YALE UNIVERSITY
LIBRARY

1944

A^(g»iriE

THROUGH

NORTON HALL.
nrxxx

JOURNAL
OP A
TOUR THROUGH THE HIGHLANDS
OF SCOTLAND
DURING IH£
SUIMMER OP MDCCCXXIX.

PROXIMORDM INCURIOSI lONGINQUA SECTAMUK. Plin. Er.

NORTON HALL,
MD CCCXXX.

EDINBURGH : PRINTED BT 1. JOBNSTONE.

THE BEST AND LOVELIEST OP HER SEX

THIS VOLUME IS DEDICATED -.

SHE FOR WHOM IT IS INTENDED

WILL ACCEPT AND APPRECIATE

THE COMPLIMENT :

THOSE FOR WHOM IT IS NOT INTENDED

WILL DO THE SAME.

NOSTRIS AMICIS

GRATI MEMORISQUE ANIMI,

HOCCE VOLUMEN,

MONUMENTUM

ESTO.

PREFACE.

l^EULY pleasant is it to write a Preface exempt
from the necessity of deprecating the infliction of
criticism, by adducing the argumentum ad ve-
recundiam, the irresistible importunity of friends,
and so forth. The present production neither
requires nor admits of such palliation. We are
also innocent of the usual incentives to literary
undertakings. Neither, according to the ne
gro's shrewd observation, did we " take walk to
make book," as so many have done before us ;
but, having kept a diurnal record from an age so
early that we are even now ashamed of the puer
ilities which it contains, we have contracted the
habit of noting, which, in the present instance,
we have indulged. Of the result of this practice

PREFACE.

in the present case it becomes not us to speak.
Of the importance of habitual notation we have
the weighty testimony of the sagacious Johnson ;
who, after remarking " how seldom descriptions
correspond with realities," truly continues, " and
the reason is, that people do not write them till
some time after, and then their imagination has
added circumstances. An observer deeply im
pressed by any remarkable spectacle, does not
suppose that the traces wUl soon vanish from his
mind; and having commonly no great conve
nience for writing, defers the description to a
time of more leisure or better accommodation.
He who has not made the experiment, or who is
not accustomed to require rigorous accuracy from
himself, wiU scarcely believe how much a few
hours take from certainty of knowledge and dis
tinctness of imagery, how the succession of ob
jects will be broken, how separate parts will be
confused, and how many particular features and
discriminations wUl be compressed and conglobat
ed into one gross and general idea. To this dila-

PREFACE. Ul
tory notation, must be imputed the false rela
tions of travellers, where there is no imaginable
motive to deceive. They trusted to memory
what cannot be trusted safely to the eye, and
told by guess, what a few hoxurs before they had
known with certainty."
To these excellent observations, our own ex
perience enables us to add, that he who neglects
to record what he imperfectly knows, in the hope
that he may one day know it better, wUl find
too late that he has forfeited advantages, for
which no accuracy of knowledge can compensate.
He who waits for fulness of information, will, in
the lapse of time, experience a diminution of
that which he may possess, and will too fre
quently find that the foundation, upon which
he fondly designed to erect his temple of know
ledge, has melted away, like " the baseless
fabric of a vision," beneath his feet, or that
circumstances he once imagined indelible, dwell
only in his imagination, like the fragments of
a half-forgotten dream. The dangers of dila-

IV PREFACE.
tory notation we trust we have escaped; yet,
though the veracity of our itinerary narrative
may remain unimpeached, many imperfections
must doubtless arise from the shortness of the
time consumed in its composition. Whatever
may be the literary delinquencies of our little
book, they must all fall upon our own head, since
we cannot boast of authentic communications or
indirect assistance, not even in the shape of friend
ly revisal or critical supervision. Of books we
have freely availed ourselves, whenever they have
enabled us to augment our store of information,
or to enrich our poverty of diction, — and with
choice scraps of poetry, we have gladly embel
lished our prosaic pages.
The chief, or rather the sole merit which this
itinerary narrative can in our own estimation aspire
to, consists in its having been undertaken solely
with a view to the gratification of such of our
friends as may prefer the perusal of regular
pages of admirable typography, to the irregular
pot-hooks of school-boy caligraphy, or who may

PREFACE. V
condescend to bestow attention upon pages ori
ginating in a sincere desire to add a mite to their
treasury of innocent amusement, and render
them more intimately conversant with a country
whose historical associations and natural beauties
need no eulogy to enhance their intrinsic value.
The Highlands of Scotland are moreover at
the present moment one of the most interesting
portions of the united kingdom, as exhibiting a
people in the state of transition from the primi
tive system of patriarchal government, to the in
fluence of constitutional liberty, and not yet ful
ly incorporated with the existing order of things
So late as the middle of the last century, the
feudal system, which had fairly died out in aU
the other countries of Europe, leaving the trace
of its existence only in the uncouth jargon of
the law, or the barbarous technicalities of title-
deeds, continued in fuU force and vigour in the
Highlands and Western Isles of Scotland. At
this comparatively recent period, the civil and
military power of the chief was as. absolute, and

vi PREFACE.
the obedience and attachment of the clan as im
plicit and unbroken, as in the middle of the four
teenth century.
Inhabiting a remote and alpine region, — gene
rally regarded as barbarians by their neigh
bours of the plains, with whom they carried on a
petty predatory warfare, — and utter strangers to
commerce, luxury, and refinement, the Highland
ers were placed beyond the operation of those
causes which had produced the most remarkable
changes in the condition of the people in the
other parts of the kingdom ; and therefore they
continued to cherish with unabated affection the
customs and institutions of their forefathers, and
to sustain the natural chivalry of their character,
by the poetry, music, and traditionary lore of
their native mountains.
The ideas and employment which their seclu
sion from the world rendered habitual — the
familiar contemplation of the most sublime
physical objects, — the habit of concentrating
their affections within the precuicts of their own

PREFACE. Vll
glens, or the limited circle of their own kinsmen,
— and the necessity of union and self-dependence
in all difficulties and dangers, combined to form
a peculiar and original character. A certain ro
mantic sentiment, the offspring of deep and che
rished feeling, — strong attachment to their coun
try and kindred, — ^and a consequent disdain of
submission to strangers, formed the character of
independence; while an habitual contempt of
danger was nourished by their solitary musings,
of which the honour of their clan, and a long
descent from brave and warlike ancestors formed
the frequent theme. Thus their exercise, their
amusements, their modes of subsistence, their
motives of action, their prejudices, and their su
perstitions, became characteristic, permanent,
and peculiar. Firmness in decision, fertility in
resource, ardour in friendship, and a generous en
thusiasm, were the natural results of such a si
tuation, of such modes of life, and of such habits
of thought. Feeling themselves in some manner
separated by nature from the rest of mankind.

VlU PREFACE.
and distinguished by their language, manners,
and dress, they considered themselves the origi
nal possessors of the country, and regarded the
Saxons of the Lowlands as strangers and intru
ders. The influence of the general government was
little if at all felt in the unexplored recesses of
their wild mountain land. Their loyalty and affec
tion were confined within the limits of their own
districts and clans; and, accustomed to look up to
their chiefs as the arbiters of their differences in
peace, and as their leaders, in war, to reverence
them for the antiquity of their origin and the
purity of their descent, and to consider them
selves as the children of their family, of the same
name and blood, they willingly yielded submis
sion to an authority despotic in itself, but inva
riably exercised with beneficence and moderation.
Hence it was, that the relation of liege lord and
vassal, of chief and clansman, of protection on
the one hand and obedience on the other, — in
short, the primitive system of patriarchal gov-

PREFACE. IX
ernment, in its ftill vigour, continued in the
Highlands long after it had disappeared every
where else. Nor is it easy to conjecture how
much longer this remarkable political anomaly
might have been suffered to exist, had not the
rebellion of Forty-five, with the alarm and dan
ger it produced, rendered it expedient to break
up the patriarchial system which fostered the
martial spirit of the clans, the nature as well as
the danger of which, had the power of the clans
been properly directed, was now exhibited to the
country. It would appear that it was considered
impracticable to effect this dissolution of clanship,
fidelity, and mutual attachment between the
Highlanders and their chiefs, by a different and
improved modification of the system and state of
society. Legislative enactments, of uncommon
severity, were employed to sever the bond that
linked the vassal to his lord ; and, unfortunately,
no course was pursued short of a complete revo
lution in the manners of the people. The High
lands were suddenly found surrounded by an

PREFACE.

overwhelming majority ; and in an infinitely
short time, they experienced that change which
it had required ages before that to effect for
others. Thus, that which it required a long
lapse of time, to effect for Europe at large, was
here performed comparatively in a moment.
The most remarkable circumstance in the pa
triarchal state of society in the Highlands, must
be sought, not in the condition itself, but in the
period in which that state of society so recent
ly flourished. All Europe had, for a consider
able time, emerged from that state, when it stUl
continued in a mountainous region, among our
selves, offering a political phenomenon not a
little singular, and speakmg little in praise of
that government which could so long endure
it. We ourselves have scarcely seen it ; but
that of which our fathers had read, as of ages
long past, was here embalmed for their iaspec-
tion, — on a narrow scale it is true, but not the
less a picture of former days. It has been
acutely remarked, that " it has been the lead-

PREFACE. XI
ing error of the Highlanders to forget this, — to
imagine themselves distmguished for good, as
their antagonists have for evU, from aU the world,
at all times, when the only essential distinction
is the period." They outlived the system. We
have heard more of their virtues, and more too
of their vices, than we have read of the parallel
people who have long past away. That is the
main difference, though we are apt to forget
that with respect to the primitive state of the
Highlands of Scotland, we are in the situation
of spectators, not of actors, contemplating,
through the mists of distance and of poetry, all
that is beautiful or sublime, and unable to see the
asperities and barrenness of the mountain, which
fades in the far-distant horizon, beneath all the
softness and beauty of an evening sun. Thus,
also, we attribute to the people of past days,
feelings which exist only in our own imaginations
— feelings which they never knew, and happiness
which they never enjoyed; as in the heroic
periods of classic history or the fanciftilly bright

Xll PREFACE.

ages of Gothic chivalry, we forget the mass of
suffering, misrule, and misery, that filled the
times which produced, as a gleam through the
night, an Achilles or a Leonidas, a Richard or a
Bayard. We must remember that " 'tis more
than sixty years since" the battle of Culloden, —
that it is about fifty since Pennant and Johnson
wrote, and that what was fading then, is nearly
vanished now. The shades of difference between
the Highlands and the Lowlands, are gradually
becoming more evanescent and indefinable, and'
every year the colours blend more and more
around the border that once separated them.
The poUtical condition of Scotland is identical in
theory, and nearly so in practice ; and the
Highlands have long ceased to form a nation and
a people. The country preserves many peculi
arities, fostered by language, occupation, resi
dence, and ancient recollections ; but they are
fast melting away into the misty shadows of re
alities that were once as striking as their own
rocks and mountains. The attentive observer

PREFACE. Xll
may, nevertheless, derive therefrom ample ma
terials for innocent amusement and instructive
contemplation. Sir Walter Scott, no mean
authority in any thing relating to Scotland, has
said, " Every thing has changed its aspect in
this country, since the year 1745. We are now
gathering the fruits of the aboUtion of heredi
tary jurisdictions, and especially of the extinction
of domestic factions. The existing generation
is the only one which has not been a witness to
some poUtical re-action. Our fathers witnessed
the events of 1745, our grandfathers those of
1688 and 1715, and the preceding generation the
great rebellion ; a generation still farther back,
would bring us to those epochs of disorder when
the sword so seldom reposed in the scabbard."
Time has aheady produced, or is fast complet
ing, those changes in the Highlands which were
unavoidable, and by which, considering their
situation as a portion of one of the most improv
ed pohtical societies in the world, it is surprising
that they should have so long continued uninflu-

XIV PREFACE.
enced. If among these there is much to regret,
there is also somewhat to approve ; but what
ever the balance for good or evil may appear to
different minds, all may alike console themsekes
with the reflection that they were and are inevit
able. To unite the manners and actions of youth
with those of manhood or of decrepitude, belongs
neither to society nor to man ; we must submit
to what nature has ordained, and learn to be con
tent with such advantages, and to suffer such
evils as she has allotted to each state. To lament
that the Highlanders neither possess the peculiar
virtues, nor enjoy the peculiar happiness which
belong to a low or an early stage of civilization, is
to regret the progress of civilization. To desire
that to these they should unite all the virtues
and blessings which arise from improvement, is
to wish for what the world never yet saw, — to
grieve that we cannot at the same instant possess
the promise of spring and the performance of
autumn. The manner in which those changes, which

PREFACE. XV
the progress of society rendered necessary, have
been effected in the Highlands, may be briefly
noticed. In too many instances we have to re
gret the precipitation of the proximate actors,
and the influence of the cold, sordid, and merci
less spirit of political economy, which indeed can
not be sufficiently deprecated. The forcible es
tablishment of manufactories and fisheries, are
projects only of inconsiderate benevolence ; it is
only by the gradual change of opinions and prac
tices, by the presentation of new motives, and the
creation of new desires, that the state of society
must be changed ; all that which ought to follow
will proceed in its natural order, without force,
without loss, and without disappointment. We
must ever deeply lament the baneful effects of
those innovations, which, had they been conducted
with a gentler hand, and in a kindlier spirit, might
have been productive of much advantage to the
community. Others there are, who, with equal
judgment and moderation, have gradually ef
fected those improvements in the manners of

JOURNAL
OP A
TOUR THROUGH SCOTLAND,
MDCCCXXIX.

May 31 — ^Leaving the town of Carlisle we pro
ceeded through a fine champaign country to Long-
town ; beyond which, on our left, lay the celebrated
Solway Moss, the scene of one of the most signal
defeats Scotland ever experienced from her English
foes ;* while on our right lay the fertile holm of
Netherby, covered with fine timber embellishing
the residence of Sir James Graham ; and, more
distantly, the green hills of the pastoral district of
Liddisdale.

* The discomfiture of the Scottish army under Oliver Sinclair,
which occasioned the prematsre death of James V.

2 THE ESK  LANGHOLM  EWESDALE.
At the Scots' Dyke toll-bar we crossed thb Bor
der and entered Scotland ; proceeding along the
banks of the Esk, so justly famed for the exquisite
loveliness of its scenery, which at Cannobie Bridge
presents nearly all the elements of the finest land
scape, — wood and water, bank and brae, cultivation
in all its forms in the foreground, and far in the
distance a verdant amphitheatre of pastoral hills.
Advancing onwards, the banks become more rug
ged and romantic, and luxuriate in natural timber
of great beauty around Gilnockie Tower, the
ruined residence of Johnnie Armstrong, so re
nowned in Border story ; beyond which the same
sylvan features continue along the banks of the
Esk to Langholm, the chief town in Eskdale, em
bosomed in wood, and environed by hills, pre
senting scenery of that quiet unobtrusive character
which sooths rather than overpowers. This
we reluctantly exchanged for the green valley of
Ewes Water, and the wild though pastoral dis
trict around its head. After passing a narrow
defile in the mountains which sentinel the primi
tive country of Liddisdale, we reached Mosspaul
inn, at the summit of the Pass, whence we descend-

THB TEVIOT—BRANXHOLM. 3
ed by the infant stream of Teviot, through verdant
hills, which, as we proceeded, put off their pas
toral appearance, and, becoming more broken and
picturesque, assumed a clothing of wood, highly
congenial to the scene of the Lay of the Last Min
strel, so as to provoke the apostrophic exclama
tion — " Sweet Teviot ! on thy silver tide
The glaring balefires blaze no more ;
No longer steel-clad warriors ride
Along thy wild and wiUowed shore.
Where'er thou wind'st, by dale or hill,
All, all is peacefiil, all is still ;
As if thy waves, since Time was bom,
Since first they rolled upon the Tweed,
Had only heard the shepherd's reed.
Nor started at the bugle-horn.*'
Upon reaching the ancient house of Branxholm,
old associations are, however, revived, which the
Tower of Goldielands, situated on a bold projecting
rock, tends to strengthen, especially when it is re
collected that the last owner of tlrls Border fortalice
was hung over his own gate, for March-treason.
Beyond this, the banks of the Teviot are ornament
ed by the verdant walls of bay which intersect and
surround the extensive nursery-ground of Messrs.
Dickson and Company, contrasting 'weU with the

4 HAWICK  SELKIRK.
wild character of its former course, and indicating
the approach to Hawick, which, though now a
peaceable and thriving town, still retains many
vestiges of the modes adopted by the inhabitants
in the construction of their houses, for security
against the incursions of the English ; by whom,
notwithstanding, the town was more than once
burnt, — an accident to whicli its propinquity to the
Border rendered it peculiarly liable.
Leaving Teviot's " silver stream," we crossed a
somewhat dreary tract of hilly country on the bor
ders of Ettrick, and crossing the Ale Water, en
joyed, on approaching the woods of Haining, (the
ancient seat of John Pringle, Esq. of Clifton,) a
fine view of the expanse of Philiphaugh, and the
hiUs around Newark Castle and " sweet BowhiU."
A gradual descent conducted us to the ancient
royal burgh and neat town of Selkirk, situated on
a rising ground above the Ettrick, whose
— " Ever youthful waters keep
A course of lively pleasure."*
We pursued the course of the Ettrick until it
mingled with the Tweed.
* Wordsworth's Descriptive poem of " Yarrow Visited."

THE TWEED  ABBOTSFORD. 5
This noble stream is seen "winding through the
pomp of cultivated nature," by the many-turretted
hall of Abbotsford — a singular and most elaborate
pile of building in the old Gothic style, of greater in
tricacy than extent, and surrounded by flourishing
plantations of recent growth, which promise to bour^
geon broadly around this eccentric creation of the
highly-gifted Baronet. The situation of the house,
though above the river, is still too much beneath,
and also too near the public road, to render it par
ticularly enviable as a residence. We much regret
ted the inaccessibility of the rare and extensive col
lection of antiquities and other curiosities so lu
minously disposed throughout the mansion, and so
vividly portrayed by Washington Irving as to in
spire every stranger with the wish to behold them.
Advancing onwards, the shattered fabric of Mel
rose Abbey greeted our sight, rising out of an ex
tensive plain at the foot of the Eildon hills, around
whose base the Tweed takes a noble sweep, encir
cling the town of Melrose, the paltry streets of which
sadly detract from the picturesque appearance of the
Abbey by this approach. Upon entering the precincts
of the church attached to this ancient monastery.

b MELROSE ABBEY.
which alone remains to tell of its former greatness,
our admiration was riveted by the exquisite beau
ty of the foliaged tracery, grotesque corbells, and
other ornamental sculpture, the unexampled work
manship of which must excite wonder, notwith
standing " the march of intellect" among " the
operatives'' of the nineteenth century. Melrose
unquestionably affords one of the finest specimens
of Gothic sculpture and Gothic architecture which
this country can boast ; and, though not the most
entire, it may fairly rank among the most beautiful
of all the ecclesiastical ruins scattered throughout
this reformed land. It is an object possessed of in
finite grace and uncommon attraction, fine in its
general aspect as in its minutest details. The beauty
of Melrose, however, is not that which proceeds
from the flush of health, but from the fatal though
flattering symptoms of decay ; not the beauty of
summer, but the. melancholy grace of autumn 
So coldly sweet, so deadly fair.
We start, for soul is wanting there :
Its is the loveliness in death
That parts not quite with parting breath.
But beauty with that feariiil bloom.
The hue which haunts it to the tomb.

MELROSE ABBEY.

In contemplating the ruins of Melrose, the eye is
not dazzled by perfect splendour, but riveted in ad
miration of the mouldering fragment that shadows
forth the matchless whole which has been, and
whose merits we are, from this imperfect speci
men, completely disposed to allow.

Within the pile no common dead
Lay blended with their kindred mould,
Theirs were the hearts that prayed or bled.
In cloister dim, or death-plain red.
The pious and the bold.
High the resolves that fill the brain
With transports trembling upon pain,
When the veil of time is rent in twain.
That hides the glory past ;
The scene may fade that gave them birth.
But they perish not with the perishing earth,
For ever they shall last.
Thus, even where death his empire keeps.
Life holds the pageant vain.
And where the lofty spirit sleeps.
There lofty visions reign.
In hours of loneliness and wo.
Which even the best and wisest know,
How leaps the lightened heart to seize
On the bliss that comes with dreams like these !
As fair before the mental eye
The pomp and beauty of the dream return.
Dejected Virtue calms her sigh.
And leans resigned on Memory's urn.

a GALA WATER  GALASHIELS.
A spiral staircase conducted us to the highest
accessible part of the ruin, whence we observed
a statue of the Virgin and Child in a niche, which,
owing to its position, has been preserved singularly
entire, and well merits a closer inspection than is
possible from below. The elegance and beauty of
the eastern window, whether viewed from without,
in unison with the rest of the building, or from
within, in conjunction with the slender shafts of
shapely stone, which so gracefully support the roof
of the edifice, are equally striking, and well merit
the poetical tribute paid by Sir Walter Scott,
whose " Lay," our Cicerone assured us, had been
frequently carried to the high altar, and perused by
the pale moonlight, at the fabled grave of the wizard
Michael Scott, even at the "witching time of night."
Leaving Melrose, we crossed the Tweed's fair
stream above the sunny little village of Gattonside,
and presently began to ascend the pastoral vale of
Gala Water, on whose opposite bank we saw the
uniformly neat and busy town of Galashiels, the
vicinity of which is decorated by the woods and
grounds of Mr. Scott of Gala, the superior of the
burgh. Beyond this we pursued the windings of the

BORTHWICK CASTLE — EDINBURGH. 9
water which flows through the vale, which, like
Other pastoral streams, has received its ample
tribute of laudatory verse. Quiet pastoral scen
ery is all it presents to the eyes of the travel
ler, untU, beyond the village of Stow and the inn
of Torsonce, it terminates in moorish uplands,
upon crossing which the dark ridge of the Pent-
land Hills, and the fair and fertile expanse of
the Lothians, first met our view ; and whence we
descended, entering the vale, of which an opening
to the right discloses the massive ruins of Borth-
wick Castle. Having passed the stately and splen
did castles of Dalhousie and Melville, both ap
pertaining to Earls of the same name, the numer
ous seats and villas indicated the neighbourhood of
the capital, which we presently approached on the
south side ; and, passing through the Old Town,
reached St. Andrew's Square, in the New Town
of Edinburgh, where we remained for some time.
Indeed, the picturesque character of the city,
owing not only to the irregularity of the ground on
which it is situated, but to the sublimity and sin
gularity of the scenery around, added to the strik
ing contrast afforded between the elegance and re
gularity of the New Town, and the tall, crowd-
a2

10 EDINBURGH  ROSLIN CHAPEL.
ed, and antiquated structures of the ancient city,
renders Edinburgh a fascinating place of residence
to a stranger, exclusive of the beauties of its neigh
bourhood, and, though last not least, of the econo
my which, within its precincts, may be rendered
compatible with the utmost respectability. To at
tempt the description of a city which has been so of
ten, so ably, and successfully depicted, would indeed
be idle, " useless and ridiculous excess." Equal
ly superfluous would be any description of our ex
cursions in its neighbourhood, — to the ruined Cas
tle of Craigmillar, and the princely residence of
Dalkeith. But that of which it is most difficult to
convey an adequate idea, the unique and lovely
Chapel of Roslin, we are loath to leave unnoticed,
especially as connected with the singularly roman
tic and beautiful scenery of the North Esk, whose
banks are rendered classic ground by the shades of
Hawthornden. A small shrubbery gracefully surrounds the cha
pel, which, by its founder, William de St. Clair, was
attached to his baronial residence of Roslin Castle ;
but having subsequently acquired the rank of a
collegiate church, without any proportionate addi
tion to the structure, it has retained its original ap-

CHAPEL AND CASTLE OF ROSLIN. 11
pellation, and suffered but little from the ravages
of the Reformation. The elaborate decorations of
this elegant structure, render it one of the finest
and most exquisite specimens of Gothic architecture
extant ; combining, in a most singularly happy
manner, the solidity of the Norman, with the mi
nute decorations of the latest style of the Tudor
age. Outside and inside it is a truly beautiful
and peculiarly interesting object. The pUlars
forming the side aisles, though only eight feet
high, are particularly attractive, from the rich
ness and beauty of the foliage and figures which
decorate their capitals. In one instance, a wreath
of elegant tracery has been twisted spirally down
the shaft of the column vulgarly termed the ' Pren
tice Pillar.' The central roof of the Chapel is ex
tremely curious, and equally varied and elaborate
with the other decorations of this lovely sanctuary.
A little way below this, on a peninsulated rock
overhanging the Esk, stand the picturesque ruins
of Roslin Castle, the ancient residence of the once
puissant family of St. Clair. These serve to com
plete a scene of matchless beauty, to which no
description can do adequate justice.

12 CORSTORPHrNE, AND PENTLAND HILLS.
Having been counselled to corroborate, by change
of scene, health, which of late had been so delicate
as to demand perfect quiet, and being desirous to
explore the wonderful and romantic scenery of —
" The land of brown heath and shaggy wood.
Land of the mountain and the flood"—.
the unconquered and untameable wildernesses of
the northern Highlands, we accordingly, on —
June 29, quitted Edinburgh, having for a while
bade farewell to her " palaces and towers," and
proceeded by the foot of the Corstorphine hills,
enjoying a beautiful view of Colinton, (the seat
of Sir WiUiam Forbes,) backed by Dreghorn
Castle, (Mr. Trotter,) and the bold though ver
dant Pentland Hills on the south, which bound
the rising grounds through which lay our route.
In this direction also the fertile strath of Almond
opened to our view ; and passing through Kirklis
ton and Winchbrugh, Niddry Castle and its woods
rose on the left, while on the right appeared Dun-
tarvie House amongst its groves ; and, soon after,
the eye was riveted by the hill and obelisk of
Binns, beyond which wound the Forth, its banks

LINLITHGOW  THE PALACE. 13
studded with towns, and backed by the wUd hills
of Perthshire. This enchanting prospect we soon
exchanged for the most delightful and entire spe
cimen of a Scottish royal burgh, such as it was in
the time of " Scotland's independence," though the
desolate grandeur of the royal palace, standing on
an eminence jutting into the loch, and arresting
most forcibly the . first regard of the stranger, re
minds him that those times have long since past
away from Linlithgow.
On alighting for dinner we walked to the centre
of the town, where the ancient well, or rather its fac
simile, erected in 1807, presents an overflowing and
constant supply of water to the curious or the
thirsty, and — since the simUar fountain in the pa
lace-yard has been destroyed — an unrivalled archi
tectural antiquity. A short ascent conducted us
from thence to the church, near which stands the
palace, the favoured seat of Scotland's kings, and stUl
very entire — time having done little to impair its fa
bric since it was scathed by fire in 1746. On entering
the massive portal a damp chUl struck upon us, and
made our survey necessarily as hasty as an object
of such high interest would allow. We visited

14 LINLITHGOW PALACE AND CHURCH.
successively the parliament hall and kitchen adjoin
ing, and the longf yet low dining-room ; and, after
traversing the green gallery on the south side above
the chapel, descended a turret stair, which led to the
apartments where Mary Queen of Scots was born,
consisting of the king's bed and dressing-rooms, and
a larger hall. The principal entrance fell into disuse
in the time of James I. (VI.) and we retired by
that which has subsequently superseded it, to visit
the ancient, and now the parish church, only re
markable for its size, and a fragment of antiquity
representing Christ's agony and betrayal, dug up
a few years ago in the churchyard. The place is
also shewn where James IV. saw the warning spi
rit before he fell at Flodden : it is a recess abun
dantly lighted by a fine Gothic window.
On our return down the street where the Regent
Murray was shot, we observed a monastic relic in a
little well, superscribed — " St. Michael is kind to
strangers." Upon leaving Linlithgow, the aqueduct over the
Union Canal forms a very pleasant object on the left,
from the woods which environ itcontrasting well with
a new Pseudo-Gothic erection, which we passed

CALLANDER HOUSE  FALKIRK. 15
soon after, and which had sadly overgrown the
stunted shrubbery intended to screen it from the
road. Our route continued, through a well culti
vated country, to present fine views of the Forth,
and of the Ochil and other hills beyond it. On
approaching Laurieston on the right, the fertile
Carse of Falkirk, watered by so much blood,* lay
before us ; whUe the shipping at Grangemouth, and
the five tongues of flame from the Carron Found-
ery, indicated that the sword had been effectually
converted into the sickle ; as, on the other hand,
the august mansion and leafy woods of Callander
House, forfeited by the attainder of the earls of
Callander and Linlithgow, in the person of George,
Earl of Kilmarnock, still spoke of the fatal conse
quences of those days of strife.
On entering Falkirk, its narrow streets were so
crowded by men, women, and children, that, had
not booths and bagpipes betokened a fair, we must

* Between Falkirk and the river occurred the battle so disas
trous to Scotland, between the Scottish leaders Wallace, Comyn,
and Sir John Stewart, and Edward the first of England, in 1298.
The moor of Falkirk was also the scene of the defeat of the king's
troops, by the Highlanders under Prince Charles, in 1746.

16 TORWOOD — BANNOCKBURN.
confess we should have felt some humane apprehen
sions as to the sanity of the inteUect of its inhabit
ants. The Roman Camelon is now chiefly occu
pied by the colliers of Carron ; nor did any thing
occur more striking than the church of Larbert, a
new Gothic erection, tiU we entered the Torwood,
a large coUection of fine young oaks, intermixed
with more venerable forest trees, a remnant of
the vast forest, yclept Caledonian, which once
covered nearly the whole of Scotland. History
has embalmed Torwood as the place of refuge of
the hero. Sir WUliam Wallace.
Passing through Torwood, the Perthshire moun
tains are seen rising finely on the other side of the
Forth, while, towards the south, well-wooded em
inences crown the plain, in the middle of which
stands the renowned palace of Stirling on its castle
rock, the key of the Highlands, the guerdon of
many a well fought field, the most celebrated of
which we beheld in crossing Bannockburn.* Be-

" The battle of Saughieburn, which occasioned the death of
James III., and the accession of his son James IV., was fought
about a mile westward from this spot in I486 ; but the famous bat
tle of Baanockburn was fought upon the 24th June, 1314, between

BRIDGE OF STIRLING  ABBEY CRAIG. 17
yond this, passing through St. Ninian's about dusk,
we gladly sought repose in Stirling.
June 30  On a briUiant and beautiful morning
we quitted Stirling, and crossed the Forth by the
Bridge of Stirling, whence we observed the ruins
of Cambuskenneth Abbey, at the distance of half a
mile down the river, near which rose a fine rugged
hiU, called the Abbey Craig, upon which Wallace's
army was stationed — September 11, 1297 — to op
pose the passage of the English under Warrenne,
whose defeat was caused by the stratagem of un
fastening, or rather unpinning the bridge over the
Forth, which was then of wood, and thereby di
viding the enemy's force, and cutting off from
those who had already crossed the river all means
of succour or retreat. This was effected upon a
signal from WaUace's bugle by one Wright, who
served in his army, and whose descendant, a
Writer to the Signet in Edinburgh, is stUl called
Pinn'd Wright.

the English army of 100,000 men, headed by their monarch Edward
II., and the Scottish army of 30,000, under the illustrious Bruce,
who caused the English the most signal defeat they ever sustain
ed, and restored the independence of his country.

18 BRIDGE OF ALLAN — KEIR — KIPPENROSS.
The beautiful vaUeys of the Forth and Teith were
seen to extend on our left, having the lofty moun
tains of the Grampian chain in the distance ; while
on the right rose the finely- wooded Abbey Craig and
the Ochil hills, under which snugly reposed the little
vUlage of the Bridge of Allan, a little beyond the
entrance to Lord Abercromby's, at Airthrie. As
cending the hUl to the new church of Lecropt, our
view extended over the vale of Forth, and the carses
of Falkirk and Stirling, the town and Castle being
nearly in the centre of this lovely scene.
Passed the entrance to Keir, the most happily
situated residence of James Stirling, Esq., sur
rounded by a well-wooded and extensive demesne ;
and followed its boundary wall for some time, hav
ing on our right the romantic banks of the AUan,
till the house and finely-timbered park of Kippen-
ross attracted our notice, which it tended to direct
on Dunblane, whose venerable cathedral, founded in
1142, by that " dear saint to the crown," David I.,*
and situated on the hill overhanging the Allan,

* It Was James the First who, upon visiting the grave of this
pious monarch at Dunfermline, observed, that he had been " a .sair
saunt for the crown."

DUNBLANE  CATHEDRAL. 19
claimed our best attention. We found the building
of great length, the longest part roofless, but yet
very entire, and stiU used as a burying-ground. The
great west window is singidarly beautiful ; but the
eastern end of the building has been renewed, and
fitted up as a parish church, neatly pewed with
oak, the pulpit surmounted by an imperial crown.
In the church are preserved the ancient prebendal
stalls, of black oak, very curiously carved, the only
remains of Popish furniture known to exist in any
ecclesiastical structure north of the Tweed. Therein
also may be seen the tombs of several prelates who
held the See of Dunblane, and the grave of Lord
Strathallan, whose family formerly occupied one of
the old, dignified-looking houses which still consti
tute a kind of Close in the precincts of the cathedral.
This ancient city, though bereft of its episcopal
dignity, stUl contains the valuable library founded
by the good Bishop Leighton, consisting of nearly
3000 volumes, easily accessible to those whom the
salubrity of its climate, the beauty of its situation,
or its vicinity to the mineral well of Cromlix, may
induce to make an occasional residence of the plea
sant village of Dunblane.
Leaving this interesting little city, we entered

20 SHBRIFFMUIR — ABDOCH — ROMAN CAMP.
on a tract of barren land ; having on our right the
woods of Kippendavie, and the heathy eminence of
Sheriffmuir, so noted as the scene of conflict be
tween the insurgent army under the Earl of Mar,
and the King's forces under the Duke of Argyll, in
1715, on which occasion it is a singular circumstance
that each of the two armies retired under the im
pression of being defeated. General Wade's via
recta conducted us up Strathallan, through wild
moors, to the little vUlage at Ardoch, where we re
mained cooped in the carriage while the horses rest
ed, and then proceeded to the lodge-entrance to
Major WiUiam Moray Stirling's grounds, where we
felt the delight of climbing the rampart of one of the
most entire as well as extensive Roman camps in
Britain,* whose area measures 1060 feet by 900.
The praetorium, though not in the centre, is above
the level of the camp, which is surrounded by three
or four ditches, and as many ramparts. Two smaller
camps adjoin this large one, which is supposed to
have been the work of Agricola. It is admirably sit-

" See a Plan and Description of this celebrated station in General
Roy's posthumous Work of Roman Mihtary Antiquities. Plate 10.

DALGINROSS  COMRIE. 21
uated on an eminence above the precipitous western
bank of the Water of Knaick, and protected on the
south-east by a deep morass. From Ardoch there is
a Roman causeway, now covered with heath, leading
to a camp of observation, called Kemp's Castle, on
the top of the Muir of OrchUl, a wild and desolate
tract of ground, in the direction of which we pro
ceeded in the direct line leading to Muthil, whence
we soon deviated into a new road cut round the base
of a moorish hill, rising up from Knaick Water,
which we followed nearly to its head, and then cross
ed the moor, and began to descend upon Strath-
earn. This vaUey burst gloriously on our view ;
Lord MelvUle's granite pillar, on Dunmore, form
ing the centre of a lovely picture of the rugged and
cloud-capt Grampian mountains, at the foot of
which crouched the groves and lawns of Lawers,
Duneira, &c. ; and stiU lower the town of Comrie,
which, after our descent from the hiUs, we ap
proached by the plain of Dalginross. On this plain
stands a rude heroic stone, supposed to refer to the
defeat of Agricola and the ninth Roman legion,
at the foot of the Grampians, which took place

22 COMRIE  ST. fillan's.
here, according to the opinion of some antiquarians
supported by local tradition.
Crossing the Earn by a very ancient and incon
venient bridge, we entered Comrie, and foUowed the
upward course of the river, under precipices crowned
with wood, to the Bridge of Ross. Passing through
a succession of rich meadows and flourishing plan
tations, by the house of Duneira, the scenery be
came more rugged and picturesque, from the alter
nation of crags and verdure on the lofty hills which
rise on either side of the continuous grove that
skirts the banks of the murmuring river, till it
reaches Portmore, where St. FUlan's hill rises ab
ruptly yet verdantly from a level holm, through
which the river Earn escapes from its parent lake.
At the foot of Loch Earn lies the little newly esta
blished village of St. Fillan's, where a provincial
Highland Society hold a Gathering every August.
At their hall, attached to the only inn, we found
acceptable accommodation, as the day closed in
misty rain.
July 1. — Detained at St. FiUan's by rain, and
watched the streamlets proceeding out of mist down

DUNEIRA  RIVER EARN. 23
the mountain sides, and mingling their echoes with
the sounding lake and with the moaning sky. By
the side of the highway near the inn, a goose of the
authenticated age of 160 years is said to be inter
red.* Upon Loch Earn we saw the verdant islet,
once the residence of a predatory family called
Neish, who were exterminated in one night by the
M'Nabs. July 2. — Leaving St. FUlan's a lit tie before noon,
we crossed the open holm and the hUl which gives
name to the vUlage, and passing by the bridge and
kirk of Dunduan, entered the beautiful groves,
which render the course of the infant Earn so love
ly, and admired scenery extremely like that of
the Trosachs, until the fine plantations and house
of Duneira rose on the left ; a little beyond which
the pillar erected in 1812, upon Dunmore, to the
late Lord MelvUle, appeared in view ; while, on the
right, the white walls of AberuchUl Castle con
trasted finely with its contiguous prolixity of shade,
and finely undulating lawns. After passing un
der the groves of Dunmore, and by the Bridge of
" See Brown's Picture of Strathearn.

24 OCHTERTYRE — DRUMMOND CASTLE.
Ross, we entered Comrie, so terribly interesting
from its peculiar liabUity to earthquakes. We left
it by a bridge over the Lednoch, and proceeded
through an avenue of the finest trees, whose foli
age embosomed the somewhat fantastic residence
of Lord Balgray, on our left, forming part of the
noble plantations of Lawers. Beyond this the
valley begins to widen, and makes much show
of cultivation all around the three cross Kirk of
Monivaird, beyond which the venerable groves of
Ochtertyre crown the sunny yet somewhat abrupt
slope to the left, while a lengthened piece of wa
ter enlivens grounds which Nature has stamped
with the impress of beauty, alone impaired by the
residence of Sir Patrick Murray, Bart, a plain lin-
pretending yet inappropriate mansion, which stands
on a fine lawn, half-way up the hill, whose sides
are so luxuriantly clothed with wood.
Passing the manse, and a bridge over that impe
tuous mountain stream the Turret, in winding
round the base of the fir-crowned hiU called the
Knock of Crieff, we enjoyed a beautififl view of
the stately groves and wide-spreading lawns which
environ the spacious mansion of Drummond Castle,

CRIEFF  FERNTOWER. 25
the ancient seat of the noble famUy of Perth, now
represented by Lady Gwydir. As we approached
Crieff, the new Gothic Church of Muthil became
the most prominent object in the vaUey; beyond
which the OchU hUls rose in the distance. Crieff
we found to be a pleasant little town, situated upon
a gentle acclivity, rising up from the north bank of
the Earn, lying at the entrance of one of the pass
es into the Highlands, and commanding an ex
tensive and varied prospect over the fertUe plains
of the south. It contains a curiously sculptured,
upright stone, assuming the name though not the
shape of a cross, upon which antiquarians have
hitherto in vain expended their ingenious lore.
Quitting the town by the new road to Perth, the
house of Ferntower, (Sir David Baird,) appeared on
our left, under the well- wooded Knock of Crieff ; and
shortly beyond, a road led to Monzie, the beautiful
seat of General Campbell, while that which we pur
sued ran along the mid-side of a hiU, cultivated to its
highest ridge, and commanding a fine and extensive
view of the valley of the Earn, which now expanded
into a wide and fertile strath, bounded towards the
south by the Ochil hills, which rose in sunny love-

26 METHVEN  HUNTINGTOWBR  SCONE.
liness before us, while the fine woods of Cultoquhey
and Abercairney, which we passed in succession,
greatly enriched the scene, whose features contin
ued much the same till we passed the half-way
house at Gorthy, and the woods of Balgowan,
belonging to Lord Lynedoch, on our right. Af
ter this well cultivated fields and some fine
ly wooded hills, at a distance, occupied our at
tention, tUl we reached the village of Meth
ven ; beyond which rose on our left the extensive
lawns and fine groves of Methven Castle, whose
turrets only were visible as we passed on through a
hedgerow country, in which the old Castle of Hunt-
ingtower, once a considerable fortalice of the Duke
of Athole, attracted our attention. From this point,
we commanded a beautiful view of the massive Pa
lace of Scone, on the opposite bank of the Tay, stand
ing in solemn grandeur amidst its sheltering wilder
ness of woods, which continued to gratify our sight
until we entered the ancient city of Perth. After
snatching a rapid glance at the beautifully verdant
mead which skirts, and the massive bridge of eight
arches which crosses the fine river Tay, we sought
repose in an exceUent inn.

PERTH  BRIDGE OF EARN. 27
July 3. — Left Perth ; and after penetrating the
rabble of a large annual fair, and passing the depot,
a massive iron-grated structure, buUt by government
in 1812 for the reception of prisoners of war, but
now used as a storehouse, we ascended the hill of
Moncrieff, whence, on looking back, " Ecce Cam
pus Martins ! Ecce Tiber!" seemed no such extra
vagant expression of the old Roman; for at the foot
of the cragged yet verdant hill of Kinnoul,* whose
bold precipitous front rises abruptly from the state
ly groves of Kinfauns, the seat of Lord Gray,'roll-
ed the Tay in all its breadth and beauty, through
the fine plain of which Perth appeared to occupy
the centre, backed by the woods of Scone and the
more distant mountains of Athole.
On crossing the hill, and descending into Strath
earn, the sloping lawns around Moncrieff, the fa
mUy seat of the baronet of that name, backed by the
luxuriant woods, which clothe the craggy sides of
the hill, gracefully adorned one side of the vaUey,
through which the Earn, here crossed by a bridge

" From the hill of Kinnoul the Castle of Edinburgh may be dis
cerned with a telescope.

28 glen FARG  BALVAIBD CASTLE.
of two arches, seeks the sea. The little viUage
caUed the Bridge of Earn, is much frequented by
invalids, on account of its vicinity to the mineral
weUs of Pitcaithly, which lie about a mUe from the
road, on the right.
After crossing Strathearn we entered a singular
ly tortuous, well-wooded and sweetly secluded val
ley called Glen Farg.in the bosom of the OchU hifls,
at the entrance to which a water-mUl is most pictur
esquely placed, and which we quitted somewhat
abruptly for the bleak though grassy Glen of Aber-
nethy. This conducted us to the top of a bank
where stands the ruined Castle of Balvaird, belong
ing to the Earl of Mansfield, commanding a fine
view of the broad bases and conical summits of the
Easter and Wester Lomond * hills, which extend
from the side of Loch Leven to Falkland.
Descending from these bleak yet cultivated up
lands into the vale of the Eden, of a character very
simUar, we passed Gateside vUlage and kirk ; and

• The conical summit of Easter Lomond rises immediately above
Falkland, and formed a favourite subject of telescopic speculation
with us from the windows of Douglass's Hotel, in St. Andrew's
Square, Edinburgh, during our residence there.

STRATHMIGLO  FALKLAND. 29
in a green valley saw a ruined house of very ques
tionable antiquity. Passing this, we entered the small
and extremely ancient and unimproved town of
Strathmiglo, a most curious relic of the sixteenth
century, and crossed the river Eden and its vaUey, to
the unique and ancient burgh of Falkland, whose
appearance is now exactly that which it wore in the
sixteenth century, greatly enhanced by the august
remains of its once splendid and extensive palace,
formerly the residence of the Macduffs, Thanes of
Fife, and afterwards a royal hunting seat of the
Scottish monarchs. The body of the building is stUl
very entire, externally ornamented with pUlared
and figured buttresses, between which are laurel-
wreathed medaUions of persons of both sexes, and
apparently all ages, the. whole surmounted by bat
tlements, and flanked by two turrets. Internally
the only room worth notice is the chapel, whose
painted wooden ceUing alone remains to shew that
the now naked walls once boasted of a similar de
coration. The dimensions of this room are ninety
feet by twenty-five. The rest of the interior is
fitted up as the domicile of the factor of O. Tyndall
Bruce, Esq., who having acquired this property by

30 FALKLAND PALACE — STRATHEDEN.
marriage with the heiress, Miss Bruce, has, with
laudable zeal for the preservation of this ancient
fabric, caused it to be renewed in many places,
and converted the enclosure around it into a pro
ductive and well-arranged garden, into which the
ruined wing projects, and to which the ancient en
trance under the tower gives access. Honeysuckles
twine round the bars of the vaults and dungeons,
one of which, however, is a subterranean cupola,
only approached by a small hole in the top — an ap
palling relic of feudal tyranny and barbaric power.
Quitting this interesting little town, which, from
its isolated situation, bids fair long to retain its
state of pristine simplicity, we recrossed Strath-
eden to Auchtermuchty, whence we proceeded
along the side of the valley, by the new road to Cu
par-Fife, commanding an extensive view of the
rich and varied tract, abounding in villages and
seats, interspersed with ornamental wood, and
crowned by the Lomond hills, popularly called " the
Howe o' Fife," and watered by the Eden, which
nearly equally bisects the county, and forms the
boundary to the north of the Coal Basin. We pass
ed on the left MelvUle House, the seat of theEarl of

CUPAR-FIFE. 31
Leven and Melville, and soon after gazed with plea
sure on the fine lawns of Lower Rankeillor, (Mait-
land.) On our right, rose the stately groves of Up
per Rankeillor, and above, the column commemo
rative of its late proprietor the Earl of Hope-
toun ; while on the south rose the ruined tower of
Scot's Tarvet, below which lies the Priory, the
beautiful seat of Lady Mary Lindsay Crawford.
After passing Cupar race-course, the newly con
structed Castle of Kilmaron formed a prominent fea
ture on the north side of the valley, in which, at its
narrowest part, we reachedCupar-Fife, a respectable
town of moderate dimensions but of great antiqui
ty. Here, in remote times, the Thanes of Fife held
their courts of justice ; and here were the plays of
Lindsay of the Mount, the father of the Scottish
Drama, first exhibited. In olden time, it also boast
ed of a castle, and a convent of Dominicans — but
these days are gone. The industrious weaver has
superseded the rough soldier and the lazy monk ;
and the present opulence of Cupar vouches for the
benefit it has derived from the exchange.
In the evening, we continued our route along
the vale of the Eden, having, on our left, Craig

32 ST. ANDREWS.
Loch hUl, whence the whole county of Fife, it is
said, may be seen ; whUe, on our right, appeai-ed
the old kirk of Darsey Muir, and the woody hill
of Drumcarro Crag, below which. Magus Muir,
where Archbishop Sharpe was murdered, stretches
down towards the ocean.
After passing Darsey Muir, the road continues
along bleak yet cultivated uplands, without any ob
ject of interest, till it again crosses the river Eden,
by the narrow, six-arch Guard-bridge, whence the
road proceeds along the low coast land of the Ger
man Ocean, with the spires of St. Andrews in view,
and under the wooded bank of Strathtyrum to that
city. We entered St. Andrews, under a massive
portal, by its principal street, at the end of which
rose the lofty tower and adjoining chapel of St.
Rule, both the relics of a thousand years.
July 4. — " The city of St. Andrews," according
to Dr. Johnson, " when it had lost its Archiepis-
copal pre-eminence, gradually decayed. One of
its streets is now lost, and, in those that remain,
there is the silence and solitude of inactive indi
gence and gloomy depopulation."
Seen through the mist of last night, St. Andrews

TOWER OP ST. RULE. 33
ndeed appeared like the ghost of a fine city ; nor
did the dawn of the wet, gloomy day, which we de
voted to its inspection, tend to dissipate the Uln-
sion. The town is still and lifeless, smitten as it
were with the curse of eternal sUeuce — tower and
spire, pinnacle and battlement, rise in hoary magni
ficence over the waves of the bay, which again lave
its cliffs in mournful cadence, as if they sighed over
the glory that hath departed ; while the towers
themselves echo only the monotonous cries of the
birds which haunt them.
We first visited the ruins of the venerable Ca
thedral, a stately fabric, awful in decay; adjoining
to which is the tower and chapel of St. Rule or St.
Regulus, the earliest patron saint of the city,
forming, unquestionably, one of the oldest remains
of ecclesiastical architecture in Scotland. Near
the Cathedral, on the sea-cliffs, stand the ruins of
Cardinal Beaton's, or rather of Archbishop Ha
milton's Castle, overlooking those waves on which
the stern father of the Reformation, John Knox,
toiled at the oar, a slave in a French galley. We
next ascended his pulpit, in the hall of St. Salvador's
College ; and, in the chapel attached thereto, wit-
b2

34 ST. Salvador's college.
nessed the destructive consequences of his excita
tory anathemas, in the sadly defaced yet exquisite
sculpture of the tomb of Bishop Kennedy, under
which were found, a few years ago, six silver
maces. Two of these we saw in the library of the
University, where they are carefuUy kept, and
occasionally used in processions.
In St. Salvador's College we also saw the two
silver arrows on which are hung the antique and
fantastic medals, of unusual size and shape, re
cording the successful competitors in a society of
?ixhers, founded in 1612, which, in 1748 gave
place to a Golfing Club, whose silver club and
balls happened to be left in the room we occupied,
after one of their annual orgies at the inn.
The spacious Church of the Holy Trinity is on
ly interesting as containing the elaborate monument
of Archbishop Sharpe, whose murder is minutely
sculptured in bas-relief, below a kneeling portrait
of the Prelate, over which is an elevation of the
tower of St. Rule.
St. Mary's College next claimed our attention,
as containing, in two spacious and well-lighted apart
ments, the vast and valuable library, common to both

ST. mary's college — leuchars. 35
colleges, wherein also are shown a portrait of John
Knox, a bust of George III., sundry Burmese idols,
a small mummy, and a large skeleton. The number
of students at St. Leonard's College, which was, in
1747, united to that of St. Salvador, was stated to
be two hundred, and at St. Mary's, sixty ; so that
this, though the oldest, is one of the poorest of
the Scottish Universities.
July 5. — Quitted the interesting and venerable
city of St. Andrews — a dim index to the history
of years over which oblivion already hovers — by
its massive portal of the fifteenth century, leav
ing the ruins of the Greyfriars a little to the left,
and passed the woods of Strathtyrum on the one
hand, and the Links of St. Andrews, where the
life-boat is kept, on the other. Before us lay
the woods of Earl's House and the town of Leu
chars, over the mouth of the Eden, which we
crossed by the Guard-bridge. From the hill
above the distillery we took a parting glance at
the spires and towers of St. Andrews, bending,
yet majestic in decay, over the weltering waters
of the bay, to which they give a name. We pre
sently entered Leuchars, part of whose church is a

36 NEWPORT  FERRY OP PORT-ON-CRAIG.
Saxon erection of very remote date, extremely cu
rious. — A good road conducted us, by the ruins of
Leuchars Castle, through an open and cultivated
country, only enlivened by the woods of St. Ford on
our left ; soon after passing which, the noble estuary
of the Tay was seen to intervene between us and the
Carse of Gowrie, backed by the serrated ridges of the
Sidlaw hills ; while, at the foot of " the Law," " Bon
ny Dundee," with its huge steeple, manufactories,
vUlas, and harbour, showed ample title to its an
cient and endearing appellation. Nor, upon a min
ute telescopic scrutiny, in which we indulged from
the little inn at Newport, where we took up our
quarters for the night, did we see reason to dimin
ish aught from our meed of praise.
In the evening we attempted to di-ive along the
shore, but finding that impracticable, retraced our
steps, and crossed some fields studded with rural
dwellings, to the Ferry of Port-on-Craig, whence we
saw on the opposite shore of the Tay, the ruins of
Broughty Castle, jutting into the sea, and with our
glass discerned the town of Arbroath, crowned by
the huge red ruin of the Abbey of Aberbrothick ;
while seaward rose the Inch Cape, or BeU Rock,

FIRTH OP TAY. 37
with its lighthouse. Upon the sandy promontory of
Drumly, two lighthouses rose like white columns
amid a desert of sand ; while on the Fife side of the
mouth of the Tay, the dreary expanse of Tent's
Muir, offered no repose to our eyes, which accord
ingly turned homewards — not envying the owner
of Scott's Craig, which commands this sea-worn
waste — and rested comfortably in our little inn.
July 6. — Quitted Newport by steam-boat ferry
to Dundee, and in crossing the water enjoyed a
beautiful view of the noble estuary of the Firth of
Tay, here more like a magnificent lake (about two
miles and a-half across) than an arm of the sea.
Westward, the Carse of Gowrie lay in all its sunny
loveliness under the Sidlaw hUls ; on the south ap
peared the green hUls of Fife, unfortunately devoid
of foliage ; eastward, the promontory, ferry, and
ruined fortalice of Broughty Castle, intervened be
tween us and the lighthouses upon the sand-hills at
the mouth of the river, where the navigation is
peculiarly perilous, on account of the frequency of
sand banks. Two other lighthouses also rose from
the cliffs on the southern bank of the Tay. Before
us lay the town and harbour of Dundee, exhibiting.

38 DUNDEE — SIDLAW HILLS.
on a nearer approach, manifest tokens of active in
dustry and commercial prosperity. Its environs are
pleasantly studded with vinas,many of which we saw
on leaving the town for the Carse of Gowrie ; upon
our entrance to which, beyond Balgay, the ruined
kirk and burying-ground of Invergowrie appeared
on the bay of the same name. Beyond the bay,
the green hills of Fife, having in the remote distance
Ne wburgh in their bosom, rose on the opposite side of
the Tay ; while on the right stretched the long ridges
of the Sidlaw hills, their sides studded with gen
tlemen's seats and their surrounding groves, among
which Lord Duncan's new house of Camperdown,
and the ancient family seat of Lord Gray, appeared
most conspicuous. Milnefield (Milne) crowned a
little eminence on our left, commanding a fine
view of the Tay and the woods of Birkhill, en
livening the green hills of Fife, beyond which,
rose the hill of Easter Lomond in the distance.
Passing through the rural village of Longforgan,
and by the Falcon-stane,* the ancient and massive

* Where the hawk is said to have alighted after its flight from
the Hawk-stone, a similar mass of granite near St. Madoes,
which determined the extent of land granted by Kenneth III. to

carse of gowrie. 39
fortalice of Huntly Castle rose amidst its woods on
the left ; whUe the more recent and elegant Gothic
fabric of Rossie Priory appeared on our right, a-
mong its verdant lawns, gracefuUy sloping from a
wood-crowned hiU. Beyond this rose the Braes of
Ballendean ; and after passing the village of Inch-
ture, we deviated from the direct road to Perth,
proceeding by one ofthe best specimens of what the
roads here were sixty years ago,* (the worst road
we ever saw,) to the poor town of Errol, present-

reward the gallant ploughman Hay and his two sons, for their ser
vices at Luncarty, in a desperate engagement with the Danes,
A.D. 970.
* The roads ofthe Carse of Gowrie, about sixty years ago, and
even at a later period, were so soft and deep in winter, for want of
care and materials of a proper description, that the lairds never
thought of visiting each other except in summer, or, at the latest,
the end of harvest. A story is told of a man being once found by
a gentleman digging sedulously in the middle of one of those
wretched bogs called roads ; he was asked what he was doing, and
replied, that he was " looking for his horse and cart he had laired
thereabouts." In former times, when the surface of the country
was in such a dreadfiil state, there existed an extraordinary number
of subterranean passages at Govrrie and its neighbourhood, as from
the Abbey of Lindores to Bambriech Castle in Fife, from Broughty
Castle to the Fort Hill in Angus, &c and it must have been felt
as a great comfort, when about to undertake a journey on a bad
day, at once to escape the horrors of both land and sky, by taking
the lower road.

40 abernethy — elcho castle.
ing us in compensation with a view across Tay of
the ruined Castle of Bambriech in Fife.
Gladly departing from Errol, after a stay which
our horses alone required or enjoyed, we proceed
ed through the well-wooded grounds of Mr. Allan,
to the little vUlage of St. Madoes, where lay the
Hawk-stone, and whence we commanded a good
view of the town of Newburgh, and of the pictur
esque ruins of Lindores Abbey, in an orchard on
the opposite bank of the Tay. Passing Pitfour
Castle, we surveyed the woody heights which rose
on our right above the seats of Glen Doick and Glen
Carse, and from the road between Inchary and
Seggieden, were most highly gratified by seeing in
the distance to the south the Pictish capital, Aber
nethy, whose singular circular tower, of the re
motest antiquity, our exceUent glass rendered mi
nutely visible. On the other side of the Tay,
as we advanced, immediately opposite to us, rose a
continuous cluster of tall towers and gables, still
stately even in ruin, betokening the bygone splen
dour of Elcho Castle ; while on the left, the prince
ly towers of the modern Gothic Castle of Kinfauns,
situated in a recess of the hUl of Kinnoul, and em-

kinfauns castle  DUNSINNANE. 41
bowered in fine woods, tended to complete a most
beautiful picture. Passing the house and plan
tations of Seggieden, close to the river, we enter
ed the demesne of Kinfauns, and were conducted
by a natural avenue along a road cut out of the hill
side to the massive portal of the Castle, whose tall
towers rose from a verdant and well-shorn lawn,
under which we descended through darksome groves
into the public road, above which the abrupt and
cragged front of the hill of Kinnoul rose over the
groves and lawns, which continued to skirt its
base, tiU a bend in the road and river introduced
us to the new Gothic church of the burgh of ba
rony of Bridgend, and, after crossing the Tay, into
Perth itself.
July 7. — Quitted Perth by its fine bridge across t
the Tay, and ascended the hill by the Lunatic Asy
lum, to Lord Mansfield's village of New Scone,
and proceeded through well cultivated uplands,
with the hiU of Dunsinnane before us, on whose
verdant sides and summit, partly wooded and much
broken by projecting masses of rock, we anxious
ly endeavoured to trace vestiges of the Castle of
Macbeth, whose tumulus is still shewn, under the

42 CUPAR-ANGUS  STRATHMORE.
name ofthe " Lang Man's Graff." Skirting the base
of this interesting hiU, we reached Cupar- Angus,
a poor town, very unlike, both in appearance and
prosperity, to its namesake of Fife ; whence we de
scended into the spacious valley of Strathmore,
watered only by the Ericht and Isla, and other
wandering tributaries of the Tay, while the iron
girdle of the north, the lofty Grampian mountains,
forming its northern boundary, rose before us in
awful majesty, and continued to present every
alternation of light and shadow, as we continued
our course along the valley, at the base of the
verdant Sidlaw hiUs. One of these is crowned
by a white square tower, called Banquo's, other
wise Kilpurnie Tower, from the name of the hiU,
a most conspicuous object, very serviceable as a
landmark from sea. Proceeding along the vaUey
of Strathmore, we enjoyed fine views of the Perth
shire mountains in the western distance, the Gram
pians on our left to the north, and the Sidlaw hills on
our right to the south. Our route lay through fer
tUe fields, orchards, and gardens, to the little vU
lage of Meigle, on the skirts of the woods of Bel
mont Castle. In the churchyard we searched for

MEIGLE  DENOON. 43
the supposed monument of Vanora, queen of King
Arthur, but found only two rudely sculptured up
right stones, the larger of which had, on one side,
a cross, and on the other, figures of men on horse
back, and dogs ; and the smaller, a cross with fishes,
and signs on the reverse.
On leaving Meigle, we continued our route,
through well cultivated fields and thriving planta
tions, to the village of Glammis ; passing on our left
a huge mound of great antiquity, surrounded by a
ditch, and surmounted, in very bad taste, by a cas
tellated farm house. On the opposite side of the
valley, we saw the town of Blairgowrie, and the vil
lages of Alyth and Kirriemuir, at the foot of the
Grampian mountains. Opposite to the Kirk of
Easie, on the other side of the Dean Water, rose
the dun, modern castle of Pandertis, with its flour
ishing woods ; and on our left, in a recess of the
Sidlaw hiUs, lay the Glen and hill of Denoon, ap
parently a vast, artificial aggestion of earth, on
which scarce a vestige remains of the Castle of
Denoon, raised by the early inhabitants of the
country as a defence against the Romans. In
such fastnesses as this, did the hardy natives leave

44 GLAMMIS CASTLE.
their dearest pledges, surrounded by almost inac
cessible, or at least stupendous rocks, wliUe they
themselves contended for life and liberty with the
invader on the plain.
Deviating from the road, by the church of Glam
mis, whose precincts are said to contain the grave of
the monarch murdered in the adjacent castle, a plea
sant drive by the side of a murmuring burn, through
the fine ancestral trees which on every side surround
it, conducted us to the ancient and most interesting
residence of the family of Lyon, Earls of Strath
more, exhibiting in its external appearance, as well
as its internal accommodations, a faithful and vivid
portraiture of the manners of our ancestors in ear
ly times — less polished, perhaps, but certainly more
hospitable than the present. Its entrance and
principal front consists of two corresponding
wings, proceeding obliquely from the great cen
tral tower of the building, and bearing a number
of smaller towers, which gracefully combine with
the wings and court-yard on the other side, to
form the harmonious %yhole of this princely struc
ture, which we entered by a low door, internaUy
protected by another massive door of cross bars of

GLAMMIS CASTLE. 45
iron, whose heavy bolts shot far into the wall. This
entrance is surmounted externally by divers armo
rial bearings of the noble family of Lyon, and a
bust of Patrick, Lord Glammis, who, as an inscrip
tion above his head records, with Domina Anna,
his lady, built the central tower. This we ascend
ed by the great staircase which it was formed to
contain, and first entered a low arched room, exhi
biting the most massive solidity of wall, well cal
culated to support the weight of the superincum
bent edifice, whose internal part, the nucleus, as
it were, of aU the rest, rises to a great height
above the large haU. This hall contains some
fine, though neglected portraits of the time of the
Second Charles.* Adjoining this, is the ancient
Popish chapel of the sixteenth century, with its
original furniture, undestroyed, though impaired
by time, containing portraits of the apostles, and
other sacred subjects, in full length, on every pan-

* Among which it may suffice to mention the names of Lauder
dale, Middleton, Dundee, and Ormond. There is also a portrait
of Thomson the poet, and a picture of the Countess of Cassilis, and
Johnnie Faa, both habited as gypsies.

46 GLAMMIS CASTLE.
nel of the old oaken wainscot. The drawing-room
is a modern, and extremely spacious apartment,
almost unfurnished. This apartment, being above,
is co-extensive with the kitchen below, where hang
two portraits of kings, sadly damaged and disho
noured. The number of rooms in the bouse amounts to
more than a hundred, mostly small and poorly fur
nished. The chamber in which the " gracious Dun
can" was murdered by Macbeth is stiU shewn ; but
the only relics of antiquity it contains are the ceU
ing, and some armorial bearings in stucco over
the fire-place. The armour is sadly neglected, be
ing huddled in a narrow closet, whence, however,
we dragged to light Macbeth's shirt of ring-maU,
the leathern doublet of the amiable but unfortu
nate Earl Charles, who was killed by mistake at
Forfar, and the arms worn by the Earl of Strath
more, when he fell fighting for the Chevalier at
Sheriffmuir. Several old swords, guns, pikes, brass
helmets, breastplates, and boots, complete the col
lection, of which an ivory in-laid fowling-piece is
the most beautiful relic, though, like aU the rest,
it has suffered much from time, and more from ne-

VALE OP STRATHMORE. 47
gleet. There are also exhibited, some brazen pans,
fished up in Forfar Loch, where they were supposed
to have been lost with the murderers of Banquo,
who carried them away from the Castle, forming
perhaps the only instance of stolen goods having
been restored to the place from which they had been
abstracted, after an interval of eight hundred years.
Ascending the taU spiral staircase, we enjoyed
extremely the view from the leads on the roof,
at once splendid and extensive, and certainly the
best that can be obtained, of the magnificent vaUey
of Strathmore, watered by the Esk, the Ericht,
the Melquim, and the Isla, which pour from the
glens and openings of the Grampian mountains
rising in the north, their range terminated by the
conical summit of Caterthun, whose bale-fire, seen
in the East, was wont to warn all Angus of the
approach of an enemy. On the west stretches
the valley in all its richness and fertility ; and,
in the distance, rise the mountains of Perthshire,
and the blue hills of Athole, and beyond, it is said,
may be seen the rugged peaks of Argyle. On
the south, the adjacent Sidlaw hiUs bound the
view, disclosing, however, the singular hUl on

48 FORFAR.
which the ancient British fortress of the castle of
Denoon once stood. Immediately beneath, the eye
rests with pleasure on the castle park, finely va
riegated with wood and glade, and on the end
less contiguity of shade formed by the plantations
around. Beyond these, on the east, appeared at
the distance of five mUes, the comely town and tall
steeple of Forfar, to which, after repassing the park
drive, and the Kirk and viUage of Glammis, the
road conducted us under the Hunters' hill, and
through the woods which cover it, untU it reached
the spinning-mill and village called Douglasstown,
whence it continued through cultivated fields, and
by the Loch of Forfar to the town of that name,
where we remained for the night. Forfar is a
royal burgh of great antiquity, and of little con
sequence, except as the county town of Angus, to
which it owes its recent decoration of a suite of
county courts, &c.
July 8. — On leaving Forfar, we passed a Roman
camp, one of those which having been previously,
in all probabiUty, British encampments, tend to
corroborate the opinion of antiquarians, of the
site of the battle of the Grampians, being at

FINHAVEN CASTLE  BRECHIN. 49
the foot of Caterthun. The cultivated bank we
first crossed was enlivened by a cattle fair, in a pine
grove. Woody hills skirted the valley of Strath
more to the south, while the Grampians and Ca
terthun, with its flattened summit and conical form,
rose conspicuously to the north-east of the val
ley. We followed a small tributary of the Esk,
tUl it entered the woods of Lord Aboyne, which
environ the hoary yet lofty ruin of Finhaven Cas
tle, once the residence of the powerful family of
Lindsay, but now consisting of little more than
a roofless square tower, picturesquely situated on
a knoll above the little river Lemno, before its
junction with the south Esk.
After crossing the Esk by a bridge of three
arches, we proceeded through the plantations of
Tannadyce House ; having on our right the woods
which fringe the banks of the river, on the op
posite side of which rose the woods of Auldbarr.
Advancing through fertUe fields, we reached the
ancient royal burgh of Brechin, romanticaUy placed
on the north bank of the south Esk, which here
flows through the woods of Brechin Castle, the seat
of the Hon. J. R. Maule of Panmure. We visited

50 BRECHIN CATHEDRAL AND TOWER.
the remains of the once stately Gothic Cathedral,
converted into a handsome parish church. The old
spire 120 feet high still remains, very perfect, and
from its top commands a fine view of the vale of the
Esk, in the direction of Melgund Castle, and of Ab-
erlemno, northward of the Grampians, and east
ward of the town, basin, bridge, and harbour of
Montrose, and the intervening course of the south
Esk to the sea ; whUe directly beneath lie the town
of Brechin and its castle, situated on a precipice
overhanging the river, and embosomed in tufted
trees. Close by the church, to which it has been
made to adjoin, by modern masonry, with somewhat
questionable taste or purpose, stands the taU, slen
der, tapering tower, of eighty-four courses of well-
wrought stone, and one hundred and three feet in
height, of which that at Abernethy is the only other
specimen existing in Scotland. A few feet from
the ground it has a window, surmounted by curious
carving, and on the other side a curious and rudely-
sculptured stone leans against it ; within it is per
fectly void, having four windows at the top, corres
ponding with the cardinal points. Antiquarians
cannot conjecture the purpose to which this tower

KINNAIRD CASTLE  MONTROSE. 51
has been applied, but suppose it to have been erect
ed by the Picts. This tower is more perfect than
that at Abernethy, from which it also differs in the
number and position of its windows, and in the mo
dern addition of a slated roof.
Descending through the town of Brechin, we
proceeded along the side of a low cultivated hUl,
having on our right the South Esk, with its sand
stone rocks, crowned by extensive plantations and
thick woods ; in the midst of which we soon de
scried across the river the massive towers of Kin-
naird Castle, the seat of Sir David Carnegie, Bart.;
and passing the lonely burying-ground of Magda
lene Chapel, of which edifice no trace now remains,
and the plantations of Longley Park, we enjoyed a
fine view of the basin and wooden bridge of Mon
trose. This town rose before us on a ridge, be
tween its ample basin and the German Ocean, ex
hibiting three churches and a number of respectable
houses, which, though generally neat, have rather
a gloomy appearance from the colour of the sand
stone of which they are principally composed. On
the southern side of the basin the new Church of
Maryton decorated the hill, which, on its southern

52 HOWE O' THE MEARNS.
declivity, bears the superb house of Rossie, and
its environing woods. We entered the town by
the Links, where feats of golfing are done ;* and
passed the night at the inn.
July 9. — Quitted Montrose, and deviating from
the direct road to Aberdeen, a short way from the
town, crossed some fields to a little viUage ; and in
ascending a long hiil, embellished by the groves of
Rosebank, enjoyed, upon looking back, a fine
view of Montrose, of the German Ocean, and
the woods of Kinnalrd Castle. The basin itself
being nearly dry at low water, we saw traces of
the unfortunate embankment by which it was at
tempted to reclaim part of it from the sea some
years ago. Crossing the hiU, we descended by
the plantations of Craigo HaU, having on our
right some bleak landmark-bearing hills, into the
fine inland plain, or " Howe o' the Meams,'' other-

* The old Scots game of golf is a gigantic variety of bilHards ;
the table being a certain space in the green, sometimes of many
hundred yards in extent — the holes situated here and there at great
distances ; and the balls, which are made very hard, stuffed with
feathers, being swung to and fro by means of long queues with
elastic shafts, — a fine healthfiil game, very popular in Scotland
throughout the sunny portion of the year.

STRICKATHRO  KINCARDINE. 53
wise the county of Kincardine — which may be des
cribed as the termination ofthe fine valley of Strath
more — ^backed by the range of Grampians, and ex
tending from thence a few miles northward to the
mouth of the Dee. We entered this district by a
bridge of four arches over the river Esk, here a
rapid stream, and of great consequence on account
of its salmon fisheries. Beyond, we reached the
little village of St. Mary's Kirk, in whicli the pious
parishioners were receiving the Sacrament, and
whence we proceeded along some cultivated lands,
terminating towards the sea, in bleak yet partly
wooded hills on our right. Upon looking back in
to the vaUey of Strathmore, we descried the large
modern mansion of Strickathro, near which King
John (Baliol) made that shameful surrender of his
crown to Edward I. of England, which has been
visited by the popular indignation of his coun
try to this day. Adjoining to this are the woods of
Inglesmadie, (Lord Kintore,) forming altogether a
pleasant forest. Beyond this rise th© Grampians,
having at their feet Edzel, and the modern castel
lated mansion of Fasque, (Sir A. Ramsay,) near
which is the village of Fettercairn, and a cluster of

54 LAURENCEKIRK — PORDOUN.
cottages, once the county town of Kincardine, to
which it gave its name, though it now scarce retains
its own, the country courts, &c. having been, in the
time of James VI., transferred to Stonehaven. A
few miles farther on we regained the road to Aber
deen, from which we had diverged at Brechin, and
entered the long street of low cottages, called Lau
rencekirk, which the late Lord Gardenstone pro
moted from a humble hamlet to a burgh of barony.
To judge from the accommodation we found whUe
our horses refreshed, Laurencekirk shows no symp
tom of diminishing aught from the consequence it
has acquired.*
On leaving this promising little place, our route
continued at the foot of a range of low, moorish
hills, enlivened by the expanse of the valley on our
left, and the Grampian mountains, in a recess a-
mong which appeared the Kirk town of Fordoun,
rendered conspicuous by its handsome Gothic
church, erected two years ago. The Luther water
laves the little valley in which this village is situat-

* This town is celebrated for the manufacture of wooden snuff'-
boxes.

DRUMTOUGHTY. 55
ed, and runs through the extensive woods of Lord
Arbuthnot, below which it is crossed by the road,
which it accompanies for some time. Though its
banks are devoid of wood, and the country begins
to assume a more bleak and less interesting aspect,
yet, in a sweetly-wooded and sequestered glen of
the Grampians, we discerned the fine modern castle
of Drumtoughty, embowered in woods, and but
imperfectly visible to the unassisted eye, which
looked back with pleasure on the expanse of valley
we had left, as well as on the braes of Fordoun,
and the more distant mountains as far as Brechin.
Our route for some time contained nothing we
could look on with pleasure, tiU after winding
through a succession of slightly cultivated fields, and
barren moorish hills, upon ascending a considerable
bank, the expanse of the German Ocean opened be
fore our delighted gaze ; while, on descending into
the vaUey which contains Stonehaven, the termin
ation of the great valley of Strathmore — which is
so contracted at the Water of Bervie, as to seem
to end there — the fine lawns and extensive woods
surrounding the tall, white castle of Fetteresso,
(Colonel Duff,) and nearer still, the groves of

56 DUNOTTAR CASTLE.
Dunottar House, (Lord Kennedy,) completed the
beauty of the scene. Here we turned aside from
the direct descent to the town of Stonehaven,
which lay before us, over some corn-fields, to the
coast road, a short distance from which rose the
walls, towers, and turrets of the ancient and dis
mantled castle of Dunottar, the family-seat of
the Keiths, Earls Marischal, covering the whole
summit of a stupendous mass of breccia, lashed
by the waves of the German Ocean, and almost
insulated from the cliffs of the shore by a wide
chasm. Across this chasm runs a natural wall of
the same conglomerate rock, which appears once
to have been higher, forming a sort of connexion
with the mainland, and probably broken off and
reduced to its present state long ago, for the better
security of the Castle, which, before gunpowder
was used in sieges, must have been, as it was re
puted, impregnable, the only entrance being at the
foot of the rock itself, strongly defended by inter
nal works, and only to be approached from without
by descending the cliffs of the shore, which is here
indented into a small bay, and crossing the chasm
already noticed. Though dilapidated, the buildings

STONEHAVEN. 57
which compose the castle, and cover three acres of
ground, in general want nothing but the roofs and
floors. The mouldering battlements with their nar
row embrasures — the strong towers and airy turrets
for the archer and the musketeer — the hall for the
banquet, and the cell for the prisoner, all alike en
tire and distinct, are there in the glory of desolation.
Even the iron bolts and rings wliich held the cul
prits for security, or for torture, still remain to at
test how many a sigh has been sent from the pro
found bosom of this vast rock — how many a des
pairing glance has wandered hence, over the bound
less wave — how many a weary heart has here sunk
rejoicing into eternal rest. After surveying this
magnificent memorial of former times with the
greatest interest, we proceeded by the coast road
to Stonehaven, or as it is locally abbreviated Stone-
hyve, a group of red-tiled houses encircling the
church spire, and garnished by a few whitened vil-
as, and gardens " trim with daisies pied." De
scending by a steep hill, we reached the town, and
rested there for the night.
July 10  Left the Mill Inn, and passed through
the town of Stonehaven, and by Fetteresso kirk,
c2

58 THE GRAMPIANS  THE DEE.
having on our left the valley, woods, and Castle of
Fetteresso. We ascended the sweetly sequester
ed valley of Ury, by the seat of Captain Barclay,
through fine groves of fir and flourishing woods,
which on every side decorate the water of Cowie,
that irrigates this happy valley, at whose upper
extremity we began to ascend the Grampian moun
tains, which are everywhere covered with the dun
heather, through which crags and loose stones are
abundantly visible. We crossed these desert soli
tudes by a mountain pass, and descended into a low,
broad, moorish valley, stretching considerably to
the east, while westward, rose the continuous chain
of the Grampians, and more distantly the blue hills
of Morven, and the verrucose summit of Klochna-
bane. Hence we followed a tortuous road across
the vaUey, and over a bank crowned with fir, to the
rapid and picturesque river Dee, which has its
source in Gaibh-chor-Dee, in Lord Fife's forest.
This forest clothes its sides for many miles ; after
which, the immense extent of natural and gigan
tic timber, called Glentanner, surrounding Aboyne
Castle, enriches its banks. Proceeding up the
southern bank of the river through groves of fir.

BANCHORY TERNAN. 59
we enjoyed a fine view ofthe mansion of Crathes,
( Sir R. Burnett,) embosomed in woods, on the op
posite bank. At Banchory Ternan, a sunny and
rural spot, whitened cottages are scattered among
the larch plantations on the northern bank of the
stream, on the opposite side of which, a magnificent
amphitheatre of shady groves, and stately forests,
embosom the beautiful domain of Blackball, the en
trance to which appeared before us, as soon as we
had crossed the rapid and cataractons water of Feuch-
This stream rises in lOochnabane, whose pro
minent nodosity was from hence singularly conspi
cuous. The lodge of Blackhall is a Grecian screen,
on the central arch of which stands a goat, sub
scribed with the motto of the noble house of Rus
sell, " Che sara sara," though we were told a Mr.
Campbell resided in that apparently sweet spot.
Immediately beyond the lodge, we crossed the Dee,
and entered Banchory Ternan, which we found en
circled by every grand component of picturesque
scenery. Wood, water, rocks, and mountains are
here, in the wild and lavish magnificence of na
ture ; and deep was the emotion we felt on this
slight glance at those awful wildernesses which

60 THE DEE — CRATHES — ^DRUM HOUSE.
pervade the central highlands, the reputed remains
of that vast forest which anciently covered the in
terior of the country, from Cape Wrath to the
Forth. Leaving Banchory Ternan as soon as the horses
were recruited, we took a lingering look behind
at the majestic mountains of Morven, which melted
away in the distance as we descended the valley
ofthe Dee, by its northern bank. The bleak aspect
of sterility predominant here, is only enlivened by
the indigenous heath, though great attempts have
evidently been made by clearing away the whin-
stone, to render the thin coating of soil, which covers
the immense masses of granite, in some way pro
ductive.* The woods of Crathes are very fine, but no other
plantations of any consequence, except those of
Drum House, (Irvine,) occurred to enliven the road
we traversed, which, however, commanded fine
* The salmon fisheries on the Dee are very valuable, yielding
about L.8000 per annum ; but on comparing the nature ofthe soil
upon its banks with that ofthe Don, the other great river of Aber
deenshire, the latter has manifestly the advantage. Hence the old
rhyme, " A rood o' Don's worth twa o' Dee,
Unless it be for fish and tree."

DURRIS  DRUMTHWACKET. 61
views of the opposite bank of the river, and the
range of Grampian Mountains we had crossed in the
morning. These terminate a few miles farther on
towards the sea in dun, low, moorish hUls, a bleak
region, cursed by nature with irremediable barren
ness, yet nevertheless thickly inhabited, and through
which lies the direct road from Stonehaven to Aber
deen. The next prominent object across the Dee,
was the Column erected by the Duke of Gordon,
in memory of successful litigation with Mr. Irvine,
whereby the adjacent house and estate of Durris
were decreed to appertain to his Grace. Below
this the river winds round the house of Mary-
culter ; and farther onwards rises the finely- wooded
hUl of Kingausie, beneath which stands the mo
dest mansion of Mr. Boswell, among groves
which descend to the banks of the river. A
little lower these are adorned by the large modern
mansion of Heathcote, and several other seats ;
beyond which rise in the distance the muirlands
of Drumthwacket, and the Gothic Kirk of Nig.
Our road now conducted us across the born of
Culter, whose rocky banks are beautifully fringed
with woods, beyond which the modern mansion of

62 ABERDEEN.
Murthley House rises on a commanding eminence
over the river. In the distance appeared the masts
of vessels in the harbour of Aberdeen, and the blue
waves of the German Ocean. Advancing on
wards, the New Town of Aberdeen lay pleasantly
before us, and having an air of great elegance
and neatness, from the granite of which the houses
are built.
July II. — Devoted tliis day to the examination
of the fine city of Aberdeen, for such, indeed, is the
New Town, of which Castle Street, or Place, may
be termed the centre. In the middle of this Place
stands tlie curious town-cross, a circular building,
surrounded by medallions of Scottish kings and
queens, and surmounted by a slender pseudo-
Corinthian column. From this point Union Street,
the principal avenue of approach from the south,
runs in a straight line for half a mile, crossing by a
noble arch Den Burn, on the sides of which " the
canny folk" bleach their linens ; and from it also
diverge the other smaller streets rather abruptly
on the hill side towards the harbour, (which is very
spacious, and has a fine pier,) but more diffusely
over the back ground, towards the country and
Old Aberdeen.

MARISCHAL COLLEGE. 63
We first visited the Marischal College, whose an
tique and blackened entrance we found among the
shops of a back street, in which the houses so crowd
about the building as to render it only visible from
its own grass-grown quadrangle, round two sides
of which the plain large chapel, and the unorna-
mented grey walls of the College extend.
The first room we entered, in this gloomy and
inelegant pile, was the common hall, a long low
room, hung with the portraits of the beautiful
Mary Stuart, as a cloistered recluse,* — of the
Keiths, Earls Marischal, the founders of the
College, — of James VI. and his son Charles I. —
and of other benefactors and local worthies, chief-

• It is mortifying to think that Scotland cannot boast of an un
doubted original of Queen Mary. All the portraits of her, in a
red gown and small cap, are copied from a picture once in the pos
session of Lord Carleton, now, we believe, in that of the Duke of
Devonshire. Those in black, having a caul set out with wire,
such as that in the Trinity-House of Leith, (commonly supposed
to be her mother,) were taken from a picture at St. James's, which
is known to have been painted by Mytens ; therefore, Mary could
not have sat for it. The picture in the possession of the Earl of
Morton is said to have been painted in Lochleven, which is next
to impossible. And that which the Earl of Mar possessed was
burned at Alloa, having probably, however, been done after her
death, as she held a passion-flower in her hand.

64 MARISCHAL COLLEGE.
ly painted by Jamieson, a native artist. In a
small dark room adjoining, is a most valuable
collection of mechanical and philosophical instru
ments and models, amongst which Dr. Davidson,
the professor of natural history, pointed out to us
a beautiful apparatus for all experiments in hydro
statics, and Attwood's instrument for ascertaining
the velocity of bodies. We found the library, a
collection of 9000 volumes, arranged in three rooms,
and interspersed with sundry curiosities such as are
generally found in all museums. A silver arrow,
bearing on medals the names of the successful com
petitors for Lord Buchan's prize, and a tattered ban
ner of the heroes of the Covenant, interested us
more than any thing else in the room. The rest
of the College consists of lecture rooms, which,
from the one we saw, appear to be smaU, though
the number of students is estimated at 500.*
Connected with the busy city of New Aberdeen,
» Among the most remarkable alumni of this College may be
mentioned Dr. Arthur Johnson, who became its Principal, and, as
a Latin poet, holds the next place to the elegant Buchanan ; Bishop
Burnet ; Dr. Gregory, inventor of the reflecting telescope ; Dr.
Arbuthnot, the friend of Pope and Swift ; Colin Maclaurin, Dr.
Campbell, Dr. Beattie, Dr. Gerard, and Dr. Reid.

king's COLLEGE  CHURCH OP ST. MACHAR. 65
by a miserably paved and narrow street, is the more
ancient, yet now almost deserted city of Old Aber
deen, whose chief ornament is the King's CoUege,
surmounted by an imperial crown on the top of
its chief tower, indicative of the support it long
received from royalty. The chapel is an elegant
budding, internally decorated by carved oaken
staUs, screen, and ceiling, having in its centre a
massive slab of black marble, beneath which lie the
remains of Bishop Elphinstone, the founder of the
CoUege in 1494. The other buUdings of this an
cient foundation, consisting of the hall, museum,
&c. have been recently renewed in a very hand
some and appropriate manner, and form a perfect
quadrangle, one side of which the old cloister stiU
adorns. The library being entitled by privUege
to a copy of every new work entered at Stationers'
Hall, is most extensive, and may safely be declared
the largest collection of books north of the Forth.
A little beyond the College, on the side of a
woody deU, stands the Church of St. Machar, a fine
relic of Gothic architecture, rather massive than
elegant, comprehending all that remains of the an
cient cathedral. Internally it is fitted up as a pa-

66 ABERDEEN.
rish church, and has an oaken ceiling, decorated with
armorial bearings, such as that at Falkland Palace
mustonce havebeen. The crowded burying-ground,
rich in time-worn sculpture, adds a deeper interest
to these sacred precincts, which we quitted by the
road leading to the Brig o' Balgowuie, a fine arch,
spanning the river Don, whose banks are here
rocky and woody, but too crowded with houses and
huts to admit of the picturesque. From the strong
wall of this ancient, yet, according to the popular
distich recorded by Byron,* fated fabric, we saw
the workmen busied in the construction of a new
bridge, a little lower down the stream, intended to
supersede the narrow and tortuous passage of the
ancient structure altogether.
Returning to the New Town of Aberdeen, we
passed the old and decaying city on our right, and
much enjoyed the appearance of the antique spires
of its Cathedral above the tufted trees, as also
the imperial crown upon its College, attesting,
that though it may possess the dulness, yet it has

* " Brig o' Balgownie, though wight be your wa'
Wi* a wife's ae son, and a mare's ae foal, down ye shall fa'."

ABERDEEN. 67
not quite lost the dignity of an ancient seat of
learning. After visiting the harbour, and buying a
few books, we returned to our hotel, which, from its
situation by the bridge in Union Street, afforded us,
from our windows, an exceUent and constant view
of the would-be Rialto of Aberdeen, the constant
thoroughfare of a busy people. The trees which
clothe the opposite bank of the insignificant
rivulet which creeps under the arch, added to the
granitic beauty of the houses, render this as pleas
ing a scene as the heart of a populous and com
mercial city can possibly afford.
July 12. — Remained at Aberdeen, olim Aber-
don, — for although it is situated between the rivers
Don and Dee, the former gives its name,* though
the latter laves the walls of the town. Aberdeen, in
its public as well as private edifices, exhibits a vigilant
spirit of improvement, evidenced by the regularity of
plan prevalent throughout; though, as in all ancient
cities, there are several places where objects occur

* This appears from the popular pronunciation of o as ee, and
that in the other case, the final n is left unaccounted for in its
etymology.

68 SUNDAY IN ABERDEEN.
repulsive to more senses than one. This city is
reputed to unite the intelligence and convenience
of a place of learning and commerce, with the eco
nomy and freedom of a provincial town ; though
the principal feature we noticed in the character of
the natives, related to the day of prayer, on which
we observed that they are truly a church-going
people. Presbyterians, at the first toU of the bell,
hie them to the East and West Churches, — two
cumbrous pUes, united like sworn brethren under
the name and tutelage of St. Nicholas, — as weU as
to the six-and-twenty places of worship scattered
throughout the town. St. Andrew's Chapel, a
new and elegant Gothic structure, is dedicated, like
that of St. Paul, to the use of an Episcopalian con
gregation : the few Roman Catholics sprinkled
among the population, creep silently to their se
cluded altar in a dingy aUey.
July 13 — Quitted Aberdeen, and passing the
King's CoUege and Cathedral, in the old town,
we crossed the Bridge of Don, and proceeded along
a very uneven and bad road across moors, having
on our left a broad valley, beyond which rose some
mountains in the distance.

ELLON. 69
By a timely discovery of this being the road to
Old Meldrum, towards which place we had already
proceeded about eight miles, we were enabled by
retracing onr steps and crossing a by-road to re
gain the road to Ellon,* which we had left at the
Brig o' Balgownie. This route conducted us along
the shore of the German Ocean, through bleak
moorish lands, everywhere shewing how reluctantly
they had submitted, and how little they afforded to
the adventurous agriculturists of Aberdeenshire.
On no side perhaps of Aberdeen does the uninvit
ing feature of unintermittent barrenness, which dis
tinguishes the vicinity of that city, extend so far
as on the route which we pursued to Ellon, a small
viUage in a slightly wooded valley, on the river
Ythan. A little before we came to Belhelvie we
left the shore of the North Sea or German Ocean,
whose breeze and whose billows had so refreshed
our sense and sight, and turned inland to a scene of
such barrenness as rarely occurs in a cultivated
country. A few insignificant hUls rose in the distance

* We regretted this deviation the less from having found, for
the first time, the Trientalis Europea, in a fir grove not far from
Straloch. V

70 BULLERS OF'BUCHAN.
as we approached EUon, beyond which the road
winds through the same barren, treeless, and deso
late country as before, without any object of interest,
untU the rocky shore of the German Ocean again
breaks the uniformity of the scene, which, upon de
scending Stirling hUl,* is agreeably diversified by
the lighthouse on this side of the bay, and the town
of Peterhead, with its respectable quota of spires
and houses on the other.
Having all this day felt extremely ill, we did not
detour by Slaines Castle, the lonely seat of the Earl
of Errol, the walls of which form a continuation of
a precipitous rock overhanging the sea. Near
this is the deep well-like pit communicating with
the sea by an arch far down below, into which its
waves continuaUy foam and flow, so as to have
given it the designation of the BuUers of Buchan.
In calm weather it may be approached by sea ; by
land a rough road leads along the edge of the gran
itic cliffs, mostly two hundred feet high, from Peter-
bead.

* Stirling hill is formed by a vast mass of red granite, which is
quarried and exported in great quantities.

PETERHEAD  INVERUGIE CASTLE. 71
July 14. — Confined by severe indisposition,
which became sufficiently tractable to enable us to
visit the museum of Mr. Adam Arbuthnott, con
sisting principally of indigenous sea-fowl, a sphe
roid meteoric stone from Baffin's Bay, a few in
sects, minerals, reptiles, and sundry curiosities.
The town of Peterhead, which is second only to
HuU as a whale-fishing station, by its new and
commodious harbour, of extreme utility on this
part of the coast, has acquired a vast accession of
commerce and consequent prosperity. The origi
nal chalybeate spring having been diverted and lost
by digging other wells in its vicinity, Peterhead
has gradually declined as a watering-place, though
there are some very good hot and cold baths, and
several other mineral springs, of the same pro
perties as that which is now lost, in and about the
town. July 15. — Left Peterhead, and proceeded along
the coast of the German Ocean ; and after crossing
the river Ugie, passed on the left a ruined seat ofthe-
Keiths, Earls Marischal, a place rather of residence
than of defence, though denominated Inverugie
Castle : it is environed by a few trees, a great

72 PHILORTH — PRASERBURGH.
rarity on this coast. We continued our route more
inland, with occasional glimpses of the sea, by St.
Fergus' Kirk, where the large white house of Rat
tray rises conspicuously on the broadest part of a
headland of the same name ; and a little farther on
the large modern mansion of Crimonmogate, and
Colonel Gordon's large house of Cairness on the
hiU above it, contributed, by the trees which sur
round them, to enliven the sterile uniformity of the
scene, though not so difiusively as to alter the un
inviting features of the low bleak domain of Buch
an. On our left lay the Mormounth hUl, an un
interesting mass of granite, and towards the sea the
Loch of Strabeg ; passing which the same uninter
esting road continued till we reached the well-
wooded demesne of Philorth, whose verdure, though
circumscribed and concentrated about the house of
Lord Saltoun, affords a pleasing variety from the
sandy and shelving sea-beach which here enters in
to the prospect, bearing on its bosom the ruined
Castle of Cairnbulg. A little beyond the grounds of
PhUorth, is seen the respectable sea-port of Fraser
burgh, whose houses, like those of Peterhead, are
principally composed of the indigenous red granite,

FRASERBURGH. 73
and whose harbour, being very spacious, gives an
importance to the town which it would not other
wise possess, having been made during the late war
a place of refuge for British ships of war, and being
now a very considerable station of the herring-fish
ery. We remained for the night at the inn opposite
the Kirk and town Cross, which last, a small co
lumn, exhibits armorial bearings on an hexagonal
pediment. July 16. — Walked to Kinnaird's Head, the ex
treme point of this angle of Scotland, a low pro
montory of red granite running out into the north
ern sea, whose waves gently rolled at our feet, and
whose surface was studded by a few fishing boats.
To the south appeared the line ofthe east coast on
the other side of Fraserburgh harbour, while on
the west the gigantic headland of Troup frowned
over the waste of waters, which we contemplated
with great delight. An old castle, formerly the
residence of Lord Saltoun, the superior of the ad
jacent burgh, has been converted into a lighthouse,
which crowns the verdant summit of this conse
quently conspicuous promontory, the first land seen
by the home-bound mariner in the mighty Northern
Ocean. d

74 geology of the east coast.
The east coast, whose northernmost extremity we
had now reached, presented, as far as we were able
to observe, thefoUowing geological features: — From
St. Andrews across the mouth of the Tay to Ar
broath, the coast is shelving and sandy, — from Ar
broath to Montrose, ofthe red sandstone, rocky and
cavernous, — from Montrose to Aberdeen, of a vast
conglomerated breccia, in which the Scotch peb
bles are abundantly found, — ^from Aberdeen by Bu-
chan-ness to Kinnaird's Head, the rocks aU along
the shore, which in places is shelving and sandy,
are granitic, grey at Aberdeen, and red as weU as
blue at Peterhead. Leaving Fraserburgh, we pro
ceeded along a turnpike road recently completed, in
order to supersede the difficult yet picturesque coast
road by Aberdour, Troup, and Gardenstone, which,
as respected our own carriage, was pronounced per
fectly impassable ; consequently we were obliged
to foUow the new line across the most uninteresting,
barren, and wearisome tract of moss and moor we
ever beheld. For twenty-six mUes successively,
by Tyrie Kirk and Byth, this scene of desola
tion not only accompanied our route but was
prolonged on every side, though most extensive-

DUFF HOUSE — BANFF. 75
ly towards the south — the sea-cliffs causing the
ground to rise more abruptly to the north — untU
we once more came in sight of the German Ocean,
here known as the Moray Firth. On descending
into the fishing-town of Macduff, we enjoyed a fine
view of some distant hUls to the south-east ; and,
passing under the kirk-hiU of Macduff, came sud
denly upon the tall, three-storied, quadrangular
mansion of Duff House, the principal seat of the
Earl of Fife, placed on an open lawn clothed with
verdure, on the bank of the river Deveron, which
flows down to the sea through a beautiful and well-
wooded valley, whose banks of evergreen pine form
a fine back-ground to the house. A handsome bridge
over the river connects Macduff with the more an
cient but less actively-commercial town of Banff,
whose houses clothe the western bank of the Deve
ron, and adjoin Lord Fife's extensive policy, so that
the proud domain of the belted Earl is seen in close
contact with the parterre and paddock of the hum
ble burgess. Having ascended the hill, and quitted
the town — wherein we only stayed to dine — we ob
served, under a headland, a group of red-tiled
houses, forming the little fishing vUlage of White-

76 PORTSOY  DESKPORD.
hills ; and, diverging from the coast, passed the
ruined kirk and cemetery of Boyndlie, and entered
a verdant, well-cultivated, and rural valley, which ap
peared to extend some way inland. As we travers
ed this vale on the side nearest the sea, the conical
form of Knock-hill rose before us, and more trees
than we had seen for many a mile diversified the
scene, till we reached the little fishing town of
Portsoy, famous for its quarries of serpentine, and
other mineralogical rarities. From this we pro
ceeded across a weU-cultivated country by a wool-
combing mill, where a damsel, whose native graces
and artless simplicity would have graced a much
higher station, and done honour to a nobler office,
gave our horses water. This refreshment enabled
them to proceed more cheerily along an inland
road, rich in Arcadian beauty, especiaUy as it ap
proached Birkenbog, whence the fine and well-
cultivated valley of Deskford appeared stretching
¦to the west, its banks and braes richly clothed
in natural, and chiefly evergreen wood ; while be
fore us rose the bifid, conical hill called the Binn-
hill of CuUen, whose verdant sides are adorned by
the woods which everywhere spread extensively

MORAYLAND  CULLEN. 77
around CuUen House, the seat of Lord Seafield,
which lies under the hiU towards the sea, upon
the shore of which that creature of his Lordship's
creation, the town of CuUen, afforded us most ex
ceUent accommodation for the night, at an inn es
peciaUy remarkable for its neatness and regularity.
Upon our descent into Morayland from the ste
rile wildernesses of Buchan, we looked in vain
for the blue hills of Sutherland and Caithness,
over the wide expanse of the Moray Firth, for the
haze hung on the waters ; yet, by the transition,
we were made most sensible how unlike the dis
tricts which environ it is this delectable plain of
Moray, entitled the Granary of Scotland, which
indeed may vie in fertility with Clydesdale and
the Carse of Gowrie, being alike distinguished by
equality of surface, fertility of soil, and amenity of
climate. July 17. — On quitting CuUen, we descended to
the beach, and gained, for the first time, a clear and
distinct view of the far hills and headlands of Su
therland and Caithness, over the waves of the Mo
ray Firth. Here we passed a group of fishing-huts
huddled together, under the name of the Sea-town,

78 BINN HILL AND DUN OF CULLEN.
above which rose the Dun of CuUen, a conical hiU
of green turf, evidently artificial. This, according
to its traditionary history, was once the site of a
castle. It now presents only a small pUlared tem
ple, with an image of Fame, of so murky a colour,
that, had a tail been appended thereto, instead of a
trumpet, the figure might have been supposed stolen
or strayed from one of Martin's lUustrations of the
Paradise Lost.
We were much struck with the rude irregularity
of the ruddy rocks of breccia which fringe the bay
of Cullen, as we ascended from the sea to a level
tract of country, partly cultivated, but principaUy re
taining its primitive character of a dusky moor, en
livened, on our left, by the extensive plantations of
Cullen House, which skirted the Binn Hill for a con
siderable distance, and formed an interesting feature
in our route. So umbrageous is the forest which
surrounds it, that Lord Seafield's spacious man
sion is not visible from the road, which, after crossing
this level though elevated tract, entered a thick
grove of pines, on emerging from which we bade
adieu to the Binn Hill of Cullen, and entering upon
a continuation of the same plain, crossed a brawling

GORDON CASTLE. 79
burn, beautifully shaded by a grove of alders. Be
yond this we observed the kirk and manse of Rath-
ven towards the sea shore, and on our left the seats
of Letterfourie, Cairnfield, and Leechieston House,
whose ornamented grounds agreeably skirt the base
of Altmore, a long ridge of heath-covered hiUs,
which, nearer to Fochabers, is adorned by those mag
nificent and extensive forests, chiefly ; of fir, that
environ Gordon Castle. A delightful glimpse ofthe
low holm land reaching to the mouth of the Spey,
with the viUage of Speymouth on this, and of Gar-
mouth on the other side of that river, and the blue
hills of Caithness over the gleaming waves, was af
forded us as we entered these beautiful woods,
through which the road winds delightfully to
Fochabers, a clean, thriving, little village, as
suming, under the auspices of his Grace of Gor
don, the manners and appearance of a provincial
town. It closely adjoins the proud domain of
Gordon Castle, to which an embattled archway
and lodges give entrance, through a scene of syl
van beauty, immediately on leaving tlje town.
The mansion, esteemed the finest north of the
Forth, both in extent and decorations, is a mag-

80 THE SPEY  BADENOCH.
nificent modern structure appended to the original
tower of the eleventh century, which still sternly
overlooks the rest of the buUding and its embower
ing woods, as if it yet remembered its early days,
when the morass of the Bog-an-Gicht formed at
once its cincture and its defence. Castle Gordon
is situated on the eastern side ofthe valley, through
which the rapid Spey pours its torrent to the sea,
descending from the mountain-wilds of Badenoch.
Towards these our eye wandered, anxious to pierce
the mist that hung on their hoary summits; while,
from the handsome bridge* which here crosses the
river, the viUages of Speymouth and Garmouth are
seen at its mouth, through a vista of interjacent
woods, which clothe its banks of brecciated sand
stone on either side ; though, since summer weather
had shorn the mountain stream of half its strength,
we admired the loveliness, rather than the grandeur
of the scene. We crossed a finely cultivated plain,
having before us a ridge rendered darkly beautififl by

* This bridge was destroyed a few weeks subsequently to
our transit over it, by that vast and overwhelming flood, which in
August devastated so large a portion of the fine land of Moray.

ELGIN. 81
the mountain-loving fir, whose shade we soon enjoy
ed, and continued to do so till a gentle descent led
us into a plain fertile and full of beauty, the ground
gently rising on the sea-side, and terminating in
heath-covered hills on the other. On attaining a
gentle eminence, the venerable and beautiful city of
Elgin lay before us, at the distance of three or four
miles, under the ridge of a well- wooded hill, and won
our favour, while yet far off, by the conspicuous fa
bric of its modern Church, and Grey's Hospital ; and
yet more so, by the magnificent ruins of its far-
famed Cathedral, which, every step we took, be
came more distinctly visible. After we had pass
ed the delightfully rural village of Urquhart,
our road led us directly through the beautiful valley
to the city, whose entrance has on the right the
precincts and ruins of the Cathedral, and whose
houses in the central and principal street, all bear
the impress of remote antiquity and fallen gran
deur. July 18. — From our inn, which was situated di
rectly opposite the large modern Church and anti-
q^uated Tolbooth, which occupy the centre of the
main street of the city, we proceeded to visit the
D 2

82 ELGIN CATHEDRAL.
truly interesting and elegant remains of the Cathe
dral Church of Elgin, the seat of the See of Mo
ray, which far surpasses all other ecclesiastical re
mains in Scotland, in loftiness and extent, in im
pressive magnificence and elaborate decoration ;
yet, unlike them, it owes its ruinous state not
to fanatical fury, but to the sacrilegious man
date of a niggardly statesman, to convert the lead
of its roof into more precious metal. The sea,
however, became a robber in its turn, and engulfed
the vessel, freighted with this profane cargo on her
voyage to HoUand.
Two lofty quadrangular towers flank the beauti
ful western gate, over which no longer exists the
great A window; but the bases of the columns
distinctly indicate the ground flat of the buUding,
up to the steps of the altar, above which the east
ern a window, appears very entire. On the south
side of this, in excellent preservation, is St.
Mary's aisle, the cemetery of the Gordon famUy,
where many of their ancestors grimly repose in
shapely stone: — mailed chieftains with their hands
closed in prayer, and dogs and lions couchant at
their feet, in the true old sepulchral style of herald-

ELGIN CATHEDRAL. 83
ry, — and curious representations of angels rudely
painted upon stone, yet remain to attest the bygone
splendour of the place. On the north side of the
altar, a passage by the vestry and lavatory leads in
to the chapter house, a most elegant building, sup
ported by a single-fluted column, corresponding
with the ribs of the roof, which, as well as the
arched seats of the Bishop and other dignitaries, are
most minutely sculptured and highly decorated. The
windows are large ; and the one which alone is per
fect, speaks volumes of the splendour of its seven
brethren when entire. In this lofty hall have been
collected all the fragments of sculpture, which have
been from time to time rescued from the rubbish,
in which after their faU they were buried; a grape-
bearing vine and cluster of pomegranates, a large
dog, and heads of imaginary monsters, as well as of
men, both sinners and saints, the one expressive of
placid resignation and Christain meekness, the other
writhing under all the inflictions of purgatorial pur
ification, might, from the intricate and exquisite
beauty of their workmanship, well compete with the
ornaments of fair Melrose. An extensive and fre
quented cemetery environs these beautiful ruins, a-

84 SPYNIE CASTLE.
mong which we also noticed several colossal figures
of prelates and warriors considerably defaced, some
masses of masonry, remnants of the great tower,
and an alien curiosity — a Pictish stone of grey
granite, rudely sculptured, dug up in the street of
Elgin a few years ago. Leaving these sacred pre
cincts, with a sigh over their shameful dUapidation,
by deliberate robbery and frigid indifference, we
passed the ruined walls of the Bishop of Moray's
Palace, which nearly adjoin them, and crossed
the river Lossie. Winding round some fir-clothed
banks, we enjoyed a beautiful view of the town
of Elgin, as, proceeding over some cultivated lands,
we did soon after of the whole champaign of
Moray, from the bank above the reedy marsh of
the Loch of Spynie. Near this are considerable
remains of Spynie Castle, the Palace of the Bishops
of Moray, consisting of a large square tower, yclept
David's, a court- yard, &c. all in a state of utter di
lapidation and hopeless decay. Returning by the di
rect road to Elgin, we recrossed the Lossie under the
Lady's hiU, a conical and verdant knoU, crested by
the low ruined wall of an ancient fortress, called the
Castle of Elgin, near which is the elegant Gothic

PRIORY OF PLUSCARDINE. 85
Episcopalian Chapel. Passing, at the west end
ofthe town, the square, conspicuous, modern erec
tion of Grey's Hospital, surmounted by a cupola,,
and answering the purposes of a dispensary as well
as an infirmary, we entered upon those fertile and,
smiling fields which so eminently distinguish the
champaign of Moray, through which we reached,
in a recess of fir-crowned hUls, a most delightfully
sequestered valley, watered by the streamlet of
Lochty. On the northern bank of this rivulet, un
der a wooded hill, stand the august remains of the
Priory of Pluscardine, whose architecture boasts
peculiar elegance. This edifice has been renewed in.
many places by Lord Fife,' who once intended to
convert a part of the ruins into a place of occasional
residence ; but the work has been left unfinished,
and probably will not speedily be resumed. The re
fectory is now used as a Chapel of Ease to Elgin, the
massive pulpitof whose Cathedral, bearingdate 1684,
it contains. The Chapter House is supported by a
single slender pillar, and partakes of the style of
simple elegance which characterizes the rest of the
building. The Church has lost one wing, but is
otherwise tolerably perfect, and exhibits some cui

86 PRIORY OP PLUSCARDINE.
rious specimens of rude painting, similar to that at
Elgin. The spacious precincts of this beautiful fa
bric are stiU surrounded by the original wall, and
contain a sweet flower garden, highly ornamental,
and most appropriate for the scene of one of Har
vey's meditations. The substantial castellated man
sion of Westertoun, (Colonel Hay,) stands a little
higher up on the other side the valley, which, clad
in the most gorgeous sunshine, formed a lovely
picture. Reluctantly quitting this secluded dell, we
returned by the same route to Elgin, whose towers
were visible nearly the whole of the way. Putting
our own horses in requisition, we quitted this
venerable city, recrossed the Lossie, and pro
ceeded along its fertile vale, till we entered the
sylvan scene of Quarry Wood, on a ridge of pale
sandstone, much used for building purposes, being
very elegant and durable.
On emerging from this tangled wilderness, we
found ourselves on the side of a sloping bank,
whence we commanded a most extensive view of
the whole lower part of Moray, from Lossie
mouth to Kinloss on our right, having in the dis
tance the wild hills of Sutherland and Ross-

KINLOSS ABBEY  SWENo's STONE. 87
shire, — the most prominent object before us
was the Pharos, in honour of Nelson, upon a
woody conical hill above Forres. We proceed
ed through cultivated lands by the Kirk of Alves,
until on our left the old tower of Burgle Castle
rose out of the woods which surround the mo
dern house of the same name, and in the remote
distance appeared Darnaway forest, and the hills
beyond ; while on our right, we distinctly traced
the ruins of the once opulent Abbey of Kinloss,
where Edward the First stopped in his career of
conquest, and lived six weeks with its reverend in
mates. Beyond this the river Findhorn, widening
into an estuary, rolled to the sea, upon its junction
with which it gives its name to the little fishing town
we sawupon its eastern bank. Advancing towards
Forres, a tall grey stone attracted our notice ; and
we turned aside a few yards on the Findhorn road,
to inspect more minutely this curious relic of a bar
barous age, which some antiquarians suppose to com
memorate the assassination of King Duff, others,
the pacification here concluded between Malcolm
Second, and Sweno the Scandinavian Sea-king,
whence the obelisk which is ofthe indigenous pale

88 SWENO's STONE — FORRES.
sandstone, 20 feet in height, coated by grey lichen,
and shaped like a sword blade blunted at the point,
has popularly obtained the name of Sweno's stone.
The numerous figures of men and horses, &c. on
one side, and the Runic knots and two larger figures
on the other, though stUl wonderfully distinct, are
not sufficiently clear to put the controversy respect
ing this celebrated stone beyond doubt. An ex
ceUent plate has been lately given of this curiosity
in the Monumenta Antiqua of the Antiquarian So
ciety. On entering Forres, we found it a neat clean
town, though of great antiquity and little com
merce, consisting of one long straight street, with a
town-house and steeple in the middle. Having
refreshed, we left the town, and crossed a fertUe
vale, through which the impetuous mountain
stream, the Findhorn,* seeks the sea, after flowing
through the mountains of Badenoch, and the vast
solitudes of the royal forests. We presently cross-

• This stream also broke its banks about a fortnight after we
crossed it, and carried away its bridge, overflowing the whole of
the- fertile flat between its channel and the town of Forres.

CULBIN SANDS  DARNAWAY CASTLE. 89
ed this stream by a handsome bridge of three arches,
and when in sight of Brodie House, deviated into
the vast and magnificent pine forests which surround
the haudsome Gothic mansion of Darnaway Castle,
a most comfortable seat of the Earl of Moray,
conjoined, in excellent taste, with the fine old hall
of the fourteenth century, 78 feet by 40, and 40
feet high, buUt by Earl Randolph, Regent of Scot
land, and capable of containing 1000 men at arms.
It retains its primitive simplicity, in its freestone
floor, and pure Norman ceiling, of small beams of
ebon oak or Spanish chestnut, certainly a very
great curiosity, and in admirable preservation.
From the roof of the Castle we enjoyed a fine
view of the country, about the truly Libyan de
sert of the Culbin sands, the Moray Firth, and dis
tant hills just visible in the gloaming, and returned
through the woods to Forres to sleep.
July 19. — Quitted Forres ; and leaving San
quhar House on our left, proceeded through the
cultivated meadow-grounds which stretch between
^ the town and the Findhorn. On approaching this
stream, we saw on our right the sand-hills of Cul
bin, the lasting memorial of the overwhelming by

90 HOAR MOOR.
the sea-sand of an estate as fine as that of Earl
Godwin in Kent, about the same time at which
that remarkable event occurred — A.D. 1100.
On our left, stretched far away the vast forests
of Darnaway and Drumeyend.
Soon after crossing the Findhorn, we passed the
house and woods of Brodie of that Ilk, and then
entered upon the Hard or Hoar Moor — one of the
most desolate and hopeless tracts of waste land any
where to be seen, and the same which the Bard of
Avon has so impressively connected with the des
tiny of Macbeth, the scene of whose interview with
the weird sisters is pointed out as having taken
place at a grove of pines, about two hundred yards
to the north of the post road, near the toll-bar.
The spot is as "bare and blasted" as the sombre ima
gination of tl*3 poet could desire for the scene of a
prophecy, which he describes as acquiring such ter
rible influence over the future actions of the fated
regicide ; yet the eye roves over it with that in
tense interest which it is the glorious attribute of
genius to confer on every foot of earth it Ulustrates.
This scene is enhanced by the magnificent prospect
of the wild mountains of Ross-shire, among which

NAIRN  CAWDOR CASTLE. 91
the majestic Ben Wyvis rises proudly in the dis
tance over the entrance to the Bay of Cromarty,
distinctly marked at this spot by a considerable
fissure in the rugged sea-cliffs of the Moray Firth,
about ten miles across. Immediately before us
appeared the ruined walls of Inchoch Castle ; and,
gradually descending into a weU-cultivated plain,
we passed the neat viUa of Boath and the village
of Auldearn, and in a few miles crossed the alder-
fringed Water of Nairn, by an inelegant bridge,
and entered the ill-paved, straggling, little sea-port
of Nairn ; which, however, possessed so excellent
an inn as to induce us to remain there for the night.
In the evening we drove across the Water of Nairn,
and over some cultivated fields, st udded with fir
and other plantations, to the sequestered viUage of
Calder on the Calder Water, from whose rocky
and truly picturesque banks, the ancient Castle of
Calder or Cawdor rises in venerable state, a plain,
spacious, sombre building, surrounding a large
square, battlemented tower, built around the Haw
thorn in 1454.* The Castle bears a proud place in

* The legend of the foundation of Cawdor Castle is extremely
curious. It is said that the original proprietor being anxious to

92 CAWDOR CASTLE  KILRAVOCK.
Scottish history and tradition, and never having un
dergone any modern improvement, affords a fine
specimen of the true baronial Castle of the feudal
times, appropriately approached by a narrow draw
bridge, and environed on all sides by tufted trees,
many of which are probably coeval with the man
sion itself.
Upon the beautiful banks of Calder also stands
the Castle of Kilravock, a modern seat of the
family of Rose, retaining only its ancient site

build a house, and not knowing where to pitch it, was directed by a
dream to load an ass with all the money he possessed, to turn it
loose, and following its footsteps, to build his castle upon the spot
where the animal should eventually rest. After strolling from one
thistle to another, the animal arrived at last beneath the branches
of a hawthorn tree, where, fatigued with the weight upon its back,
it lay down to rest. The space around the tree was immediately
cleared for building, the foundation laid, and a tower erected. The
tree, however, was preserved, and is still shewn, divested of its
branches, in a vaulted apartment at the bottom of the principal
tower. Its roots branch out beneath the floor, and its top is car
ried through the vaulted arch of stone, in such a manner as to make
it appear beyond dispute that the tree stood as it now does be
fore the tower was erected. Great reverence is paid to it ; and it
is customary, on drinking to the prosperity of the house of Caw
dor, to use the phrase, " Success to the Hawthorn." All houses
have what is called a roof-tree, but it is certainly a rarity to find
one with what may be called a foundation-tree.

NAIRN  CASTLE OP DALCROSS. 93
and name, and embosomed in extensive planta
tions. We returned to Nairn as the sun was
setting behind the mighty mountains of Ross-shire,
which formed the glorious scene on which, through
out the day, our eyes had delighted to dwell.
Nairn is understood to have undergone many
mutations as to its site, all corroborative of the
encroachment of the sea upon this coast. It is so
exactly on the frontier of the Highlands, that the
Gaelic language is spoken at one end of it, and the
English or Lowland Scots at the other.
July 20. — On leaving Nairn we entered upon a
tract of moor, whose mud huts, frailly constructed,
adjoining to the unfenced cultivated patch and
turf-stack, told us we had now reached the High
lands, and offered a strong contrast to the whiten
ed and well-built cottages of the Moray peasantry.
On our left spread the valley, on whose other side
appeared a range of moorish hills, principaUy cov
ered with fir, amongst which we discerned the
Castle of Dalcross, a venerable pile, similar to, and
probably coeval with, Cawdor Castle ; while on our
right, the entrance to the Cromarty Firth shewed
us the Arce Finium, Imperii Romani, as marked

94 CAMPBELLTOWN  FORT GEORGE.
on our map. Beyond this rose in stern array the
wild hills of Ross-shire ; while the blue hills of
Caithness stretched dimly in the northern horizon.
After crossing the moors we descended into
CampbeUtpwn, a paltry village on the shore of the
Moray Firth ; and entered the long, low, gravelly
peninsula, at the extreme point of which lies Fort
George, erected in 1747 — 9, at an expense of
L. 160,000, to keep the clans in check. It covers fif
teen acres, mounts eighty eighteen-pounders, and
some thirteen-inch mortars ; is capable of contain
ing 3000 soldiers, but is at present garrisoned
by little more than 100, one of whom conduct
ed us over the whole works. The bastions are
four in number ; and on three sides the ramparts
are surrounded by the sea, which can be intro
duced at pleasure for the security of the citadel.
Every precaution seems to have been taken for the
comfort of the garrison, both as regards defence and
sustenance ; but the adjacent heights above Camp-
belltown would be extremely annoying if planted
with artUlery ; and access may, with little risk, be
obtained from the shore behind the flag-staff, so as
to harass, if not endanger the garrison. Opposite

FORTROSE  CASTLE STUART. 95
to the Fort, the little Cathedral city of Fortrose lies
behind a bank, under which stands the viUage of
Rosemarkie. The breadth of the strait here scarce
ly exceeds a mile, so that that part of the Moray
Firth which stretches from hence down to Inverness
appears like a vast inland lake, rather than an arm
of the sea. Altogether, it is a beautiful and enchant
ing scene, which we contemplated from the pebbly
beach, during the time our horses refreshed in the
adjoining village; on our right rose the Ross-shire
mountains, before us lay the Moray Firth, over
whose waters the spires of Inverness were distinct
ly seen, backed by the great ridge of Drumalbin,
and the vast mass of Mealfourvounie ; whUe on our
left, stretched the low range of moorish hiUs above
Culloden. Repassing CampbeUtown, we proceeded over stony
and sterile land, dUigently cultivated, along the side
of the Moray Firth, tUl we came to Castle Stuart,
a ruined residence of Lord Moray, once a stately
edifice, though neither embattled nor extensive, yet
commanding a beautiful view of the mountains of
Ross-shire, and the dark rocks of Elan-dhu, or the
Black Isle, which extends between Cromarty and

yb CULLODEN HOUSE.
the Beauly Firth, the entrance to which is here seen
for the first time. Proceeding onwards, on our left,
we saw Culloden House, surrounded hy wood ; be
yond which^ on the hill of heather, immediately be
hind the house, lies the battle-field of " gory Cul
loden," where the hopes of the House of Stuart
were finally and for ever extinguished by the de
feat of the Highland army which had made so en
ergetic and so romantic an efibrt to restore it.* As

* It is somewhat singular that this catastrophe should have taken
place on the estate of the very man who had so eflfectually exerted
his influence to thwart and haffle all measures for the restoration of
the exiled family. It will readily be understood that we allude to
Duncan Forbes of Culloden, Lord President of the Court of Ses
sion, who was one ofthe most enlightened men of his time. Born
in the Highlands, he lived much among his countrymen, gained an
intimate knowledge of their habits, and by his virtue, wisdom, and
probity, obtained an influence over them almost incredible. His
*' pen and ink, and tongue, and some reputation," as he himself ex
pressed it, contributed more than any thing else to the suppression
of the Rebellion ; breaking the union of the clans ; overawing
some ; crossing and checking the intentions of others, and retard
ing and preventing their rising en masse, to which they had every
inclmation. He represented to the Highland Chieftains the folly
of sacrificing their lives, and, what was dearer to them, their clans,
in a rash and unsupported enterprise, in which they were deceived
by their French alUes ; deserted by many whose courage evaporated
in drinking healths, and, more particularly, by t]ie English Jaco
bites, who promised every thing, and performed nothing. It was by a

INVERNESS. 97
we advanced, the opening of the Firth of Beauly
disclosed to us a scene of extreme beauty and wild
magnificence, continuing tUl we passed the con
spicuous modern house of Mr. Lauchlan M'Intosh ;
beyond which, the line of hiUs descending in a south
westerly direction, as far as Mealfourvounie, indi
cated the situation of the Great Glen of Scotland.
We shortly after entered Inverness, the great cyno
sure of all the roads, being in fact the capital of the
Highlands. July 21. — Remained at Inverness while our
horses rested ; and, as an accumulation of letters

statement of obvious facts, and not by an attack on established
principles, that he prevented the rising of many clans, and para
lysed the exertions of the rest. Thus, the only ar^raents by which
the President prevailed on so many to remain neutral, while others
risked all in a desperate cause, were drawn from his knowledge of
the world, and of the views and resources of the opposite parties ;
for he knew too well the character ofthe persons he addressed to en
deavour to change their opinions, or induce them to dissemble their
sentiments. That such services were neglected and slighted by
Government must remain an indelible stain on the memory of the
men in power at that period. It is said that when this great and
good man was recommending clemency and moderation in the pun
ishment of the misguided men about to suffer for their infatuation,
and stating his services as a claim to be heard, he was contemptu
ously asked, "What were his services, and what they were worth ?"
" Some think them worth three crowns," was his laconic answer.

98 INVERNESS  LANGUAGE.
awaited our arrival, and our Itinerary required
continuation, we had no reason to regret our de
tention. During our short stay, however, we had
occasion to remark the enviable singularity of dia
lect, which distinguislies this place and the adjacent
district. TJie language of Inverness has been long con
sidered as peculiarly elegant, a circumstance usu
ally ascribed to the naturalization of Cromwell's
soldiers, who are said to have introduced English
into common use in this remote district. The
great lexicographer himself remarked this purity of
dialect ; * but we must ever regret tliat he should
have lent the sanction of his illustrious name to a
supposition so vague aud unsupported, as that by
which it has been attempted to solve this singular
fact. Unless it can be sliown that the Protector's
army was recruited from that rank of society
whose mode of speech is in nowise influenced by
the mere circumstance of locality, or that every part
of England was at one time free from a taint of

* See Johnson's Journey to the Western Islands of Scotland,
in the eighth volume of Murphy's edition of his Works, p. 233.

FIRTH OF BEAULY. 99
provincialism, the conjecture falls. In this district,
English was formerly a supernumerary tongue ; nay
even yet it is so, to a large proportion of the lower
orders. Why not, therefore, ascribe the purity
with which it is spoken to the circumstance of its
being grammatically taught, and never heedlessly
employed ? Gaelic indeed falls harshly upon the
unaccustomed ear ; but it is a powerful and ex
pressive tongue, and the fervour of the idiom when
engrafted on English, gives to the latter a flowing
cadence of a singularly insinuating and poetical
character. July 22 — Upon quitting Inverness, we crossed
the Caledonian Canal, near its termination at Clach-
nahai'ry, and enjoyed a fine view up the Moray
Firth, which M'e shortly exchanged for that of the
Beauly Firth, appearing like a fine inland lake ;
beyond whose crested billows appeared Red Castle
and its woods, backed by Ben Wyvis and the
Ross-shire mountains, a most splendid view, which
continued to enchant us, till we exchanged it for a
scene of inland beauty, hills of dark fir above Tor-
radale, and the groves of Lovat. Farther onward
the woody Glen Strath-Farrar opened before us, as

100 PALLS OF KILMORACK — BEAULY.
we crossed the Bridge of Beauly, and ascended
through a pine grove, to the lovely and romantic
scene of the Falls of KUmorack, a dark, irregular,
and tortuous chasm, beautifully fringed by native
birch and copsewood, through which a large volume
of water rushes with incessant rapidity. The river
Beauly, • after descending twenty feet, in one un
broken sheet, and having forced its passage through
this chasm, is seen to glide majestically through a
wooded dale, to mingle its waters with that arm of
the Moray Firth to which it gives its name. Re
turning from this sweet spot to the bridge, we
entered the plain, in the centre of which, at the
head of the Beauly Firth, stands the little town of
Beauly, with its ruined though spacious Priory, in
the form of a cross, and tolerably entire.
Leaving Beauly, we crossed a moor, and re
marked two rude obelisks due east and west,
commemorative of a coniiict between the Erasers
and M'Intoshes ; on our left lay the barren Elan-
dhu, or the Black Isle ; before us rose the awful form
ef Ben Wyvis, with its clouded brow. We pre
sently entered the vale of Conon, a most lovely
scene of sequestered beauty, retiring far away

STBATHCONON  DINGWALL. lOI
among the fantastic shapes of the interminable
uiountains of Wester Ross, extending to the shore
of the Atlantic ; while before us, in the more fer
tUe and lowland tract of Easter Ross, which we
were now traversing, lay the beautiful lawns and
wood-crowned crags of Brahan Castle, (Mr. Stewart
Mackenzie,) on the banks of Conon Water. After
passing through the woods of Conon House,
we crossed this river at the Bridge of Conon, a
little before its junction with the Cromarty Firth ;
and proceeding along the northern shore of this
noble estuary, we soon reached Dingwall, a dirty
old town at the bottom of the fine Glen of Strath-
pefFer, where we remained for the night.
July 23. — On leaving Dingwall, we remarked an
obelisk opposite the kirk, indicating the burial
place of the Earl of Cromarty, who, eccentric in
death as in life, there lies entombed ; and proceeded
dose under some low copsewood-covered crags of
brecciated sandstone, along the shore of the most
extended part — sinus longe reductus — of Cromarty
Firth ; on the opposite side of which, the Black
Isle, a tract of dun heather, houseless and treeless,
extended as far as the eye could reach, until we

102 CROMARTY FIRTH.
reached Inchcoulter House, when the expansion of
the Firth into a fine bay, and the bold bluff promon
tories at its mouth, called the Sutors of Cromarty,
forcibly arrested our attention. Bending a little in
land through fertile fields, we reached the vUlage of
Evantown, behind which rose the woods of Novar,
clothing nearly to their summits some lofty and
heathy hills, which attracted notice from their at
tempted embellishment with artificial ruins. Cross
ing a small burn, we passed the Bridge of Alness,
and soon regained the shore of the Firth of
Cromarty; and, from the extreme point of In
vergorden Castle and village, enjoyed a beau
tiful view of the whole length of the fine bay
up to Dingwall, backed by the mountains of Wester
Ross ; and on the other side of the two Sutors and
town of Cromarty, which, though small, gives
its name to that " minced shire," a portion of which
it occupies. As we proceeded along the shore of
this part of the bay, which here expands into a
large basin, the entrance between the Sutors gave
us a distant view of the coast of Moray, with the
mountains of Badenoch in the remote distance.
Upon quitting, at KUmuir Kirk, the banks of

FIRTH OF DORNOCH  TAIN. 193
this noble estuary, we proceeded across fertile fields
by Logic Kirk, where we entered the extensive
plantations, chiefly of fir and birch, which environ
the mansions of Balnagown and Calrossie, both
belonging to the famUy of Ross. Passing a burn,
beautifully fringed with alders, in the western dis
tance we descried the bold hills of Ross, whUe more
near to us rose some moorish hills, the boundaries
of the extensive fir woods we were traversing.
On emerging from them, we entered upon a
heathy plain, whence we saw the expanse of the
Firth of Dornoch, and beyond it the city of Dor
noch and the white walls of Dunrobin Castle, and
behind these the wild hills and granitic peaks
of Sutherland, and the Maiden Pap of Caithness ;
while on our right, the peninsula of Tarbet, with its
little village and prominent lighthouse, was seen
jutting out into the sea. We now approached Tain,
the county town of Ross, on the southern and
sandy shore of the Firth of Dornoch, about a mile
from the sea, boasting a considerable Academy for
the youth of Ross, and the extremely perfect re
mains of the Chapel of St. Duthus, at the back of
the inn in which we sojourned for the night.

104 KYLE OF DORNOCH.
July 24. — Having cleared the intricacies of Tain,
we began to ascend the southern side of the Kyle
of Dornoch, on the opposite shore of which we saw
the once episcopal city of Dornoch, with its steeple,
its tower, and its whitened cottages, beyond which
appeared the Castle of Dunrobin, backed by woods,
and by the wild hiUs of Sutherland. Our route
continued close to the water's edge, skirted occa
sionally by fertile fields, or by crags of pale stri
ated sandstone, beautifully overgrown by tangled
shrubs and wild flowers.
After passing Eddertoun Kirk, a bold mountain -
ridge rose before us, ending in the fir-clothed pro
montory of Ardmore, jutting far into the Kyle of
Dornoch, which, on crossing the foot of this ridge,
appeared to us as a great inland lake, or continen
tal river, rather than an arm of the sea. Its rugged
andprecipitous banks were fringeddown to the waves
with natural thickets of birch and oak ; whUe im
mediately opposite to us the ruined cottages and
cotton-mill of the beautiful little glen of Spin-
ningdale, enlivened the scene, which was filled up in
the distance by the awful solitudes which environ
Loch Shin, and form the Forest of Dirry Meanach.

BONAR BRIDGE. ]05
Winding round the southern shore of the Kyle,
through natural woods of weeping birch, we came to
the little viUage of Kincardine, whence we enjoyed
a fine view of the dun ridge we had passed, the
conical hUl of Creech, the Kyle itself, and Bonar
Bridge, planned by Mr. Telford. This bridge,
of three arches, two of stone on the south, and
one of iron, 150 feet in span, on the north, was con
structed for the conveyance of cattle, &c. to the
south. All beasts used formerly to be driven into
the stream, which is here deep and rapid though
narrow, and made to swim across.
Descending from Kincardine, we crossed this
structure, and entered Sutherland through a small
cluster of houses around Bonar Inn, and began
to descend the northern side of tlie Kyle of Dor
noch, by the Kirk of Creech, near which is a rude
obelisk, supposed to record some Danish Sea-king's
death. Beyond this we entered a beautiful na
tural wood of oak and birch, clothing the whole side
of a steep cliff, around whose middle we wound,
enjoying fine and extensive views of all the low
er part of the Kyle, down to the place where it
expands into the Firth of Dornoch, as well as of
B 2

106 SPINNINGDALE.
the mountain ridge, now nearly opposite to us, and
its fir-crowned promontory, beyond which we saw
the town of Tain, and more distantly and indis
tinctly Tarbet. On emerging from the wood, we
descended into the deserted hamlet of Spinningdale,
and crossed the crystal flood which laves the walls
of its whitened cottages, though it spurned the
trammels of commerce, as the ruined cotton factory
and roofless houses sufficiently attest.
We continued our route across the ridges of
those dun, craggy, and heath-covered hills which
rise somewhat abruptly from the shore of the Kyle,
and soon descended into the fertile plain around
Ospisdale, decorated by many groves of fine trees,
so numerous as to render the road an avenue,
wherein a tall rude stone is very conspicuous.
The little creeks which indent the shore of the
Kyle, are all fringed with wood, which around
the house of Skibo is very luxuriant. Beyond
Clashmore Inn, where the vast estate of the Earl
dom of Sutherland commences, we deviated from
the road to Dornoch, and ascended some wild
moorish uplands, whence we enjoyed a most mag
nificent view, over Dornoch and its Firth, of the

LOCH FLEET  THE MOUND. 107
whole of Easter Ross, Cromarty, Tarbet, and
Tain, and, in the remote distance, of the coast of
Moray. On rejoining the road from Dornoch to Golspie,
our prospect was delightfuUy extended over the
whole Firth of Dornoch, a part of the Northern
Ocean, and the beautiful bay wherein stands the
vUlage of Golspie, and the magnificent woods a-
round Dunrobin Castle, clothing the sides of the
dun mountains, even up to their cragged summits.
Proceeding through a grove of fir, we descended
upon Loch Fleet, an arm of the sea, whose inland
extent has been considerably curtailed by a mound
or breakwater of recent construction, over which,
the road has been conducted, greatly to the comfort
of those who wish to avoid the risk and inconveni
ences of the Ferry. The land which has been re
claimed by this expensive process, is as yet only
a salt marsh, where the heron was seeking his
prey, and the valley only a vista into a recess of
those wild cragged hills, whose clothing of purple
heather makes them appear dark and dun even in
sunshine, and awfully lurid during a summer
storm. We passed at the foot of these masses of

108

GOLSPIE  DUNROBIN.

breccia, for such are the hiUs here, along a fertile
plain, and through the little fishing-town of Gol
spie, to a sweet recess in the sylvan shades around
Dunrobin Castle. Here, by the side of a wimp-
ling burn, whose waters exhibited that dark amber
tinge, which generally characterizes . mountain
streams after a long season of dry weather, stands
the comfortable little Inn of Golspie, which we
sought as our resting-place for the night.
July 25. — On quitting the sheltered nook which
contains Golspie Inn, we ascended through fine
woods to the level lawns of Dunrobin, studded
with ancient trees, of a size and number which,
considering their vicinity to the sea, may be con
sidered extraordinary, and which extend from the
shore itself nearly to the summit of the rugged
heath-crowned hills that rise to the north. We
skirted their base, after passing the castellated en
trance to Dunrobin Castle, of whose whitened walls
and slated roof the avenue afforded us a transient
view. Nearer to the shore we saw one of those
monuments of remote and barbarous times, called
Pictish cairns, a huge tumulus, profusely cover
ed with loose stones which may once have form-

PICTISH CAIRN  BRORA. 109
ed a building on the summit of the mound. But
whether antiquarian research may ultimately de
cide these tumuli to have been intended for strong
holds in war, or sepulchres after death, the contem
plative mind must feel that indefinable and myster
ious sensation, produced by the view of structures
which have outlived the history of the people who
reared them.
Though the morning was far advanced before
we left Golspie, the inist still hung in dense masses
upon the mountains, and rolled in fantastic wreaths
adown their dark sides, as the sun graduaUy dis
persed the vapour and shone clear throughout the
afternoon. Continuing our course along the shore,
we crossed a partially cultivated tract, studded
all over with trim gardens and snug cottages, around
many of which the woodbine was beginning to twine ;
whUe on our left, rugged knoUs rose crowned with
firs, backed by the dark mountain masses, (among
which Craig Harold appeared most conspicuous,)
which environ and seclude Loch Brora. From this a
coal-tinged rivulet flows rapidly through the moor
ish plain we were now crossing to the sea, near
which stand the salt-pans and little fishing-town

110 PORT GOWER.
of Brora. We proceeded onwards through the
same scene of cottages and cultivation, passing on
our left Clyne Kirk, at the foot of the heath-cover
ed hills which here run parallel to the sea for many
miles, the interjacent space being remarkably weU
fenced and farmed. Cultivation has been carried as
far as possible up the mountain-side, and the farm-
steadings are all substantially built and well kept.
Of these farms we had an excellent view, as the
road wound round the hills, following the indent
ations of their ravines, at a considerable height a-
bove the shore, commanding, across the waves, a
distant view of the coast of Moray. Passing Clyne
Mill and Lothbeg, whose vale contains a pictur
esque water-mill, we reached Loth Kirk, and staid
to refresh our horses at the neat little fishing viUage
of Port Gower, which, as its name imports, owes
its origin to the Lady of Sutherland, by marriage
the Marchioness of Stafford, of whose improve
ments in this remote region we were now wit
nesses. All that wealth and influence can do to
render the idle vassals of a feudal chieftain, indus
trious members of a civilized community, has been
done ; but it is no easy task to teach men, habit-

HELMSDALE — KILDONAN. Ill
uated from infancy to tend herds on the hill-side,
to drag for subsistence in the deep sea; or to convert
aU at once a pastoral and poetical people, into a
plodding and commercial race.
Proceeding under the cliffs upon the coast from
Port Gower, we passed the ruins of an old Castle
of the Earls of Sutherland, and reached the flourish
ing fishing viUage of Helmsdale, situated on a rapid
river of the same name, flowing from the moun
tainous district of Kildonan, celebrated for the
hardihood and primitive manners of its inhabitants.
Beyond this, we came to the deU of Navidale,
the last arable farm, in this direction, on the Earl
dom of Sutherland, sentinelled by the bold rock of
Craig Horrodale, at the place where the road begins
to wind around the face of the seaward precipices
of that stupendous mountain, which terminates in
the bold rocky promontory called the Ord of Caith
ness, and which, about the centre, is cleft by a deep
ravineto itsvery base, dividing thecounty of Suther
land from Caithness. This remote angle of Great
Britain is now approached by an excellent road,
cut in the face ofthe mountain, just under its brow,
whence a most magnificent view is obtained of the

112 THE ORD OF CAITHNESS.
expanse of the ocean, and southward, of the distant
coast of Moray. The prospect becomes more ex
tensive when we attain the table-land on the summit
of the mountain, along which the road is conducted.
Crossing Ousedale, a heathy glen, affording shelter
to a few cottages, and bearing a few stunted birches
and willows, we entered on an open moor, whence
we discerned, at no great distance, on our left, the
lofty ridges of Moorven and Scarrabin, and that
remarkable volcanoideal mountain called the Maid
en Paps of Caithness, to whose peculiar configur
ation the setting sun added unusual lustre, as we
began to descend by a tortuous and somewhat ab
rupt road into the sweetly secluded dell of Berridale,
whose sides are clothed with natural wood, as lux
uriant as the climate will permit ; beneath whose
shade a mountain rill steals down to the sea.
On the hill above, stands the shapeless ruin of
a stronghold of the Sutherlands of Langwell, the
ancient lairds of Berridale.*

* According to tradition, the lairds of Berridale were a gigantic
race. One of them, William More Sutherland, prior to his departure
for Orkney, on a military expedition, in which he fell with his chief,
the Earl of Caithness, left two stones nine feet asunder, expressive
as well as commemorative of his stature, which are to this day call
ed the Long Grave.

BERRIDALE. 113
Descending the woody banks of this ravine,
and crossing the rivulet near its junction with the
sea, in the depth of the woody dell, we reached the
Inn of Berridale.
July 26. — As we ascended the winding road
which leads up out of Berridale, by the Mission
Chapel, we enjoyed a beautiful view of that ro
mantic dell, scarcely anywhere expanding into pas
ture land, but uniformly embellished by copsewood
of oak, birch, and larch, though deformed by a castel
lated cottage on one of its fairest knolls. It is bold
ly terminated by the mountain ridge of Scarrabin,'
whose sides are deeply furrowed by winter torrents,
leaving the white rock and dun heather in such
striking contrast, as to make the hill-side appear
from a distance besprent with snow, while, as
we gained the summit of the sea cliffs, the truncat
ed cone of Caithness, and the dark form of Moor
ven appeared distinctly outlined on the western
horizon. Across the dark blue waves, the coast of
Moray, as far as Kinnaird's Head, appeared unusual
ly clear and distinct as we proceeded on our route,
which lay over moorish uplands, whence we com
manded a view ofthe rocky coast of the bay, between
Berridale-ness and Oakhamston Head, indented by

114 DUNBEATH CASTLE.
numerous creeks, but destitute of all sylvan orna
ment. Bleak open tracts, partially cultivated, stretch
ed every way around us as we proceeded, studded
with huts and peat stacks, the one scarcely distin
guishable from the other, for the cottages are built
of turf and stone, and when thatched are secured
by cords of twisted heather thrown across the roof,
and kept in their proper position by stones attach
ed to the end of each, on the sides, and by wood
en pegs at the gables. But these lone shielings are
often only covered with thin sods, taken from the
adjacent heath, and protected from the northern
gales by large flat stones derived from the same
source, and thrown carelessly upon the roof. One
end of the hut is usually semicircular, being made
to contain the kiln, wherein the grain is dried be
fore being ground. This process is effected by
means of the ancient quern or hand-mill, the only
method of reducing grain into meal practised in
this remote and primitive country.
Continuing our route, we passed the whitened
domicile of Dunbeath Castle, on the sea-sliore,
having an avenue of spectral trees, two-deep, in
complete, and mostly defunct ; but even these are
accounted a wonder by aU men and children born

LATHEKON. 1 IS
north of the Ord. We descended into the Creek
of Dunbeath, passed its little fishing vUlage, and as
cended again to the moors, whence we saw the
truncated cone of Caithness, in the western dis
tance ; and bending round the edge of the sea-
cliffs, descended into the Creek of Latlieron,
where a number of boats were drawn up on the
shore, ready to be launched on the morrow in pur
suit of herrings, the staple commodity of Caithness.
Upon the hill above this, appeared the Kirk of
Latheron, apparently much frequented by the
native fishermen ; to promote which desirable ob
ject, its bell has been stationed in a tower much
higher up the hill tlian the edifice itself, that the
sound may have a wider range. In the valley of
Latheron, we observed the ruins of an old castle,
and two rude stones of unequal height, standing at
some distance from each other. Ascending from
thence, we crossed some uplands, partly cultivated,
to Swiney Inn, whence we enjoyed a fine sea view
of the distant coast of the Moray Firth ; and on a
hard hill between us and the sea appeared Lybster,
a little fishing village, the only exception we had yet
seen to the miserable little huts scattered over the

116 PULTENEYTOWN  WICK.
face of the country, which continued to present the
same repulsive and uninteresting features of exten
sive moors, only partially cultivated, and inimical
to every kind of arborescent plant, except heather.
Indeed a stunted plantation of the commonest trees,
no bigger than shrubs, around Lybster House,
mournfully evinced the jejuneness of the soil. After
passing over the bold headlands of Oakhamston
and Clythness, our route continued, as usual, over
a partially cultivated moor, whence the numerous
little creeks, indenting the coast, gave us fre
quent glimpses of the sea, near to which stands
Ulbster, the seat of Sir John Sinclair. As we ap
proached the Lake of Hempriggs, we beheld, for
the first time, beyond the Bay of Keiss, or Sinclair's
Bay, the distant headlands of Sconzie and Dun-
cansbay, and the Orkney Islands ; and more to the
north-west, the lofty ridge of mountains in the
Island of Hoy. Passing the whitened and slated
mansion of Hempriggs, surrounded, but not shel
tered, by a few shrubs, a level plain conducted us
through Pulteneytown (created of late years un
der the auspices of the British Fishery Society) to
Wick, which, being buUt of dark clay-slate, has a

SACRAMENTAL SABBATH. 117
feomewhat gloomy appearance; though this is greatly
counteracted by the bustle of a thriving and in
creasing sea-port, and chief station of the Herring
Fishery in the British Isles. On this holy day the
energies of the inhabitants seemed exclusively de
voted to its due celebration, since we observed, on a
mound in Pulteneytown, a preacher had gathered
a large congregation sub dio around him, while on
the opposite side of the river, the churchyard of
the Kirk of Wick was thronged by the closely
seated auditors, arranged opposite to a simUar
functionary placed in a moveable pulpit, or, as it
is called in Scotland, a " Tent," which is put in
requisition on the occasion of a Sacramental Sab
bath, like the present, when the concourse of peo
ple is so great that the Church cannot suffice to
contain them ; since, according to the practice of the
Scottish Kirk, the Eucharist is distributed in gen
eral only once, and seldom more than twice, in any
one place, in the course of the year.
As we crossed the river which divides Wick from
Pulteneytown, we were deeply impressed with a
sense of respectful sympathy for the feelings of
those who composed the multitude, which on the

118 LOCH WATTEN.
one side occupied the summit of a verdant knoll
above the river, while on the other, the soft turf of
the simple sepulchres, and the flat tombstones scat
tered among them, appeared covered with one
massy cluster of the listening peasantry. There
was a sober sublimity of calmness in the whole at
mosphere around — the sky was pure and unclouded
over head, and in the west only a few small fleecy
clouds floated in richest hues of gold and crimson,
caught from the slow fareweU radiance of the broad
declining sun.
July 27. — Crossing Wick Water, we quitted
Pulteneytown, and the sea at the same time, and
entered upon a level inland plain, tolerably cultivat
ed, but terminated on each side by extensive tracts
of moor. Beyond this, we passed the old Tower of
Ackergill and the little Loch of Newton ; and as we
advanced, descried the mountain-ridges of Hoy in
Orkney. Crossing their moorish uplands, the large
Lake of Watten, and the Kirk and manse on the
bank above it, appeared before us ; and passing to
the south of it we stopped at Dun Inn, near its
north-west extremity, and had' leisure to observe
the bold cliff of Dunnet Head, and the lofty land of

CAUSEWAY MIRE  THURSO. 119
Hoy, while our horses rested. We afterwards pro
ceeded by Loch Scarmclete through the same in
land plain, which stretched away to the south-west
in an interminable tract of moor called Causeway
Mire, beyond which the boundary hills of Suther
land were indistinctly seen. These are in fact the
only mountains Caithness can boast of, for the low
moorish hills, which skirt the vale of Thurso to
the west, can scarcely lay claim to such an appella
tion. Cottages are here less profusely scattered
than on the coast road, but a few farm-houses oc
casionaUy occur. We met groups of women al
most all with golden tresses loose and uncombed,
going to Wick to celebrate the first day of tlie her
ring fishery, which is to the whole of this district
what the harvest is to England, or the vintage to
France, an object of anxious anticipation and sed
ulous employment. We proceeded down the Wa
ter of Thurso, a green valley with two clumps of
stunted trees, till a turn in the road shewed us
the neat little town of Thurso, and the shelterless
residence of Sir John Sinclair, called Thurso East ;
and beyond the Pentland Firth, the precipitous
cliffs and mountain-masses of Hoy. Crossing a

120 THURSO.
bridge of three arches, we entered the town, and
were compelled to accept the homely accommoda
tion which it afforded us, since the principal inn, we
were given to understand, was " thronged," though
no one could account satisfactorily for the unusual
and probably casual influx of strangers at this parti
cular period into the northernmost town in Britain.
July 28. — Early in the morning we crossed
Thurso Water, and proceeded down its eastern
bank to Thurso East, the whitened and embattled
residence of Sir John Sinclair, the superior of the
burgh. On ascending the bank behind this residence,
we enjoyed a fine view of the ancient kirk and re
spectable town of Thurso, and the secure anchor
age of Scrabster roads, under the bold promon
tory of Holborn Head ; nearly opposite to which,
rose the perpendicular cliffs of Hoy in Orkney.
On the bank itself, to the left of the road, ap
peared a battlemented structure like a summer
house, erected by Sir John Sinclair to comme
morate the spot where Harold Earl of Caith
ness was slain and interred, upwards of six centu
ries ago. Proceeding across bleak yet cultivated
uplands to the little viUage of CastlehUl, situated

DUNNET BAY — MEY CASTLE. 121
in a sequestered nook, garnished by a few trees of
stunted growth, and composed of neat cottages, en
tirely constructed of stone, we entered the plan
tations which appertain to CastlehiU, the seat of
Mr. Traill, and form the avenue whereby we ap
proached the sands at the head of Dunnet Bay,
whose lofty promontory of red sandstone is seen
from hence to great advantage, as well as the bold
cliffs of Hoy, across the channel.
Our guide who led our ponies, conducted us a-
cross the sands, which, to those acquainted with
them, afford passage for horses and vehicles at low
water, of about two miles, at the end of which, we
reached the kirk and vUlage of Dunnet. We af
terwards passed the loch of the same name, and
from the moorish uplands beyond, had a fine view
of the mountain ridges of Hoy, and the Pomona or
Mainland of Orkney. We next proceeded by the
loch of Mey and the few scattered huts of Ratter-
burn to the Moss of Mey, between which and the sea
stands Mey Castle, a whitened, slated, and turreted
building of inconsiderable dimensions, the resi
dence of the Earl of Caithness, who has it seems
attempted to belt it with trees, which, however.

122 CANISBAY.
promise never to overtop the low stone-wall that
surrounds them. Beyond the ridge of the Moss of
Mey, which terminates in the promontory of St.
John's Head, we obtained the first view of the
north-eastern point of Britain, Duncansbay Head,
the Virvedrum Promontorium of Ptolemy, ter
minating seaward in a bold cliff, much excavat
ed by the violence of the waves, but clothed with
verdure, and declining gently towards the plain, in
which upon the shore of the little bay, on its west
ern side, lies the far-famed house of John o' Groat,
separated by a peat-moss, from the white sjieck,
which, nearer to us, indicated Houna Inn. Be
tween this and ourselves lay the little bay and kirk
of Canisbay, whose taU steeple rose like a piUar in
the desert, — not directing the people the way to
heaven, but teaching mariners to shun the land.
Beyond this appeared the fine expanse of the Pent
land Firth, studded with the Islands of Stroma,
Swona, South Ronaldsha, and the Pentland Sker
ries, the largest of which bears a fine lighthouse, of
great service in these dangerous seas. Here the
. spirit of the storm holds its wildest revels ; but our
eyes only witnessed the waves gently rufiled by a

HOUNA INN. 123
refreshing breeze, as they fell in sweet yet solemn
cadence on the white sea-beach of the two bays
which lay before us. Descending into the exten
sive plain, indented by these bays, and, land
ward, terminating in bleak moorish uplands, we
passed along a most execrable road, until, at last,
we were forced to abandon the carriage, and mount
our ponies, which, fortunately had accompanied us
in prospect of this very contingency, and crossing
some little creeks, we reached the mUl and kirk of
Canisbay, and riding over some unenclosed fields,
and a rabbit-warren, reached the solitary hut called
Houna Inn, which, as the station of the mail-boat
ferry to Orkney, as weU as being the only place
of refreshment for many miles around, deserves
particular notice, especiaUy as all the pilgrims to
this remote spot must at least rest here, if not re
fresh. Imagine then, a long continuous range of
low huts, forming one domicile, the western end of
which, being white-washed, contains the parlour,
whose stone floor bears a bed, -as well as a fire
place containing a grate. Adjoining to this are
two other rooms of an inferior description, also
appropriated occasionaUy to strangers ; and at the

124 HOUNA — STROMA.
end of the domicile the kitchen, whose black
ened waUs — for the smoke escapes by a central
aperture in the roof — and open fire, strongly rea
lize the idea of a Lapland hut; beyond this
again are some other atra cuhilia, into which we
did not penetrate. Apart from this stands the kiln,
and a little farther off the stable, of which Dr.
M'Culloch's description can scarcely be called a
caricature.* The view from hence is extremely
fine, exhibiting the whole of the gulf between
Hoy and South Ronaldsha, reaching up to the
Pomona or Mainland, and studded with islands, of
which the nearest to the land is Stroma, on whose
shore we saw the natives burning kelp, and ob
served that, though verdant, no trees of any conse
quence contributed to embeUish the gently undul
ating surface of this island. On the other side o*
Canisbay bay, off St. John's point, lay the long reef
of fatal rocks, known by the appeUation of " the
Merry Men of Mey," hidden by the waves, whose
crested foam alone served to indicate their position.

* See the Highlands and Western Isles of Scotland, — vol. ii.
p. 466.

JOHN o' groat's HOUSE. 125
Beyond Stroma is the deadly vortex of Swal-
chie, aud in the middle of the gulf, between Hoy
and South Ronaldsha lies the famous whirlpool
caUed the Wells of Swinna. These, together with
its fierce currents — which in many places run at the
rate of ten knots an hour — and hidden rocks, render
this stormy Firth very formidable to the mariner.
Leaving Houna upon our ponies, we made a circuit
of two mUes to avoid a peat-moss, and proceeding
across a dusky moor, descended through some un
enclosed fields to the sea side.
The shore here forms a little bay between the
point of Houna and the headland of Duncansbay,
nearly in the centre of which, close upon the
beach, a green knoU overgrown with rank grass
and weeds, burdock and Dutch clover, and ex
hibiting traces of the foundations of a somewhat
indefinitely oblong building, claimed and riveted
our best attention, as the site of the object of
our pilgrimage — Taigh Ian Crot Callow — John o'
Groat's House,* which, from its situation, and the
legend connected with it, is perhaps the most cele-
* See Appendix, A.

126 PENTLAND FIRTH.
brated in the whole world, and upon which we
dwelt for some time, enraptured with the scene
before us.
Eastward appeared to slope verdantly down to
the plain the headland of Duncansbay, while seaward
its cliffs rose high, perforated by the raging waves.
Off this point appeared the Pentland Skerries, the
largest of which bears a lighthouse of great utility
on this dangerous coast. With feelings of no com
mon mould did we gaze on the isles of Inistore,
celebrated by the voice of Cona,* and recollect that
the Romans themselves, " the kings of the world,"
had doubled those capeSj and placed their Ultima
Thule itself but one degree farther north. Direct
ly opposite to us, beyond the wide expanse of the
Pentland Firth, lay the little island of Swona, back
ed by the verdant slopes of South Ronaldsha, be
tween which and Hoy was seen to recede the deep
gulf of Scapa Flow, studded with lesser islands, at
the head of which the hiUs above KirkwaU, in the
Pomona or Mainland, were distinctly seen, while
westward lay the nearest island of Stroma; be-
* The poetical name of Ossian.

JOHN o' groat's house. 127
yond which rose the cliffs and mountain ridges of
Hoy, the most elevated land in Orkney.
The beach is here composed entirely of minute
fragments of broken sheUs, which make it appear
so white from a distance ; and which, being con
fusedly jumbled together, and in no case entirely per
fect, would appear the refuse of the Atlantic Ocean,
constantly carried hither by one of those mighty and
mysterious currents which characterize that vast
ocean.* At low water, a range of rocks run into the
sea below the beach, and on these our guide, who had
been accustomed to conduct strangers to this spot
during twenty-five years, said he had seen four men
go down at once close to the shore, without any
possibility of rescue. Having tasted the wave from
a seasheU, we quitted this interesting spot, the pro
perty of Mr. Sinclair of Freswick, who resides at
Dunbeath Castle. Crossing the moors to Houna,
on deviating to avoid the dangerous peat-moss, we

* Here we found abundance of small shells, called by the natives
Johno' Groat's buckies, — the Cypraea pediculus, Trochus papillosus,
and Venus decussata, tolerably entire; also many minute univalve
shells, and the Chama cor, a shell rarely found on the British shores.

128 JOHN o' groat's house.
enjoyed uninterruptedly the enchanting prospect
we have just endeavoured to describe, enhanced
by the bold headlands of Dunnet and St. John,
off which latter point lay those deadly breakers, the
Merry Men of Mey. On returning to Houna we
dined, and departing carried away with us a little
Scotch terrier, of the true and rare species thus
denominated, whom we called John o' Groat, after
the hero of the house, — not after his reputed de
scendant of the same name, a little man, we were
assured, (but whether in reference to his stature or
his substance we could not tell,) who inhabits a
cottage upon the hiU above Houna.
The absence of adequate accommodation, and
other obstacles, repressed the wish our curiosity
dictated of visiting the islands of Orkney, which
appeared so lovely in our sight. Few countries
exhibit such variety of scenery, in a narrow com
pass, as the Orkneys. Hills and valleys, lakes and
streams, are grouped together within the space of
a few miles. But their distinguishing features are
to be found in their rock and sea scenery. These
are indeed magnificent. The ocean, diversified by
numerous capes and bays, sprinkled with verdant

the ORKNEY ISLANDS. 129
islets, presents not the ttvce^iiutv yiXcttrfioi, but di
vested of its usual monotony, appears arrayed in all
the attributes of terrific grandeur. Pressed by a
world of waters through the narrow channels which
separate the numerous islands, the currents setting
in from opposite directions, rush through the straits
with a velocity scarcely credible, and meeting in full
force boil up into vast billows, which burst in sheets
of foam even in the calmest day. The principal
objects of curiosity in Orkney, are the Cathedral
Church of St Magnus, the seat of the Bishop of
Orkney, at KirkwaU the county town, remarkable
as the only cathedral, except that of Glasgow,
which remained unscathed by the tumultuous vio
lence of Knox and his fanatical canaille, — the por-
trait-of the lovely Mary Stuart, long preserved as
an heirloom in the family of Mr. Traill at Wood-
wick, — and the " Stones of Stennis" in Pomona or
Mainland, which, with the exception of those of
Stonehenge, are by far the finest and most perfect
circle of standing stones which are known to exist
in Britain. Much of the feudal system still re
mains in the islands, but that indiscriminate hos
pitality, formerly one of its most obvious charac-
F 2

1 30 ratterburn — dunnet.
teristics, has decayed under the influx of strangers,
and the influence of modern manners.
Remounting our ponies, we passed Canisbay Kirk,
and recrossing the creeks, through which several
small burns seek the sea, gained at length the summit
of the Moss of Mey, whence we took a farewell view
of Houna and Duncansbay, South Ronaldsha and
Stroma, whose varied aspect had so much delighted
us on our progress from Houna. This we reluc
tantly exchanged for the white waUs of Mey Castle,
the headland of Dunnet, and the bold cliffs of Hoy
across the Firth. We retraced our steps by theLoch
of Mey, through a large uneven inland plain, by
Ratterburn and the Lake of Dunnet, to the little vil
lage ofthe same name — a cluster of houses, around
a huge belfryed barn, in which the good people of
these parts worship their Creator. Here we began
to cross the sands of Dunnet, by a circuit of three
miles, as the tide had not receded far enough to
admit a nearer transition, which we had somewhat
rashly attempted. This we safely accomplished it
without a guide. In our circuit round the head of
the bay we enjoyed a fine view of Dunnet Head,

sunset — CASTLEHILL. 13l
the northernmost point of Britain, and the pre
cipitous cliffs of Hoy, while beyond the waves
of the mighty Atlantic the declining sun ap
peared to sink to repose in indescribable grandeur,
imparting a sombre magnificence to the gorgeous
canopy of clouds which environed the orb of the
descending luminary,* whose rich and varied hues
were beautifully reflected back by the unruffled sur
face of the ocean, which nearer to us rippled upon
the beach in waves of sparkling silver, impercepti
bly, yet gradually receding from the shore.
Arrived at the little village of CastlehiU, we glad
ly rested among the shade of Mr. TraUl's plantations,
aud regaled upon delicious milk, accompanied by bar
ley-bread; and beguiled the time in "harmless play*'
with a " wanton drole" of a kitten, which gambolled
about the cottage-lodge, until the carriage overtook
and conveyed us, through the twilight of a fine sum
mer's day, to Thurso. On approaching this place.

* The disk of this majestic orb was vastly dilated, but did not
present an elongated egg-like shape, as some travellers have ob
served in these northern latitudes. — See a Summer Ramble in the
North Highlands, p. 134.

132 THURSO.
we were but faintly enabled to discern the dark
rocks of Holborn Head, and the lofty cliffs of Hoy ;
as the twinkling of the numerous lights through
out the town, announced our approach to the ha
bitations of men.
July 29. — We had now attained the northern
most shore of the island, and traversed the land of
the Gael, without having seen one individual clad
in the peculiar and picturesque dress ofthe country,
as his every-day wear. Loose blue trousers, with
tartan coats, having superseded entirely the kilt and
hose, so generaUy and pertinaciously worn only
" Sixty years ago." Nothing indeed can be more
striking than the contrast afforded between the pre
sent state of the Highlands and the recorded history
of that period, so wonderful has been the change
effected in the manners and customs of the hardy
mountaineers. We observed that, in Caithness,
oxen generally shared with the stunted race of
horses, in the labour of the farm ; and we had seen
women foUowing the plough, and other masculine
avocations. This we felt inclined to attribute to the
superabundant employment afforded, at this season,
to the male population, by the herring fishery, on

CAPE WRATH. 133
which the people of this remote district mainly de
pend for subsistence during the dreary months of
winter. In consequence of the immense annual
exportation of this fish, they are enabled to add
to their conveniences and comfort much which
would otherwise be unattainable ; for nature seems
to have doomed a part of the soil to barrenness, and
thereby cogently instructed the native to seek in the
stormy, yet periodically prolific sea, that subsis
tence which he might despair ever to be able to
earn on shore.
It was our earnest wish and original intention to
have adhered to the coast westward of Thurso by
Tongue and Durness, on to its termination at Cape
Wrath, or Rath, the north-western termination of
the rude mountain ranges of Scotland, " a buttress,"
according to Dr. MaccuUoch, who has accurately
described it,* " worthy of all their grandeur and all
their strength." From thence we intended to have
explored the wild region called Lord Reay's coun
try, lately annexed by purchase to the immense

* See the Highlands and Western Isles of Scotland, vol. iv. p.
360.

1 34 SUTHERLAND.
Sutherland estates of the Marquis and Marchioness
of Stafford, and to have visited the picturesque and
mountainous districts of Assynt and Wester Ross,
on our return to Inverness. This route promised
to make us acquainted with many striking scenes,
and a very primitive people ; but upon inquiry we
found that the roads, though traced out and pro
gressively advancing towards completion, were
StUl unfinished, and consequently quite impassable
for carriages of any description ; moreover, we
must have forded all the rivers, as no bridges
have as yet been erected. The country was al
so reported so wretchedly destitute of accommo
dation for travellers that we should have been
compelled for our own comfort to trespass upon
private hospitality. This, we were assured, might
be always confidently relied on, even amid « the
pathless wastes of Reay ;" but we were unwUling
to sacrifice the spirit of independence to that of
curiosity, and therefore determined to bend our
course homeward by the only practicable route.
On leaving Thurso we ascended Thurso Water,
through a green valley, partiaUy cultivated, yet
partaking ofthe general character of the country— .

CAITHNESS. 135
in the absence of all sylvan ornament, terminating
in fields and mosses, forming part of one unbroken
series of bare, bleak table-land, the vast inland plain
bounded on all sides by rising moors, which consti
tutes the interior of Caithness, almost alike desolate-
looking where cultivation has been commenced, as
where the repose ofthe aboriginal heather has been
left undisturbed. Barley and oats appeared alone
to merit cultivation in this country, though the
natives were busily employed in hay-making, and
in holding a large cattle fair on an upland plain,
whence we enjoyed a fine view of the wild, irre
gular mountains of Morven and Scarrabin, amid
which the truncated cone rises pre-eminent, and
which terminate, towards the west, in a long low
line of horizontal hills, forming the boundary be
tween this country and that of Sutherland. Proceed
ing by Loch Scarmfleet, we reached Dun Inn,
whence Loch Watten displayed a fine expanse of
water of considerable length and extent, but de
prived of all picturesque effect by the tameness of
its banks, which, though clad in verdure, were per
fectly devoid of trees ; from hence Wick and Pulte
neytown appeared in the distance, upon the shore of
the northern ocean. These places we reached by a

136 WICK.
gradual descent from the uplands, through culti
vated fields, and across streams, which, since we last
crossed them, had been replenished, even to over
flowing, by rain that must have fallen somewhere
amongst the upland moors, since we had none of it.
We staid the night in the busy sea-port of Wick, the
chief town of Caithness, where we experienced the
excellence of Caithness herrings, and witnessed the
disappointment of several poor fishermen, who had
toiled aU night, and caught nothing which could
adequately remunerate them for their risk and
trouble. Under the auspices ofthe British Fishery Society,
buUding proceeds rapidly in the suburb of Pulteney
town. Contemplating the extent ofthe structures al-
• ready erected, a stranger might be tempted to ques
tion the wisdom of those who have staked so much
upon a hazard so great as the precarious though pe
riodical emigrations of one of the finny tribes of the
ocean. The bay of Wick is shelterless, and a-
voided by mariners in tempestuous weather;
but a new pier by which the harbour has been
recently improved and extended, seems to give
more certain indication of future prosperity.
Hitherto the maritime trade of Wick has been

HEMPRIGGS. 137
carried on through the medium of Staxigo, a small
village, possessing a convenient harbour, situated a
short way to the eastward, near a lofty promontory
caUed the Ness-head.
July 30 — Quitted Wick through Pulteney
town, and from the uplands beyond the lake and
house of Hempriggs, turned round to take a fare
well look at Keiss Bay, Duncansbay Head, and
South Ronaldsha, on which, with our glass, we
could distinguish the ferry house, opposite John
o' Groat's ; and, more to the north-west, the
mountains of Hoy rising behind the intervening
moors. This view we soon exchanged for that of
the Moray Firth, beyond which, indistinctly out
lined on the horizon, appeared the coast of Moray,
and on a moorish hill to our right, appeared three
Pictish cairns, and two upright, and probably se
pulchral stones. After passing Clythness, the bay
between that point and the Ord of Caithness lay
before us in great beauty, studded all over, as far
as the eye could reach, with square-sailed boats,
all anxious to secure a portion of the finny spoil,
whUe the nets, stretched to dry upon land, gave the
fields a dusky coating of a very unusual appear-

138 THE ORD OF CAITHNESS.
ance ; and the boats and barrels kept and construct
ing in every creek and harbour, told how actively the
people of Caithness were preparing for the reception
of their annual visitants. Before us, as we proceed
ed, rose the beautifully irregular and majestic
mountains of Morven and Scarrabin, and the
Maiden Paps of Caithness, which terminate sea
ward in the bold headland of the Ord of Caith
ness,* and are seen to great advantage from Swi
ney Inn. Here we saw the fun and frolic of a
Scotch wedding ; and proceeded onwards, by La
theron, across the creeks which indent the coast,
to Dunbeath, whose habitable castle, on a rock
of the shore, here forms a conspicuous object.
Passing along the sea-cliffs, we descended rather
abruptly into Berridale, whose woody recesses
appeared extremely beautiful, branching off into
two little vaUeys, the one crowned by the ridge of
Scarrabin, the other by the volcanoideal hills of
Morven, and reached at evening the inn which
stands in the centre of this truly sequestered valley.
July 31. — Left Berridale by the steep ascent
* Ord in Gaelic signifies a hammer. This headland owes its
name to its fancied resemblance to that implement.

BERRIDALE  HELMSDALE. 139
conducting up the southern side of the little val
ley, which, picturesquely clothed in vigorous copse
wood, recedes far among the Morven mountains,
of which, on gaining the upland moors, we had
a very fine view ; and crossing Ousedale, a small
creek, bearing on its upper banks a few stunted
birches, we gained the table-summit of the Ord of
Caithness, by a gentle and scarcely perceptible as
cent, and thence enjoyed a most enchanting and
extensive prospect of the ocean, and distant coast
of Moray. After crossing the deep boundary
ravine which cleaves the mountain . to its very
base, we descended by terraces cut out of its
heathy swelling sides, into Navidale, and thence, by
the fishing village of Helmsdale, and its old castle
of the Earls of Sutherland, to Port Gower. In
passing the bridge of Lothbeg, in a sudden turn
the carriage was nearly overturned, and our servant
being thrown off from behind, was severely bruised,
and had one rib broken. Having placed him inside,
we mounted the rumble, and proceeded by Clyne
Kirk to Brora, and thence, by the Pictish cairn,
and through the grounds of Dunrobin Castle, with
all speed, to the neat, comfortable, little inn at

140 GOLSPIE INN.
Golspie, where we procured medical advice for our
domestic, and in the evening rambled through the
glen and garden at the back of the hostelrie, whose
cleanliness and comfort deserve especial notice.
The house, having been erected under the auspices
of the family at Dunrobin, possesses every modern
convenience ; and under the excellent management
of Mrs. Duncan — herself a clergyman's daughter
— has been rendered a most happy and delect
able resting-place for the wayfaring traveller 
" These diminutive observations," in the opinion of
one* who well knew in what true elevation of style
consists, " seem to take away something from the
dignity of writing, and are, therefore, never com
municated but with hesitation, and a little fear of
abasement or contempt. But it must be remem
bered that life consists not of a series of illustrious
actions or elegant enjoyments, — the greater part
of our time passes in compliance with necessities, —
in the performance of daily duties, — in the removal
of small inconveniences, — in the procurement of
petty pleasures ; and we are all well or Ui at ease

* Dr. Johnson.

GOLSPIE. 141
as the main stream of life glides on smoothly, or is
ruffled by small obstacles and frequent interruptions.
The true state of every nation is the state of com
mon life. The manners of a people are not to be
found in the schools of learning, or the palaces of
greatness, where national character is obscured or
obliterated by travel or instruction, by philosophy
or vanity ; — nor is public happiness to be estimated
by the assemblies of the gay or the banquets of the
rich. The great mass of nations are neither rich
nor gay ; they, whose aggregate constitutes the
people, are found in the streets and the viUages, in
the shops and farms ; and from these collectively
must the measure of general prosperity be taken."
August 1  Rode out upon ponies, by the Kirk of
Golspie and the farm of our host, to the head of the
little glen, at the back ofthe inn, returning by which,
we rode up the other side of the ravine, where a
very beautiful view is obtained of its verdant reces
ses, as well as of the sea, and Dunrobin Castle.
Returning to Golspie we witnessed the melancholy
spectacle of a flock of men, women, and children,* of
" When the natives have once resolved to remove to a foreign
country, "a set of illiterate peasants," says Mrs. Grant, "have

142

SUTHERLAND.

all ages, hasting, in their holiday attire, to embark on
board a brig from Brora, to Upper Canada, aU more
or less dissatisfied with the new order of things,
which the presiding genius of the Marchioness of
Stafford has caused to spring in an incredibly short
space of time, out of the relics of the barbaric feudal
system ; and all, perhaps, with but one certain pros
pect before them — that of never again revisiting the
land of their fathers, — though not without the hope
of rejoining many friends and perhaps relations who
had preceded them in exile.* We contemplated this
spectacle with a sigh, yet our judgment could not
but applaud the system of amelioration of the con
dition of her vassals, conducted as it has been by
the Lady of Sutherland, with judicious liberality, and
extreme generosity, both of action and sentiment,
accompanied by far-seeing penetration and weU-
laid plans, by which the rental of these noble es-

gone about it in a systematical manner. They have, themselves,
chartered a ship, and engaged it to come for them to one of their
Highland ports ; and a whole cluster of kindred of all ages, from
four weeks to fourscore years, have gone in mournfiil procession
to the shores, the bagpipes meanwhile playing before them a ead fun
ereal air.'' * See Appendix, B.

SCOTTISH SABBATH. 143
tates, has, since her alliance with the Marquis of
Stafford, been more than doubled in amount.
August 2 — Remained at Golspie, and, as it
happened to be Sunday, we had an opportunity of ob
serving, with a mingled feeling of respect and ad
miration, the deep devotional character of the
Highland peasantry, who, however they may spend
the other six days of the week, never fail to re
member that the seventh day is the Sabbath, as
the decency of their apparel, the staid and rever
ential expression of their countenances, and their
constant observance of the sacred ordinances, abun
dantly testify. We also saw how much true piety
may be generated in the bosoms of men, whose
avocations as shepherds lead them more particularly,
in the awful solitudes ofthe hiUs, " to look through
Nature up to Nature's God," or as fishermen, tear'
them continual dependence upon His providence ;
and how naturally habits of reflection lead even
untutored minds to seek with gladness the truths
ofthe Gospel, and to embrace with thankfulness the
blessings of religion.
August 3. — Remained at Golspie, and looked
out upon a stormy sea and a cloudy sky, whence

144 DUNROBIN CASTLE.
rain descended so copiously throughout, the day,
as to prevent aU possibiUty of egress.
August 4. — Drove through the embattled en
trance to Dunrobin Castle, which we approached at
the side by the great door, which leads into a small
court, whence we entered the staircase haU, and
ascended to the dining-room, containing portraits of
King WiUiam and his consort Mary ; ChanceUor
Seaton, the Earl of Dunfermline, and his family ;
several portraits of the ancient and long ennobled
famUy of Sutherland, and other pictures. Above
this is the drawing-room, a most comfortable and
luminous apartment, containing some more family
portraits, among which is that of the Lady Jane
Gordon, who, on her divorce from the Earl of Both-
well, when that infamous person forced himself upon
Mary Queen of Scots, was married to one of the
Earls of Sutherland ; and several other pictures in
indifferent preservation. Hence a beautiful view is
obtained of the sea, and the waving woods around
and below the house, which being taU and massive,
as weU as situate on a terrace, nobly overlooks the
adjacent demesne. The opposite coast of Ross, ter
minating in Tarbetncss, the intermediate bay, and

DUNROBIN CASTLE. 145
more distant mountains, are seen to great advan
tage from the cupola which surmounts this vener
able pUe. The study contains some old swords, steel
pistols, Highland targets, and a two-handed sword,
very like a spit, once held to be a formidable wea
pon. The bed-rooms are numerous, and the nar
row galleries, antichambers, &c. still more so ; but
an air of comfort pervades the whole, in perfect ac-
cordance with its whitened walls and slated roof, ren
dering it a much more inviting residence than many
a more gorgeous palace. The antiquity of its foun
dation is extreme, — the Earls of Sutherland having
established their principal seat of residence at Dun
robin at a very early period ; but the history of
the present edifice may be most correctly learn
ed from an inscription upon a brass tablet with
in the castle, surmounted by the armorial bear
ings of the Sutherland family, which runs thus : —
" This Castle of Dunrobin was built at first by Ro
bert Earle of Sutherland, in the year of our Lord
1275. It was defast and almost ruined in the late
troubles. It was bgune to be re-edified and buUt
againe by John Earle of Sutherland, in the last two
years of his life. The buUding was carried on by

146 DUNROBIN CASTLE.
George Earle of Sutherland, sone to the Earle
John, in the life-tyme of Lady Jane Wemyss,
Countess of Sutherland, his spouss, and eldist
daughter to David late Earl of Wemyss. The
building and dressing of the house within was com
pleted by John Lord Strathnaver, sone to the saide
Earle George, and that in the life-tyme of Lady
Hillen Cockran, Lady Strathnaver, his spouss, in
the year of our Lord 1682."
On our return from the castle we drove through
the lawns which surround it, to Golspie, where we
observed with pleasure the innocent demonstration
of festivity on the part of seventy aproned gar
deners, assembled in their annual procession, head
ed by four kUted pipers, and bearing, among other
vegetable ensigns and garlands, an enormous na
tional thistle. This ceremony was concluded by a
substantial dinner at the inn. The whole party con
ducted themselves with great propriety. In the
evening we rode upon our ponies across the burn
and along the sea-shore to Dunrobin Castle, which
hence is seen proudly to rise over the tufted trees,
and is approached through that ancient baronial de
fence the barbican, by a narrow tortuous avenue

STRATH FLEET. 147
formed by trees, whose foliage is so blended over
head, as to form a grateful density of shade. This
approach joins the broad avenue from the lodge at
the corner of the house, which we left at that
point, and returned home across the lawns we had
previously traversed in the morning,
August 5. — Drove from Golspie, under the base
of Ben Vrachie, to Loch Fleet, where we took
the road up the northern side of Strath Fleet, which,
beyond the salt water marsh caused by the em
bankment, expands into a beautiful valley contain
ing a considerable stream, its banks and holm-land
adjacent, being dotted with alders, and surrounded
by cragged hills, verdant to their very summits, and
partiaUy clothed in birchen copsewood. The vale
graduaUy contracts, and on turning the point of a
bold rock, a narrow, cultivated holm appeared be
tween the verdant hills enlivened by the purple hea
ther, now in fuU bloom. As we reached the Kirk of
Rogart, and the few scattered cottages which sur
round it, a little valley was seen branching off to the
south-west, making this a scene of great Arcadian
beauty, enlivened by the Alpine torrent which here
flows into the vale from the north. We continued

148 LOCH SHIN — LAIRG.
our route up the graduaUy contracting strath of
holm-land, untU it became a grassy vale, winding
up to the moors, between green hiUs, bearing a few
scattered birches ; and upon attaining the heathy
flat at the head of the vale, were much gratified by a
fine vista of the mountains of Wester Ross to the
south ; and, on advancing, saw before us the wild
and magnificent mountains of Assynt, a most re
mote and picturesque region, amid which the lofty
pile of Ben More Assynt rose grandly conspicu
ous. As we descended upon Loch Shin, opposite
to us rose directly from the lake the dark ridge of
the Forest of Dirry Meanach, a tract of dun hea
ther, skirting the lake for many miles, and besprent
with birchen copsewood.
Upon reaching the hovel which serves the purpose
of an inn, at the foot ofthe lake, we ascended a green
knoU, whereon the Scilla autumnalis fore alba
grew abundantly, and whence we enjoyed a good
view of the lower end of Loch Shin, a fine piece of
water, fourteen miles in length, whose extent is here
curtailed by a wooded promontory, which j uts far out
into the lake ; but from the bank on which Lairg
Kirk stands, nearly the whole of it is commanded.

ASSYNT. 149
From the point whereon we stood, on the right rose
the cottages and Kirk of Larg or Lairg, on a bank
sloping down to the lake, on the other side of
which rose the Forest of Dirry Meanach, and be
yond that, in the distance, Ben More Assynt ;
whUe, to the extreme left, and towards the south,
we overlooked the banks and braes, all wooded
and more or less picturesquely broken, which form
the Barony of Gruides ; beyond which rose the dis
tant mountains of Wester Ross, which, as weU as
those of Assynt, so great is their elevation, were
enveloped in clouds, before we set out to depart,
by the same route we had pursued in coming.
Having attained the heathy flat above Lairg, we
descended the verdant and rural vaUey of Strath
Fleet, by a road excellent beyond our expectations,
though somewhat too narrow throughout, and
winding through scenes of Arcadian beauty, we
approached Loch Fleet, when the sea gradually op
ened upon us, and continued in sight as we drove
through fields well stocked with cattle, and fre
quented by multitudes of sea-gulls, to the little inn
at Golspie.
August 6. — This morning a thick haze hanging

150 GLEN OP GOLSPIE.
upon the water, and a dense mist on the mountain,
portended disagreeable irrigation to any who should
attempt distant excursion ; we accordingly stroUed
about the garden, and through the lovely glen at
the back of the inn, in which walks have been cut
from Dunrobin, rendering its choicest beauties
readily accessible. We proceeded along the verge
of the precipitous side of the valley, through trees
aud shrubs, tangled in the utmost profusion and
beauty, and about mid-way up the glen entered on
a steep and winding descent, rendered sombre by
the density of the foliage, to the little burn which
runs through the valley, and is here crossed by
stepping-stones to the other side. This bank we as
cended through sylvan shades of extreme luxuriance,
until another descent conducted us to a spot exhibit
ing in the most advantageous point of view a lovely
cascade, formed by the water of this Alpine torrent
foaming through a sinuous fissure in the rock into a
small basin, whence it issues on each side of a mass
of rock, and faUs in two separate streams, of con
siderable altitude, into a deep black pool beneath,
fringed all around above and below with tangled
copsewood and overarching boughs, a lovely scene,

DUNROBIN. 151
which defies description, and where we lingered,
delighted, for a long time. Continuing our walk
to a little cottage at the head of the glen, we turn
ed down its other side, through a wood of pines,
at whose feet grew quantities of the Vaccinium
myrtillus, which the natives esteem as a delicate
fruit, under the name of blaeberries, and soon re
joined the walk whence we had deviated to visit
the waterfall, enjoying, on our return, not only
the view of this happy valley itself, but of the rich
woods over which the cupola upon the roof of Dun
robin conspicuously appears ; and as the sun began
to illumine the scene, the ocean and sky seemed
blended together, so obscurely seen was the oppo
site coast through the grey mist which still linger
ed upon it.
August 7. — Rode to the gamekeeper's lodge at
Dunrobin, where we saw some stuffed specimens of
the indigenous birds of this country — ^ptarmigan,
grouse, corn-crakes, quails, ducks, cuckoos, starlings,
falcons, and hawks of different species ; also a wild
cat, and a fine living eagle, both of which abound in
the mountains of Sutherland, so greatly as to cause
an association to be formed for their suppression,

152 LOCH BRORA.
and a price to be put upon their heads, chiefly on ac
count of the mischief they occasion to the sheep.
Proceeding to Brora, we visited the ruins of the
Pictish Tower, upon a verdant mound near the
seashore, the whole surface of which is cover
ed with its remains.* From the little viUage of
Brora, we ascended the Strath as far as Loch Bro
ra, a narrow, winding lake in a green vale, in the
midst of which a bold rock of breccia, called Craig
Harold, rears its cragged front in solemn majesty,
finely contrasting with the verdant slopes of the
vale beyond and around it.
In this secluded valley aU was silent and dead ;
no token of its once peaceful and happy inhabitants
remained, save the blackened ruins of their humble
dweUings. The turf was still verdant; but the an
cient mazes on the green, " for lack of tread, were
undistinguishable." When we reflect that aU this
desolation has taken place under the abused name
of improvement, we must deeply regret that the
change, which the progress of time may have ren
dered necessary, was not effected with a gentler
* See Appendix, C.

BRORA COAL-FIELD. 153
hand, aud in a kindlier spirit ; and that more hu
mane measures were not pursued respecting an an
cient and attached tenantry, whose irreproachable
moral conduct, and tried fidelity, ought to have en
titled them to some consideration from their natu
ral guardians and feudal superiors. Deeply indeed
is that perversion of benevolence to be deprecated,
which, in the pursuit of prospective advantages,
dares to transgress the laws of humanity written
on every upright mind, and deeply engraven on
every kind and generous heart.
Returning down the Strath to Brora, we passed
the huge water-wheels and ingenious machinery,
as well as a steam engine, at a little distance across
the water, used to work the mines of this singularly
interesting coal-field. For the present, however, the
workings are discontinued on account ofthe lowness
of freight, whereby coals of a superior quality can
be imported by sea, at less cost than the produce of
the mines can be obtained, and the diminution of
consumption, owing to the decay of the salt-pans,
in consequence of the tax being removed from that
article in England, which has rendered Scotch salt
comparatively valueless. But in proportion to the
g2

154 BRORA COAL-FIELD.
decrease of the supply of peat for fuel, and the in
crease of population in the country, will these
mines increase in value ; and they may, at any
time, be opened again at an expense of about £500,
so as to produce five or six thousand tons of coal
annually. Tradition has recorded that coal was first discov
ered on the coast at Brora, and worked by the then
Countess of Sutherland in pits, in which, from the
impurity of the air, the workmen dared not use
candles, but substituted for them the heads of fish
strung together, from which the phosphoric emana
tion enabled them to conduct their operations, which
were carried on unskilfully, and occasionally inter
mitted for some years, and then recommenced.
The working, which has lately ceased, had con
tinued for sixteen years, without intermission, to
the extent of four hundred yards on each side of
the principal pit, which descends about eighty
yards to the main seam of coal. This seam is three
feet six inches thick, and is occasionaUy found to
contain nodules of freestone. The coal of Brora
is so impregnated with iron pyrites as to be in a
state of perpetual combustion under ground, which,

BRORA COAL-FIELD. 155
if kept within certain limits, is esteemed bene
ficial, as tending to clear the pit of noxious va
pours; but if accumulated above ground in any
quantity, this coal would be always liable to ig
nite, simply from exposure to the air, as in the
case of the Burning Cliff near Weymouth, which
has recently attracted so much wonderment, al
though this phenomenon is occasioned merely by
the exposure to the day of a vein of coal charged
with iron pyrites, exactly similar to this of Bro
ra. Freestone occurs here abundantly, and is
exported in large quantities for the London mar
kets, from a quarry in the hiU above Brora.
Upon paring off the turf to open this quarry, the
surface of the freestone rock was found deeply
scored in one particular direction, indicating the
course of the blocks of granite, carried along over
the surface of the softer rock, in the tremendous
currents of the general deluge ; thus bearing un
doubted record of that great event, so interesting to
all men, not only as philosophers but as Christians.
This singular fact was first noticed by Sir James
HaU, Bart, near Edinburgh, but as it will be en-

156 BRORA COAL-FIELD.
larged upon in the yet unpublished volume of the
Reliquiae Diluvianse,bythe Rev. W. Buckland, D.D.
professor of mineralogy and geology in the Uni
versity of Oxford, all farther illustration in this
place would be quite superfluous.
The succession of strata in the coal-field of Brora
is extremely curious, on account of the unusual pro
pinquity of the fresh-water formation to the primi
tive rock. Taken in order the strata occur succes
sively as foUows : — 1st, Sandstone, thirty feet thick,
of a pale colour, and different degrees of hardness ;
2d, Transition limestone, containing ammonites of
new and rare kinds, belemnites, pecten, and other
sheUs, and vegetable impressions, accompanied occa
sionally by ironstone ; and succeeded by, 3d, Shale,
caUed by the miners blae or black clay, very soft,
containing abundance of fresh- water shells, and lying
immediately above the coal, which from its fibrous
texture, and admixture of petrified wood, and other
vegetables, which also occur in the shale, is called
by the miners lignett coal; beneath which occurs, 4<tli,
The blae or black clay, being shale of a much deeper
colour than the superior stratum, and commonly

BRORA COAL-FIELD. 157
called parrot ; succeeded by, 5th, The true old red
sandstone* — the red dead lier of the Germans —
which is found to contain many micaceous particles,
and graduaUy passes, into 6th, A coarse conglomerat
ed breccia, frequently containing, 1th, Nodules of
granite, upon which it rests. The granite here
is of two kinds, red or porphyritic, and fine
grained and grey, or sienitic. This rock con
stitutes the highest mountain ridges in the inter
ior of Sutherland, distinguished by their bold ir
regularity of outline, while the lower ranges of
more undulating and gentle contour are formed of
the breccia which lies immediately upon it, and is so
closely allied with the old red sandstone. The dip
of all these strata, as well as of the coal, is S.S.E.
though varying and irregular from faults and
dykes, &c.
To the east the coal of Brora bassets out visibly
at low tide on the seashore, and is cut off likewise
by the old red sandstone, which lies upon the

• We have been induced to adopt this opinion from seeing the
sandstone lying immediately upon the granite between Brora and
Dunrobin, and having found large nodules or boulders of prim
itive rock embedded therein.

158 DUNROBIN.
granite intervening between this and another
much smaller coal-field at Dunrobin. On the west
it is bounded by the hUls of breccia ¦which skirt the
plain in a semicircle towards the sea, and surround
Strath Brora, wherein Craig Harold, exhibits a fine
specimen of this series. On the north the granite
intervenes, and cuts off the coal at Helmsdale, be
yond which place it appears again, till it is finally
lost in the stupendous mass of primitive matter
which constitutes the Ord of Caithness.
August 8. — After taking a sketch of Golspie Inn
and Dunrobin Castle, we examined the thin seams
of coal, which are visible at low water, just off
the pier below the barbican of Dunrobin Castle,
and picked up some pieces of the coal ; though the
matter which predominated was parrot, under
which denomination the miners include the low
er as well as the upper shale, next to which
lay the rocks of limestone, containing fresh
water shells, but coated, from their accidental
position, with marine productions. The extent
of this coal-field is very trifling, and the beds of
coal apparently so thin and distorted as to pre
clude any prospect of success to the miner, even

SKELBO CASTLE. 159
if Dunrobin Castle, which is superincumbent there
on, did not prove an insuperable obstacle to the
attempt. We collected great numbers of rolled
pebbles, the debris of the contiguous strata, of which
we were enabled to form a complete series, from
the fragments we picked up on the beach, all more
or less rolled ; and though the greater part are
probably diluvial pebbles, yet many we conceive
to be the work of the existing ocean, of whose
agency in the present day, a rounded brick we
picked up on the beach served to assure us.
August 9. — ^Leaving Golspie, and skirting the
base of Ben Vrachie, we enjoyed, across the plan
tations of Morvich, a full view of the ruins of Skel-
bo Castle, once the Episcopal palace of the Bishops
of Sutherland and Caithness, on the other side of
Loch Fleet ; and on ascending from thence, pass
ed the woods of Skelbo above the ruined castle,
and gained the termination of a range of brec
ciated hiUs, covered with heather, which lie be
tween Strath Fleet and the Kyle of Dornoch.
From this point we enjoyed a most extensive and
beautiful prospect of the mountains and coast of
Sutherland, as far as the Ord of Caithness, and of

160

DORNOCH.

the fine woods and lawns of Dunrobin, sloping
down to the sea, which here exhibits the greatest
expanse of the Firths of Moray and Dornoch, on the
southern side of which lie the coast of Easter Ross,
and the towns of Tain and Tarbet, and, more re
motely, the coast of Moray and the mountains
around Inverness; while on our right, appeared
the windings ofthe Kyle of Dornoch, and the wild
hUls around Bonar Bridge, and Loch Shin. Be
fore us, on the low sandy shore, lay the house of
Embo, and the spire of the Cathedral Church of
Dornoch, to which we descended, and found the
venerable building substantially, but plainly repair
ed, and occupied as a parish church, the west end
only having been suffered to fall into decay. The
great western window is stiU extremely perfect,
though the sandstone which composes the four side
windows is in a state of rapid decomposition. Ad
joining to this sacred edifice, is a square, stone-
waUed enclosure, called Erabo Tomb, the place of
sepulture of the chief famUy in the parish, which,
throughout Sutherland and Caithness is generaUy
thus distinguished: The cemetery ofthe Sutherland
family at Golspie is of a corresponding form, but

DORNOCH. 161
additionally ornamented by a balustrade on the top
of the wall, which is from six to eight feet high.
The Episcopal palace still exists in the form of a
taU, turreted, white-washed edifice, to which the
Marquis of Stafford has annexed a plain building,
which serves for the County Courts of Sutherland,
while the ancient fabric answers the meaner yet not
less useful purpose of a jaU.
Dornoch, though one of the meanest of the royal
burghs of Scotland, is, nevertheless, the county
town of Sutherland ; it consists of an assemblage
of white-washed houses and thatched cottages,
all clustering around the two ancient edifices of
the Palace and Cathedral, which alone remain to
attest the former consequence of this once Epis
copal city, whose situation is extremely pecu
liar, being neither on the coast nor on the post
road, though within a gun-shot of both the one
aud the other. In a scarcity of good people so
great as to have become proverbial in the pre
sent day, it is somewhat gratifying to find one
of the lower orders resisting the all-powerful per
suasive of gold, from a conscientious adherence to
religious principle; and though we regretted the de-

162 KYLE OF DORNOCH.
triment that might arise to our quadruped from re
turning home without a shoe, yet we could not but
respect the godly blacksmith who refused to replace
it on the Sabbath-day. In ascending the hiU from
Dornoch, to the point of the guide-posts above Em
bo, we enjoyed a most beautiful view, up the valley,
of the Kyle of Dornoch, and of the irregularly and
wildly beautiful mountains which adorn and encir
cle its upper extremity ; and descending upon Loch
Fleet, which we crossed by the mound, we soon re
gained our home at the Inn of Golspie.
August 10. — Quitted the sequestered and truly
comfortable little Inn of Golspie with regret, and
leaving the Kirk of Golspie and cemetery ofthe Suth
erland family on the right, we proceeded through
the long street of the fish-town of Golspie, and by
the house of Morvich at the base of Ben Vrachie, to
the mound, by which we crossed Loch Fleet. We
then ascended the opposite hill through the woods of
Cambusmore and Skelbo, to the point of view we
had so much enjoyed yesterday; and descended from
thence along the side ofthe heath-clad hills to Clash-
more Inn, bearing the sign of the Cat Rampant,
which, as the crest of the house of Sutherland, seems

SPINNINGDALE. 163
to have been adopted as the legitimate sign of all
the hostelries throughout the country. The arms
of the Marquis and Marchioness of Stafford ap
pear carved in stone over the doors of all the inns
throughout their wide domains. The estates which
supported the unbroken descent* of the ancient fa
mily of Sutherland, have undergone less change
than almost any other. In all the numberless re
volutions of property, either in troublesome or
peaceable times, these have been preserved with
little alteration. With a boisterous ungenial climate,
and a rugged barren soil, they supported 15,000
persons, who maintained the independence of their
superiors, and enabled them to preserve their title
and property in a manner that no other famUy can
boast. Leaving the territory of the earldom of Suther
land, we proceeded through the plantations of Ski
bo and Ospisdale, which skirt the Firth of Dornoch,
at the foot of the heathy hUls of Sutherland, to the
deserted hamlet of Spinningdale, the scene of un-
* The late Lord Sutherland was the twenty-first earl—a length
of succession unparalleled in the peerage of this country, whoso
pedigrees are among the first in Europe.

164 KYLE OP DORNOCH.
successful speculation, or rather of a patriotic expe
riment, made to ascertain how far the genius of
the people, and the nature of the place, were pro
pitious to the establishment of manufactures in
the Western Highlands. In fact a Highlander never
sits at ease at a loom : it is like putting a deer in the
plough. Beyond this we entered the grove of na
tural wood which clothes the side of the bold hUl op
posite to the isolated rock caUed the Dun of Creech,
on which are vestiges of a vitrified fort ; and, after
passing the Bridge of Bonar, by a gentle ascent,
reached Kincardine, whence we enjoyed avery beau
tiful view of the embayed waters of the Kyle of Dor
noch, the Dun of Creech, and the mountain ridge
which on the south precludes more distant prospect.
From Kincardine the road proceeded through the
natural woods which decorate the banks of the
Kyle as far as West Fearn, where it commenced a
gradual ascent up the steep sides of the heath-clad
mountains, presenting views of uncommon magni
ficence, as the sun declined over the wild hills bor
dering upon Loch Shin, mellowing the hue of
the purple heather on the nearer mountains, which
encircle the Kyle of Dornoch above the Bridge of

RIVER ALNESS. 165
Bonar, which from hence appears to span the sU
ver flood very ornamentally. Continuing our as
cent, we crossed the deep ravine of au Alpine tor
rent by a lofty bridge, and proceeded through a
dark unbroken waste of heath, rising on each side
into sombre and swelling hills, through an opening
in which we discerned the mountains of Sutherland,
and the coast as far as the Ord of Caithness, en
livened by the whitened walls and extensive woods
of Dunrobin Castle, while nearer to us appeared the
low sandy beach of Dornoch, running out into the
expanding Firth. Having taken this transient and
farewell view of the country we had left, we pass
ed a green valley watered by a considerable stream ;
but the same features of solitude and desolation
continued to give the country the aspect of an un-
. inhabited wUderness, relieved only by large flocks of
sheep, which were cropping the patches of verdure
scattered here and there among the dark heather,
or skirting the sides of the deep furrows left by the
¦wintry torrents, — until we began to descend the
banks of the river Alness, picturesquely clothed
with luxuriant birch woods, and discerned before
us the gleaming waters of Cromarty Firth, and

166 PERJNDONALD — NOVAR.
the more distant shores of the Black Isle. By
gradual descent, we entered one of the fairest
portions of the Highands — ^the district of Ferin-
donald, comprising the fertile plain lying on the
northern shore of Cromarty Firth, which being
highly cultivated and sheltered by the heathy
hills of Easter Ross, has been embeUished by sun
dry mansions and their surrounding woods.
August 11. — From the Bridge of Alness, where
we had reposed on the preceding night, we en*
joyed a fine view of the fir-clad hiUs above No
var, crowned by a Gothic screen, more nearly re
sembling a gigantic brotherhood, linked hand in
hand, than the dilapidated remains of any fabric
whatsoever. Indeed it is difficult to conjecture
the motive which could induce any man to make
bad taste so conspicuous, as in these imitative an
tiquities. Recrossing the river Alness, we proceeded
through the unpruned and umbrageous groves of
Novar. The mansion, however, is but indistinctly
seen through the luxuriance of the foliage, which
renders the road itself a perfect avenue. On emerg
ing from this path, the white house of Inchcoulter

CRAIG GRANDE — EV ANTON. 167
rises on the border of the Firth, surrounded by
plantations, which stretch far up the hiU, and environ
the celebrated Craig Grande, which we found to be
a deep chasm or abyss, singularly narrow and tor
tuous, formed by two opposite precipices, which
rise perpendicularly to a great height, rendering
the fissure through which the mountain stream of
the Altgrande runs for the space of two miles, ex
tremely deep, and awfully interesting, especially
when viewed from the rustic bridge which spans the
chasm, through which the water boUs and foams
130 feet below, — a depth to which the rays of the
sun never yet penetrated, so narrow and so tortuous
is this tremendous fissure, whose rocky sides " as
cend like lofty wa's," decorated by the sylvan shade
ofthe tangled copse, whUe the bold hiUs which rise
from edges of the chasm are beautifuUy clothed
with extensive plantations of fir. Returning from
this deviation, we passed through the rural viUage
of Evanton, beyond which, the road continued along
the shore ofthe Cromarty Firth, under some roman
tic rocks of breccia, alternating in a very singular
jnanner with sandstone, and crowned by the fine
trees around Mountgerald, which embeUish the ap-

168 DINGWALL — STRATHCONON.
proach to Dingwall. This ancient town, distinguish
ed by a tall obelisk, and some stiU more lofty pop
lars, of rare occurrence in these northern regions,
is situated in a wide spreading holm, at the head
of the Cromarty Firth, sheltered by verdant and
partially wooded hiUs, which enclose the vale of
Strathpeffer, and to the north-west form the foun
dation upon which Ben Wyvis raises his enormous
bulk high above all the other mountains of Ross.
Leaving Dingwall, we soon crossed the water
of Conon, and entered a small viUage called Con-
on-bridgend ; beyond which, the luxuriant beau
ties of Strathconon burst on our view — the stream
itself, the groves which clothe its banks up to the
rocky escarpment above Brahan Castle, the rug
ged pyramidal rock rising boldly at the head of
the valley, and beyond this the fantastic forms and
granitic peaks of the mountains of Wester Ross,
rising one above the other, all contributed to form
a glorious picture whereon we delighted to dwell.
Passing through a fir grove, we crossed the
moor, distinguished by two rude stones commemo
rative of feudal strife, and from thence enjoyed a
fine view of the beautiful and extensive plain where-

BEAUFORT CASTLE. 169
in Beauly is situated ; beyond which appeared the
fir-clad ridges which rise above Beaufort Castle,
and mark the entrance to Glen Strath-Farar.
On approaching the little town of Beauly, the
august ruins of its priory, shaded by some vener
able trees, formed a conspicuous object at the
head of the Firth of the same name. Beyond
the town, after crossing the water of Beauly, we
discerned on our right, in the midst of woods
equaUy remarkable for their extent and beauty,
the splendid modern mansion of Beaufort Castle,
erected on the site of the former building, so not
ed as the residence of the infamous Lovat, who
was brought to the block for supporting the cause
of the young Chevalier. The hard destiny which
overtook most of the leaders of the memorable
rebellion of 1745, cannot be reflected on without ex
torting that sympathy which unavaUing bravery al
ways obtains ; but of all the chieftains engaged in
that rash enterprise, no one was so utterly devoid of
redeeming qualities as Simon Eraser, Lord of Lovat.*
Possessing neither the characteristic temerity nor
* For an account of the tergiversation of Lovat, see Culloden
Papers.

170 BEAULY FIRTH.
the generous enthusiasm of a Highland chief, he was
callous, cowardly, and deceitful, — thus affording but
too much countenance to the belief that it was the
hardihood of unrepentant guilt rather than a con
viction of the justice of his cause, that induced him,
in imitation of tlie heroes of antiquity, to exclaim
on the scaffold, — " Dulce et decorum est propatria
mori," — words which might have come well from the
lips of a better man, but which become a sarcasm
on human nature, when uttered by one convicted
of crimes of the deepest atrocity.
Passing the rural viUage of Auchnagairn, and the
woods of Lovat and Torradale, we proceeded along
the shore of the Beauly Firth, which, illumined by
the rays of the setting sun, appeared one " burnish
ed sheet of living gold ;" beyond which. Red Castle
appeared amidst its darkening woods, and the giant
form of Ben Wyvis rose in solemn majesty, finely
contrasting with the bold and beautiful mountains
of Wester Ross, over which " the western waves
of ebbing day" rolled in celestial splendour,
" And bathed in floods of living fire,
Each purple peak, each flinty spii'e."
As this magnificent prospect receded from our view.

CRAIG PHADRIC. 171
we beheld, on our left, the bold and woody hUl
which rises at the junction of the Beauly and Mo
ray Firths, and passing under Craig Phadric, and
over the Caledonian Canal, caught a lengthened
view of the Moray Firth, as we entered Inverness,
where we rested for the night.
August 12. — Upon this propitious morning we
re-crossed the Caledonian Canal, and, by a gradual
ascent through the plantations of Muirtoun, the
seat of Major Duff, reached the base of Craig Pha
dric, to whose fir-clad summit we ascended through
a wood of taU pines, enjoying occasional views of
the surrounding scenery, amply sufficient to repay
the labour occasioned by the steep ascent of the
hUI, had not that been crowned by one of the best
specimens of thpse uncommon and extremely an
cient structures called vitrified forts, which are,
we believe, peculiar to Scotland.* The fort we
had now an opportunity of examining consists of
two ramparts, the one surrounding the crest of the
hill, and the other a little lower down its side ;
both composed of masses of rock which have evi-
* See Appendix, D.

172 VIEW FROM CRAIG PHADRIC.
dently been in a state of fusion, and appear like the
scoria of a furnace. Nature has clothed these rude
ramparts with turf so verdant, that had not the
hand of the antiquary removed it in several places,
these curious remains might have escaped super
ficial observation. The hill is composed of coarse
breccia, containing large pieces of granite as well
as of more recent rocks ; and the action of fire
seems to have been exercised on the substance
of the hill itself, and not upon any extraneous
matter which may have been brought there from
below ; — indeed, the steepness of the ascent would,
prima facie, militate strongly against such a sup
position. But, however conjecture may busy her
self in the closet, as to the probable origin and
intent of this fragment of an unrecorded age, the
magnificence ofthe scenery around rouses the im
agination, and rivets the attention more forcibly
than any thing else. Southward appeared the
opening of the Great Glen of Scotland ; before us
lay the spacious plain in which Inverness is situ
ated, vying in fertility and diversity of scenery
with the most favoured parts of the south ; -the
Fairy Mount of Tomnaheurich forms a conspicu-

CRAIG PHADRIC. 173
ous object in the valley, being shaped like a boat
with its keel uppermost ; and here, too, the smooth
esplanade may yet be seen which marks the site
of a castle, once appertaining to the regicide usur
per Macbeth. Beyond the town are seen the
woods of Culloden House, and the dreary moor
above it ; while nearer to the Moray Firth, which is
here seen in all the length of its lesser portion, the
ruins of Castle Stewart are rather appositely con
trasted with the polygonal bastions of Fort George.
To the northward, the hill above Kessock Ferry and
the shores of the Black Isle, appeared beyond the
Firth of Beauly, while more westerly the majestic
Ben Wyvis, and all the other wild mountains of
Wester Ross, rose in the distance, and completed
this truly glorious and enchanting prospect, which,
in the mind of every beholder, must, for a moment
at least, cause all theories respecting the vitrified
fortalice to fade away, and lead him to regard the
fragments before his eyes, not as the work of
human hands, or the place of man's abode, but as
the relics of an altar bound together by fire sent
from heaven, and consecrated in the infancy of the

174 CULLODEN MOOR.
world, to that Unknown God, whom even the un
enlightened savage unwittingly worships.
Descending from Craig Phadric, which is situat
ed at the northernmost extremity of the great ridge
of Drum Albin, we passed through the town of
Inverness, and proceeding through some fertile
fields and the woods which skirt Culloden House,
we presently found ourselves upon a vast tract of
elevated table-land covered with heath, over which
are scattered a few wretched huts. Close upon the
side of the road which traverses Culloden Moor,
about five miles from Inverness, our attention was
engaged by the patches and long strips of ver
dure, which mark the graves of the dead who fell
on the 10th of AprU 1746, in the last struggle
made by the iU-fated grandson of James VII. to
regain the crown of his ancestors. The moor is as
grim and shelterless a waste as vengeance could
desire for an enemy's grave. To the south, rises
a dark mountain ridge, whence flows the river
Nairn. To the north, the expanse of the Moray
Firth beyond Fort George, and its narrower part
between that point and Inverness, afford a fine

THE HOUSE OF STUART. 175
prospect. But our eyes were insensibly with
drawn from the extensive prospect, and riveted
on the spot on which we stood, since it is im
possible to contemplate unmoved those verdant
spots, which, contrasting with the dun hue of the
heather, distinctly indicate the shallow graves of
the slain. The genius of the place seems to whis
per, " Grey stones and heaped up earth shall mark
me to future times. When the hunter shall sit
by the mound, and produce his food at noon,
' Some warrior rests here,' he will say." The
snows of upwards of seventy winters have, since the
hurried entombment of the gallant dead, fallen and
melted upon Culloden ; the summer sun has often
parched its swarthy brow ; but the verdure of these
receptacles of the dead has bidden defiance to all, and
promises to remain an eternal memorial of the rash
enterprise which closed in blood on this field. The
illustrious name of Stuart is now consigned to the
poet and the historian. Popular as it once was in
the Highlands, oblivion seems already prepared to
sweep away the last memorials of the race ; since
even the affecting traditions of the peasantry re
garding this proscribed family, are already floating

176 THE HOUSE OF STUART
down the stream of forgetfulness. Tradition is but
a meteor, which, if once it falls, cannot be rekind
led. Written learning is a fixed luminary, which,
after the cloud that had hidden it has passed away,
is again bright in its proper sphere. Valuable also
to the moralist is the striking lesson ofthe instability
of earthly greatness and the vanity of human wishes,
afforded by the fortunes of Prince Charles. — " Tous
les hommes prives qui secroyent malheureux,jettent
les yeux sur ce prince et ses ancetres." Truly in
deed, continues the eloquent Voltaire in summing up
the history of the House of Stuart : " II n' y aucun
exemple dans I'histoire d'une maison si longtems in-
fortun^e. Le premier des Rois d'Ecosse qui eut le
nom de Jacques, apres avoir ete dix-huit ans pri-
sonnier en Angleterre, mourut assassine, avec sa
femme, par la main de ses sujets. Jacques II. son fils,
fut tue a vingt-neuf ans en combattant centre les
Anglois. Jacques III. mis en prison par son people,
fut tue ensuite par les revokes dans une bataiUe.
Jacques IV. perit dans un combat qu'il perdit.
Marie Stuart sa petite fiUe, chass^e de son trone, fu
gitive en Angleterre, ayant langui dix-huit ans en
prison, sevit condamnee amort par des juges Anglais,

AND ITS ADHERENTS. 177
et eut la tete tranchee. Charles I. petit fils de Marie
Roi d'Ecosse et d' Angleterre, vendu par les Ecos-
sois, et juge a mort par les Anglois, mourut sur un
echaffaut dans la place publique. Jacques son fils
septieme du nom et deuxieme en Angleterre, fut
chasse de ses trois royaumes, et pour comble de
malheur on contesta a son fils sa naissance ; le fils
ne tenta de remonter sur le trone de ses peres que
pour faire perir ses amis par des bourreaux ; et nous
avons vu le Prince Charles Edouard, reunissant en
vain les vertus de ses peres, et le courage du Roy
Jean Sobieski, son ayeul maternel, executer les ex
ploits et essuyer les malheurs le plus incroyables — Si
quelque chose justifie ceux qui croyent une fatalite
a laquelle rien ne peut se soustraire, c'est cette suite
continuelle de malheurs qui a persecute la maison
de Stuart pendant plus de trois-cent annees."
If any seek to know by what " cold gradations of
decay" the disinterested and romantic sentiment,
which, in 1745, was found strong enough to induce
from 10 to 14,000 men in Scotland alone, to risk
the pains of high treason and the perils of war, has
declined and perished, let him seek those few and
fast-disappearing votaries of the House of Stuart,
H 2

158 THE HOUSE OF STUART.
whose bosoms may have throbbed with love for
Prince Charles, or heaved to the stern music of
Gladsmuir or Culloden, and who may still survive
to dignify this world of expediency, liberality,
and all uncharitableness, with their stately though
antiquated manners, and primitive singleness of
heart. In our age when so much oil is poUred upon the
whole surface of life, that the eye can for the most
part see nothing but the smoothness and tameness
of uniformity, it is most refreshing to come upon
some sequestered bay, where the breakers still leap
up against the rocks as they were wont to do.
When we are taught to substitute for the lively
glow and artless tenderness of true benevolence,
the glossy varnish of politeness, its ape and counter
feit, which like the skin of a snake, though bright and
pleasing to the view, is cold and slippery to the touch
— we ought to be happy in any opportunity of see
ing a living specimen of a very fine old school, which
has left little behind it but the tradition of its vir
tues, its talents, and its pleasantries ; a school, the
departure of many of whose peculiarities was per
haps rendered necessary in a great measure by the

INVERNESS. 179
spirit of the age, but of which it may be suspected
not a little has been allowed to expire which might
have been better worth preserving than much
whicli has come in its place.*
Returning from Culloden Moor, we enjoyed a most
enchanting view of the united Firths of Moray and
Beauly, and the distant mountains of Wester Ross,
especiaUy from the point whereon Mr. M'Intosh has
raised a whitened and embattled tower, which com
mands the plantations that surround his spacious
modern mansion in the plain below, through which
we retraced our steps to Inverness. This, though
a respectable town, of much consideration, owes its
chief attraction to the beauty of its site.

" " The real friends of the house of Stuart in England, and
particularly in Scotland, were distinguished by a refined education,
high breeding, elevated sentiments, a chivalrous love of fame, a
noble and disinterested devotion to a cause which they believed to
be good, and a social, warm-hearted conviviality and frankness of
character totally diff"erent from the sour, intolerant, and acrimonious
spirit of Presbj^terian bigotry then prevalent in the north, and the
heartless saving knowledge of the south,
" "When the very dogs at the English Court
Did bark and howl in German."
JamiesoTi's Introduction to the fifth edition of JBurt'^s Letters from
the North of Scotland, 1822, p. 33.

180 INVERNESS.
Before the last rebeUion, Inverness enjoyed an
exclusive commerce in skins with the north of
Europe, and became the great depot of Highland
produce, until the natives of the western coasts
discovered that they had marts in Glasgow and
Greenock every way as fit for the disposal of their
merchandize as Inverness, and more convenient
from their proximity. These new channels drew
off the supplies which formerly flowed into one
reservoir ; and from the present state of Inverness,
in a commercial point of view, it would appear
that her citizens since then have not possessed
either the ability or the inclination to avail them
selves of the capabilities of her geographical posi
tion ; as, though a regular intercourse is maintain
ed with London and Bristol, Leith and Aberdeen,
her harbour is totaUy deficient in the animated bus
tle of a great sea-port. A taste for literature and
science, has undoubtedly taken root, and is found
to flourish in the free press. The capital of the
Highlands also boasts various literary, professional,
and philanthropic institutions, all more or less in
dicating that increased attention to the best inter-

TOMNAHEURICH. 181
ests of humanity, so eminently characteristic of
civilized society.
August 13. — Quitted Inverness, and crossing
the Caledonian Canal below its floating wharf, (a
short way above whicli the great sea-lock of Clach-
nabarry connects it with the Moray Firth,) we en
tered the Ben Lomond steam-boat at the four locks
which raise the canal to the level of Loch Ness ;
and as we proceeded through the broad and beauti
ful valley which intervenes between Inverness and
Loch Dochfour, had full opportunity of examining
tlie strange oblong mound of Tomnaheurich, un
der which popular belief has placed the remains of
Thomas the Rhymer, not certainly without some
shew of probability, since the hill has a decidedly
artificial appearance, though it may in reality be
only a remnant of the original soU left by the dUuv-
ial current, which has swept away all around it.
Over the verdant surface of this fairy hill are scatter
ed a few larches ; and immediately below it occurs
one of the locks of the Caledonian Canal, which,
though much beneath its usual level at this time, is
generaUy twenty feet deep, one hundred and twenty
feet wide at the surface of the water, and fifty at the

182 CALEDONIAN CANAL.
bottom ; and is capable of affording passage to a 32-
gun frigate, the largest Baltic ship, and the average
of West India vessels.* Though we observed the
shelving pebbly sides of the canal much discompos
ed by the agitation of the water occasioned by
the paddles of the steam-boat, yet we were assured
that no detriment occurred therefrom, as a dredg-
ing-machine was kept on purpose to clear out the
bottom of the channel in case of the accumulation
of sand or pebbles from this or any other similar
cause. We were now about to enter the Great Cale
donian Glen — Glen More nan Albin — that wonder
ful natural valley, whose surface is almost entirely
occupied by magnificent lakes and arms of the sea,
enclosed on each side by rugged and lofty moun
tains, and admirably adapted for the purpose to

* " Although deeper," say the Commissioners, in their Twenty-
third Report, on the 23d of Rlay, 1827, " than other canals at pre
sent, it cannot be expected to justify the expectations which recom
mended it to be executed as a great national work until it attains
the full depth of twenty feet throughout, the expense of effecting
which was carefully estimated in February last at ^41,000, most
part of which would be expended in clearing away obstructions on
the summit level.

CALEDONIAN CANAL. 183
which it has been applied. Indeed it would appear,
from the general tradition of the Highlands, that
some native seer, many centuries ago, predicted —
what has actually taken place — the transit of white-
sailed vessels along the lonely glen of lakes, fore
seeing, by a mere exertion of the understanding,
that advantage would ultimately be taken in that
way of the natural configuration of the territory.
Accordingly the Caledonian Canal was commenced
in 1803-4, and opened from sea to sea upon its com
pletion in 1822, after an expense of upwards of
£800,000 upon the twenty-three miles of artificial
cutting and locks, required to connect the lakes with
each other and the arms of the sea.* Its whole
length from the Moray Firth at Clachnaharry, near
Inverness, to Corpach, near Fort William, upon
the estuary of Loch EU, is sixty miles and a-half.
Whether the advantages arising from this gigantic

* By the official Reports of the Commissioners, it appears that
the total expenditure attending the Canal, from its commencement
in 1803 to the Ist of May, 1827, has been .£973,271, 2s. 4^d. Of
this enormous sum only ;£47,951 has been paid for " the purchase of
land, and damage;" whilst "Labour (measure work) has cost
;£418,101, — Labour (day work) £47,202 — quarries and masonry,
^199,528, 17s. Od  ^Machinery, ^6128,084, 19s. 9d."

184 CALEDONIAN CANAL.
work wUl be so great as its sanguine projectors had
anticipated, time alone can determine. It may
be fairly presumed, however, though local opinion
is still divided on the subject, that benefit, not per
haps instantaneous, but ultimate and extensive,
must accrue to the whole adjacent country; since
the facility thereby given to distant intercourse,
will rapidly extend intelligence, and give industry
a stimulus hitherto unknown in these wUds. In a
commercial point of view the advantages are obvi
ous. A high duty certainly is levied on all vessels*
availing themselves of this short navigation in their
passage to either sea, but the circumstance of their
escaping the dangers of the Pentland Firth, is in
itself a full equivalent. Formerly, vessels bound
from the eastern ports of Scotland, to the western
coast or Ireland, whose tonnage precluded them

* The rates of tonnage have been altered from time to time.
Upon the opening of the Canal in 1822, a rate of one farthing per
ton per mile was established ; at the beginning of July, 1825, the
same was increased to one halfpenny per ton per mile; but in con
sequence of the suggestion of the Lords of the Treasury, it was again
reduced to the old tonnage rate, as originally established, at which it
now remains. — See the Twenty-fourth Report of the Commission-

CALEDONIAN CANAL. 185
from passing through the Forth and Clyde Canal,
were compeUed to double the northernmost head
land of the island, and stem the tierce currents of
the Hebridean sea. It is a well authenticated fact,
that ships have been as long in making this intri
cate and hazardous voyage as in running to Amer
ica. The Caledonian Canal reduces the sailing dis
tance between Leith and Glasgow nearly one half;
and that this circumstance has its due weight with
mercantile men, is testified by the number of ves
sels which annually pass through.
From the official reports, however, it appears
that the produce for the last twelvemonth, as com
pared with the expenditure of tlie Canal, leaves a
deficiency of £1,300, a sufiiciently discouraging
statement ; but, to use the words of the Commis
sioners, " it is not new in the history of Canals,
that they come slowly into use, of which the Forth
and Clyde Canal, now a very profitable concern, is
a well-known instance."
Proceeding onwards under the craggy and fir-
clad ridge of Drumalbin, whose termination the
woody Craig Phadric contributed to adorn, we
saw the river Ness holding its parallel course to

186 LOCH NESS.
the left, amidst verdant lawns and bowers, the fa
vourite retreat of the honest burghers of Inver
ness,* and entered Loch Dochfour, on whose banks
stand the house and woods of the same name. Be
yond this, after passing Bona Ferry, we entered
Loch Ness, whose whole length, taken in at the
first glance down the Great Glen, affords a vista at
once fascinating and uncommon, — the sides of the
wild and rugged mountains, which form the valley,
being clothed with groves of natural wood, which
descend even to the water's edge, and the more
distant hills seen as through a telescope at the far
ther extremity of the glen. Loch Ness, from its
uncommon depth, is never known to freeze ; but in
frosty weather it exhibits a white mist upon its
surface ; and has at divers times given mysterious
indications of those terrible internal convulsions
of the earth, which in distant climes have over-

* At the beginning of the last centurj', it is stated in Captain
Burt's twelfth letter, to have been the practice for parties of pleasure
from Inverness to regale themselves with salmon from the river Ness,
upon an island' formed by the stream, and clothed with luxuriant wood,
forming, throughout the sunny portion of the year, a shade so grate-
fiil that it has recently been proposed to render this delicious retreat
more readily accessible by means of a bridge across the river.

GLEN URQUHART CASLTE. 187
thrown cities and appalled nations. It is the largest
of the lakes of the Great Glen, being twenty-four
mUes in length, though its breadth seldom exceeds
half a mile.
Continuing our course, the Kirk of Dores ap
peared on the left, while the deep woods of
Obriachan rose beautifully on the right, as we
approached the opening of Glen Urquhart. Here
the lake attains its greatest breadth and forms
a small bay, under the ruined yet stately pile
of the Castle of Urquhart, the property of the
Grant, now Earl of Seafield, situated in a strong
position on a rock, projecting into the lake at the
entrance to the romantic glen whose name it bears,
and whose natural beauties are greatly enhanced by
this most picturesque old fortress, which is remark
able as the last place of strength in this country
which surrendered to the invading force of the
First Edward. This beautiful and highly culti
vated vale is watered by the Coiltie and the En-
nerick, which issue, at no great distance, from hills
covered with forests of natural wood. On the op
posite side of the lake, its cragged and shrubby
shore presents the bold projection of the Black

188 THE FALL OP FOYERS.
Rock, beyond which are seen the General's Hut,*
now used as an inn, and the ruined Kirk of Boles-
kine. Beyond this we betook ourselves to a little
boat, landed below the House of Foyers, and as
cended, by a rugged path, through groves of weep
ing birch, to the chasm-like recess in the hill-side,
through which " Foyers pours his mossy floods,''
and descending by an excellent path, reached an
insulated ledge of rock, opposite to the Fall, a-
round which the rocks rise to the height of four
hundred and seventy feet, and whence the roaring
stream is seen to fall in one fine cascade, which,
whitening with agitation, descends two hundred
feet into a deep, profound abyss, whence the
spray rises in misty vapour, and throws an awful
grandeur over the scene, so sublimely and impres
sively beautiful as to cause the Fall of Foyers to be
justly considered the Niagara of the north. This
admirable demonstration of Nature's power is pop-

* This lonely dwelling was one of the stations of Marshal Wade
during the formation of the military roads under his directions.
For an authentic account of Marshal Wade's proceedings in the
Highlands of Scotland, See No. 3. of the Appendix to Jamieson's
Edition of Burt's Letters.

FOYERS  GLEN MORRISON. 189
ularly denominated the " Fall of Smoke." A little
above the lower and larger cataract, a bridge has
been thrown over the river, above which the upper
FaU is seen to great advantage, as the Water of
Foyers descends from the lofty mountains of Bol-
eskine and Abertarff, through the woody and rocky
glen of Foyers, in three distinct breaks, the highest
of which is seventy feet deep, and the lowest im
mediately under the bridge.
Descending with rapid steps the wood-clad hills,
brushing " the odorous dews" from the birchen
boughs, we enjoyed a fine view ofthe well- wooded
terraces and heathy summit of the vast mountain of
Mealfourvounie, which rose grandly yet gracefuUy
from the opposite shore of the lake ; and having re
gained our boat, we were soon replaced on board the
steamer, which presently passed the entrance to Glen
Morrison, where nature seems to have distributed
her wild graces with the most careless profusion
upon the banks of the river, which, deriving its
waters from the distant mountains of Glen Shiel,
and the romantic Loch Clounie, flows through the
glen, in which stands the ancient family residence
of the Grants of Glenmoriston, and, on the shore

190 FORT AUGUSTUS.
of the lake, the pretty viUage of Invermoriston.
Some miles beyond this the woods of Cherry Island
appear ; and, on the opposite side of Lochness,
the river Tarffe pours its waters into the lake near
its termination at Fort Augustus, which, though
surrounded by four bastions, within which are the
Governor's house, and barracks for four hundred
men, now occupied by seven veterans, appears more
like a gentleman's seat than a fortress. " You
would suppose,'' says Mrs. Grant, " some old ve
teran had built himself a house, with a ditch, and a
drawbridge, to remind him of his past exploits."*
The viUage adjoining this Uncle Toby fortifica
tion is pleasantly situated in a meadowy valley,
bounded by very steep braes on the garrison side,
and a mountain gentle in its ascent, verdant and
cultivated half-way up, on the other, surrounded
by rugged rocks that seem to frown sullenly on
the sweet scenes below.
The time occupied by the boat in getting through
the six locks, which here occasion a detention
somewhat tedious, afforded us ample room for re-
" Letters ficom the Mountains, vol. i. p. 144.

FORT AUGUSTUS. 191
flection upon this spot, as the centre whence ema
nated those barbarous edicts which were enforced
with such inhuman cruelty against the natives,
after the battle of Culloden, as to have stamped
the memory of William Duke of Cumberland
with eternal infamy. When we consider the cha
racter and conduct of the rebel army, — irreproach
able in every respect except in the act of rebel
lion,* — we must, for the sake of humanity, ever

* To the honour of the Highlanders who were out in 1745, it
ought to he rememhered that though engaged in a formidable civil
war, which roused the strongest passions of human nature, and
though unaccustomed to regular discipline or military control ;
though they were in a manner let loose upon their countrymen, and
frequently flushed with victory, and elated with hopes of ultimate
success, they committed comparatively very few acts of wanton
plunder or gratuitous violence. Though exposed to the temptations
afforded by the fertile and rich districts of England, and suffering
from cold and hunger in the mountains of Scotland, they uniformly
limited their demands by their necessities, and indulged in no licen
tious excess. Private revenge or unprovoked massacre, w'anton de
predation, the burning of private houses, or the destruction of pro
perty, were entirely unknown. The requisitions and contributions
Una's oidably exacted andlevied by the rebel commanders, or the irre
gularities of a few desperate followers of the camp, did not in any
manner affect the character of the rebel army, which conducted it
self throughout with a moderation, forhearauce, and humanity, al
most unexampled in any civil commotion. In a military point of
view they proved themselves equally praiseworthy. Neither in the

1 92 ANCIENT STATE OF THE HIGHLANDS.
deeply lament that their enlightened and disci
plined conquerors did not condescend to take a
lesson of moderation from these uncultivated sa
vages, as they called them, and that they sullied
their triumph by truculent devastation, inflicted on
a defenceless enemy ; and, for their own sakes,
that they pursued a line of conduct infinitely more
ferocious and barbarous than the worst acts of
those poor people to whom these epithets were so
liberally applied. The harsh measures afterwards
pursued were more calculated to exasperate than
to allay the discontents which they were intended
to remove ; and were perhaps the less excusable as
being the more deliberate, and betraying an igno
rant wantonness of power proportionate to the ex
cess of the previous apprehensions of a weak and
jealous government, vindictive because it felt itself

advance into England, to within 160 miles of London, nor in the re
treat when pursued by a superior army, while another attempted to
intercept them, did they leave a man behind by desertion, and few
or none by sickness. They carried their cannon along with them,
and their retreat was conducted with a degree of intrepidity, regu
larity, expedition, and address, unparalleled in the history of na
tions by any body of men under circumstances equally adverse, —
General Stewart's Sketches of the Character, Manners, <^c. of the
Highlanders of Scotland, vol. i. p. 117.

ANCIENT STATE OF THE HIGHLANDS. 193
insecure, and unable to master its terrors even after
the season of danger had passed way. These legis
lative enactments, however, chiefly deserve consi
deration as the primary cause — ^both in time and
importance — of those very remarkable changes in
the Highlands, which we cannot regard but with a
mingled feeling of astonishment and regret. To
develope this sentiment more clearly, we must re
cur to the ancient state of the Highlands. The
nature of the country was the mould in which their
society was cast, and the motives which induced
the Celts to make it their refuge, necessarUy
prescribed the form of many of their institu
tions.* The natural divisions of the country into

* A country in the Highlands is understood to mean a habit
able tract, divided by rocks, mountains, and narrow passes, from
the adjacent countries, and inhabited by a particular clan. These,
in places where only two or three miles of rocky eminence inter
vene, differ in looks, manners, and language, and often live in bit
ter and jealous rivalsbip ; and though individuals love and some
times marry each other, yet the general dislike continues. From
these glens every peasant nishes to arms when his master's hon
our or safety is endangered. Here every man is a hunter, a fisher,
and an architect in his own way ; and there is a musician in every
house, and a poet in every hamlet Different clans, in their col
lective capacity, form strict alliances with each other, and are cor
dial in their attachment ; but they are those who live at a dis-

194 ANCIENT STATE OF THE HIGHLANDS.
SO many scattered valleys and islands, separated
from one another by mountains or arms of the sea,
gave rise, as a matter of necessity, to various little
societies, who naturally adopted as their chiefs in
dividuals of superior property, courage, or talents,
under whose banner they had fought, or under
whose protection they had settled, who were bound
to their vassals by the double tie of kindred and
feudal subjection : This last was rather patriarchal
sway as they managed it.* Never surely was power
so gently used, nor protection so gratefully ac-

tance from each other, and cannot interfere about hunting, hill
pasturage, &c. — the Grants and Macleans, for instance. — Letters
from the Mountains, 1786, vol. ii. p. 113.
* " The members of every tribe were tied one to another, not
only by the feudal but by the patriarchal bond, for while the in
dividuals who composed it were vassals or tenants of their own
hereditaiy chieftain, they were also descended from his family, and
could count exactly the degree of their descent ; and the right of
primogeniture, together with the weakness of the laws to reach inac
cessible countries and more inaccessible men, had, in the revolution of
centuries, converted these natural principles of connexion between the
chieftain and his people into the most sacred ties of human life. The
castle of the chieftain was a kind of palace, to which every man of
his tribe was made welcome, and where he was entertained accord
ing to his station in time of peace, and to which all flocked at the
sound of war. Thus, the meanest of the clan believing himself to
be as well born as the head of it, revered his chieftain and respected
himself." — Dalrymple's Memoirs of Great Britian.

ANCIENT STATE OF THE HIGHLANDS. 195
knowledged. Thus began that union of affection
and co-operation of endeavours that constitute
a clan. Those endearing though indefinable ties
that have for generations held these people so
strongly to each other, and to their chiefs, produce
united effects which afford one of the most pleas
ing views of human nature that can be met with.*

* The disinterested attachment and voluntary obedience shewn
by the clansmen to their superiors, when the former were releas
ed from their vassalage, and the latter were deprived of their power
and possessions, speak volumes for the manner in which their re
lative duties were discharged under the feudal system. The same
attachment led them to revere as martyrs their chiefs whose es
tates were confiscated to the government. The rights of their
chiefs and landlords, under the unhappy circumstances of out
lawry and forfeiture, they considered as unaUenable, unless for
feited by some vice or folly. The tenants, to whom self-denial
was at times familiar, became more rigidly abstemious in their
habits, that they might with one hand pay the rent of the forfeit
ed land to the Crown, and with the other supply the necessities of
their exiled chiefs ; while the young men, the sons of their faithfiil
and generous tenantry, were ready with their personal services to
forward the welfare, and procure military rank and commissions
for the sons of the unfortunate individuals who had lost their es
tates. The tenants of Cameron of Lochiel, and Stewart of Ard-
sheal, supplied those gentlemen with money, after the year 1745,
when they were in exile in France, though they themselves were
oppressed and persecuted for sending the money out of the coun
try. When the Earl of Seaforth was m similar circumstances.

196 ANCIENT STATE OP THE HIGHLANDS.
We are aware, that " money there was none in this
republic, — ^laws as little; the rents were paid in
blood, and the next generation was like the form
er;"* and that Dr. Johnson, speaking of the ancient
state of the Highlanders, has said, that " their con
tent was a muddy mixture of pride and ignorance,
an indifierence for pleasure they did not know, a
blind veneration for their chiefs, and a strong con
viction of their own importance."
From this reverse of the picture, so deeply co
loured by misrepresentation and prejudice, we re
turn with pleasure to the original portrait, — the
wild and brilliant picture of the devoted valour, in
corruptible fidelity, patriarchal brotherhood, and
savage liabits of the Celtic clans, sketched witli

after his attainder in 1715, he experienced the same generous and
disinterested fidelity ; and Macpherson of Clunie, though an out
law, and compelled to live for nine years in caves and woods, was
in no want of money or any thing that could be contiibuted by his
people, who, after his death, continued the same assistance to his
widow and family. But it is needless to multiply instances of their
attachment, which existed tUl a late period, without the least
prospect of reward or remuneration, all being the free gift of
men poor in substance, but of warm afiections and liberal minds.
' Macculloch's Highlands and Western Isles, vol. iv. p. 230.

ANCIENT STATE OF THE HIGHLANDS. 197
such a masterly hand by the gallant and patriotic
General Stewart,* and the faithful though flatter
ing pencil of Mrs. Grant.
The feudal system is the most remarkable circum
stance in the ancient political condition of the High
landers, leading directly to the origin of many of
their peculiar sentiments, customs, and institutions.
Their secluded situation rendered general inter
course difficult, whUe the impregnable ramparts with
which they were surrounded made defence easy.
Hence the preservation of their original indepen-

• We allude to the Sketches of the Character, Manners, and
Present State of the Highlands of Scotland; with Details of the
Military Service of the Highland Regiments, by Colonel David
Stewart of Garth, 1822, — a work on which the public has already
passed a verdict of approbation, so high as to class it among the
best which has yet appeared upon the subject of which it treats.
It is written in a simple, unambitious style, which nevertheless
becomes occasionally eloquent, and even rises into a sort of un
affected sublimity, when the author, who has given his whole
heart and soul to the subject, either defends his countrymen from
the unjust aspersions which have been so lavishly cast upon them,
or pleads the cause of an oppressed and suffering people ag;ainst
the unnatural monopolists, who would either drive them from the
country or reduce them to the lowest state of misery and wretch
edness, — or chronicles those brilliant military achievements which
have contributed to enhance the martial character of the country,
and to increase the renown of British arms.

198 ANCIENT STATE OP THB HIGHLANDS.
dence and primitive simplicity of manners, and their
reluctance to submit to the authority of a distant
government, which could neither enforce obedience
nor afibrd protection.*
Under the House of Stuart the Highlanders
enjoyed a degree of freedom suited to the ideas of
a high-spirited people, proud of having for a series
of ages maintained their independence. Excepting
the attempts made by James I. and James V. to
check their endless feuds, there are few instances
of the sovereign interposing his authority betwixt
the chieftains and their clans. Whether their con
duct resulted from want of power or from kindness,
it produced a favourable impression on the minds
ofthe Highlanders ; nor was it tiU after the reign
of Charles I., and during the Commonwealth, when
Oliver Cromwell planted garrisons in the heart of
their country, to punish them for their loyalty du
ring the Civil Wars, that the Highlanders began to
find their freedom restrained. This restraint, how
ever, continued only during the period of the usur
pation ; for soon after the Restoration, the garri-
* See Appendix, E.

ANCIENT STATE OP THE HIGHLANDS. 199
sons were withdrawn by Charles II., in considera
tion of the eminent services rendered to his father
and himself in their adversity. The subsequent
measures adopted by King William were less fa
vourable to the Highlanders ; and while they tended
to awaken and confine their attachment to their an
cient kings, increased their aversion to the new
dynasty.* Long after the art of government had
been so far improved, that tranquillity was main
tained and justice administered over aU England
and the low country of Scotland, the Highlanders
continued to afibrd a lively representation of the
state of England before the Norman Conquest,
and of all Europe, at the date of the Crusades,
as, to this day, the effects remain of that state of
society out of which the Highlands have so recent
ly emerged ; or rather, as they are at present only
in a state of transition or passage into that situa
tion in which the rest of the island has so long been
placed, it becomes a subject of rational curiosity
to attend correctly to the past and present state of
a people passing, under our eyes, from the influence
* See Appendix, F.

200 ANCIENT STATE OP THE HIGHLANDS.
of feudal principles to that of constitutional li
berty. The last act of resistance to established author
ity, on the part of the Highlanders, was followed
by the disarming and proscribing acts which caused
the first innovation upon their long-established
customs. The last act of government, which had
any influence on the Highland character, was the
abolition of hereditary jurisdictions, and the conse
quent overthrow of the authority of the chiefs.
Upon this occasion, the public money paid to the
Highland chieftains, in exchange for their privi
leges, amounted to a sum greater than most of
them had ever possessed, which excited the thirst
of riches, of which it had taught them the use.
" When power of birth and station ceases, no hope
remains but from the prevalence of money."
Dr. Johnson, writing in 1773, observes of the
Highlanders, " their chiefs, being now deprived of
their jurisdictions, have already lost much of their
influence ; and, as they graduaUy degenerate from
patriarchal rulers to rapacious landlords, they will
divest themselves of the little that remains." Sub
sequent events have borne melancholy testimony to

CHANGE OP MANNERS. 201
the truth of this remark ; since, from the time when
Highland proprietors, ceasing to confine themselves
within the range of the Grampians, began to mingle
with the world, and acquire its taste and manners,
their minds were at first necessarily, and afterwards
habitually directed to the means of increasing their
incomes, and of acquiring the funds necessary to
support their new and more expensive mode of
life in a distant country.
" The commodiousness of money," says Dr.
Johnson, " is indeed great ; but there are some ad
vantages which money cannot buy, and which no
wise man will, by the love of money, be tempted
to forego." The soundness of the great moralist's
opinion has been fully confirmed. Many Highland
proprietors commenced operations, miscalled im
provements, in the north, with a precipitation which
proved ruinous to their ancient tenants, and not al
ways productive of the anticipated advantage to
themselves in the augmentation to their revenues ;
since, as Pennant observed in his Tour through
Scotland, " they attempted to empty the bag be
fore it was fiUed." In the prosecution ofthe recent
changes in the north, the feelings and preposses-
i2

20',t CHANGE OF MANNERS.
sions of the hardy and virtuous natives have been
shamefully violated, and entirely disregarded, in
the eager pursuit of prospective advantage. It
was a cold-hearted spirit of calculation, from before
which humanity and every better feeling shrunk,
that induced men to set up for sale that loyalty, fi
delity, and afiection, which, as they cannot be
purchased, are above all price. To lose this spirit,
is to lose what no small advantage wiU compen
sate ; and it may well be doubted, whether plans
so hastily adopted, so productive of immediate
distress, and which occasion such permanent dis
content, are likely to be ultimately successful.
Much of the romance and chivalry of the Highland
character is already gone. The voice of the bard
has long been silent ; and poetry, tradition, and
song are vanishing away under the iron sway of
poverty and oppression. The generous and char
acteristic spirit — the warm afi"ection to his family —
the fond attachment to his clan — the love of story
and of song — the contempt of danger and of luxury
— the mystic superstition, equally awful and ten
der — and the ardent love of his native mountains —
wUl soon no longer be found to animate the breast

CHANGE OP MANNERS. 203
of the Highlander, unless the change of character,
which is now in rapid progress, be efiectually
checked. It is scarcely possible to restrain our indignation
at the conduct of them who, with a short-sighted
eagerness to enrich themselves, and if possible to
acquire the means of competing in extravagance
with the wealthier proprietors of the south, or by
carrying into practice doctrines plausible enough
in theory, but deduced from circumstances of coun
tries differing in soil, climate, position, character,
manners, and state of society, from the scene of
their experiments, have introduced those changes
which have excited a most baneful influence on the
comfort, character, and independence of the High
landers. HappUy, indeed, some men of property
in the north are so deplorably' ignorant of the
principles of the fashionable science of political
economy, as to prefer increasing the comforts,
and ameliorating the condition of the people, to
improving the breed of blackfaced sheep, or of
horned cattle. These true patriots have com
menced with the improvement of the condition
of their tenants, as the best foundation for the

204 CHANGE OP MANNERS.
improvement of their estates, and tlie perma
nency of their incomes, and have been rewarded
by the pleasure of seeing themselves surrounded
and beloved by a prosperous, grateful, and content
ed tenantry ; — thus proving to the satisfaction
of every friend of humanity, that rents might have
been graduaUy increased with the increasing value
of produce, and improved modes of cultivation in
troduced, without subverting the characteristic dis
positions of men who inherited from their ancestors
an attachment seldom equalled, and stiU more sel
dom exceUed, either in fidelity or disinterested
ness. Escaping from the locks at Fort Augustus, we
proceeded along the Canal, through a gradual
ly expanding glen, bounded on each side by moor
ish hiUs, which, though of considerable elevation,
appeared low after the rocky heights under which
we had passed in our course down Loch Ness.
The river Oich runs parallel to the Canal,
which, at five mUes from Fort Augustus, after
passing Aberchalader, on the water of CaUander,
issues from its parent lake. Before entering Loch
Oich, a lock again detained us ; but this we had

LOCH OICH. 205
little reason to regret, as the wild and magnificent
mountains of Badenoch rose in the east, amid
which the vast mass of Corryarrack formed the
most conspicuous feature ; and to the north, the
prospect wandered into the most aerial and fantas
tic groups of broken rocks and mountains.
Loch Oich, though the smallest of the lakes
of the valley, presents, with its variegated slopes
and broken copses, some beautiful scenery. Upon
the western shore of the lake, at the entrance of
Glengarry, stand the picturesque ruins of Inver-
garry Castle, the strong-hold of the Macdonnels,
which was destroyed by fire in 1746. The romantic
glen that ascends from it, instead of narrowing, as
usual, gradually expands into the sylvan vale around
Loch Garrie, from whence the river of that name
descends to Loch Oich. At the moutli of this
stream, embosomed in woods, appears the residence
of Colonel Macdonnel of Glengarry, the head of a
considerable branch of the powerful clan who spell
their names in that manner, to distinguish them
from the Macdonalds of the Isles, attached to Lord
Macdonald. Invergarry House has all the characteristic fea-

206 GLENGARRY.
tures of the seat of a Highland chieftain, — the
lake, with its little wooded islands, which seem
to float on the calm surface before it ; the ra
pid river rushing down from the mountains, pour
ing its full stream into the lake beside it ; the re
maining tower of the ancient castle, frowning
proudly on the modern house ; the long, habitable
glen opening back from the mansion of the chief,
embosomed in woods and rocks, and animated by
clusters of warm and peaceful hamlets. The fa
mily of Glengarry possess immense tracts of coun
try on each side of the lake, extending in a westerly
direction to the sea-side, and embracing a won
drous region called Knoidart, whose principal fea
tures are inaccessible precipices, overhanging moun
tains, and glens, narrow, abrupt, and cut through
with deep ravines, combining with rapid streams,
dark pools, and intricate woods, to form the fa
vourite haunts of deer, wild-fowl, fish, and cattle,
which afford subsistence to a very primitive race of
people, many of whom profess the Catholic reli
gion. — Leaving Loch Oich, the Canal proceeds
througli its here most evidently artificial channel,
from the deep cutting seen upon either bank, sur-

LOCH LOCHY. 207
rounded by verdant hills, beautifully diversified
with copsewood.
Passing two locks, where the canal attains its
summit level, being 94 feet above the sea at Clach
naharry, and 90 above the sea at Corpach, at the
distance of two miles from Loch Oich, we entered
Loch Lochy, the last lake in the Great Glen, which
partakes somewhat of the character of Loch Ness,
though its depth is not so great, and its length little
more than ten miles. It is surrounded by moun
tains clothed with the deepest verdure to their very
summits, and affording pasturage to numerous flocks
of sheep, instead of being broken into crags and
rough with tangled copsewood, like those around
Loch Ness. Upon our left rose the steep green
hill of Letterfinlay, on the slope of which the
light foliage of the drooping birch waved in the
evening gale, while on our right the verdant accli
vities were broken into retiring glens of great
beauty. The most interesting of these appeared
on the western side of the lake, containing in
its bosom Loch Arkeig, whose banks are covered
with immense forests of fir. At the entrance of
this glen stands the ruined house of Auchna-

208 CAMERON OF LOCHIEL.
carrie, the hereditary residence of " the gentle
Lochiel," who, from the battlements of his fatiiers'
tower, first displayed the fatal standard under
wliich he fought with so much gallantry and devo
tion, and which he followed in proscription and
exile to a foreign land. No man sacrificed more
domestic comfort to mistaken principle. No man
had clearer views of the fatal result of the ill-sup
ported project in which he engaged, after having
vainly endeavoured to dissuade the Adventurer
from his purpose. The extensive possessions of
the chief were forfeited to the Crown, and his
mansion consigned to the flames. The hill-fox and
toad long occupied the desolate halls of the chiefs
of the clan Cameron. But times of confiscation and
outlawry liave passed away. The ofi^spring of the
wanderer, whom one rash act
" banished forlorn,
Ijike a limb from his country cast bleeding and torn," *

* Lochiers Warning, an effusion of true poetry, every way
worthy of the bard of Hope. Smollett's celebrated Ode of the Tears
of Scotland, which unites the glow of poetical enthusiasm with a
high degree of that eloquent simplicity which appears so easy, but
which is so difficult to imitate or acquire, in pathos and sublimi
ty cannot surpass this exquisite poem of the gifted Campbell,  of
whose later productions we can only say, " 0 ! si sic omnia."

CAMERON OF LOCHIEL. 209
have been restored to the homes of their ancestors,
and graciously reinstated in their ancient posses
sions ; so that the descendants of the " crested
Lochiel" now hunt the deer on Loch Arkeig, as
their sires did of yore.
In the western distance appeared the rude
mountains of Arisaig and Moydart — the scene of
Prince Charles's " hair-breadth 'scapes/' and most
perilous adventure — which gave back the shout
that hailed the uprearing of the standard of the
Stuart,* and saw him afterwards depart a hunted

* This event was followed by consequences too deeply impor
tant to permit such a spot as this^ remarkable also for romeintic
beauty, to pass unnoticed. Accordingly, the late Mr. Macdonald
of Glenaladale, whose grandfather joined his clan in aiding the un
fortunate enterprise inauspiciously commenced in Glen Finnan,
erected there a hollow column upon a square pedestal, (originally de
signed as a hunting lodge,) after the manner of Nelson's Monument
on the Calton Hill in Edinburgh, but which like that celebr ated
monument is said to bear an unfortunate resemblance to a carpen
ter's mallet, with the handle uppermost. The Latin inscription
upon the pedestal deserves to be recorded, being from the elo
quent pen of the late Dr. Gregory of Edinburgh, so long esteemed
to excel in modern Latin composition. The English and Gaehc
inscriptions are merely translations of the original Latin, which
runs thus : — " Avitum imperium tristi imprudentia amissum
per summa discrimina recipere audax, infelix juvenis Carolus
Eduardus hie primo vexillum proposuit, 19** die Augusti, A.D.
1745, Generosi ardoris constantissimae fidei, et praeclarae virtu-

210 LOCH LOCHY.
and heart-stricken fugitive. The eastern extre
mity of Loch Lochy was the scene of deadly en
counter between the Frasers, under Lord Lovat,
and the Macdonnels, in which the former clau
were nearly extinguished. The combatants fought
in their shirts, in July 1544,* and thus obtained for
the battle the Gaelic name of Blar-na-lein.
Eastward, and nearly parallel to Loch Lochy,
behind the range of hills on its eastern bank, lie
the celebrated parallel roads of Glen Roy, which
are from sixty to seventy feet wide, and three in
number, occurring at intervals of about 180 feet

tis, suae gentis aliorumque monticolarum, qui in nobili illo quam-
vis infausto principis incepto sanguinem profuderunt. Ut aliquid
exstaret monumenti, hanc columnam ipsi eheu tunc morituro brevi,
fiituram monumentum, A.D. MDCCCXIll, poni curabat Alexan
der Macdonald de Glenaladale, hujus agri dominus. Lectissimus
ornatissimusque juvenis, iniquo fato correptus, immature obiit
aetatis anno XXVIlI, iv die Januarii MDCCCXV."
* In early times these savage rencontres were very frequent
throughout the Highlands. We would refer every one who may,
like Desdemona, " seriously incline" to list to these tales of blood
and broil, to the History of the Feuds and Conflicts among the clans
in the northern parts of Scotland, and in the Western Isles, from
the year 1031 unto 1619, published by Fowlis at Glasgow, 1764,
from a MS. written in the reign of James VI. The last event of
this kind was the battle fought in Glen Roy, between the Macin
tosh and Keppoch, in the time of William, to determine the right
over certain lands.

PARALLEL ROADS OP GLEN ROY. 211
apart, and running along the sides of the hiUs,
following their indentations for several mUes
upon each side of the valley, in a direction every
where perfectly horizontal, corroborating the
supposition that the vaUey was once a lake, which
at three different times, and after considerable in
tervals, bm-st its barriers, and left behind its peb
bly beach, to attest its former position previous to
each eruption of its waters. This singular pheno
menon has also been noticed in Peru, by Captain
Basil Hall, R. N. Though it would be equaUy
illogical and absurd, to conclude from hence, with
Mr. Granville Penn, that, because some vaUeys
have been formed in ancient times by the dis
ruption of the barriers of lakes, that all valleys
owe their origin to a simUar cause ; yet, in the
Alpine valleys of Savoy, circumstances precise
ly analogous frequently occur, when a great aval
anche dams up a stream, and forms a lake, which
stands at different levels, as the barrier of ice succes
sively breaks away.*

* See Macculloch's Highlands and]Western Isles, vol. i. p. 341
to 353;— and A_ Summer Ramble through the North Highlands,
p. 223.

212 LOCHABEE.
On leaving Loch Lochy, the Canal holds a
paraUel course with the river Lochy, which, upon
emerging from the lake, receives the waters of
the Spean, a rapid mountain stream, by which
the Lakes of Laggan, and others of less note,
hidden in the recesses of Badenoch and Loch-
aber, pour their waters to the sea. On passing a
large regulating lock, the view before us was sin
gularly striking and sublime. The wild mountains
of Lochaber rose in stern majesty, besprent with
fragments of rock, which gave them the appear
ance of a storm of hail having recently passed over
their summits, and presented a most wintry as
pect, illumined by the unusual brilliancy of a sum
mer sun. This prospect was rendered the more im
posing from the snow which still lingered in the fis
sures of the bold cragged front of Ben Nevis, the
monarch of the mountains of Britain, which now
distinctly appeared in all its savage grandeur
and awful sublimity, a huge rock of porphyry,
superincumbent on a mass of granite and schis
tose rocks, rising sheer out of the plain we were
traversing, to the height of 4,300 feet. This
mountain, like most others in the known world.

BEN NEVIS. 213
has its most abrupt and precipitous sides to the
north and west, whicli were both presented to us
in the view we enjoyed, with a rapture not the less
deeply felt because it can be but imperfectly de
scribed, as we gazed upon the mighty mountain, at
whose farther side the deep vale of Glen Nevis
was seen withdrawing into the solitudes of Loch
aber. These scenes derived additional lustre in our es
timation from the deeds of high emprise with which
they are indissolubly connected. Ben Nevis wUl
remain to the end of time the imperishable memor
ial of the brave Sir Ewen Cameron and the chival
rous Montrose. In a land whose features are insi
pid and monotonous, as those of Caithness, though
it be like that little-favoured country full of record
ed battles, no object occurs to call to mind the
scene of conflict ; for nature has refused to be its
poet, and the fame of its heroes sleeps, like their
remains, unheard of and unknown. But here it is
far otherwise — the solitudes of Glencoe stiU im
pressively record the massacre of the Maclans ;*

* A tribe of the Macdonalds, descended from Ian or John, a
grandson of Angus Og, Lord ofthe Isles.

214 INVERLOCHY CASTLE.
and at Thermopylae the monument of Leonidas
and his devoted band wUl be as durable as nature
herself. The ruins of Tor Castle appeared on the hill-side
to our right, while on our left extended the dusky
moor at the base of Ben Nevis, in which, near the
mouth of the river Lochy, stands the spacious
quadrangular fabric of Inverlochy Castle, which,
though tottering in decay, and suffering from ne
glect, is still interesting as having once appertained
to the powerful family of Comyn. Tradition has
assigned it the honour of having, in olden time,
sheltered the monarchs, and enclosed the beauty
and chivalry of the north, whence it claims from the
passing stranger at least the homage of a sigh. This
Castle is remarkable as being of superior mason
ry and construction to the generality of Highland
fortresses. It consists of a quadrangular buUding
with round towers at the angles; the walls are about
nine feet in thickness, and the measure of the cur
tains is about an hundred feet; so that the flanking
defences are here perfect, and formed on a regular
design, while in most of the Highland castles they
are wanting, and in many appear to have been acci-

PORT WILLIAM. 215
dental. Here also are loopholes and sally-ports,
and a moat surrounding the building, so that while
its size proves it to have been intended for a garri
son, its defences shew that it was prepared for a
siege. The whole system of the construction of
this castle seems to indicate the era of its erection
to have been in the time of Edward, under the
Comyns, upon the method then practised by the
English engineers.
Across the moor whereon the Castle stands, we
descried the bastions of Fort WUliam, which is of
a triangular form, and can afford accommodation to
eight hundred men, but is now garrisoned by
twenty men and one officer. It adjoins the town of
Gordonsburgh — whose appellation of Maryburgh,
in honour of the consort of William III., has nearly
fallen into disuse, — a paltry town, whose situation
on the shore of Loch EU, an arm of the mighty At
lantic, has scarce sufficed to keep it in existence
since the decay of the garrison. " It is a sea-port,
without being animated ; it is a viUage, without the
air of peace and simplicity ; it is military, without
being either gay or bold looking ; it is country,
without being rural ; it is Highland, without being

216 BANNAVIE.
picturesque or romantic ; it has plains without ver
dure, hUls without woods, mountains without ma
jesty, and a sky without a sun — at least he beams
so seldom that I wonder the Lochabrians are not
dazzled into idolatry when he walks in his bright
ness."* Proceeding along the Canal, the noble estuary
of Loch EU opened upon our view, stretching a-
way towards the Western Main, in all its breadth
and beauty, between two paraUel and far-receding
ridges of rugged and lofty mountains ; and arriv
ing at the top of the eight connected locks of
Bannavie, popularly termed Neptune's Staircase,
as descending towards the sea, we landed, and
found every accommodation at Neptune's Hotel.t

* Letters from the Mountains, being the real correspondence
of a lady, (Mrs. Grant of Laggan,) between the year 1773 and
1807 ; vol i. p. 90  The fourth edition, 1809.
-j- The comfort of this little inn far exceeded our anticipations,
as the rudely constructed huts of Lochaber have formed the
theme of every tourist since the days of Pennant. These primi
tive dwellings are built of turf or stones, according to the nature
of the adjoining ground, and being raised about six feet high, are
surmounted by a covering of branches of trees, secured by a large
beam from the eifects of the rude blasts so prevalent in mountain
ous districts. This important component of the dwelling is called
the roof-tree. The roof is usually covered with sods of turf

BEN NEVIS. 217
A briUiant day was succeeded by a beautiful night,
under favour of which we beheld Ben Nevis — the
Hill of Heaven — sleeping in the stillness of na
ture ; its cliffs of granite and its scanty verdure, aU
alike steeped in the same unvarying hue of mys
tery, — ^the whole colourless, as if the sun had never
shone there, — silent as if no voice of man had
ever disturbed the echoes of the solemn scene.
Above, the sky appeared aU one breathless canopy
of lucid crystal blue, here and there a light fleecy
cloud, or a small bright star twinkling in the depth
of ether ; and, fuU in the midst, the moon walking
in her vestal glory, pursuing, as from the bosom of

pared from the adjacent heath, which tends to consolidate the whole.
The interior ofthe shieling is divided into three parts, the but or
the kitchen, the ben or inner room, and the byre where the cattle
are housed. No light is admitted but at the entrance, and through
a hole in the thatch which gives vent to the smoke. This aperture
is not directly over the fire, lest the rain should extinguish it j and
the smoke, therefore, naturally fills the place before it escapes.
These, patriarchal dwellings are yet inhabited by a primitive race,
whose hardihood and simplicity of character might well put to the
blush those who affect to pity or despise them on account of their
wretched habitations, forgetting that, like the Laplanders,
"They love their mountains and enjoy their storms :
No false desires to pride-created wants
Disturb the peaceful current of their time."

218 CORPACH.
eternity, her calm and destined way, and pouring
down the sUver of her smUes upon the sublimest
objects of nature, in silent homage at her feet.
Though soft, yet how awful the beauty and the si
lence of the hour of spirits :
" And higher, I ween, is the mystic might
That comes to the soul in the dead of night,^
And midnight's starless silence rolls
A giant vigour through our souls.
That stamps us sons of Heaven."
August 14. — Having admired last night the
moonlight majesty of Ben Nevis, we rose at day
break this morning, unwearied by the contempla
tion of his awful form, and were conveyed from
the inn at Bannavie, in a cart, to Corpach — the
plain or haugh of corpses, where the royal dead
were, in early days, embarked for interment at the
sacred Isle of lona. The same has been said of
Pencross in Ayrshire, — so that we may let the ques
tion rest for the present, since, as the shrewd Sex-
tus has told us — icmri Xoyu Xoycs tiros avTMurtu —
a truism respectfiUly recognised in aU courts of
law and equity. We regained the steam-boat
in the sea-lock ; on emerging from which we en-

LOCH EIL. 219
tered Loch EU, and saw to the right that part of
the estuary which stretches far inland in a westerly
-direction, among the rugged and mountainous terri
tory of Locheil, and upon its northern bank plainly
distinguished the tall slender obelisk rising like a
spire among the scattered cottages of Kilmallie,
which commemorates the death of Colonel Came
ron of the 92d Highlanders, who galliantly fell at
the head of his regiment on the plains of Waterloo,
fighting, like many others, under the banners of
that family whom his ancestors had, with equal
zeal and devotion, sought to dethrone. Leaving
Fort WiUiam upon our left, we proceeded down
Loch EU, having on our right the bold and beauti
ful mountains of Ardgour, among which several
lovely glens were seen receding far into those vast
solitudes. One, in particular, terminated by a
bold escarpment of rock, attracted our attention,
as also another, which presented to our view
the gigantic form of Ben-na-hua ; beyond which.
Loch Shiel traverses the country for nearly thirty
miles, in a direction paraUel to that which we were
now pursuing.* Upon looking back, as the secluded
* It was sometime ago proposed to connect Loch Eil by means

220 POINT OF CORAN.
vaUey of Glen Nevis was receding from our
view, we beheld the majestic Ben Nevis towering
high into the clear mid air, and presenting its sun
ny sides as objects rather of admiration than of
awe, untU we reached the point of Coran Ferry.
Upon our left we beheld verdant hiUs gently slop
ing down towards the sea, diversified by little
patches of cultivated land, accompanied by cottages
caUed crofts, scattered among the copsewood which
partiaUy clothed their sides.
The gulf at the Point of Coran is much contracted,
and the currents run extremely fierce and strong ;
so that the " auld wyffes" of Gordonsburgh are
accustomed to say, that if they can but pass the
point of Coran, they account the greatest perU
past, even of a voyage to the West Indies.
A little above the ferry, embowered in woods,
stands the house of Ardgour (Maclean) ; beyond
which, a romantic glen runs back into the moun
tains of the same name, down whose sides is seen

of a canal with Loch Shiel, in order to avoid the tedious navigation
round the point of Ardnamurchan, and thereby give greater facili
ty to the herring fishery ; but the scheme has not yet been carried
into effect.

LOCH LINNHE 221
to pour a fine waterfall, vulgarly called Ardgour's
towel, from the striking effect of contrast between
the dark rock and dashing spray. Assisted rather
than impeded by the strength of the current, and
a fresh gale from the mountains, we passed the
point of Coran, and entered the lower part of this
noble estuary, which from this point gradually ex
pands, and is termed Loch Linnhe. Continuing
oUr course we presently came upon the opening of
Loch Leven, whose finely wooded and beautifuUy
verdant sides, so famous for the vast slate quarries
of Ballachulish, were finely contrasted with the
awfuUy wUd and sublime mountains of the dark
vale of Glencoe, which bore exactly the same strik
ing and hyperboreal appearance as the other
mountains of Lochaber. On the south Maimer, and
to the north Dun Fion, or the hill of Fingal, rose
conspicuously above their fellows on each side of
" the roaring stream of Cona," consecrated in Ossi-
anic verse, and stiU celebrated as the scene of the
most cruel and perfidious massacre that ever stained
the annals of Britain. This tale, too painful to re
late, is also far too familiar to be related again, since
it has passed into English history. It may be re-

222 GLENCOE.
marked, however, that the warrant* for this act
of unexampled atrocity, evinced a degree of pre-
* Upon this occasion his Majesty took the unusual precaution
of signing at the hottom, as well as at the top, the following- war
rant, which the ag-ents of the foul deed were pleased to term their
instructions : — " William R, — As for Mac Ian of Glencoe, and
that tribej if they can be well distinguished from the rest of the
Highlanders, it will be proper, for the .sake of public justice, to ex
tirpate that sett of thieves. — W. R-" It is needless to add that
in consequence of this bloody billet, the volleys of death and the
shrieks of despair rang through the echoing glen ; the cry of blood
resounded over all Europe, and the hero of Nassau heard it as if
he heard it not. In vain did the violated rights of hospitality cry
aloud for retributive justice. Princes adjust their accounts of this
kind very easily : — it is but calling the people savages, and then
their blood is of no value, and their lives of no consequence. The
poor yet pious Highlanders, however, carefully note that while the
family of the unfortunate gentleman who suffered is still entire, and
his estate preserved in a direct male line to his posterity ; this is
not the case with the family posterity and estates of the laird of
Glenlyon, and of those who were the principal promoters and ac
tors in this infamous affair, A particular account of the fate of
tljese unsuspecting victims of cowardly treachery Ls given in tx
letter from a gentleman in Scotland to his friend in London, who
desired a particular accoimt of the business of Glencoe, accompa
nying a small pamphlet called " Gallienus Redivivus, or Murder will
Out, &c being a true account of the de-witting of Glencoe." See
also '' The authentic Narration ofthe Massacre of Glencoe, contain
in the Report of his Majesty's Commissioners, already mentioned,
and printed at Glasgow in 1818, Mrs. Grant's Letters from the
Mountains, vol. i. pp. 79-87, Sir John Carr's Caledonian Sketches,
in 4to, 1809, pp. 421-5, and a Critical Examination of Dr, Mac
culloch's work on the Highlands and Western Isles of Scotland,
1S25, p. 56, and that work itself, vol. i. p. 313.

MASSACRE. OF GLENCOE  AKDSHBAL. 223
meditation which casts a stUl deeper shad upone
the inhuman barbarity of its execution. Infamy,
indelible as merited, must for ever attach itself to
the instigator and instruments of this sanguinary
deed of treachery ; nor can the house of Nassau
justly escape from the stigma which this memora
ble transaction has affixed to that of CampbeU, since,
notwithstanding the Report of the Commission
given by his Majesty, for inquiring into the slaugh
ter of the men of Glencoe, subscribed at Holyrood-
house, the 20th day of June, 1698, William did not
punish but promoted the actors in this tragedy —
which the lapse of more than , a century seems to
have left in all its freshness of horror — and thus,
by his subsequent approval of their conduct, made •
their cause his own.
Proceeding forward, we passed the woods and
house of Ardsheal, where a mineral spring has re
cently been turned to some account by the proprie
tor, (Stewart.) Near this, a cave protected by a
waterfall, is still shown as the place of refuge of
some of the fugitives from Culloden in 1746, the
objects of such severe, and undeserved, because
excessive persecution.

224 CASTLE STALKER.
Passing the point of Appin, we saw on the left
the hUls and place of Kingarloch, (Forbes,) upon
the shore of Morven ; and on approaching the pas
toral yet uninhabited island of Shuna, observed on
our right the demesne of Appin House, the seat of
Robert Downie, Esq. M.P. to whom the Isle of
Shuna, and a considerable extent of territory on
the mainland appertains. This enviable residence
commands an extensive view of the verdant island
of Lismore, the rugged coast of Morven, and the
lofty mountains of Mull. On the shore below Ap
pin House, lies a granitic boulderstone of 30 feet
in circumference. Proceeding onwards we passed
the village of Portnacroish, whence there is a ferry
across the Linnhe Loch. In an arm of this noble
estuary, branching off to the left, we presently dis
cerned the singular and stately ruins of Castle
Stalker, the ancient seat of the lairds of Appin,
occupying nearly the whole of the island upon
which it is situated.* Beyond this we observed

* Tins castle is remarkable as the scene ofthe exploits of Don-
ul nan Ord, or Donald the Hammerer, which are detailed in an
authentic account of the family of Invernahyle, published by Sir
Walter Scott, from the MS. in his possession, in the Introduction
to Jamieson's edition of Burt's Letters.

LISMORE. 225
the Kirk of Appin, and the seat of Lochend,
(Campbell.) Leaving Shuna on our right, we proceeded
down the Sound of Lismore, between that island and
the mainland of Argyle, thereby avoiding, as the
wind blew hard, the open expanse of Loch Linnhe,
and enjoying a near view of the fertile fields of the
long island of Lismore,* which consists entirely of
limestone, and is accounted the granary of the wes
tern isles, from the luxuriance of the crops which
its surface yields to its proprietors, the chief of
whom are Sir John Campbell of Airds, and Mr.
Campbell of Barcaldine. Not far from the shore
is Kilchiaran, a Catholic seminary, under the su-
perintendance of a Bishop, but at present pro-
raising to be speedily dissolved by the sale of the
land appertaining thereto. The ruined residence
of the Bishop of Argyle, who was frequently styled
Episcopns Lismorensis, may still be seen, four
miles to the westward of the present kirk, which
was anciently the chancel of the Cathedral of Lis-
* I.ismore in Gaelic signifies a large garden.
k2

226 STONE FOBTS.
more; adjoining to which is the manse. Upon
this island are several fortified camps, which tradi
tion has ascribed to the Danes ; and near the
church, one of those conical towers built without
cement, which occur so frequently in the Western
Isles, and the Orkneys, and upon the coast of Caith
ness, but are not limited either to the islands or
sea-coasts, being found aU over the interior of Scot
land, and no where more abundantly than in the
districts of AthoU and Breadalbane. These stone
forts appear to have been simply works of military
necessity, having been invariably erected without
lime, and commonly in a rude manner, with un-
sqnared and casual stones of all shapes, wherever
a defence was wanting or a strong post existed.
Their dimensions are various, and the construction
and position frequently such as to warrant the sup
position that the larger works of this nature were
designed for sheltering the famUies, and cattle, or
other property of the warlike tribes by whom they
were constructed ; but the presence of a banquette,
or step within, as in the present instance, would
imply offensive, rather than passive defence. In
truth, misled by their rude construction and circu-

AIRDS-i—LOCH CRERAN. 227.
lar form, antiquaries seem to have confounded,
under one general view and term, works which
seem to have been designed for various purposes,
and to have belonged probably to very different
ages, though at this distant day we are unable to
distinguish them. Scattered over the green hill
sides, which rise gradually from the shore, appear
several very neat tenements, indicative of the agri
cultural prosperity of Lisrnore.*
Having passed the house of Airds, (Sir John
Campbell,) and the point which juts out in the bay
formed by the opening of Loch Creran, a long, arm .
of the sea, receding from Loch Linnhe, far into '
the mountainous district of Benediraloch or Upper
Lorn, we came in sight of the majestically beau
tiful mountain of Ben Cruachan, rising at the dis
tance of twelve miles from us, to the height of
3,300 feet ; while nearer to us appeared the wood-

* This island is one of the principal seats of illicit distillation,
a circumstance arising from its fertility in grain, from its central
situation in a populous country, and from the facility which its
coast aifords both for the maniifacture and the exportation of the
genuine Highland whisky.

228 LOCHNELL.
ed point of Lochnell, upon which a modern obelisk
has been erected, little in accordance with the wild
magnificence of the surrounding scenery.
Passing the point of Ardmuchnage, the beauti
ful bay of Lochnell lay before us, bearing upon its
northern shore the house of Mr. Campbell, and the
vestiges of the vitrified fort of Balenri, the site
which tradition has assigned to the apocryphal city
of Beregonium, upon the hill of Dun Mac Sniach-
an.* Upon a promontory on the southern shore
of the bay, appeared the magnificent ruins of
the venerable Castle of Dunstaffnage, the seat
of royalty in the earliest ages of tlie Caledo
nian dynasty, and the sanctuary of the famous
palladium of the empire.-)- Its vast fabric is

* Judicious antiquarians have uniformly rejected the claims of
Beregonium to be considered the capital of ancient Scotland, as
equaUy frivolous with those of Abernethy, Inverness, Dunstaff
nage, and Inverlochy, all of which competing capitals find advo
cates in those very persons, who, at the same time, hold Scotland
itself to have, at the period in which they are said to have flourish
ed, one undivided powerful kingdom. For the caustic demolition
of Beregonium, see MaccuUoch s Highlands of Scotland and West
ern Isles, vol. i. pp. 277-282.
•f- The history of the stone of Dunstaffnage is not without its
interest. The remotest part of it is that it formed Jacob's Pillar
in the plain of Luz. By what mysterious agency it was transfer-

DUNSTAFFNAGE CASTLE. 229
Still tolerably entire, and contains, within its pre
cincts, the residence of Mr. Campbell, the proprie
tor, although the office of keeper of this Royal

red to Scotland tlie legends vriil tell. It seems, however, that
this stone was placed in the Royal Palace of Dunstaffnage by
Fergus, A. D. 503 ; and having acquired some reputation was in
834 carried by Kenneth to Scone, " there to remain from thence
forth as a sacred token for the establishment of the Scottish king
dom in that countrie," which had "before appertained to the Picts.
At Scone all the Scottish kings were crowned on it till the time of
Robert Bruce, when " King Edward Langschankes took the said
chair of merbyll" to Westminster, where all those who may be
attracted by the fame of its Leonine couplet,
" Ni fallat fatum Scoti quocunque locatum
Invenient lapidem, regnare tenentur ibidem,"
will find it to be only a fragment of sandstone exactly similar to
that upon which Dunstaffnage Castle stands, and which is so
abundant about Oban upon the coast of Lorn,
The prophetic distich, thus rendered by Wyntoun,
But gyf werdys falhyand be
Quhare-evyr that stane yhe segyt se,
Dare sail the Scotis be regnand,
And lordys hale oure all that land,
is supposed by some to have received its fulfilment upon the
accession of James VL to the crown of England ; and by others
referred to the union. Mr, Nairne having recently discovered a
meteoric stone among the ruins of Macbeth's Castle upon the hill of
Dunsinnan, it has heen conjectured that it wa.s the true Palladium,
there concealed from motives of policy by the usurper Macbeth,
who substituted the present stone in its place ; but it does not fol
low, even according to Fluellens Logic, that, because there is a
black stone at Dunsinnan there must have been one at Dunstaffnage.

230 DUNOLLY CASTLE.
Palace appertains to the Duke of Argyle. Upon
this interesting object our eyes continued to gaze
in the direction of Loch Etive, with the greatest in
terest, until they were diverted by the prospect af
forded by the opening between the islands of Lismore
and Kerrera, of the bold and beautiful mountains
of Mull, and the rugged hUls of Morven, on each side
ofthe entrance to the Sound of MuU, on whose coast
the massive form of Duart Castle was dimly distin
guishable. As we approached the bay of Oban, the
ruins of DunoiUich or DunoUy Castle,** crowning a
bold rock which projects at the mouth of the har
bour, claimed our best attention, as the ancient re
sidence of the Macdougals of Lorn, who, deriving
their origin from Dougal, the second son of the
mighty Somerled, the Thane of Argyle and Lord
of the Isles, in the twelfth century, were once
powerful enough to confront and defeat Robert
Bruce, their hereditary enmity to whose family
brought many disasters upon them. Their power,
though shorn of its ancient splendour, was still con
siderable, until 1715, when their representative
" Properly Dun Olave, from an early descendant of Somerled.

MACDOUGAL OP LOKN. 231
incurred the penalty of forfeiture for his accession
to the rebeUion of that period, thus losing the re
mains of his inheritance, to replace upon the throne
the descendants of those princes whose accession
his ancestors had opposed, at the expense of their
feudal grandeur. -About 1743 the estate was, how
ever, restored to the family, who remained quiet
on that occasion, and therefore regained their pro
perty when so many Highland chiefs lost theirs.
We have been thus minute in detailing the history
of this ancient family, since it affords a rare if not
unique instance of a race so distinguished during
the middle ages, and then possessed of such un
limited power, surviving the decay of their gran
deur, and flourishing in a private station. Of this
circumstance we were most forcibly reminded by
seeing the modern residence of Captain Macdougal,
R.N. the lineal and undisputed representative of
the ancient Lords of Lorn, situated immediately
beneath the donjon-keep of his forefathers, which
constitutes the chief feature of the truly interest
ing and picturesque ruins of DunoUy Castle ; but
the ivy-clad fragments of other buUdings attest the
former importance and strength of the place to have

232 OBAK.
been little inferior to that of its neighbour Dunstaff
nage. On the beach below the Castle rock is a huge
upright piUar, consisting of a detached fragment of
breccia, called Clach na cau, or " stone of the dog,"
from the tradition that when Fingal visited the Lords
of Lorn, his famous dog Bran was chained thereto.
Nothing can be more wildly beautiful than the sit
uation of DunoUy, whose bold and precipitous pro
montory contributes, with the point ofthe longrocky
island of Kerrera, to form the safe anchorage and
beautiful bay of Oban. Upon entering this harbour,
its semicircular shore, enlivened by the whitened
houses of Oban, presented a most cheerful appear
ance, sheltered by lofty hills, and enlivened, as it
happened, by preparations for a ball and a regatta,
and the presence of a sloop of war upon a cruise
after smugglers.
We landed at Oban about mid-day, and remained
on shore, amidst this animating scene, for two or
three hours, when, after a consultation with the
captain of the steam-boat, in which we found the
wind, though blowing hard from the north-north
east, was nevertheless in that very point which
would be the most favourable to our design of cir-

KERREKA. 233
cumnavigating Mull, and visiting Staffa, we went on
board the Ben Lomond steam-boat, and sailed out
of the bay of Oban, down the Sound of Kerrera,
having on our left the house and woods of Glenshe-
lach, (Macleaii,) on the mainland of Lorn, and on
our right the Horse-shoe Anchorage, and Dalreigh,
on the shore of Kerrera, marking the spot where
Alexander II. King of Scotland, (whose tomb we
had seen at Melrose,) died in 1249, when prepar
ing to invade the Western Isles, then under the
supreme dominion of Norway and of Haco.
On emerging from the Sound, a little bay at the
end of the Isle of Kerrera disclosed to us the beau
tiful and romantic ruins of Gylen or Coolin
Castle, more interesting from the situation than
the extent of its remains. On the margin of a
cliff impending over the sea, is perched this tall,
grey tower, nearly in the centre of a bay, rugged
with rocks and cliffs, appearing as if they had, for
uncounted ages, braved the fury of the waves that
break in foam over the whole breadth of the inlet,
and far out to sea. A scene more savage and de
solate, or more in character with the deserted and
melancholy aspect of this solitary dweUing, is not

234 GYLEN CASTLE.
easily conceived. Respecting the history of this
insular fortress tradition is silent ; but as it is of a
date at least equal to DunoUy, conjecture would
assign it to the M'Dougals, at the time when they
enjoyed their full privileges and possessions as
Lords of Lorn. Hence we obtained a distant view
of the isle of Colonsay, while nearer to us lay the
huge rocky Island of Scarba, the rugged shore of
SeU Island, and the Garveloch Isles ; beyond which,
remotely yet distinctly, appeared the delicate out
line of the Paps of Jura.
Proceeded along the rugged western shore of
Kerrera, from whence we stretched across towa,rds
the coast of Mull ; and though the Lammas gale
blew stoutly against us, it occasioned no greater in
convenience than the tossing of the vessel ; which,
as we are fortunately exempt from the number of
those whose temperament renders every ship a pri
son,* and the sea ipecacuanha, contributed to our

" Among these we may rank Dr. Johnson, and record his sin
gular dictum, as illustrating the force of prejudice and the predom
inance of habit, in a mind of unquestionable power. In one of his
conversations with Boswell, the Sage is recorded to have said,
" Why, Sir, no man will be a sailor who has contrivance enough
to get himself into jail ; for being in a ship Ls bemg in a jaU, with

DUAKT CASTLE. 235
enjoyment, inasmuch as it increased the wreaths of
foam on the crest ofthe billows, and added much to
the stern sublimity ofthe scene. Before us lay the
magnificient estuary of Loch Linnhe, between the
mountains of Morven, on whose shore appeared
the ruins of Glensanda Castle. Passing success
ively the entrance to Loch Spelve, and Loch Don,
in Mull, we came in sight of the rocky promontory,
upon which stands Castle Duart, formerly the
stronghold of the chief of the warlike and powerful
sept of Macleans, whose Lady's rock is still sought
for with melancholy interest, (increased if not en
gendered by Miss Baillie's beautiful tragedy of the
Family Legend, founded upon the tale of horror
connected therewith,) among the numerous isolated
rocks wliich diversify the surface of the ocean off

the chance of being drowned." — He afterwards, somewhat unac
countably, added, " The man in jail has more room, better food,
and commonly better company, and is in safety." — See pp.126, 251 of
the Journal of a Tour to the Hebrides with Samuel Johnson, L.L. D.,
by James Boswell, Esq  A work, which like that delightful
piece of gossiping biography, his " Life of Johnson," has long
taken its stand beside the weighter works of the Sage, Ai/mv xxi
Ot^a^ovroi. But are they not embalmed in the pursuits of liter
ature, and hath not the dexterous satire of Wolcot (Peter Pindar)
contributed to their immortality?

236 THE SOUND OF MULL.
the southern point of Lismore. The ruined Cas
tle of Achenduin appeared upon the western shore
of Lismore, between which and the rugged shore
of Morven rolled the waves of Loch Linnhe.
Upon entering the Sound of MuU, which divides
the heathy hiUs of Mull from the rugged shore of
Morven, we passed under the massive and ivy-clad
%valls of Duart Castle, whose vast remains attest
its ancient strength. Close to it is a picturesque
little bay, on the shore of which is the vUlage of
Achnacroish and the church of Craignure. On
the opposite coast appeared the bold point of
Ardenrimmer, beyond which stretched away to
the westward the fine bold shore of Ardtomish,
rendered doubly interesting by the lofty and pre
cipitous rocks of Inninmore ; on the other hand
lay the fine anchorage of Macalister's Bay on
the coast of Mull, among whose bold and ver
dant hills, we saw the woody glen of Scalas-
dale, the favourite haunt of the roe and red
deer. Before us rose the verdant promontory,
crowned with the picturesque though inconsider
able ruins of the once princely residence of the
?.Iacdonalds, Lords of the Isles, who, during their

ARDTOKNISH. 237
stormy independence, held what have been called
their parliaments, which in all probability consisted
of their cour pleniere, or assembly of feudal vas
sals, in the Castle of Ardtomish. This was one
of the principal strongholds which these insular
sovereigns possessed on the mainland of Argyle-
shire, though the ruins of an old keep or tower,
with fragments of outward defences, alone remain
to testify its former consequence. But the minstrel
of the north has thrown his enchantment around,
and as we entered the bay where Robert Bruce
and his gallant associates cast anchor, when
— " The lights of eve were past.
And louder sung the western blast
On rocks of Inninmore ;
Rent was the saU and strain *d the mast.
And many a leak was gaping fast.
And the pale steersman stood aghast
And gave the conflict o'er."
Its magic influence would prompt us to fancy that
Ardtomish, on her frowning steep,
'Twixt cloud and ocean hung.
Glanced with a thousand lights of glee.
And landward far, and far to sea.
Her festal radiance flung.
Advancing under the high and rocky precipice of
Inninmore, overhanging the sea on our left.

238 LOCH ALINE CASTLE.
" Beneath the castle's sheltering lea.
We staid our course in quiet sea,—
Hewn in the rock, a passage there
Sought the dark fortress by a stair.
So strait, so high, so steep.
With peasant's staff one valiant hand.
Might well the dizzy pass have mann'd
'Gainst hundreds arm'd with spear and brand.
And plunged them in the deep."
The modern house of Ardtomish (Gregerson)
partakes of the wild and romantic situation of the
ancient castle, above which it stands, upon a woody
bank, near the entrance to the lovely Loch Aline,
an arm of the sea, which runs for two miles and a
half inland, amid hills whose sides are beautifully
fringed with copsewood. Loch Aline Castle, one
of the most picturesque and perfect of the High
land fortresses, occupies a commanding situation at
the head of this romantic estuary. Beyond this ap
peared the Church of Keil, and several farm-houses,
on the Morven shore. From this part of the Sound,
looking up a verdant glen on the coast of MuU, we
discerned the singular form of Ben Talindh, or the
Sugar-loaf Hill ; and more to the south saw the
fine form of the majestic Ben More, rising to the
height of 2980 feet, from the rocky shore of Loch
na Gaul, a salt-water lake, at the southern side of

BEN MOKE — CASTLE OP AROSS. 239
the island, whose precipitous cliffs we plainly dis
tinguished across the narrow extent of land which
intervened between its shores and those of the bay
of Aross, into which we were now entering, having
on our left the houses of Pennygown and Calla-
chiUy, and before us the village and ruined Castle of
Aross. Upon looking down the Sound towards the
mountains of Lorn, which we had left behind us,
we were delighted to behold the magnificent moun
tain of Cruachan Ben, rising high above all the rest,
beautifuUy Ulumined by the setting-sun, and alto
gether appearing more like a thing of heaven than
earth. While on advancing into the beautiful bay of
Aross, we saw in a north-westerly direction, along
the Sound, the wild and rugged hills of Ardnamur
chan upon the mainland of Argyle. We passed close
under the massive remains of the Castle of Aross,
situated on a steep rock overhanging the sea, and
fortified on the land-side by a moat and drawbridge.
This was one ofthe principal residences ofthe Lords
of the Isles, who made this fortress their stronghold
in war, and the seat of their councils in peace. King
Robert Bruce granted a charter, still extant, dated
at Aross, of lands in Ardnamurchan, in favour of one

240 CALVE  TOBERMORY.
of the clan Macdonald, whose valour had contri
buted to the victory of Bannockburn. Proceeding
up the Sound, under the cragged and somewhat pre
cipitous though occasionally copse-clothed coast of
MuU, we saw, on our right, the grim acclivities of
the opposite coast of Morven, sloping down towards
the sea, near to which, upon a rocky promontory,
appeared the ruined Castle of Killundine, and a
little further on the Kirk and House of Drimmin.
Having saUed round the little island of Calay, or
Calve,* we entered the bay of Tobermory, around
which a crescent of neat whitened houses rises upon
a double terrace, in the uppermost of which the kirk
appears most conspicuous. Tobermory is the prin
cipal coUection of houses in Mull, owing its origin,
in 1788, to the British Society for the encourage
ment of the fisheries. It contains a post-office and a
custom-house, where the legal forms connected with
the herring fishery must be complied with. It reaps
aU the advantage of its fine harbour and the trade in

* Calva, Calve, or Calf, a common Norwegian name, found in
Mull and Mann, is not derived in this instance exactly from the ani
mal, but from islet it designates being related to the main island, as
the calf is to the cow, or as St. Margaret's is to Westminster Abbey.

ISLAND OF MULL. 241
grain, which the inhabitants of Mull are obliged to
import, as the soil being either gravelly or moor
ish is chiefly adapted for grazing, and the interior
of the island, being a mountainous and extensive
tract of heath, there are few enclosures, and no
tillage, except upon the coast.
The Island of Mull, upon which we landed at
Tobermory, is the third in point of size of aU the
Western Islands, but so much intersected by arms
of the sea, that, while its greatest diameter is only
about twenty-five miles, its circumference exceeds
three hundred. The surface is very unequal, and
occasionally mountainous, and its geological fea
tures are extremely interesting. The prevailing
rock is trap, either greenstone or whinstone,
and in many places the basaltic rocks assume
a columnar form. Its eastern extremity, called
the Ross of Mull, is a rude mass of granite.
To the north of Ben More, syenite occurs, and
limestone is of frequent occurrence. Coal has
also been found at Artun and Carsaig; but in
both instances the seams proved too poor to admit
of their being wrought with advantage.* Pebbles
* At Balphetrish is the famous ringing-stone which resounds
L

242 KELP.
of great variety and beauty are found upon the
shore, whence columns of dull, whitish smoke were
frequently perceived to arise, occasioned, we were
informed, by the laborious process of making kelp
from marine plants,* which are cut every two or
three years, and twenty-four tons of which, when
dried and burned, at the average cost of seventy
shiUings, will form a ton of kelp. This article,
used in the manufacture of glass and soap, since
the unrestricted importation of barilla, has fallen
from the high price it formerly bore to about five
or six pounds per ton ; and much distress has, we
believe, been generated among the kelp burners,
in consequence of the want of employment, arising
from its present low price.t

to the hammer, though that instrument can make no impression
upon it. It is of a dull, grey colour, spotted with black mica, and
difTering greatly from the adjacent rocks.
* Kelp is the calcined ashes of the Fucus digitatus, setratus, no-
dosus, and vesciculosus, which are cut from the rocks on which
they grow at low water, from June to September. The Fucus sac-
charinus, when driftfed on shore, is sometimes used, but is found
to contain less soda than the harder species.
•f* The value of a kelp estate is regulated principally by the linear
extent of the shores, the breadth of the interval between high and
low water mark, the flatness of the beach, the tranquillity of the
water, and its shelter from the surge ; to which may be added the

KELP. 243
Nearly six thousand tons of kelp are annually
made in the Western Highlands, giving an average
of one hundred and forty-four thousand tons of sea
weed, of which two-thirds are the produce of
Long Island alone, and six hundred tons are gath
ered upon Mull; but, for the last two or three
years, no kelp has been made in Argyleshire, ex
cept where it is of a very superior quality.
As a main source of revenue,* and one raised
from the natural and peculiar production of the
country, the manufacture of kelp is deserving
of attention. It may be said, indeed, to be the
sole manufacture of the maritime Highlands. Va
rious suggestions have been made, since its in
troduction in 1730, to effect an increase of this
commodity,t and thereby lessen the fluctuations

nature of the rocks, as some kinds are found to favour the growth
of marine plants more than others.
• Under the present system, the landlord usually reserves the
kelp to himself; but as labourers ready for hire are not to be
had, he is obliged to exact from his smaU tenantry the labour
necessary for the making of kelp, for which they receive an
equivalent in proportionate abatement of rent. Indeed so long as
the minute division of land continues, the crofter or tenant cannot
work the kelp on his shores to advantage, since in his own person he
combines the aggregate of that divided industry, by which, on a
large farm, the details of its economy are carried on.
-]- See Prize Essays of the Highland Society, vol. i.

244 KELP.
in revenue which proprietors are subject to, from
the precarious nature of the crop, the state of
the market, or the importation of foreign bariUa.
On a topic involving such great and important in
terests to the population of the Highlands, these
suggestions are entitled to mature consideration, in
asmuch as the kelp manufacture requires neither ca
pital nor change of habits or residence, in those en
gaged in it, and affords the means of employment,
and consequently of remuneration, to a large portion
of a peculiar people, whose universal penury arises
from the want of a demand for their labour, and
whose capabilities being thus left unoccupied, they
have, in many cases, been reproached for idleness
without deserving it.* It is the misfortune of the
* " It is a received notion, (though nothingcan be more unjust,)
that the ordinary Highlanders are an indolent lazy people. I know
the contrary, by troublesome experience : I say troublesome, because
in a certain affair wherein I had occasion to employ great numbers
of them, and gave them good wages, the solicitations of others
for employment were very earnest, and could hardly admit of de
nial; they are as wilUng as other people to mend their way of
living, and when they have gained strength from substantial food,
they work as weU as others ; but why should a people be branded
with the name of idlers, in a country where there is no profitable
work for them^to do?" — Burt's Letters, vol. ii. p. 20, letter xix.
This testimony is especially valuable, as coming from one whose
writing m the early part ofthe last century, seems to have viewed
he Highlanders with no very kind or favourable eye ; and whose

KELP. 245
Highlander, indeed, that he has to contend with a
bad division of labour throughout the year. For a
great part of it he is totaUy unoccupied, whilst the
cares of agriculture press upon him at one particu
lar season. This circumstance has operated greatly
to the disadvantage ofthe kelp manufacture, which
also has to contend with the inevitable conse
quences of local circumstances " of excessive pop
ulation and consequent competition," By what
means the present obstacles to the manufacture of
kelp may be gradually removed, with advantage
to all parties concerned, or whether the late dis
coveries in chemistry may in the interim have su
perseded it altogether, is a problem which time a-
lone can solve.
The full-moon shone in cloudless splendour upon
the tranquil waters of the bay, and the dark shore
of Morven. Lights were occasionally seen to
gleam from the motionless vessels ; and, in the
stillness of the night, the distant waterfalls were
book (the genuineness of which has never been questioned in the
country, where the accuracy of his delineations may best be appre
ciated,) has been received as authority by all subsequent writers,
including " the stone-doctor" MaccuUoch. — See the Highlands
and Western Isles, vol. ii. p. 367, and vol. iii. p. 171.

246 MORVEN  OSSIAN.
heard to pour amidst the woody recesses of
Drumfin, the romantic residence of M'Lean, the
Laird of Coll, on the opposite side of the bay. Be
yond the mouth of the harbour, across the Sound
of Mull, appeared the rugged coast and wild hills
of Morven, so celebrated in the heroic strains of
Ossian, upon which, whatever may be the opinion
of the spectator as to the authenticity of those ce
lebrated poems, it is impossible to look, at such a
time as this, without the deepest emotion, — indeed,
the celebrated traveller Dr. Clarke, who ever regard
ed them as an ingenious fiction, blended with a very
scanty portion of traditional information, confessed
that he could not, nevertheless, avoid feeling some
degree of local enthusiasm as he passed the shores
upon which so vast a superstructure of amazing but
visionary fable had been erected. That this feeling
is by no means uncommon, the great and exciting
interest given by the avowedly fabulous productions
of a modern bard,* to places heretofore compara
tively unknown, may serve to justify and exculpate
those innocent enthusiasts, whose exuberance of im
agination may have exposed them to the reproach

* Sir Walter Scott.

ANCIENT CELTIC POETRY. 247
of credulity, or led to the impugning of their un
derstanding by their more sober-minded brethren.
The Ossianic controversy lias so long been de
termined that any attempt to drag its remains from
the shadows of oblivion would be indeed focci-ni-
hili-pilaceous employment. But it is remarkable
that the veritable remains of ancient Highland poet
ry and song should have been somehow strangely
overlooked by both the contending parties, though it
is admitted on all hands that some truly Celtic frag
ments were incorporated with Macpherson's impos
ture. However corrupted by transmission, the
songs of the bards of other times, which have been
transmitted to us, are real objects of enlightened
curiosity and dispassionate inquiry, especiaUy when
the peculiar character of the people, among whom
they have been preserved, is taken into considera
tion. Accustomed to traverse tracts of country
which had never been subjected to the rules of art,
contemplating every day the most diversified scene
ry, surrounded everywhere by wild and magnificent
objects, by mountains, lakes, and forests, the mind
ofthe Highlander is expanded, and partakes in some
measure of the wild sublimity of the objects with
which he is conversant. Pursuing the chace in

248 ANCIENT CELTIC POETRY.
regions not peopled according to their extent, he
often finds himself alone in a gloomy desert, or by
the margin of the dark frowning deep ; his imagin
ation is tinged with pleasing melancholy ; he finds
society in the passing breeze, and in fancy he be
holds the airy forms of his fathers descending on
the skirts of the clouds. When the tempest howls
over the heath,* and the elements are mixed in
dire uproar, he recognises the spirit of the storm,
and retires to his lonely dwelling. Such is at this
day the tone of mind which characterizes the High
lander M'ho has not lost the distinctive marks of
his race, by commerce with strangers, and such is
the tone of feeling attempered by wild melancholy,
which is found to pervade the effusions of the an
cient bards of the Gael.
August 15. — At daybreak we were summoned
on board the steam-boat, whence we enjoyed a
pleasing prospect of the woods and waterfalls sur-
* Previous to storms of wind and rain, Beindouran in Glenor-
chy, aud many other Highland mountains and great waterfalls,
emit a loud hoUow noise, like the roaring of distant thunder ; and
the longer the course of previous dry weather, the louder is the
noise, which usually precedes the tempest about twelve or twenty-
four hours. From this warning, when "the spirit ofthe moun
tain shrieks,'' the superstitious minds of the Highlanders presage
many omens.

MINGARRY CASTLE. 249
rounding the handsome modern mansion of Drum-
fin, the residence of Maclean, " the chief of the
sandy Coll," situated under a range of woody cliffs,
upon the margin of a lovely lake, at the eastern
point of the Bay of Tobermory. Upon emerging
from this harbour, the opening of Loch Sunart, an
arm of the sea which deeply indents the rugged
coast of Morven, and separates it from the still
more wild and rugged district of Ardnamurchan,
appeared on our right. In passing the entrance
of this estuary we observed the little isle of Oransa,
situated at the mouth of a romantic inlet called Loch
Teachus. Before us stretclied the savage and rocky
shore of Ardnamurchan, while the opposite coast of
Mull, on our left, exhibited a precipitous ridge of
undulating rocks, occasionally assuming the col
umnar aspect, and a verdant slope descending from
their bases to the beach.
Upon the wild mountain shore of Ardnamurchan,
immediately on the edge ofthe sea, the castle of Min-
garry appeared, " sternly placed," being surround
ed by a polygonal wall, whose angles coincide with
those of the ledge of rocks on which it stands ; and
though it can no longer be said to " overawe the
l2

250 ARDNAMURCHAN.
woodland and the waste," yet it is an object of strik
ing interest both from its situation and ancient his
tory.* The cliffs which bind this rude shore scarce
ly rise beyond sixty or one hundred feet in height,
but are of a peculiarly savage character, which, com
bined with the prevaUing swell ofthe mighty West
ern Ocean, renders any attempt at landing both diffi
cult and dangerous. Proceeding along this wild
and rugged coast, we passed, on our right, the
bold point of Ardnamurchan — the most appropriate
termination of the wild land of gleaming lakes and
heathy mountains, of which it forms a part. Hence
we vainly endeavoured to descry Barra Head, — the
southernmost extremity of <Jie long chain formed
by the islands of Barra, Benbecula, North and
South Uist, Harris, and Lewis, — but the atmosphere

* The last instance of the military importance of Mingarry is
related in the celebrated Leahhar dearg, or Red Book of Clanronald,
a MS. renowned in Ossianic controversy, whence it appears that
AUaster Macdonald, (Colquitto,) who commanded the Irish aux
iliaries sent over by the Earl of Antrim during the great Civil War,
to the assistance of Montrose, began his enterprise in 1644, by
taking the Castles of Kinloch Aline and Mingarry, after such a resis
tance, on the part of the latter, as from the natural strength of its
position might be expected, a circumstance chiefly interesting as
connected with the memorable successes of Montrose.

CAILLEACH HEAD. 251
was not sufficiently clear to enable us to do so.
Before us lay the four isolated rocks caUed the
Cau-ns of Coll, off the northernmost point of that
long, low island ; while on the coast of MuU, crag
ged knolls and long ledges of rock, with verdant in
tervals between them, formed the chief features of
the country as we approached Cailleach* Head, so
called from the extremely near resemblance of a
«mall portion ofthe rock of this huge promontory to
the human head. A face, en profile, could clearly be
seen, without any of the exaggerations of fancy usual
in such cases, though, of course, the similarity was
perfectly fortuitous. Off this headland, " a wicked
tide," as one of the mariners expressed it, always
sets in, and caused a rougher and more billowy
motion than we had yet experienced, as we awaited
the coming up of a little boat, which was seen
dancing over the waves towards us, from the coast
of Mull. We were fully recompensed, however,
for this inconvenience, by the magnificent view af
forded from hence to the northward of the bold
contour and precipitous coast of Canna, — the high
* Cailleach — an old woman.

252 BUM — SKYE — EGG.
land of the mountainous isle of Renin, or Rum, —
the low, fertile island of Muick, or Muck, — and
the lofty serrated ridge of the small isle of Eigg,
or Egg;* beyond all which rose clearly and beau
tifully in the distance, the dark blue mountains of
CuthuUin, or, upon poetical authority,
*' Coolin, the ridge, as bards proclaim,
From old CuchuUin, chief of fame,''
in the magnificent island of Skye, towards which
we saw the Maid of Morven, another steam-boat,
bending her course to "Strathaird's enchanted cell,"
more commonly known, as an object of interest
with Tourists, by the name of the Spar Cave in
Skye.t

* The names of these islands are of Scandinavian origin. —
Skye, in that language, signifies mist ; Rum, spacious ; and Egg,
an edge. Canna is derived from Kanin, the isle of rabbits. The
result of MacouUoch's researches into the etymologies of the Wes
tern Isles, is that there are about forty-six names of Scandinavian
derivation, comprising the principal islands, and about forty of a
Gaelic or British origin, of which nine only are of any note ; aud
about twelve islands named after saints, who are rather of Irish
than Gaelic extraction.
•f* The beauties of this celebrated grotto, whicli drew " tears of
rapture" from the late amiable and accomplished Lord Kinneder,
have been fully described by Dr. Macleay of Oban ; but have sub-
seq^uently been soraewliat tarnished by the. smoke of torches, and

ST. KILDA. 253
Upon this beautiful view of these islands we
longed for winged feet to leap from isle to isle; and
though the number of the Western Isles exceeds
two hundred, our flight of fancy would not
.  *' pause till perched on Kilda*s steep,
The last fair daughter of the Western deep.*'*

wantonly impaired by the depredations of Tourists and Hammermen,
many of whom clumsily endeavour to conceal their senseless rage of
appropriation under the abused name of geology.
* Remote and solitary the spirit of romance appears still to
dwell in the clouds and storms which separate this narrow spot
from the world, to which it is chiefly known through the medium
of the accounts given by Martin in 1697, and MaccuUoch in 1815.
It is much to be regretted that the former writer, having suppos
ed that what was familiar to himself must be uninteresting to his
readers, has ommitted to relate the manners and opinions of a people
then utterly unlike in condition to those of any land under the sun ;
but it is needless to regret what cannot now be repaired. In Mar
tin's time, St. Kilda was also called Hirt or Hirta, probably
from Earth being in fact the whole globe to its inhabitants, whose
manners and appearance MaccuUoch describes as differing in no
material point from the rest of the western islanders, though he
terms it a spot which, in many respects, conveys an idea of what
the Highlands once were, and gives us every reason to believe
that the curiosity excited by a people living in comparative
ignorance of the manners, customs, improvements, and opinions
ofthe world at large, cannot depart unsatisfied from St Kilda,
Safe in its own whirlwinds, and cradled in its own tempests, it
heeds not the storms which shake the foundations of Europe ;
and, acknowledging the dominion of Macleod and King George, is
satisfied, without inquiring whether the latter is the first or fourth

254 COLL — TRESHANISH ISLES.
On emerging from the Sound of MuU, and pass
ing the stormy cape of Cailleach Head, we ob
served the bold rocks of the western coast of
Mull, veined with trap, and frequented by flocks
of seafowl. As we proceeded down the strait,
between the islands of CoU and of MuU, the
little archipelago of the Treshanish islands came
in sight. As we drew near these singular is
lands, consisting of Fladda, Linga, JBach, and the
two Cairnburgs, we gradually discerned their col
umnar structure, which, though not so decided as
that of Staffa, yet appeared sufficiently evident to
warrant the supposition that these are similar rocks

of his name. The short-tailed Norwegian variety of sheep, known
also in Shetland, are cultivated exclusively by the natives, whom
their arable land supplies with corn, their cattle with milk, and
their seafowl with (bod and feathers, so that without money they
enjoy abundance, and may be truly said to live in a state of real
opulence. This Eden of the Western Ocean was the place of exile
of the Lady Grange, of whose romantic history Dr. MaccuUoch
received five different versions, each differing from the other so
materially that he prudently determined to have no hand in pro
pagating a tale where the risk of probable falsehood was four to one.
No nautical record or chart of this island exists, so that seamen,
impressed with false notions of its dangers, shun the coast, when
they might often find convenient refuge in the harbour, which Mac
cuUoch has described as being sufficiently commodious and secure.

TRESHANISH ISLANDS. 255
of basalt emerging from the deep, and just sufficient
ly clothed with verdure to merit the appellation of
islands. Upon the larger of the Cairnburgs, we
saw, upon our right, as we approached its shore,
a ruined fortalice, used as a place of refuge by the
warlike and turbulent M'Leans of Duart. This was
a place of strength in the Norwegian times, but is
now only tenanted by a few wandering sheep ; as
are also Fladda and Bach, which last, from its sin
gularly oval shape, has obtained from mariners the
name of the Dutchman's Cap.
This little chain of islets, with their table sum
mits and varied forms, appeared under a thousand
different aspects as we advanced between them and
the coast of Mull. Engaged as our attention had
been by these interesting objects, it was effectually
diverted when we beheld, for the first time, the
celebrated island of Staffa, so justly esteemed one
of the greatest natural curiosities the world can
boast, and well worth all the perils of the voyage,*
* The sense of danger commonly supposed attendant upon the
voyage to Staffa was doubtless inspired by the small insufficient
boats in which it was usually performed from Ulva, and has not
yet subsided, though the recent introduction of steam-boats hs|s now
rendered access to the island more certain and less dangerous.

256 GOMETKA — ULVA.
since no description however eloquent, no picture
however vivid, can pourtray tliis admirable demon
stration of nature's power as it is seen and felt by
the beholder.
Beyond Staffa we discerned, as yet indistinctly,
the tower of the cathedral upon the isle of lona ;
and, more distantly to the extreme west, the island
of Tiree ; * while, close upon our left appeared tlie
range of rocky precipices whicli renders the south
ern coast of Mull so interesting. Presently was seen
the opening of Loch Tua, a branch of the sea inter
vening between the coast of Mull and tlie rugged
island of Gometra, which presented a succession
of verdant terraces above a rocky coast, exhibiting
some basaltic pUiars. Beyond this, and separated
from Gometra by a narrow strait, lay the larger
basaltic island of Ulva,-|- which, tliough inhabited,
presented a very rugged aspect, being bounded by
broken and precipitous rocks, rising into bold,
heathy eminences ; in the distance rose proudly to

* Tiree, from Tiur, the isle of Bulls.
-|- Ulva, from UlfFur, the isle of Wolves. Both appeUations are-
of Scandinavian origin.

STAFFA. 257
heaven the lofty summit of Ben More, and the
lesser mountain of Mamclachaig, in Mull.
Little islets, some of them bearing vestiges of an
cient forts, are scattered over the face of the deep,
between Ulva and Staffa, to which island, as we
approached, our gaze was eagerly directed ; and
as we beheld its unrivalled columnar structure more
distinctly, we were enabled to appreciate more
justly the far-famed wonders of this precious gem
of the sea. Having staid our course underneath
its most precipitous and attractive side, fronting
the south-west, we instantly got into the boat, and
rowed off for Fingal's Cave, over unusually quies
cent water. As the tide was ebbing fast, we land
ed at the entrance ofthe Cave, underneath the most
magnificent arch it is possible to conceive; the
mouth of the Cave being seventy feet high, and a-
bout forty-two broad. We scrambled on without
difficulty, along its eastern side, over the flat tops of
the broken yet upright pillars, which form an ex
cellent causeway, into the interior of the Cave, and
there contemplated, with infinite awe and admira
tion, this magnificent temple of the God of Nature.

258 THE CAVE OF FINGAL.
The heart that ne'er before had felt.
Had there been melted into prayer ;
The knee that ne'er before had knelt.
Had dropt in sudden rapture there.*
This celebrated Cave is entirely composed of basal
tic pillars, having from five to six sides In general,
but varying to seven or eight, the ends of which
are generally about two feet in diameter, accurate
ly corresponding with each other at the roof and
bottom of the cavern, which has been formed, it
may be conjectured, by the action of the sea
undermining the jointed columns, and thus pro
ducing the excavation, which graduaUy diminishes
in breadth to its termination, two hundred and

When the Bishop of Perry visited this island many years ago,
it is said that upon entering the Cave of Fingal, he was so sb-
lomnly impressed with its sublimity, that he fell on his knees and
prayed. The worthy Prelate afterwards requested a Highland
gentleman who accompanied him to ask in Gaelic,
" The shepherd of the Hebride Isles,
Plac'd far amid the melancholy main,"
what he most wanted .' To which the poor herdsman, who then
occupied a lonely hut upon the island, with great simpUcity and
moderation said, " a razor and some soap.'' The worthy Prelate
ordered him three razors and several pounds of soap, and gave
him a purse of ten guineas, which made the poor fellow pity and
despise the rest of the world, tiU his presents were worn out
and expended.

THB CAVE OF FINGAL. 259
twenty-seven feet from its entrance. This ma
jestic vault is poeticaUy termed in Gaelic, Uiamh
Binn — the Musical Cave — from the echo of the
waves within its mighty recesses, and somewhat
unaccountably has obtained the name of Fingal,
though tradition has not connected it in any way
with the illustrious exploits of that Ossianic hero.
As the tide never entirely leaves the cave, the
only floor it has is the beautifully translucent
green wave of the sea, reflecting from its bosom
those tints which vary and harmonize the darker
hues of the rock, and often throwing on the basaltic
columns the flickering lights which its undulating
surface] receives from the rays of the sun with
out. The roof of the Cave is extremely curious
aud beautiful, the interstices between the pillars
being filled up by stalactites of varied hue, whose
beautiful tints have the fine effect of greatly
enriching this natural mosaic work. The mur
mur of the swelling tide, mingling with the deep-
toned echoes of the vault, which grandly re
verberated to the repeated reports of our double-
barrelled pistol, added to the stupendous magnifi
cence of the columns, and the splendid singularity

260 THE cormoeant's cave.
of the scene, produced emotions in the mind which
defy description, and which future impressions
will never be able to obliterate.
Reluctantly quitting the Cave of Fingal, we pro
ceeded in our boat under the highest part of the
magnificent colonnade of basaltic pillars, which rise
to the height of 112 feet above high water mark,
between Fingal's Cave and a square dark aperture
in the lowest stratum of the rock called the Boat
Cave, because it is accessible by that mode alone,
and runs into the rock 140 feet, like the gallery of
a mine. The columnar structure of the trap rock
is extremely evident above and around this cave,
and continues equally so as far as the Cormorant's
or M'Kinnon's Cave to the west, wliich derives the
former name, from the feathered race that inhabit
it, and of which, a fine specimen flew over our heads,
as we approached the spacious entrance of the cave.
This singular aperture is peculiarly striking from
the simplicity and regularity of its form. The
columns are extremely perfect, and rise imme
diately from a black amorphous mass of indurat
ed matter, through which are dispersed nodules and
fragments of a still darker rock, altogether closely

buachaille rock. 261
resembling the scoriae of a volcano, and, to our ap
prehension, strongly corroborative of the igneous
origin of basaltic rocks. The height of this cave is
50 feet, its breadth 48, and its length 224 feet.
The range of columns over its front is extremely
beautiful, being hollowed or bent into a concave
recess, while the upper part presents a curious and
regular geometric ceiling of a striking and unusual
appearance. Repassing the Boat Cave and the range of
columns above it, we landed below the echoing
arch of the great cave, and availing ourselves of
the natural steps afforded by the gigantic cause
way, which rises step by step up to the base of the
grand colonnade, walked to the detached rock call
ed Buachaille, (BowxoAss) or the Herdsman. This
noted rock rises about 30 feet above the waves, con
sisting of an aggregation of columns resting against
each other, and meeting, until they form a conical
body, which appears to lie upon a bed of singularly
curved horizontal columns, visible only at low
•water — an advantage which we fortunately enjoyed,
and found several sea anemones in the hollows of
the rocks.

262 the clamshell cave.
Passing a rugged point where the causeway pro
jects considerably, we came suddenly upon the
ScaUop or Clamshell Cave, so justly esteemed one
of the most wonderful features of this famous is
land. Tills cave is a large rent or fissure in the
rock, 130 feet long, 30 in height, and 18 in breadth
at its entrance, where it presents on one side, the
singular phenomenon of the curved and contorted,
yet as usual polygonal columns of basalt, bent so
as to form a series of ribs, each 40 or 50 feet
long, without a joint, their ends standing up
and terminating abruptly, not unlike the inside
view of the timbers of a ship. On the opposite
side of the cave, the broken ends of the pil
lars are so disposed as to bear a general resem
blance to the surface of a honeycomb. The lateral
dimensions of this cave gradually contract until
they terminate in a long, narrow fissure in the rock.
By the continued basaltic causeway on the northern
side access is obtained to the table-summit of the is
land, upon which black cattle find good pasturage,*

? The Laird of Staffa (Ranald Macdonald, Esq.) generally puts
fifty head of cattle in November, of every year, on this island,
where they have nothing but grass, aud no shepherd. In May

STAFFA. S63
though a ruined hut, and an extensive prospect, are
all that can be expected in requital of the fatigue
of the ascent.
This celebrated island, it may be remarked, lies
in the same longitude with the Giant's Causeway
on the northern coast of Ireland.
Returning from the Clamshell Cave round the
point of the causeway, we regained the Buachaille
rock, under which, in the narrow channel between it
and the causeway, just sufficient to allow it to swim,
we found our boat, and were conveyed in it back to
the steam-boat, whence we surveyed, with unsated
curiosity, the wonderful island we had just explored ;
and had ample opportunity of appreciating the
truth of its Norwegian derivation from staff, a
stave, to which those barbarians likened its columns.
The grand southern facade of the island is formed
of three beds of trap rock of unequal thickness ;
the lowest being a conglomerate tufaceous trap,
about 50 feet thick, on the western side, but, in con
sequence of its inclination, disappearing under the

they are usually found fat, and fit for sale. This is considered as
a proof of great mildness in the cUmate of the Hebrides.

264) STAFFA.
sea a little to the westward of the great cave. The
middle bed is composed of basaltic columns, placed
vertically on the plane of their bed, and is of un
equal depth, varying from 36 to 54 feet. The upper
stratum consists of amorphous and tufaceous trap,
intermixed with small basaltic veins and columns,
and, by its inequality and depth, forms the contour
of the island, whose surface is covered with verdant
turf, and presents nothing remarkable. The cliffs
upon the northern shore of the island, are very
rugged and irregular, and contain about five caves
of lesser note, being remarkable only for the re
sounding of the waves upon breaking into them,
resembling much " the cannon's opening roar.''
It is somewhat singular, that all the wonders of
Staffa should have remained unnoticed, tUl visited
and described by Sir Joseph Banks in 1772, whose
account appeared in Mr. Pennant's tour, previous
to which, comparatively speaking,
-" All unknown its columns rose.

Where dark and undisturbed repose
The cormorant had found ;
And the shy seal had quiet home.
And weltered in that wondrous dome.
Where as to shame the temples deck'd
By skiU of earthly architect ;

INCH-KENNETH. 265
Nature herself, it seemed, would raise
A minster to her Maker's praise.
Not for a meaner use ascend
Her columns, or her arches bend ;
Nor of a theme less solemn tells
That mighty surge that ebbs and swells,
And stiU between each awfiil pause
From the high vault an answer draws,
In varied tone prolonged and high.
That mocks the organ's melody ;
Nor doth its entrance front in vain.
To old lona's holy fane ;
That Nature's voice might seem to say —
' Well hast thou done firaU chUd of clay !
Thy humble powers that stately shrine
Task'd high and hard — but witness mine.' "*
Upon leaving Staffa, we enjoyed a beautiful view
of the rude shores of Loch-na-Gaul, an arm of
the sea, which here so deeply indents the coast
of MuU, and at the entrance to which appeared
the verdant Isle of Inch-Kenneth, which boasts the
traces of a Monkish Chapel, and of the hospitality
afforded to the great Dr. Johnson, by Sir Allan
Maclean.t Beyond this rose Ben More, in great

* Lord ofthe Isles, Canto IV. i.
¦|- The Sage's dread of solitude seems to have rendered him pecu
liarly sensible of the kind reception he uniformly experienced, while,
to use his favourite phrase, " roving among the Hebrides.'' Upon

266 ATLANTIC OCEAN.
beauty, from the romantic and precipitous coast
of Mull ; and, in the remote distance, over the Isle
of Mull, Ben Cruachan ; westward lay the Islands of
Coll and Tiree, and the singular group of the
Treshanish Isles. Proceeding towards Icolmkill,
we discerned the Relin Rock which lies off its west-

this occasion he repaid the attention shown him by the following
tribute to the Insula Sancti Kennethi.
Parva quidem regio, sed religione priorum
Nota, Caledonias panditur inter aquas.
Voce ubi Cennethus, populos domuisse feroces,
Dicitur, et vanos dedocuisse deos.
Hie ego delatus, placido per coerula cnrsu,
Scire locum volui quid daret ille novi.
lUic Leniades humili regnabat in aula,
Leniades magnis nobilitatus avis ;
Una duas habuit casa cum genitore, puellas
Quas amor undarum fingeret esse deas ;
Non tamen inculti gelidis latuere sub autris,
Accola Danubii qualia soevus habet.
MoUia non decrant vacuae, solatia vitae,
Sive libros poscant otia, sive lyram.
Luxerat ilia dies legis gens doctae supernae
Spes hominum ac curas cum procul esse jubet,
Ponti inter strepitus sacri non munera cultus
Cessarunt ; pietas hie quoque cura fuit ;
Quid quod sacrifici versavit faemina libros
Legitimas faciunt pectora pura preces.
Quo vagor ulterius ? quod ubique requiritur hie est ;
Hie secura quies, hie et honestus amor.

ATLANTIC OCEAN. 267
ern point; and as the columnar appearance of
Staffa gradually became more faint, the interesting
ruins of lona became more visible. Upon our left
appeared the lofty promontory of Gribon in MuU,
containing two singular caves, called Mackinnon's
and the Ladder Caves, and the opening of Loch
Leven or Scredon, whose long and bright bay ap
peared deeply intersecting the heathy mountains
of MuU.
The following lines so simply and so clearly de
scriptive ofthe scenes around us, occur in a volume
of Poetical Epistles, of a much more permanent
order of merit than usually belongs to Fugitive
Poetry. " The waves were crimson'd by the setting sun.
Retiring Staffa met the ruddy rays.
And veil'd her columns in a rosy haze ;
Dark isles around the skirts of ocean spread,
Seem'd clouds that hover'd o'er its tossing bed.
By craggy shores,' and clifife of dusky hue
Scattered in open sea our galley flew ;
Fearful ! had storms these rocky mountains beat ;
But now the leaden waves scarce lick'd their feet.
And each brown shadow on the waters cast
Frown'd smilingly upon us as we passed.
From rock to rock the gaUey smoothly slid.
Now in wide sea, among the cliffs now hid.
Now round the skyey zone the red waves leapt.
Now in each narrow channel dark they slept.

268 lONA.
At last lona burst into the scene,
RecUn'd amid the evening waves serene ;
The last beams fainting on her russet green.
Her crescent vUlage o'er the harbour hung,
Spread its pale smoke the breezeless air along.
While horn her highest mound the ruin'd fane,
With proud composure ey'd the desert main.
Before us lay the rugged peninsulated tract of
the Ross of MuU, separated by a narrow strait from
" The Isle that haUows the Western Sea,"
towards which we continued our course, untU we
came to anchor in the bay, directly opposite to the
venerable Cathedral, whose tower we had seen afar
off, being the most conspicuous of the time-honour
ed i-elics of lona. This interesting island, whose
common name is I (pronounced E) " the Island" —
implying its pre-eminence over aU others — ^is fre
quently called Icolmkill, or I-columb-kiU, i. e. " the
Island of Columba's CeU," but usuaUy designated
by the more euphonous name of lona, which is of
Monkish origin, and signifies " the Island of the
Waves." lona is about three miles in length, and one in
breadth, and presents great inequality of surface, —
the middle rising into hills, whose greatest eleva
tion is 400 feet, whilst the western coast is barren

lONA. 269
and rocky, and the east coast flat and tolerably
weU cultivated. The principal rocks of the eastern
side of the island are compact clay slate, with
horneblende and a little mica, red granite, a single
vein of black basalt, and argillaceous schistus. To
wards the southern extremity, occurs the white
marble of lona, in a bed from 20 to 30 feet thick,
which dips to the east ; on the western side gneiss,
variously combined with horneblende and mica, is
the prevailing rock, but veins of porphyry and
limestone also occur. Epidote, actynolite, and
other rare minerals occur in this island, which is
famed for producing those rounded nodules of pre
cious serpentine termed IcolmkUl pebbles, whicb
were offered to us for sale, bythe juvenUe natives,
as soon as we gained the beach, intermixed with
shells which they had collected thereon, and which
in their eyes seemed to be of equal value with the
pale green pebbles, so precious in the eye of the la
pidary or mineralogist.*
lona is chiefly celebrated as the place where
Columba, an Irish saint of the sixth century, first
propagated the Christian faith amongst a people
• The Pulmonaria maritima is very frequent on the shore of lona.

270 . lONA. .
formerly devoted to the superstitions of Druidical
paganism, and having founded a cell of monks,
died in the odour of sanctity, in the seventy-seventh
year of his age.* The religious establishments
founded by him, continued to flourish and to send
out bishops and priests to many quarters for two
centuries, untU the year 807, when the Danes in
vaded the island and expelled the monks, who
upon their retreat returned to the Monastery,
which they held untU the dissolution of Monastic
institutions, when the revenues were united to the
See of Argyle, and on the abolition of Episcopacy
in Scotland the island became the property of the
Duke of Argyle. Anxious to pay the tribute of a
sigh to the departed glories of this consecrated
island, so interesting as having been the principal
seminary of the Culdees, and the asylum of piety
and learning during the middle ages, and which be
came at once an Abbacy and the seat of the Bishop-

* The character of St. Columba needed not the embellishment of
fiction, or the exaggeration of Monkish biographers, to render it il
lustrious and venerable. The simple and undoubted fact of his in
troduction of the Christian religion into Scotland, was singly suffi
cient to procure for hun the gratitude and veneration of posterity.

lONA. 271
ric of the Isles,* we gladly hailed a boat which came
off to us and conveyed us to the shore, whereon
we landed, after scrambling over slippery sea-weed
upon rocks from which the tide had just receded ;
for there is no regular landing-place, though the
shore is lined with a considerable number of low
huts, constituting the viUage of Threld, whose in
mates are all true sons of the Gael, and, with one
exception, speak no English. This person, a Mac
lean, the schoolmaster of lona, met us on the

* The Bishops of Mann ceased properly to be Bishops of Sodor
or of the Sudereys, under Edward I. when the Abbots of lona as
sumed the name of the Bishops of the Isles, which became after
wards annexed to the See of Argyle, by James VI, Nevertheless
the Bishops of Mann retained the title of Sodor, though a vox et
prtsterea nihil, and under that denomination were nominated by
the family of Athole, whose hereditary right has been lately ceded
to the Crown, in consideration of a sum of money paid hy go
vernment to the present Duke of Athole. It is worthy of remark,
that the Norwegian writers included all the Western Isles under
the denomination of Sudereys, or the Southward Isles, thus dis
tinguishing them from the Northward Isles of Shetland and Ork
ney, which they called the Nordereys, and constituted a separate
feudal dominion. Dr. Macpherson, however, has supposed that
the Sudereys were the Western Isles to the south of Ardnamur
chan Point, calling the rest Nordereys ; and Pennant, adopting
the same opinion, has chosen, capriciously enough, to draw the ideal
line at Cairnburg. We have been led to notice this opinion, be
cause, however mistaken, it is still prevalent, and the correction of
any error that may tend to corrupt history is always important.

272 THRELD.
beach of the Bay of Martyrs, where it is said the
illustrious dead, who were
 « Carried to Cohn's KUl,
The sacred storehouse of their ancestors.
And guardian of their bones — "
were landed for burial.
We gained the bay, and trembling touched the land.
On which of old religion's mighty hand,
Stretch'd from the skies, and half in clouds conceal'd,
Stamp'd the broad signet of the law reveal'd.
Through cells once vocal to the monk and nun,
O'er royal tombs in grass and weeds o'ermn.
Through piUar'd aisles whose sculptur'd cornice bore
The fragment-tales of legendary lore ;
Our lingering feet in musing sUence strayed,
TiU cross and holy image swam in shade.
No sound the solemn stillness broke, except
The passing gale, or charnel vaults that wept ;
Or from the ocean's dim discover'd foam.
The dash of oars that bore the fisher home."*
Mr. Maclean acted as Cicerone, respecting the an
tiquities of the place, though his knowledge of their
history furnished no information which we could not
have derived elsewhere, except his testimony to the
undisturbed repose which these relics of antiquity
had for many years past enjoyed, no search of any
consequence having been among the graves for the
purpose of procuring posthumous testimonials of

* Poetical Epistles from a Scotchman in London to his friend
in Scotland, written in the year 1799.

REILIG OURAN. 273
the high dignity of their former occupants. We
were first conducted to the sacred enclosure called
ReiUg Quran, to the south of St. Gran's Chapel,
which was for centuries the ordinary burial-place
of the Scottish Kings ; whose tombs, to the number
of forty-eight, form a long and continuous series of
oblong narrow stones, laid flat side by side, and
bearing scroUs and effigies, but no inscriptions^— -
Tradition has, however, recorded Fergus the Se
cond, as the earliest monarch of the line, having
been entombed about 420, A.D.; and included a-
mong the number his successors down to Macbeth ;
though MaccuUoch conjectures, from the circum
stance of the^body of Alexander II., who died at
Kerrera, having been conveyed to Melrose for bu
rial, that lona did not enjoy so great a reputation
as the burial place of kings, as it is commonly said
to have done in the earlier ages ofthe Scottish mon
archy. However, our conductor would fain h^ve
us believe, that
" Kings that have ruled in other climes
Have doffed their robes and shrieved their crimes.
And sought with penance, gifts, and prayer.
Asylum for their ashes there,""
• Paterson's Legend of lona, Canto II. xxxi .
m2

274 ROYAL TOMBS.
since, parallel to the royal tombs of Scotland, he
pointed out to us a similar line, containing eight
Norwegian princes or viceroys of the island, during
the remote period when that barbarous people ex
ercised sovereignty over the Isles of the Gael.*
* The oldest appellation by which the Western Isles are known
to have been designated was Innse nan Gall — " The Isles of the
Strangers." Ptolemy calls them At^ovhxtj which designation of
Hebudae, or Hebudes, having had the misfortune to be transcribed
by a bad penman, became Hebrides, wliich name they bear at the
present day. By the Norwegians they were called Sudereys, to
distinguish them from the Nordereys, or Shetland and Orkney,
which also formed part of the dominions of Norway. The history
ofthe Western Isles is defective and obscure. That a large portion
of their population is of Celtic origin cannot be doubted ; and that
many of the Isles were inhabited by Goths from Scandinavia, at a
very early period, is evident from the traditions, poetry, and tales
of the Highlanders. The traditions, superstitions, and earliest
impressions of all the nations of the West, of whom we have any
knowledge, seem to point to the East, " the great cradle of man
kind," as the land of their fathers ; and we consider the Celts and
Goths as deriving their origin, as well as their language, from the
same source ; the Celts having been the earlier, and the Goths the
later wanderers westward. The lineage of every people whose an
nals extend beyond the reach of authentic history, may be most ac
curately traced in their language. The Scotch, the Irish, and the
Welsh, all speak the same language, being the descendants of the
ancient Gael, Gauls, or Celts, who inhabited Europe before the Ro
man conquests, and retreated to remote and mountainous countries
to preserve their independence. The Scoto-Irish even now speak
Gaelic ; their progenitors in Ireland always spoke Gaehc ; and it is
a well-established fact, that Ireland, at the epoch of the introduc
tion of Christianity into that island, was inhabited by the Scots, a

EOYAL TOMBS. 275
These tombs are chiefly distinguished by the Runic
knots and curious representations of vessels, rudely
Gaelic people, who spoke the same Gaelic language wliich we may
see in the Gaelic scriptures. The Scots never spoke Teutonic ;
they were not, therefore, a Gothic people, who spoke the Teu
tonic, and not the Gaelic The Highland claims on Irish genealogies,
if well established, afford a strong presumption that they were in
early ages one and the same people. The descendants ofthe Scan
dinavians, who overran a great part of the isles and the adjacent
districts ofthe mainland, became naturalized in the country, and
gradually assumed the garb and language of the natives. It is a
singular anomaly, that the best dialect of the Gaelic is now spoken
by those clans whose Gothic origin has never been disputed. The^
earliest records relate to the Norwegian feudal kingdom, which
commenced in 1060, and continued till 1266, after which time, ''the
islands,*' Pennant has remarked, " remained governed by power
ful chieftains, the descendants of Somerled, Thane of Heregaidel,
or Argyle,* who marrying the daughter of Olave, King of Mann,
left a divided dominion to his two sons Dugal and Reginald. From
the first were descended the Macdougals of Lorn,. — ^from the last,
the powerful clan of the Macdonalds. The lordship of Argyle, with
Mull, and the islands to the northward of it, fell to the share of
the first. Isla, Cantyre, and the southern isles, were the portion
ofthe last. Many of the descendants of these families, multiplied
and divided as they now are, hold the very estates as subjects which
their ancestors once governed as petty kings. The period of in
dependent sovereignty, enjoyed hy the Lords of the Isles, may be
dated from 1335 to 1536.

* Argyle is largael, i. e. West Gael. In Gaelic the Highlands
are called Gaeldach. The Highlanders are Gael and Albanlch, —
the English are Sassanachs, — the Lowland Scots are Guals, — the
Low Country is Gualdach, or the Country of Strangers.

276 KOYAL TOMBS.
sculptured upon the oblong pieces of primitive rock
which cover their graves; adjoining to these a row
of four similar stones indicate the graves of as
many Irish kings, near to which is said to lie one king
of France : Altogether they constitute perhaps the
most extensive association of crowned heads in the
habitable globe. The history of these royal sepul
chres seems to rest principally upon the authority of
Monro, High Dean ofthe Isles in 1594, who gives no
very intelligible description of the Tumuli Regum
Scotiae, Hiberniae, Norwegiae, &c., though he must
have seen them, — what he did not see the Erische
Cronickels told him. Subsequent writers, including
Pennant and Cordiner, have guessed the rest ; or,
what is more convenient, taken all for granted with
out hesitation, and without inquiry. MaccuUoch, it
seems, was the first to notice the simple fact, that
lona could not have been a sacred place till 570,
A.D,, if so soon, because Columba did not arrive
in Scotland till 565 ; yet Fergus the Second is bu
ried there in 503, and after him Domangart, Com-
gal, Gauran, and Conal, the four succeeding kings,
the last of whom died in 571, when lona had
scarcely acquired its reputation, and the three

MONUMENTAL STONES. 277
former of whom were all buried while it was,
for ought we know to the contrary, a desert and
unknown island.* Near to the royal tombs, and
within the same cemetery,
" Where rest from mortal coil.
The mighty of the Isles" —
are interred most of the insular Highland chief
tains. Very near the tomb of Angus Macdonald
of Cantyre and Isla, whose wars occupy a promi
nent place in the " Feuds of the Clans," lies his
mortal enemy, Maclean of Duart, represented by a
striking effigy in armour. Similar effigies also indi
cate the tombs of the Macleans of Loch Buy, Coll,
and Torloisk. The sculptured stones that wear the
memories of these ancient warriors are generally
distinguished by a scroll and a two-handed sword,
as those of the holy abbots are marked by the
crosier ; one of these pious churchmen, however,
" In our speculations upon the Polytyrannium of lona, we ought
to remember that the term King, often used indiscriminately hy the
Norwegian writers for chiefs, seems to have misled the old Scot
tish historians, and sometimes ourselves. Kings, lords, chiefs
viceroys, juris, governors, and even knights and sherifis, seem to
be lavished, in the ancient history of the North, with little atten
tion to any distinctions among their qualities and offices. Indeed,
all tliese titles are extremely coniiised ; but if we cannot define
their meaning, we must at least take care not to be misled by
them.

278 lONA.
is seen to repose in effigy with angels hovering
around his head. Many other monumental re
cords are seen strewed around, but these have
already fallen a prey to oblivion, though many of
them probably were the remains of men, who, as
Dr. Johnson has observed, did not expect to be so
soon forgotten. One tomb alone of a date so re
cent as 1657, remains in strange contrast with the
remote antiquity of the rest to indicate the grave of
a son of Esculapius, by name Beaton, popularly re
cognised as " the Mull Doctor," the last person in
terred within this celebrated sanctuary, which in
early ages enjoyed such unparalleled reputation as
a receptacle of the remains of humanity, acquired
partly from the universal impression wliich the sanc
tity of Columba, the patron saint of lona, obtained
among distant nations, and partly from a supersti
tious belief, in the ancient Gaelic prophecy, —
Seachd bliadna roimb'n bhraa
Thig muir thar Eirin re aon tra'
Sthar He ghu irm ghlais
Ach Snamhaidh I Cholum clairich ;
thus rendered into English —
" Seven years before that awfiil day
When time shall be no more,
A dreadful deluge shall o'ersweep
Hibernia's mossy shore.

ST. okan's chapel. 279
The green-clad Isla, too, shall sink ;
While, with the great and good,
Columba's happier Isle shall rear
Her towers above the flood."
We next visited the Chapel of St. Oran, the
companion of St. Columba, the most ancient pile
in lona, sixty feet long and twenty-two feet broad,
and, though roofless, still tolerably entire, and
containing numerous tombs of different dates,
and many carved monumental records upon the
pavement, among which, a fine effigy in armour of
Macquarrie of Macquarrie is most conspicuous ;
near which is the tomb of Lauchlan Macfingon,
the father of John the Abbot, bearing date 1489,
the grave of Oran, and the sepulchre of the Lords
of the Isles, all distinguished by elaborately and
even elegantly sculptured stones. Advancing to
wards the Cathedral, we came to St. Martin's
cross, a perpendicular slab of granite, covered
all over with Runic knots, very like the scroll upon
Sweno's Stone at Forres : its height is twenty-four
feet, and its width twenty-two inches. Near to this
stands the singular cross of St. John, curved at the
top so as to resemble the imperfect spandril of an
arch, and situated exactly in front of the Cathedral,
its base corresponding with the centre of the arch at

280 cathedral or iona.
the entrance to the building. The Cathedral or Ab
bey Church, dedicated to St. Mary, was frequently
ravaged and despoiled by the Danes and other pirat
ical invaders, and is supposed to owe its present
form to Queen Margaret, in the eleventh century,
though its foundation is lost in the obscurity of re
mote antiquity.*
This venerable edifice, though partly roofless, is
still pretty entire, being constructed of fine sienite, in
the form of a cross, of one hundred and sixteen feet
in length from east to west, and twenty-four feet in
breadth, and the length of the transept ninety feet.
Over the centre rises a handsome square tower,
about seventy feet high, embellished by four win
dows, all of different and peculiar figure, and di
vided into three stories, supported by four arches,
adorned with figures in bas-relief; these arches
rest on four cylindrical pillars about ten feet high,
and three in diameter, on the capitals of which are
sculptured many curious devices of warriors on
horseback and on foot.

" MaccuUoch has ingeniously attempted to prove that the earhest
buildings of lona, were, like many others of the same date, construct
ed of wicker or wattles, and would make it appear more than doubt
ful whether Columba erected any buildings in stone. — See the High
lands and Western Isles of Scotland, vol. iv. p. 149.

cathedral of iona. 281
Within the choir, which is itself sixty feet long,
are several similar pillars, whose capitals bear very
singular and grotesque devices ; the most strik
ing of which is an angel with a pair of scales
weighing the good deeds of a man against his evil
ones, and the devil, in the shape of a beast, de
pressing one scale with his paw. Our first parents
are also exhibited in their pristine simplicity ; and
several other rude carvings have been interpret
ed as illustrating certain passages of Scripture.
These pillars support ranges of pointed arches,
above which is a second, which is here the cleres
tory tier ; the windows sometimes terminating in
a circular arch, at others in trefoil heads, the whole
surmounted by a corbel table. The great east
ern window, above the high altar, is a fine spe
cimen of Gothic architecture, the other larger
windows on each side of the choir, differ great
ly in form and design from each other. Below
the high altar,* lies the robed figure of the Abbot
* This consecrated slab of marble having obtained a reputation
as a charm against accidents of all sorts by lire or flood, has now
entirely vanished. Pennant found the last remains of this relic, and
Sacheverell has described it as six feet by four in dimensions ; and
tradition says that it was brought from Skye. In the museum of
Anderson's Institution at Glasgow, is a good specimen of this al-

282 COLLEGE OF IONA.
Macfingon, finely carved upon a block of mica
ceous schistus intermixed with horneblende, and
bearing the following inscription : — " Hie jacet
Johannes Macfingone, Abbas de Ii, qui obiit anno
MD. cujus animo propicietur altissimus. Amen."
On the other side of the chancel is a similar
monument to Abbot Kenneth,* much defaced ;
and between these, upon the floor, is the mu
tilated slab which covers the grave of the Mac-
leods of Macleod, upon which may be traced the
outline of what may once have been the figure
of an armed knight. North of the Cathedral, to
which it adjoins, is the Chapter House, with its
arched roof, still entire, and its stone seats as
originally placed between two handsome arches,
supported by two slender yet shapely pillars. Con
tiguous to the Cathedral are the remains of the
College formerly attached thereto ; and at the four
comers of the quadrangle vestiges exist of the
cloisters which formerly surrounded the interior of
the court of this building, the most perfect part of

tar, brought from Iona by the founder. It is a granulated marble
of a pure wliite.
* This tomb is remarkable as the habitat of the Byssus lolithus
of Lightfoot.

CROSSES OF IONA. 283
which is the refectory, the only part of these ex
tensive ruins which can be distinguished with any
accuracy.* The ruins of the Bishop's Palace also exist at no
great distance to the north of the Cathedral, which
we now quitted ; and repassing St. Oran's Chapel
and Cemetery, we proceeded down a paved cause
way to Maclean's cross, the only one remaining out
of the 360 stone crosses, of various sizes and beauti
ful workmanship, which once decorated the sacred
precincts of Iona, but, subsequently to the Reform
ation, have either been carried away to adorn dis
tant towns and villages, or wantonly destroyed upon
the spot of their consecration. This slender gran
itic cross, covered with a rude scroll, stands on a
small knoll near the causeway, leading from the
Cathedral to the Nunnery, whence we enjoyed a
fine view of the lofty Ben More, and the preci-

* There is a mixture of materials in all these buildings. The
granite, which is red and resembles the 'Egyptian, may have been
brought from Mull, or from the Nuns' Island ; but the gneiss,
horneblende, slate, and clay slate which are intermixed with it, are
the produce of Iona itself. A fissile mica slate has been used for
the roofs ; and this, like the sandstone employed in the sculptured
capitals of the pillars, is not found in the island ; the latter may have
been brought from Inch-Kenneth, or from the shore of Gribon in
Mull.

284 RELIGIO LOCI.
pitous cliflFs and rocky terraces of Mull ; and beyond
the rugged shore of the Ross of Mull, discerned the
beautiful mountains of Jura.
Deeply influenced by the Religio Loci,^ we felt
with unfeigned satisfaction, that, in the eloquent
and impressive language of Dr. Johnson, " we were
now treading that illustrious island which was once
• Let those who do not immediately comprehend the full force
of this term, attend to the exquisite development of this feeling in
Gray's beautiful ode, written in the album of La Grande Chart
reuse, For the repetition of which no apology will he necessary to
those who can intuitively appreciate the significance of this term,
and feel the beauty of the following lines : —
*' Oh Tu, severi Religio loci,
Quocunque gaudes nomine (non leve
Nativa nam certe fluenta
Numen habet, veteresque sylvas ;
Praesentiorem et conspicimus Deum
Per invias rupes, fera per juga,
Clivosque praeruptos, sonantes
Inter aquas, nemorumque noctem ;
Quam si repostus sub trahe citrea
Fulgeret auro, et Phidiaca manu)
Salve vocanti rite, fesso et
Da placidam juveni quietem.
Quod si invidendis sedihua, et frui
Fortuna sacra lege silentii
Vetat volentem, me resorbens
In medios violenta fluctus :
Saltern remoto des. Pater, angulo
Horas senectae ducere liberas ;
Tutumque vulgari tumultu
Surripias, hominumque curia.''

CHAPEL OF THE NUNNERY. 285
the luminary of the Caledonian regions, whence
savage clans and roving barbarians derived the be
nefits of knowledge and the blessings of religion.
To abstract the mind from all local emotion would
be impossible if it were endeavoured, and foolish
if it were possible. Whatever withdraws us from
the power of our senses, — whatever makes the
past, the distant, or the future predominate over
the present, advances us in the dignity of thinking
beings. Far from me and from my friends be such
frigid philosophy, as may conduct us, indifferent
and unmoved, over any ground which has been dig
nified by wisdom, bravery, or virtue. The man is
little to be envied whose patriotism would not gain
force upon the plains of Marathon, or whose piety
would not grow warmer among the ruins of Iona."
The ruined Chapel of the Nunnery, dedicated to
St. Oran, is of purely Norman architecture. At
the east end of this building we found the tomb of
the last Prioress, whose figure is carved in alto-
relievo, on a dark slab, having at her feet the
words, " Sancta Maria, ora pro me,'' and at her head
the looking-glass and comb, emblematic of the sex,
and surrounded by the following inscription, in

286 THE NUNNERY.
Saxon or old British characters : — " Hie jacet Do
mina Anna Donaldi Ferleti filia, quondam Prior-
essa de Iona, quse obiit MDXImo, cujus animum
(altissimo) commendamus." There are other monu
ments within this building, but these are chiefly co
vered by the rubbish, occasioned by the falling in
of part of the roof in 1822-3, of which, however,
enough remains to shew that it was of elegant
workmanship, variously yet simply ornamented.
To the south of the Chapel, to which it is connect
ed by a long wall, are the remains of the Nunnery,
whose fair occupants in olden time were canonesses
of the order of St. Augustine, and, at the first es
tablishment of the Monastery, resided on a small
island near Iona, still called the " Isle of Nuns."*
After briefly surveying the new church, erected
by government, about two years since, for the be
nefit of the ignorant race of Highlanders, who, to
* The colonization of this rugged rock by the softer sex is said
to have originated in the antipathy entertained towards them by
St. Columba, who excluded them as well as cows from his sancti
fied islands, upon the principle, that, " 's far am be bo, bi'dh bean
*s far am, b'i bean, bi^dh mallacka," — " wherever there are cows
there must be women, and wherever there are women there must
be mischief," though the Saint is said to have relaxed his prescrip
tive edict before his death.

IONA. 287
the number of 450, dwell upon the island, we,
with some difficulty, regained the boat, which two
antiquated natives soon pulled alongside the steam
boat, whence we took a farewell view of Iona.
" In solitude the ancient temples stood.
Once resonant with instrument and song.
And solemn dance of festive multitude.
Now, as the weary ages pass along.
Hearing no voice save of the ocean-flood.
Which roars forever on the restless shores ;
Or, visiting their solitary caves.
The lonely sound of winds that moan around,
Accordant to the melancholy waves."
The surface of Iona presents a singular inter
mixture of barrenness and fertility, in the smaU
ridges of naked rock which alternate with little
green valleys in a manner peculiar to itself. Pen
nant has represented Iona as picturesque ; * yet
the beauty, which may be distinguished in its as
pect, is rather that which the mind traces, for its
own relief, from general vacuity, than the spontane
ous features of a pleasing landscape ; and he who vi
sits Iona in search of the sublime or beautiful, will
return as much disappointed and chagrined as the
* See Pennant's Tour in Scotland, vol. ii. p. 277.

288 THE ROSS OF MULL.
Cockney did from Staffa, after finding that it did not
stand upon pillars, in the same manner as a card-table
stands upon its feet. The interest and expression
of the island must depend entirely on the mind
which surveys it ; for the ruins themselves, with all
their ornaments, are surpassed in dignity and gran
deur by many others, which many travellers would
pass without emotion. It is to their antiquity and
remoteness, and the piety of their ancient inhabi
tants, that the ruins of Iona owe that celebrity
which have so long distinguished them from all
others ; for it is impossible to contemplate their
venerable fragments, and muse upon their history,
without an emotion of melancholy and holiness
which few other spots in the world can inspire.
Leaving Iona, we passed along the fine bold
rocky coast of the Ross of MuU, and off the eastern
point of Iona saw the rugged outlyers of red gra
nite, which rise in the shape of isolated rocks out
ofthe sea, and, a little farther on, we passed the rug
ged Islet of Soay ; while off the coast of Mull, lay
the unnumbered rocks and reefs of Erraid and
Dorril. In the remote western distance appeared
the island of Tiree, and the vast expanse of the

JURA  ISLA. 289
Atlantic Ocean ; over which our eyes wandered in
the hope of seeing one of the headlands of Ireland,
which are sometimes, though very seldom, seen
from hence ; but we were amply recompensed for
our disappointment in this respect, by the uncom
monly distinct prospect the clearness of the day
afforded of the range of those fine conical hills,
which rising with a beautifully swelling, outline, are
descriptively termed " the Paps of Jura ;" below
which, to the south, lay " the green Isla's fertile
shore."*

^ Isla, " the Island," xttr'e^o^viyi as being the seat of govern
ment, was, in ancient times, the chief residence of the Lords of the
Isles, where they are said to have enjoyed all the pomp and splen
dour of royalty, upon an islet in Loch Finlagan, in the centre of the
island. Some rehcs of their ancient grandeur were still extant in the
time of Martin, who speaks of the isle Finlagan as famous for be
ing once the Court in which the great Macdonald, King of the Isles,
bad his residence. His house, chapel, &c. are now ruinous. His
gardes-du-corps, called Lucht tach, kept guard on the lake side,
nearest to the isle : the walls of their houses are still to be seen there-
The stone on which the Lords of the Isles received their investiture
was kept there  Martin's Histon/ ofthe Western Isles. London,
1716, p. 240, 8vo  See also the beautiful poem of The Legend of
Iona, by Walter Paterson, a tale, which, like its illustrious precur
sor. The Lord of the Isles, relates to the sovereignty of the Mac
donalds, a period in which fiction may amuse itself with impunity,
and at the same time screen itself with the mantle of history to
cover its impositions. N

290 THE WEATHER.
On our right, as we advanced, lay the Torrin
Rocks, which, together with the frightful Shergule
Rocks off the coast of Mull, render the navigation
of these seas extremely perilous, especially upon
what the sailors term " a coarse day." But the day
we now enjoyed was particularly fine, and unusu
ally favourable, both for our landing at Staffa, and
return to Oban by the southern end of Mull, a pass
age which can only be accomplished in very fine
weather, with the wind in theN.N.E. which we most
fortunately enjoyed. Indeed, the captain of the ves
sel assured us, on our return to Oban, that he had
never performed the same voyage under circum
stances so peculiarly favourable for the accomplish
ment of all the objects we had now in view, — the
landing at Staffa and Iona, and the circumnavigation
of the island of Mull.
Indeed, throughout the course of our ramble, we
had every reason to rejoice in the propitious state
of the weather, — a matter of such vital importance
to the comfort and enjoyment of the tourist, that
we would advise all who travel for pleasure to con
fine their excursions to " the sunny portion of the
year." The cUmate of the Highland districts va-

CLIMATE. 291
ries as they incline to the western or eastern shores.
The Atlantic, which bounds Scotland to the west,
and is subjected to little variation of temperature,
is proved to have a predominating influence, being
five degrees colder than the German Ocean in
summer, and three degrees warmer in winter.* Nor
is the distinction between the western and eastern
coasts more remarkable in cUmate than in soil.
WhUe the former is damp, the latter is generaUy
thin on the western coasts ; whereas the eastern
boundaries of Inverness and Ross are comparative
ly dry, and furnished with exceUent soU.f But the
mists which arise from the German Ocean, accom
panied by cold easterly winds, produce various
maladies hardly known in the west, where the air
is on the whole mild and salubrious, and the snow
lies but a short time on the ground, j
After passing the point of Ardalanish, we con
tinued our course along the rugged shore of the
Ross of MuU, over which appeared the bold cliffs of

=^ Thomson's Chemistry, vol. iii. p. 315.
¦j- Sinclair's Agricultural Report of Scotland, vol. i. p. 50. Sta
tistical Account, vol. ix. p. 64. and vol. iii. pp. 22-40.
X A ppendix to the General Report for Scotland, vol. i. p. 124.

292 COAST OF MULL.
Gribon, and the towering Ben More. The singular
wildness of this strange shore, with its labyrinths
of red rocks and green waves, is no less remarka
ble than the fairy scenery of its deep recesses and
shrubby ravines, its numerous bays, and dells, and
glades, where, those who have visited them say,
thousands might live, each in his little paradise, un
knowing and unknown. To the south-east appeared
the huge mountain mass of
" Scarbas' isle, whose tortured shore
Still rings to Corrievreken's roar,
And lonely Colonsay."'
Near to this was seen the Island of Jura, whose
beautiful mountains rose prominently over all, and
continued to occupy our delighted gaze.
On passing Karsaig point, the coast of MuU pre
sented a semicircle of precipitous rocks, around a
little bay, whose extremity disclosed a verdant glen.
Across the channel on our right, appeared the chain
of the Garveloch Isles, which presented to our view
a series of precipitous cliffs, so continuous as to
convey the idea of their having once been more in
timately connected, however interrupted by the in-
* Lord ofthe Isles, Canto IV. xi.

GARVELOCH ISLES. 293
tervals which separate the different islands. These
are five in number, Dunechou, which forms the
northern, and Ilachanu, the southern extremity of
the chain,* which the two inner islands of Garve-
loch-na-skian, and Garveloch-na-more, and one of
lesser note, serve to complete.
Beyond this, the mountainous summit of Scarbat
rose high in air, above its precipitous cliffs ; to the
north of which appeared the lower cliffs of Longa,
and the long hilly ridge of Luing, forming part of

* The principal features of these lonely islets are the pleasing
alternation of rugged rocks and green valleys, and the air of si
lence and seclusion which pervades them all. Ilachanu, which is
only tenanted by the cattle of the adjoining farm of Garveloch,
contains the ruins of a monastic establishment, probably depend
ant on Iona, as the greater number of those in the Western Isles
were. Adjoining to this is a cemetery, containing some votive
crosses, and many ornamented stones, bearing similar devices to
those of Iona — ships, weapons, and the cognizances of the Mac
donalds, Macleans, and Mackenzies. It is singular that these in
teresting remains of antiquity should have escaped the notice of
Martin and Monro, and are not recorded in the voluminous Statis
tical Account; and to this day, probably, might have remained
unheard of, had not MaccuUoch stumbled upon them by accident ;
and in that remote spot discovered that singular piece of supersti
tious observance, the clachan brath, or talismanic stone, once
thought peculiar to Iona.
¦j- Scarba is derived from the Scandinavian of scarp, a precipice.

294 LOCH BUIE.
the labyrinthine archipelago of islands lying off the
coast of Argyle, whose beauties are greatly enhanced
by the varied outline of their shores ; now smooth
and green, now rocky and bold, or rising into high
cliffs or hiUs, and covered with natural wood even
to the edges of the tortuous channels, which sepa
rate them from each other. We next passed the
opening of Loch Buie, which the Highlanders say
is the finest harbour in MuU, for if a vessel once
enters she never gets out again. At the head of
this inlet appeared the modern residence of Mac-
laine of Loch Buie, whose cheerful aspect present
ed a striking contrast to the weather-beaten waUs
of the grey square tower, in which the chieftains of
the elder days were contented to dwell. Imme
diately behind the ruined castle, rose the bold yet
verdant hiUs of MuU ; and on the northern side of
the bay appeared the bold bluff promontory caUed
the Black Head of MuU ; beyond which, the coast
of that island continued to present a series of rocky
precipices, enlivened by the verdant terraces of
copsewood which contribute to adorn the heights
upon which it grew. The mountain isle of Scarba,
with the contiguous Isle of Longa, still appeared

THE SLATE ISLANDS. 295
the most prominent object on our right. Near to the
latter appeared the rocky coast of Luing and Eas-
dale ; and, more northerly, the high cliffs of Seil
Island, all included under the popular denomination
of the Slate Isles.* Beyond these appeared the
high mountains of Argyle upon the mainland.
As we bent our course from the southernmost
point of MuU to that of Kerrera,f the last ob
ject which attracted notice on the former island
was the cleft or fissure in the line of the rugged
coast, which marked the entrance to Loch Spelve ;
whUe before us rose, beautifuUy in the distance, the
gigantic yet graceful form of Cruachan Ben. In
the southern distance, lay the rugged isle of Col
onsay, and its smaUer neighbour Oransa ; beyond
which appeared the large island of Islay, where the
Lords of the Isles lived in all the pomp of acknow
ledged sovereignty ; and, above all, the lovely and
lofty mountains of Jura. On our right, lay the point

* Luing, Seil, and the little island of Easdale, being formed in
great part of slate, are the seats of an extensive manufactory, and
one of long standing, which supplies a great portion of the demand
of Scotland in this article.
¦f Kerrera or Kiarrara owes its name to St Kiarrara, a saint of
Irish extraction, as were all the followers of St. Columba.

296 SEIL — KERRERA.
of Ardincaple upon the rugged Seil Island, off which
appeared several smaU islands, and in particular that
of Dun, so named from the resemblance which some
rocks on its summit bear to a ruined castle.* As
we approached the opening of Loch Feochan in the
mainland of Argyle, a curious slip or disentegration
of the hill became visible, a little way from Bar-
nacarry, (CampbeU,) and the opening of the Sound
of Clachan which separates Seil from the main
land. To the north appeared the bleak and rocky
coast of MuU and the opening of Loch Linnhe.
After passing on our left the picturesque ruins of
Gylen Castle at the southern end of Kerrera,-|-we
entered the narrow strait which divides that island
from the mainland, and passing by the Horse Shoe

" The coast, from Craignish Point to Loch Melfort, presents
many striking scenes, produced by the remains of trap veins, which,
like those in Mull, stand up like walls and castles on the shore, pro -
jecting ferfrom the cliffs into the S6a, and often adorned with plants
and ivy, so as to render the resemblance to architectural ruins still
more striking.
-|- The breadth of Kerrera is two miles; but, excepting on its
shores, it has no features of any kind to attract attention, unless it
be the inequality and confiision of its surface, which is remarkable
in the extreme.

BAY OF OBAN, 297
anchorage on the one side, and the pleasant resi
dence of Glen Shelach on the other, presently en
tered the beautiful bay of Oban,* just as the last
competitor in the Regatta was entering the harbour,
under the picturesque rocks crowned by the vener
able ruins of DunoUy Castle.t
The hill, the Tale, the tree, the tower,
Glow'd with the tints of evening's hour ;
Each puny wave in diamonds roll'd
O'er the calm deep, where hues of gold
With azure strove and green.

* Oban, like the bay of Lamlash, in Arran, is a port truly Vir-
gilian,— " Hie insula portum,
Efficit objectu laterum. "
Kerrera being to the former what the Holy Island is to the latter-
¦f We have already given the history of the proprietors of this
ancient dwelling. It may, however, he further remarked, that in
1057, Malcolm Canmore formed several Thaneships throughout the
kingdom, into Lordships and Earldoms ; those in the Highlands
were said to be Monteith, Lennox, Athole, Mar, Moray, Ross,
Caithness, Badenoch, and Sutherland. Many descendants of these
noble families still exist in the country ; but there is no representa
tive of any in a direct line, except the present Countess of Suther-
jand, whose title, the most ancient in the kingdom, will soon merge
in the superior title to which her son will succeed upon the decease
of his father the Marquis of StaflFord. It is a curious circumstance
that although there exists only one direct descendant of the Thanes
who were promoted on the occasion above mentioned, the famihes
of many of those who remained as Thanes, such as Macintosh,
N 2

298 OBAN.
We landed at Oban beween six and seven in the
evening, and occupied the place of those votaries
of last night's festivity, who were upon the point of
evacuating the scene of their revels, having gladly
embraced the mode of conveyance afforded by the
Ben Lomond steam-boat, which we had just quitted.
August 16. — This day being the Sabbath, we
rested at Oban, and, as the state of the atmosphere
seemed to repel rather than invite excursion, we
beguiled the present in recording the pleasures of
the past.
The language chiefly spoken in the Western Isles
and the adjacent districts, extending from Nairn
upon the Moray Firth, to Luss upon Loch Lomond,
is the Gaelic, or a dialect of the ancient Celtic ;* a
Campbell, Macdougal, Maclean, Cameron, Menzies, Grant, &c are
to be traced in direct and unbroken male lineage down to the pre
sent day. The direct succession of the Lords of the Isles, ended in
the fifteenth century ; yet there are many thousands of their de
scendants, as also numerous other descendants of several other fe-
milies of that early period, cadets and branches of which have come
down in lineal descent, although that of the chief has been inter
rupted. * In the common language of Scotland, Irish and Erse are both
used to denote the speech of the Highlanders, and are synonymous.
It is worthy of remark that this language has experienced so little
change, that it would be difficult for the nicest critic to discover
the difference, in grammar or orthography, between the natives of
St. Kilda and the most refined Gaelic scholar.

LANGUAGE. 299
language which, though now confined to a few of
the most remote and inaccessible corners of Europe,
appears to have prevailed in early ages, from the
pillars of Hercules to the northern extremity of
Scotland.* It is generaUy admitted that languages follow the
course of nations, being rich, copious, and exube
rant, in a high state of cultivation, and meagre and
imperfect in a savage state. In the ages and coun
tries where this language prevaUed, abstract specu
lations were indeed little exercised. But the sim
ple feelings of an unrefined mind, and above all the
* This assertion must be received with some qualification, such
as the simple view ofthe origin of languages by Sir William Jones,
will best afford, and may be thus briefly stated. — Sanscrit was the
language of the first race of Indians, and hence descended that of
the first race of Persians, of the old Egyptians, and of the Goths ;
from which chiefly branch the tongues of the Greeks and Romans,
and more purely those ofthe Picts, Saxons, Scandinavians, Franks,
Germans, aud so on. The other radical language was that of the
Assyrians or second Persian race. In this the Chaldee is perhaps
the most ancient ; aud hence ramify the Hebrew, the SjTiac, Phe-
nician, and Carthagenian, the Arabic, the Abyssinian, some of the
Tartar languages, some African tongues, and the Celtic. Hence
it appears the Celtic and Gothic tongues are from distinct roots ;
and that though the former can fairly claim priority in Europe, yet
it must be content to divide with the latter the parentage of Euro
pean languages.

300 THE GAELIC LANGUAGE.
aspect of external mind — the objects which present
themselves to the eye and to the ear, had their ex
pressive and appropriate denominations ; so that
there is perhaps no language so well calculated to
express external appearances as the Gaelic.
The Gaelic language is as copious as the Greek,
and as suitable to poetry as the modern Italian. It
is a curious circumstance that it possesses a poetical
dialect, as well as one confined to prose. It owes
much of its beauty to its immense number of vowels
and diphthongs ; it is also barren in names for things
of foreign or recent invention, although luxuriant in
words to express every object of nature, and every
instrument of the common and universal arts. The
language of the Scotch Highlanders affords strong
evidence of oriental origin. It is weU known, that,
in the languages of Asia, the Hebrew for example,
the present tense of the verb is wanting, and is sup
plied by inference or circumlocution. This is also
the case with the Irish, the Welch, and the Gaelic,
which are indeed kindred dialects, and in no other
European language. The Gaelic presents in its con
struction the most prominent features of a primi
tive language, being for the most part mono-

THE GAELIC LANGUAGE. 301
syUabic, and, with few exceptions, having no
words to express abstract ideas, or such terras of
art as are unknown to a primitive people. The
two nations of the Picts and Scots, the one in
habiting the lowland territory, the other the moun
tainous regions, sometimes in aUiance, but more fre
quently in hostUity, though differing considerably
in manners, spoke the same language. Gaelic con
tinued to be the language of the court and of the
people, from the time of the succession of Kenneth
Macalpin to the throne of Picts, A.D. 843, when
the Scots and Picts were finaUy united under one
sovereign, tUl the reign of Malcolm III. surnamed
Caenmor, who had married the sister of Edgar
Atheling, A.D. 1066. From that period the Gaelic
language was gradually superseded by the Saxon,
untU it entirely disappeared in the Lowlands.
It must occur to every lover of antiquities, as a
matter of regret, that this ancient language is now
hastening towards extinction, in every country
where it has been spoken. The Cornish is now
forever lost ; the Welch and Gaelic are banished
far beyond their ancient limits, and are, by frequent
commerce with the low country, giving way with

302

THE GAELIC LANGUAGE.

hasty steps to the language of the rest of the
island. A traveUer in the Highlands now meets
English, in some shape, almost everywhere, though
chiefly among the children. It is fast spreading
even into the wild districts of KintaU, Sutherland,
and Ross-shire ; and in course of time, will pro
bably prevail even to the extirpation of the an
cient language, since it is very certain that no
nation will maintain two languages long, where
the business of society can be carried on with one ;
StUl less where the new one is more useful than the
old. It is also far easier for the minority to ac
quire a new language than the majority ; while it
also finds an interest, or rather a necessity in so
doing. However the partiality of the natives may
lead them to boast of its copiousness, the Gaelic,
like the Welch, is insufficient for the complicated
wants of society, in its present state, in Great
Britain, being confessedly inadequate to that in
crease of ideas, and objects, and relations, which
civilization has introduced. If the object of writing
and of letters, be to represent sounds, these ancient
dialects must be considered deficient in this respect
also, since the discrepancy of the written from the

OBAN. 303
spoken words, is one of the chief peculiarities of
the Gaelic orthography. If the object of language
be mutual communication, that communication can
not be rendered too complete ; but complete it
never can be, so long as the different inhabitants
of one empire are incapable of thoroughly under
standing each other. Though, in a national point of
view, beneficial consequences may be expected to
result from the natural decay of the Gaelic tongue,
yet all lovers of the archaeology of language must
mark its gradual extinction with regret, and esteem
its study of the last importance, in that very ab
struse and difficult branch of philology which re
lates to the origin and connexions of languages.
August 17. — Quitted Oban by the kirk erected
there in 1821, and proceeded along the base of
some romantic rocks of breccia, alternating with
those of sandstone,* and partially covered with ver-

* It is worthy of remark that the breccia and micaceous sand
stone of which the coast of Lorn is composed, lie above one another,
and proceed together in parallel waving lines of corresponding ele
vation along the shore. Numerous excavations appear in the
softer rocks upon this coast, effected, it is imagined, by the force of
the waves, at a period when the level of the sea was higher than at
present.

304 DUNSTAFFNAGE CASTLE.
dure, by the larch groves of Soroba, (Macdougal,)
beyond which the road conducted us, by repeat
ed flexures, through a succession of heatliy knolls
for four miles. Beyond this dreary moor we
descended upon the shore of Loch Etive, and
were much gratified by beholding the venerable
ruins of Dunstaffnage Castle, " the Fort of the
two Islands,"* surmounting a bold promontory
jutting into the lake, and approached by a ruin
ed stair from the sea, the usual mode of access to
the strongholds of Hebridean chieftains — among
which, this ancient pile undoubtedly held the first
place, and was accordingly the cradle of royalty
during the stormy period of the early ages.. We
find it at different times possessed bythe Macdou
gals of Lorn, from whom it was wrested by Robert
Bruce,f and subsequently vested among the pos-

* This castle, a fine specimen of ancient masonry, is of a
square form, 87 feet within the walls, having round towers at
three of the angles. The average height of the walls is sixty-six
feet, and nine in thickness. The external measurement of the
walls amounts to 270 feet. The circumference of the rock on
which it stands is 300 feet.
"t" " I find," says Pennant, " about the year 1455, this to have
been a, residence of the Lord ofthe Isles ;" for here, James, last
Earl of Douglas, after his defeat m Angus, fled to Donald, and

DUNSTAFFNAGE CASTLE. 305
sessions of the great clan Campbell, whose chief,
the Duke of Argyle, is the hereditary guardian of
this Royal Palace, the most ancient in his Majes
ty's dominions. At the distance of about four
hundred feet from the Castle, are the remains of a
once elegant Chapel, formerly appropriated to the
religious services of its inmates, and having at one
end an enclosure used as a family cemetery. In
dependently of the venerable magnificence of the
castle itself, few royal residences occupy a site so
truly enviableas that of Dunstaffnage. Surrounded
by romantic scenery^ presenting, in no common

prevailed on him to take up arms ag-ainst James II. He refers to
Hume of Godscroft, as authority ; but all that Godscroft says, is
*' that the Earl himseW^ hy flight, got him to Dunstafl&iage, where
finding Donald, Earl of Ross and Lord of the Isles, he incited him
to make war against the king."*f- — Buchanan, the only Scottish
writer, we believe, who also mentions the circumstance, merely says,
that Earl James met with Donald the tyrsmt of the Isles and the
Earl of Ross, at Dunstaffnage,. — ad Stephanodunum convenit.^ —
From the phrEuseology then, we can only infer that this was the
appointed place of meeting, as being the readiest and most con
venient, on account of its maritime situation, for both parties. We
cannot indeed suppose this had become a residence of the Lords
of the Isles, without assuming it as a fact that that branch of the
noble family of Argyle, to which that fortress was appropriated by
Robert I., had been expelled from it.
t Hist, Douglas, p. 203. t Hist. Ub. xi. c 49:

306 LOOH ETIVE — CONNEL PEERY.
degree, the union of the sublime and the beautiful,
it comprehends the pleasing interchange of moun
tain and vaUey, of wood and water, of sea and land,
of island and continent. On the western side of
Scotland there is no part so consecrated as this, by
recollections that may be considered classical, both
real and fictitious.
On the opposite side of Loch Etive, appeared the
rude and mountainous district of Benediraloch, prin
cipaUy interesting as the supposed summer abode of
Fingal and the other heroes of Ossian, who in winter
it is conjectured, dwelt in the savage soUtudes of
Glencoe. Tradition pretends to point out the lofty
hill of Dun-bhail-an-righ, (pronounced Dun-valire,)
as the site of the royal " Halls of Selma.'' Across
the bay of Lochnell, the well-wooded promontory
of Ardmuckenish, with its obelisis, formed a conspi
cuous object. Beyond the fertile island of Lismore
appeared the rugged coast and lofty mountains of
Morven. The beautiful site and fine plantations
of Lochnell, the seat of General CampbeU, added
greatly to the richness of the landscape. On ap
proaching Connel Ferry, the voice of many waters
called our attention to

THB PRIORY OP ARDCHATTAN. 307
" The raging
Of Connel with his rocks engaging,''
where the waters of Loch Etive descend over a
ledge of rock from four to six feet high, which
runs across the channel, affording a fine specimen
of rapids to those who have never seen an Amer
ican river, and descriptively termed in Ossian, " the
roaring Lora."* Upon the north side of Loch Etive
are the ruins of the Priory of Ardchattan, one of
the oldest religious establishments in Scotland,
founded in the year 1230, by John Macdougal of
that ilk. " The present proprietor's dweUing-
house,'' we are informed by the Statistical Ac
count of Scotland, " was formerly a part of the mon
astery, a«d his offices occupy great part of the
ground on which it stood." Some walls of the old
priory are still standing, and form the precincts of
a burying-ground. Advancing onwards by the margin of Loch Etive,

* Gough, in his additions to Camden's Britannia, justly calls
this " an extraordinary curiosity," the waters of Loch Etive ^' fall
ing, at low water, about seven feet," so that the whole stream, to
a great distance, is covered with white foam. — Camden's Britan
nia, vol. iv. p. 129.

308 BENEDIRALOCH — LOCH ETIVE.
we saw on the other side of the lake the woods
which skirt the base of the rugged mountains of
Benediraloch, whose summits were for the most
part wreathed with mist. Presently deviating
from the shore, we passed the entrance of a pret
tily wooded glen on our right, and proceeded
through a considerable grove of weeping birch ; on
emerging from which, the lake again came in sight,
as we advanced over heathy knolls which skirt its
sides, enjoying beautiful views ofthe opposite banks
and braes, covered with oak, fir, and natural copse
wood at their base, but finely broken and rugged as
they increase in height. As we approached Tay-
nuilt, we were enabled to see the bend made by
Loch Etive, and to trace its northerly direction for
some distance, between the rocky skirts of Cruachan
on the one hand, and a steep declivity not less
wild and rocky on the other.* The lofty Ben Cru
achan lay before us, but frowning fragments of rock

*¦ The head of Loch Etive, surrounded by mountains of un
common grandeur, presents an aspect of sohtary vastness and gigan
tic simplicity, which is peculiarly and fearfully impressive. Glen
Etive extends from the head of the inlet, up to the conspicuously
conical hill of Buachaille Etive, presenting a long, dreary, grey val
ley, whence it is not difficult to reach Glencoe.

SUPERSTITIONS OP THE HIGHLANDEHS. 309
alone appeared to emerge from ^the dense cloud
which enveloped the mighty mountain. But the
mystery and the gloom only served to rivet the
eye the faster, and make our half-baffled imagina
tions do more than the work of sight. The super
stitious opinions of the ancient Highlanders, seem
to have borrowed their tone in a great measure
from the nature of the country which they inhabit
ed. Living, as they did, among dreary wastes and
rugged mountains, their progress from one place
to another impeded frequently by the rapid tor
rent or the wide-expanding lake, often in their
journeys sinking under the pressure of fatigue and
hunger, or bome down by the rigours of an incle
ment sky, their imaginations were naturally led
to ascribe every disaster to the influence of superior
powers. Every lake had its Kelpie or water horse ;
often were incautious traveUers overwhelmed by
sudden floods ; often were women and children al
lured to destruction, by this malignant genius ofthe
waters. Every house could boast its domestic
Brownie, or, by kind treatment, command the ser
vices of the Urisks, who were supposed to be of a
condition somewhat intermediate between that of

310 SUPERSTITIONS OP THE HIGHLANDERS.
mortal men and spirits. But the most beautiful
and perfect branch of Highland mythology which
is to this day retained in some degree of purity,
is that which relates to the Daoine Shith, or Shi',
the men of peace, or as they are sometimes styled
Daoine Matha, or good men, apparently in order
to propitiate their favour, on the same principle
that the Furies were called Eumenides by the
Greeks. The fast-decaying superstition of Daoine
Shi', or men of peace, appears to be founded on the
history and fate of the Druidical order, who for
merly, in matters civil and ecclesiastical, held the
supreme sway in Celtic Europe.* That this hier
archy existed in Scotland, can be proved satisfac
torily from other sources ,¦ but it is presumed, that

' This opinion is strenuously maintained by Dr. Graham, who,
in his elegant and entertaining " Sketches of Perthshire," thinks he
cau recognise some tr^ts of the Druidical institutions even in the
popular legends, degraded as they are by many puerile extrava
gances ; though it is termed by Sir Walter Scott, " an opinion, to
which there are many objections." — See Note vii. to the fourth canto
of the Lady of the Lake. MaccuUoch has treated the subject with
Shandean gravity, but those psychologists who come to the task,
" willing to believe,'' as Dr. Johnson says, will fail to advance
their curiosity to conviction, by the perusal of his lucubrations in
the Highlands and Western Isles, vol. ii. p. 351.

SUPERSTITIONS OF THB HIGHLANDERS. 311
to an inquiring mind, the still remaining traces of
this superstition of the Daoine Shi', or men of
peace, furnish the best evidence of their identity
with the ancient Druids, as well as the best docu
ments that can now be obtained of the particular
tenets of a system of worship, whose essence was
secresy, and the knowledge of which has been
buried with the extinction of the order who pro
fessed it. Many superstitious practices remain by
habit long after the belief on which they were or
iginally founded has vanished ; and in many cases
have been so combined with Catholic ceremonies
and Protestant festivals, as to render their investi
gation both intricate and difficult.* The Hallow
een of the Highlanders was celebrated with the
well-known incantations described by Bums and
others, on the first of November, round fires called
Sam Huin, the fires of peace ; the night being spent

* Of this the festival of Christmas is the most faraiUar instance,
though others might readily be adduced. The Highland Christmas
is, like the Yule of the Lowlands, the Scandinavian lol, the feast
of mid-winter in the north. The feasts ofthe Sanscrit sun passing
the solstice, still kept by the Rajahpoots, were transferred to the
feast of the Nativity, by Haco Adelstein, the first Christian king
of Norway.

312 SUPERSTITIONS OF THE HIGHLANDERS.
in dancing and feasting. This practice is yet pre
served in the Lowlands- But the Highland Bel-
tein,* or rural festival of the first of May, has now
fallen into oblivion, marking a great inroad on the
manners of the people — though it would not now
be esteemed any praise to a people rapidly be
coming enlightened, as they are naturaUy acute, to
suppose that they are not fast forgetting the follies
that belong to the childhood of nations. It is
strange that while we omit to notice the similarity,
not to say identity of our own poetical supernatu-
ralities with those of Greece, we are etemaUy
lauding each old poetic mountain, every shade, and
hallowed fountain, as if no other woods, but those
" tliat wave o'er Delphi's steep,'' no other isles but
tliose "that crown the Egean deep," had been the
hallowed haunts of a poetical mythology. Such is
the consequence of being flogged at Eton, Harrow,

* This festival, by some esteemed Druidical, and by others de
rived from Pales, as being analogous to the pagan sacrifice to the
Deity of flocks and herds, is also celebrated in Brittany, and in Ire
land. In Cornwall, the fires of St. John's and St. Stephen's days
are the Bealtine.

SUPERSTITIONS OF THE HIGHLANDERS. 313
or Westminster.* We are taken possession of by
the follies and knaveries of classical antiquity, be
fore we know whether we had any of our own, and
the weight of birch turns the scale against the
equal or superior claims of our not less magnani
mous ancestors. It is to her acknowledged pre
eminence in arts and arms, in literature and in sci
ence, not to those visionary superstitions which she
possesses in common with less enlightened nations,
that Greece owes her immortal fame, the transcen
dent lustre of which still gleams brightly through
the darker mists of succeeding ages, and the gloom
of her present state of lamentable degradation.
If we can suppose that a reasonable people lived
among fauns, and hamadryads, and believed in
their own goblins, and fairies, and giant-killers, the
imputation of credulity, must fall alike on the Goth
and the Greek. We have a strange aversion, often
illiberally quoted, as peculiar to the fairer and better

* Why the human animal, being the only reasoning one, should
be educated exclusively by means of brute force and pain, when
the non-reasoning tribes, .such as dogs, horses, cats, and canary
birds, cum multLs aliis, are taught by gentleness and rewards, is a
problem that remains to be solved by the psychologists and natural
historians. 0

314 SUPERSTITIONS OF THE HIGHLANDERS.
portion of humanity, to think of antiquity as of
ourselves. They believed in their national infancy
as we believed, and what we believed in our own.
In tracing the romantic history of superstitious my
thology, from the fragments which remain in Scot
land, and under forms of close affinity are preserved
in the Sagas and Romances of ancient Europe,
we ultimately are conducted through Persia, Tar-
tary, Arabia, or Hindoostan, to the foot of Cau
casus, or the Tower of Babel. In short, through
whatever mazes we may pursue the intricate and
interesting mythology of early ages, we invariably
find satisfactory evidence of its oriental origin. In
this place it may not be irrelevant to notice, the
once prevalent and stiU existing belief in the
second sight. Many things which have no value
in themselves, become important when connected
with past times. It is indifferent whether they
consist in truth or error, if they have ever iniiu-
enced human conduct, or modified the nature of hu
man society. The weakness of man is no less
worth our study than his strength ; indeed it is
often the largest portion of his history. It is not
our purpose to recount the dreaming visions which

TAYNUILT. 315
the unoccupied hours, or peculiar temperament of
the ancient Highlanders may have suggested, or
to enlarge upon the oft repeated truism of the fal
libility of human testimony, with relation to the
striking accuracy of detail with which impending
events are exhibited in the visions of Highland
seers. It may be remarked, however, that among
infinite visions dealing in probabUities, some may
be accomplished : and whUe the failures are for
gotten, a single instance of success may become
the fertile parent of an universal faith.
The wildness and solitude of the scenery of Loch
Etive is very striking, and at the confluence of the
river Awe, presents a scene of uncommon beauty
and sublimity. We presently reached TaynuUt Inn,
to breakfast, opposite to which on a little knoll ap
peared the humble house of prayer. Beside thi s
stands the first monument erected in Europe to
the memory of Lord Nelson. It is one of the " old
greystones of the narrow house," which was or
iginally reared in a distant field, and was removed,
and erected in its present situation, by the villagers
and workmen attending the Lorn iron-furnace, on
the first of January, 1806.

316

BUNAWE.

Quitting Taynuilt, we left Bunawe, noted for its
saimon fishery, on the left ; and receding from Loch
Etive, we crossed an antique bridge, and proceeded
across woody and bushy knolls above the Lorn
smelting furnace.* Upon the opposite bank of the
river Awe, appeared the finely wooded hill of Bun-
awe, and General Campbell's House of Inverawe,
embosomed in leafy woods, which skirt the base
of the lofty Ben Cruachan.t Below this the river

* About 1753, a company from Lancashire erected this furnace
for casting pig-iron, with the charcoal obtained from the natural wood
of the country. The iron ore is imported from the western coast
of England, and other places.
¦f- " The ascent of Cruachan is tedious," (since it generally oc
cupies from nine to ten hours,) "but not difiicult ; and from its po
sition, no less than from its altitude, it presents some of the finest
and most extensive mountain views in Scotland. Compared to
Ben Lomond it is a giant, and its grasp is no less gigantic. From
the bold granite precipices of its sharp and rugged summit, which
is literally a point, we look down its red and furrowed sides into
the upper part of Loch Etive, and over this magnificent group of
mountains, which, extending northward and eastward, display one
of the finest landscapes of mere mountains in the Highlands. Its
commanding position not only enables us thus to bring under our
feet the whole of this group, as far as Appin and Glencoe, and even
to Ben Nevis, hut opens a view of the whole of the eastern ocean
of mountains, reaching from Rannoch as far as Ben Lawers and
Ben Lomond, and, beyond them, to lands, which only cease to be
visible because they at length blend with the sky. So marked, also,
are their characters, so rocky and precipitous their summits, and

THB RIVER AWE. 317
Awe, beantifully broken into cataracts, by its rocky
bed, flows through steep banks, finely overarched
by trees and entangled with copsewood.
Crossing the rapid river Awe by a modern
bridge of three arches, (a little above which its
stream divides, and forms a prettily wooded islet,)
we proceeded along its northern bank at the
base of the majestic Ben Cruachan, whose sul
len brow was shrouded in clouds, and down
whose mighty sides flowed numerous torrents.
Proceeding up the banks of the river, which here

so varied their forms, that this landscape excels in variety, as in
picturesque character, all other landscapes of mere mountains, ex
cepting perhaps that from Ben Lair in Ross-shire. The view which
it yields of the open country is not much inferior to that from Ben
Lawers, if indeed it is inferior; and in this respect it can only be
compared with that mountain and Ben Lomond. While it looks
down on the long sinuosities of Loch Awe, and over the irregular
lands of Lorn, bright with its numerous lakes, it displays all the
splendid bay of Oban and the Linnhe Loch, with Jura, Isla, and
all the other islands of this coast, commanding besides the horizon
of the sea even beyond Tiree and Coll, together with the rude
mountains of Mull, and the faint and blue hills of Rum and Sky ;
a scene as unusual as it is rendered various, by the intermixture of
land and water, — by the brilliant contrast of dark and misty moun
tains and islands by which they are separated, — and by the bold
aud decided forms of all the elements of this magnificent land
scape." — Macculloch's Highlands and Western Isles of Scotland,
voLi, p. 267.

318 DAL-REIGH.
forms a succession of rapids, the favourite re
sort of the brethren of the rod and line, we passed
the little plain called Dal-reigh or King's-field, in
commemoration of a signal victory obtained in
1308, by King Robert Bruce, over the Macdougals
of Lorn, whose castle of Dunstaffnage he subse
quently reduced, in retaliation of a severe check
sustained by his own forces, in a previous engage
ment near Tyndrum, from this proud and power
ful clan. We now entered the deep defile through
which the dark waters of the Awe flow silently yet
swiftly from the side of their parent lake — which, by
the bye, is not their natural channel, — a remarkable
fact, of which there is hardly another instance to
be met with among the numerous lakes and rivers
of Scotland. That this was not the original outlet
of the water of Loch Awe, appears from an ex
amination of its south-western extremity ; whence
it seems evident, that at one time its level was high
er than at present, and that the superabundant wa
ter ran oflF in that direction into Crinan, the great
moss of which was then in all probability covered
with the sea. From the height and steepness of the
banks around the present course of the river, it

PASS OP LOCH AWE. 219
would appear as if some convulsion of the earth
had occasioned the disruption of one of the
shoulders of the mighty Ben Cruachan, and thus
formed the present bed of the river. On each
side of this frightful chasm rose naked hills, seamed
with wintry torrents ; those whose channels the
late rains had filled with water, were seen dashing
in spray from rock to rock, through the scattered
shrubs which fringed their course from the heights
of Cruachan Ben ; but, on the opposite side, the
streams flowed less copiously over a bleak unvary
ing surface of naked rock. Such is the wUd and
romantic character of this Pass, that indeed it
'* Seems that primeval earthquake's sway,
Hath rent a strange and shattered way.
Through the rude bosom of the hill.
And that each naked precipice.
Sable ravine and dark abyss.
Tells of the outrage still.""
Sublime, but sad was the delight our souls expe
rienced in
" Gazing on pathless glen and mountain high.
Listing where from the cliffi the torrents thrown.
Mingle their echoes with the eagle's cry.
And with the sounding lake, and with the moaning sky."

* Lord of the Isles, Canto III. xiv.

320 LOCH AWE.
On emerging from this awful ravine, we came
upon the Sound of Brunderawe, that great arm of
Loch Awe, by which its waters are discharged,
and proceeded about 100 yards above the lake,
along the precipitous side of Ben Cruachan, which
is beautifully clothed with luxuriant natural wood
down to the water's edge. Enchanting were the
glimpses ofthe lovely Loch Awe, with its verdant
and wooded islands, which we obtained through the
embowering foliage of the thick wood which we
were traversing. In the centre of this sylvan soli
tude, a considerable cascade of exquisite loveli
ness, formed by an impetuous mountain torrent
foaming over a rocky channel, and closely canopied
by waving wood, arrested our delighted attention .
As we advanced along the face of the hill amid
overhanging woods and rocks, looking down over
the summits of the oaks, on the black and deep wa
ter far below, the lake opened beautifully upon
our view, presenting an extensive surface, finely
diversified by numerous groups of flat and ver
dant islands, beautifully tufted with trees. Many
of these islands are large enough to admit of being
pastured, and most of them rendered peculiarly in-

INNIS-HAIL. 321
teresting, by fragments of the remotest antiquity.
In the centre of one of the groups appeared the
lovely Innis-Chonnel, on which stand the ivy-
mantled ruins of a once magnificent castle, the
chief residence, at a very remote period, of the fa
mUy of Argyle. Near to this is Innis-Erath, sup
posed to be the place to which the traitor Erath
beguiled the fair Daura, as related in one of the
songs of Selma.
On the low verdant island of Innis-Hail are the
vestiges of a convent of the Cistercian order,
founded in the reign of Kenneth II. of Scotland,
and a cemetery, many of whose monumental re
cords have been transported to the church-yard
of Glenorchy. Many of these bear figures of
armed warriors, and emblematical devices ; and
upon one of them an inscription in Gaelic, in
English, and in Latin, supposed to commemorate
a Scottish king, is said to have been discover
ed, though antiquarians have not as yet succeed
ed in decyphering this polyglot legend. Cer
tain it is, however, that Loch Awe and its vicini
ty, more, perhaps, than any district in the High
lands, abounds wi^h memorials of distant ages,
o2

322 FHAOCH ELAN.
connecting the different religions and political eras
in the history of the country, though even to the
natives of Argyleshire, this truly beautiful lake is
but little known, from the want of roads along its
banks. Proceeding through wUd thickets of natural
wood, the haunt of the deer and the roe-buck, at the
base of the gigantic Ben Cruachan,* we enjoyed
frequent glimpses of Loch Awe, and of the heathy
hiUs on its opposite side, over which the road to
Inverary runs. As we approached the upper ex
tremity of the lake, the woody Isle of Fraoch Elan
presented to our notice the ruins of a castle of the
MacNanghtons, said to have been granted to Gilbert
MacNaughton, the|chief of that clan, by Alexander
III., upon condition of entertaining the king when
ever he should pass that way ; but more remark
able as the fabled Hesperides of Highland ro-
mance.t

* Ben Cruachan is chiefly composed of red granite or porphy
ry, though at its base, which is no less than twenty miles in cir
cumference, occurs argillaceous schistus, intersected by veins of
quartz and lapis ollaris.
f The tale of Fraoch Elan has been printed by Pennant, Dr.
Smith, and Macculloch ; also in The Beauties of Scotland.

KILOHURN CASTLE. 323
On emergingfrom the birchen copsewood, we were
enraptured by a view of the magnificent and pictur
esque ruins of KUchurn Castle, standing on a rock
projecting into Loch Awe from the fertile holm of
Glen Urchay,* which lay before us in great beauty,
ornamented with the trees which environ the
church and viUage of Glenorchy. Beyond this
the road to Tyndrum is seen winding up a deep glen,
between the mountains of Ben Loy and Ben Don-
ran, forming a scene of great loveliness, rendered
more impressive by the interesting remains of KU
churn Castle, consisting of extensive additions,
made at difierent periods by the famUy of Breadal
bane, to the square tower built in 1440 by their il
lustrious ancestor. Sir John Campbell, Knight of

* The flat and vride meadow which now connects the rocky
peninsula on which the Castle stands with the higher shore, is
evidently alluvial, even now subject to inimdation, and obviously
rescued at no very remote period from the water. This has pro
bably been the result of two distinct operations ; the one being a
gradual elevation of the bottom of the lake, at this part, from the
deposits of mud ; and the other being the deepening of the bed of
the Awe, by the action of the river causing a partial drainage of
the water of the lake. Whether the bed of the river Awe might
not yet be fiirther deepened by art, so as to rescue much more land
in the same manner, is a question which does not appear to have
been examined as its importance merits.

324 GLENORCHY.
Rhodes. So late as 1745, a part of this ancient
fabric was garrisoned by the king's forces ; and a
wreath of curling smoke indicated it even now not
altogether tenantless.
Passing the farm house of Corry, the green, yet
gloomy Glen Srae appeared before us, seamed with
mountain torrents, such as we also saw descend
ing by their narrow channels down the side of a
small hollow in the mountain, on our left. Pro
ceeding through the vale, we passed the modern
church of Glenorchy, situated within the ancient
burying-ground, on an islet formed by the river
Urchay, whose banks are here beautifully clothed
with wood ; near to which stands the Inn of Dal-
mally, where we remained for the night. This
solitary house is much frequented as shooting quar-
ters,.being one of the most attractive stations in the
Highlands. As we had been forewarned, the inn
was so crowded that we were content, upon the
only occasion during our excursion, to accept the
homely accommodation of a " shake-down."
The scenery of Glenorchy must be seen to be
appreciated as it deserves, being composed of every

CHARACTER OP THE HIGHLANDERS. 325
object which can captivate the eye of the painter
or inspire the soul of the poet.
With regard to the general character of the
Highlanders, as we still find it exhibited here, as
well as in the remoter districts of the country, it
may be remarked, that they are a grave and intel
ligent people, of a turn of mind peculiarly inquisi
tive, and susceptible of improvement from educa
tion. This spirit of curiosity, for which the High
lander is remarkable, and the consequent informa
tion which he is generally found to possess with
regard to distant places and events, may be partly
at least attributed to that expansion of mind which
he naturally acquires from a rambling and excur
sive mode of life, and the daily opportunities he
enjoys of contemplating nature upon the most ex
tensive scale. To the same circumstance it would
seem we are to attribute that slight dash of melan
choly with which the Highland character is uniform
ly tinged. The melancholy of the Highlander be
ing far from morose, and having no tendency to
misanthropy, seems rather to be a habit of mind
produced by the combined effects of Sensibility, so
litude, and the habitual contemplation of wild and

326 CHARACTER OP THE HIGHLANDERS.
suhlime scenery. Little employed in cultivating
the ground, his mind is not fettered by minute at
tention to a single spot ; the range of his excur
sions is wide, but it is lonely. In tending his flocks,
he scales the lofty mountain, and traverses the ex
tensive moor or dusky forest, and has occasion from
time to time to contemplate the grandest objects in
nature, — the war of the elements, — the impetuous
torrent, sweeping every thing before it, — the thun
der of heaven, reverberating, in repeated peals,
among the mountains, — the violence of the winds,
rendered furious, by being pent up in a deep and
narrow vaUey, — and snow coiled up in heaps, that
interrupts for weeks the intercourse of a whole dis
trict. AU these circumstances, alike unfavourable
to frivolousness of thought, are well calculated to
fix down the mind to habits of sober thinking, and
to impress it with serious meditation on the vicissi
tudes of human affairs. Notwithstanding this gen
eral character, of what may be caUed pensive sus
ceptibility, which belongs to the Highlander, he is
in the highest degree alive to joyous feelings. The
Highlanders are fond of music and of dancing, with
diversions of all kinds. In ancient times, when the

HIGHLAND POETRY AND MUSIC. 327
hospitality of the chieftain furnished subsistence to
his numerous dependants, it is remembered, in the
traditions of the generation last passed, that the
recitation of ancient Celtic poetry formed their fa
vourite amusement ; thus innocently did they twine
the garland of poesy around dark Winter's brow.*
The music of the Highlanders is congenial with
their general habits and character, being, for the
most part, not only plaintive but melancholy. La
ments, as they are called, or funeral dirges, consti
tute a very important and favourite branch of High
land musict The instinctive attachment of the
Highlanders to the bagpipe, more than compen
sates for its deficiencies as an instrument of music.
It is however well calculated for this style of me
lody ; and when played in the open air, upon a
calm evening, produces a fine, and, even to the ear
of a stranger, a pleasing effect ; though, on a breezy
morning, the portion of this boisterous music we

* The Clanranald family, it is well known, had their bards thus
regularly appointed and employed little more than sixty years ago ;
and even private individuals, in the remembrance of persons still
living, piqued themselves on reciting considerable portions of the
ancient poetry of their country.
¦|- See Appendix, G.

328 DALMALLY.
may chance to catch, leaves us no i'easou to regret
that the other half is lost to the ear.
The Highlanders are naturally a brave and gen
erous people, and impatient of being outdone by
others in any attempt. They are able to endure
fatigue, the inconveniencies of hunger and thirst,
and the vicissitudes of heat and cold, beyond what
is credible by those who have been accustomed to
softer modes of life. From these hardy moun
taineers it is well known that, for more than half a
century, our armies have received their choicest
supplies ; and it wUl not be denied, that their va
lour has had a distinguished share in raising some
of the most illustrious trophies that grace the an
nals of Britain. The Highlander naturally prefers
the indolent freedom of a pastoral life to any other
pursuit within his reach ; but, when removed from
his native bounds, is found capable of abundant
exertion and industry.
August 18. — Early in the morning we quitted
Dalmally, by a road injudiciously carried over
knolls and gentle eminences, so as to conceal from
the traveller the most interesting scenery of Loch
Awe. We enjoyed, however, a fine view of KU-

INNIS-CHONNEL. 329
churn Castle at the head of Loch Awe ; and, upon
gaining the summit of the ridge, beheld that truly
beautiful lake stretching before us in aU its beauty,
with its numerous verdant and interesting islands,
among which the lovely Innis-Chonnel, with its
picturesque castle, appeared most conspicuous. In
contemplating this enchanting scene, we were
tempted to indulge in the fond aspu-ation of Mrs.
Grant, " Oh ! to be buried in one of those sanc
tified islands, the sacred asylum of the warrior
and the hunter, over which the jEolian tunes of
airy harps sound to the passing gale, where no lit
tle boys jump over grave-stones, or no great ones
trample over the dead with callous indifference."
The lake was now visible to us for a consid
erable part of its length, having upon its oppo
site side the house and woods of Hayfield, (Mac-
Neil,) and the kirk of Kilchrennan ; beyond which,
in the distance, rose a rugged ridge of heath-clad
hUls, while that shore of the lake along which lay
our route was beantifully covered and embellished
with natural and luxuriant wood, through which,
as we advanced, we obtained beautiful views of
the lake and its islands, the Sound of Brunderawe,

230 LOCH AWE  CLADICH.
and the mouth of the deep glen through which the
river Awe takes it course, — as also of the scathed
and bifid peaks ofthe majestic Ben Cruachan, rising
in beautiful sublimity on the opposite side of the
lake, seeming the very citadel of the Genius of the
Region. Having crossed a romantic streamlet and passed
through a grove of alders, we proceeded across ver
dant knoUs along the shores of the lake, finely
fringed with natural wood, by the farms of Acha-
lean and Inistrynich, and presently reached Cla-
dich, where we crossed the rivulet of that name,
which here forms a fine cascade. Here we quitted
with regret the lovely Loch Awe, and began to as
cend verdant hills, whence, on looking back, we be
held the fleecy clouds flitting across the rugged
brow of the lofty Ben Cruachan, whose cairned
summit was frequently visible.* We dwelt with
unmingled rapture on this stupendous mountain,
and the beautiful lake at its woody base, as we

¦ The admiration expressed by the illustrious author of the
Sublime and Beautiful, upon visiting this spot, has conferred upon
this prospect the name of Burke's view.

GLENARAY. 331
ascended the hill, from whose summit we bade a
final adieu to Loch Awe. Crossing a tract of heathy
uplands, we began to descend through the heath-
clad hUls which surround the head of Glenaray,
upon the vaUey itself, obtaining a pleasing prospect
of the rugged mountains of Cowal, over the thick
foliage of the woods which adorn Inverary. Fol
lowing the course of the infant Aray for some time,
we exchanged this bleak glen for the wooded banks
and braes which form part of the vast plantations
of the Duke of Argyle. Soon after our entrance
upon these forest bowers, the river Aray, rapidly
swoUen into importance, presented us with a con
siderable cataract, caUed Lenach Glutbin, whose
beauties have been enhanced and rendered acces
sible by a rustic bridge thrown across the chasm,
through which the waters of the river rush with
considerable noise and commotion.
Proceeding through woods and groves of great
beauty, we came upon a sweetly sequestered val
ley, in which stand the Duke's Barns, erected for
the purpose of drying hay and grain under cover,
whereby the bad effects of the humidity of the cli
mate, upon the ingathering of these crops, are ef-

332 DUNIQUOICH.
fectuaUy counteracted.* From hence we obtained
a beautiful view of the rugged summit of Duni-
quoich, rising above the woods which clothe its
sides, while a solitary watch-tower, perched on its
top, like an eagle's nest, gave a dignity to the scene,
by awakening the long dormant sense of possible
danger. On emerging from a thick wood we descended
upon Inverary, and beheld Loch Fyne, and the
rugged hills which surround it; while, on our left,
in a fine lawn, stood the stately fabric of Inverary
Castle. After breakfast, we visited this mansion,
and found it a casteUated Gothic building of an

* A particular description, with a plan of these barns, has been
given by Dr. Smith of Campbeltown, in his Agricultural Survey of
Argyleshire. We cannot help remarking, however, that costly
buildings, or other implements of agriculture, which cannot be ob
tained without an expenditure of capital which never will be repaid
by their ordinary use, can be of little benefit to the community.
Like fashionable horticulture, they are rather the objects of taste,
than the means of profit. By far the greater part of the territory
of a state must always be cultivated by farmers, labouring from a
view to subsistence, or private emolument ; and those agricultural
instruments and practices can alone be of value to society which
are attended with profit to the individuals by whom they are em
ployed ; such as those which are at once cheap in their nature,
adapted to the train of ordinary husbandry, and moreover suitable
to the soil and climate.

INVERARY CASTLE. 333
oblong quadrangular shape, built upon the plan of
the castle of Inverlochy, having a round tower at
each corner of the mansion, which, from the dark
grey hue of the lapis ollaris of which it is com
posed, has that aspect of antiquity which, in reality,
it cannot boast, having been erected subsequent to
the year 1745.
We entered this august baronial residence on the
northern side, by a Gothic arch thrown over the
area which surrounds its lower story, and passing
through the anti-chamber, were conducted into the
great hall. This lofty saloon is lighted from above,
and connected by arches with the staircases on each
side of it. Arms, chiefly consisting of muskets
sent from the Tower for the suppression of the
Rebellion of 1745, and armour, such as obtained in
Highland warfare, form the appropriate decoration
of this abode of a Highland chief. In the arches
are two groups of statuary, the one representing
Paetus and Arria, the other Perseus and Andro
meda. The castle is a spacious, convenient, and elegant
mansion, wherein many heroes of the family, " on
animated canvass, seem to frown;" and where every

334 INVERARY CASTLE.
thing evinces an abode in which baronial pomp and
hospitality still continue to linger, softened by the
mUder graces of modern elegance. The noble
apartments which surround the central hall, most
happUy combine an air of comfort with an aspect
of splendour. The drawing-room is extremely
elegant, being adorned with beautiful specimens
of the Gobelin tapestry, and the library contains
a good collection of books. Several of the rooms
are hung with Flemish tapestry ; and the dining-
room is appropriately ornamented with fruit and
flowers, grouped in gold encircled compartments
on the walls and ceiling. The pictures chiefly
consist of family portraits, of which the most in
teresting are those of the Marquis of Argyle, who
died with distinguished heroism on the scaffold,
in the reign of Charles II. ; and the fine features
of his unfortunate son, the Earl of Argyle, who end
ed his days in a simUar manner, with a constancy
in unison with his probity of life, during the brief
reign of James II. (VII.) With different feelings
we beheld the portraits of Sir Colin CampbeU,
Knight of Lochow ; of the first Duke of Argyle,
and of his descendant, who founded the castle, and

CARLONAN LINN. 335
figured at Culloden, of which unnatural fray there
is also a representation, with a striking likeness of
WUliam Duke of Cumberland in the foreground.
There are also portraits of the Duke of Hamilton
and General Conway ; George HI., and his queen,
presented by his late Majesty to the Duke of Ar
gyle ; and two representations of Lady Charlotte
Bury, the able and accomplished delineator of fash
ionable foUies ; also one of Lord Frederick Camp-
"bell, in his robes, as Lord Registrar of Scotland.
The whole of the upper or second story is occu
pied by commodious dormitories and their accus
tomed appendages.
Leaving this magnificent mansion, we passed the
stables and the gardens, which are screened from
it by a wood of great density and beauty, on emerg
ing from which we entered the pleasant vale where
in the Duke's embattled bams are placed ;, and, as
cending the river Aray, we reached Carlonan Linn,
where the water, faUing over a cliff among pendant
boughs and creeping shrubs, forms a fine cascade,
whose picturesque effect is greatly enhanced by a
picturesque mill on the opposite bank to that adown
which we retraced our steps Passing under the

336 GLEN SHJRA.
base of Duniquoich, through a lawn studded with
the finest timber, we enjoyed the most lovely pros
pects of the bay and town of Inverary ; beyond
which the shores of Loch Fyne appeared to recede
until they were lost to our view behind the rugged
mountains of Cowal. Beyond this the lofty peaks
of Knapdale were seen to rise in the distance, while
before us lay the bridge over the Aray ; and on
our right the stately though sombre* Castle of In
verary, with its beautiful lawn, and apparently
boundless contiguity of shade. Proceeding through
along and impressive avenue of fine beech trees
round the base of Duniquoich, we reached Glen
Shira, " the vale ofthe Silent Stream," of a truly
pleasant, placid, and pastoral character. We pro
ceeded along the margin of a dark, deep pool, a-
bounding in fish, called Loch Dubh, and, about
lialf-way up the glen, came to a range of castellat
ed farm-buildings, and circular drying barns, which
present an imposing front, in perfect accordance

• The stone of which the castle is built being a soft variety of
micaceous slate, approaching to the tale slate of mineralogists, had,
upon this *' soft day," imbibed moisture sufficient to render its hue
extremely dark ; but, in diy days and in sunshine, its colour ap
proaches nearly to a light grey.

DUNDERAMH CASTLE . 337
with the other ornamental and rural buUdings of the
Duke of Argyle —
To whom belongs this valley fair.
That sleeps beneath the filmy air.
Even like a living thing.
Silent as infant at the breast.
Save a still sound that speaks of rest,
That streamlets murmuring.
The heavens appear to love this vale ;
There clouds with scarce seen motion sail.
Or 'mid the silence lie !
By that blue arch this beauteous earth
Seems bound unto the sky.
The sides of the vale are finely clothed with natural
wood, up to its very head, which forms a lovely
scene, in crossing the vale to descend the other
side of " the sUent stream," at whose junction with
the lake we continued along the well-wooded shore
of the latter, between the precipice and brake, to
Dunderamh Castle, a ruined residence of the Mac-
naughtons, situated on a rocky promontory, project
ing into the lake. Across Loch Fyne, the woods
and house of Ardkinglass, (Colonel Callander,) ap
peared to great advantage. Returning by the same
road, we enjoyed beautiful views down Loch Fyne,
of St. Catherine's, and Strachur, on its opposite
p

338 INVERARY.
bank, and in the distance of the rugged mountains
of Cowal. On turning a woody promontory, the
town and castle assumed a most enchanting aspect,
placed in an amphitheatre of romanticaUy wooded
hiUs, on the verdant shore of the beautiful lake.
Recrossing the bridges over the Shyra and the Aray,
we made a circuit round the shore of the bay,
and having passed the lawn before the castle, where
the fallow deer lay basking in the shade, and a
group of rustics wei-e making hay in the sunshine,
we regained the hotel, adjoining to which is the en
trance to a long, dark avenue of aged elms, lead
ing to Essachosen, a gloomy and romantic glen,
about two mUes distant, rendered attractive by a
fine cascade. The town-house serves to indicate
the importance of Inverary as the county-town of
Argyleshire, and to impart an air of extrMue re
spectability to the range of houses fronting the
quay and the lake, forming the principal portion
of this picturesque little town, where we abode for
the night. The inn, sufficiently eulogised by John
son and BosweU, commands a pleasant view of the
embayed waters of the lake, whose surface was

THE HERRING. 339
enlivened by boats of all shapes and sizes, in pur
suit of the famed Loch Fyne herrings.*
Loch Fyne is remarkable as one of the most
favoured haunts of that capricious fish, the her
ring, concerning whose nature and habits we have
so little certain knowledge. By far the most re
markable circumstance in the history of this fish,
is the irregularity of its visits, since it is found to
desert one year a spot where it formerly abounded,
and to appear again in quarters never dreamt of.
These changes are singularly iUustrated in the cases
of Loch Torridon and Gairloch, the former having
of late been entirely deserted, and the latter fre
quented to excess. The Long Island was also one
of the great resorts of the herring in the time of
Charles I. ; but has been so long deserted by them
that it is not now remembered when they last ap
peared in any quantity This remarkable disap
pearance of the herring has been vulgarly attribut
ed to the manufacture of kelp, — by a species of

* The harbour of Inverary was anciently called Loch Ichopper,
signifying the bay where vessels bought or bartered fish. The ar
morial bearings of the borough also exhibit a net with a herring,
with this motto, " Semper tibi pendeat halec"

340 THE HERRING.
logic somewhat analogous to that employed in the
attempt to refer the sand inundation, on the coast
of Kent, to the building of Salisbury steeple —
causa pro non causa, — ^for kelp was not introduced
till many years after the herrings had left the Long
Island, as weU as many other coasts which they
had frequented.
It is extraordinary that a writer so habitually
careful, and generaUy so correct as Pennant, should
have so far given way to the influence of the imagi
nation in his account of the herring. Anderson,
the Historian of Greenland and Iceland, writes
with as much confidence respecting the movements
of the herrings, as if he himself had swam at their
head, had threaded all the mazes of Norway, and
doubled all the capes of Scotland. This tale has
been repeated over and over again by other natur
alists, who, by publishing their opinions from little
observation and less reflection, have rendered the
delusion more extensive and inveterate. So much
easier is it to foUow than observe, and so few peo
ple, even in this intellectual country, wiU take the
trouble of thinking for themselves. Accordingly,
in all those books caUed popular, which pretend to

THE HERRING. 341
treat of the habits of British fishes, the pilgrimages
of the herring have been described as an establish
ed fact. Simply, however, the story cannot be
true, because it is impossible.
" The herrings do not come in myriads from the
polar sea, beginning their progress in January, be
cause there are no means of producing them there.
Spawn has not been found to animate in any place,
except floating near the surface, or in shaUow wa
ter, where both the sun and the air act upon it ;
and while the polar seas and shores are open to such
action, the herrings are not there ; they are on our
shores, the full-grown and the young. But setting
aside the impossibility, the supposed emigration
would be without an object ; they would not come
for food, as they are said to leave the north just
when food would be found there ; and if they are
annuaUy produced in the north, they could not
come to our shores for the purpose of spawning,
even though they are all obviously in preparation
-for such a purpose. Besides, there is no animal
. that migrates southward in the spring, and there
fore the theory would require one law for the rest
of creation, and another for the herring — that the

342 THE HERRING.
latter should be chiUed by the general warmth of
the spring, and warmed by the polar frost. Now,
so far is the production of fish from being independ
ent of the influence of heat, that, just as we would
be led to infer from the slow progress of the solar
beams through the element in which they live, they
require the whole, or the greater part of our sum
mer, to mature the germs of their countless broods.
Nay, it appears, that many, if not most of the spe
cies, cannot mature their spawn in the depths of
the ocean, to which they retire to recruit their
strength ; but that they come to the shores and
shaUows, where the heat ofthe sun can penetrate to
the bottom, and be reflected by it, for the purpose
of maturing, as well as of depositing their spawn.
" We know not, and we cannot know, the secrets
of those mighty depths which no plummet can fa
thom ; but we have every reason to believe that
there is a profundity, where animals, constructed as
the fishes that we see are, could not by possibility
exist. It may be said, that God is capable of mak
ing creatures adapted for living there. We do not
deny that he is, neither do we deny their existence ;
but we deny that the laws of nature are ever viol-

THE HERRING. 343
ated, which they would be, were the fishes which
we know, able to move under such a pressure, or
propagate, so completely excluded from the action
of the sun and the air. The herrings come to the
shores and estuaries to mature and propagate their
spawn, which they do over a greater range of the
year than most other fish, continuing the operation
to the middle of winter, and retiring into deeper
water after that is done. But there is no reason
to conclude that they have much migration in lati
tude, or that they ever move far from those shores
which they frequent in the season. The fry too
are found on the shores and in the bays and estu
aries frequented by their parents ; and they do not
go to the deep water tUl late in the season. They
even appear to go farther up the rivers than the
old fish, for they may be taken in brackish water
with a common trout-fly. The habits of the her
ring are thus a good deal like those of the salmon ;
and it is probable that there is a great similarity in
the whole oviparous fishes ; that they all frequent
the banks and shoals for the purpose of spawning,
and go to some short distance in deeper water to
recover their strength. Those which are ovovipa-

344 THE WHITE FISHERY.
rous, or bring forth their young hatched, are under
no such necessity ; though they follow the others to
feed upon them and their spawn or fry, and prob
ably require the influence of the air and heat of the
shallow water to perfect the internal hatching of
their eggs. It has not been ascertained whether
any of these fish spawn every year ; but there are
some facts which would lead to the conclusion that
they do not.
" The white-fishing, on the east coast of Scotland,
which is principaUy carried on for the common cod,
and the haddock, used to be, in a great measure,
suspended during the spring, when the fish had
spawned ; but, in time, the fishermen found out,
that when the fish were neither plentiful nor good
upon the shallow banks, they had only to be a little
more adventurous, and go into the deep water, in
order to be successful aU the year round. Now the
fish found in the deep water cannot be those which
have just spawned, for they are fat and firm, and
have young mUts and roes in them ; and hence
there is some probability that the cod, and other
fis'n of the same structure, take two years or more
to produce their immense progeny ; and that thus

THE HERRING. 345
there is not a fish in the sea but which is in season
all the year, if its place of residence and the mode
of taking it were known."
However unaccountable the changes in the
haunt of the herring may appear, the fact is in
dubitably established by the diminished commer
cial prosperity of almost all the viUages scattered
along the western coast ; — Tobermorey, Tanera,
Torridon, Ullapool, and other fishing stations,
whether they owe their origin to the public spirit
of individuals, or to the British Fishery Society,
have this tale to teU. The resort of the herrings to
the west coast, for some years back, has been very
precarious. TUl the beginning of this century, the
herring fishery on the eastern coast was very limit
ed ; while the fish were, and continue to be, every
way inferior to those of the western shores. In a
most remarkable manner the fishery on the eastern
coast, eight years ago, entirely preponderated over
that on the west ; but for the last three years has
failed, from the shaUowness of the water on the
shores of Ross-shire, which in tempestuous wea
ther the fish instantly desert for the deep sea,*
* The herrings come from the deep water in immense shoals or
p2

346 THE HERRING.
thither the small boats and small craft cannot fol
low them ; and even with the advantage of the

masses, which not only occupy a considerable surface of the sea,
but extend to a considerable depth. For this reason they prefer
the deep water, and, generaUy speaking, avoid the shoal coasts ;
and when they do get entangled upon one, great numbers are
wrecked. The rocky promontory at the east end of the county of
Fife, off which there lies an extensive reef or rock, sometimes has
that effect ; and there have been seas in wliich, when the difficul
ties of the place were augmented by a strong wind at south-east,
that carried breakers upon the reef and a heavy surf along the
shore, the beaph for many miles has been covered with a bank of
herrings several feet in depth, which, if taken and salted when
first left by the tide, would have been worth many thousands of
pounds ; but which, as there was not a sufficient supply of salt in
the neighbourhood, were allowed to remain putrefying upon the
beach, until the farmers found leisure to cart them away as man
ure. The herring is a remarkably delicate fish, and dies almost
the instant that it is out of the water, or gets the slightest injury
in it ; and these circumstances, while they render the stranded shoals
a much more frequent, abundant, and easy prey, than if they were
more tenacious of life, cause them to putrefy much sooner. One of
those strandings took place in and around the harbour of the small
town of Crail, only a few years ago, but before the new regulations
were passed with regard to salt. The water appeared at first so fiill
of herrings, that half-a-dozen could be taken by one dip of a basket.
Numbers of people thronged to the water's edge and fished with
great success ; and the public crier was sent through the town, to
proclaim that ' callar herrin' * — that is, herrings fresh out of the
sea — might be had at the rate of forty a-penny. As the water rose
the fish accumulated, till numbers were stunned, and the rising
tide was bordered vrith fish, vrith which baskets could be filled in
an instant. The crier was upon this instructed to alter his note,

THE HERRING. 347
bounty, the fishing in busses is very little attend
ed to, though it is the opinion of those who liave
paid most attention to the subject, that the great er
ror in the conduct of the herring fishery lies in not
foUowing the fish to deep water, in place of merely

and the people were invited to repair to the shore and get herrings
at one shilling a cart load. But every successive wave ofthe flood
added to the mass of fish, and brought it nearer to the land, which
caused a fresh invitation to whoever might be inclined to come and
take what herrings they chose gratis. The fish still continued to
accumulate till the height ofthe flood ; and when the water began
to ebb, they remained on the beach. It was rather early in the
season, so that warm weather might be expected ; and the effluvia
of so many putrid fish might occasion disease ; therefore the cor
poration offered a reward of one shilling to every one who would
remove a fiill cart-load of herrings from that part of the shore
which was under their jurisdiction : — the fish being immediately
from the deep water, were in the highest condition, and barely dead.
All the salt from the town and neighbourhood was instantly put in
requisition ; but It did not suffice for the thousandth part of the
mass,^a great proportion of which, notwithstanding some not very
successfiil attempts to carry off a few sloop loads, in bulk was lost.
In the bays or ' lochs,' on the west coast of Scotland, where the
shoals of herrings are very abundant, and apt to be driven ashore
and stranded by heavy gales from the north-west, these casualties
often occur. But though these occurrences are a great and obvious
loss, they do not appear to have any effect upon the supply of her
rings, whose numbers do not seem capable of diminution, either by
the casualties of nature or the schemes of art.

348 THE HERRING.
occupying the bays and lochs.* The success of
the ancient Dutch fishery, which was carried
on at all seasons, far from shore, and our own
present deep-sea fishery, lead us to conclude
that the herring is a permanent resident of our
seas. Indeed it is probable that instead of being
properly a migratory fish, the herring only ap
proaches the shores, from the deep surrounding
seas, induced so to do sometimes for spawning,
at others in the pursuit of food, or possibly driven
in on some occasions by its enemies, the larger
fish, that follow the shoals to prey upon them ;+ so
* To prosecute the fishing with success in deep water, we
are informed it would be necessary to follow the Dutch plan of
having decked vessels to receive and cure the herrings at sea.
For this purpose, the present boats used along the eastern coast
are perfectly inapplicable ; neither could they go forty or fifty
miles out to sea, and return with their fish in condition to be
cured. •f When the fish are upon the shores and in the estuaries, nay,
when they are upon the wide ocean, they have a host of enemies.
All fishes seem to be themselves omnivorous — consuming every
thing they can swallow. And the number of sea-birds is perfectly
incredible. The numbers that frequent the uninhabited islets in
Orkney, Shetland, and the Western Isles, as well as the inaccessi
ble promontories on other parts of the coast, would exceed the
belief of any one who has not actually seen them ; and yet they
are nothing to the numbers found in lonely places, surrounded by
more extensive seas.

THE HERRING. 349
that with such inducements, and many more prob
ably unknown to us, it is not surprising either that
its haunts, or the periods of its appearance should
vary. This latter circumstance is as variable as
any other. Formerly the west-coast boat fishing
began early in the summer ; latterly it became late,
and in a simUar manner it has been found to vary
elsewhere. If the herring-fishery has not met
with that success which was anticipated, it is cer
tain that the fishery for cod, ling, and other white
fish, which abound on the coasts of Scotland, has
been equally Ul, if not less, attended to by the na
tives. They fish when they are hungry ; but have
no idea of laying up a store for future contingen
cies.* Many of the western bays abound with
oysters, but they are totaUy overlooked. The
lobster-fishery is at present entirely neglected ; and
though unsuccessfully attempted on the Ross-shire
coast about twenty years ago, might be made the
means of successful commerce, of wealth and im-

* The fishermen at Avoch, after a successfiil season, have re
fused to supply the town of Inverness vdth fish, at any cost,
while their money lasted ; but as soon as it was spent they glad
ly set off to sea again.

350 INVERARY.
provement to the population. Judging from the
extensive trade in stock-fish carried on by the
Swedes, Norwegians, Danes, and other northern
powers, with Catholic countries, there is reason
to believe that an advantageous intercourse might
be established with the Italian states, for the sup
plying them with salted fish from the Highland
seas, in those seasons set apart as feasts for the
Romish Church. Could such a demand from any
quarter be once excited and rendered steady, there
is no question but that the fisheries would flourish ;
and that no longer checked and impoverished by
their frequent losses in a perishable commodity of
precarious sale, the fishermen would increase their
exertions to any extent that might be required,
since the supply offered by nature is inexhaustible.
Thus the fishing of the numerous lakes and rivers
in the Highlands, now unprofitable alike to the
proprietor and tenant, might be made a valuable
addition to the income of the one and the comforts
of the other.
August 19. — From Inverary we enjoyed a fine
view of the picturesque peak of Duniquoich, upon
whose rugged brow, the ancient watch-tower.

LOCH FYNE. 351
rising high above the encircling woods, forms the
most conspicuous object in the neighbourhood of
Inverary. While towards the head of Loch Fyne,
appeared the rugged and fantastic summits which
frown over Glen Kinglass. Quitting the royal burgh
of Inverary, early in the morning, we proceeded
across the fine bridge over the Aray, and passing
s smaU cemetery, remembered Dermid with his
bossy shield. " They fought by the brook of the
mountain by the stream of Branno ; blood tinged
the running water, and curdled round the mossy
stones." Winding along the margin of the lake,
under the umbrageous foliage of stately trees, we
crossed the bridge of Shyra, and turning a woody
promontory, bade adieu to the beauties of Inver
ary, and continued our course along the margin of
the lake, on whose opposite bank we saw St. Cathe
rine's ferry-house, and the viUage of Ardno. Upon
passing Dunderawe Castle, or " the Fort of the two
oars," we saw the woods of Ardkinglass, and the
whitened cottages of Cairndow upon the opposite
side of the lake. Advancing along the margin of
the lake, we reached the head of Loch Fyne, which
terminates in a glen of the same name, whose

352 GLEN KINGLASS.
sides, though verdant, are devoid of wood; yet
the numerous torrents, which foamed down every
declivity, contributed to produce much picturesque
effect. Crossing the mouth of Glen Fyne, by a
bridge over the river, which flows through it, we
passed the farm-house of Achindunan, and present
ly reached the Kirk and Inn of Cairndow, plea>
santly situated on the borders of Loch Fyne, at the
base of the Stroan of Glen Kinglass, whose ver
dant acclivities rose above the wood, through
which we ascended from the vUlage, to the wild
and lonely Glen Kinglass. The mountain tor
rent, which gives name to the vaUey, rolled impe
tuously to the sea, increased by the numerous tor
rents which descended from the steep yet verdant
acclivities on our left, and the more rugged and
solemn heights of the hill of Glenlochon, which
rose across the torrent on our right. The prolong
ed simplicity of this solitary glen assumes a more
rugged and savage character at its head, where we
crossed its stream by the Butter Bridge, and imme
diately commenced a steep ascent, having close on
our right a succession of cataracts, formed by the
dashing of an alpine torrent over broken masses

GLENCROE. 353
of rock. On gaining the summit of the Pass, Loch
Restal lay before us, reflecting from its dark bosom
the bold and rugged face of the mountain which
immediately overhangs it ; while, on our left, cliffs
equaUy precipitous completed this scene of moun
tain grandeur. Advancing onwards, the deep
Glencroe lay before us ; a little stream appeared
to run wildly along its grassy bottom, on each side
of which cragged mountains rose in awful sublim
ity, disclosing, amid the fragments of rock which
are scattered over their sides, ledges covered with
heath, and crevices verdant with the hardy fern.
Passing the rude stone appropriately inscribed
" Rest and be thankful,"* we descended by a tor
tuous road into the awful vaUey of Glencroe,
which, in lonely magnificence, and all the at
tributes of Highland character, must be consi
dered as inferior only to that glen which it so
nearly resembles in name. Through this vale we
proceeded, under hanging mountains and beetling

" The rest of this ' uncouth inscription, now scarcely legible,
runs thus — " This road was made in 1746, by the 24th regiment.
Lord Ancrum, Colonel, — Duroure, Major. — Repaired by the 23d
regiment, 1768."

354 LOCH LONG.
cliffs, following the stream in its course of rapids,
by which it escapes from these vast solitudes.
Before us rose the mighty rocks of Ben Arthur,
and on our right, a stern and steep mountain ridge,
the haunt of the eagle and abode of the raven, the
natural guardians of this gloomy Pass. We ob
served that the gigantic hiUs which environ this
solitary glen, were composed of micaceous schis
tus, intersected with quartz. On emerging from
Glencroe, having on our right Ardgartan (Camp
beU), finely situated among woods, where the
stream of Croe mingles with the lake, we pre
sently found ourselves on the shore of Loch
Long, whose abrupt and beautifiilly wooded sides
cheered our sight; and had not the dulse and
tangle lying on the beach, or floating with the
tide, proclaimed this Loch an arm of the restless
sea, we should have imagined that we were stand
ing on the margin of an inland lake, of great
yet peculiar beauty.* The mountains rise pre-

* Mr. Gilpin, who well knew how to appreciate the beauties of
nature, justly observes, that " the estuaries of the Scottish rivers
exceed any that are to be seen in England. In England, their
shores are generally low and tame ; — even the Welch mountains

LOCH LONG. 355
cipitously and picturesquely on all sides of the
head of this beautiful lake, whose waters reflecting
their shadows, have a dark complexion, assimilat
ing weU with the sombre magnificence of the scene,
heightened by the wild and changing clouds of a
stormy sky. To the influence of such sublime fea
tures of nature as were here presented to our view,
we may fairly presume to attribute the tinge of wUd
melancholy which tempers so sweetly the luminous
glow of fancy, and gives grace to the happy com
bination of imagery which characterize the flowing
diction of the ancient bards of Caledonia. On
the opposite shore we observed the inn of Arro-
quhar, embosomed in lofty trees, originally the res
idence of the chief of Macfarlane, whose clan for
merly occupied this district.

give little grandeur to the Severn. But, in Scotland, the firths of
the Clyde and Forth, Loch Fyne, Loch Long, and many others,
display the noblest and most beautiful scenery. The English es
tuary, besides the flatness of its shores, is often too wide ; but the
Scottish estuaries, having their boundaries generally marked bythe
firmer barriers of mountains, are kept within narrow limits, and
rarely exceed a proper width unless just at their mouths, and even
then the height of the mountains is generally such as to preserve a
tolerable proportion between the land and the water.

356 ARROQUHAR.
Skirting the base of the grand yet grotesque
mountain of Ben Arthur, we proceeded along the
margin of Loch Long, and crossed the water of
Glen Taing, at the head of the lake, from whence
we enjoyed a striking view, down the lake, of
the rugged and precipitous mountains which rise,
beautifuUy clothed with wood, from its margin,
and were seen finely receding in perspective to
the south.' Having traversed the fertile holm
at the head of the lake, and passed the hamlet of
Arroquhar, upon quitting the banks of Loch Long,
we ascended, through a fir grove, to the verdant
yet narrow glen, which intervenes between Loch
Long and Loch Lomond, and found its sunny sides
beautifully diversified by groves of larch and fir.
Over this Pass a strong detachment of Norwegi
ans from the fleet of Haco, lying off the Cumbrays,
in 1263, carried their boats to Loch Lomond,
whose islands and shores they ravaged, and re
joined their main armament shortly after the
disastrous defeat at Largs, by Alexander III.*

» The name of this hamlet, Tarbet — " the boat-carrying" — was
probably derived from this very circumstance, though it appertains

TARBET. 357
Two miles from Loch Long, an avenue of thriving
young oaks conducted us to the comfortable Inn of
Tarbet, pleasantly situated upon Loch Lomond,
nearly opposite to the vast base of the mighty Ben
Lomond, whose sides are finely clothed with oak--
en copsewood, and broken into three successive
terraces, each rising above, and more distant than
the other, up to its summit, 3240 feet above the
level of the lake.
Upon leaving Tarbet we enjoyed a most en
chanting prospect of the magnificent mountains
which environ the head of Loch Lomond, which,
here greatly contracted, loses itself to the sight,
amid rugged and steep rocks, picturesquely a-
dorned with trees and copsewood. Indeed, from
Tarbet onwards, to the upper extremity of the lake,
the breadth of the water becomes materially con
tracted ; on each side the bold and beautiful accli
vities rise abruptly from the water's edge, covered
with a continuous forest of oak, which spreading

equally to many other places similarly situated, in Harris, Cantyre,
and other parts of Scotland, being analagous to the^Grecian iiskxoi
and the Canadian portages. — See Note viii. to the fourth Canto
of the Lord of the Isles.

358

BEN LOMOND.

over their rocky faces, and clambering up the deep
ravines, adds greatly to the picturesque effect of
this striking and sequestered scene. In a woody
creek on the opposite bank, appeared the little
mill of Inversnaid, above which the bold rock
which contains Rob Roy's Cave* projects into the
lake. Continuing our course through the natural wood,
close upon the margin of the lake, and often be
tween the precipice and brake, we enjoyed an un
usually clear and perfect view of the gigantic form
of Ben Lomond, occupying the whole of the oppo
site shore, and by a pleasing variety of copse and
crag, of light and shadow, relieved the eye so com
pletely occupied by its vastness. The Duke of
Montrose, its proprietor, has opened a slate quarry

* If, contrary to the general opinion of the people, the celebrated
Ceamach, Robert Macgregor Campbell, ever lived in caves, it is
\not probable that he would make choice of such an one as that at
' Craigrostane, whence escape would be impossible if an enemy
discovered the' hiding-place, and guarded the entrance. Rob Roy
was not a man likely to trust himself in such a place on any emer
gency or danger from an enemy. This cave has also the repnta-
tlDn of having afforded a night's shelter to the greatest man Scot-
' ' land ever produced — the gallant Bruce, having sought reftige there
in after his discomfiture at Strathfillan.

LOCH LOMOND. 359
on the side next the lake, which proving unproduc
tive, has been abandoned. At its base is a small
rock which bears the name of " the bold Rob Roy,"
formerly the proprietor of the lands of Craigrostane,
including that portion of the mountain which de
scends towards Loch Lomond, nearly opposite the
point of Firkin, over which the road is carried,
after the old style of making paths straight;* but
a new and more comniodious line we perceived in
progress at the foot of the cliff. This eminence,
however, enabled us to command a fine and exten
sive prospect of Loch Lomond, as it widens to its
greatest expansion, including
" All the fairy crowds
Of blands, which together lie.
As quietly as spots of sky
Among the evening clouds."
Passing the ferry- house of Inveruglass, at the en-

* In this military road, conducted along the margin of Loch
Lomond, and leading through Glen Falloch to Killin and Tyndrum,
Marshal Wade has excelled all his other ontdoings ; but, if we
" deem our hoar progenitors unwise" for making such roads, what
shall we say of their posterity, who, with far more ample means,
and much more crying wants, suffer them to become nearly im
practicable by neglect, or by what is called economy.

360 LUSS  INCH TAVANACH.
trance of a verdant glen, we proceeded under
green hUls by the margin of the lovely lake, tiU
passing under Stroanhill, we reached the rural vU
lage of Luss ; behind which Glen Luss was seen
withdrawing among the hills, upon which the shades
of evening were beginning to fall as we sought
repose in the little inn.
August 20. — Quitting Luss, we passed under
the valuable quarries of fine blue slate,* the pro
perty of Mr. Colquhoun, whose seat of Camstrad-
den lay in a well-wooded lawn, between the road
and the lake, on whose banks we found a boat ready
to convey us to Inch Tavanach, the woody and
beautiful Isle of Monks.
Within this little lonely isle
There stood a consecrated pile.
Where tapers bum'd, and mass was sung
For them whose timid spirits clung
To mortal succour ; though the tomb
Had fix'd, for ever fix'd, their doom.
This island, the property of Sir James Colquhoun,
attains considerable elevation, whence we enjoyed a

* The annual produce of these quarries exceeds 800,000 slates,
which are exported free from duty. This is not the case with those
of Easdale and Ballahulish, which pay a high duty.

LOCH LOMOND. 361
most impressive view, more lovely than pen can
ever hope to picture, of the most interesting and
magnificent expanse of water* in Great Britain,
whether considered in relation to its magnitude or
the diversity and grandeur of its scenery.*
To the southward appeared the lower extremity
of the lake, with the large island of Inch Murrin, the
deer-park of his Grace of Montrose, beyond which
the bifid rock of Dumbarton rose prominently in the
vale of Leven, backed by the hiUs of Renfrewshire.
Northward appeared the lofty Ben Lomond, and

* Loch Lomond is ahout thirty miles in length, and, though
deeply indented with hays and promontories, its surface is sup
posed to cover 20,000 acres, and is only twenty-two feet ahove the
level of the sea. The depth is various. To the south of Luss it
seldom exceeds 120 feet ; while al the point of Firkin it is 390,
near Tarbet 316, and two miles farther north it is 600 feet. This
is probably its greatest depth ; and here its temperature at the
bottom is forty-one degrees of Fahrenheit, when it is sixty-three
degrees on the surface. The southern portion has been frozen,
but the northern never. The depth of Loch Lomond has been
gradually increasing for many years, owing to the deposition of
mud and sand at the efflux of the Leven ; so that, at the northern
extremity, the stepping-stones formerly placed across the Falloch
at its influx to the lake,- are now covered with five or six feet of
water, and, at some distance from the shore, the ruins of houses
may be observed under the water of Camstradden Bay. During
the earthquake of Lisbon in 1755, Loch Lomond, like Loch Tay,
Loch Ness, and other Highland lakes, was strangely agitated.

362 ISLANDS OP LOCH LOMOND.
the towering Alps of Arroquhar at the head of the
Lake, whose clear waters reflected back their sha
dows, mingled with those of the trees and copse
wood which so beautifully clothe their rugged sides.
Eastward appeared Buchanan House and woods,
the seat of the Duke of Montrose, the conical hiU of
Duncruin, and the opening of the vale of Endrich ;
beyond which rose the Levenax or Lennox HUls.
The islands scattered over the lake we beheld dis
tinctly separated from each other. Below us lay
the finely wooded and rugged Inch Conachan, and
the long, low, flat, peat island. Inch Namoine, near
which appeared the Floating Island, a detached
patch of moss and peat, now become stationary.
The woody knoU of Inch Galbraith intervened be
tween us and Rossdoe, the handsome residence of
Sir James Colquhoun, situated on a beautifuUy
wooded peninsula running into the lake. To the
east, lay Torr Inch, or HUl Island, and Inch
Grange, both rising verdantly from the waters,
and Inch Cailleach, the Old Woman's Island, a
large, rugged, and heathy island, forming the bury
ing place of the clan Macgregor, and the site of a
parish church. Beyond this lay Inch Aber at the

YEWS OF INCH LONACH. 363
mouth of the river Endrich, near which is Clar Inch
or Flat Island. Nearer to us appeared the low and
verdant Inch Fad or Long Island, and the ver
dant and partly cultivated Isle of Inch Cruin,
which till lately was used as an asylum for the
insane ; near to which is Inch Lonach, used by Sir
James Colquhoun as a deer park, and covered with
remarkably fine yew trees, of so great antiquity
as to throw a shade of probability on the conjecture
that they were planted at the time when archery
was practiced as a mode of warfare.* The smaller

" The yew was the common material of the bows of the High
landers " Who drew.
And almost joined the horns of the tough yew."
In Ayrshire a charge appears in the Sheriff*s accounts, for bows
required at the battle of Largs, in the thirteenth century. Much
later, in the time of Cromwell, as we find in the life of Sir Ewen
Cameron, archery was in use among the Highlanders. The last
instance on record of bowmen being employed in Highland warfare,
is in 1665, in the time of Charles the Second. In a dispute be
tween Cameron of Lochiel and the Macintosh, about some lands in
Lochaber, the latter chief, aided by MacPherson, raised 1500 men,
and Cameron, with the MacGregors met him with 1200, of whom
300 were archers. This feud was amicably adjusted by the timely
interference of the Earl of Breadalbane, the near relation of the
contending chiefs. About the same time also, a contest took
place between the MacDonalds of Glencoe, and the Breadalbane

364 INCH TAVANACH.
islets so lavishly sprinkled over the surface of this
beautiful lake are Fraoch Elan, or Heath Island,
Buck Inch, or Goat Island, Ardoch, or High Island,
EUanan, Dorrachan, the small rugged Island, two
smaU Oak Islands, and one very minute islet term
ed the Flea Island.
There was a gentle ripple on the surface of
Loch Lomond as we returned from the Inch Ta
vanach, and here and there the wind passing over
the curling waves, appeared to leave the water in
the lee of the puny surge in undisturbed quiescence,
thereby producing the singular appearance known

men near Killin, — ^when we find that the assailaints were driven
back with great loss, principally caused by the arrows of the Loch
aber men. These were the last archers that were ever seen in a
body in the Highlands ; and from that time, the bow and arrow
seem to have been but rarely used, being superseded, doubtless, by
the increasing use of fire-arms, though we may be allowed to won
der that a weapon so peculiarly adapted to the hunting of deer — the
favourite amusement of the Highlanders, commonly called deer
stalking, where the great art consists in approaching the animal
unobserved, and in wounding him without disturbing the herd,
should have fallen into a state of perfect desuetude. It ia evident
that the use of the bow and arrow must have ceased long previous
to the disarming act, as we find in it no mention made of them, nor
do we learn that the Highlanders ever availed themselves of the
omission.

ROSSDOE — GLEN FRUIN. 365
by the name of the blue belt. The unequal and
gusty currents blowing from the mountains cause
those waves without wind, which excite the won
der of the rustic boatmen. Having regained our
carriage, we proceeded along the margin of the
lake by the lodge entrance to the beautiful park
of Rossdoe, containing the residence of the pre
sent chieftain, and the tower of an ancient castle of
the Colquhoun.
Proceeding under steep mountains clothed with
hanging woods, with the park of Rossdoe on our left,
we passed the MiU of Finglass, turned by the stream
which flows down the verdant glen of the same
name. Passing through a fine wood, we enjoyed
beautiful vistas of the lake, and observed a modern
Doric gateway, leading to the grounds of Ross
Lodge ; beyond which we crossed Aldegallen Burn,
and amid fertile fields proceeded by the Moss of
AuchentuUoch, to Glen Fruin, or the Vale of La
mentation ; so called, it is said, from a dreadful
slaughter of the Colquhouns by the Macgregors in
1602, alluded to in " the Lady of the Lake," in the
foUowing portion of " the Boat Song :"

366 DUN FION — INCH MURRIN.
" Proudly our pibroch has thrilled in Glen Fruin
And Bannochar'a groans to our slogan replied ;
Glen Luss and Rossdoe they are smoking in ruin,
And the best of Loch Lomond lie dead on her side,"*
The ruins of the ancient Castle of Banachra stand
at some distance from the road, on the side of a
bold and lofty hill called Dun Fion, one of the
many handed down by tradition as the hunting-
seats of the heroic Fingal. We were now oppo
site to Inch Murrin, the largest island on the lake,
containing the remains of an ancient castle of the
noble family of Levenax or Lennox ; and proceeded

* In consequence of this desperate encounter, Clan Alpin was
proscribed by an act of privy council, dated 3d April, 1603,
although the tenth part of the MacGregors could not have been
present at the battle of Glen Fruin, nor accessory to the mas
sacre alleged against them. They maintained themselves, never
theless, in the fastnesses of the country, and particularly ahout
Loch Cateran. Individuals of the Clan assumed the names of
the chief or landlords on whose estates they lived, or adopted
the names of such men of rank or power as could afford them
protection. For their services under Montrose the act of outlawry
against the Clan Gregor, was reversed by Charles II. in 1663, but
was renewed by William III. in 1693. Their legal rights were, how
ever, finally restored by George IL in 1765. Now the MacGregors
may assume and sign their own names to bonds and deeds, (formerly
no document signed by a Macgregor was legal ;) but numbers do not
avail themselves of this privilege. Many MacGregors have not
assumed their original names.

BUTRUICH AND BALLOCH CASTLES. 367
through the shady groves of Arden, (Buchanan,)
at the foot of the HiU of Fingal. As we advan
ced along the margin of the lake, we enjoyed a
beautiful view, of its opposite banks, bearing amidst
their leafy woods, the old keep of Butruich Castle,
the ancient residence of the puissant Earls of Len
nox, and the more modern and stately mansion of
Mr. Buchanan of Ardoch, appropriately termed
BaUoch Castle. Upon looking back, the lofty Ben
Lomond, and the intermediate lake and islands,
formed a very captivating scene.
Proceeding onwards through leafy groves, the
house of Beletiro (Miss Rouet) appeared on our
right, at the base of a heath-clad hiU ; whUe on our
left lay the house of Cameron, (Smollett,) on a
finely wooded lawn, washed by the waters of the
lake. A natural avenue, formed by contiguous
plantations, conducted us by the house of Stock-
roger, more appropriately termed Woodbank, to
the elegant casteUated mansion of TUlichewan,
situated at the base of fir-clad hUls, on a fine
lawn opposite Balloch, where the limpid waters
of the Leven escape from their parent lake. We
observed the plantations of Leven bank on the

368 THE LEVEN.
opposite side of the stream, as we proceeded be
tween the plantations of Levenfield and Broom-
ley, to the thriving viUage of Alexandria. Be
yond this, in a well timbered and fertile holm,
surrounded by manufactories and the humble a-
bodes of active industry, stands the mansion-
house of Bonhill, inhabited by the descendants,
of Dr. SmoUett, who has celebrated his native
stream in one of the sweetest strains of English
poesy, though it must be considered a description
of the natural beauties of the Leven, derived from
early recollections of the poet, rather than a de
lineation of scenery, which it is now possible to
compare with its portrait—
'^ On Leven's hanks while free to rove,
And tune the rural pipe to love,
I envied not the happiest swain
That ever trod the Arcadian plain.
Pure stream, in whose transparent wave.
My youthfiil limhs I wont to lave ;
No torrents stain thy limpid source.
No rocks impede thy dimpling course
That sweetly warbles o'er its bed.
With white round polish'd pebbles spread ; ^
While lightly pois'd the scaly brood,
In myriads cleave thy crystal flood ;
The springing trout in speckled pride ;
The salmon, monarch of the tide ;

THE LEVEN. 369
The ruthless pike, intent on war ;
The silver eel and mottled par.
Devolving from thy parent lake,
A charming maze thy waters make ;
By bowers of birch and groves of pine.
And hedges flowered with eglantine.
Still on thy banks so gaily green.
May numerous flocks and herds be seen.
And lasses chanting o'er the pail.
And shepherds piping in the dale.
And ancient faith that knows no guile.
And industry embrown'd with toil.
And hearts resolv'd and hands prepar'd,
The blessmgs they enjoy to guard."
The Leven, though no longer a pastoral, is stUl
a lovely stream. Though no shepherd be heard
" piping in the dale," yet are its banks responsive
to the notes of useful industry, here successfully
exerted in various forms, but chiefly in bleaching
and printfields, for which the purity and softness
of the waters of the Leven afford peculiar facilities.
The spire of BonhiU church with the graceful ash
rising from the walls of its cemetery, and the woods
of Levenside, appeared on the opposite bank of the
river, as we proceeded to the large and populous
manufacturing village of Renton, near the spacious
printfields of- Cordale and Dalquharn, occupying
the site of the birth-place of SmoUett. Nearly

370 Smollett's monument.
opposite to the old mansion-house of Dalquharn,
stands a slender Tuscan column, surmounted by
a sepulchral urn to the memory of Dr. Smol
lett, but shamefully mutilated, and fast hastening
to decay.* Beyond this, appeared a rugged range

" The following translation from the pen of Dr. Graham of Ab
erfoyle of the original Latin inscription upon the sadly defaced pe
destal of this column, difiers, not materially, from that contained in
Dr. Anderson's Life of Smollett, though, to our conception, it is
more elegant, and has, moreover, appeared less frequently in print :
Halt, Traveller !
If the graces of wit, if fertility of genius.
If masterly skill in the delineation of manners.
Have ever been the objects of thy admiration,
Pause a little over the memory of
Tobias Smollett, m-d.
With those virtues, both of the man and the citizen.
Which claim thy applause and imitation,
He was eminently adorned :
Deeply versed in various departments of literature.
He handed down his name to posterity
By a felicity of writing peculiar to himself;
When he was snatched from the world.
By a premature death.
In the 51st year of his age.
Far from his native land,
Near Leghorn in Italy,
Lie his remains.
In memory of his many and distinguished exceUencies,
This Column,
UnavaiHng record, alas ! of affection,
Was erected on the banks of the Leven,
The place of his nativity.
And the subject of his latest song, by
James Smollett of Bonhill, his cousin-german.
Who ought rather to have received
This last tribute from him.

DUNBARTON. 371
of basaltic rocks, rising above the woods on the op
posite side of the vale, terminating in the bold hill
of Dunbuck, while before us rose the bifid basaltic
rock of Dunbarton, sternly^ overlooking, with its
embattled front, the plain and town below, towards
which we advanced through the fertile and grad
uaUy expanding vale, deformed by the huge coni
cal structures of bricks attached to the glass-works
of Dunbarton. Having passed on our left the en
trance to Leven-grove and Clydebank, we entered
the town of Dunbarton by its principal street, and
quitted it after dinner by the suburb which leads
towards its castle rock. Beyond this, looking a-
cross the estuary of the Clyde, we descried Port-
Glasgow and Greenock, the scenes of busy com
merce, situated under s^ precipitous ridge on the
opposite shore of Renfrewshire ; whUe on our left
lay the rich vale of Leven, beyond which Ben Lo
mond was seen to rear into the mid air his cloudless
head. Passing under the basaltic hill of Dunbuck,
« the hUl of roes," whose base is finely clothed with
wood, we proceeded under cragged precipices, fine
ly enlivened by copsewood, by the house of Dun
buck, to Milton printfield, enjoying views, across

372 THE CLYDE.
the Clyde, of Finlayston house and woods, until
lately the seat of the Earl of Glencairn, upon an
elevated bank, and Bishopton House, the residence
of Sir John Maxwell, beyond which appeared the
kirk and manse of Erskine, and the woods which
environ Lord Blantyre's seat of that name. Up
on a rocky promontory, jutting into the Clyde,
appeared the ivy-clad ruins of Dunglass Castle, oc
cupying the site of a Roman station, where the
waU of Antoninus is supposed to have terminated.
Passing the junction of the Great Canal from
the Forth with the Clyde, and the beautifuUy ro
mantic seat of Glenarback, we commanded a full
view of the magnificent modern mansion, built by
Lord Blantyre, to supersede an ancient residence
of the Earls of Mar, stUl standing on the same
woody lawn on the opposite bank of the Clyde.
The surface of this noble stream was finely diversi
fied with vessels of all shapes and sizes, among
which the steam-boats freighted with passengers
of every sort bore a conspicuous place.* One after

* On the first of January, 1813, there were no steam-boats on
any river in Europe. In that month, Mr. Henry Bell launched his
steam-boat the Comet, on the Clyde at Glasgow. In August 1829,

STEAM-VBSSBLS. 373
the other they steadily kept their onward way,
" As if the stroke of a magician's wand,
Had lent them power the ocean to command."
Yet much as we may admire the ingenious adap
tation of machinery, and compression of elastic
power, whereby these chartered rovers are propel
led with such unprecedented certainity from port
to port, and even to distant climes across the path
less sea, " Dearer to fancy, to the eye more fair,
Are the light skifiFs, that to the breezy air
Unfurl their sails of snowy hue
Upon the moving lap of ocean-blue,
Aa the proud swan, on summer lake displays,
With plumage brightening in the morning rays,
The fair pavilion of erected wings ;
They change, and veer, and turn like living things.
To whose free robes the graceful right is given , ,
To play and dally with the winds of heaven."*
We presently reached the church and vUlage of

there are fifty-eight steam-boats on that river at Glasgow : seven
of which ply to Liverpool ; two to Dublin ; four to Belfast ; three
to Londonderry ; two to Inverness ; two to the "Western Isles, and
the remainder to shorter destinations. Some of them are from
three to four hundred tons burden, and propelled by engines from
one hundred to one hundred-and-twenty-horse power.
* Joanna Baillie's Address to a Steam-vessel.

374

ELDERSLIE.

Kilpatrick, which enjoys a reputation it would
never otherwise have attained, by being the sup
posed birth-place of the tutelar saint of Ireland.
From hence we ascended Dalnotter Hill, from which,
upon looking back towards Dumbarton, a grand
and extensive prospect opened of the expanding es
tuary of the Clyde, with its shores indented into
bays, and broken into headlands, bounded on the
north by the rugged and woody precipices of
Dunbuck, and on the south by the sloping hiUs of
Renfrewshire ; while beyond all, rose the wUd and
rugged mountains of Argyle. Directly across the
river appeared the woods of Semple House, while
the eye was delighted to foUow the upward course
ofthe majestic stream, through a champaign country
of much richness and beauty. Crossing the Great
Forth and Clyde Canal, and passing some extensive
paper-mUls and alkaline works, we observed Ren-
field, the fine mansion of Mr. Campbell of Blyths-
wood, and the mouth of the Cart River, upon which
appeared, in the distance, the town of Paisley.
Proceeding through a fertile plain, we observed,
across the Clyde, the house of Elderslie, the an
cient seat and reputed birth-place of " the peerless

GLASGOW. 375
knight," Sir William Wallace ; beyond which ap
peared the ancient burgh of Renfrew, and a Uttle
further on the venerable remains of Crookston Cas
tle, seated on a woody eminence, in the distance.
Having passed the woods of Scotstoun on the banks
of the river, we soon reached the vUlage of Partick,
and crossed the river Kelvin, whose banks are here
loaded with the mills and granaries of the Corpo
ration of Glasgow. Substantial houses and suburban
villas lined each side of the approach to the vast
commercial city of Glasgow, which we entered in
the dusk of evening, and immediately proceeded
through its gas-lit streets, and the Cimmerian dark
ness of its suburbs, along the road to Airdrie ; to
wards which, as we advanced, the outlines of the
hills became gradually lost in darkness, and the on
ly visible object left, was the bright flame of the
Clyde Iron Works, gleaming athwart the dusky
night. From Airdrie, a considerable town, inhabited
chiefly by colliers, we proceeded, by West Craig
Inn, to the vUlage of Bathgate, enlightened only
by the flame ofthe different iron furnaces near the
road, which lay through a country so bleak and

376 EDINBURGH.
uninteresting, as to cause no regret that the dark
ness veUed it from our view.*
We next reached Uphall Inn, and through the
vUlage of Broxburn descended upon the Lothians,
and beheld " Jocund day
Stand tiptoe on the misty mountain's top,''
as we reached the capital of Scotland. The grey
dawn of morning had begun to streak the sky
above Arthur's Seat as we entered Prince's Street,
and regained our former abode in St. Andrew's
Square. * The only object of interest upon this route is the little strag
gling village of Torphichen, a little to the left of the road, where
may still be seen the neglected remains of the church, formerly at
tached to the Preceptory ofthe Knights of St. John, a powerful body
of military ecclesiastics in the middle ages.

THB END

EDINBURGH :
Printed by J. Johnstone, 18, St. James's Square.

APPENDIX.

APPENDIX.

A.
The circumstance which gave rise to the celebrity of John o'
Groat's House, is thus recorded in the Statistical Account of the
Parish of Canisbay.
"In the reign of James IV. of Scotland, Walter Gavin and
John de Groat, supposed to have been brothers, originally from
Holland, arrived in Caithness from the south of Scotland, bringing
with them a letter written in Latin, by that Prince, recommending
them to the countenance and protection of his loving subjects in
the county of Caithness ; they purchased, or got possession of,.the
lands of Warse and Duncansby, lying in the parish of Canisbay,
on the east side of the Pentland Firth, and each of them obtained
an equal share of the property they acquired. In process of time
their families increased, and there came to be eight different pro
prietors of the name of Groat, who possessed these lands among
them. " These eight families, having lived peaceably and comfortably in
their small possessions for a number of years, established an Annual
Meeting, to celebrate the anniversary ofthe arrival of their ances- •
tors on that coast. In the course of their festivities, on one of these
occasions, a. question arose respecting the right of taking the door,
and sitting at the head of the table, and such like points of prece
dency, each contending for the seniority and chieftainship ofthe Clan,
which increased to such a height as would probably have proved
fatal in its consequences, had not John de Groat, who was proprietor
of the ferry to Orkney, interposed ; he having acquired more know-

4 APPENDIX.
ledge of mankind, by his constant intercourse with strangers passing
the Pentland Firth, saw the danger of such disputes, and having had
address enough to procure silence, he began with expatiating on the
comfort and happiness they had hitherto enjoyed, since their arriv
al in that remote corner, owing to the harmony which had sub
sisted among them. He assured them, that aa soon as they
appeared to split and quarrel among themselves, their neighbours,
who till then had treated them with respect, would fall upon them,
¦tako their property from them, and expel them from the country.
He, tlierefore, conjured them, by the ties of blood and their mutual
safety, to return quietly that night to their several homes, and
pledged himself that he would satisfy them all with respect to pre
cedency, and prevent the possibility of such disputes among them
at their future Anniversary Meetings. They all acquiesced, and
departed in peace. In due time, John de Groat, to fulfil his en
gagement, built a room distinct by itself, of an octagon shape, with
eight doors and windows in it ; and having placed in the middle a
table of oak, of the same shape, when the next Anniversary
Meeting took place, he desired each of them to enter at his own
door, and to sit at the head of the table. By this ingenious con
trivance, any dispute in regard to rank was prevented, as they all
found themselves on a footing of equality, and their former har
mony and good humour were restored,"
These particulars were communicated to John Sutherland, Esq.
of Wester, above fifty years ago, by his father, who was then ad
vanced in life, and who had seen the letter written by James IV, in
the possession of George Groat, of Warse. The remains of this
table have been seen by many now living.
B.
Upon the interesting subject of emigration, all those who ques
tion its policy, or advocate its expediency, may find abundant facts
and arguments, pro and con. In " M^Culloch's Highlands and West
ern Isles of Scotland," &c., in 4 vols. 8vo, London, 1824 ; the
" Earl of Selkirk's Observations on the present state of the High
lands of Scotland, with a View of the causes and probable conse
quences of emigration," 8vo, London, 1825 j and a '' Critical Exa-

mination" of M^Culloch's Work, by Dr. Browne, of Edinburgh,
in 8vo, the second edition, with an Appendix, Edinburgh, 1826.
C.
An interesting account of those singular relics of an early age,
the Pictish Towers, found in various parts of the Highlands, chiefly
near the sea coast, will be found ui M'Culloch's lively Work, vol. II.
p. 247 — 258. Some interesting observations upon the Architec
ture of the Celts, occupy the first chapter of the second volume
of ^' The Scottish Gael, or Celtic Manners as preserved among
the Highlanders, &c." by James Logan, — a valuable addition to
the library of ever}' lover of Celtic antiquity.
D.
These peculiar and much-controverted fragments ofthe most re
mote antiquity, liave been philosophically treated of by M'CuI-
loch, and other geologists ; and recent discoveries in science have
dissipated much obsolete nonsense, respecting their origin and use.
See « M^CulIoch's Highlands and Islands," vol. I., p. 238—301 ;
*' Stoddart — Remarks on Local Scenery and Manners in Scotland,'*
2 vols. 8vo, London, 1801. Logan's " Scottish Gael," vol. L
p. 373. E.
The following memorial, detailing the force of every Clan, the
services of every chieftain, and the amount of retainers he could
bring into the fi.eld3 is said to have been drawn up by the Lord
President Forbes, and transmitted to Government in 1745* A
number of independent gentlemen, who had many followers, yet
being what are called broken names, or small tribes, are omit
ted in the Memorial, which is extremely interesting, as recording
a state of society, whose patriarchal and pristine simplicity has
already been so much impaired by modern manners as to give col
our to the presumption that another generation will regard it only
in the tale of the historian, or the theme ofthe poet, since there
was never, perhaps, any change of national manners so quick, so

6 APPENDIX.
great, and so general, as that which has operated in the Highlands
by the last Rebellion, and subsequent laws.
In the few instances in which we have been able to collect the
requisite information, we have added the slogan or watch- word oi
each clan, which was generally the name of their leader repeated,
or more generally in the Highlands, where the slogan went round
with the fiery cross, the name ofthe place of rendezvous, and was
used by troops in the field to distinguish friends from enemies, or to
excite the courage of their comrades in the hour of battle. To the
Gaelic badges or Sulcheantas of each clan, we have subjoined the
English and Botanical names.
'* Campbells. — In Gaelic they are called Clan Guin, or O'Duine.
The Duke of Argyle is their chief. He is called in the High
lands Macaillain More. On his own property, aud on his kinsmen's
lands, he can raise above three thousand men, the Earl of Bread
albane more than one thousand, and the barons of the name of
Campbell (Ardkinglass, Auchenbreck, Lochnell, Inveraw, and
others) one thousand ; so that this clan could briug into tlie field
above five thousand men, besides those barons and gentlemen of
the name in Dumbarton, Stirling, and Perthshires, and ihe Laird
of Calder in Nairn. They are at present the richest and most
numerous Clan in Scotland ; their countries and lands most ex
tensive ; their superiorities, jurisdictions, and other dependencies
by far the greatest in the kingdom ; which makes the family of
the greatest importance in North Britain, and has heen so since
the decline ofthe Douglasses, the fall of the Cummins, the extinc
tion of the Earls of Ross and Macdonalds of the Isles. Their
war-cry is " Ben Cruachan." Their badge " Garbhag ant-sleibh."
— Sycopoduim selago, — Fir club moss.
'^ Maclean. — In Gaelic called Clan Lin. Sir Hector Maclean
of Douart is their chief. He is called in the Highlands Macillein.
This was a very potent clan ahout two hundred years ago, and
could have raised eight hundred men. But now that the Camp
bells are possessed of their chiePs estate, they will hardly make
five hundred, and even many of that number must be brought out
of the Duke of Argyle's estate. Their badge is " An Cuilfhionn"
— Hex Aquifoluim — the Holly-

APPENDIX. 7
" Macladchlan. — In Gaelic called Clan Lauchlin. The Laird
of Maclauchlan is their chief. He can raise three thousand mea.
Their badge is " Faochag na gille-fuinbrinn" — Vinca minor  The
lesser Periwinkle.
StUART OF Appik. — The Laird of Appin is then- chieftain. Ha
holds his lands ofthe crown, and can raise three hundred follow
ers. Their badge is " Darach" — Quercus robur — Oak. The na
tional badge of Stuart is " Cluaran" — the Thistle.
Macdodgal op Lorn. — In Gaelic Clanickuil. Their chief is
the Laird of Macdougal. He is called in the Highlands Mackuil
Lawrin. This was a more potent family of old, but is now mnch
diminished by the Campbells. They can still, I believe, bring out
two hundred men. Their badge is " Fraoch dearg" — Erica Tetra-
lix — Eell heath.
" Macdonald of Slate. — Proceeding northward hy the coast
and isles, we come to the Macdonalds. Sir Alexander Macdon
ald is their chieftain. In Gaelic he is called MacDhonnel nan Eilan,
simply by way of pre-eminence. He has a very large estate,
which he holds of the crown. It lies in the Isle of Skye and
Uist. He cau bring out two hundred men.
" Macdonald op Clanranald. — In Gaelic this chieftain is
called Mac "Vic AUaui, and in English the Captain of Clanranald.
He has a very handsome estate, holding most of it from the crown.
It lies in Moidart aud Arisaig, on the continent, and in the Isles
of Uist, Benbecula, and Rum. He can bring out seven hundred
men. Their slogan is, A dh 'aindeoin co'heireadh e', which trans
lated literally, imports. In spite of all who would say it, that is to
the contrary , indicating a very strong and fearless resolution.
" Macdonald of Glengart. — The Laird of Glengary is their
chieftain. In Gaelic he is called Mac Vic Allistair. He has a
good estate, which he holds of the crown. It is in Glengary in
Knoidart. He can bring out five hundred men. Their slogan is
Craggan an Fhithich ! signifying the Rock ofthe Raven, their place
of rendezvous.
"Macdonald of Keppoch. — Keppoch is their chieftain. In
GaeUc he is called Mac Vic Raonuil. He is not proprietor of one
ridge of land ; but himself, kindred, and followers are only tacks-

8 APPENDIX.
men or tenants, holding most of their possessions from the Laird
of Mackintosh, and the rest from the Duke of Gordon, all being
in Lochaber. He can raise and bring out three hundred follow
ers. '' MACDONALn OP Glenco.' — The Laird of Glenco is their
chieftain. In Gaelic he is called Mac Vic Ian. He holds his
lands of Stuart of Appin, and can raise one hundred and fifty men.'"
These five chieftains of Macdonalds all claim a lineal descent
from Alexander Macdonald, Earl of Ross, successor and represen
tative of the Macdonalds of the Isles, but none of them have any
clear document to vouch the same ; so that that great aud aspiring
tamily, who waged frequent wars with our Scottish kings, and who
acted as sovereigns themselves, and obliged most of the clan to
swear fealty to them, is now utterly extinct. The last Earl of
Ross had no sons, nor any near relations to succeed him. The
badge of their clan is "Fraoch Gorm,".— Erica Vulgaris, — Com
mon Heath.
Cameron. — A very poleat clan in Lochaber. The Laird of
Lochiel, called in Gaelic MacDhonnel Dhu, is their chief. He has a
good estate, but none of it holds of the crown ; the most of it is
held of the Duke of Argyle, and the rest of the Duke of Gordon.
He can bring out 800 men. Of old there were several tribes in
that country, viz. Macmartin of Letterfindlay, and others,
branches of the Camerons, ^who faithfully followed their chief.
Their badge is " Dearcag Fithich,"— .Empebrum Nigrum, —
Common Crowberry.
Macleods were two distinct and very potent families of old,
viz. Macleod of Lewis, and Macleod of Harris ; but they are both
extinct and their lands possessed by the Mackenzies. The present
Laird of Blacleod is chief of the name. He is called in Gaelic Mac-
l.^oid. He has a very considerable estate, all holding ofthe crown,
lying in Glenelg on the continent, and in the isle of Skye. He can
bring out seven hundred men. The badge of their clan is *' Aite-
ann," — Juniperus Communis, — or Juniper.
jVIackinnons. — The Laird of Mackinnon is their chief. He
holds his lands of the crown, both in the Isles of Skye and Mull,

APPENDIX. 9
and can raise two hundred men. The badge of Mackinnon is
** Giuthas," — Pinus Sylvestris, — the Pine.
I again pass to the south to give an account of the inland chiefs,
beginning again in Argyleshire, and proceeding northward. There
are several persons of rank, as well as gentlemen, who are chief
tains, and who have the command of many highlanders in Argyle,
Monteith, Dumbarton, Stirling, and Perthshires, such as the Duke
of Montrose, the Earls of Moray and Bute ; also the Macfarlanes,
Macneil of Barra, Macnah of Macnab, Buchanans, and Colquhouns
of Luss, Macnaughtons, Lament of Lament, &c They can raise
among them five thousand four hundred men." The slogan of
the Clan Macfarlane is Loch Sloy, a small lake between Loch Long
and Loch Lomond, their place of rendezvous ; that of Buchanan is
Clan Inch, a small island on Loch Lomond. The badge of Bu
chanan is " Dearcag Monaidh," — Vaccunium Uliquiosum, — Great
Bilberry. That of Macfarlane is " Muileag," — Vaccunium Oxy-
coccos, — the Cranberry.
Besides these, there are several Border families, those of Kil-
braick, Brodie of Brodie, Innes of Innes, Irvine of Drum, Lord
Forbes, and the Earl of Airly, all of whom are loyal, except the
Ogilvies. Few or none of them have any followers, except Lord
Airly, from his Highland estate.
Duke of Perth is no clan family, although the Duke is
chief of a considerable number of barons and gentlemen of the name
of Drummond in the low country. He is brought in here only
on account of his command of ahout three hundred highlanders in
Glenartney, and other glens in the county of Perth.
Robertson  The Laird of Strowan is their chief. They are
called in Gaelic Clan Donachaidh. His lands hold ofthe crown, and
lie in Rannoch in the Braes of Athole in Perthshire. On his own
estate he can raise about two hundred men. There are five hun
dred men or more of the Robertsons in Athole, who never follow
their chief, being followers of the Duke of Athole. Their badge
is " Dlnith Fraoch," — Ercia Aneria, — Five Leaved Heath.
Menzies  Sir Robert Menzies of Weem is their chief. In
Gaelic he is called Menaireach. He has a very handsome estate,
all holding of the crown, lying ia Rannoch and Appin Dull in

10 APPENDIX.
Athole, and can raise three hundred men. Their badge Is " Fra
och Na Meinearaich," — Menziesia Croruled, — Scottish Menzie-
sia. Stewart of Grandtully has a handsome estate In Strath-
braue, aud Strathtay in Athole, all holding of the crown, out of
which he can raise three hundred followers.
Clan-Gregor. — This name was called down by act of Parlia
ment. They are now dispersed under the different names of Drum
mond, Murray, Graham, and Campbell, and live in the counties of
Perth, Stirling, Dumbarton, &c. &c. They have no present chief,
that being elective, and continuing no longer than the current ex
pedition. He Is chosen on the pi-inciple of detur digniori. They
can raise amongst them one hundred men. Their slogan is, O'
Ard choilie — from the woody height.
Duke OF Athole. — The Murrays are no clan family, and the
Duke of Aihole is chief and head of a number of barons and gentle
men ofthe name of Murray in the Lowlands. But he is deserved
ly placed here on account of his extensive followers of ahout three
thousand Highlanders, a good many of them out of his own property,
but most of them from the estates of the barons and gentlemen who
hold their lands of him on account of his great superiorities In Athole,
Glenalmond, and Balquhldder. The most numerous of these and
the readiest to turn out on all occasions, are the Stewarts of
Athole, in number more than one thousand men, as also five
hundred Robertsons, who do not follow their chief; likewise the
Fergusons, Smalls, Spaldlngs, Rattrays, Mackintoshes in Athole,
and Maclarens In Balquhldder, with other broken names in Athole,
are all followers of the Duke of Athole.
Crossing the Grampian Mountains into Braemar.
Farquharsons — The only Clan family in Aberdeenshire. In
Gaelic called Clan-Fhlanla. They can bring out about five hundred
men. Thelairdoflnvercauld is their chief. He has a very handsome
estate, holden ofthe crown, both in Perthshire and Braemar. There
are several other barons ofthe name, that have competent fortunes  .
such as Monaltrie, Innearey, Finzeary, &c. Their slogan is Cairn-
na-Cuirahne — the Cairn of Remembrance, a mountain in Braemar.
Duke of Gordon.— .The Gordon is no Clan family, although

APPENDIX, 1 1
the Duke is chief of a very powerful name in the Lowlands. He
has a great posse of cavalry, and gentlemen on horseback, in Enzie
and Strathbogie, but he is only placed here on account of his High
land followers in Strathaven and Glenlivat, which are about three
hundred men. His extensive jurisdictions in Strathspey do not yield
him any followers. The tenants on his own property, as well as
those who hold their lands of him in feu, follow their natural-born
chief. Thus, the Camerons follow Lochiel, the Macphersons fol
low Clunie, and other chiefs are followed and obeyed in the same
manner, from respect, family attachment, and consanguinity. The
Gordon slogan is, Gordon, Gordon, Bydand. Their badge is
" Tadh Shlat Eitheann,"— Hedera Helix,— the Joy.
Grant. — ^A considerable name and family in Strathspey. He
has a haudsome and large estate both in Strathspey and Urquhart,
and in the county of Inverness, which he holds of the Earl of Mo
ray. He can raise out of Strathspey seven hundred men, and out of
Urquhart one hundred aud fifty. He has several barons of his name,
both in Inverness, Moray, Banff, and Aberdeenshire, Cullen, &c.
The slogan is, Stand fast, Craig EUachie ! — the place of rendezvous,
a wooded hillock, or rock, in Strathspey, near the river of Aviemore,
on the side of the great road leading from Perth to Inverness.
The division of their tribe called Clan Chirn, have properly " Craig
Ravoch," adding, " stand sure." Their badge is " Giuthas" —
Pinus Sylvestris, — the Pine.
Mackintoshes. — This was one of the most potent Clans in
Scotland, when their residence was at Tor Castle, in Lochaber, the
ancient seat of their family (of which country they are still heri
table stewards) ; but the Camerons having purchased the said
estate, their power is much diminished. The laird of Mackintosh is
their chief. In Gaelic, he is called Macintoshach ; in English, Cap
tain of Clan Chattan. He can bring out eight hundred men, including
the small neighbouring Clans of Macgillivray, Macqueen, Mac-
bean, &c., who all own themselves his kinsmen. His countries are
Brae-Lochaber, Badenoch, and Strathearn, in Inverness-shire. He
still retains a very competent estate. He holds Brae-Lochaber,
Moy, and Larges, of the crown, Badenoch of the Duke of Gordon,
and most of his kinsmen hold Strathearn of the Earl of Moray

12 APPENDIX.
Their war-cry is " Loch Moy,"a lake near the seat of their chief in
Inverness- shire. Mackintosh, Macpherson, Macduff, Macbean,
Shaw, Farquharson, M'GIllIvray, Macqueen, Clark, Davidson,
and several 'others, as branches of Clan Chattan, carry the red
whortleberry — '^ Lus na'n Craimsheag, nan Braoileag, Vaccinium
vitur idoea," as their badge.
Macfhersons — Called in Gaelic Clan-Vuerich. Their chief is
the laird of Clunie. He can raise four hundred men. His whole
lands, and all of his kinsmen's lands, hold ofthe Duke of Gordon, and
lie in Badenoch. Their slogan is Craig-Shee, — a high black con
spicuous rock in Badenoch, their place of rendezvous, or rather
* ' Creag dhubh chloinri Chatain," the motto of their present chieK
Erasers — Are a considerable Clan in the countries of Aird and
Strathearn, in Inverness-shire. Their chief is Lord Lovat. In Gae
lic he is called Macammic. He has a large estate, held of the
crown, and can raise nine hundred men. He has a good number of
barons of his name in Inverness and Aberdeenshire. Their slogan
was anciently " Morf haich," afterwards Castle Downie, the fa
mily seat. Their badge is '^ Inthar" — Taxus haccata, — the Yew,
Grant of Glenmorison is chieftain of a branch of the
Grants, but does not follow his chief. He brings out four hun
dred and fifty men. In Gaehc he is called Mac-Phadrick, His
lands hold of the crown. In armaments he fi-equently joins with the
laird of Glengary.
Chisholm. — Their chief is Chisholm of Stratbglass ; in Gae
lic called Chisallic [Shisalleach.] His lands are held ofthe crown ;
and he can bring out two hundred men. Their badge is " Rain-
each" — the Fern.
Mackenzies. — One of the most considerable Clans of one
name (next to the Campbells) in the nation. The Earl of Seaforth
is their chief. In Gaelic he is called Mac-Cornlck. Out of his coun
tries of Kintail, Lochalsh, Lochbroom, on the continent, and in the
isle of Lewis, all in Ross-shire, he can raise one thousand men.
The Earl of Cromarty, with the lairds of Gairloch, Scatwell, Killi-
cairn, Redcastle, Comory, &c. &c., can raise among them one thou^
sand five hundred more. Their slogan is also their place of rendezvous
— -TuUichard, — signifying a high rising ground, the name of a hill in

APPENDIX. 13
Kintail, on the side of Loch Duich, a few miles from the ruined
castle of EUandonan, the original seat of the Clan Mackenzie. This
mountain forms the crest of the Seaforth arms. Their badge is
*' An Cuilf hionri" — Hex aqui foluim — the Holly.
Monroes. — Sir Henry Monro, of Foulis, is their chief. His
lands hold of the crown. He can raise three hundred men. Their
cry is " Casteal Fulis na theinn" — Foulis Castle in danger. Their
badge is " Garbhag an gleann, na crutar a mada ruadh" — Syco-
podium clavatum — common club moss.
Rosses — Laird of Ross is their chief. His lands hold of the
crown, and he can raise five hundred men.
Sotherlands. — The Earl of Sutherland is their chief. Io
Gaelic he is called Morar Chatto. He can raise two thousand men.
Their badge is "Bealaidh Chatti"^ — Ruscus aculeatur — the But
cher's Broom.
Mackay. — Lord Rae is their chief. In Gaelic he is called
Macaoidh. His estate holds ofthe crown, lies in Strathnaver, and
brings out eight hundred men. Their badge is " Bealuidh or Bea-
aidh" — Sparteum Scoparium — Broom.
SiNCLAiRS. — The Earl of Caithness is their chief. He is call
ed in Gaelic Morar Gallee [Galluidh.] He could raise one thou
sand men; hut many of his followers are now under Moy, Dun
beath, Ulbster, Freswick, &c. &c. F.
Memorial addressed by Simon Lord Lovat, to his Majesty George
I., concerning the state of the Highlands in 1724, referred to by
Marshall in his Report on authority, and undoubtedly a curious
document of unquestioned authenticity.
The Highlands of Scotland being a country very mountainous,
and almost inaccessible to any but to the inhabitants thereof, whose
language and dress are entirely different from those of the low
countrv, do remain to this day much less civilized than the other
parts of Scotland, from whence many inconveniences arise to his
Majestie's subjects, and even to the government itself.

14" APPENDIX.
That part of Scotland is very barren and unimproven, has little
or no trade, and not much intercourse with the low country; the
product Is almost confined to the cattle which feed in the moun
tains. The people wear their ancient habit, convenient for their
wandering up and down, aud peculiar way of living, which inures
them to all sorts of fatigue. Their language, being a dialect of
the Irish, is understood by none but themselves ; they are very
ignorant, illiterate, and in constant use of wearing arms, which
are well suited to their method of using them ; and very expedi
tious in marching from place to place.
These circumstances have, in all times, produced many evils,
whichhave been frequently considered, and many remedies at
tempted, as it appears from the Scots acts of parliament. Their
living among themselves, unmixt with the other part of the coun
try, has been one of the causes that many of their families have
continued In the same possessions during many ages, and very little
alterations happen In the property of land ; there are few pur
chases, and securities for debts are very uncertain where power
happens to he wanting to support the legal right.
The names of the inhabitants are confined to a. small number,
partly from the little intercourse they have had with other people,
and partly from the affectation that reigns among them, to annex
themselves to some tribe or family, and thereby to put themselves
under the protection of the head or chief thereof.
These several names of families are respectively associated to
gether In friendship and interest^ each name under such person as
is, or is reputed to be, the head of the family, who has very great
authority over them, quite independent of any legal power, and
has, in several instances, continued great numbers of years after
that the lands where they live has, been alienated from the chiefs
whom they serve. There happened two surprising instances of
this at the late rebellion ; the one was concerning the Frasers, who,
upon the Lord Lovat's arrival in Scotland, though he had been ane
exile for many years, another family, viz. Alexander Mackenzie of
Fraserdale, In possession of the estate, who had marched a number
of them, formed into a regiment, to Perth, where the rebel army
then lay. Yet notwithstanding all this, the moment they heard

APPENDIX. 15
that their chief was assembling the rest of his friends and name in
the Highlands, they got together, and made their retreat good, till
they joined Lord Lovat, aud others, who were In arms for his Ma
jestic. The other example was that of the Macleans, whose lands had
been vested for debt in the family of Argyle, above forty years be
fore ; their chief had not ane inch of ground, but after living and
serving in France most part of his lifetime, had come over to Lou
don, where he had been maintained by the charity of Queen Anne.
Yet, under all these circumstances, Sir John Maclean got together
400 of these men, out of a remote Island In the west seas of Scot
land, who fought under him at Dumblain, against his Majestie's
troops, though commanded by their own landlord.
This extraordinar state of the country has, in all times, produced
many mutual quarrels and jealousies among the chiefs, which for
merly amounted to a continual scene of civil warre ; and to this
day there remains both personal and hereditary feuds aud animosi
ties among them, which have a great influence over all their ac
tions. The law has never had its due course and authority in
many parts of the Highlands, neither in criminal nor civil matters ;
no remedy having proved entirely effectual, and one of the most
usefuU having been disproved. Schemes of this nature have been
often framed, but with too little knowledge of the country, or the
true rise of the abuses to be reformed, and very often with too much
partiality, and views of resentment or private interest; all which
tend only to create disorders and discontents, to exasperate some,
and too much encourage others, and to make all more proper and
reasonable expedients the more difficult to execute.
The families in the Highlands are divided (besides the disputes
arising among themselves) In principles between the Whigs and
Jacobites ; and that so near in equality, that the authority of the
government, by giving countenance or discouraging, 3.nd by re
wards and punishments properly applied, and all centering in the
advancement of the Whig Interest, united together, might easily
produce a vast superiority on the side of those who are well affect
ed, there being in the country a great party who, ever since the
names of Whig and Tory have been known, have been always

16 APPENDIX.
leady to venture their lives in the Protestant cause. Eut such has
been the melancholy circumstances of affairs in Scotland for some
years past, that almost all the considerable gentlemen who took up
arras for his Majestic in the time of the late unnatural rebellion,
have felt the displeasure of those In power in Scotland. Eut as
this memorialist Is humbly of opinion, that it is the duty of all
good subjects to heal, rather than widen breaches among the well-
affected, to contend only in zeal for his Majestie's service ; and iu
consequence thereof, to look forward only in observations of this
nature, he will open this scene no farther, than with all humble
gratitude to acknowledge the great goodness of his Majeatie towards
him. In so often protecting and preserving him from impending
ruin, whicli the resentment of his enemies had threatened.
It would, without doubt, be very happy for the government, for
the inhabitants of the low country, and, above all, for the High
landers themselves, that all Scotland was equally civilized, and
that the Highlands could be governed with the same ease and
quiet as the rest of Scotland. But as that must be the work of
great time, every remedy that can be suggested, though but parti
cular and incomplete, yet may be worthy of the consideration of
those In the administration ; for whatever tends ia any degree to
the civilizing those people , and enforcing the authority of the law
in those parts, does in so far really strengthen the present govern
ment. The use of arms in the Highlands will hardly ever bo laid
aside, till, by degrees, ^ hey begin to find they have nothing to do
with them. And it Is no wonder that the laws establishing the
succession of the crown, should be too little regarded by those
who have not hitherto been used to a due compliance with any
law whatsoever.
One of the evils which furnishes the most matter of complaint
at present, is the continual robberies aud depredations in the High
lands, and the country adjacent. The great difficulty in this mat
ter arises from the mountainous situation of those parts, the re
moteness from towns, aud part thereof consisting of islands, dispers
ed up and down in the western seas, the criminals cannot, by any
methods now practised, be pursued, much less seized and brought
to justice, being able to outrun those whom they cannot resist.

APPENDIX. 17
The bad consequences of those robberies are not the only oppres
sion which the people suffer in the loss of their cattle and other
goods— but by the habitual practices of violences, and illegal exac
tions. The Highlanders disuse all their country business, they
grow averse to all notions of peace and tranquillity— they constant
ly practise the use of arms— they increase their numbers, by draw
ing many into their gang, who would otherwise be good subjects —
and they remain ready and proper materials for disturbing the
government upon the first occasion.
These interruptions of the public peace in the Highlands were
frequently under the consideration of the Parliament of Scotland,
who, out of just resentment of such intolerable abuses, did, during
the course of several reigns, pass many laws, but without success.
They were very severe, drawn with more zeal than skill, and al
most impracticable in the execution. In some few examples these
extraordinary severities took place ; but that tended more to pre
vent than establish the quiet of the country, being sufficient to pro
voke and exasperate, and too little to subdue the disturbers ofthe
public peace.
These evils thus remaining without a remedy, and the protection
of the law being too weak to defend the people against such power
ful criminals, those who saw they must inevitably suffer by such
robberies, found it necessar to purchase their security by paying
ane annual tribute to the chieftains of those who plundered. This
illegal exaction was called Black Meall, and was levied upon the
several parishes much in the same manner as the land-tax now is.
The insolence of those lawless people became more intolerable
than ever, about the time of the late happy revolution, when many
of the chiefs of the same families were then in arms against our
deliverer. King "William, who were lately iu rebeUion against his
Majestie. Ane army of regular troops marched into the High
lands, but with little success, even meeting with a defeat by my
Lord Dundee, who commanded the rebells. Other methods were
taken, which putt an end to the civil war. The well-affected
Highlanders were made use of to assist the regular troops. Some
of the rebell chiefs were privately gained over to the Government,
so that partly by force, and partly by severall other artfull man-

IS APPENDIX.
adgements, the quiet of the country was restored, excepting that
many of the rebells, who had ceased to oppose the government, be
gan to plunder their neighbours, and sometimes one another.
The continual feuds and animosities that have always raged among
the chiefs of many Highland families, are skillfully and wisely made
use of, both to prevent their uniting in the disturbance of the pub
lic peace, or their taking any joint measures against the govern
ment. There is almost allways good service to be done this way ;
and, in time of the last rebellion, it retarded very much the pro
ceeding of the rebells, and made their army much less than other-
ways it would have heen.
The Parliament of Scotland impowered King William to esta
blish particular commissions to proceed against criminalls in those
parts, which were Ishued with very extraordinary powers, and
were executed in ane unlimited arbitrary manner, without any
effect for the purposes they were established, so as to create in all
people ane aversion against such courts and judicature, which, even
in matters of life and death, were confined by no rules of law
whatsoever — they made malcontents against the government, and
at last were prudently laid aside.
After many fruitless experiments for bringing the Highlands to
a state of more quiet, it was at last accomplished by the establish
ing independent companies, composed of Highlanders, and com
manded by gentlemen of good affection and of credit in that coun
try. This took its rise from ane address of the Parliament to the
King. The advantages that arose from this measure were many. These
companies having officers at their head, who were gentlemen of
interest in the Highlands, and well affected, were a great counten
ance and support, on all occasions, to the friends, and a terror to
the enemies, of the government.
The men being HIghlandei-s, and well chosen for the purpose
intended, the whole difficulties which arose in all former projects
for preserving the peace of the Highlands, became even so many
advantages and conveniences attending this measure. The men
were cloathed in the best manner, after the fashion of the High
landers, both for the unaccountable marches these people perform.

APPENDIX. I9
and for their covering at night In the open air. They spoke the
same language, and got intelligence of every thing that was doing
in the country. They carried the same sort of arms, convenient
for the Highlanders in their ways of acting. Being picked out for
this service, they were the most known, and capable of following
criminalls over the wild mountains — a thing Impracticable but for
natives to perform.
The captains procured their men, in all their proceedings, the
assistance of the Inhabitants they had under their influence, and of
all their friends in the country ; and the inferior officers, and even
the private men, wherever they came, found always some of their
tribe or family who were ready to assist them iu doeing their duty
when any part of these companies were upon command, either up
on pursuit of criminalls, the getting intelligence, or otherways
acting In the service. It gave no allarm, nor discovered what they
were doeing ; for when it was necessary that they should not be
known, it was Impossible to distinguish them from other natives.
So that, by this scheme, the very barbarity, the uncivilized cus
toms of the Highlanders, and all the severall causes of the want of
peace, came in aid to preserve it till time and more expedients
should further civilize the country.
As the private men of the companies were chosen among such of
the Highlanders who were' best acquainted with all parts of that
country, — who knew those clans who were most guilty of plunder,
with their manner of thieving, and with their haunts, — it was al
most impossible for the robbers to drive away the cattle, or hide
them any where, without being discovered ; nor could they con
ceal themselves so, but that they were sooner or latter found out
and seized ; aud in a short time there was such ane end putt to these
illegal violences, that all the gangs were taken^the most notorious
offenders were convicted and executed — and great numbers of
others, whose guilt was less, were sent beyond sea Into the service,
as recruits during the war.
Thus It was that this remedy was so successful ; in so much,
that about sixteen years agoe, those disturbances, even before and
this time so frequent and grievous to the people, did intyrely
cease.

20 APPENDIX.
After the late unnatural rebellion, the Highlanders, who had
been in arms against the government, fell into their old unsettled
way of liveing, laying aside any little Industry they had formerly
followed, and returned to their usual violences and robberies.
About this time it was thought expedient to pass an act of Par
liament for disarming the Highlanders, which was, without doubt,
in theory, a measure very useful and desireable; but experience has
shewed that it has produced this bad consequence, that those who
had appeared in arms, and fought for the government, finding it
their duty to obey the law, did accordingly deliver up their arms ;
but those lawless Highlanders, who had been well provided with
arms for the service of the Pretender, knowing but too well the
insuperable difficulty for the government to putt that act into exe
cution, instead of really complying with the law, they retained all
their arms that were useful, and delivered up only such as were
spoiled and unfitt for service ; so that while his Majestie's enemies
remained as well provided and prepared for all sorts of mischief as
they were before the rebellion, his faithful subjects, who were well
affected, and ventured their lives in his service, by doing their duty
and submitting to the law, rendered themselves naked and defence
less, and at the mercy of their own and the government's avowed
enemies. Upon this the plunders aud robberies increased ; but, upon the
breaking of the independent companies in the year 1717, these rob
beries went on without any manner of fear or restraint, and have
ever since continued to infest the country In a publick and open
manner. The regular troops not being able to discover or follow
them, and all the Innocent people are without arms to defend them
selves. Thus, then, violences are now more notorious and univer
sal than ever, in so much, that a great part of the country has, by
necessity, been brought under the scandalous contributions before
mentioned ; and the rogues have very near undone many people,
out of mere resentment, for their distinguishing themselves In his
Majestie's service ; and others are ruined who dare refuse to com
ply with such illegal Insolent demands.
The method by which the country is brought under this tax is
this : That when the people are almost ruined by continual robber-

APPENDIX. 21
ies and plunders, the leader of the band of thieves, or some friend
of his, proposes, that for a sum of money to be annually paid, he
win keep a number of men in arms to protect such a tract of ground,
or as many parishes as submitt to pay the contribution. When
the terms are agreed upon he ceases to steal, and thereby the con
tributors are safe. If any refuse to pay, he is immediately plun
dered. To colour all this villany, those concerned in the robber
ies pay the tax with the rest, and all the neighbourhood must com
ply, or be undone. This is the case (among others) of the whole
low country of the shyre of Ross.
After the disarming act was passed, and those companies were
broke, there were some other measures laid down for preserving
the peace of the Highlands. Barracks were built at a very great
expense, and detachments were made from the regiments in the
neighbourhood to garrison them, and to take post in those places
which were thought most proper for the repressing these disorders ;
but all this had no effect. The regular troops were never used to
such marches, with their usual arms and accoutrements, were not
able to pursue the Highlanders ; their very dress was a signal to
the robbers to avoid them ; and the troops, who were strangers
to the language, and often relieved by others, could never get any
useful intelligence, nor even be sufiiciently acquainted with the si
tuation of the several parts of the country, so as to take the ne
cessary measures for pursuing the robbers when any violence was
committed. The effect of all which has been, that the government has been
put to a great expense, and the troops have been fatigued to no
purpose. The officers ofthe law, for the peace, are the Sheriffs and Jus
tices of the Peace ; and, in time of any commotions, the Lieuten
ants and their deputies ; which office, long disused, was revived
and re-established at the time of the late rebellion.
It would seem to be highly necessar to the government that the
Sheriffs and Lord Lieutenants should be persons having credit and
interest in the shyre they are to govern — they cannot otherways
have the knowledge necessary of the gentlemen and inhabitants
for performing th e duty of their office, and making it useful for the

22 APPENDIX.
advancing of his Majestie's interest. On the contrary, such ignor
ance creates many mistakes iu the execution of their charge, tend
ing to the interruption of justice, and rendering the people under
them discontented and unwilling to act in the service of the govern
ment. In these cases it has happened that, throw misrepresenta
tions of the characters of the persons employed under them, de
puty-sheriffs have been made every way unfit for their office —
ignorant, of bad reputation, and notoriously ill-affected to his Ma
jestie. There are two deputies of the shyre of Inverness, both of which
were actually in the late rebellion, Robert Gordon of Haughs, and
John Baillie, a late servant to the Duke of Gordon during the
rebellion ; and both these deputies were prisoners in the hands of
Lord Lovat upon that account, who has now the mortification to
see and feel them triumphant over him, loading him with marks of
their displeasure.
In the shyre of Ross, the deputy-sheriff is Colin Mackenzie of
KIncraig, who was likewise in arms with the late Earl of Seaforth
against the government. The memorialist would not mention the
encouragement the gentlemen of the name of M*KenzIe met with
in prosecuting his Majestie's faithful subjects, lest it should have
the appearance of any personall resentment, were it not the pub-
lick debate and judgment of the House of Lords this last session,
have published to the world, by refieving Mr, George Munro from
the oppression he lay under.
It cannot but be a very melancholy scene for all the well-affected
gentlemen and inhabitants In those parts, to find the very criminalls
whom, a few years ago, they saw In arms and open rebellion in the
Pretender's cause, vested with authority over them, and now act
ing in his Majestie's name, whom they endeavoured to destroy, and
to whom alone they owe their lives.
The constituting one person Sheriff or Lord Lieutenant over
many shyres, has several bad consequences to his Majestie's service.
There is one instance where eight lieutenancies are all joined in
one person. The memorialist mentions this only as ane observation
in general, without In the least detracting from the merit of any
person whatsoever.

APPENDIX. 23
From some of those causes it likeways happens, that when several
persons are recommended by the Sheriffs or Lteutenants, to be made
Justices of the Peace, not at all qualified for that office, without
knowledge, mean, and of no estate nor character in the country, or
ill-affected to government, and when most or all the well-affected
gentlemen are left out of the commission, it naturally produces such
confusion and discontents as to frustrat the institution and design
of the office, to the disturbance of the peace of the country — to the
lessening his Majestie's authority — and particularly, in all matters
of excise, and a surcease of justice, and a vast detriment to the re
venue. The revival of the Justices of the Peace of Scotland, immediately
after the union, was then esteemed a matter of the greatest impor
tance to the government and interest of the Protestant succession.
It is, therefore, the more to be lamented, that throwout the whole
north of Scotland, there is hardly any regular acting commission of
the Justices of the Peace ; whereas, if the considerable gentlemen
were appointed who have estates in their own county, and were all
affected to his Majestie, there is no doubt but that office would be
execute ao as to be very useful to the government, and possibly pave
the way for great improvements in the political state of the coun
try. The memorialist, with all humility, submits these observa
tions to his Majestie's consideration. (Signed) LOVAT.
G.
The curious in Highland music are referred to the instructive
pages of Logan's " Scottish Gael," for more copious information on
this subject The airs and melodies, peculiar to the Highlands and
Isles ef Scotland, were edited by Captain Simon Eraser, and pub
lished in 1816.
A choice collection of the Works of the Highland Bards, col
lected in the Highlands by Alexander and Donald Stewart, was
published at Edinburgh, iu 1804. The lovers of Scottish melody,
whether produced by Highland pipe or Lowland lyre, will find
abundant satisfaction in Albyn's Anthology and Johnson's Museum.

N. B  The words of Sir Walter Scott, quoted in the twelfth
page of the Preface, are extracted from the Historical and Lite
rary Tour of a Foreigner, in England and Scotland, published' at
London in 1825, Vol. II., p. 345.

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