, was killed by him. The king soon heard of the slaughter of his favourite, and was exceedingly angry — so much so, that M'Leod was condenuied to death. ' The gibbet was erected on Craig Choinnich, i.e. Kenneth's Crag. As there was less of justice than revenge in the sentence, little time was permitted ere it was carried into execution. The prisoner was led out by the north gate of the castle. 'I'he king, in great state, surrounded by a crowd of his nobles, followed in procession. Sorrowing crowds of the people came after, in wondering amazement. As they moved slowly on, an incident occurred which arrested universal attention. A young woman with a child in her arms came rushing through the crowd, and, throwing herself before the king, pleaded witli him to spare her husbaml's life, though it should be at the expense of all they possessed. 'Her impassioned entreaties were met with silence. Malcolm was not to be moved fn^m his pur|)ose of death. Seeing that her efforts to move the king were useless, she made her way to her husband, and throwing her arms round him, declared that .she would not leave him — she would die with him. 'Malcolm was somewhat moved by the touching .scene. Allen Uurward, A SCOTCH WILLIAM TELL. 1S7 noticing the favourable moment, ventured to put in the suggestion that it was a pity to hang such a splendid archer. '"A splendid archer, is he?" replied the king; "then we shall have his skill tried." 'So he ordered that M'Leod's wife and child should be placed nn the opposite side of the river ; something to serve as a mark was to be placetl on the child's head. If INI'Leod succeeded in hitting the mark withoLit injuring his wife or child, his life was to be spared, otherwise the sentence Bridge over Sluggan Water, near Braemar. was to be carried into immediate execution. Accordingly (so the legend goes) the young wife and her child were put across the river, and placed on Tomghainmheine ; according to some, a little farther down the river, near where a boat-house once stood. The width of the Dee was to be the distance separating M'Leod from his mark. ' He asked for a bow and two arrows ; and having examined each with the greatest care he took his position. The eventful moment came ; the people gathered round him and stood in profound silence. On the opposite side of the river his wife stood, the central figure of a crowd of eager i8S SCOTTISH PICTURES. bystanders, tears glistening on her cheeks as she gazed alternately at her husband and child in dumb emotion. ' M'Leod took aim; but his body shook like an aspen leaf in the evening breeze. This was a trial for him far harder than death. Again he placed himself in position ; but he trembled to such a degree that he could not shoot, and, turning to the king, who stood near, he said in a voice scarcely articulate in its suppressed agony, " This is hard." ' But the king relented not ; so the third time he fell into the attitude ; and as he did so almost roared, "This is hard!" Then, as if all his nervousness and unsteadiness had escaped through the cry, he let the arrow fly. It struck the mark. The mother seized her child, and in a transport of joy seemed to devour it with kisses ; while the pent-up emotion of the crowd found vent through a loud cry of wonder and triumph, which repeated itself again and again as the echoes rolled slowly away among the neighbouring hills. 'The king now approached M'Leod, and, after confirming his pardon, inquired why he, so sure of hand and keen of sight, had asked for fico arrows. '"Because," replied M'Leod, "had I missed the mark, or hurt my wife or child, I was determined not to miss yon." ' The king grew pale, and turned away as if undecided what to do. His better nature prevailed; so he again approached ]\TLeod, and with kindly voice and manner told him that he would receive him into his body- guard, and that he would be well provided for. ' " Never," answered the undaunted Celt. " After the painful proof to which you have just put my heart, 1 could never love you enough to serve you faithfully." 'The king in amazement cried out, "Thou art a Hardy! and as Hardy thou aii, so Hardy thou slia// be." brom that time, M'Leod went under the appellation of Hardy, while his descendants were termed the MacHardys, Mac being the Gaelic word for son. '"Why, that is a corruption of the story of William Tell," I rather un- courtcously remarked, on hearing for the first lime this MacHardy legend. 'The old lady who had just related it retortctd with considerable warmth, and ended by asking 70/iai the story of William T(!ll took place. '"About the year 1307," I replied. '"There," she said, with such an air of triumph, " I thought that: the William Tell story happened in 1307, and ours in 1060 or thereabouts, more than 200 years before. Na, na ! our story is nae a corruption of William 'J'ell, though William Tell's may weel be a corruption of ours." ' " The similarity in the popular legends of mountain lands is a topic for interesting discussion. lUit we cannot stay to consider it here. The romance is sufficient now ; the ralionalc may be l('ft to another season. ' The Draemar //ighlamls ; their Talcs, Timlilioiis, and IliUory, by lili/abclli 'layhii. Nimm.., iS6i), pp. yy 103. PETERHEAD: BUCHAN. 1S9 But we must leave these old stories now, for to-morrow will take us by a long journey back to Aberdeen and Inverness ; the far north is as yet unexplored, and we must have at least a glimpse of its glens, mountains, and far-away islands before bidding farewell to Scotland. Yet before starting on the northward journey we shall do well, if possible, to spend two days in an excursion to Phterukad, not indeed for anything The 'Cauluron;' Bullers of Buchan. remarkable in that thriving little town, but for the opportunity of visiting what may fairly be called the finest rock-scenery in Great Britain. The table-land of Buchan here projects into the German Ocean, which rounds it off, so to speak, in a corner below Fraserburgh, where the granite cliffs grandly confront almost every wind that blows. But the most wonderful part of the formation is south of Peterhead, where the rosy granite rocks are hollowed into caves, smoothed into precipices, and moulded here and there intf) vast fantastic igo SCOTTISH PICTURES. masses by the ceaseless chafing of the sea. In particular, the Buller, or Bouilloir of Buchan, says Dr. Johnson/ 'is a sight which no man can see with indifference, who has either sense of danger or delight in rarity. It is a rock perpendicularly tubulated, united on one side with a high shore, and on the other rising steep to a great height, above the main sea. The top is open, from which may be seen a dark gulf of water, which flows into the cavity through a breach made in the lower part of the enclosing rock. It has the appearance of a vast well bordered with a wall. The edge of the Buller is not wide, and to those that walk round appears very narrow. He that ventures to look downward sees that if his foot should slip he must fall from his dreadful elevation upon stones on one side, or into the water on the other. We, however, went round, and were glad when the circuit was completed. ' When we came down to the sea we saw some boats and rowers, and resolved to explore the Buller at the bottom. We entered the arch which the water had made, and found ourselves in a place which, though we could not think ourselves in danger, we could scarcely survey without some recoil of the mind. The basin in which we floated was nearly circular, perhaps thirty yards in diameter. We were enclosed by a natural wall, rising steep on every side to a height which produced the idea of insurmountable con- finement. The interception of all lateral light caused a dismal gloom. Round us was a perpendicular rock, above us the distant sky, and below an unknown profundity of water. If I had any malice against a walking spirit, instead of laying him in the Red Sea, I would condemn him to reside in the Buller of Buchan ! ' ' 'But,' Dr. Johnson wisely adds, 'terror without danger is only one of the sports of fancy, a voluntary agitation of the mind that is permitted no longer than it jileascs. We were soon at leisure to examine the place with minute inspection, and found many cavities which, as the watermen told us, went backward to a depth which they had never explored. Their extent we had not time to try ; they are said to serve different purposes. Ladies come hither sometimes in the summer with collations, and smugglers make them storehouses for clanflestine merchandise.' Happily the 'smugglers' and the 'clandestine merchandise' have dis- a[jpeared ; but the ' collations ' are not unfamiliar to this day ! ' A 'Journey to the Western Islands of Scotland. Works, vol. viii. ji. 224. ' Jiullcr may lie boiler, as Dr. Johnson suggests ; but a more lilicly tijuiology is that which connects the word with the Swedish buller, 'u|>roar;' so that the Bullcrs are the Roarers uf lUithaii, a name very npiilicnlilc in linu' \ii storm. TO THE FAR NORTH 'l!ll|;'liii>:ii,il|l:KlllMl'!ll «Ji o 'A c o a: H pi O < Q CO KlRKABISTEEt LllillTllOUSE. TO THE FAR NORTH. WE enter now a region be- yond the usual tourist liaunts, and decidedly inferior to these in its attractions to the lover of scenery. Yet all who delight most in breezy health-giving up- lands, and yet more those who can secure the opportunities of sport which every glen and loch and stream in these vast .solitary regions afford, will be ready to esteem a visit to Sutherland- shire as the crowning delight of a sojourn in Scotland. North of the ' Skye Railway,' whose course we have already de.scribed, lies a wide and comparatively unpeopled region, comprising part of Ross-shire, the counties of Sutherland and Caithness ; with bits of Cromarty here and there, as though that shire had been wrecked bv some convulsion of Nature, and its fragments scattered east and west. Sulherlandshire e.\tends from .sea to o .ST. DuTiius' Church, Tatn. 194 SCOTTISH PICTURES. sea. Already in these pages we have given some description of its western coast, with cHffs scarred and broken by the fury of the Atlantic, and innumerable lochs and bays indent- ing the shore. The northern coast is not dissimilar ; one of its lochs, Eriboll, with its transparent waters and bare shadowing hills, being one of the most beautiful inlets along the Scottish coast. The eastern side of the great county — or principality, shall we call it ? — is in all respects a contrast. The coast line is almost unbroken, and a broad belt of cultivated land between the sea and the inland heights displays all the signs of prosperous and scientific husbandry. It is along the most fertile part of this rim that the railway runs from Golspie to Helmsdale, after having skirted the northern shore of the Moray birth from Dingwall ; then diverging to Tain, on the iMrth of Dornoch, an antique, ])ret- tily-situated little town, with a church dedicated to St. l^uthus, or Duthac, a bishop of Ross in tlu' thirteenth century. It contains a finely-carved pulpit presented by the Regent Murray. From Tain the line skirts the Dornoch Firth to l)onar Bridge ; then crosses to Laikc, the headquarters of most tourists and sportsmen in Suthcr- land.shire. 1 lence roads have been carried across the wild barren country to the principal places on lh(- western and norlhern coasts. One of these, as already shown, leads to the beautiful and rising western watering-place of I.ochinvcr, passing the fishing station of Aultna- gealgach, and the imposing mountain Suilven (the ' Sugar Loaf). There 'Murray's Pui.pit,' Tain. DURNESS. 195 is also a road by Loch Shin, 'the longest and the dullest lake in Scotland,' and the vast treeless Reay Deer I^^rest, with a romantic descent to the pretty sea-side village of vScourie on the west, near the many-islanded lulrachillis Bay. Another road, less interesting, leads to Tongue, on the northern coast, a wild and picturcjsque nook much admired by tourists, overshadowed by the magnificent peaks and precipices of Ben Loyal. These roads, it may be added, are very good and well-kept ; but their solitariness is something awful, as the traveller drives mile after mile through the monotonous undulating pasture land, among hills that can hardly be called mountains, and lochs innumerable. I'rom Tongue, again, .\ULT.NAGE.VLGACH, SUTHERLANDSllIRE, to Cape Wrath the traveller making a long circuit round ' Wild Loch Eriboir passes Durness, famous for its cave, the chief 'show-place' of Northern Scotland. The vivid description of this cave given by Sir Walter Scott' arouses expectation of its wonders perhaps somewhat beyond the reality. The combination of caves and pools, with a resounding, half-seen cataract, is, however, sufficiently striking, especially at one point which .Scott describes : — ' Standing on a natural foot-bridge, formed by an arch dividing two gulfs, you have a grand prospect into both. The one is deep, black and silent, only affording at the bottom a glimp.se of the dark and sullen Sec Lockliart's Life of Scotl : Journ.il, August 19, 1814. O 2 196 SCOTTISH PICTURES. pool which occupies the interior of the cavern. The right-haml rent, down which the stream discharges itself, seems to ring and reel with the increasing roar of the cataract, which envelopes its side in mist and foam. This part of the scene alone is worth a day's journey. After heavy rains, the torrent is discharged into the cavern with astonishing violence ; and the size of the chasm being inadequate to the reception of such a volume of water, it is thrown up in spouts like the blowing of a whale. But at such times the entrance of the cavern is inaccessible.' On the way to Cape Wrath, the Kyle of Durness must first be crossed by ferry-boat ; and a hilly road, a little inland and not very interesting. Smoo Cave, near Durness; on the Northern Coast. leads up to the great promontory, the northernmost part of Great Britain, with its white lonely lighthouse, and its mass of rocks jutting out into the wildly magnificent restless .sea. It must have been a journey through scenes like these that pmmpted Scott's lines, introducing the Fourth Canto of the Lord 0/ f/ic Isics : ' Stranger ! if e'er thine ardent step hatli trnrcd 'J'he northern realms of anrient (Inledoii, \Viicre the proud (Jiiccn of Wilderness hntli placed, By lake and cataract, her lonely throne ; LAIRG: DORNOCH. 197 Sublime but sad delight thy soul liatli known, dazing on pathless glen and mountain high, Listing where from the clilfs the torrents thrown Mingle their echoes with the eagle's cry, And with the sounding lake, and with the moaning sky. Yes ! 'twas sublime, but sad. — The loneliness Loaded thine heart, the desert tired thine eye ; And strange and awful fears began to press Thy bosom with a sad solemnity. Then hast thou wished some woodman's cottage nigh. Something that showed of life, though low and mean ; Glad sight, its curling wreath of smoke to spy. Glad sound, its cock's blithe carol would have been, Or children whooping wild beneath the willows green. Such are the scenes, where savage grandeur wakes An awful thrill that softens into sighs ; Such feelings rouse them by dim Rannoch's lakes, In dark Glencoe such gloomy raptures rise. Or further, where, beneath the northern skies. Chides wild I.och EriboU his caverns hoar — But, be the minstrel judge — they yield the prize, Of desert dignity to that dread shore That sees grim Coolin rise, and hears Coriskin roar.' Lairg is the great rendezvous for the northern journey, and the restino-- place for travellers who, like ourselves, are bound from the north-west to the eastern part of Sutherlandshire. The village is on a heathery upland two miles from the railway station, and is not to be commended for a sojourn. But the scene both there and at the station is at times very lively ; trains in summer both ways calling three times a day, ' machines ' of all kinds being in readiness to carry off tourists and sportsmen to their favourite resorts, and mail-coaches, such as they are, plying three or four times a week. It is true that the visitors are comparatively few, but not even Oban finds such enthusiastic admirers ; and those who have either ' used up ' or learned to disdain the more ordinary routes, feel when reaching this breezy hamlet that the delights of their Scottish tour are now about to begin. But we cannot now pursue our way inland. Our route lies again to the eastern coast, to Golspie, whence, as in duty bound, we visit the capital of Sutherlandshire, the old cathedral city of Dornoch, opposite to Tain, across the Firth. ' This,' says Chambers, ' is without exception the most miserable of all our royal burghs.' Mr. Baddeley observes that it ' is the smallest by several hundred inhabitants of that trio of pigmy capitals, Cromarty, Inveraray,' ' But let no one despise Inveraray ! There is hardly a more beautiful excursion in .Scotland than one that may be taken from Dunoon on the Clyde, by the wild and beautiful Loch Eck, to Strachur on Loch Fyne, whence the traveller may reach Inveraray by ferry, with the mountains at the head of the loch rising grandly to the right, and in front the town with its castle (of the Duke of .\rgyll), the wooded hill of Dunaquoich rising beyond, and farther still, the vast shadowy mass of Ben Cruachan. No : Dornoch has little in common with Inveraray but its smallness. 198 SCOTTISH PICTURES. and itself.' Every description of the town, the same writer adds, should begin, Once upon a time. There may probably be now between six and seven hundred inhabitants. Golspie has become the more populous and important place, partly from its nearness to Dunrobin Castle {Dun-Robin, ' Robert's Fortress,' having been built in the thirteenth century by Robert, the second Earl of Sutherland). This is the chief residence of ' the Duke,' of whose personality, in Sutherlandshire at least, no further description is necessary. As shown in our cut, the building is a modern bUlLVEN-AsSYNT, NEAR I.OCIIINVKK. one, the late .Sir Charles Barry having reconstructed the whole. ' l'"roni the terraces and steps Icailing down to the gardens, there are beautiful views over Moray l'"irth to the blue hills of llanffshire and Morayshire beyond. The garden itself is diviilcd into parterres, and is sheltered seawards by thick belts of evergreens ; hut trees of the fuiest description llourish within a stone's tlirow of th(; shore without any protection. Unless it be at Mount I'klgecumbe, we can call to mind nn ])lace in (ireat Britain where the sea air seems to affect the timber so little.' To many visitors the place will be adtliiiunally interesting from its association with the memory of the Duchess CAITHNESS: WICK. 199 of Sutherland, so well known in the early part of our Queen's reign as the friend and promoter of every good and philanthropic cause.' At Helmsdale the railway diverges once more inland, up a long glen ; a fair road, however, keeps to the line of the coast, and soon enters Caith- ness-shire over a bold, bleak, immense rocky table-land, or promontory, called the Ord of Caithness, a tremendous barrier between the two counties, after descending which, up to the little seaport of Wick, the inland views Castle. become quite changed in character. With the exception of one low range of hills, marked by three separate unpicturesque rounded peak's, the whole country is flat, treeless, and for the most part barren, peaty, with patches of cultivation here and there, and lines of brighter verdure marking the course of the little rivers. At Wick we meet the railway ag;u'n ; but unless we are enthusiastic anglers there is little or nothing to attract us in the route to ' See the Reminisctnces of Lord Ronald Gower, for aa artless picture, drawn by a manly filial hand, of a noble and beautiful life. SCOTTISH PICTURES. Halkirk and Thurso. The last-named town, however, is finely situated on a wide bay, and after the little villages and the scanty population with which we have lately become familiar, is somewhat surprising from its size and substantial appearance. The piles of paving-stones in the yards and on the wharf will attract every visitor's notice. They belong to the old ' Devonian ' red sandstone, and are sent all over the kingdom. Many visitors will recall the name of Robert Dick, the baker of Thurso, who amid the greatest privations attained to a mastery of geological and botanical science, which has placed his name among the highest in the rank of self-taught men. There is a handsome obelisk in the cemetery, to his memory. But it is to 'John o' Groat's House' that the curious traveller will desire to wend his way. 'J'liis extreme ^"'^' " 'S'^^^-^^^J::^'^' northerly point of Scotland may be reached by road, either from Wick along the eastern coast or from Thurso alcng the north. The ruins of the famous House are still to be seen, and there is now a comfortable inn, coniinaniling a fine view over the i'entland iMrth, and embracing the Orkney Isles. Who knows not the legend ? Yet we may tell it again for old association's sake. The family of Groat, it is said, was of 1 )ut(;Ii descent ; Groat, or Groot, being the same name as that which in its Latin form, Grotins, is so famous. The founder of the Scottish branch of this family was, however, a L(nvhuuler, who in the reign of James the Fourth .settled in this norllicrn region. His descendants JOHN O' GROAT'S HOUSE: THE ORKNEYS. 201 became numerous, and eight several heads of households were accustomed to assemble once a year to celebrate the memory of their ancestor. A dispute arose concerning precedency, each claiming to be head of the feast. The quarrel became inveterate, and the clan of Groat seemed in danger of being dissolved I)y intestine feuds ; when one of them whose name was John, proprietor of the ferry to Orkney, erected during a year which intervened between two of their meetinijs an octaofonal building with a door and window on every side, and a table in the interior to correspond, inviting each kinsman when the festal day arrived to enter by his separate door and to take his seat accordingly. The ingenuity and humour of this plan removed all scruples, and all being equally placed the struggle for [irimacy was forgotten. The story may be true or not : it is certainly very much akin to that of King Arthur and his Round Table. It was probably a parable to begin with, and thus became a myth : but, whether history or legend, it has a meaning worth consitleratlon still. We have now reached the northern apex, the peak of the conical cap, if the comparison be not too irreverent, by which Scotland is crowned. In one of those quaint pleasant little essays which used to form a distinguishing feature of C/iaiiibcrs's yonrnal, one of the brothers, we think it was Robert, started the idea that the form of the country was that of an old zuoiiian, in the position usually attributed to witches, Banffshire and Aberdeenshire being the hump, and the western coast of Sutherland being the wrinkled front. Paint Caithness red, as in some coloured maps, and the witch-picture is complete, without ' making believe very much.' Yes, the witchery is real, only of another kind. And beyond the point of coast where, above John o' Groat's, Dun- cansbay Head, with its precipices and chasms, fronts the northern sea, still new wonders lie. First, the Pentland Firth, with its tumultuous agitated waters, then the Orkneys, with their endless convolutions of cliff and coast, their thirty inhabited islands and their almost innumerable rocks and islets, attract, but do not long detain the traveller. The best view is from the outside, and from the west. The little towns of Kirkwall and Stromness may be visited ; both on the island which is called Mainland, or (inappropriately enough) Pomona — the latter town being especially interesting, as having given occasion by its geological phenomena for one of Hugh Miller's most brilliant essays against the doctrine of Evolution, as propounded in the once famous / \-slii^-cs of tJic Natural Ilisioiy of Creadon. Vox there was a theory of evolution before Mr. Darwin, and the great Cromarty stone-mason addressed himself to its refutation with a fulness of information, a power and brilliancy of argument which few since his time have rivalled. The Asterolepis (star-scale) of Stromness, in his hands, became a sign of Divine creative power ; and notwithstanding all the advance in knowledge which has been made since his day, the discussion may still be read with conviction as well as with admiration. The argument is brietly that the very oldest 202 SCOTTISH PICTURES. vertebrate remains are complete in organisation : whereas, had the species been developed from a lower type, there must have been intermediate links discoverable. The argument has been repeatedly urged in various forms : and it has never been answered, save by the conjecture that somewhere and somehow the ' missing links ' may come to light. But every fresh series of observations reduces the value of this hypothesis. It is inconceivable that if the stages of transition were in truth discoverable they should not have been discovered ere now. There is no more eloquent or convincing passage in Hugh Miller's work than that in which he applies this argument to the IIADGALL UAY, EdRACHILLIS ; ON THE WESTERN COAST. presumed transmutation of the algai to land-plants ; " and the same considera- tion.s, when ap[jlied to the vaster processes reejuired by the later form of thu development theory, are even more cogent. It may not be out of place to quote a paragraph or two, as not yet (nit of date : 'Along the green edge uf the Lake of Stennis, selvaged by the line of detached weeds with which a recent gale had strewed its shores, I marked lliat tor the few first miles the accumulation consisted of marine algae, here and there mixed with tufts of stunlctl reeds or riishes, .uid ihat ' .See Footprinls of the Creator, |ip. 240 25O, HUGH AHLLER ON EVOLUTION. 203 as I receded from the sea it was the alga; that became stunted and dwarfish, and that the reeds, aquatic grasses, and rushes, grown greatly more bulky in the mass, were also more fully developed individually, till at length the marine vegetation altogether disappeared, and the vegetable debris of the shore became purely lacustrine, — I asked myself whether here, if anywhere, a transition flora between lake and sea ought not to be found ? For many thousand years ere the tall grey obelisks of Stennis, whose forms I saw this murning reflected in the water, had been torn from the quarry or laid down in mystic circle on their flat [jromontories, had this lake IIanda Island: above Scourie Uav, .suiukklandshiki:. admitted the waters of the sea, and been salt in its lower reaches and fresh in its higher. And during this protracted period had its quiet, well- sheltered bottom been exposed to no disturbing influences through which the delicate process of transmutation could have been marred or arrested. Here, then, if in any circumstances, ought we to have had, in the broad permanently brackish reaches, at least indications of a vegetation intermediate in its nature between the monocotyledons of the lake and the alg;e of the sea ; and yet not a vestige of such an intermediate vegetation could I find among the up-piled debris of the mixed floras, marine and lacustrine. The 204 SCOTTISH PICTURES. lake possesses no such intermediate vegetation. As the water freshens in its middle reaches, the alga; become dwarfish and ill-developed ; one species after another ceases to appear, as the habitat becomes wholly unfavourable to it ; until at length we find, instead of the brown, rootless, Howerless, fucoids and conferva; of the ocean, the green, rooted, flower-bearing flags, rushes, and aquatic grasses of the fresh water. Many thousands of years have failed to originate a single intermediate plant. And such, tested by a singularly extensive experience, is the general evidence. There is scarce a chain-length of the shores of Britain and Ireland that has not been a hundred and a hundred times explored by the botanist, — keen to collect and prompt to register every rarity of the vegetable kingdom ; but has he ever yet succeeded in transferring to his herbarium a single plant caught in the transition state ? ' Yet the wonder of the Orkneys is not in its bold cliffs with their fossils, nor in the cultivated plots which cover its uplands, nor in its remarkable and mysterious sepulchral monuments and ' Picts' houses,' nor even in the superb climate, as soft and equable as that of the Channel Islands, so much as in the lingering beauty of its summer days. The evening twilight magically melts into the rose-light of the dawn ; night is practically unknown ; you can read at midnight not only the inscriptions over the shop-doors, but the pages of a printed book. Only a little farther north, and you would see the midnight sun. No doubt there is a corresponding loss of daylight in winter ; but the natives tell you that the starry nights are glorious, and there are no Arctic chills to impair the enjoyment. Few love their country better, or with better reason than the industrious, simple-minded Orcadians. A sail of twelve hours over an often stormy sea takes the traveller from Kirkwall, the capital of the Orkneys, to Lerwick, the capital of the SiiETL.VNDs. Half-way he passes Fair Isle, an island twenty-five miles from any other land, containing just 214 inhabitants, and causing much wonder to many who view it from without, or scramble over its craggy landing, as to the origin of its name. ' Fair ' it certainly is not, in the sense in which we usually understand that term of an island. We think of coral caves, of yellow sands, of grassy slopes, of groves and shady bowers, lint nothing of this kind meets us here. Wild precipices are chafed by restless waves, the access is by clefts in the rock, leading by rough steep paths to the barren summit; and perhaps the explanation is that 'hair' is not an epithet at all, but a corruption of Norwegian Faar, 'a sheep.' 'Sheep island.' 'The I'aroe Islands have the same etymology.'' On this island one of the vessels of the .Spanish Armada, driven norlhwartls, was wrecked ; and the crew are .said by tradition to have taught the women the art of knitting the brilliantly variegated hosiery that we call Shetland. The account is ' Sec The Orkiifys anil S/iellatids, by Joliii \\, 'I'udor (I.oikIdii, 1S83), pp. 430 432. THE SHETLAND ISLES. ro; too are famous ; though these no T ORKNEY SHETLAND ISLANDS. probably correct, as the patterns in many of these shawls are remarkably similar to those which arc wrought by the Moors of Spain.' Lerwick is a town to astonish the visitor who has thought of the Orkney and Shetland isles only as solitary rockbound wastes in the midst of an angry sea. It is in fact a busy, thriving little metropolis, well-placed, and even imposing to view on its stee[) upward slope, the tiers of houses rising from the very water. The main thoroughfares are irregularly jiarallel with the shore, antl are intersected by narrow lanes, climbing to the brow of the hill. These lanes are called 'trances' or ' transes,' possibly from the Latin transirc through the I'Vench. Dr. Jamieson in his Scottish Dictionary gives several instances of the use of transe for passage. The building in the higher part of the town, with tower and flagstaff, is the Lerwick Town Hall, an edifice of which the Shetlanders are justly proud. It contains a series of pictures, carvings and stained glass windows, intended to present an illustrated history of Shetland for the past thousand years. Everyone has heard of ' Shet- land wools,' and of 'Shetland ponies.' In the former commodity, Lerwick drives a thriving trade ; the .scanty pastures having long sustained a fine breed of sheep. The .Shetland ponies SUKTLAKD I S L .X IT D .>! a *• Ifvnaldsna, Sumbumhlfi ViFairl. ^/,;.v'a '/iii- S L A N D 'fffn 'fi '•(ll lonsfer roam at laro-e. The breed is carefully maintained, not so much for their beauty as for their utility — alas ! in the coal mines of England ; it being found that these hardy little creatures can best endure the fatigue of continued monotonous work in those sunless depths. They accordingly are imported southward in great numbers, never to see the light of day from the time of their descent. It is a comfort to know that they are generally well cared for, and greatly petted by the miners. Often one will be rescued by some purchaser, wishing to please his children, and will spend its days in fresh air and sunlight — a happier lot, and to outward seeming more congenial. It is to be hoped that the patient little sturdy four-footed toilers in the mine know not what they lose ! The .Shetland Islands contain more than 30,000 inhabitants, a hardy race, who mostly live by fishing. The number of islands is .said to be ' ?//(• Orkneys and ShetlanJs, p. 439. 2o6 SCOTTISH PICTURES. '^^.■■\iy^.^ Fair Isle: the 'Sheep Craig.' exactly a hundred, only between thirty and forty behig inhabited. Some of these are very bold in outline. The cliffs of Bressay are extra- ordinary ; but perhaps the greatest wonder is the Holm of Noss, de- tached from the island of that name by a fissure ■ between the cliffs from four to five hundred feet in depth. 'The Holm consists of a rock with perpendicular sides 1 60 feet in height, and having a level top, the area of which is 500 feet by i 70 feet. Somewhere in the seventeenth century this apparently inaccessible stack was scaled by a fowler for the pro- mised reward of a cow. Once on the summit he drove in a couple of stout stakes, to which were fastened strong guy-ropes, that had been dragged over the intervening chasm, 60 feet broad, by means of a stone and a string. On these guy-ropes was fastened an oblong box, which slid easily enoucjh down from the Noss side, where the cliff was slightly higher, to the Holm, and was hauled back on the return journey. Tradition says that thi; original scaler of the Holm rcfuscil to avail himself of the box, but essayed to return as he came, and in SI) doing was killed. Latterly the box was made large enough 10 hoUl a man and a sheep, and in this manner twelve sheep were taken on to and od the Holm every summer. .Some few years l),ick, howe\er, thi; whole apparatus was dismaiuled, for fear of acci- dents, and till' summit of the 1 lolm handed back to its original tenants, the; gulls, who during the breeding season leave ver) Uitlr ol il tnioccupied.' I'AIK Isi.E ; ' SlIKLDIE (l.ri'F. SCALLOWAY. 207 The rock scenery on the western side of the island, is, if possible, more wonderful still. Scalloway, only six or seven miles from Lerwick, and facing the Atlantic at the southern extremity of what may truly be called a ' Bay of Islands," is now one of the most accessible places in the whole region, and The Holm of Noss. there can be nothing finer in its way than the sail along the western coast, past innumerable headlands broken into every variety of shape by the constant chafing of the sea, with islets large and small, and many a picturesque ' stack ' or rock-group towering above the surface of the water. W^e enter 2o8 SCOTTISH PICTURES. St. Magnus Bay by a strait between the mainland and the island of Papa Stour. ' Papa,' be it noticed, is a relic of the word for ' priest,' and points back to the time when the earliest missionaries from Ireland came to these 'Giant's I,eg,' Noss, Siiitland. wild shores. Througli the mist of ages we catch glimpses of tliese simple messengers of the Gosp(;l, placing themselv^es here and there where the sea formed some protection for their rock-girt home, whih" yet the mainland was open to their frequent visits. 'Ihe invasions of heathen Norsemen in later THE NORTHERN ISLANDS. 209 days swept away the fruit of their toils ; and only a name or a tradition here and there preserves the memory. Across the noble bay the stc^amer passes to Hii.i.swick, jTfiving- us full leisure to admire the fantastic rock forms of porphyry, gneiss, sandstone, conglomerate — at once a fascination and a puzzle for geologists. The ' Drongs ' are here conspicuous, standing out of the lonely sea like a great group of castle towers. Ilillswick itself is a pleasant village; by the sea, with sheltered green slopes, and a few houses and cottages where fishermen, The Drongs, .Shetland. farmers and peasants lead their quiet life, removed at once from wealth and destitution, with the homely kirk where they worship together in peace. This is the extreme point of our present tour. Farther on, if dis- posed to explore, the voyager will find in the 'northern islands,' Yell, Fetlak, Unst, yet more fine cliff-scenery, and endless labyrinths of deep-sea channels, with a grand sweep round the northern extremity of the Shetlands. If exceptionally fortunate, he may here encounter a 'school' of whales, and imagine; himself, but for the genial climate, an Arctic adventurer. In the course of this circuit there is an opportunity of visiting ' the most 2tO SCOTTISH PICTURES. northerly village in the British Isles,' Haroldswick : so called from Harold Haarfager, the ' Fair-haired,' who founded the old Norwegian dynasty, and also made himself master of these northern islands a thousand years ago. The climate of the Shetlands lacks the delicious softness of the Orkneys ; the constant dampness being chilly and oppressive to the visitor ; although in one of the latest and best accounts of these northern islands we read that ' Shetland, if liable to greater rainfall, has, so far as the writer can judge, a more bracing and exhilarating atmosphere during the summer months than th(i southern group, where at times the heat is apparently much more intense and oppressive, and in Shetland, even in the height of summer, it is always I>;k\vick, Shetland. well to be provided with warm garments.' ' The inhabitants ap|)ear a hardy race, honest, shrewd, and sensiljle. Ihey seem peculiarly open also to the lessons and inlluences of Christianity, and, besides the Presbyterian churches, there is also a mission ot the Baptists, which has effected great good. In courtesy and intelligence thc^ people compare favourably with those of any jilace in (ircat Hritain. The route from I.erwick southwards on llic rastcni siile passes by the lonely tower of Mousa, on the island of that name This tower is worth visiting as one of tlic bist preser\etl relics of rictisii occu])ation. We may be allowed to cop\' the excelKiU description of il by Mr. M. j. i'>. iSaddeley: 'It stands close to the shore on tlie west side of the small island which gives it a name. Its nicasuremeiU is al>()nt lorty feet iiigh and filt\ in diameter; ' The Ork-irys and Shetlands, hy J. K. 'I'udoi, p. 411. SUMBURCII HEAD. its shape, that of a dice box, the outside wall leaning slightly inward for the lower thirty feet, and bulging out again above that height, with the result, if not with the special object, of making it as difficult as possible to scale. This outside wall, built in courses and entirely without cement, is nearly six feet in thickness ; and within it, separated by a space of about the same width, is a second and similar wall with apertures looking on to the circular unroofed court within, and containing a number of recesses. The only entrance to the whole is by a small doorway on the seaward side ; and as even this might easily be made impregnable, there seems abundant evidence The Brougii oi' Mousa. for the theory that the primary object of these structures was defence from external foes — "towers of refuge" they might be called. In the few other instances of their remaining sufficiendy intact to allow their original construction to be understood, there is nothing to oppose this theory. One and all seem to afford mute yet eloquent testimony to the turbulence of the age in which they were built.' It is in these islands of the North that Sir Walter .Scoll found lULich of the material for his Pirate; Sumburgh Head, where much of the action of the story lies, being the most southerly point of the Shedand group— a grand, bare cliff, about 300 feet in height— while the Roost of .Sumburgh 212 SCOTTISH PICTURES. {rost, Icelandic for the current or whirlpool caused by the meeting of tides) still rushes with the fury depicted by the great novelist. A little to the north, on the western side of the island, the great promontory of Fitful Head fronts the Atlantic. A short distance above the former head- land, and upon the shore of a little bay or voe, are the remains of Jarlshof, the home of some of the principal characters in the tale. It is with a new interest that we re-read Scott's glowing pages, on the deck of the steamer which bears us swiftly past these scenes over what is now the calmest of summer seas. Well, however, can we imagine what they must become in times of storm. The wild tumult of Nature seems only too congenial with strongly-marked characters and tempestuous passions. Fully to comprehend Scott's descriptions, it is almost necessary to know the locality. Otherwise, they may seem exaggerated ; while in these times of comparative civilisation the counterpart may not often be found of all his characters. Yet on the whole the outline is wonderfully correct, as well as vivid ; and the finest creation in his story. Noma of the Fitful Head, seems to have been in part a transcript from life. The grandeurs and terrors of those storm-beaten shores, with their loneliness, and the mystery beyond, quicken the sense of the supernatural ; although in our own day this rather appears in the simple intense piety of a well-instructed people, than in any tendency to credulity and superstition. The inhabitants of mountain regions, it is said, have often little sense of the majesty and glory that surround them on their daily path ; not so the dwellers by those wild and stormy seas. To them the lessons of the ' great deep ' are not wholly in vain. 'The sea is His;' and ' Hi: mauk it,' finds a response, — often confused and inarticulate, it may be, — in the hearts of men with whose whole life sublimity and terror are so closely intertwined. It was with a strange thrill of sympathy as well as awe that in a little assembly of those northern sailors and fishermen we read the old words: ' They that go down to the sea in ships, That do business in great waters : These see the works of the Loku, And His wonders in the deep ; I''or He ( iininiandcth, and raisctli tlie stormy wintl. Which lifletli u\) tlic waves thereof. They mount up to the licaven, they go down ni;aiii to the dei)ths ; Their soul is melted because of trouble. They reel to and fro, and stagger like a ihunken man, And are at their wit's end. Then they cry unto the Loku in their trouble. And He bringeth them out of their distresses. He niaketh the storm a calm. So tliat the waves thereof are still. Then arc they glad because they be quiet. So He bringeth them imto their desired haven.' SABBATH HOURS. 213 Our tour in Scotland is now finished.. These last words of the volume are written amid calnu-r scenes than those which have been just described. A flowery meadow before us slopes down lo the lower reach of a lovely lake. Heathery slopes on one side, ami wooded hill on the other, descc;nd to the water's edge. The morning sunshine brightens the verdure, while in the distance one of the giant ' Bens ' of the country rears its clouded brow There are no tourists, for the path lies beyond their track. Only a few resident families, in the white houses scattered over the hill-sides, spend here their happy summer. We worshipped with them and with the little com[)any of village-folk, yesterday, in their fair sanctuary, reared by the liberality of a visitor from England. To what 'denomination' the one church of the village may have belonged it is needless to inquire ; nor perhaps did the thought occur to any worshipper there. The communion was not ours ; yet we sang the same hymns — certainly with unfamiliar additions from the noble quaint old Scotch Psalter ; the prayers in their comprehensiveness were suited to the needs of all ; and the sermon, on Jacob's wanderings, touched some chords which must have vibrated in every heart. The closing hymn, although a Scottish ' Paraphrase,' was by an English Nonconformist, and is a ' Psalm of Life ' for Christians universally : ■ O God of IJethel, by whose hand Thy people still are fed. Who through this weary pilgrimage Hast ail our fathers led : Oh spread Tliy covering wings around, Till all our wanderings cease, And at our Father's loved abode Our souls arrive in peace.' Such Sabbath hours, spent in fellowship with congenial friends, are among the choicest remembrances of journeys like those that we have attempted to describe. The visitor to Scotland is constantly reminded that he is among a religious people. This fact is sometimes apparent in the theological and ecclesiastical di.sputes which ruffle the surface of the national life ; but it reveals itself more constantly and happily in the depths of that life — in the good sense, the integrity and the devoutness which may be found in ull classes of the people. The old discords have largely ceased, the fidelity to truth remains, with perhaps a wider catholicity. There is a very remarkable little inscription on one of the pillars in St. Giles's Church, Edinburgh — To James Hannav, Dean of this Cathedral, 1634-1639. He was tiii: first AND THE LAST WHO KF.AF) THE SeRVICK-BOOK IN THIS Clll RCH. TlHS MEMORIAL IS! ERECTED IN HAi'i'iEK TIMES i!V HIS DESCENDANT. The 'happier times' are acknowledged by Presbyterian ism and I^piscopacy alike ; and one who is an adherent of neither system can rejoice in the essential varieties in which, below the differences once deemed insurmountable, an underlying harmony 214 SCOTTISH PICTURES. is discerned. We do not, indeed, affirm that all is peace even now. Questions have been raised, unknown in earlier times ; and some great controversies seem as far from settlement as ever. But these appear at least to be approached in a kindlier spirit. The odium thcologiaini, if not extinct, is regarded as uncongenial with the spirit of the time, not because Christians care less for doctrinal correctness, but because they more clearly recognise the supreme claims of charity. CAI'K Wkaiij. # ^-^«*^^^^7':^^^2^^t'^'^>>" ':f ^^ INDEX. AnnoTSFORP, /■agi- 14 Aliertk-cn, its University, etc., 173 Aberfcldy, 137 Al)crgclilic, 176 Abcrnethy, Braes of, 149 Airdcheanochrochan, no Allan Water, 130 Alloway Kirk, 29 Anderson, Andrew, of Eli;in, 150 AnnanHDOH : WILLIAM CLOWRS ANO SONS, LIMITUU, STAMfOKD STKBKT AND CIIAKING CKOSS. In^sti'^tsJ^ §00Ks of $r€iue:L ^ JhEATE^E of piONYSIUS, ^THENS. ^TQqJI ^^IctlZTGS* nuAWiv with pea and pencil. By J. p. MAHAFFY, M.A., Fellow of Trinity College, Dublin, Author of "Social Life in Greece^' " Greek Life and Thought" " Rambles and Studies in Greece," etc. With Two Maps, and many Illustrations. Imperial 8vo. Sj. handsomely bound, gilt edges ; 30J. morocco, elegant. ^^-^=»- Victor "pVoi-lp,! PONDON'S )VaTEI^AY. j^oncion pictures, p. DRAWN WITH EN AND PENCIL. By the Rev. RICHARD LOVETT, m.a.. Author of "Norwegian Pictures," "Irish Pictures," etc. PROFUSELY ILLUSTRATED. Imperial 8to. 8/. cloth boards, gilt edges ; 30/, morocco, elegant. ILLUSTRATED BOOKS OF TRAVEL. 1 I 1- -FOLK. S l; I J I L- H Scottish "pictures, drawn with pen and pencil. By SAMUEL G. GREEN, d.d. Illustrated by Eminent Artists. Imperial 8vo., handsomely bound, grilt edgres, 88. ; morocco elegant, 30s. jionoogian "pictures, drawn with pen and pencil. With a Ghiihi lit Siiicdoi and the Gotlia Canal. By RICHARD LOVETT, M.A. New Edition, revised and partly re-written. Imperial 8vo., Ss., cloth boards, gilt edvea. 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