A 
 
 ^mJ 
 
1' R A V E L S 
 
 IN 
 
 SCOTLAND; 
 
 DESCRIPTIVE 
 
 OF THE STATE OF MANNERS, LITERATURE, 
 AND SCIENCE. 
 
 JBv L. A. NECKER.DE SAUSSURE, 
 Honorary professor of mineralogy and geology in the academy 
 of geneva, member of the society of physic and natural 
 history of geneva, honorary member of the geologi- 
 cal society of london, and of thk wernerian 
 society of edinburgh, &c. 
 
 TRANSLATED FROM THE FRENCH^ 
 
 LONDON, 
 
 PRINTED FOR SIR RICHARD PHILLIPS AND Co. 
 
 I BRIDE COURT, BRIDGE STREET. 
 
 1821. 
 
INTRODUCTION, 
 
 Various circumstances have retarded the publication of these 
 Travels, 
 
 The study of manners, considered under a general point of 
 view, in their relation with the Ancient Constitution, with the 
 nature even of Scotland, have been the subjects which have 
 more particularly captivated my attention in this interesting 
 country. My long residence, the inappreciable happiness which 
 I enjoyed of living in the society of distinguished men, who 
 honoured me with their friendship, and aided me with their coun- 
 sels ; in fine, the knowledge of the various dialects in use in the 
 British Isles, — all these have placed me in a favourable position to 
 observe with advantage. 
 
 Although divers travellers have given the relation of their 
 rapid journeys in Scotland, this Country is still very imperfectly 
 known. This circumstance alone induced me to endeavour to 
 give just ideas of a part of the globe which presents objects of 
 all kinds proper to excite the curiosity of the public. 
 
 It was almost impossible to live in Scotland, without observing 
 that nature presents a peculiar character, owing to the geogra- 
 phical situation of the country. Placed in a high latitude, Scot- 
 
IV INTRODUCTION. 
 
 land displays to the observer, the astronomical phenomena of 
 northern regions, the extreme length of days towards the sol- 
 stice of summer, and their corresSponding brevity towards the 
 solstice of winter; tliis country is, also, within the limits where 
 the animals proper *for boreal regions begin to appear. The 
 great cetaceous animals, and the multitude of different species 
 of sea-birds which people the latitudes of Iceland, Spitsbergen, 
 and Greenland, already abound in the Scottish Seas and neigh- 
 bouring isles. But the climate is far from possessing the rigour 
 of high latitudes ; an insular position in the Atlantic tempers 
 and lessens the hoar frosts of winter, and, in some degree, 
 balances the effect of the proximity of the pole. Thus the 
 plains of Scotland are more fertile, and are covered with more 
 southerly plants, than those of many countries situated in the 
 same latitude on the Continent of Europe. Great humidity, and 
 abundant rains, replace in Scotland the hoar frosts, and supply 
 the numerous springs, brooks, rivers, and lakes, as well in the 
 mountains as in the plains. 
 
 These various circumstances lend an original physiognomy to 
 the nature of these regions, of which I have endeavoured to give 
 an idea. The habitations of men, the ancient and modern mo- 
 numents, the agricultural labours which have rendered the plains 
 fertile, animated, and cheerful, have produced a striking contrast 
 between the richness of the flat country, and the gloomy and 
 wild aspect of the mountains, and those vast districts, thick set 
 with rocks, and covered with heath, which seem abandoned by 
 nature to eternal sterility. There, no tree raises its head ;— no 
 building, no monument, except here and there some huge blocks 
 of stone, formerly erected by the Druids, discloses the power of 
 man. Mean villages, scattered at great distances in the middle 
 of deserts, with unformed huts, like those of the Laplanders, 
 are tlie retreats of the still semi-barbarian inhabitants of these 
 countries ; whilst the Scots of the plains, proud of an ancient 
 civilization, show to foreigners their flourishing and populous 
 cities, their sea-ports animated by the most active commerce. 
 
INTRODUCTION. 
 
 their luxuriant fields, their manufactures carried to the highest 
 point of perfection, and their celebrated Universities, which pro- 
 duced those literary and scientific characters, those profound 
 geniuses, and eloquent legislators, who have given to Scotland 
 that literary renown which it this day enjoys in the estimation of 
 all Europe. 
 
 However different may be the nature of the two regions known 
 under the names of the High and the Low-lands of Scotland, it 
 was not in their nature alone that the cause was to be found of 
 the little resemblance which exists between their respective in- 
 habitants. With regard to the latter phenomenon, so striking to 
 every foreigner, history assists us in comprehending why the 
 mountains are occupied by a warlike race, but impatient of 
 labour; poetic, yet ignorant; whilst an enlightened and indus- 
 trious people inhabit the Low-lands. 
 
 History informs us, that the Gaels fixed, from time immemo- 
 rial, in the northern part of Great Britain, (expelled from the 
 plains of the south of Scotland, first by the Romans, afterwards 
 by the people of Teutonic origin,) took refuge in the almost 
 inaccessible mountains, and maintained themselves there until 
 the middle of the last century, sheltered not only from all inva- 
 sion of foreign enemies, but even from all mixture with the other 
 nations of Europe, and that they had preserved, until that epoch, 
 the language, habits, manners, and even the form of government 
 of the Celtic people, from whom they originated. 
 
 The inhabitants of the plains, on the contrary, descended from 
 those conquerors of the north, who, at difl'erent periods, invaded 
 the fertile regions of the south of Scotland, have cultivated the 
 arts, sciences, and letters. Governed by princes of their own nation, 
 they formed, for a long period, an independent kingdom, of 
 which the Gaels made a part, rather as allies, it is true, than as 
 subjects. A representative government, (which was strangely 
 associated with the feudal system then in vigour,) a parliament, 
 extensive franchises accorded by the kings to villages and nu- 
 merous burghs, were the germs of a spirit of liberty which de- 
 
VI INTRODUCTION. 
 
 veloped itself at different epochs ; and that spirit, favoured by the 
 religious Reformation, created institutions, the happy effects of 
 which are still felt in our day, and of which Scotland has reaped 
 the fruits, even after having lost its political individuality by an 
 union with England, its ancient rival. 
 
 These are the objects which I proposed to examine. I have 
 not stopped to signalize customs of little importance in them- 
 selves, nor usages arising from the habits, and kind of domestic 
 life of the Scots. These trifling peculiarities, which are only 
 isolated facts, and which do not belong to the true national cha- 
 racter, have appeared to me of little interest, compared with an 
 inquiry into the influence which the climate, the historical events, 
 and the form of government have exercised over the moral and 
 intellectual faculties of individuals, on industry and general 
 prosperity; in fine, on the language and the arts; objects, the 
 history of which is evidently connected with that of the people. 
 
 In contemplating the astonishing progress which the Scots 
 have made in the course of the last century, an interesting ques- 
 tion presented itself : has the definitive union of Scotland and 
 England been the cause of this progress, as several authors have 
 pretended ? at least what influence has it had on the civilization 
 of the inhabitants of the Lowlands ? I have not endeavoured to 
 solve completely so complicated a problem, but to present some 
 refliections, which seem to me to indicate, that we must seek else- 
 where than in the Act which deprived Scotland of its indepen- 
 dence, for the cause of the prodigious developement of talent, 
 learning, and industry, which is at present so much admired in 
 that country. 
 
 In order to place this question in a true light, I have been 
 obliged to combat the unfavourable opinions so long prevalent in 
 England against the inhabitants of the north, to ascertain the 
 causes of such prejudices. 
 
 Even while this hereditary injustice is much less marked in our 
 day, it fails not to surprize those who have observed, with attention, 
 the peculiar character of both people, still so widely different 
 
INTRODUCTION. Vll 
 
 from each other. It was necessary to compare them in some 
 important points, and I have not done so without repugnance 5 
 comparisons between two nations are delicate subjects, and 
 difficult for a foreigner. But the very quality of a foreigner is, 
 in some measure, a guarantee of greater impartiality in judg- 
 ment ; thus, I have not permitted any hazardous assertions, and 
 I have been careful of supporting, by well-known facts, the 
 opinions which a residence of two years in Scotland, and one 
 year in England, has impressed on my mind. 
 
 No one admires more than myself the noble loyalty, the 
 patriotism, the generous sentiments which characterize the Eng- 
 lish nation ; no one feels more lively, the merit of that consti- 
 tution, which, assuring to the people the benefits of a wise 
 liberty, has created numerous institutions, destined to form the 
 happiness and the glory of all classes, and to diffuse throughout 
 the whole social fabric, a life, and a moral movement which 
 renders the English so justly proud of their country and their 
 name* 
 
 Animated by such sentiments, which I always feel pleasure in 
 professing, having enjoyed at the most critical period of the 
 war, that generous hospitality which the English nation has 
 never refused, even to its enemies ; citizen, in fine, of a Republic 
 which owes its regeneration, and the return of its liberty arid 
 happiness, to the successful resistance of the English, it is not 
 to be believed that I could ever have the intention to asperse a 
 people, to whom the most illustrious writers^ among whom I de- 
 light to mention Madame de Stael, have nobly rendered the most 
 brilliant testimonies of esteem and admiration. 
 
 The love of truth, and the desire of seeing the Scots occupy 
 that place in public opinion whidi is so eminently due to them," 
 have solely directed me. I do not believe, that in this respect I 
 shall be accused of inconsiderate partiality, or prejudices con- 
 ceived in advance. 
 
 Entirely a stranger to Scotland, when I arrived there I was 
 imbued with some of the ideas in vogue among the English, and 
 I partook of their prejudices 5 but a more profound knowledge of 
 
Vlll . rNTRODUCTrON. 
 
 the nation, and extended relations into the different classes o? 
 society, have rectified my early impressions, and convinced me 
 of the little foundation for those reproaches which, at this day, 
 the English still continue to address to their brethren of the 
 North. 
 
 At a period when every thing connected with public education 
 occupied the minds of all, it occurred to me that some details on 
 the University of Edinburgh, on the distinguished Professors 
 who attract such numbers of strangers to that classic ground, 
 (and who, for the greater part, still occupy the same chairs at the 
 present moment,) on the mode of instruction practised there, 
 and on the resources of all kinds which are afforded to the stu- 
 dents of this school, so worthy of the universal celebrity which 
 it enjoys ; — I have thought, I say, that such details claimed every 
 attention, and would not be without their utility. 
 
 I have also endeavoured to give some idea of the society of 
 Edinburgh ; a society remarkable for the perfect ease, the 
 cordiality, and the true amiableness which reign among its mem- 
 bers. At the head of the Society of Edinburgh are conspicuous, at 
 this day, the learned Professors, distinguished literati and poets, who 
 were the ornaments of it when I had the happiness to be admitted. 
 
 We shall find that either for its Institutions, or the manner of 
 life of its inhabitants, Edinburgh is not unworthy of the titles 
 of the Athens of the North, and the Capital of Mind, which 
 many modern authors have bestowed upon it. 
 
TRAVELS 
 
 IN 
 
 SCOTLAND, 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 General Description of Edinburgh — Old Town — Holyrood Palace 
 ^^Castle — Parliament House — College-^Professors, and other 
 Learned Men. 
 
 It is not only as being the capital of the ancient kingdom of 
 Scotland, and formerly the residence of its sovereigns and their 
 brilliant court, that the city of Edinhurgli attracts the attention 
 of the traveller. Its remarkable situation and picturesque as- 
 pect, the continually increasing splendour of its University, 
 which has acquired a well-merited fame throughout Europe, 
 render Edinburgh still more interesting in the eyes of foreigners. 
 
 This city is commanded by the summit of a hill, which occu- * 
 pies a mile in circumference, in the direction of from east to 
 west, and is terminated on one side by a perpendicular rock, on 
 which is built an ancient castle of great strength ; and on the 
 other, by the Calton Hill, where an Observatory is erected. A 
 declivity of a mile and a half, covered with luxuriant verdure, 
 gardens and beautiful country seats, separates the city from a 
 fine gulf of the German sea, known by the name of the Firth of 
 Forth ; whilst, on the opposite side, the hill called Arthur's Seat, 
 of a conical shape, and tbe steep rocks of Salisbury Craigs, at 
 the foot of which a part of the city is situated, confine the ho* 
 rizon. It may easily be conceived, that a city thus situated by 
 the side of picturesque hills, at a little distance from a gulf, in- 
 terspersed with islands, must present remarkable points of view 
 from every part. 
 
 Under the name of Edinburgh is comprised two cities, very 
 different from each other, distinguished by the denominations of 
 the Old and the New Town. The first, dull, ill built, and con- 
 ' Voyages, Vol VL B 
 
2 Travels* in Scotland, 
 
 sisting for the most part of very irregular houses, is the ancient 
 capital of Scotland. The other, which has been erected by the 
 northern side of the Old Town within the last fifty years, is daily 
 augmenting in grandeur and magnificence ; and already, by its 
 regularity and beauty, it may pass for one of the finest in Europe. 
 
 These two towns, which are only separated, the one from the 
 other, by a narrow loch or valley, differ as much with respect to 
 their inhabitants as in their general aspect. The Old Town is 
 the city of study and of business ; where all the establishments 
 for public instruction are situated, as well as the warehouses 
 and shops of every description ; it is also here where the 
 merchants, tradesmen, and the greatest part of the students of 
 the University reside. The New Town is the city of amuse- 
 ment, luxury, and elegance ; it contains the Theatre, and hand- 
 some edifices devoted to music and dancing. It is also the resi- 
 dence of the Scottish nobility and gentry, when they quit their 
 estates for the winter, to enjoy the pleasures of more extended 
 society in the capital. 
 
 With the exception of one or two streets, which appear to have 
 been newly constructed, or rather repaired, the old town pos- 
 sesses only winding, narrow, dark streets, consisting of houses 
 so high, that they appear to be lost in the clouds ; there are 
 some buildings in which 1 have counted as many as ten or 
 twelve stories. The narrow streets, known under the names of 
 Close or Wynd, of which nearly the whole of the Old Town is 
 composed, were formerly remarkable for their dirtiness and un^ 
 wholesome nature 3 but, at present, the greatest care is taken 
 by the police, to preserve cleanliness in the streets of Edinburgh. 
 
 The North and South Bridge streets are ornamented by hand- 
 some shops of every description ; these streets, animated by a con*- 
 tinual passage of carriages, are furnished on each side by wide foot- 
 pavements, on which circulate the active and constantly moving 
 crowd. It is chiefly in the forenoon that the scene is most lively. 
 At that time, students are seen returning home in numerous 
 groups from the college, analysing, during their way, the learned 
 instructions which they had just been receiving. Then, also, the 
 fashionable world arrive from the New Town, to inspect the 
 warehouses of the Marchande de H^odes, the silk-mercer, and the 
 elegant wares of the jeweller, rather for the purpose of comply- 
 ing with the laws of fashion, than of making any considerable 
 purchases. The merchants, who are forward to oblige in pro- 
 portion to the elevated rank of their customers, eagerly turn 
 over their goods, and display their rich stuffs and precious jew- 
 ellery, happy if the ladies, who occupy a great part of the morn- 
 ing in admiring these fine productions of the arts, reward them 
 
Travels in Scotland. B 
 
 for all their trouble, in purchasing a modest ribbon, or other 
 article of equal value. This amusement, much more general ift 
 Great Britain than on the Continent, is called Shopping. 
 
 One of the most remarkable edifices of the Old 'i own is the 
 palace of Holyrood, the ancient residence of the kings of Scot- 
 land. It is situated in the eastern part of the city, at the foot 
 of Salisbury Craigs, and is a quadrangular building, the archi- 
 tecture being a little heavy. A large gate, surmounted by the arms 
 of Scotland, and flanked by four high towers, gives a picturesque 
 effect on entering. The two northern towers form the most an- 
 ient portion of this edifice, and are the only remains of the 
 ancient palace; which, after having been almost entirely con- 
 sumed by fire under the regime of Cromwell, was rebuilt in its 
 present state by Charles II. The interior contains elegant apart- 
 ments, occasionally occupied by the Duke of Hamilton, who 
 holds the office of Keeper of Holyrood palace. 
 
 A long gallery is shown, decorated with portraits of all the 
 sovereigns of this country, from Fergus I. down to James VI. 
 It must not be believed that all these portraits are exact resem- 
 blances of the kings whom they are intended to represent. It is 
 known that the most ancient iiave been painted from imagination, 
 at an epoch sufficiently modern. In this gallery the peers of the 
 kingdom of Scotland assemble to choose sixteen of their num- 
 ber, to represent the Scottish nobility in the British Parliament. 
 This ceremony, which takes place every seven years, attracts a 
 great concourse of spectators of both sexes ; and the days pre- 
 ceding and following the election are celebrated by brilliant fetes. 
 
 The most remarkable portion of this palace is that which has 
 resisted the ravages of the flames. It is in these two ancient 
 towers where are shown the apartments of Queen Mary Stuart, 
 preserved in the same state in which they were when that unfor- 
 tunate princess quitted them to return no more. They are orna- 
 mented with antique tapestry ; the beds, of a gothic form, are 
 covered with embroidered silk hangings, which have been very 
 handsome ; several portraits are also exhibited ; among others, 
 that of Henry VIII. King of England. A portrait, in miniature, 
 of Queen Mary, is enclosed in an ebony toilette, which be- 
 longed to her ; it gives the most perfect idea of that striking 
 beauty, which became the source of her misfortunes, and exposed 
 her to the persecutions of her more powerful rival. 
 
 On entering this apartment one is seized with an insurmount- 
 able sadness. Every thmg transports you back to the period 
 when so lovely, so sensible, and so lively a princess, whose me- 
 mory is still so dear to the Scots, inhabited this palace, where she 
 gave herself up to the study of the fine arts and of poetry. It 
 was in this same apartment that David Kizzio was assassinated 
 
4 Travels in Scotland, 
 
 under the eyes of Mary. It is well known that this Italian, the 
 son of a musician of Turin, arriving in Scotland in the suite of 
 the ambassador of Savoy, knew so well by his talents how to gain 
 the affection of the Queen, that he became her favorite, and almost 
 her prime minister. They show the chamber where he supped 
 with the Queen and the Countess of Argyle, when the King, who 
 thirsted for his blood, suddenly entered into the room by a private 
 staircase, followed by Lords Morton and Ruthven, and some 
 trusty friends, armed from head to foot. The dark and narrow 
 staircase still exists, and the door which leads to it from the inte- 
 rior of the apartment, is in great part concealed by the ancient 
 tapestry. The small anti-chamber is also to be seen where 
 Rizzio was dragged by the assassins after having vainly sought to 
 put himself under the protection of the queen, by taking refuge 
 in her arms. 
 
 Since the union of the crowns of England and Scotland, 
 Holyrood-House, without ceasing to be a royal palace, has no 
 longer been the residence of the Sovereign. Towards the end 
 of the year 1745, when Prince Charles Stuart, known by the 
 name of the Pretender, at the head of his small army of brave 
 Highlanders, had defeated the English troops at Preston-pans, 
 he stopped some weeks at Edinburgh. Holyrood House became 
 once more, during this short space of time, the residence of a 
 court, without ecliit, but not without interest. It was from this 
 place that the prince caused his. father to be proclaimed with 
 pomp, " James III., King of Great Britain." It was here also that 
 prince Charles appeared surrounded by his great vassals and 
 principal chiefs of the Scottish clans, again attired in the ancient 
 and picturesque costume of their forefathers, and displaying the 
 wild and warlike pomp of a considerable suite of inferior vassals, 
 armed in the cause of their ancient sovereigns. This prince, 
 whose courage and enterprising genius rendered him worthy of 
 a better fate, seated for a moment on the splendid throne of his 
 ancestors, dreamed, in this palace, of happiness which he could 
 never attain. Holyrood has seen, still more recently, a prince 
 of an illustrious and persecuted house, find an asylum under its 
 walls, which he had sought for in vain in the other countries of 
 Europe. 
 
 By the side of the palace are to be seen the gothic ruins of the 
 ancient abbey of Holy Cross, founded in 1128, by king David I. 
 Holyrood palace has been built on the site of the convent, and 
 the church was preserved, in order to serve as a royal chapel. 
 There the knights of the order of Chardon assembled, in former 
 times, under the presidency of tlie king, for whom they had 
 elevated a throne at one of the extremities of the church. The 
 disciples of John Knox, the reformer of Scotland, in their in- 
 
 J 
 
Travels in Scotland, 5 
 
 considerate zeal, demolished a great part of this church, believing 
 they would succeed more promptly in overturning the catholic 
 worship, if they destroyed all the religious edifices in which it 
 had been celebrated. 
 
 The quarter which surrounds Holyrood house, one of the dir- 
 tiest in Edinburgh, is occupied solely by the lower classes of 
 people. It was nevertheless, a century ago, the most elegant 
 quarter of the city. The principal nobility inhabited houses, 
 which, at this day, would be despised by the poorest mechanics. 
 This part of the city is an asylum for insolvent debtors ; here 
 justice has no power over them, and they are perfectly free; 
 they have even a vast park for their promenade, named St. Anne's 
 Yard, adjoining the palace. These privileges are still the re- 
 mains of that respect for royalty, which causes the palace of a 
 sovereign to be regarded as a sanctuary which no one dares to 
 violate, and under the shade of which, those who are pursued 
 and persecuted seek for shelter. 
 
 In the western part of the Old Town, viz. on the side oppo- 
 site to the Palace of Holyrood, stands another building, not less 
 remarkable for the historical recollections which it calls forth. 
 It is an ancient fortress, constructed on a perpendicular rock to 
 protect the city, which it commands from every part. 
 
 This little fort is built on the summit of a rock of black basalt, 
 SOO feet in height ; nearly perpendicular, and every where in- 
 accessible, except from the east. We arrive at it by ascending 
 a gentle declivity, formed by the ridge of the hill on which the 
 Old Town is situated. From whatever part we regard the castle, 
 it presents an imposing and picturesque point of view. Already 
 so well defended by nature, it has been equally protected by art. 
 Every where it is surrounded by wails, even in the places where 
 the rock is so steep that it appears useless to have had recourse to 
 artificial fortifications. The only accessible part is defended by 
 palisades, by a deep dhch over which is thrown a draw-bridge, 
 and by cross batteries. However, although sufficiently strong to 
 resist a sudden attack, it could not sustain a regular siege in the 
 present state of military art, commanded as it is by the hills of 
 Salisbury Craigs, and Arthur's Seat ; also, the buildings of 
 which it is composed being unable to resist the fire of artillery. 
 But it might be very useful to protect the city in the case of po- 
 pular tumult, or to oppose an attack of rebel peasantry. It is 
 natural to suppose, that this position would have been in ancient 
 times occupied by a fortress. Thus we find that the castle al- 
 ready existed in the fifth century, and even at an epoch still 
 more remote, when the Picts alone inhabited this part of the 
 island. Falling into the hands of the Anglo-Saxons, it became, 
 and continued for a length of time, nearly impregnable. It 
 
<r Traveb in Scotland, 
 
 changed, however, sometimes its masters, and in the frequent 
 wars between Scotland and England, it was occupied alternately, 
 by troops of both powers ; but it was very rarely that they suc- 
 ceeded in taking it by force. More frequently it was ceded by 
 treaties, or taken by surprise, and by the stratagems of war em- 
 ployed with so much success in the middle ages. They show 
 still, in tbe castle, the chamber where Queen Mary brought into 
 the world James VI., better known as James I. of England. That 
 son, twice crowned, who was of so little service to his unfortu* 
 uate mother, when his interference might have saved her from an 
 unmerited and cruel death. 
 
 When the Regent Murray, at the head of the Scottish and 
 English rebels, seized upon Edinburgh, he was for a long time 
 arrested in his progress by the brave Sir William Kirkaldy, who 
 defended the interests of the Queen, by inclosing himself and 
 troops in tlie castle. After a siege of thirty-three days, and 
 when all the buildings and walls were demolished, Kirkaldy, who 
 would have preferred burying himself in the ruins of the citadel, 
 was forced, by a revolt in the garrison, to capitulate. The En- 
 glish general, instead of executing the treaty, which insured to 
 Kirkaldy his life, and the honours of war, delivered him up to 
 the Regent, who caused him to be dragged to the scaffold. 
 
 During the whole period of the rebellion in 1745, in favour of 
 the Stuarts, General Guest held the castle of Edinburgh in the 
 name of King George. Prince Charles Edward, although master of 
 the city, could not establish a regular siege, not having sufficient 
 troops ; and, besides, being totally destitute of heavy artillery. 
 
 In the street which conducts to the castle is a grand reservoir 
 of water, destined to supply the city. The water is brought 
 thither by the aid of subterraneous canals, from the high Pent- 
 land Hills, situated about three miles to the south of Edinburgh. 
 From thence it is distributed by leaden pipes, into every house, 
 both in the Old and New Town. 
 
 The edifice, called the Parliament House, situated in the heart 
 of the city, is remarkable for its fine gothic architecture. It was 
 there that, formerly, the parliament of Scotland assembled ; since 
 the union it has been occupied by the Tribunals, and the High 
 Court of Justice, known under the name of the Court of Session. 
 We admire, at the entrance of this building, an equestrian 
 statue in bronze, of King Charles II. ; and, in the interior of 
 the edifice, a vast gallery, 122 feet in length, by 49 in breadth, 
 the roof of which is composed of timber of excellent workman- 
 ship. The most interesting part of this building is the Advo- 
 cate's Library, which includes an immense collection of rare 
 works, valuable manuscripts, and engravings, 
 
 I shall not jtop to speak of the churches ; there are many in 
 
Travels in Scotland, f 
 
 the Old Town, but none of them merit any attention for their ar- 
 chitecture. St. Giles's Cathedral is a very large Gothic building, 
 but very heavy — and the steeple, in form of an imperial crown, 
 renders it still heavier. The Cowgate Chapel, destined for the 
 English form of worship, is very simple, but in good taste ; above 
 the altar is remarked a picture of Runciman, the best, or almost 
 the only painter of note in Scotland, This church is the only 
 one in the Old Town where organs are used : the severity of the 
 national religion, the austere Calvinism of Presbyterians, having 
 proscribed every musical instrument in their temples. 
 
 Edinburgh possesses numerous establishments of charity ; 
 the greater part do not yield to the first cities in Europe, for the 
 elegance of their architecture, and the attention which is bestowed 
 upon the unfortunate beings to whom they are consecrated ; as 
 well as for the order and management of the interior. They are 
 nearly all of them private endowments, and most of them bear 
 the name of the founder. Such are the hospitals of Watson, 
 Gillespie, and Heriot. This last was built about the middle of the 
 17th century, by a Scotsman, named Heriot, jeweller to Queen 
 Anne of Denmark, in favour of the orphan sons of burgesses ia 
 Edinburgh. It is a very fine gothic building, and its exterior ap- 
 pearance is more like that of a palace than an hospital. 
 
 Before quitting the Old Town, it remains for me to speak of 
 the College, and the other establishments for public instruction^ 
 which, for a long succession of years, have shed a lustre on the 
 city of Edinburgh, and, far from diminishing, seem daily to 
 increase. The celebrated University has not ceased for a long 
 period, to reckon within its walls, professors of the highest merit^ 
 in every branch of human knowledge, and many who have left 
 this school as students, have since occupied the chairs with distinc- 
 tion 5 — situations the more difficult to fill, as they had been ren- 
 dered illustrious by the brilliant reputation of the former professors. 
 The constantly increasing number of students, who come not only 
 from the remotest provinces of Scotland, England, and Ireland, 
 but even from the other countries of Europe, English America^ 
 and also from the East and West Indies, proves the flourishing 
 state of this University. The number, in 1807 and 1808, amount* 
 ed to 1700, although, at that period, all communication with the 
 Continent was interrupted. 
 
 The preliminary education is obtained in the High School, 
 where they prepare children to follow more profound studies, by 
 teaching them the principles of the Latin and Greek languages* 
 This preparatory school is directed by four Masters and a Rector, 
 appointed and paid by the Town Council, besides receiving an an- 
 nual contribution from the scholars.* 
 
 * In tUe years 1812-13, the Laucasterian method was adopted iu the High 
 
8 Travels in Scotland, 
 
 The College, which is, to speak correctly, the University, waJ 
 founded in 1581, under the reign of James VI., by the magis- 
 trates of the city ; this monarch, having granted it many privi- 
 leges, and having desired that the college should bear his name, 
 it was called, and is still, at this day, the college of James VI. 
 It had only been established, in its origin, for instruction in 
 philosophy, but soon after they joined to it that of theology, ma- 
 thematics, and law ; it was not until the middle of the last cen- 
 tury that the chairs of medicine were founded, and that the 
 principles of that science were regularly taught. The greater 
 part of the chairs are paid by the Town Council, the others 
 are paid by the government. There is only one which has a 
 private endowment, viz. the chair of agriculture, created within 
 these few years by Lady Bath ; from the time that this science 
 has been generally studied, and that it begins to repose on a 
 fixed basis, it is interesting to find, that the general and particular 
 principles of so important a branch of human knowledge, should 
 be thus publicly taught. It is much to be desired that every 
 university, or academy might, in like manner, possess a chair of 
 agriculture. 
 
 The progressive extension which the University of Edinburgh 
 has taken since its institution, and the great increase in the num- 
 ber of students, have, of necessity, caused a change in the site 
 destined for the various classes. For nearly twenty years, the 
 magistrates of Edinburgh felt that 'the ancient buildings of the 
 college were too small, and too shabby. They proposed a sub- 
 scription for the purpose of erecting a vast edifice, which by its 
 grandeur, and beautiful architecture, would be worthy the city of 
 Edinburgh^ and the reputation of its professors. The subscrip- 
 tions amounted in a little time to thirty-eight thousand pounds 
 sterling, and the first stone of the new college was laid in 1789, 
 with great ceremony. Already a magnificent building began to 
 rear its head, a noble faqade, ornamented by a peristyle of the 
 Doric order, formed the entry of the interior court, some vast and 
 well-lighted halls, replaced a part of the dark and small apart- 
 ments of the ancient college, and every thing promised the com- 
 plete success of this enterprise, when, unfortunately, they per- 
 ceived that the money subscribed was all expended, and that 
 
 School of Edinburgh, with tlie modifications necessary to the kind of instruction 
 which is there practised. Mr. Pillans, the Rector of this school, aided by Mr. 
 Gray, one of the Masters, has adopted this method in the study of Latin, Greek, 
 and Geography. The experiments of these able masters, have been made with a 
 perseverance and intelhgence altogether individual, and the success which has 
 attended them, has surpassed their hopes. Tlie progress of the students has 
 been rapid, the instruction has advanced and spread more generally, and with 
 greater effect, than by the ancient method. The children have a taste for their 
 studies, they rival each other in zeal, and the masters have only to fulfil a mild 
 and agreeable task. 
 
Travels in Scotland. ., 
 
 the half of the work remained yet to be done. It was nesessary, 
 therefore, to suspend the works. From that moment they have 
 not been recommenced, and the college presents at this day, the 
 most ludicrous mixture of ancient and modern architecture; of 
 magnificence and poverty. 
 
 It is to be regretted that the government or the city do not 
 make some sacrifices in order to finish a work so well commen- 
 ced, and the utility of which is so evident. It is, fortunate at 
 least that they have not demolished the ancient buildings, to con- 
 struct the new college, but the greater part of the rooms of which 
 they consist, are hardly sufficient to contain the number of stiyr. 
 dents which arrive.* 
 
 The manner in which the studies are pursued in the University 
 of Edinburgh, is not the same as in England, where the students 
 residing in the colleges, under a particular discipline, form a body 
 and wear a costume which distinguish them from the inhabitants. 
 In Edinburgh, the students reside in the city, either in boarding- 
 houses or furnished lodgings, and wear no particular costume ; 
 thus mixed with the various classes of citizens, it is not to be feared 
 that they will act in a body, which in general is so hurtful to the 
 progress of the students, and which, more than once, has disturbed 
 the tranquillity of the Universities of Germany. Another advan- 
 tage from these relations between the townsmen and the stu- 
 dents is, that the latter are not apt to forget the practice of their 
 social duties, and, at the same time that they pursue their own 
 studies, they acquire that various inforaiation which in the end 
 will make them good citizens, and useful members of society. — 
 There are two classes of students to be distinguished in Edin- 
 burgh : the one, and the most numerous, is composed of young 
 gentlemen who pursue their studies with the view of embracing 
 one of those vocations, which require degrees, conferred by the 
 University, such as Theology, Law, and Medicine, The other 
 class comprises those who come to the College, without any in- 
 tention of taking degrees, but for the purpose of finishing a libe- 
 ral education, in profiting by lessons which possess a general 
 interest. 
 
 Often the reputation of a professor induces many strangers, 
 and particularly young Englishmen, to resort to Edinburgh. It 
 was thus that they formerly came from a distance, to receive 
 lessons in literature from the celebrated Dr. Blair, and in physic 
 and chemistry from Dr. Black J and that the desire to hear the 
 eloquent dissertations of the learned Professor of Philosophy, Mr. 
 
 * The building of the new college recomnieuced in 1816, and it is hoped 
 that this time, this fine edifice will be entirely completed. 
 
 Voyages, Vol VI. C 
 
10 Travels in Scotland, 
 
 Dugald Stuart, attracted a considerable concourse of young gen^ 
 tlemen to Edinburgh. 
 
 It is not unusual to see at the classes of some professors, 
 full grown, and even old men, who are not ashamed to seek for 
 instruction in the midst of a College of young gentlemen. Their 
 presence is a great encouragement for the students ; the latter 
 are accustomed, on seeing them, to consider their studies as an 
 object of interest and enjoyment for manhood, rather than as 
 painful and forced labours imposed on youth j and to regard their 
 professor not as a severe pedagogue, occupied in keeping a crowd 
 of untractable scholars to their duty, by remonstances and chas- 
 tisement, but as a Philosopher, already initiated in the depths of 
 science, surrounded by disciples, attentive and eager for instruc- 
 tion. Imbued with these sentiments, they listen with calmness 
 and gravity, and instead of regarding the hour when the lecture 
 finishes as the instant of their deliverance, they quit the class- 
 room with regret, and converse among themselves on the topics 
 which formed the subject of the lesson. 
 
 The whole system of public instruction in Edinburgh is 
 founded on the above spirit. Tliey only admit to the classes 
 those of a certain age who are fit to conduct themselves properly, 
 and to labour for their own advancement. 
 
 The professors have not taken upon themselves responsi- 
 bility for the conduct and the assiduity of their pupils ; in this 
 respect they leave them at the most perfect liberty, provided that 
 nothing disturbs the tranquillity of the lecture ; but they know 
 well how to give encouragement to those who show a desire to 
 be instructed, either in frequently conversing with them on the 
 subjects of their studies, or by directing them in their researches, 
 and above all, in condescending at all times, and with the greatest 
 complaisance, to give the explanations which are demanded, and 
 to reply to the objections which may be made to them, in mo- 
 ments which are not destined to instruction. In consequence of 
 this system, daily interrogatories on the preceding lesson, and 
 annual examinations, are not in use in Edinburgh. 
 
 But when the Student wishes to take the degree of Doctor, he 
 is obliged to prove that he has attended all the lectures of the 
 faculty to which he wishes to be attached. — He is besides re-^ 
 quired to undergo a strict examination on all the studies he has 
 ftiade, and then it is that the Professors judge the candidates 
 with just seventy, by conferring degrees on those only who are 
 truly worthy of that distinction. 
 
 The examiners endeavour to ascertain whether the pupil is 
 thoroughly acquainted with the sciences which he has studied, or 
 has merely learned the lessons of his tutor ; whether he has 
 
Traveb in Scotland, 1 1 
 
 iought to form his judgment, or only been contented to exercise 
 his memory. For this purpose the candidate is called to support a 
 thesis on a subject, chosen by himself, and in the discussion 
 which takes place he has an opportunity of developing his own 
 ideas, and displaying all the information he has acquired. — The 
 thesis must be composed in Latin and it is in that language that 
 the discussion takes place. 
 
 Although the course of each Professor is as complete and pro- 
 found as can possibly be desired, it is only designed to inspire 
 the student with a taste and interest for the science, and to in- 
 duce him to make researches on the subject with advantage. For 
 this purpose the Professors in general do not seek to encourage the 
 pupils to make detailed extracts from their lectures; there are 
 even some who forbid the taking of too extensive notes ; they 
 prefer that the time which would be occupied in retracing the 
 same ideas, under the same forms, should be employed in reading 
 the works where they are presented in a different manner. In 
 comparing the opinions of various authors, in meditating on sub- 
 jects, considered under every point of view, the students deve- 
 lope their own judgment, are penetrated with the spirit of the sci- 
 ence, and not with the words and opinions of a particular master. 
 
 The academical year is divided into two sessions, the winter 
 session, which commences on the 1st of November, and lasts 
 until the month of May, and the summer session, which com- 
 mences in May and continues till the month of August; the 
 courses of natural history, botany, and clinical surgery, are given 
 in the latter session — the first Js consecrated to all the other cour- 
 ses. The lectures take place always in the morning, and continue 
 every day, Sundays excepted. This university possesses four 
 faculties, but that which contributes the most to the reputation 
 of Edinburgh, and which attracts the greatest number of stran- 
 gers, is the faculty of medicine. Theology can only be studied 
 by the Scots who are destined for the ministry, Calvinism being 
 chiefly confined to Scotland. — The chairs of theology, properly 
 called Ecclesiastical and Hebrew history, compose this faculty. 
 That of law is also in a great degree consecrated to the Scottish 
 laws, which differ from those of the other kingdoms. They teach, 
 besides, public and civil, or Roman Law. I shall not enlarge on 
 these faculties, which, from what I have said, can only possess 
 an interest less general than that of the others. 
 
 The faculty of medicine occupies nine Professors, all eminent 
 in their branches; I shall confine mysejf to naming a few of them. 
 The celebrated Dr. Monro, conjointly with his son, teaches 
 anatomy, a science which has been illustrated by three successive 
 gencratioDs of this family, and which is indebted to it for many im- 
 
l2 Travels in Scotland. 
 
 portant discoveries. It is to the father of the present Dr. Monro 
 that the Edinburgh school of medicine owes the origin of that 
 ecl^t with which it has flourished for so many years. The chair of 
 Botany, formerly occupied by Dr. Hope, the father of the pre- 
 sent professor of chemistry, the contemporary and friend of Lin- 
 naeus, is at present filled by the respectable Dr. Rutherford, 
 ♦whose great age and infirmities do not prevent him from devoting 
 bis time to instruction.* 
 
 Whilst Dr. Duncan, Sen. explains the theory of Medicine, 
 Dr. GaEGORYjt the ablest physician in Edinburgh, teaches the 
 practice : his long experience has given him a profound knowledge 
 of it : the great originality of his ideas spreads a particular charm 
 over his lectures, and renders them agreeable and amusing, even 
 to those who do not make medicine their particular study. 
 
 The chair of Chemistry, so renowned formerly by the cele- 
 brated Dr. Black, is filled at this day by a learned professor of 
 great merit. Dr. Hope, who annually gives a course of lectures 
 on this fine science, equally complete and interesting. On the 
 alert for all the new discoveries of the scientific world, either in 
 England or on the Continent, he is eager to announce them to 
 his auditors; and when they can be illustrated by experiments, 
 he spares no expense, in order to place them under the eyes of his 
 pupils. He accompanies his lectures by demonstrations made 
 on a grand scale, with remarkable address. 
 
 It is curious to see the professor, in his introductory course of 
 lectures, performing the most striking, and, if I may so express 
 myself, the most magical experiments, before the astonished 
 spectators, who, not being initiated into the mysteries of the 
 science, seem to doubt whether the phenomena passing under 
 their eyes, are not due to supernatural causes. The distin- 
 guished manner in which chemistry is taught, and the estimation 
 in which it is at present held in Great Britain, are the causes why 
 the course of chemistry is, of all others, that which attracts the 
 greatest number of students. 
 
 The faculties of Letters, and of Mathematical Science, shine with 
 equal lustre to that of Medicine. At their head appear two Profes- 
 sors, whose reputation extends throughout Europe, — Mr.DuGALD 
 Stewart, and Mr. Playfair. United together by the bonds of 
 ancient friendship^ they rival each other in zeal and ardour for 
 the advancement of the great sciences to which they are devoted. 
 
 * Dr. Rutherford quitted tlie chair of Botany in 1817, and remitted the 
 instruction to his son. 
 t This geiitlenian, so long an ornament to the profession of medicinsi is now no 
 
 "iore,,;,f;,,i ... 
 
Travels in Scotland. iS 
 
 1 believe I shall not stand in fear of contradiction when I assert, 
 that these are the two most distinguished professors in Scotland, 
 equally so for the universality, as well as for the depth of their 
 learning. Whilst Mr. Dugald Stewart,* aided by a wise impulse, 
 and severe investigation, analyses the faculties of the human 
 mind, and carries the torch of truth into the dark and winding 
 paths of metaphysics, Mr. Playfair, aided by his profound know- 
 ledge in the higher order of mathematics, unveils the least known 
 properties of matter, the springs which determine, and the laws 
 which regulate its movements. After having, for a long period, 
 taught mathematics, Mr. Playfair now fills the chair of Natural 
 Philosophy, or General Physics. He knows how to throw a 
 perfect light on objects which, by their nature, are obscure ; and 
 what is still more difficult, to excite an interest in his audience for 
 parts of that science which appear the most barren and unpro- 
 fitable. But nothing contributes more to set off with advantage 
 the talents with which his mind is endowed, than the rare modesty, 
 and the amiable simplicity by which they are accompanied ; quali- 
 ties which make him beloved and sought after, even by those 
 whose extensive knowledge might be able to intimidate him.f 
 Mr. Dugald Stewart gives, annually, a course of moral Philo- 
 sophy, and the value of his writings may be sufficiently judged 
 from the interest excited by his lectures. This worthy successor of 
 Hutcheson, Ferguson, and Smith, has, by his ingenious research- 
 es, added to the ecl^t which has for so long a period illustrated the 
 Scottish philosophy. His lectures, (which he generally reads,) 
 present a model of the most elegant style, and is further accom- 
 panied by a fine voice, and a purity of accent, rare in Scotland. 
 Frequently he illustrates his subject by citations from the most 
 celebrated classic authors, Latin and English, and the most es- 
 teemed poetry of these two nations furnish him with episodes, 
 so as agreeably to excite the attention of his hearers, fatigued by 
 abstract metaphysical questions. Often carried along by the 
 interest of his subject, he lays down his manuscript, and warmly 
 pours forth extempore effusions of the most sublime eloquence. 
 He is not less distinguished when he treats of political economy. 
 
 • Since my departure from Scotland, this distinguished Professor has quitted 
 the University of Edinburgh. Profoundly afflicted by the death of a son who 
 promised nobly to march in the footsteps of his father, Mr. Stewart has renounce(K 
 teaching, and has retired to his seat in the west of Scotland, where he pursues 7, 
 his learned researches. Thus we may still', hope that the world will continue to I 
 be enlightened by his writings. But the Upiversity will find it diificult to rer * 
 place him. 
 
 t This great Professor has recently been removed by the hand of Naturf to 
 the inexpressible grief of his country aiud the learned world. 
 
H Travels in Scotland. 
 
 a science yet in its in^fancy, which has arisen in Scotland, and 
 which, for a long time, has been publicly taught only in this 
 country. 
 
 Mr. Leslie, so well known in the scientific world, by his 
 researches on Caloric, and by the invention of many new me- 
 teorological instruments, fills, conjointly with Mr. Ferguson, 
 the chair of Mathematics. That of Agriculture, is at present 
 occupied by Dr. Coventry, a man whose knowledge and talents 
 ^re universally recognised throughout Scotland. He treats this 
 Science in the most extended point of view, by applying to it 
 the most important questions of political economy, without ne- 
 glecting to enter into those details which are of more immediate 
 Utility. 
 
 The instruction in Natural History is confided to Dr. Jameson, 
 This learned mineralogist, the disciple of Werner, studied for 
 a long time at the school of the mines of Freyberg 5 thus the 
 lithological and geological part of his course is by far the most 
 extended, and the most interesting. He developes thoroughly, 
 and in great detail, the doctrine of his illustrious master. His 
 numerous works on that science sufficiently indicate his profound 
 knowledge in mineralogy; his books have powerfully contributed 
 to cultivate a t^ste for geognosy in England, and to give new and 
 just ideas on that science. 
 
 He may be, perhaps, reproached, for refusing, out of too much 
 respect for his master, to admit all observation which comes 
 from any other source than that of Freyberg ; perhaps, also, he 
 employs too much time in developing the system of exterior cha- 
 racters, which, although indispensable to be known, is, from its 
 dryness, its long and minute details, rather apt to disgust his hearers 
 in the study of mineralogy. One cannot, without being unjust, 
 reproach Dr. Jameson with passing lightly over the other branches 
 of natural history. It may, perhaps, with more reason, be re- 
 gretted, that the University, since the prodigious progress which 
 has been made in the study of nature, has not confided to ^ 
 greater number of professors the instruction of a science, be- 
 come so vast, that it is almost impossible to be at the same time 
 superior in each of the three branches which compose it. As 
 botany possesses a chair especially consecrated to the study, it 
 would require nothing more than to establish a chair of zoology, 
 which might thus be destined to comparative anatomy ; and the 
 instruction of mineralogy would then occupy a professor exclu- 
 sively charged with that part. In this manner the study of na- 
 tural history would be as complete and distinguished as that of 
 other sciences, and a profound vacuum, very remarkable in so 
 well-regulated an University, would thas be filled up. 
 
Travels in Scotland, 1 5 
 
 Besides the Professors who teach in the College, there are also 
 others devoted to the instruction of youth, who, without having 
 the rank and eftioluments of Professors, are authorized by the 
 University to give annual public courses ; these bear the title of 
 Lecturers. Amongst the latter, we remark Mr. Thompson* and 
 Mr. Murray, each of whom gives a course of chemistry every 
 summer, and both have published their lectures, which, although 
 relating to the same science, are, however, treated very differently. 
 The first, whose work, already translated into French, enjoys a 
 well-merited reputation, confines himself to the collection of 
 facts, and to the classing of them methodically. The other 
 applies himself rather in discussing the comparative merits of the 
 most celebrated hypotheses and theories ; and it would be desira- 
 ble if his work, written in a new and interesting manner, was 
 better known on the continent. 
 
 In addition to so many sources of instruction, Edinburgh pos- 
 sesses establishments which serve as the supplementary and in- 
 dispensable accessaries to the College. A vast public library is 
 open to all the students ; and, upon paying a small sum as en- 
 trance-money, they are at liberty to consult all the books with- 
 out exception, and to enjoy even the privilege of taking them 
 home, by leaving a deposit equal to the value of the work. The 
 naturalist finds also in the college a collection of natural history, 
 which, although not considerable at present, promises one day to 
 become an interesting museum. 
 
 The collection of mineralogy is very complete, and is com- 
 posed of fine specimens both oryctognostic and geognostic, ar- 
 ranged in the greatest order by Professor Jameson. 
 
 The young astronomers have at their service an observatory, 
 admirably situated on the top of the Calton hill, and provided with 
 excellent instruments ; to which a regular Professor has recently 
 been appointed — a desideratum long wanting in the University of 
 Edinburgh. 
 
 In fine, the students of medicine, besides the precious collec- 
 tion of anatomical preparations, which the College owes to the 
 persevering activity of Doctors Monro, father and son, have at 
 their disposal an infirmary destined to the application of the 
 science. It is in this hospital that the clinical professor gives his 
 course, and it is here that all the students have an opportunity of 
 observing the treatment practised by the ablest surgeons. 
 
 I cannot terminate this article on the University, without say- 
 ing a word respecting tha literary and scientific societies, esta- 
 
 ♦ Mr. Thompson is at present Professor of Chemistry in the University of 
 Glasgow. The excellent scientific journal, edited by the learned author, is W^ll 
 knowok 
 
 I 
 
IB Travels m Scothnxl. 
 
 blished by the students themselves, for the advancement of theif 
 studies. 
 
 There exist ia no other city more perfect models pf this kind 
 of establishment. These societies contribute greatly to the scien- 
 tific progress of the young men. They are entirely composed 
 of students ; some are consecrated to the sciences, others to 
 letters and philosophy. The greater part possess libraries pro- 
 portioned to their extent and to their means, besides a hall 
 for the sittings. It is there that, under the alternate presidency 
 of four members, annually elected by the society, a vast number 
 of men assemble weekly, for the purpose of hearing and dis- 
 cussing a memoir composed by one of their number. 
 
 Nothing can be better organized and more regular than these 
 discussions, where each individual speaks with an order, a calm- 
 ness, and maturity, which would do honour to more than one 
 assembly of full-grown men. Here the greatest silence reigns 
 among the auditors, while a young orator defends or combats the 
 writing which occupies their attention ; the same silence still 
 reigns a moment after he has spoken, for his antagonist, far 
 from interrupting him, or in haste to continue the debate, waits 
 for some minutes ; then, seeing no one disposed to speak, he 
 rises in order to reply. 
 
 When all the discourses, every one of which are extempore, have 
 been heard, the president consults the assembly, and each is obliged 
 to give his opinion, seated or standing, for or against, the memoir. 
 After this first part of the sitting is terminated, a young man, 
 who has been selected for the purpose, presents a question to the 
 assembly, and endeavours, by a discourse previously studied, 
 but not written, to resolve the problem which he has himself 
 proposed. An interesting discussion takes place, and the as- 
 sembly afterwards vote for or against the solution offered by the 
 original speaker. One may easily conceive what powerful mo- 
 tives of emulation these societies present, where your fellow 
 comrades are judges — and judges, perhaps, more severe than men 
 of more advanced age. Thus he whose lot it is to read a me- 
 moir, prepares it sometime in advance, giving himself up to deep 
 researches, in order to foresee the objections which may be raised 
 against his opinion, and reply thereto. He is obliged, before the 
 sitting, to give notice of his theme to every member of the so- 
 ciety successively, in order that by reflecting on the subject they 
 may, on their side, prepare their objections : thus a subject never 
 escapes such an ordeal without having been thoroughly treated. 
 Although all these societies have different objects, they resemble 
 each other in their organization ; the ordinary members are sub- 
 jected to certain regulations, such as annual contributions, which 
 enter into the funds of the society, and the duty of giving a 
 
Travels in Scotland. I J 
 
 m^moif in their turn. After having been an honorary member 
 for two years, they become one of right, and then have access to 
 the society, without being subjected to any charge. In gene- 
 ral, the interior management of these societies is founded on that 
 of the House of Commons. These institutions, to the advan- 
 tage of giving the young men a profound knowledge of the sub- 
 jects which form their studies, join that of accustoming them to 
 speak in public, and to express their ideas with facility and ele- 
 gance. At the head of the societies in Edinburgh appears that 
 of medicine, erected into a Royal Society by a charter of George 
 III. ; its library is full of good works in all that relates to medi- 
 cine, and every other branch of science. The arms of Eng- 
 land surmount the seat of the presidents, one of the privileges 
 which gives it the title of the Royal Society. The Speculative 
 Society, the objects of which are literature, moral philosophy, 
 political economy, and politics, properly called, has acquired great 
 celebrity since its foundation in 1764, by the number of brilliant 
 orators, and profound speakers, which it has given to the bar and 
 to parliament. The Juridical Society, founded ten years later, 
 being specially composed of young men who are destined to the 
 bar, is occupied only with questions of law. There exists a 
 second society, known under the name of the Physical Society, 
 and many others which, without being equally celebrated, have not 
 the less merit and utility. 
 
 The reader will, perhaps, pardon me for the minute details into 
 which I have thought it my duty to enter on the subject of the 
 University : I have wished to prove what deserved renown this 
 great institution has acquired. The University is a source of 
 glory and prosperity to Edinburgh, and I doubt whether there is 
 any city in Europe comparable to it for the means of instruction 
 which it affords to young men who are desirous of study ; and 
 when to all that I have said, are added the advantages of a capital 
 for society, a just idea may be formed of the resources which exist 
 in Edinburgh. 
 
 CHAPTER IL 
 
 Continuation of Edinburgh — New Town — Society, 
 
 The new town is situated on the ridge of a hill, parallel to that 
 on which the old town is built. It is separated from it by an 
 uncultivated and marshy valley, which formerly enclosed a small 
 Voyages, Fol VI. D 
 
18 Travels in Scotland. 
 
 loch. The waters of this pond, at that time, washed the black rocks 
 of the castle, and its site is still, at this day, named the North 
 Loch. It is some years since they have dried up this loch, but 
 they have neither cuhivated nor embellished the ground which it 
 occupies, and this spot presents the uncommon spectacle of an 
 uncultivated and rocky valley, situated in the very centre of a 
 flourishing city. A fine and large bridge, constructed with hewn 
 stone, and a mound formed by the earth carried away to lay th« 
 foundations of new streets, serve for communication between the 
 two cities. It must not be expected that in the new town, will 
 be found any of those edifices, or historical monuments, which 
 would prove a source of interest to the Antiquarian. Here every 
 thing is new, the most ancient building hardly reckoning half a 
 century. But if no traces of ancient splendour are here to be 
 found, as In the old town, we meet with the most striking and 
 indubitable marks of actual prosperity. Similar, in this respect, 
 to the rising cities of English America, the new town testifies to 
 the stranger the general riches of the country, and the particular 
 opulence of the inhabitants ; the natural consequences of a wise 
 and enlightened administration, of the concurrence of industry 
 and knowledge, and, above all, of that wise liberty which regene- 
 rates and animates kingdoms. This city has had the singular 
 advantage of being built from Its origin after a vast and regular 
 plan, the execution of which has been performed In such a manner 
 that all its parts are uniform and symmetrical. Thus few cities 
 exist which can be compared to the latter for the perfect regularity 
 and the nobleness of the whole, as well as for the elegant sim- 
 plicity of the minor parts. I have not the intention of giving a 
 minute description of the new town of Edinburgh. Vast streets 
 drawn in a line, bordered by wide pavements, and composed of 
 houses built with fine hewn stone, uniform in size and appear- 
 ance. Each house, according to the English mode, is occupied 
 by one family. Formerly the same house served as a dwelling 
 for many different tenants, the same as is still to be found in the 
 old town. 
 
 The street named George-street, and the two fine squares 
 which terminate it, present an imposing spectacle, and would be 
 still much more remarkable, if they were more animated, but in 
 the fine season, the proprietors of these elegant houses, inhabit- 
 ing their country-seats, these long streets become deserted, and 
 every summer the grass is observed beginning to grow in those 
 deserted quarters, which then become the abodes of silence and 
 of sadness. 
 
 Queen street, situated on the northern declivity of the hill, opens 
 ©n a magnificent perspective. From thence is to be seen the 
 Finh of Forth, its banks and verdant islands, the roads of Leith, 
 
Travels in Scotland, 1 9 
 
 and the numerous vessels which navigate it — the expansive sea 
 on one side, and the Grampian mountains on the other. For- 
 merly the people enjoyed this view throughout the whole extent 
 of Queen street, more than a mile long. In the fine sum- 
 mer evenings, multitudes of people come here to enjoy the fresh- 
 ness of the air, and to admire in their promenade the enchanting 
 Coup'd'csil of this fine landscape enriched by the last rays of the 
 setting sun. But within these few years a new quarter, erected on 
 the farther declivity of the hill, has deprived a great part of this 
 street of so brilliant a picture. 
 
 The street called Princes street, forms the companion to the one 
 of which I have just spoken. The wild rock surmounted by the 
 fortress, the valley crowned by the ancient buildings of the old 
 town, the picturesque sites of Arthur's seat, Salisbury Craigs, and 
 Calton hill, form a point of view which is enjoyed throughout 
 the whole length of this street. The houses, in reflecting the 
 rays of the sun, and affording shelter from the freezing north winds, 
 maintain a mild and salutary heat. > , j, ,; ^... , 
 
 It is here that all Edinburgh assemble between the hours o^ 
 two and four during the winter months. This street presents 
 also the most lively prospect. The wide pavement is covered 
 with well-dressed men and elegantly-attired women ; a continual 
 passing of brilliant equipages, post-chaises, and mail coaches, 
 inimate the middle of the street, which is also tiie grand route 
 to Glasgow and the West of Scotland. I have often admired, 
 in the fine nights of Spring, the romantic effect of the castle, 
 seen from Princes street. The sharp and steep forms of the 
 dark rock are drawn on the last reflections of the West, the walls 
 and the buildings of the fortress seem to touch the sky, the 
 ancient edifices of the old town, covered with the shades of night, 
 appear like wild rocks cut into a thousand fantastic forms by the 
 hand of time. Some rays of feeble light escape betimes from a 
 small window in the most elevated part of the castle, and seem 
 to proceed from a lamp which lights an unfortunate prisoner In 
 his obscure dungeon ; and the melodious sounds of tlie bugle, 
 which are heard from these lofty walls like the signal of retreat, 
 recal the days of chivalry and of the middle ages. 
 
 During my residence in Edinburgh, the inhabitants were 
 occupied on all sides in the augmentation of the city, new streets 
 being erected in every quarter. Others still more recent now 
 occupy places where I have formerly witnessed nothing but fields 
 and green parks. Tiie prodigious and rapid enlargement of this 
 city has infinitely enhanced the value of the land which sur- 
 rour>ds it ; I knew a proprietor who some years ago bought a 
 small piece of ground at some distance from Edinburgli, for which 
 he paid ;^ 1000 sterling. 
 
20 Traveb in Scotland. 
 
 There exist in the new town few edifices remarkable for their 
 architecture. The Register office is one of the finest, the faqade 
 presents a very imposing point of view, when we arrive at the old 
 town, by the stone bridge, in face of which it is built. 
 
 The building destined for the royal society and the college of 
 surgeons is one of the principal ornaments of George-street. 
 It is distinguished by a fine portico of eight Corinthian columns. 
 In front of this edifice we remark St. Andrew's church, built in 
 the Greek style. In York place, which terminates Queen street 
 on the east, they have constructed a handsome Gothic chapel, 
 dedicated to the English form of worship. 
 
 The Theatre is so small that it is altogether out of proportion 
 with the grandeur of the city. But as the drama is very little culti- 
 vated in Edinburgh, it has not been found necessary to construct a 
 new theatre. Society in Edinburgh presents so many resources, 
 that the inhabitants do not feel the want of theatrical amuse- 
 ments. Besides, the Thespian corps is in general so inferior, 
 that it does not sufficiently attract the amateurs of the theatre, — 
 to make them renounce those social parties where they are at 
 once sure of finding all the charms of wit, instruction, and amiable 
 society. 
 
 It is generally believed on the continent that society in Scot- 
 land differs little from that in England. On superficially observ- 
 ing two nations who speak the same language, who are governed 
 by the same sovereign, who have a resemblance in their manners 
 and domestic habits, we are in haste to infer that their charac- 
 ter and customs are exactly alike. We are in the habit of con- 
 founding under the name of English, the three nations who inha- 
 bit the British isles, although their origin, history, manners, edu- 
 cation, and even their laws, are diff'erent ; or if some informed 
 persons know these differences, they only see the Scots and the 
 Irish through the unjust prejudices with which the English are 
 imbued, with regard to their northern nciglibours. Many foreign- 
 ers visit England, but few persons think of penetrating farther 
 north, to see a people whom too many Englishmen still represent 
 as hardly escaped from barbarism. They think they know the 
 whole of Great Britain when they have seen London, the sea- 
 ports, and the most flourishing counties of England, and they 
 judge of the character of tiie inhabitants of the whole island, by 
 the observations which they have only been able to make in the 
 capital, and the provinces of the south. Frequently the inhabi- 
 tants of the north have but too just cause to complain of these 
 illiberal opinions. 
 
 A great many Scotsmen travel on the continent, and it is a great 
 pity that they do not make their country known to greater advan- 
 tage. But if they are distinguished from the crowd of Eni'lish 
 
Travels in Scotland. 'Zi 
 
 by thfeir more open character^ their simplicity, their desire to 
 please, and by their manners, which sympathise better with our 
 own, they make an individual exception, and do not know that 
 what captivates us, in a few individuals, must be attributed to the 
 whole nation. One of the qualities which distinguishes the Scots 
 from the English is their sociability. That desire of uniting and 
 communicating with their equals, to partake their impressions, 
 and to communicate them to others, which makes one of the 
 greatest charms of life, is very feeble among the English, but 
 forms one of the most striking traits in the character of the 
 Scots. The English have been often reproached for their cold- 
 ness to foreigners,* in not cherishing their society — and even in 
 avoiding it ; this reproach may be repeated, even in regard 
 to their relations with their own countrymen. The English 
 are very cold among themselves, a thousand obstacles prevent 
 them from easily and freely communicating one with another. 
 The difference of rank ; much more marked than one could 
 believe possible in a country so nearly republican, the differ- 
 ence of fortune, which is still more so, and above all, a certain 
 pride which wills that no one shall place himself in advance, 
 through fear of being deceived in the attempt ; all these united 
 causes oppose the formation of society in London ; for I do 
 not call that society, which consists of immense assemblies, 
 which fashion, all powerful in England, has established, and 
 which pure vanity supports. These routs are crude assemblages 
 of persons of all kinds, not attracted towards each other by any 
 common interest, nor by any relationship, except that of being a la 
 modey — a title independent of merit, its intrinsic value consisting 
 solely in fashionable levity. Persons truly distinguished in Eng- 
 land, and there are many, do not partake of the prejudices of the 
 mass of their countrymen ; they cultivate the society of enlightened 
 men, and feel all the value of an interesting conversation. But 
 in general the English please themselves in crowding into assem- 
 blies, so numerous, so mixed, and so destitute of every thing 
 
 • I have no occasion to add, that all which is here said on English society, must 
 only be taken in a general sense. I have often beeu«iy.self the object of traits 
 of hospitality in Enjiiand, which could not be surpassed in any country. But 
 these cases, Ihey say, are rare, and ought to be i ej^arded as exceptions. Besides, 
 it is said that the English are more sociable and more communicative at their 
 country seats, than when assembled in London, where they form the fashionable 
 world, and give themselves up entirely to the bustle of dissipation. One thing is 
 certain, that all those, whether in London or in the country, who are devoted to 
 science, arc remarkable for their hospitality and communicative spirit. One 
 cannot have been in the society of Messrs. Woolaston, Babington, Sirs H. Davy, 
 K. Phillips, &LC. as well as the late venerable patron of science, the illustrious 
 Sir Joseph Bankes, without carrying away an indelible remembrance of their 
 distinguished talents, and of their amiable attentions to foreigners who come near 
 them to draw from such an inexhaustible source of learning. 
 
22 Travels in Scotland, 
 
 which can interest the mind, that they appear solely intended to 
 display the fortune of the entertainer, and his desire of making a 
 figure in the public newspapers. It is not the same in Scotland ; 
 society there is remarkable for its harmony ; the Scots love con- 
 versation, and seek, at the same time, instruction and pleasure ; 
 society is easy, because the distinctions of rank, although equally 
 respected, are, however, less felt than in England. 
 
 There are vast numbers of families in Scotland, who, with- 
 out being titled, have as noble and ancient an origin as that of 
 many peers. There are others, illustrious in arms, sciences, and 
 literature ; and who, being sought after by all who value infor- 
 mation, form so many links, which unite the various ranks of 
 society. 
 
 Riches are much less essential in Scotland than in England, in 
 order to occupy an agreeable place in society ; luxury is there 
 neither so striking nor so general. There exists, in this country, 
 a great spirit of simplicity, and what is still more, a sort of equa- 
 lity in good company, which is respected by those who can the 
 more easily abstain from it. A free cordiality, a natural politeness, 
 proceeding rather from a desire to please, and to render others 
 happy, than from a study of what is called usage of the world, 
 supply, among the Scots, the haughty demeanour and the re- 
 serve of their southern neighbours. It is principally with regard 
 to strangers that the Scottish character is shown with the most 
 advantage. Hospitality in all its finest shades and forms, is the 
 national virtue of Scotland. The inhabitants of this country do 
 not partake of that coolness and prejudice with regard to foreign- 
 ers, which are so often, and with too much foundation, a reproach 
 to the English of the best society. 
 
 In seeking, in the ancient and modern state of Scotland, tlie 
 causes of this remarkable difference, we shall find them in the 
 intimate relations which formerly existed between the kingdom of 
 Scotland, and many continental governments, particularly that of 
 Prance. That power, which has always been the bitterest enemy 
 and rival of England, was, on the contrary, the most intimate 
 ally of Scotland, and aided it frequently to defend itself against 
 the attacks of the English. The Scots have, even in France, 
 until the epoch of the revolution, enjoyed privileges from which 
 other nations were excluded ; they were exempted from paying 
 foreign duties ; they had a college consecrated to the Scottish 
 ^catholics, and governed by Scottish professors. Scotland fur- 
 nished, also, in former times, a company of body guards to the 
 king of France. So many privileges encouraged the nobility 
 and gentry to travel in France, to educate their children there, 
 and even to establish themselves. They acquired the French 
 language, spoke it with facility, and on their return to their native 
 
Travels in Scotland, 2% 
 
 country, they introduced, as much as they could, into good soci- 
 ety, the maimers and the style of the court of Versailles. 
 
 Since the unfortunate expedition of the Pretender, and above all, 
 since the French Revolution, the relations with France have 
 diminished, and finally ceased altogether. But the small court 
 of Monsieur, Comte d'Artois, established for some time in 
 Edinbwrgh, maintained an intercourse among the elevated class 
 of both nations. Scientific communications have since, a little 
 supplied the relations of society, and the French language conti- 
 nues to be learned and spoken with facility, by every one who has 
 received the least education. The ladies of Edinburgh, in parti- 
 cular, have a singular aptitude in acquiring French, and I have 
 known many of them speak it fluently, elegantly, and almost 
 without any foreign accent, reading and enjoying the beauties of 
 the French poets, without ever having quitted their native coun- 
 
 There existed also relations not less intimate between Scotland 
 and other continental powers ; Holland had for a long time Scot- 
 tish regiments in its service ; and the conformity of religion had 
 established connexions between Scotland, the United Provinces, 
 and the Protestant part of Switzerland. The Swiss are, of all 
 people on the continent, those whose characters bear the greatest 
 analogy to that of the Scots. Thus, they are sure of meeting with 
 the most cordial reception in Scotland. The loyalty, simplicity of 
 manners, love of military glory, bravery, respect for religion, and 
 the ancient institutions of their forefathers, a more widely diffused 
 education, and more solidity than exists among other nations, 
 are qualities common to the Scots and to the Swiss. Their coun- 
 tries resemble each other in their mountains and lakes, and in the 
 severity of a climate which inures them to fatigue and privations ; in 
 fine, they possess a similar patriotism, which causes them to leave 
 their wild native mountains with regret, when they are obliged to 
 quit them, in order to seek their fortune in distant climes ; and 
 which also induces them frequently to abandon the most brilliant 
 advantages, for the sake of ending their days under their native 
 sky. I have often been profoundly touched to find how much the 
 quality of Swiss furnished me with the easiest access into the 
 Society of the greater part of Scotland. One trail of Scottish 
 society, distinguished above all the rest, is the perfect security of 
 conversation, and sincerity in the expression of their sentiments. 
 This quality, without which society may be amusing to the mind, 
 but cannot entirely satisfy the heart, makes a part of that morality 
 which forms the foundation of the Scottish character, and that 
 candour and loyalty which exist among all classes. Thus the 
 gossiping and slander (by which it is generally accompanied,) are 
 much less common in Scotland than elsewhere. Instruction, 
 
24 Travels in Scotland, 
 
 which is so widely diffused, leads them the more willingly to be 
 occupied rather with general ideas than with the character of in- 
 dividuals. The females having all received a very careful edu- 
 cation, are acquainted for the most part with the most remarkable 
 works, not only in their own, but in foreign languages. They 
 love poetry and the fine arts with enthusiasm ; music in particu- 
 lar; and above all, the Scottish melodies, the plaintive expression 
 of which is in conformity with a slight tinge of melancholy, 
 which, in the Scots, is often found united with much gaiety and 
 good humour. 
 
 This contrast has something extremely piquant, and proves 
 the perfect innocence of manners in the Scots ; for affectation 
 does not take two such opposite roads. They are passionately 
 fond of dancing. The Scottish reels are remarkable for vivacity of 
 movement ; the music of it is purely national, and a well marked 
 rythm animates the dancers. The greater part of the ladies dis- 
 play much talent and grace. 
 
 Dancing, in Edinburgh, is the most general pleasure, and they 
 hardly renounce it until an advanced age. Nothing is more com- 
 mon than to see father and son, mother and daughter, figure in the 
 same country dance. This cannot take place but where dancing 
 is considered as an amusement, rather than as an art requiring 
 study, and by which the people seek for applause. Not so in a 
 country where a mutual benevolence interdicts the arm of ridi- 
 cule, and permits every one to amuse himself according to his 
 taste. 
 
 I have said that information was more generally diffused in 
 Edinburgh than in any other city, in proportion to the population : 
 there naturally results from this, that learning, knowledge, and 
 literary merit, are also more appreciated, and enjoy here a consi- 
 deration altogether peculiar. From the above spirit, reciprocal 
 advantages are derived for men of letters, who find continual 
 encouragement in good society by the esteem which is evinced 
 for them, and for society itself, which being capable of appre- 
 ciating the talents of men of letters, invites them to join its cir- 
 cle, and is thereby daily enriched with the talents which it calls 
 forth and developes. Thus there are few cities where so many 
 men of genius and talent are united as in Edinburgh. Although 
 many individuals are here to be met with, possessing the most 
 brilliant wit and lively imagination, yet the conversation of men 
 is, in general, rather serious than gay. It will be sufficient to 
 name a few of the most distinguished members of society, such 
 as existed during my residence in Edinburgh, in order to show 
 how many charms a stranger may find in this place. Mr. Dugald 
 Stewart, and Mr, Playfair, of whom I have already spoken, are 
 
Travels in Sciitlahd, io 
 
 hot \csi remarkable in the world, than in t!ie University, — by an 
 innate genius, enriched by a vast fund of knowledge. 
 
 I have to cite here one of the most amiable Scotsmen, one of 
 those geniuses who form the boast and pride of Scotland, — Mr. 
 Henry Mackenzie; this respectable and venerable old man, the 
 author of the "Man of Feeling," and " Julia deRoubigne,'' and 
 one of the principal authors of those excellent works called the 
 Mirror and Lounger. The perfect purity and grace of his style, 
 have gained him the title of the Addison of Scotland ; the same 
 charms which adorn his writings, and the qualities which distin- 
 guish them, are united in his conversation : he is one of those 
 Scotsmen who appear to have been destined, by their example, 
 to transmit to the present generation the tradition of that ancient 
 society of Scotland, so eminently distinguished for wit and genius, 
 at the head of which shone Hume, Adam Smith, Robertson, and 
 Blair. 
 
 I feel a like pleasure in mentioning Sir James Hall, well 
 known to chenusts and mineralogists, by his interesting Memoirs. 
 He has clearly demonstrated, and rendered palpable by ingenious 
 experiments, facts which Dr. Hutton had suspected, by reasoning 
 a priori, but only dared to advance as probable hypotheses. This 
 learned character joins great originality of ideas with a sagacity 
 of observation and a scrutinizing eye, which have enabled him 
 to discover many phenomena in nature which had escaped the 
 eyes of naturalists. Having travelled much in his youth, he has 
 collected in foreign countries a mass of observations, which serve 
 him as a basis for hypotlieses, which, to say the least of them, 
 are very ingenious. It is thus that, from witnessing some agri- 
 cultural practices in France, and some phenomena of vegetation, 
 which do not appear remarkable in themselves, he has been led 
 to form very interesting and probable ideas on the origin of Gothic 
 architecture. Sir James unites, frequently, at his mansion, the 
 choicest society in Edinburgh ; the rank which, by his birth and 
 fortune, he occupies in the world, and above all, his taste for 
 study and researches, his communicative spirit, and his conver- 
 sation equally amiable and instructive, make his house the centre 
 of attraction for distinguished individuals of every class in this 
 famous city. 
 
 The celebrated poet. Sir Waltbr Scott, likewise inhabits 
 Edinburgh, where his society Is universally cultivated, not only on 
 account of his reputation as a poet, but also for the varied charms 
 of his conversation. That lively, brilliant imagination, and that 
 originality of idea, which so eminently distinguish his works, re-ap- 
 pear, under other forms, in the conversations which he animates 
 by the gaiety of his spirit. He relates a story admirably, and 
 knows how to give a singular poignancy to the historical 
 
 VOYAQES, Vol. VL E 
 
2(j Travels in ScotlaM. 
 
 anecdotes of the middle ages, of which his head is a vast repo- 
 sitory ; he also possesses, in a high degree, that kind of plea- 
 santry which the English call humour. 
 
 Sir John Sinclair, known by his immense labours on agricul- 
 ture, on the statistics of Scotland, &c. Mr. Jeffery, the principal 
 editor of the celebrated periodical work, the Edinburgh Review, 
 whose articles are always remarkable for fine pleasantry, some- 
 times a little satirical, (which gives to his writings, as well as to 
 his manner of speaking, a peculiar vein of irony ;) and many 
 other Scotsmen, distinguished by their learning, hold likewise the 
 first places in the Society of Edinburgh. 
 
 In fine, there exist in this city whole bodies of men, in whom 
 genius and merit are in some way hereditary. I have already 
 spoken of the University, I shall now content myself with indi- 
 cating here, the Judges of the Court of Session, and the re- 
 spectable body of Advocates. These, by their number, and 
 their almost continual residence in Edinburgh, compose, in a 
 great measure, the permanent society in this city. They have, 
 in general, read and seen much, and far from contenting them- 
 selves strictly with the studies required by their honourable vo- 
 cations, the greater part devote themselves to more extensive re- 
 searches, and cultivate every branch which has any relation with 
 legislation, such as philosophy, belles lettres, and political eco- 
 nomy : there are among them good historians, and distinguished 
 literary characters j others have applied themselves to the sci- 
 ences, and cultivated them with advantage. There are, in short, 
 among these bodies, a number of men, who, in any country, 
 would be remarkable for their learning and their genius. 
 
 One circumstance, which contributes to give movement and in- 
 terest to the society of the learned, and of men of letters in 
 Scotland is, their love for discussion and controversy in literary 
 and scientific matters ; this spirit seems to have existed from the 
 earliest times, and is developed on different subjects, according 
 to the influence of the age. This love for the discussion of lite- 
 rary, or political subjects, and for debates of a grave nature, is 
 the cause why the men in the societies of Edinburgh cultivate so 
 little the conversation of the ladies; although there are few coun- 
 tries, assuredly, where the latter are more capable of conversing 
 upon serious subjects. But it is not the fashion to talk politics 
 before the ladies ; from thence follows, that after dinaer, the 
 men remain a long time at table after the ladies have retired into 
 the drawing-room. It must not be believed, as many foreigners 
 have pretended, that this custom indicates an immoderate love 
 of drinking ; this may be the case with some individuals, but 
 the generality of the Scots and English, who still preserve the 
 
Travels m Scotland, 27 
 
 ancient habit of prolonging their repast, seek to enjoy more 
 rational and enlightened pleasures.* 
 
 The fashionable world in Edinburgh does not assemble till the 
 beginning of January. On the 18th of this month, the season 
 of pleasure and amusement opens by a brilliant public assem- 
 bly, in a vast and well-ornamented hall. There, all the good 
 company resort in numbers, and come in a measure to take pos- 
 session of the spot, where, during three months, they regularly 
 assemble once a week for dancing. From this moment, until 
 the beginning of April, balls, public and private concerts, suc- 
 ceed each other without interruption. The Scottish ladies, with- 
 out possessing, perhaps, in so high a degree, that regular beauty 
 which foreigners are struck with among the English, have more 
 grace and vivacity in their countenances. And, although quite as 
 modest, they are equally removed from that cold reserve, and 
 passion to excel, which is a reproach to the English, and has 
 excited the surprise of everyone on the Continent. It is difficult 
 to meet with ladies more amiable, and so destitute of all kinds of 
 affectation as in Scotland. In like manner, that simplicity, grace, 
 and cheerfulness, which they display in their manner of dancing, 
 render the balls in Edinburgh extremely animated. One cir- 
 cumstance, which distinguishes them from assemblies of the 
 same nature, which bear a resemblance in the rest of Europe, is 
 the striking contrast of elegance of manners, and brilliancy of 
 toilette, with the wild music of the Scottish dances, similar to 
 that of the Highlanders, and the inhabitants of the Hebrides. 
 The shouts of the musicians to animate the dancers, who fre- 
 quently echo back the cry, the vivacity of the dances, when the 
 whole hall is at once in movement, presents an extraordinary 
 spectacle to foreigners. 
 
 The music is so national, that a Scotsman cannot hear it with 
 sangfroid. 1 have often, at the theatre in Edinburgh, been wit-* 
 ness of the efFect produced on the whole assembly, by one of 
 those airs named strathspeys, when the measure is well marked 
 by instruments. As soon as the orchestra has resounded with 
 this strange melody, the whole audience, in the pit as well as the 
 boxes, are in movement ; it seems as if they were about to rise 
 up for dancing, and they can no longer remain quietly on their 
 seats. 
 
 The winter finished, on the arrival of spring the season of 
 pleasure passes away ; some, still eager for society, set out for 
 London in search of it, where the winter does not commence till 
 
 • One of those customs, which are now only to be found among old people,— 
 a custom dictated by a certain benevolence, an original good nature, very troQi- 
 blesome to a foreigner,— is to drink to the health of every one present, calling 
 them respectively by their names, and replying, at the same time, to the toast 
 which each of these same individuals gives in his turn. 
 
28 Travels in Scotland. 
 
 the month of May. Others go to enjoy the charms of nature, 
 cither in the neighbouring villages, or at their country seats. 
 Then Edinburgh is as dull as it was formerly animated. How- 
 ever, in the beginning of August, the races attract again, during 
 a week, the society in the environs of this city. During this pe- 
 riod, the curious competition of pipers takes place, of which M. 
 Faujas de St. Fond has alluded to in his travels. His description 
 appears to me exact in certain points, but his imagination has 
 carried him to sec in the airs which these Highlanders play, a 
 sort of description of battles, followed by the cries of the dying, 
 and the groans of the wounded ; whilst, in fact, they are only 
 warlike marches, or complaints on the subject of the death of 
 some chief, in which the motive or theme, is of a very tedious 
 movement, but the variations which follow it are very lively. In 
 these variations the musician displays his ability, and makes 
 known his strength, by the difficult passages which he executes, 
 and which require much agility in the fingcs. The theatre is, 
 at present, the spot where the competition of pipers takes place. 
 The Highland Society having wished to preserve among the in- 
 habitants of these countries, the remembrance of their ancient 
 institutions, and principally ol" their national mus'c and dances, 
 has established an annual concert, in which prizes are decreed by 
 the society, to those Highlanders who execute in t!ie best manner 
 on the bagpipe, specimens of their wild music, as well as to those 
 who display the greatest address and variety in the dance. The 
 Highland Society, of which I have just spoken, corresponds with 
 a similar one established in London for many years. Nothing is 
 more interesting than the purport of these societies, which is to 
 search for, and collect documents and traditions, which make 
 known the ancient state of the Highlanders, their manners, lan- 
 guage, and music, to endeavour to preserve among them, every 
 thing that is national, at the same time, to meliorate their con- 
 dition as much as possible. This society, presided by the Duke 
 of Athol, and which reckons among its members the most dis- 
 tinguished nobility and gentry in the north of Scotland and the 
 Hebrides, pursues with the greatest zeal the career which it has 
 itself traced. To this society we are indebted for the learned re- 
 searches on the Gaelic language, an idiom derived directly from 
 the Celtic, which has given birth to most of the languages in the 
 north of Europe. It is this society also, which has collected the 
 clearest and most precious documents on the authenticity of the 
 poems of Ossian, and which has lately given to the public, a 
 collection of these poems in the original language, with a literal 
 Latin translation in regard to it, which has made known many 
 new beauties that had escaped Macpherson in his English 
 translation. 
 
Travels in Scoilm^i' 2S^ 
 
 It is much to be desired, that the same movement which per- 
 vades the minds of Scotsmen for the study of sciences and letters, 
 should be a little more displayed in the study of the fine arts. 
 How comes it that the Scots, who have shown so much genius 
 for poetry, should remain so far behind in painting and sculpture ? 
 Can we attribute this want of taste for the arts, to the effects of 
 a northern climate, or to the serious disposition of a people, 
 more devoted, perhaps, to the study of the useful than the orna- 
 mental ? This I shall not seek to discover. U is a fact, that 
 painting has been much neglected in Scotland, and sculpture is 
 also unknown there ; during the whole of my residence in 
 that country, I have seen nothing remarkable of this kind, and I 
 have not even heard it affirmed, that there existed a single piece 
 which merited attention. To atone for this neglect, there are 
 some edifices which testify that architecture has been cultivated 
 with more success. Adams, the architect, appears to have studied 
 with care, the finest models, and endeavoured to introduce them 
 into his country. ^But in the use which he has made in the Re- 
 gister Office, and some other buildings, of Venetian windows, of 
 a mixture of Greek and Gothic, much of that noble simplicity, 
 which agrees with the Greek style, is taken away. Domestic ar- 
 chitecture, if I may so express myself, is arrived in this country 
 at great perfection, uniting simplicity, elegance, and convenience. 
 
 Music, considered as a liberal art, is also much retarded ; the 
 love of the Scots for their national songs, has hitherto injured the 
 introduction of foreign music. Instrumental music is rarely heard, 
 and there are few distinguished musical virtuosi in Edinburgh. 
 
 CHAPTER III, 
 
 Climate and Environs of Edinburgh, 
 
 The climate of Edinburgh may generally be regarded as very 
 variable, and it is difficult exactly to determine the temperature 
 of the seasons. I shall endeavour, however, to trace the me- 
 teorological picture of the year.* The first snow ordinarily falls 
 about the end of November, or beginning of December ; if the 
 wind is easterly, the snow lies a long time, and the cold aug- 
 ments in intensity, but as soon as the westerly wind begins to 
 blow, its warm temperature melts the snow and the ice ; theu 
 humidity, rain, and dark mists replace them. In the months of 
 
 * The middle temperature of Edinburgh is estimated at +8^^ Reaumur, the 
 greatest cold hardly exceeds — 9« R. aud the greatest heat •i'24» R. 
 
30 Travels in Scotland. 
 
 January and February, which are the coldest of the year, the small 
 lakes and ponds which surround the city, are covered with ice, 
 sometimes three or four inches tliick. It is then that the amuse- 
 ment of skaiting takes place, on the lakes of Duddingstone and 
 Loch End. — The Scots are great proficients in this delightful and 
 healthy exercise. 
 
 The first days of March are generally mild and serene ; one 
 would think the spring had commenced, but the wind is not tardy in 
 bringing back the cold, the ice, and the snowj and the first months 
 of spring have as variable a temperature as those of autumn, and 
 are still colder, in consequence of the easterly winds which pre- 
 vail at this season. I have seen the snow fall, and the frost set 
 in again with vigour, from the 16th to the 20th of April. How- 
 ever, towards the end of this month, the influence of the sun 
 begins to be felt, the grass blooms in the fields, and about the 
 middle of May, the trees are again clothed with foliage, the 
 flowers are in blossom, and the country is covered with verdure. 
 
 The months of June, July, August, and September, are the 
 finest of the year ; nevertheless, they are not hot, a mild tem- 
 perature characterizes the summer in these regions, and the warm- 
 est days in Scotland would appear temperate in our climate of 
 Switzerland. In July, the hay harvest takes place ; in August, 
 that of wheat and barley ; and lastly, in September, that of oats. 
 
 Autumn commences in October, and brings with it continual 
 rains and westerly winds, often of extraordinary violence. Fre- 
 quently, in the month of November, we see astonishing exam- 
 ples of a sudden variation in the constitution of the atmosphere. 
 The morning is ushered in by a pure and serene sky, indicating 
 fine weather for the rest of the day, but towards noon the sky 
 is covered almost instantaneously with thick clouds ; soon after, 
 the rain pours down in torrents during the space of two or 
 three hours ; at last, towards the approach of evening, the wind 
 drives away the clouds, and the sky appears again entirely serene 
 and beautiful. Tliis variation subsists sometimes for many days 
 in succession, accompanied by similar circumstances. The 
 westerly wind never ceases to blow with astonishing force during 
 the end of November and the month of December. It is, at 
 times, so impetuous that the inhabitants cannot go out of their 
 houses without danger. The chimney-tops fall down vvith a loud 
 crash from the tops of the houses, the rain is carried away by 
 whirlwinds, and the streets swept with a violence that can hardly 
 be resisted. The epoch of Christmas is generally signalized by 
 a terrible hurricane, and so general as to extend throughout 
 Scotland. A tempest of this nature took place on the 25th of 
 Pecember, 1806*; during its duration, a great number of ves^ 
 sels and small craft perished on the western coast of Scotland, 
 
Travels in Scotland. S { 
 
 from the Isle of Arran, the most southern part of the Hebrides, 
 to the northern Orcades. The sea, in similar moments, displays 
 all its force, and rolls its floods with a fury which nothing can 
 withstand. 
 
 The admirer of mild and rural landscape will find, on the 
 banks of the Water of Lelth, and in the fine parks which sur- 
 round the city from the west to the north, lofty trees, fine green 
 turf, limpid streams, handsome farm-houses, elegant country 
 seats, and a thousand retired villas, which serve as ornaments to 
 the different points of view presented by the majestic gulf of the 
 Firth of Forth. He who loves the movement of a sea-port, of a 
 city of commerce and manufacture, may direct himself towards 
 the east, and descend the long avenue, bordered by houses, which 
 conducts to Leitii, where numerous vessels are unceasingly en- 
 tering the port, and sailing from thence to the most distant parts 
 of the world. 
 
 In walking towards the south of Edinburgh, the admirers of a 
 wilder nature will find perpendicular rocks and hills, which, 
 without being very elevated, recal, (by their bold forms, their 
 solitary valleys, and their summits, which rise abruptly above the 
 plains;) those views which charm the mind in mountainous coun- 
 tries. The botanist and mineralogist will be delighted to climb 
 the perpendicular rocks of Salisbury Craigs, and to tread the fine 
 green turf which covers the rapid declivity of the basaltic cone 
 of ArtUur*s seat. There, although hardly a mile removed from a 
 populous city, they may, without being interrupted by the noise of 
 towns, and the crowds of people which buzz unceasingly around 
 their habitations, — alone in the centre of savage nature, perceiving 
 nothing around them but rocks and parks bestowed by nature, — 
 devote themselves, without abstraction, to their observations, 
 collect at their ease specimens of many fine plants or rare minerals, 
 and meditate on the formation of those basaltic masses presented 
 to their eyes, accompanied by the most remarkable phenomena. 
 Arrived at the summit of Arthur's seat, the stranger cannot con- 
 template, without admiration, the extent of land and sea which is 
 displayed at his feel, when, at a single glance, he embraces the 
 vast bason of the gulf of Edinburgh, the capital, the towns and 
 villages innumerable which border upon it ; when, in fine, he 
 remarks in the aspect of this fine country that mixture of wild na- 
 ture and the products of advanced civilization, which form one of 
 the most striking and interesting traits of the meridian of Scot- 
 land. 
 
 The handsome little valley, at the bottom of which runs the 
 Water of Leith, is situated at the western extremity of the new 
 town. This river, which takes its source in the Pentland hills, 
 after a course of fifteen miles, runs into the Firth of Forth in the 
 
32 Travtls in Scoitand, 
 
 middle of the town of Leith. In approaching Edinburgh its 
 bed is confined in a narrow valley, the banks of which are 
 covered by fine trees and plantations, which leave, however, at 
 intervals, sufficient light to perceive the steep portions of the rock 
 on which they stand. On the two banks are laid out winding foot- 
 paths for the enjoyment of the numerous groups who promenade, 
 during the fine season, this retired and rural spot. A spring of 
 mineral water spouts out towards the middle of the valley at a 
 little distance from the brook ; it is enclosed in a well, surrounded 
 by a small temple, open from all parts, in a manner that its long 
 thin columns serve to eml)ellish the varied points of view which 
 the trees, the rocks, and the brook, present to the eye. This 
 small stream of water, the course of which is here and there in- 
 terrupted by large fragments detached from the rock, forms small 
 cataracts, near which the water-wagtail seeks the aquatic insects 
 by which it is fed. The aspect of this rotunda, called Saint 
 Bernard's Well, would possess all the charms which result from 
 a mixture of elegant architecture with the verdure of the woods, 
 had not its architect, in some sort, disfigured this fine monument, 
 by placing in the centre of it a gigantic and grossly-sculptured 
 statue, representing the Goddess of Health. 
 
 At the opposite extremity of the city, viz. on the eastern side, 
 stands the Calton Hill, a fine grassy down, almost completely 
 covering the rock of which it is formed. It height is only 850 
 feet above the level of the sea. A handsome mausoleum has 
 been constructed near the summit of the hill, to the memory of 
 the historian Hume : it is a circular tomb, ornamented with pilas- 
 ters, after the manner of the ancient Roman tombs. On the sum- 
 mit of this Hill is erected a flag-stafl^, which serves as a tele- 
 graph to announce the arrival of vessels in the bay, as well as 
 their departure from the roads of Leith. A half-pay Officer of 
 the Marine inhabits a small wooden house, very neat, at the foot 
 of the telegraph, and it is from thence that he directs the signals. 
 They have here, also, erected a splendid monument to the illus- 
 trious Nelson, destined to perpetuate the remembrance of his 
 memorable victories and glorious death. It would be difficult to 
 describe the magnificent prospect enjoyed from the top of this 
 hill. Edinburgh presents, on the west, the most picturesque 
 point of view. Whilst, on the right of the spectator, the fine 
 row of Prince's Street extends nearly as far as the eye can reach ; 
 on his left stand the irregular buildings of the old town, which 
 form a striking contrast with the elegant regularity of the new. 
 The barren valley which separates them is presented at full view, 
 with its fine bridge covered with carriages and foot-passengers ; 
 farther on, is distinguished the mound which forms a communi- 
 cation from one town to the other; in fine^ the perpendicular 
 
Travels in Scotland, SS' 
 
 rock, surmounted by the ancient castle, terminates on this side 
 this astonishing perspective. On the south side, at his feet, stands 
 the palace of Holyrood, above which rise the steep declivities 
 of Salisbury Craigs, and the summit of Arthur's seat. At the 
 east and the north is presented a prospect of another kind, the 
 gulf of Edinburgh in all its extent, w^ide at its extremity, and 
 mingling with the full sea which bounds the horizon ; then it 
 grows narrower insensibly, until it appears no more than a large 
 river. Here smooth, there steep and mountainous banks border 
 this vast extent of water, and are covered on all sides with towns 
 and villages without number, many of which are sea-ports : the 
 most considerable, and the nearest of these ports, is that of Leith. 
 The island of Inch-Keith, with its elevated beacon light, appears 
 placed there to protect the roads from the easterly winds, and to 
 guide the vessels in their voyages by night. The island of May, 
 at the entrance of the Firth, those of Inch-Colm and Inch- 
 Garvey, situated in the middle of the gulf, agreeably interrupt 
 the too monotonous aspect of the immense liquid plain. 
 
 I was one day, on promenading at the foot of the Calton Hill, 
 witness to a very curious scene ; it was on a fine Sunday evening ia 
 spring : I saw, at a distance on the down, an immense number of 
 men, women, and children, some standing, ethers sitting pelU 
 mell, and all occupied with the same subject. I soon distin- 
 guished in the crowd a man who occupied a more elevated place than 
 the rest, and appeared to attract the attention of all the people. 
 I approached nearer, and saw him mounted on a table, ha- 
 ranguing his auditors like a mountebank at a fair ; he spoke in a 
 animated tone, and the most profound silence reigned in his 
 auditory. What was my astonishment, when I discovered that 
 this orator, whose voice, gestures, clothing, — in fine, whose whole 
 appearance, seemed to indicate a buflPoon, was one of those Me- 
 thodist preachers and pretended ministers of religion, who instruct- 
 ed the passers-by, and those who were enjoying the promenade, 
 which the beauty of the evening had attracted to the Calton Hill, 
 in the doctrines of his sect. 
 
 In the most vulgar costume, crying with the voice of aStentor, 
 gesticulating like Punchinello, this singular preacher could not 
 inspire a very great degree of devotion in the multitude of goers 
 and comers, who, uncovered, stopt a moment to hear his sermon, 
 and who, for the greater part, retired more scandalized than edi- 
 fied, in thus seeing profaned the sacred name of religion, and 
 assimilating the noble profession of a Minister of the Gospel, to 
 that of a buffoon at a fair. It is still more surprising to see such 
 a scene permitted by the magistrates of a city, and of a country 
 which professes, in its minutest details, a purity and severity, in 
 matters of religion, at times pushed to the extreme, I know 
 
 Voyages, Vol, VI. F 
 
34 Tra%)eU in Scotland. 
 
 that the British constitution permits the free exercise of every 
 religious persuasion, but, in such a case, this tolerance ought to 
 be within bounds, and it ought not to be permitted to the first 
 mechanic who may think himself inspired, to establish himself 
 in a public place, and there to preach a doctrine, as vicious in its 
 dogmas, as dangerous in its effects ; a doctrine where the Divi- 
 nity is represented as a judge without mercy and without clemency, 
 and where the most terrible torments of hell are described as 
 being the lot of those who do not embrace the particular belief 
 of Methodists ! ! ! Such pictures are the continual subject of dis- 
 course with these preachers of the highways, and have deranged 
 the minds of many feebla and superstitious persons. 
 
 After having visited the Calton Hill, the stranger may proceed 
 to Leith, the port of Edinburgh, at the distance of about two miles 
 from the city ; on his way he will pass near the Botanical Garden. 
 Edinburgh is indebted to the late Dr. Hope, Professor of Botany, 
 and father of the present Professor of Chemistry, for the arrange- 
 ment of this fine place. This respectable Professor, wishing in 
 some manner to consecrate this establishment to the memory of 
 the first of naturalists, elevated a little altar, very simple, on 
 which is engraved this inscription : — Linneo posiiit Hope. It is 
 astonishing to see so few exotic plants in the hot-houses, which 
 they may so easily fill with the finest productions of India, the 
 Cape of Good Hope, and New Holland. 
 
 Leith is neither remarkable for the elegance of its streets, nor 
 for its grandeur; but this little town presents the most animated 
 aspect which a commercial town and sea-port can offer. Its bay, 
 wide and spacious, sheltered from the east winds by the small 
 island of Inch-Keith, offers a sure and convenient anchorage to 
 the largest vessels of war. The port is protected at its entrance 
 by a long and strong pier, which serves as a promenade to the 
 inhabitants of Leith, From thence may be contemplated, at all 
 hours of the day, the animated sight of a crowd of ships, of all 
 sizes, which are continually entering and departing. But of all 
 that can attract attention in this port, nothing is more remarkable 
 than the vast and magnificent bason, constructed of hewn stone. 
 There exist few sea-ports which possess so extended a harbour 
 bason, and of so solid and handsome a construction. 
 
 The principal commerce of Leith is with Russia, Sweden, and 
 Denmark ; besides a very considerable coasting trade. Among 
 the number of manufactures, the most interesting is that of gl^s, 
 which has here attained great perfection. 
 
 I shall now say a few words concerning the numerous country- 
 seats and fine estates in the neighbourhood of this city. Not 
 wishing to enter, in this respect, into minute details, foreign to 
 the plan of this work, 1 shall content myself with inviting travel-^ 
 
Travels in Scotland. 3^ 
 
 lers hot to neglect seeing the grounds and the Castle of Dalkeith, 
 the ordinary residence of the Duke of Buccleugh ; and Dudding- 
 ston, situated by the side of the fine loch of that name, and at the 
 foot of Arthur's seat. This estate, belonging lo the Marquis of Aber- 
 corn, borders upon the picturesque and ancient ruins of Craig- 
 raillar Castle, which, by its situation, attracts the attention of 
 strangers. The traveller will be still mdre induced to visit this 
 ancient palace, when he learns, that for many years it was the 
 favourite residence of the unfortunate Mary Stuart. 
 
 The fine estate of Pennycuik, of which the house is as remark^ 
 able for its noble and elegant architecture, as the park for the 
 beauty of the verdure, the meadows, and the woods, will charm 
 the admirer of English gardens. It is the same with the beau- 
 tiful estate of Woodhouselee, the ancient manor of the family of 
 Tytler, of Woodhouselee — a family long distinguished in litera- 
 ture and jurisprudence ; the descendants of whom, actually in 
 possession of the first places in the bar, worthily support the re- 
 putation of their ancestors. 
 
 Not far from Woodhouselee one cannot behold, without en- 
 chantment, the charming valley of Hawthornden, and the ruins 
 of the ancient feudal Castle of Roslin, which command it. 
 
 The ruins of Roslin Castle are not considerable; but their 
 elevation on the top of a perpendicular rock, the woods which 
 surround them, the romantic and varied neighbourhood, have 
 rendered these remains of the middle ages worthy of their re- 
 nown. The ancient poets and minstrels of Scotland, in making 
 these fine places the subjects of their simple ballads, have rendered 
 them popular and classical among a nation which joins to the 
 most lively taste for poetry, a remarkable inclination for the beau- 
 ties of nature. The village of Roslin contains an edifice, whichj 
 notwithstanding its diminutiveness, may be considered as a chef- 
 d'cBuvre of Gothic architecture, and as a perfect model of this 
 kind. It is a small chapel, founded in the fifteenth century by 
 St. Clair, Prince of the Orkneys. The most exquisite labour is 
 displayed in the exterior, the arches, windows, &c. as well as in 
 the interior, the columns, roof, &c. It is divided into numerous 
 compartments* All the chapters of the columns, and the dif- 
 ferent parts, ^s well outside as inside of the chapel, are covered 
 with sculpture. On one of these chapters is to be seen the repre* 
 sentation of a concert, by angels,on different instruments of music^ 
 the greater part at present unknown among us. I remarked there 
 the cherubim playing with the bag-pipe, cited by Pennant in his 
 work. It is a proof of the antiquity of this national instrument, 
 the form of which does not appear to have changed during so 
 great a lapse of time. It is also to be observed how much the 
 ancient Scots prized this instrument, which is regarded at this day 
 
S6 Travels in Scotland, 
 
 as monotonous and barbarous, since they found it worthy ai 
 figuring in a celestial concert* 
 
 During my residence in Edinburgh, I profited by some moments 
 of leisure, to visit the banks of the Firth of Forth. My different 
 excursions extended to North Queen's Ferry, as far as Earl's 
 Ferry, near Ely, on the northern side of the gulf, and from Bor- 
 rowstonness, as far as St. Abb's head, on the southern shore. 
 
 In departing from Edinburgh, with some friends about the 
 end of January, we directed our steps towards the sea, which 
 we reached a little to the west of the small village of Nevvhaven. 
 The weather was foggy, without being cold j the ground was 
 entirely cleared of snow, and we began to feel some drops of 
 rain. The huge rocks which surrounded the shore, served us for 
 shelter when the rain became heavier. In following along the 
 coast, always from east to west, we soon reached the village of 
 Cramond, and stopped a little to view the mouth of the river 
 of that name. A small boat, belonging to a sloop which lay 
 at anchor with some other vessels, at the entrance of the river, 
 served us to cross it. We observed, with interest, a particular 
 order of shell-fish which the sea throws out, in great quantities, 
 on the shore. Shortly after passing Cramond, we saw the coast 
 so covered with muscles, that it appeared painted with a blue 
 colour : a mile further on, we could not perceive a single one, 
 and the coast again appeared white, with innumerable small shells, 
 of the species hearUshelL We left behind us a chain of small 
 islands, which indicated the direction of a hill under the sea, 
 extending from north to south, that is to say, perpendicularly in 
 the direction of the hills on the banks of the Firth. These islands, 
 among which is distinguished that of Inch Colm, are barren 
 and naked : on one only appeared an isolated house. Some 
 miles farther on we reached a fine wood of pine and fir-trees, 
 which forms a part of the extensive park belonging to Lord 
 Roseberry. We quitted, for a moment, the banks of the sea, in 
 order to traverse this forest, the abode of wild rabbits, where we 
 found a shelter against an approaching storm 5 the sky beginning 
 to overhang with dark clouds. Arrived on a little eminence, a pic- 
 turesque point of view presented itself to our eyes ; the gulf, 
 diminishing in width, had taken the appearance of a fine lake ; a 
 long promontory advanced into the waters ; a little island, or, to 
 speak moie correctly, a steep rock, surmounted by the ruins of an 
 ancient castle, raised its head in the middle of this lake ; dark 
 clouds, covering the summits of the mountains and distant hills, 
 spread an obscurity over all the surrounding objects ; the wind 
 whistled in the pine and fir-trees, which bounded the shore, and 
 the waves of the sea, rolling one against the other, caused a con- 
 fused and roaring noise. A black tinge, spread over the shores of 
 
Travels in Scotland, SJ 
 
 the island of Inch Garvey and its ancient castle, added still more 
 to the sublime effect of the picture. The rain was of short du- 
 ration ; in a few moments we saw the sky clear up, the clouds 
 dissipate, and the weather become perfectly serene 5 a singular 
 effect of the inconstancy of the climate, the heat and rain. Such 
 sudden variations are astonishing in the middle of winter, under 
 so high a latitude. We soon perceived Inch Garvey nearer to us, 
 illumined by a fine sky ; the opposite side of the county of Fife, 
 covered by hills and picturesque rocks, was no longer separated 
 from us but by a narrow arm of the sea, a mile and a half in 
 width ; but more to the west, the Firth again enlarged, and we 
 saw, at a distance, the snowy tops of the mountains of the High- 
 lands, which appeared to me to have much resemblance to the 
 Alps in Switzerland. 
 
 After a walk of four hours from Edinburgh, we arrived at the 
 burgh of South Queen's ferry, at a distance of nine miles from 
 the city, by the direct road. The season was not sufficiently 
 advanced to enable us to see all the beauty of the grounds, and 
 the magnificent palace of Lord Hopetown, which is at a little 
 distance from Queen's-ferry. I visited them some months later, 
 and I cannot say which struck me most, the splendour of this superb 
 edifice, which, by its extent and architecture, may rival with the 
 palaces of Italy ; or the beauty of its park, woods, and green turf 5 
 or, lastly, its situation on the summit of a hill, from whence it 
 commands the Firth of Forth. The prospect is not less enchanting, 
 either when regarding the gulf on the side towards the sea, we 
 see it covered with little islands of various forms, and at various 
 distances, encircled with banks, on which are distinguished innu- 
 merable towns and small villages, terminating at last in the hori- 
 zon, in the vast expanse of the German ocean ; — or, when turning 
 towards the west, the Firth is seen taking the appearance of a 
 small lake, the waves being exhausted at the base of the high hills 
 behind, which are seen again, the long chain of the Grampian moun- 
 tains. We had hardly arrived at Queen's-ferry when we found 
 the passage-boat ready to sail ; they received into it carriages, 
 horses, and passengers of all kinds ; we made haste to avail our- 
 selves of it in crossing the small arm of the sea which separated 
 us from the county of Fife. The order was given to hoist the 
 sail, the wind blew, and in less than a quarter of an hour we 
 reached the northern side of the gulf, after having sailed close by 
 the little island of Inch Garvey, and vi^e landed ai north Queen's- 
 ferry. This burgh, and the one we had just quitted, although se- 
 parated by a narrow and difficult passage, and situated in different 
 counties, bear the same name, and are only distinguished by the 
 epithets of North and South. This name, signifying the passage 
 of the Queen, is derived from Queen Margaret, wife of Malcolm 
 
3S Travels in Scotland, 
 
 Canmorc, who protected the two burghs, and frequently tfaVersed 
 the gulf in that part of the passage. 
 
 The grand route of the north of Scotland passes by north 
 and south Queen's Ferry, where travellers are obliged to em- 
 bark their carriages. A plan has been talked of, for digging a road 
 under the sea-coast, which, over a space of nearly three miles, 
 would be constantly lighted by lamps. It is pretended that this 
 singular project would not present many difficulties, and that ex- 
 periments have already demonstrated the possibility of it. In 
 fact, many galleries of numerous coal mines, which they have 
 worked on tliese coasts, have been pushed very far under the sea ; 
 there even exists one which has reached the middle of the passage. 
 If this work is once undertaken, it is to be feared that extraor* 
 dinary accidents would be opposed to its success ; the least gap 
 which would be formed in the rock, would suffice to inundate 
 entirely the subterraneous galleries ; and suppose even that all 
 the chances were favourable, would not the immense sums which 
 this establishment would cost, the keeping in repair and continual 
 lighting of this new kind of road, be disproportioned to any 
 advantages which might result from it ? 
 
 As we should have been at too great a distance from the sea^ 
 had we taken the high road to go to Inverkeithing, the first towri 
 to the east of North-Ferry, we preferred going along the coast, in 
 order to attain the same object. From the height of the rocks 
 which rise above Queen*s-ferry, there is a fine maritime view 
 to be enjoyed. Under our feet extended a bay, formed by the 
 promontory on which the burgh is built ; a crowd of small boats 
 were assembled for the herring fishery, and animated the land- 
 scape ; innumerable quantities of sea-gulls of all kinds, and the 
 great ash-coloured sea-bird, (goeland,) attracted by the hope of 
 seizing the small fish, which the fishermen threw out of their 
 nets, flew, fearless, around the boats, and came to catch these fish, 
 even in the very boat. A grey heron, concealed in the briars on 
 one of the little hills covered with grass, which bordered the shore, 
 flew away at our approach. 
 
 We passed through Inverkeithing — a dirty, disagreeable town^ 
 having a small port, which receives some fishing vessels. The 
 night surprised us ere we arrived at Aberdour, about three miles 
 distance from Inverkeithing ; the roads were bad and fatiguing. 
 We slept at Aberdour, a dull fishing town ; there is, however^ 
 some trade done there ; salt and coals, as well as salt herrings, 
 are exported. 
 
 A small creek forms the port of this village, and presents a 
 picturesque aspect. At the time we arrived, all the small boats 
 had gone out to the herring fishery. Between the port and Aber- 
 dour is to be seen a castle in ruins, formerly inhabited by the 
 
Travels in Scotla7id* 39 
 
 illustrious family of the Mortimers ; it belongs now to Lord 
 Murray, who is also proprietor of the island of Inch Colm, situ- 
 ated almost opposite to this village. There is also visible, on this 
 small island, the ruins of a monastery, consecrated to St. Colum- 
 ban. To the east of the port of Aberdour, the rocks become 
 steep, and form perpendicular hills from 100 to 150 feet in height 
 above the level of the sea, where the waves roll majestically along, 
 and break with a loud noise at their feet. Whilst we surveyed 
 the summit of these rocks, a terrible hurricane arose, the wind 
 blowing with incredible violence, drove whirlwinds of snow and 
 rain against us. The sea was agitated, the roaring of the waves 
 redoubled, the birds of the sea flew around us, uttering doleful 
 cries 5 at a distance we saw all the boats that were occupied in the 
 herring fishery, frightened by the tempest, and approaching the 
 shore. This storm was of short duration, and the clouds dispersed 
 in an instant. 
 
 Arrived at the most elevated point of the rocks, we found our- 
 selves on an esplanade of green turf. No description can paint 
 the beauty and the extent of the view which we enjoyed. Our 
 attention was alternately fixed on the sea, covered with boats; 
 on the coast which we had travelled along, cut into bays and high 
 rocks, and bounded by islands of a varied aspect ; and on the opposite 
 coast, where we still distinguished Edinburgh, the castle, and the 
 picturesque hills which suiTound it. Towards the east the shores 
 appeared to retreat : in removing to a distance, the gulf in- 
 creased, and the vast extent of the ocean terminated with the 
 horizon. We quitted with regret so fine a point of view, in order 
 to descend again on the sandy shore. Soon after we entered 
 into a wood, forming part of the park of Lord Morton ; and after 
 having followed for some time along footpaths bordered on each 
 side with small trees and briars, we arrived at a port capable of 
 receiving two or three single-masted vessels. An isolated house, 
 built on the borders of the sea, served as a habitation to a man 
 who salted and put up in barrels the herrings brought to him by 
 the boats of the neighbouring villages. Fifty barrels were filled, 
 and ready to be closed up ; we remarked with interest the arrange- 
 ment of these barrels, destined to be conveyed to distant places. 
 Many successive beds of salt and herrings were placed one over 
 the other ; the fish, after having been previously gutted, were 
 arranged symmetrically, like the rays of a circle, in a way to take 
 up the least space; thus each of these little barrels contained an 
 incredible number. The fly-fish attract generally with the her- 
 rings many flat-fish of a small size, such as soles, flounders, &c. 
 which they throw away as useless ; the sea coast was strewed 
 with them. Having stopped some minutes at Burntisland, a small 
 town, with a sufficiently large port, we saw, on our setting out, 
 
40 1 ravels in Scotland, 
 
 the whole land thickly covered with snow. In place of a brilliant 
 landscape which we had enjoyed in the morning, we found a real 
 northern prospect. The sea was of a black colour, and its coast, 
 white with the snow, formed a singular contrast. From Burnt 
 island to Pettycur, we travelled about two miles on a fine sand, 
 which formed the shore ; on our left, we saw the steep hills from 
 the heights of which Alexander III., King of Scotland, carried 
 away by his horse, was precipitated and killed on the spot. The 
 people, always eager for the marvellous, pretended that a sor- 
 ceress, to whom he had refused charity, had frightened his horse. 
 
 While waiting for the passage boat from Pettycur to Leith, 
 I examined on the sea« coast some basaltic rocks, disposed in 
 prisms of remarkable dimensions, but of a very irregular form^ 
 A small boat, already filled with passengers, again received us ; 
 the wind was variable, and blew with force ; night approached, 
 and the sailors, very uncertain of the weather, seemed to repent of 
 their avidity in filling beyond measure — an embarkation, which 
 a gale of wind would suffice to upset, and which the least surge 
 might overwhelm. However, the wind was favourable to us, and 
 in an hour we had traversed the seven miles which separates Leith 
 from Pettycur. All the little towns which we had passed through 
 on the coast of Fife, during this excursion, were formerly resi- 
 dences of the ancient Sovereigns of Scotland. They had palaces 
 there, besides many great and rich convents; but at this day 
 these towns are inhabited by more industrious classes of people, 
 such as miners, sailors, and fishermen. 
 
 I again crossed the firth fron[i Leith to Pettycur, towards the end 
 of February, with the intention of visiting that part of the 
 coast which extends to the east of this town. I had the plea- 
 sure of making this excursion with Mr. W. B , Advocate in 
 
 Edinburgh, whose affairs called him to this part of Scotland. 
 The passage from Leith to the coast of Fife is very animated. 
 Sloops and other vessels sail at all hours from each of these ports ; 
 it being the most direct communication from Edinburgh and 
 Leith with the Northern provinces. A violent south-west wind 
 caused our small vessel to sail but slowly, the prow of the boat 
 was frequently entirely immersed in the waves, and the surges 
 breaking against the planks, inundated the deck with foam. 
 Not being able to remain on deck, we were obliged to descend 
 into a dark and narrow cabin, filled with sea-sick passengers. 
 The passage was not long ; in 40 minutes we arrived at Pettycur^ 
 
 There we took a post-chaise and crossed to Kinghorn, at a 
 distance of a mile and a half from where we set out ; this 
 town, as well as that of Kirkaldy, which is three miles farther 
 on, is disagreeable, dirty, and ill built. But these two little sea- 
 ports are ram^rkable for the activity which prevails m thcni The. 
 
Travels in Scotland, 4 1 
 
 trade of coal from the neighbouring mines, that of salt extracted 
 from the sea water, the herring and cod fishery, &c. in fine, many 
 manufactories of woollen, linen, and cotton cloth, occupy all the 
 industrious population of these towns. 
 
 On leaving Kirkaldy we descended to see the ancient castle of 
 Ravenscheugh, situated on the sea coast, on rocks of very great 
 steepness. This castle, the ancient residence of the St. Clairs, 
 Counts of the Orkneys, is at present nothing but a massive ruin, 
 little picturesque in its appearance, and remarkable only for 
 its situation. It has become more interesting since the celebra- 
 ted Walter Scott has sung its praises in his charming poem, " The 
 Lay of the Last Minstrel :" it is in this place where the poet has 
 laid the scene of his touching episode of Rosabella ; and it was 
 from the castle of Ravenscheugh that this young female, of the fa- 
 mily of St. Clair, embarked to cross the agitated sea, in which she 
 was not long in finding a watery grave. 
 
 '1 he route soon after leaves the sea coast, and crosses a rich and 
 well cultivated country ; corn appears here to be the principal 
 culture, indicating good land and a good situation. We passed 
 by the fine fir woods belonging to the superb estate of the Earl 
 of Wcmyss. After dining at the handsome little inn of Windy- 
 gate, which, for its order and neatness, called to our recollec- 
 tion the English hotels, we again continued our route ; night 
 approached, and when we had crossed Leven — the darkness pre- 
 vented us from distinguishing objects. The little village of Le- 
 ven has acquired some celebrity for having given birth to Alex- 
 ander Selkirk, a sailor who, cast ashore by shipwreck on tlie 
 desert island of Juan Fernandez, lived for many years there entirely 
 alone. It was from the artless recital of this huml)le individual, 
 that Daniel De Foe composed the adventures of Robinson Cru- 
 soe. It is said his descendants still guard the box and the gun 
 which he had saved from the shipwreck and preserved in his 
 island. 
 
 We slept at the village of Kilconquhar ; the weather was se- 
 rene, and the moon reflected its trembling light in the little lake on 
 the banks of which the village is situated. 
 
 The next day, the '2is>i February, I made in the first instance 
 the tour of this fine lake, which is only a mile and a half in cir- 
 cumference ; on one side rises the little village of Kilconquhar, 
 surrounded with cultivated fields at the foot of a hill of consider- 
 able height ; the rest of the lake, bordered with fine woods of pine 
 and fir, is enclosed in the park of Sir John Anstruther. A thou- 
 sand wild birds take up their abode near this beautiful piece of 
 water, numerous flocks of ducks of all kinds swim in the middle 
 of the bason, rarely approaching the bank, and water fowls and moor 
 game mixulong with them} great flights of sea trulls, as well as some 
 
 Voyages. t'oL FI, G 
 
42 TraveU in Scotland, 
 
 ^cormorants, rapidly pass from one side to the other : among this 
 immense number of wild birds are to be seen many tame swans, 
 yirhich sail majesticrilly on the smooth surface of the waters. 
 
 Kilconquhar is not a mile and a half distant from the sea. 1 
 proceeded along the coast to examine the rocks, in particular those 
 called Kincaid-rocks, which had been indicated to me as enclo- 
 sing remarkable grottoes. After walking during' half an hour 
 across cultivated fields, on an unequal and rocky soil, I reached a 
 small eminence by the sea coast. An extensive view opened before 
 me, — I had arrived at the entrance of the gulf of Forth. I saw 
 the vast ocean on the east ; on the south, the coast of Dunbar, 
 North Berwick, the conical mountain called Berwick Law, rising 
 above the latter city ; in tine, the singular Bass rock issuing out of 
 the floods, like an isolated mountain. — A light mist threw a veil 
 over all these objects, from which I was separated by the whole 
 breadth of the Firth. This gulf had already begun to lose the 
 appearance of an unlimited sea, and to take the form of a fine 
 lake. I perceived at my feet the burgh of Earls-ferry, and far- 
 ther off to the east, the little port of Ely, and also the town of the 
 same name, situated on a sandy promontory. The sea had depo- 
 sited, in the environs of Ely and Earls-ferry, a great quantity of 
 sand, which is laid either in layers along the sea shore, or in 
 high heaps. In fine, I arrived near the black and steep rocks of 
 Kincaid ; their elevation is nearly 300 feet above the level of the 
 sea, and they are pierced with caves of more or less grandeur, called 
 the caves of Macduff, the name of one of the Thanes of Fife, the 
 (Contemporary of Macbeth. The largest of these caves, my guide 
 told me, is 200 feet in depth, by 160 in height. I was obliged to 
 icontent myself with his assertion, for the tide was high, and the 
 sea obstructed my entry into the grotto ; thus, it not only appear- 
 ed impossible for me to enter, but 1 could only see it very imper- 
 fectly. — There is no doubt but these grottoes are the work of the 
 waters of the sea ; their small elevation above its level, and the 
 very tender nature of the rock in which they are hollowed, seem 
 to me clearly to indicate this opinion. 
 
 In contemplating these rocks, I thought I observed in the mat- 
 ter which formed those at a distance from me, a tendency to take 
 the prismatical and regular figure of the basalt, I did not doubt 
 but there were a number of basaltic columns; it was impossible to 
 arrive at them in following along the coast, the sea cutting off all 
 communication between that part of the rock and the others. I 
 was obliged to endeavour to get at them from the top, which was 
 lio easy task. I at last, not without trouble, climbed up the 
 rapid declivity of a very high hill of sand, some prickly reeds 
 which grew in the sand, served to support me. Arrived at the 
 Jjeight, and finding myself on a level with the heights of the 
 
Travels in Scotland. 4i 
 
 Kincaid rock, I was not long in perceiving that portion of th^ 
 rock which formed a group of handsome basahic columns, of 
 the most perfect regularity ; but this remarkable group was 200 
 feet under me, and I was separated from it by a precipice, at the 
 bottom of which the sea rolled in tremendous waves. I looked 
 for a long time to find a way to descend, but the rock was per- 
 pendicular. At last, I discovered a place which appeared to m6 
 practicable, although almost vertical. I had so great a desire to' 
 examine closely these basaltic prisms, the first at all regular that 
 I had seen in Scotland, that, without dreaming of danger, T 
 glided along the best way I could, catching the tiifts of dry grass,- 
 which grew there in abundance, and serving myself, in the way of 
 steps, with the heads of the columns which grew out of the 
 earth like trunks of trees which had been cut a little above the 
 roots. 
 
 Arrived at the borders of the sea, I found myself at the foot of 
 a group of columns, of which I admired the regularity, and, I 
 may say, elegance ; the largest were twenty-five feet in height,- 
 and not more than six or eight inches thick ; they were so well' 
 ranged together, that they presented altogether the appearance 
 of the front of a full-sized organ ; some were straight, but 
 the greater part had a slight curve, without losing their paral- 
 lelism. I found, in mounting again, more difficulty, being 
 charged with the trunk of a small column, whose perfect re- 
 gularity had led me to carry it away. However, with much trou- 
 ble I reached the summit, where I again found my guide, who' 
 appeared astonished to see me return safe and sound. From 
 the top of these rocks is seen, at a little distance, the smali- 
 island of May, situated at the entrance of the Firth of Forth,- 
 and on which is placed a light-house, to indicate to vessels the 
 entry of this gulf. There is also a fine view over the vast bay of 
 Largo, which opens to the west of the rocks of Kincaid. It* 
 banks a little elevated, and well cultivated, are covered with 
 villages and burghs, such as Largo, Wemyss, and, farther off, 
 Dysart. On the opposite side is seen the Pentlarid Hills, and- 
 those of the environs of Edinburgh, which, at such a distance,- 
 seem almost lost in the clouds. 
 
 ]y|, g * * * conducted me to the house of the Pastor of Kil^ 
 conquhar, who expected us to dinner ; this respectable man re-" 
 ceived us with all the hospitality of the Scots, in the simple arid 
 modest manse which he inhabited with his family. He pressed^ 
 us much to finish the day with him, but we had to sleep at' 
 Windygate, where we did not arrive until late. 
 
 We set out the next morning before it was dawn, and^ itt- 
 order not to return to Edinburgh by the same route, we vreiit' a^ 
 roundabout way to see the small town of Kinross, and the beaiii-" 
 
44 - Trm^eb in Scotland. 
 
 tiful lake of Leven, on the banks of which it is built. The road 
 crosses through plains cultivated with care, at the feet of Lo- 
 mond hills, covered with grass and heath to their summit. Their 
 height, according to Mr. Jameson, is only 1650 feet; notwith- 
 standing their small elevation, as they command from afar all 
 the neighbouring country, they are perceived at a great distance. 
 We traversed the fine and rich villages which attest the prospe- 
 rity of agriculture in this part of the county of Fife. 
 
 However, on approaching Loch Leven, the country becomes 
 uncultivated, the valleys and mountains are covered with black 
 heath ; marshy plains, and turf pits, occupy the bottom of the 
 valleys, and the country in general, presents a dull and barren 
 aspect. But the moment the traveller arrives at the beautiful lake 
 of Loch Leven, nature embellishes, the landscape becomes 
 more open and gladsome. We coasted along for some time the 
 borders of this lake, ere we arrived at Kinross. This small 
 town, little remarkable in itself, is situated in a charming po- 
 sition on the banks of the lake, which not being more than 
 twelve miles in circumference, may be taken all in at one view. 
 The fine estate of Mr. Graham, by the side of Kinross, and on 
 the same banks, merits to be visited. From thence is seen the 
 best view of Loch Leven, and the surrounding mountains. It 
 was not without interest that I saw the little island that rises in 
 the middle of this fine piece of water ; the picturesque ruins of 
 the castle of Lochleven, which occupy nearly the whole extent of 
 it, adds to the beauty of the landscape, and the historical remem- 
 brances which attach to this ancient castle, augment the impres- 
 sion which it produces. 
 
 It was within the walls of this castle that Mary Stuart, after 
 the loss of the battle of Pinkie, was condemned to the hardest 
 captivity, by the confederated Lords of Scotland, having at their 
 head that same Murray who forced her to abdicate in favour of 
 his son. After many useless efforts to escape from her prison, 
 she owed her deliverance to the very brother of her cruel gaoler. 
 George Douglas, a young man eighteen years of age, struck with 
 the beauty of the Queen, and touched by her misfortunes, under- 
 took to save her ; having carried away from his brother the keys 
 of the castle, he brought, during the night, a small boat under 
 jthe walls, induced the Queen to escape from her prison, and con- 
 ducted her to a land where some faithful subjects awaited her, 
 and received her with transports of joy. On quitting the castle, 
 he threw the keys into the lake ; and I have heard it said, that a 
 fisherman, a few years ago, in drawing up his net, dragged along 
 with it from the bottom of the waters, those very keys which 
 had so long remained engulfed. Around the walls of the castle are 
 still seen some trees, venerable for their antiquity, under the 
 
Travels in Scotland. Ah 
 
 shade of which, there is no doubt, the unfortunate Mary many a 
 time seated herself. 
 
 Pennant relates that in the year 1335, the castle of Loch 
 Leven, although for a long time besieged by the English, refused 
 all capitulation. Repeated assaults not being attended with any 
 success, Sir John Stirling, the commander of the English troops, 
 had recourse to a singular method to render himself master of it. 
 He shut up by a strong bank the mouth of the small river which 
 runs from the lake, in a manner that its waters, no longer having 
 issue, began to rise rapidly, and threatened to inundate the 
 island, and even the fortress which governs it. But the Scottish 
 commander, profiting one day by a religious f^te, which a part 
 of the English army had gone to celebrate at the Abbey of Dun- 
 fermline, made a vigorous sortie, and broke down the bank ; the 
 waters, for a long time shut up, escaped with violence, and spread 
 over all the surrounding places, destroyed the English camp, and 
 put the army into complete disorder. 
 
 The lake of Leven produces in abundance the best fresh-water 
 fish, such as trout, pikes, perches, and eels, which are sent to 
 Edinburgh, where they are sold very dear. 
 
 After promenading on the borders of the lake, during a part of 
 the morning, we returned to Edinburgh by the way of Queen's 
 Ferry. 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 Continuation of the Environs of Edinburgh, 
 
 The small island of Inch-Keith was also the object of a voyage, 
 which I had the pleasure to make with Sir James Hall, Mr. 
 Allen, and some admirers of mineralogy, towards the middle of 
 April. Inch-Keith rises in the middle of the Forth, three miles 
 from Leith. We took a boat at Leith, and in sailing by the nu- 
 merous ships which anchored in the roads, I observed many sea- 
 gulls of different species, which flew round the vessels in hopes 
 of catching some food. Among them we found the Grey Goe- 
 land, (larus fuscue.) I saw also the beautiful black mantled 
 Goeland, (larus marinusj, the largest of sea gulls, which mixes 
 rarely with the others, and are never seen in troops. This grand 
 bird is generally seen swimming alone on the surface of the 
 agitated waves ; it is very wild, and difficult to be approached 
 within pistol shot. We came ashore at a small port, dug by the 
 
46 Travels in Scotland. 
 
 hands of nature, at the foot of very high rocks. After having 
 made the tour of the island, following along the sea-coast, which 
 is every where supplied by naked and barren rocks, we ascended 
 a fine down which covered the top of the island, where we saw 
 neither trees, bushes, nor any kind of shrub ; the people have not 
 even tried to plant any, the proximity of the sea being prejudicial 
 to their growth. At the most elevated point of the hill there is a 
 house, surmounted by a light. A man and a woman are the 
 only inhabitants of this isolated abode, and take care to kindle 
 every night the light of the beacon. A few years ago, there 
 were a great number of rabbits in the island ; but the sailors of 
 a Russian fleet, which lay some time in Leith Roads, destroyed 
 them all. The view from the light-house is a fine panorama 
 over the whole gulf. Edinburgh, Leith, Arthur's Seat, Salis- 
 bury Craigs, and the Calton hill, are finely seen, and present a 
 charming picture. 
 
 Pennant tells us that this island owes its name to the valiant 
 Keith, who displayed astonishing bravery at the battle of 
 Barry, in the county of Angus, gained in 1010 by the Scots 
 over the Danes. In recompense for his signal services, the 
 King granted him the Barony of Keith, and this little island. 
 Edward VI. having in 1548 sent an English army against Scot- 
 land, (a very ungallant way to obtain for his son the hand of the 
 young Queen Mary,) his soldiers fortified this island, which be- 
 came important to them, in order to protect the fleet with which 
 they ravaged the shores of the Firth, but they did not long keep 
 possession of it. General Desse de Montalembert, who com- 
 manded an auxiliary corps of GOOO French, sent by Henry II. 
 to the assistance of the Dowager Queen of Scotland, the mother 
 of Mary, rendered himself master of it, notwithstanding the vi- 
 gorous resistance of the English. Some years afterwards, the 
 parliament of Scotland ordained the demolition of these fortifi- 
 cations, and there is now no longer any trace of them to be 
 found. I saw, for the first time, at Inch-Keith, the fine birds 
 named here gannets, or Soland geese. These grand palmipedes, 
 of the size of a goose, have a very rapid flight, their plumage is 
 entirely white, except the black at the end of their wings, and a 
 slight yellowish tint on the head and neck They do not build 
 their nests at Inch-Keith, but on the Bass rock, a distance of 
 twenty-one miles. They set out from thence in the morning, to 
 spread over all the eastern parts of Scotland, at incredible dis- 
 tances, and return every evening to their steep rock, where they 
 live in thousands. 
 
 The desire of seeing this remarkable rock, from the quantity 
 of sea birds which take up thdr. abode there, and the wish to 
 profit by the society of Mr. Patrick Neil, secretary to the Society 
 of Natural History, and Mr. Ogilrie, a distinguished mineralo- 
 
Trdveb in Scotland, 47 
 
 gist, and pupil of Jameson, who were going to visit the southern 
 banks of the Firth of Forth, induced me to undertake this interest- 
 ing excursion in the middle of June, a time when nature is in 
 all its charms, and the aspect of the country is most delightful. 
 
 The route, on setting out from Edinburgh along the foot of 
 the hill of Salisbury Craigs and Arthur's Seat, on the side towards 
 the south, presents to the view gentle declivities, covered with 
 beautiful verdure. 
 
 Leaving at our left the extensive cavalry barracks, at that time 
 occupied by the Scots Greys, a corps remarkable for the ecl^t of 
 its uniform, and the beauty of its horses, entirely grey, we 
 arrived by the sea coast, at the handsome village of Portobello. 
 The Italian name agrees very well with this small town, known 
 for the mildness of its climate. One might fancy himself, on ar- 
 riving there, on the banks of the Mediterranean ; many delicate 
 persons come to enjoy a warmer air than that of Edinburgh, and 
 others resort in crowds, during the fine season, for the purpose of 
 Sea Bathing. Near this town there is still to be seen the remains of 
 a Roman pavement of large blocks of black basalt, which time has 
 rounded and so used, that they have taken a remarkable polish. 
 Some miles further on we came to the fine town of Musselburgh, 
 which, by its charming situation on the sea coast, its buildings 
 and its steeple, seen through the trees, recall to the mind the 
 small towns on the banks of the lakes of Switzerland. — The 
 sandy shore extends again from Musselburgh to Prestonpans, 
 which is at about three uiiles distance ; this large village, blackened 
 by the smoke of the numerous manufactories of Salt, Vitriol, and 
 Sulphate of Magnesia (Epsom-salts), &c. contains two thousand 
 inhabitants. They make also a great quantity of harpoons for 
 the Whale fishery. But what renders Prestonpans still more 
 interesting to the traveller, is the remembrance of the battle 
 here gained by Prince Charles Edward in 1745. 
 
 In continuing to follow the shore we arrived at LufFness,a charm- 
 ing little village, situated near the sea not far from Dirleton. 
 We visited first the great plains of sand along the coast between 
 Aherlady and Dirleton. These plains are composed of downs of 
 sand ranged in parallel lines, which begin at a few hundred 
 paces from the sea, and extend on the land side to a distance 
 of a mile from the shore. A very great number of rabbits fre- 
 quent these downs, the surface of which is covered with the arun- 
 do arenaria. The Eider, {Anas moUissima) a bird, the precious 
 feathers of which are known under the name of eider-down, 
 there brings up its young; its nest, established in the midst of 
 the reeds, on the naked sand, is composed of a greyish down, 
 mixed with straw and small pieces of wood. The female lays 
 five eggs, of a greep olive colour, and of the size of a goose^ 
 
€8 Travels in Scotland, 
 
 egg. During the time of sitting, she appears tame, and remains 
 on her nest without paying hardly any attention to what is pass- 
 ing around her ; it is only when they are quite ready, that she 
 resolves to quit her eggs. 1 saw one which had placed her nest at 
 the mouth of a rabbit burrow, in such a manner, that in order to 
 enter into its hole, the rabbit was obliged to pass under the 
 eider's nest. These two animals lived together in the greatest har- 
 mony. At my approach, the rabbit alarmed, ran with precipi- 
 tation to conceal itself under ground ; neither the noise it made 
 in saving itself, nor my approach, appeared to frighten the eider, 
 which made not the least movement. I stopped a long time to con- 
 template this bird, without my presence giving it the smallest un- 
 easiness, although I was was within four or five paces of it. 
 
 The inhabitants of these coasts have never once dreamed of 
 deriving advantage from a down by which the natives of Iceland 
 carry on such a lucrative commerce. There are, nevertheless, 
 on the shores, numbers of eiders sufficiently large to induce them 
 to profit by such an enterprise : they might even, with care and 
 necessary precaution, attract to the spot a larger quantity of 
 these ducks, and would thus, in the end, attain the valuable ob- 
 ject of rendering productive a completely barren soil, which will 
 never be of any value for agriculture. 
 
 The Icelanders have the art of making the gathering of 
 eider down so considerable a branch of commerce, that a barren 
 rock, or uncultivated island, of however little extent it may be, 
 becomes a treasure to a family, and is sold at a very high price, 
 when they know how to assemble many birds upon it. 
 
 It would be necessary, in order to reader this traffic as profitable 
 as possible, to obtain every information from Iceland ; as it 
 would be in the highest degree imprudent to make experiments 
 on this subject, without due deliberation ', for a brood improperly 
 deranged, would suffice to drive away all the ducks from the 
 country where they had established themselves. 
 
 It appears to me, that among this species there are many more 
 females than males ; as I have seen more than once, a single 
 male eider swimming at the head of a troop of five or six ducks. 
 
 The Tadorna, the most remarkable of the species of duck, for 
 the vivacity and agreeable distribution of the colours of its 
 plumage, inliabits also these latitudes ; it makes its nest in the 
 abandoned burrows of the rabbit, or perhaps in holes which it 
 digs for itself in the sand. When the young ones are hatched, and 
 when they are sufficiently strong to make the voyage, the male 
 and female frequently conduct their offspring to the sea shore, far 
 distant from their abode. 
 
 The children from the neighbouring villages profit by this cir- 
 cumstance, and advance, when the tide is low, in such a way as 
 
 I 
 
Travels in Scotlayid, 4^ 
 
 to prevent the return of the young tadonas towardi their nest, 
 and if tliey can reach ihem before they arrive at the sea, they catch 
 them very easily. By a stratagem to which I hnve been an eye-: 
 witness, the old tadonas frequently baffle their pursuers ; for 
 while the male flutters slowly about them and, feigning to be 
 hurt, diverts their attention from his beloved offspring, by giving 
 them the hope of taking himself, the female promptly gains the 
 sea with her young ; the male then, at full wing, swiftly flies 
 away, rejoins his mate, and leaves the pursuers quite ashamed at 
 being the dupe of a bird. 
 
 At some distance from these sands, towards the east, are four 
 small, uncultivated, and uninhabited islands or rocks, very near 
 the shore ; these are Idria, Faidra, Lamb, and Craig-Leith : we 
 took a boat to visit Faidra, the most remarkable of these islands. 
 The rock is entirely composed of basaltic columns, of the most 
 perfect regularity; some of these prisms rise vertically, others are 
 more or less inclined, but the greater part are horizontal ; some 
 are even to be seen curved ; the numl)er of sides of the prisms, 
 varies from three to eight ; the most common are hexagonal, 1 
 may observe here, that these basaltic rocks are precisely opposite 
 to those of Kincaid, of which I have before spoken, and they are 
 separated by the whole width of the Forth, which is here nearly 
 nine miles, A traveller who does not wish to visit the Hebrides, 
 may, then, without going further than twenty-one miles from 
 Edinburgh, see quantities of basaltic columns, which, less exten- 
 sive, and less striking, it is true, than those of Staffa, may, how- 
 ever, give him a very just idea of this curious geological phe- 
 nomenon. 
 
 The following day we arrived at the little town of North Ber- 
 wick, situated precisely at the entrance of the gulf of Forth. 
 North Berwick is a small sea-port, built at the foot of a hill named 
 North Berwick Law, the elevation of which is i)30 feet above the 
 sea. From the summit of this isolated hill were displayed to 
 our view the fine gulf of Edinburgh, and its various banks, the 
 chain of the hills of Lammermuir, at the feet of which ex- 
 tends a vast and rich plain admirably cultivated. The hills which 
 surround Edinburgh, the isle of May, in fine, the mass of Bass 
 rock, which rises like a gigantic tower from the bosom of the 
 deep, a mile and a half from North Berwick — these were . the 
 principal traits of this superb picture, constantly animated by 
 the passage of vessels, and embarkations of every form and mag- 
 nitude. 
 
 At the village of Castleton we took a boat, crossed the strait, 
 and landed on the Bass rock at the only accessible point, viz, to- 
 wards the western part. Scarcely had we arrived, when we wei^e 
 nearly stunned by the shrill and piercing cries of myriads of sea 
 
 VOTAGBS, Vol VI. H 
 
dtt' Travels in Scotland^ 
 
 birds ; to whatever side we turned, we perceived tlxim lying 
 down, flying, and swimming ; the air was literally obscured with 
 them. 
 
 Of all the aquatic birds which inhabit the Bass rock, the most 
 numerous are the soland geese. It was the season when these 
 birds lay their eggs, and the smallest projections on the perpen- 
 dicular sides of the rock, were occupied by their nests, wliich 
 are so crowded, that they actually touch each other. Nothing 
 can alarm this bird while sittnig on its eggs ; a gun fired off close 
 by its side, could not move it. The man who accompanied us, 
 took one up in his arms, but it was no more afraid tijan if it had 
 been a tame bird. These birds arrive on the Bass rock in Feb- 
 ruary, but it is not till the end of May that they begin building 
 their nests ; they leave about the month of September, to seek 
 the southern climates. It is not yet known in what country they 
 pass the winter. There are only four rocks inhabited by these 
 birdsy through the whole extent of Scotland and its islands : viz. the 
 Bass rock, from whence they spread over all the eastern coasts ; 
 the Ailsa rock, where those assemble whrch inhabit the west of 
 Scotland ; the Isle of St. Kiida, which affords a residence for those 
 of the Hebrides ; and the steep Fair Island, between the Orkneys 
 and the Shetland isles, which serves as an habitation for the 
 soland geese of these two groups of islands. Its food consists of 
 herrings, mackarel, and pilchards. In the month of August, when 
 the young are ready to quit their nests, they carry off a part of them 
 for the Edinburgh market^ where they are regarded as delicious 
 game : about two thousand are taken away every year. The per- 
 son charged to take them from their nests, suspends himself by a 
 rope tied round his body ; two men from the summit of the rock 
 hold the end of it ; with this feeble support, the courageous 
 game-hunter lets himself down the whole length of the perpen- 
 dicular sides of this enormous rock, and fearlessly contemplating 
 the frightful abyss under his feet, and the sea, which rolls at 
 400 feet under him,^ he seizes the young birds in their nests, and 
 throws them down into a boat which is placed at the foot of the 
 rock. In this manner he makes the tour of the rock, which is about 
 a mile in circumference, once or twice a week. 
 
 Few men are capable of supporting so terrible a proof of courage^ 
 The man who was for many years accustomed to this business, as- 
 sured me that there were moments in which he could not regard the 
 awful gulf beneath him without dismay ; he told me also, that a 
 stranger, whafrom curiosity wished to let himself down, was so 
 seized with affright when he saw himself suspended from such a 
 height, that he became completely deranged. 
 
 The weather was so favourable, and the sea so calm, that we 
 wer6 enabled several times to make the tour of the rock in a 
 
Travels in Scotland, f|l 
 
 boat, admiring how the inhabitants of this island of birds have 
 profited by all the little corners to establish their abodes by 
 stories one over the other. On this rock are to be seen the ruins 
 of a strong wall, flanked with towers, the only remains of the 
 Castle of Bass, which, before the invention of artillery, passed 
 for a citadel of great force. Thus, in the war which took place 
 in the middle of the 16th century, the English made fruitless, 
 efforts to render themselves masters of it ; the reply of the Scot- 
 tish commander to the summons of the English general, bears a 
 character of originality which accords well with the situation of 
 the fort and its resources. 
 
 The English, having arrived at the foot of the castle, wished to make 
 an attempt to induce the governor to surrender : they accordingly 
 offered him a considerable sum, to be distributed to the garrison; 
 but they only received the following pleasant and ingenious reply : 
 " Never has a man, loaded with so much gold, been able to climb 
 a rock which is accessible only to the birds ; I advise you, then, 
 to make a better use of your gold, which you have great occasion 
 for to support the war against the French ; as for the rest, — the 
 garrison, and the inhabitants of this aerial castle, will never want 
 provisions while the birds take so great care to supply them with 
 abundance." The soldiers of the castle, to the number of a 
 hundred, actually had no other support than the fish which the 
 Soland geese brought them at all hours, and no other fuel to warm 
 themselves during the winter than the pieces of wood with which 
 these same birds built their nests in the spring. 
 
 Although the castle of Bass has long since been destroyed, the 
 place of governor still subsists ; Sir Hugh Hamilton Dalrymple, 
 of North Berwick, at present occupies it : besides the consider- 
 able profit which he derives from increasing the produce of the 
 birds, this title gives him two votes for the election of a repre- 
 sentative in parliament ; so that these birds are better represented 
 than many of the other inhabitants of Great Britain. 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 Glasgow --l^imbarton CaHle — Loch Lomond-^ Renton, ^c. 
 
 Having a desire to visit GUisgow and Loch Lomond, we set out 
 from Edinburgh, on the third of May ; the weather was very bad, 
 and an abundant rain appeared to be set in for the day. That which 
 we saw of the country on the road, made us little regret what the 
 
52 Travels in Scotland, 
 
 mists concealed from our view. Small miserable looking villages, 
 a few country seats, the greater part uninteresting, were the only 
 objects which presented themselves to our view, with large woodsy 
 of fir and larch, which formed, on the summit of the hills, long 
 regular lines, and in no way picturesque. The more we remove 
 from Edinburgh, the more the country becomes barren and un- 
 cultivated, and soon we find ourselves in the midst of a vast and 
 black heath, inhabited by quantities of grouse or moor-game. 
 
 By degrees, however, on approaching Glasgow, this sterile re- 
 gion gives place to cheerful meadows and luxuriant fields. In- 
 stead of a naked and deserted plain, pleasing little hills are pre- 
 sented to the view, covered with fine green turf, and adorned with 
 trees and shrubs of all kinds ; rivulets winding in the small valleys, 
 which separate those hills, and forming into handsome cascades. 
 The weather now cleared up, and on arriving by the eastern side, 
 tve enjoyed the fine view presented by the city of Glasgow. 
 
 Glasgow is a beautiful city, its streets are well laid out, and 
 cut into right angles ; the houses are elegant, and constructed 
 of hewn stone ; its situation, in the middle of a plain, is much 
 less remarkable than that of Edinburgh ; and although a great 
 commerce, numerous manufactures, and a considerable popula- 
 tion, animate this city, Edinburgh will always appear more striking 
 to foreigners. It is therefore unnecessary to compare two cities 
 which differ in so many respects. In order duly to appreciate the 
 city of Glasgow, the stranger must visit in detail all its fine fac- 
 tories of cotton and stuffs of all kinds, and its manufactures, 
 which rival the most flourishing of those in England ; he must 
 penetrate into the numerous work-shops, where those talents 
 and industry are displayed, which, in this country, have brought 
 commerce to so high a pitch of prosperity. Here we find, every 
 day, some new inventions discovered, and instruments and ma- 
 chines, already known, brought to perfection. Those vast enter- 
 prises originate here, by which they hasten to apply to the mecha- 
 nical arts the discoveries of physicians and chemists ; enter- 
 prises which so eminently characterize the inhabitants of Great 
 Britain. 
 
 If the activity, and the great number of manufactories in Glas- 
 gow, have caused this city to be compared to Manchester, we may 
 also, with equal justice, put it upon a footing with Liverpool for 
 the extent of its commercial relations with foreign countries. 
 Although situated in the heart of the country, Glasgow possesses 
 also the advantages of a sea port, owing to the fine river of the 
 Clyde which runs through it ; a river which, by its depth, it^ 
 breadth, and the tranquillity of its course, is rendered navigable 
 to vessels of considerable bulk. 
 
 Whilst Glasgow, in this manner, enjoys an entrance into the. 
 
Travels in Scotland. 5B 
 
 Atlantic ocean, the canal which unites the rivers Forth and Clyde, 
 opens a communication with the Firth of Forth, and consequently 
 with all the countries of Europe, by the German ocean. Thus 
 there are few commercial cities in Great Britain, London except- 
 ed, in which the commercial relations are so considerable. 
 
 Although Glasgow is principally indebted for its celebrity to its 
 commerce, yet the sciences and liberal arts are cultivated with 
 advantage, and the University of this city enjoys a well-merited 
 renown in Europe. 
 
 It will be sufficient to cite SImson and Maclaurin in the Ma- 
 thematics, and Dr. Reid in Moral Philosophy, to give an idea of 
 the transcendent merit of the Professors, to whom this Univer- 
 sity has confided public instruction. Dr. Young, who at present 
 occupies the Greek chair, passes for one of the most profound 
 scholars of Great Britain. 
 
 The system of education is here very different from that which 
 is adopted in Edinburgh, and resembles more those of the Eng- 
 lish Universities. The students, of whom the number amounts 
 to nearly four hundred, are subjected to a peculiar discipline, and 
 are distinguished by long red robes, which they are obliged con- 
 stantly to wear. 
 
 The college is a very ancient building, of a heavy and massive 
 Gothic architecture. The interior courts and turrets, the angles 
 of which are flanked, give it the resemblance of a prison, and its 
 dreary aspect almost inspires a sentiment of pity for the students 
 who are enclosed within its walls. 
 
 At a short distance from the college we remarked an edifice of 
 elegant architecture, ornamented by a fine peristyle of the Doric 
 order ; it is there that is enclosed the anatomical cabinet of Dr. 
 Hunter. The Infirmary, situated in the most elevated part of 
 the city, is of so fine an architecture that, as has been remarked, 
 this vast building more resembles a Palace than an Hospital. 
 
 Near this is the Cathedral, perhaps one of the most ancient 
 churches in Scotland, and one of those which the fanatic zeal of 
 the puritans had the least ravaged. But it is not, certainly, one of 
 the finest Gothic edifices which exist in this country ; its appear- 
 ance is massive, the ornaments of it are heavy, and the workman- 
 ship of the windows has nothing elegant or light about it. It was, 
 however, with pleasure that we remarked, in the interior of the 
 Cathedral, a handsome chapel, with painted window-glass, which 
 has a very fine effect. 
 
 We were able to judge, on perambulating Glasgow, that the 
 inhabitants were occupied with as much activity as in Edinburgh, 
 in the embellishment and the enlargement of the city. During 
 the last forty years, new streets and districts have been erected, 
 and they are still going on iijiproving 5 every where they are 
 
64 Travels in Scotland, 
 
 building, and working after a regular plan ; it appears to me that 
 the luxury of architecture is here carried to greater extent than in 
 Edinburgh ; we remarked many more private houses ornamented 
 with columns and pilasters. 
 
 Near the river Clyde, which runs under three fine bridges, 
 is a very fine promenade, or rather a large park, covered with 
 green turf, and shaded by groups of trees. They have erected a 
 fine monument to the memory of Lord Nelson in the middle of 
 this vast plain ; but scarcely had it been finished, when the light- 
 ning displaced many of the enormous blocks of stone of which 
 it is composed. Glasgow is here displayed under the most fa- 
 vourable point of view ; the Clyde, which is not very large, runs 
 gently between two banks, adorned with verdure ; it is much to 
 be regretted that its waters are not clear, but their surface is con- 
 stantly furrowed by a crowd of vessels and small craft, which 
 ascend or descend the current of the river, and present, ftt all 
 hours, the most animated spectacle. 
 
 After a short stay we quitted Glasgow with regret, and set out 
 for Loch Lomond ; the weather was cold, and the sky covered 
 with clouds. The country to the west of Glasgow is well culti- 
 vated, ornamented with fine lands, and handsome country seats, 
 watered by the river Clyde, which winds in the midst of verdant 
 meadows, and clusters of the finest trees. Near the village of 
 Dalmuir, we passed by the grand canal which joins the gulfs of 
 Forth and Clyde. Seeing only from the great road the sails and 
 rigging of sloops, and small vessels which navigate in the canal, 
 without being able to perceive the canal itself, it seemed as if 
 these vessels were sailing in the midst of meadows and fields. 
 
 Arrived at the village of Friskyhall, we discovered the pic- 
 turesque rock on which Dumbarton castle is situated ; it is an 
 isolated mass which rises in the middle of a plain, the basis of 
 which is washed by the Clyde. The nearer we approach it, the 
 more the effect becomes striking : one might fancy seeing the 
 famous rock of Gibraltar ; and in fact, those two isolated rocks 
 have some analogy in their position. The small town of Dumbar- 
 ton is built at a little distance from the rock, at the junction of 
 the Clyde and the small river of Leven, which descends from 
 Loch Lomond. Dumbarton is the capital of the county of the 
 Bame name ; here the Lowlands terminate, and the Highlands 
 icommence. 
 
 At the inn where we alighted at Dumbarton, all was in move- 
 ment to receive three of the Judges of the Court of Session, 
 from Edinburgh, who were making their circuit in the western 
 counties. These judges go successively to every capital of a 
 county, in order to hold the assizes. Those who proceed to the 
 Highlands, have generally much less occupation than those of 
 
Travels in Scotland. yp. 
 
 their colleagues, who are charged with the more populous and 
 civilized counties of the Lowlands. The difference which exists 
 between the number of criminal processes in the two parts of 
 Scotland, must not be attributed alone to the population : it is a 
 fact, that among the poor and wild inhabitants of those moun- 
 tains, crimes are much less frequent than among the rich inhabi- 
 tants of the plains. For several years the assizes have not had 
 to pronounce on a single accusation of murder in the county of 
 Argyle, the population of which is 75,700 souls. 
 
 We entered the castle of Dumbarton, conducted by one of the 
 soldiers of the company of Veterans which compose the garrison 
 of this fort ; it is one of the places which, according to the trea- 
 ty of Union of the two kingdoms, was to be maintained by the 
 Scots. Its position, at the entrance of one of the principal val- 
 leys of the Highlands, and on the banks of the Clyde, which 
 it commands, renders this fortress of sufficient importance to 
 restrain the Highlanders of the west, in case of rebellion; and 
 at the same time to protect the navigation of the river, the bat- 
 teries of which are armed by twenty-one pieces of large cannon. 
 
 The ancient inhabitants of Caledonia knew so well how to 
 fortify this steep rock, that, according to Boece, Agricola, at the 
 head of the Roman armies, was defeated before their entrench- 
 ments. There are some reasons for believmg that this was also 
 the place which, in Ossian, is designated under the name of Bal- 
 clutha. 4 
 
 It was for a long time the capital of the tribe of Britons who 
 lived between the walls of Antoninus and Severus. From thence 
 proceeds the name of Dunbriton, or Dumbarton, {the Fort of the 
 Britons.) The Saxon historians name it Jlcluydt, In order to 
 reach its summit we must cross a narrow passage among the 
 rocks. An ancient bridge, formed by a single arch, as narrow as 
 it is elevated, communicates from one rock to another, and when 
 seen from below, presents a picturesque coup d^cBil. The ruins of 
 an ancient tower commands the summit of the rock, and from 
 thence an immense extent of country is presented to the view. 
 The Clyde is seen enlarging more and more, and winding among 
 cheerful meadows, the eye follows its course to a great distance 
 towards the west, where this river opens into a large gulf, which 
 takes the name of the Firth of Clyde, and which greatly surpasses 
 in extent the Firth of Forth. At a distance is perceived, on its 
 southern banks, the cities of Port Glasgow and Greenock. A vasi 
 number of vessels sail along the waters of this charming bay, 
 and the hi^h mountains of Argyleshire terminate this fine land- 
 scape towards the west. If we turn towards the north, the city 
 of Dumbarton is at our feet ; the Clyde and the Leven sprinkle it 
 ^vith their waters, as different in colour as in volume. The Leven 
 
56 Travels in Scotland, 
 
 rolls its clear and limpid waves like a rivulet of the Alps ; the 
 eye may follow its course to a great distance, and perceive the 
 mountains which border Loch Lomond, from whence this river 
 takes its source. We were prevented from enjoying this point of 
 view in all its beauty by the thick clouds which obscured the 
 summits of all these mountains. 
 
 On descending from the castle we were shown the place where 
 Wallace the deliverer, — the William Tell of Scotland, — was 
 made prisoner. The barracks are erected on the very spot, and 
 an ancient sword is preserved, which is said to have belonged to 
 the hero. We saw this antique and venerable weapon ; it is ex- 
 actly of the same form, and the same size, as the enormous double 
 handed swords which are shown in the arsenals of Switzerland. 
 Small pieces of unmounted cannon, supported against the wall, at- 
 tracted our attention : " These cannons," said the old soldier, with 
 a melancholy air, who attended us as guide, — " these cannons be- 
 longed to owr Charlie/' meaning Prince Charles Edward the Pre- 
 tender; for whose memory many old men, in the mountains of 
 Scotland, still preserve the most inviolable attachment. 
 
 On quitting Dumbarton we directed our steps towards the north, 
 and followed the route to Inverary. 
 
 At the handsome village of Renton we saw a column of the 
 Doric order, remarkable for its beauty, and bearing a long inscrip- 
 tion. This monument has been erected to Smollett, who was 
 born in the village. This writer, who was an honour to Scotland, 
 was illustrious in more than one branch of literature ; his con- 
 tinuation of Hume's History of England, assigns him a distin- 
 guished rank as an historian ', and all the world are acquainted with 
 his novels. Roderick Random, Peregrine Pickle, and Humphrey 
 Clinker, are full of gaiety and originality ; he has, in general, 
 described the manners of the lower and ignoble classes of the 
 people, and we may sometimes reproach him with a want of taste 
 and delicacy, in the choice of his similes and expressions ; but 
 we cannot deny him great comic humour, and particular talent 
 for caricature. Smollett has also distinguished himself in poetry. 
 
 At a little distance from Renton, we arrived on the waters of 
 the beautiful Loch Lomond, and in following along its banks, its 
 charming and numerous Isles were successively displayed to our 
 view; there are some of all forms and dimensions; some, eleva- 
 ted and steep, appeared like deserted rocks : others are covered 
 with woods, and serve as a retreat for roe-bucks and deer ; others 
 again rise only a little above the water, and are planted with 
 trees and shrubs, distributed in groups and clusters. In short, 
 every thing which Nature can present, both varied and picturesque, 
 is found united in the scenes which the banks of this charming 
 lake present to the enraptured view. But the season was not 
 
Travels in Scotland, Sif 
 
 sufficiently advanced to see the landscape in all its splendouf ; 
 the trees were yet destitute of leaves, and the lofty mountain of 
 Ben Lomond, the principal trait wanting to this picture, was 
 entirely concealed by clouds. The road passes by Roesdue, the 
 magnificent estate of Sir James Colquhoun, and near to this 
 romantic lake. The small village of Luss is situated in a fine 
 position by the side of the water, and at the foot of the lofty 
 mountains. Ben Lomond rises on the opposite bank, and when 
 the weather is favourable, it may be seen with great effect. 
 
 With the exception of the church and the inn, which are 
 regularly built, we only saw, in perambulating the village, huts of 
 an extraordinary construction ; a stone wall, without cement, 
 and not very high, forms the enclosure of these mean habitations, 
 a very low door, and one or two small windows, admit the light 
 of day, and serve at the same time to give vent to the smoke of a 
 peat fire, burning in the middle of the only room which these 
 houses contain. A thatched roof, grossly put together, covers 
 these poor huts, which do not ill resemble our chalets, or cheese- 
 houses, of the Alps. As we advanced towards the door of one 
 of them, in order to examine the interior, a good old wo- 
 man, who inhabited it, came before us, and begged us to enter ; 
 she offered us, with true Scottish hospitality, a glass of whiskey ; 
 to have refused would have disobliged, and to have offered money 
 would have offended her. The reception which we should have 
 met with from the rich and civilized inhabitant of an elegant 
 cottage in the southern part of this isle, would have been very 
 different. For myself, as a traveller, I infinitely prefer the wild 
 huts of the Highlands, where the stranger is always welcome, to 
 those farms which are so comfortable^ that we can hardly see any 
 thing but the outside. 
 
 Constrained to renounce our project of climbing Ben Lomond, 
 towards the close of the day we mounted on one of the hills ad- 
 joining to Luss. From its summit, the appearance of the lake, 
 and its numerous isles, on different planes, and at various distances, 
 presented a fine spectacle. But our regards could not be turned 
 aside from the wild mountains by which we were surrounded on 
 the south and on the west ; those elevated hills, entirely covered 
 with green turf, and mixed with a black and dull heath, enclosed 
 valleys still more dismal. One of them. Glen Molachan, struck 
 us, by the extreme solitude and profound silence which seemed 
 to reign over it. 
 
 This dreary valley, which appeared as the sojourn of death, 
 descends by a rapid declivity between two mountains, and is co- 
 vered with nothing but thickets of an obscure heath, and all that 
 surrounds it, as far as the eye can reach, presents a similar ap- 
 pearance. A little brook runs at the bottom, and is partly coa- 
 
 VOYAGES, Vol VI. I 
 
58 Travels in Scotland, 
 
 cealed under the heath. The night was approaching, the thick 
 clouds which obscured the last rays of light, added fresh horror to 
 this picture. A black lake, placed between the barren promon- 
 tories and steep rocks, without the least appearance of culture or 
 habitation, presented, towards the north, a point of view, at least 
 as wild as that of Glen Molachan. 
 
 • I cannot express the profound awe which I felt from this impo- 
 sing scene of nature, in that ancient land, which is still pre- 
 sented to our eyes, such as it was seen and sung by Ossian and 
 the ancient bards. 
 
 One might believe he heard, in the howling of the winds, the 
 mystical and melancholy voice of the Scottish bard ; contemplate 
 with him the souls of his errant warriors, on the deserted heaths ; 
 or see with Shakespeare the infernal spirits plotting among them- 
 selves their dark projects against the human race, in those im- 
 mense districts, abandoned by mankind ; a Macbeth, loaded with 
 crimes and remorse, hurrying over the deserted mountains, form- 
 ing new projects of ambition, hatred, and vengeance, and every 
 where finding nature in harmony with the dark thoughts of his 
 soul. 
 
 Few sites, even in the wildest and most savage places of Swit- 
 zerland, in the midst of the eternal ice of its valleys, the hoar 
 frosts of its enormous mountains, have made a livelier impres- 
 sion on me than this first entry into the Highlands. It appeared 
 to me, that I found in this dreary nature the secret of the wild 
 and melancholy character of the inhabitants of these mountains, 
 of their superstitions, their plaintive music, and that poetry which 
 speaks to the imagination by the most brilliant images. 
 
 At Cardross we took a boat, and soon after reached Port Glas- 
 gow. This small sea-port, as well as that of Greenock, presents 
 a very animated aspect. We may form an idea of the resources 
 of the country, when two commercial cities are seen so near each 
 other, without their proximity being at all detrimental to their 
 industry. On the contrary, each of these cities gains every day 
 more importance and extent; both depend upon Glasgow for the 
 enterprises of commerce ; and the astonishing prosperity of that 
 great city, reflects its lustre upon the two minor ones. The lar- 
 gest vessels can enter into these ports, where they are unloaded, 
 and the goods are forwarded to Glasgow in smaller ones. 
 
 Before reaching the village of Oldkirk, which is inhabited by 
 sailors and fishermen, a very fine view of the bay of the Clyde 
 presents itself; the direction of its banks has entirely changed ; 
 they had always run from south-east to north-west, as far as 
 Greenock ; now they extend from north to south, till they are out 
 of sight. 
 
 From Oldkirk we continued our way along the water side. The 
 
Travels in Scotland. 59 
 
 rocks which border it are elevated, and enclose profound grottoes. 
 At every little distance are perceived the ruins of ancient castles, 
 built by the Danes, on the summits of the rocks ; these ruins, 
 not very picturesque in themselves, produce effect only from their 
 position. At the feet of the perpendicular rocks, and on the 
 bauks of the sea, are erected handsome country seats, equally 
 remarkable for the elegance of their gardens, as well as for the 
 beauty of their situation. New Glasgow is, of all these pleasure- 
 houses, the most striking ; on the banks of the bay of Wemyss, 
 and at the foot of a hill covered with fine fir-woods, four friends, 
 all merchants of Glasgow, have built four handsome little houses, 
 exactly alike, almost contiguous one to the other, and each having 
 a little garden. They have named this little colony New Glasgow, 
 and have there established themselves with their families. Near 
 these charming habitations, which present to the mind the idea of 
 peace and happiness, stands the fine house of Mr. Wallace, which 
 almost resembles a palace. 
 
 We continued our journey along these charming banks ; the 
 beauty of the evening, the mildness of the air, the calmness of 
 the sea, which seemed only like a peaceful lake, every thing pro- 
 mised fine weather for the next day 5 and with this cheering 
 perspective we arrived at the village of Largs. This place is 
 celebrated in the history of Scotland by the battle which took 
 place there in 1263, in which Alexander III., of Scotland, com- 
 pletely defeated Hacon IV., king of Norway, and dwve the Nor- 
 wegians and the Danes from this coast, which they had for a long 
 time possessed. 
 
 The weather did not come up to our expectations ; we were 
 obliged to set out from Largs with a continual rain and violent 
 wind. After travelling fifteen miles, very disagreeably, on fright- 
 ful roads, we arrived at Saltcoats, much fatigued and completely 
 drenched. 
 
 The small town of Saltcoats possesses nothing remarkable in 
 itself; it is a small port, where the vessels of the neighbouring 
 countries, and the ships arriving from Ireland, take shelter, when 
 they are overtaken by a storm in the midst of the Firth of Clyde. 
 A small number of manufactories of salt, soap, &c. are the only 
 objects which, for a few hours, can attract the attention of the 
 traveller, detained by contrary winds. The commerce of this 
 
 city, in pit-coal, is very considerable. Mr. C , the proprietor 
 
 of the greater part of the mines in the environs, is also propri- 
 etor of the salt manufactory. Thus he is, in some measure, the 
 soul of all the inhabitants of this city. His steam-engines, which 
 he showed us, are in fine condition and of all dimensions. He 
 has lately caused a very considerable one to be constructed, on 
 
()0 Truveh in Scotlan(L 
 
 the principle of Mr. Watt, which greatly augments the energetic 
 farce of these valuahle machines. 
 
 At the distance of a mile to the north of Saltcoats are seen the 
 ruins of tlie ancient castle of Ardrossan, one of the forts which the 
 Danes erected in such numbers, when they possessed this part of 
 Scotland. The inhabitants are now occupied in building a small 
 town in this place ; many workmen are employed in constructing 
 a large port. This enterprize will be of infinite utility in affording 
 to vessels, going up or descending the bay, a shelter against bad 
 weather 5 an advantage which formerly did not exist ; for the 
 small port of Saltcoats is not safe, and cannot admit large vessels. 
 The construction of this port, undertaken by Lord Eglinton, is 
 as expensive and difficult as it is useful ; for the sea is strewed 
 with rocks to a great distance. 
 
 The rain and westerly wind having abated, we quitted Saltcoats, 
 and embarked on board the packet-boat, which serves as the com- 
 munication between the Isle of Arran and the main land ; the fine- 
 ness of the weather, the serenity of the sky, the calmness of the 
 sea, the air not even agitated by a breath of wind, would have 
 afforded many charms to a poet, or sentimental novellist, but had 
 little for us, who were anxious to arrive promptly at Arran. 
 
 It was in vain we used the oars, hoisted the sails at the least 
 breeze, or profited by the slightest breath of wind, we could not 
 advance ; Saltcoats always appeared to us at the same distance. 
 Seven hours were elapsed, and we had not sailed more than six 
 miles. We enjoyed, however, the beauty of the view : on the 
 north, the Isles of Bute and Combray appeared as loW grounds, 
 or small elevations above the water ; on the west, the fine isle of 
 Arran, with its high mountains, rocks, and bays ; on the south, 
 the unbounded extent of the Irish Sea, in the midst of which we 
 sawj at a distance, the huge rock of Ailsa. This mountain is 
 of a conical form, and so steep that, similar to the Bass rock, it is 
 only inhabited by innumerable tribes of sea-birds. We saw, on 
 another side, the banks of the county of Ayr, extending from 
 north-east to south-east, and terminating by the perpendicular 
 promontory known under the name of the Mull of Galloway. 
 
 We had already despaired of arriving at Arran that day, when 
 one of the sailors announced to us that a north breeze had sprung 
 up ; he begged us to listen, we heard a hollow and confused mur- 
 mur ; a ray of deep blue bounded the sea towards the north ; our 
 hopes were speedily realized ; a favourable wind swelled our sails, 
 and after being so long immoveable, we felt ourselves transported 
 with velocity on the waters, which now began to be agitated. Al- 
 ready the coasts of Ayrshire no longer appeared, but as light 
 clouds which rise on the borizon ; and we perceived, on the Isle of 
 
Travels in Scotland, 61 
 
 Arran, a thousand minutiae which, until then, we had not been 
 able to discover. We distinctly saw the bay of Brodick, where 
 we were about to enter, and the Isle of Lamlash, which rises like 
 a mountain near the coast of Arran ; soon after, we distinguished 
 cultivated fields in the environs of Brodick ; then the castle itse'if, 
 and in the twinkling of an eye we were transported by a violent 
 gale of wind into the bay of Brodick. 
 
 The boat cut through the waves with astonishing rapidity, and 
 that sea, a little while ago so calm, now rolled in immense billows, 
 and menaced, by its fury, to punish us for the murmurs we had 
 vented against its tranquillity. Thousands of birds were swim- 
 ming peaceably on the agitated sea, and, without being afraid of 
 our boat, they often passed within pistol-shot of us. We cast 
 anchor under the walls of the castle, after a passage of twenty- 
 one miles, made in ten hours. The packet boat being unable to 
 Hind, we were again obliged to brave the fury of the sea in a 
 smaller one, before we reached the much desired shore of Arran, 
 which we at length touched. 
 
 The administrator of the domains of the Duke of Hamilton, 
 Mr. Lamont, (whose son was one of the passengers in our packet 
 boat,) as well as the principal inhabitants of this part of the Isle, 
 were on the shore ; they waited with impatience the arrival of the 
 vessel, — the sole communication which they had with the civilized 
 world, — the packets sailing only once a week. 
 
 Scarcely had we set foot on land before we received an invita- 
 tion from Mr. L. to dine with him the next day at the castle, 
 which he inhabits. He saw in us the fellow-travellers of his son, 
 and this was, to Scottish hospitality, a sufficient recommenda- 
 tion. 
 
 I was singularly struck, on disembarking, with the wild and 
 desert aspect of the isle ; we saw on all sides of the bay nothing 
 but elevated mountains, covered with a black heath, and uncul- 
 tivated valleys, or naked and barren rocks. On the southern banks 
 of this bay, nothing at a distance was perceived but high rocks, 
 with the tide beating against them, commanded by summits not 
 less wild, and entirely abandoned by men. The storm which had 
 driven us with so much rapidity, had-also brought with it thick 
 clouds, which, extending along the mountains, or enveloping their 
 lofty heights, spread obscurity around us. The dark and mena- 
 cing clouds were in harmony with the severe aspect of nature, 
 still more imposing by the rolling of the waves, which dashed 
 against the rocks of the shore. 
 
 Some miserable huts, scattered here and there, at great dis- 
 tances from each other, were the only objects which indicated to 
 us that this Isle, however sterile it might be, was not altogether 
 deserted. I had heard talk of a town of Brodick, where we 
 
62 Travels in Scotland, 
 
 ought to land ; I sought for it, but I saw only the castle. What 
 was my surprise, when the people pointed out to me, on the banks 
 of the shore, four or five small huts, grossly covered with thatch, 
 and difficult to be distinguished from the rocks and the land : this, 
 I was told, was the town of Brodick, — the capital of the Isle of 
 Arran. A fishing village would have been a superb city compared 
 to this Brodick, which resembles the most miserable establish- 
 ment of a horde of Laplanders. 
 
 If such is the metropolis, what must be the remote towns and 
 villages ? This was our first and melancholy idea. However, this 
 disagreeable impression wore off, when we had been conducted 
 into a house of pretty good appearance, which we had not yet 
 perceived. It was a small inn, where we soon found we should 
 not be so badly off as we had at first imagined. 
 
 Impatient to have an idea of the surrounding country, we pro- 
 iSted by what remained of the day, in order to travel across^ plain 
 covered with furze, (ulex Europeus) towards a small grove of fir- 
 trees, called Brodick-wood, near which many interesting minerals 
 were to be found. A large stone, planted vertically in the ground, 
 on the borders of the wood, attracted our attention. It was one 
 of those blocks which were placed by the ancient inhabitants of 
 these mountains over the graves of their chiefs and most illus- 
 trious warriors. This huge monument, situated in so wild a place, 
 could not fail to inspire a lively interest. We wished we could 
 penetrate the profound obscurity which veils those remote periods, 
 and interrogate the simple monuments of a nation whose history 
 is absolutely unknown to us. 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 Isles of Arran and Bute, with remarks on the Climate, ^Agriculture, 
 and Manners of the Inhabitants, 
 
 The next day, being Sunday, Mr. Lamont came early, to conduct 
 us on horseback to the church of Lamlash, a village about seven 
 miles from Brodick. The clouds, which were not so low on the 
 mountains as they were the evening before, permitted us to see bet- 
 ter the environs of the bay of Brodick. This fine extent of water, 
 opening towards the east, is bounded on the south by the high hills 
 of Dunfioun and Dundou, whose summits are joined, by a gentle 
 declivity, to the elevated rocks which border the shore. On the north 
 
Travels in Scotland. 6S 
 
 it has for its limits, mountains, with woods of oak planted at their 
 base, and their summits covered with abundance of heath. Above 
 these mountains the peak of Goatfield, (the highest summit of 
 Arran,) raises its grey and barren head. The bay is terminated on 
 the west by a large flat, sandy shore, near which Brodick is built. A 
 little plain, of a mile in extent, in a great part covered with heath 
 and furze, separates the sea from the high hills which close the 
 bay on the welst, and which are cut out into excavations in the 
 form of a funnel, named Glen-coy, Glen-sherrig, and Glen-rosa. 
 
 The word glen is not absolutely synonymous with ihatoUmlley^ 
 although both indicate an excavation in the middle of a group 
 of mountains ; for, while a valley is a void space enclosed between 
 two mountains, or two chains of mountains, joined by their feet, 
 and parallel one to the other ; a glen is a cavity in form of a fun- 
 nel, having only an opening on one side, and surrounded by ele- 
 vated and steep hills. It is generally towards the sea, as the 
 lowest place, that the glens open, and from that entrance run 
 small brooks, formed by spring, or by rain waters. The total 
 absence of trees and habitations, and the sterility of these glens, 
 give a horrible and desolated aspect to the Island. 
 
 Mounted on the small horses of the country, we rode on towards 
 the south, after again passing near the tomb of the ancient chief. 
 We pursued our way by a foot-path, the only road regularly tra- 
 ced which exists in the Isle. Arrived upon an eminence, we 
 turned round to admire the beauty of the prospect presented by 
 the bay of Brodick, — which extended beneath us, — the mountains 
 which bounded Glen-rosa, and Goatfield, which commanded all 
 the surrounding objects. We soon lost sight of this fine view, 
 and entered into a winding valley, which, as well as the hills 
 which bounded it, were entirely covered with turf and heath. 
 
 In these solitary places grazed some lean sheep, half stripped 
 of their fleece, with cows of a very small size, — the greater 
 part of the unhorned kind, which is so common in Scotland. 
 After having for some time followed along this dreary valley, we 
 arrived on an elevated spot, from whence we discovered another 
 large and spacious bay. That of Lamlash presents a more open 
 and agreeable aspect than that of Brodick ; it is not, like the 
 latter, surrounded with high mountains, but hills, which lower by 
 degrees towards the south. At the mouth of the bay rises, like 
 a mountain, a steep island, of three miles in length, and one 
 in breadth : it is called the Isle of Lamlash. This small isle 
 presents, on all sides, nothing but perpendicular rocks, composed 
 of basaltic columns, and pierced with caverns, which, it is said, 
 for their beauty, may be compared to the famous grotto of the 
 Isle of StafFa. We saw, also, the ruins of a hermitage, formerly 
 the habitation of St. Molios, who was sent by St, Columban, 
 
64 Travel* in Scotlalhd. 
 
 whose disciple he was, in order to convert to Christianity the wild 
 inhabitants of Arran ; he fixed his abode in the Isle of Lamlash, 
 to which, from that time, they gave the name of the Holy Island. 
 The largest vessels find a good anchorage in this bay, which is 
 sheltered from the winds by the surrounding rocks ; and the little 
 isle is a barrier which arrests the progress of the furious waves, 
 brought by the easterly winds. 
 
 The village of Lamlash, situated at the end of the bay, has a 
 better appearance than that of Brodick ; it consists of a range of 
 small houses, neatly built of stone, and covered with slate. The 
 church is not large, and we found it well filled. As there are 
 only two parishes in all the island, the inhabitants attend every 
 Sunday, to hear Divine Service, although their dwellings are 
 many miles off. Here the Protestant religion is celebrated in all 
 its simplicity. The minister, in a small pulpit, without any or- 
 nament, was simply clad in black, without a robe, or any exterior 
 mark of his calling. His auditory was composed of Highlanders 
 and sailors, with their families. The zeal of these poor men, in 
 coming so far to fulfil their religious duties, their thoughtful and 
 serious countenances, the devotion with which they heard the ser- 
 mon, the simplicity of their pastor, the air of interest and of kind- 
 ness with which he addressed his flock, who appeared as one 
 family, — the whole of this scene was truly patriarchal. We re- 
 turned to Brodick, after hearing two sermons, one in English, the 
 other in Gaelic 5 the latter in an idiom which, to a foreign ear, 
 appears the rudest and most barbarous language, must, neverthe- 
 less, be most useful in a country where the English language is 
 so very little used. 
 
 The castle of Brodick is an ancient building, constructed on 
 the ruins of an edifice still more ancient, which appears to have 
 been built by the Danes, and of which some remains are to be 
 found. It is here that the Duke of Hamilton resides, when he 
 visits this isle, a very great part of which belongs to him ; but 
 he comes very seldom, and then only for the pleasures of the 
 chace. The administrator of his domains resides there constantly, 
 and is, in some measure, the governor of Arran, 
 
 We employed another day in travelling over that part of the 
 island situated between the bays of Brodick and Lamlash, di- 
 recting our steps towards the small village of Corygills. From 
 thence we mounted to the top of Dundou, or Black hill, a name 
 given to it on account of the dark appearance of the heath which 
 covers it. At a little distance rises another hill, called Dunfioun, 
 signifying that of Fingal. 
 
 The view from the top of Dunfioun is very remarkable. Placed 
 on the most elevated point of the promontory, we could, at the 
 same time, see the two bays between which it advances. The 
 
Travels in Scotland, 65 
 
 one is wild, and thick set on all sides with high mountains, peaks, 
 and ridges of granite ; the other is more agreeable, and of a more 
 varied aspect, bordered with fine hills and cultivated valleys. A 
 small isle, resembling a mountain covered with pasturage, rises 
 at the entrance of this bay. Casting our eyes towards the north, 
 we saw, at a distance, the isles of Bute and Combray, issuing, as 
 it were, from the bosom of the deep. 
 
 After descending by steep rocks to the banks of the sea, we 
 pursued the windings of its shores, admiring the variety of the 
 points of view which they presented. The coast was covered with 
 sea and land birds, — herons, sea-gulls, and birds that live upon 
 oysters, (hematopiis osiralegns) ; the latter bird, which, from its 
 black and white plumage, bears also the name of the sea magpie, 
 derives the name of oyster-bird from the habit which it has of 
 picking with its long beak the shells which are attached to the 
 rocks. These birds being unaccustomed to the sight of man, are 
 not in the least afraid, and did not fly away at our approach. No- 
 thing can better prove the deserted and solitary state of this isle 
 than such a fact, which has been observed in places unfrequented 
 by man. 
 
 We pursued our way along the banks of the sea, which, in ge- 
 neral, offered little variety ; the shore is bounded by rocks covered 
 with small trees ; little streams precipitate themselves in cascades 
 from their summits, and roll afterwards into the waters of the sea. 
 Behind these rocks are seen the high heights of Goatfield, and 
 other mountains not less barren, which present an infinite variety 
 of grand and picturesque forms. 
 
 Sea-calves frequent these shores ; I discovered an animal of this 
 kind swimming not far from the bank. Its head resembled, 
 altogether, that of a large dog ; I could not see the rest of its 
 body, which was entirely immersed in the water. At the noise 
 which we made, it plunged into the sea and disappeared. 
 
 We perceived some huts at great distances from each other, 
 inhabited by poor farmers, who, with much trouble, cultivate a 
 small number of acres of a dry and barren sand. T\\q village of 
 Currie appears less miserable ; we remarked one or two well- 
 built houses, belonging to proprietors in Ayrshire. They come in 
 the summer for the sea-bathing, and to enjoy a pure and invigo- 
 rating air. There is a small port, where barks enter for the pur- 
 pose of being freighted with lime-stone, a considerable quantity 
 of which is worked in the quarries of the environs. 
 
 After passing Currie we continued to follow, for some time, 
 along the banks of the sea, enjoying a near view of the Isle of 
 Bute, from which we were only separated by a defile of five or 
 six miles in breadth, and seeing at a distance the small isles of 
 Combray. 
 
 VOYAGRS, Fol. VL K 
 
66 Travels in Scotland. 
 
 Having arrived at Loch-Ranza, we saw a house of good ap- 
 pearance, which was said to be the inn. The host was previously 
 announced to us, as a man remarkable for his originality ; he had 
 cultivated, no one knew how, a taste for geology ; he composed 
 verses, was a musician, — a composer even, without neglecting 
 the labours which his small farm required, and fishing, which 
 occupied a part of his time. We were eager to enter into the 
 house; but the interior was far from corresponding with the 
 outside; every thing was dirty, and in the greatest disorder. The 
 room we were introduced into, was at the same time a sleeping 
 and a drinking room : the stone flags were all loose and full of 
 holes, half of the window was broken, and currents of freez- 
 ing air penetrated from all parts. It was thert^, however, we 
 found Mr. Cowic, our host, busy in drinking a bottle of whiskey 
 with the doctor of the isle, who was making the tour of his pa-* 
 tients. The latter, whom we had already seen at Brodick, had 
 informed Cowie of our arrival; thus the moment he saw us, he 
 arose, and came with eyes sparkling with joy, to invite us to 
 see his minerals ; end without even thinking of preparing a fire, 
 or any refreshment for us, he had already commenced a geological 
 dissertation. 
 
 There was nothing in the house, and it was necessary to send a 
 considerable way off to gather turf for fuel. An old woman, 
 who wished to entertain us with distinction, gave herself an 
 incredible movement, mounted and descended the stair-case, 
 spoke without ceasing, and brought us — nothing. It was a fright- 
 ful noise ; and notwithstanding so much eagerness, we could not 
 obtain what we demanded. In fine, fatigued with so much bus- 
 tle, we left the inn, begging Mr. Cowie to show us what the en- 
 virons possessed as most interesting. But this great man, who 
 would not permit his philosophical pursuits to encroach upon his 
 rustic duties, begged us to allow him to repair a cart, before 
 giving himself up to the study of mineralogy. We did not wait 
 long ; he conducted us a route as interesting for the phenomena 
 of natural history which it presented, as for the beauty of its 
 scenery. 
 
 The small lake of Ranza, where we coasted along, is formed by 
 the sea at the mouth of the river of that name ; it is partly sepa- 
 rated from the ocean by a narrow tract of land, above which rises 
 a square tower, in ruins, which once formed part of a castle of 
 the kings of Scotland. This lake forms a natural port, where 
 small vessels may anchor with perfect safety. Having gained the 
 "banks of the sea, we found ourselves in that part of the isle of 
 Arran which advances most to the north. The setting sun tinged 
 the waters with the most brilliant colours ; the hills, covered 
 with a light vapour, were adorned with golden clouds ; a tint of a 
 
Travels in Scotlmid, C7 
 
 fine violet reigned on the mountains of Argyle, which we saw to 
 the north, and in the midst of which we easily distinguished 
 Loch-Fine. AH was there so calm and serene that we could 
 hardly quit this fine view ; and on returning to our village we 
 kept turning round at every instant ; so much did we enjoy 
 this enchanting picture. 
 
 It was almost night when we reached the inn, and nothing was 
 yet prepared. No provisions could be procured. We sent Cowie 
 to throw his net into the lake •, he was successful, and brought us 
 back some flounders, — a flat-fish of the soal kind. Shortly after 
 we heard our host sounding his violin, to let us know he was no 
 stranger to the fine arts. Having begged him to come nearer to 
 us, he came without much pressing, and played several Scottish 
 airs, lively or plaintive as we required of him. He played pow- 
 erfully, but made no scruple as to the justness of the sounds. 
 He next offered to entertain us with a Highland dance : he called 
 his two daughters, who were nothing less that handsome ; they 
 came, bare-footed, as are, in general, all the women of the isle, 
 and began to dance, with their brother and our host. The latter 
 was distinguished for the variety and singularity of his steps, and 
 by a certain natural grace, which we could not have expected from 
 a native of this savage isle. I cannot say as much of the other 
 dancers, although Cowie assured us his daughters had received 
 lessons in dancing. 
 
 On this occasion I learned a very singular fact, which has often 
 been confirmed to me since, viz, that in the Highlands there are 
 itinerant dancing-masters, who, from time to time, make the tour 
 of the isles and mountains, in order to give lessons to the inhabi- 
 tants, even of the lowest order. As to Cowie, whom we plied 
 well with whiskey, he was ready to leap for joy ; not content with 
 scraping with all his might on his violin, he stamped with his feet, 
 hallooed, and made a frightful noise. In fine, tired with all this 
 bustle, we took leave of the company. It well required the fatigue 
 of the day to be able to sleep in the miserable beds which were 
 prepared for us. 
 
 The weather changed during the night ; it had rained, and the 
 summits of the rocks were covered with snow ; thick clouds part- 
 ly concealed them, and it blew a very violent south wind ; the 
 sea was greatly agitated. Our hosts appeared uneasy for one of 
 their sons, who was to return from Cantyre in a little boat. 
 
 Before quitting the north of the isle we wished to see the 
 mountain of Tornidneon, situated two miles south-east from 
 Loch-Ranza, and at the entrance of Glen-Isnabirach. Cowie 
 offered to accompany us, and we had scarce left the house before 
 ^e had recited a series of verses of his own composition. These 
 versesj ia which he described the neighbouring rocks and moun* 
 
G8 Travels in Scotland, 
 
 tains, indicated a sentiment for the beauties of nature, and a 
 germ of poetry, which, with cultivation, might have acquired a 
 certain reputation for the author. However, our poet was not 
 quite at his ease, he appeared restless, and never ceased turning 
 his eyes towards the sea ; we in fact distinguished, from tl^U 
 quarter, a very small boat struggling against the violence of the 
 winds and waves, without being able to land. We saw the youth 
 in It, several times endeavour to approach the bank, and afterwards 
 abandon the attempt as impracticable. At length, by force of la- 
 bour, he succeeded in entering into the small lake : then Cowie 
 was fully tranquillized. 
 
 We climbed up the rocks, in order to examine well the veins 
 of granite which they enclosed ; and after mounting as high as it 
 was possible, we descended again to Loch-Ranza, much amused 
 with the geological reasonings of our host, who took a warm part 
 in thegrand quarrel between the Wernerians and the Huttonians. 
 The rain still increased : we had to march for seven hours be- 
 fore reaching the only habitation where we could find a lodging, 
 in all this part of the island. During eighteen miles the banks 
 presented an uninterrupted succession of small rocks, on which^ 
 from lime to time, some small villages were perceived. It is here 
 that agriculture appears to be best understood. Not only have the 
 summits of the rocks been cleared and cultivated,, but even the 
 sands between the sea and the banks, at present display the ap- 
 pearance of well cultivated fields. 
 
 The inhabitants were occupied in agricultural labours, some 
 sowing rye, others planting potatoes ; the culture of which, admi- 
 rably adapted to the soil, and to the climate of the country, is an 
 invaluable resource for the poor insulated inhabitants. We fre- 
 quently quitted the coast, in order to go through the villages, 
 built on the tops of hills which bound it ; the inhabitants, little 
 accustomed to see strangers, took us for custom-house officers ; 
 thus we saw them flying before us, and shutting up, at our ap- 
 proach, all their huts in which they had established private disiil- 
 leries of whiskey, which are prohibited by law. We were much 
 concerned to see so much inquietude among these poor people. 
 Had they known how much the purport of our journey was fo- 
 reign to what they dreaded, we shouUi have seen them eager, as 
 they are every where else in this good country, to give us the 
 most hospitable welcome. 
 
 Arriving at the foot of rocks, at a distance from all habitation, 
 we stumbled by accident on the dep6t of all the contraband. In 
 a small cavern, the entrance into which was covered with briars, 
 were ranged thirty or forty casks of whiskey, destined to be trans- 
 ported, during the night, on board a vessel anchored at a little 
 distance. Some very ancient iron lances were lying at the moulh 
 
Travels in Scotland. 69 
 
 of the grotto ; they were the arms used by the smugglers in case 
 of attack. Raising our eyes, we perceived, on the top of the 
 rocks, a troop of men who, with eager looks, were attentively 
 watching all our movements. These were tiie proprietors of the 
 whiskey. We hastened to calm their uneasiness, by retiring with- 
 out touching the depot; but no doubt these unfortunate people, 
 seeing their enterprize discovered, expected their casks to be 
 seized before the close of the day. 
 
 At the sight of this solitary cave, of those arms, of the men in 
 ambuscade in the rocks, it seemed to us as if we had fallen into the 
 cavern of the forty thieves ; and in fact, every where else but in this 
 wild spot, this rendezvous of smugglers would have been consi- 
 dered as a receptacle for brig;inds. 
 
 In order to abridge our route, our guide conducted us through 
 marshes and turf pits, into which we stumbled at every instant. 
 Often also ditches full of water, of considerable breadth, and 
 more than eight feet deep, barred our way ; we were obliged to 
 clear them, at the imminent risk of falling in ; however, we 
 were nimbler or happier than we imagined, and we reached 
 the village of Shiskin, or Shcdog, without accident, where 
 we found a tolerable Inn, established in a hunting house of the 
 Duke of Hamilton. We were completely drenched, both by 
 the rain which had never ceased to fall during the twenty-one 
 miles which we had just made, and by the water of the stream 
 which we had crossed. Although harassed with fatigue, after 
 some moments repose we amused ourselves by hearing music. 
 It was said there was a celebrated Piper in the village ; I had 
 never heard the instrument in its native country, that is to say, 
 in the mountains. We sent our guide to invite this Orpheus of 
 the North to entertain us with the harmonious sounds of his bag- 
 pipe ; he "soon brought in a tall and meagre figure, who, with his 
 bagpipe under his arm, placed himself in a corner of the room, 
 awaiting our signal. The order was given, and blowing vigorously 
 with his bagpipe, there issued sounds capable of deafening the 
 most intrepid amateur of this wild instrument. Afterwards, he 
 successively played pibrocks, or warlike marches of the tribes ; 
 lamejits^ or complaints for the death of the chiefs and heroes ; and 
 lastly, reels, or Highland dances. Those of the Inn recognizing 
 the airs of the dance, flew to join in it. The bagpipe made such 
 a noise, that it was impossible, not only to hear each other, but 
 even to hear an unfortunate drunkard who burst open the door in 
 order, notwithstanding all we could do, to join the party. This 
 animated dance, the singular steps of our guide, the lengthened 
 mien of the Piper, seated gravely in a corner of the room, formed 
 a most grotesque picture. 
 
 The Piper of Shiskin learning we were about to visit a famous 
 
70 Travels in Scotland, 
 
 cavern called " King's Cave," begged permission to accompany 
 us, and marching before, he played such wild airs as made all the 
 natives sally out of their huts, surprised to hear these warlike 
 marches. We reached the village of Drumodoon, and imme- 
 diately came to the magnificent promontory of that name. 
 
 After having studied the composition of the rocks which form 
 the promontory of Drumodoon, we arrived at King's Cave, a place 
 equally celebrated in popular traditions, and in the history of 
 Scotland, for having been the habitation of Fingal, and the place 
 of refuge for King Robert Bruce. On the walls of the cavern 
 some figures are rudely cut in the rock ; one seems to represent a 
 cross, and the other a human figure in the act of prayer or adora- 
 tion. Tradition attributes the execution of these figures to the 
 people who lived in the island at the time that Fingal inhabited 
 this cave, when he came to Arraii to enjoy the pleasures of the 
 chace. But how could the ancient Caledonians, destitute of all 
 knowledge of Christianity, represent the adoration of the cross ? 
 It appears to me much more probable, that the early Scottish 
 christians celebrated their religion in these retired places, which 
 they chose for their temples ; and that St. Molias, preaching the 
 christian religion to the wild natives of Arran, offered to their 
 veneration these symbols of redemption. What is more certain 
 is, that Robert Bruce for some time concealed himself in this 
 cave, when pursued by the English army by whom he had been 
 dethroned, and was obliged to fly to the Isle of Arran. From 
 thence is derived the name of the King's Cave. 
 
 Before quitting the Isle of Arran, it remains for me to state here 
 some observations which will serve to make this interesting island 
 better known. 
 
 The Isle of Arran, with the Islands of Bute and Combray, 
 situated also in the gulf of Clyde, form the county called Bute- 
 shire. By a singular clause in the Act of Union of the two king- 
 doms, the county of Bute, conjointly with that of Caithness, 
 which is at a great distance, and situated quite to the north of 
 Scotland, elected a representative in Parliament, taken alter- 
 nately in each of the two counties. 
 
 The extent of Arran is thirty-three miles from north to south, 
 and sixteen and a half from east to west. Its distance from 
 Saltcoats, on the coast of Ayrshire, is about twenty miles. A 
 mail packet, which crosses once a week, is the only regular com- 
 munication between these two points. Although so near two coun- 
 ties, where commerce and agriculture are flourishing, and where 
 civilization makes such astonishingly rapid progress, Arran 
 remains wild and uncultivated. Its still semi -barbarian inha- 
 bitants have few relations with their neighbours, and never seem 
 to think of increasing their welfare and their substance by labour. 
 
Travels in Scotland, 71 
 
 Thus they are seen to day in the same state in which they were 
 many centuries ago. We must chiefly attribute so marked a 
 drawback in civilization to the sterility of a soil, covered with 
 heath and marshes, in every place that is not occupied by rocks ; 
 to the coldness and humidity of the climate ; as well as to the 
 violent winds, which, blowing almost continually in these regions, 
 render the sea boisterous and nearly impracticable during a great 
 part of the year. 
 
 The Duke of Hamilton, the Marquis of Bute, and Mr. Fullar- 
 ton, of Kilmichaelj are the only proprietors of this country. All 
 the other inhabitants are the tenants of these proprietors, and none 
 of them possess either the soil which they cultivate, or the houses 
 wherein they dwell. The Duke of Hamilton possesses the great- 
 est part of the Island, and by a remnant of the feudal system, 
 his steward, or factor, established in the Castle of Brodick, renders 
 justice in his name on matters of police, or on processes of minor 
 importance. The produce or annual rent of the island is valued 
 at no more than 40001. sterling, a very small sum in proportion to 
 the extent of country. But such is the effect of the climate, that 
 the productions of this miserable island hardly suffice to support 
 its feeble population, which is somewhere about 6000 souls ; whilst 
 Barbadoes, equal in all its dimensions to the Isle of Arran, but 
 situated under a sky where the sun sheds his liveliest lustre and 
 invigorating warmth, maintains a large city, numerous towns, 
 exports in considerable fleets the immense surplus of its precious 
 productions, and supports a population of 20,000 whites and 
 100,000 negro slaves. 
 
 The wild beauties displayed by nature in the Isle of Arran, the 
 variety of views which are presented at every pace, render the 
 aspect of that almost deserted country as interesting to the pain- 
 ter as to the naturalist. But the difficulty of travelling in the 
 interior of the Isle, is the cause why it has only yet been visited by 
 so small a number of travellers. 
 
 There is not, in the whole island, a road where carriages might 
 pass. Although the paths are in the most pitiable state, they are 
 still sufficiently good for those who travel on foot, which certainly 
 would be the most agreeable mode, if we were not, at every step, 
 arrested in our progress by streams formed by the mountain tor- 
 rents.* The inhabitants know very little of the use of bridges. 
 There exists only one in Arran, near Brodick ; it is a miserable 
 small wooden bridge, where we can only pass on foot. In place 
 of bridges, large blocks of stone are thrown at equal distances in 
 
 * Since my journey into Scotland, 1 have learned that roads are cutting in the 
 Isle of Arran, and that public attention is successfully directed to the means of 
 meliorating the situation of the inhabitants. 
 
 I 
 
J 2 Travels in Scotland, 
 
 the streams, where, by leaping from one to the other, we may 
 chance to get across dry footed. Very often, however, these . 
 blocks are covered by the water, and are in some places so pointed, 
 that it is with difficulty we can sustain our equilibrium. Thus it 
 rarely happens that, in leaping from one stone to the other, we do 
 not fall into the water. 
 
 The inhabitants, of both sexes, are generally ugly, but the 
 men are well made, strong, and robust ; the laborious life whicli 
 they lead, by necessity, inures them to fatigue ; the women them- 
 selves partake all the labours of agriculture. Their language is 
 Gaelic, the ancient idiom of the Caledonians and Bards, but it is 
 pretended that its original purity has been altered by a mixture of 
 English words. We find, however, few inhabitants who can 
 speak English. Although preserving still the language of their 
 forefathers, they have changed the picturesque and military cos- 
 tume of the Highlanders, for a dress more appropriate, perhaps, 
 to the climate and their mode of living. All the men are at pre- 
 sent clothed like sailors, with a short jacket and large trowsers of 
 a blue cloth, made by the women in the island. These insulated 
 inhabitants possess all the qualities which distinguish the High- 
 landers ; they have still that courageous and enterprising spirit, 
 -that attachment to their country, and above all, that generous hos- 
 pitality which has for many ages honoured this nation. There 
 does not exist in Europe, perhaps, a people who have preserved, 
 in greater purity, the manners and customs of the most ancient 
 times, than tlie inhabitants of the Isle of Arran. 
 
 It is, however, melancholy to see hospitality, that precious and 
 amiable virtue of semi-barbarians, about to be sacrificed to the 
 cruel vexations of Custom-house officers. Abusing the facility 
 accorded to strangers of entering into their cottages, they intro- 
 duce themselves under that privilege, but for the purpose of 
 seizing whiskey, the making of which, the sole branch of industry 
 which these poor people have, being severely proscribed. Already 
 continually alarmed at the sight of strangers, whom they take to 
 be Custom-house officers, the inhabitants shut their doors as soon 
 as they perceive them ; and if this practice continues, we shall 
 soon see that hospitality renounced which, on account of this cruel 
 system, has become, to them, the source of so many dangers. 
 
 The English government, with a view of preventing illegal 
 distillation, have establisiied very heavy duties on the entry of 
 barley Into the Isle, on the exporting of whiskey, and on the esta- 
 blishment of a distillery. But the inhabitants, with whom this 
 traffic is the principal means of subsistence, being unable to pur- 
 chase the privilege of having a distillery, and to pay taxes for the 
 importing of barley, are compelled to resort to smuggling the 
 grain, and distilling it secretly in their own huts. They afterwards 
 
TmveU in SdotlamJ, 7^\ 
 
 transport the vvliiskey, which Is produced from tlie grain, in small , 
 vessels which sail during the night into the most remote and 
 solitary creeks of the island. — New troubles, new inquietudes for 
 these poor islanders, whose lives are already so miserable, and 
 exposed to so many dangers. 
 
 I shall terminate my remarks on Arran by a short anecdote, 
 which will serve to depict the still wild spirit which prevails 
 among the inhabitants of that Isle. 
 
 While we were on our tour, a tall well-made man, of a robust , 
 appearance, entered into conversation with our guides. ** Do you 
 see that man," said one of them to us, " he is the strongest man , 
 in the Island, and of a vigour that no one can resist ; one day that 
 he had been invited to a wedding, a dispute arose between two 
 of the guests, and by degrees the others took part in it : they began 
 to fight, and this man, who was generally of a mild character, 
 endeavoured to restore peace, but seeing he could not succeed, he 
 was seized by a movement of anger, and launching into the midst 
 of us," continued my guide with a tone of admiration and 
 emphasis ; ** he fought alone against all, and killed the half of the 
 wedding."* 
 
 It was not without regret that we quitted Arran, its hospi- 
 table inhabitants, its deserted glens, its barren mountains, the 
 solitary tombs of its heroes, and the wild beauties of nature, after 
 having passed ten interesting days in the Island. 
 
 The passage from Brodick to the town of Rothesay, in the Isle* 
 of Bute, where we were going, is twenty-one miles, and we sailed 
 at the rate of seven miles an hour ; thus in three hours we reached 
 the southern part of Bute. 
 
 I was struck with the great difference which exists between this 
 Island and the one we had just left, relative to the aspect of the 
 country, the climate, productions, the inhabitants, and even their 
 dwellings. Instead of the cold air and dreary aspect of Arran, I 
 found a mild climate, a rich vegetation, the finest green meadows 
 enamelled with flowers which perfumed the air, and rocks covered 
 with various shrubs and handsome eglantines. I soon arrived 
 near the superb estate of Mount Stewart, belonging to the Mar- 
 quis of Bute. There the beautiful gardens are surrounded wiili 
 trees of every kind, extending their branches as far as the waters 
 of the lake. A palace of the most elegant architecture is erected 
 on the summit of a hill covered with green turf, amidst groups of 
 charming shrubs and forests of lofty trees. The birds of spring fly 
 about in thousands in these woods, which resound with their varied 
 
 * The word kill must not be taken in a literal sense, it means to knock down ; 
 the Scottish and Irish peasants frequently employ the word in this sense, as weJI 
 as the Savoyards, who complain of having been assassinated two or three times. 
 VOYAGBS, Vol VI. L 
 
74 Trofnels in Scotlan^: 
 
 warbling. My ears, for some time, accustomed only to hear the 
 discordant cries of sea birds, the mournful air of the cuckoo, or 
 the harsh voice of the eagle, were now_, as well as my eyes, regaled 
 with this sudden change. This estate gives to the eldest son of 
 the Marquis ot Bute the title of Lord Mount Stewart. 
 
 In pursuing my route, I saw with pleasure the richness of this 
 Island, the air of comfort and prosperity of the inhabitants, the 
 fertile fields of corn, potatoes, and turnips, the beauty of the 
 cattle, the elegance of the houses, and cleanliness of the cottages. 
 
 Advancing towards the north, I arrived soim after on an emi- 
 nence, and looking downwards, I saw on the banks of the sea an 
 extremely handsome little town, surrounded with gardens, with 
 a fort, two piers, and handsome buildings, evidently destined for 
 manufactures. It was the capital of the Isle of Bute, the town 
 of Rothesay. 
 
 It is delightful to see the order and cleanliness which reigns 
 throughout this handsome little town, the animated aspect which 
 it presents, and the busy and active air of its inhabitants, the 
 number of whom does not exceed 2500. The houses are low, 
 white, and covered with slate. The port was filled with trading 
 vessels from all the surrounding parts of Scotland. 
 
 I visited the ruins of the ancient Castle of Rothesay. There only 
 remains a massive tower, entirely covered with ivy, which grows 
 here with incredible vigour. Formerly inhabited by sovereigns, this 
 fortress sustained several sieges, and was at last burnt in 1685, by 
 the Marquis of Argyle. The Marquis of Bute still preserves the 
 title of hereditary keeper of this Palace, which his ancestors had 
 for a long time inhabited. 
 
 The Inn where we put up did not correspond with the fine 
 appearance of the town. The dinner was bad, and every thing 
 contributed to render our stay insupportable. A dancing master 
 had there established a school, and the house resounded with the 
 discordant sounds of his bad violin. To add to the noise, Cowie, 
 the innkeeper of Loch-Ranza, was in the room adjoining to ours; 
 he had arrived from Arran vvith his son, for the purpose of selling 
 slates and fish ; having finished their market, they were spending 
 the day at the Inn, and while they were soaking themselves with 
 whiskey, they were engaged in endless discussions, making the 
 most frightful noise. We hastened to quit these turbulent scenes, 
 to enjoy the beauty of the evening on the banks of the sea. 
 
 The inhabitants of Bute appear as different from those of Arran 
 a^ are the physical constitution and the climate of these two 
 Islands. They are Lowlanders, and of the same race as all the 
 inhabitants of Edinburgh, Glasgow, and the southern and eastern 
 counties of Scotland. They do not speak the Gaelic language, 
 but the Scottish dialect of the English. The inhabitants of 
 
Travels in Scatlatid. Jl^ 
 
 Bute are, in general, better clothed, cleaner, and more laborious 
 than those of Arran. Tliey understand agriculture and commerce 
 better, and their communications with the main land are much 
 more frequent. A packet-boat sails daily from Rothesay for 
 Greenock. 
 
 But if they have gained in civilization and in industry, they 
 have, perhaps, lost the qualities which render the character of 
 the Highlanders so remarkable, — I should even say poetical. The 
 airs of their ancient bards do not excite among them that enthu- 
 siasm for the exploits of their ancestors, and that chivalric and 
 enterprising spirit Vv'hich reigns among the Scottish Highlanders, 
 They have not so great a degree of that curiosity which proceeds 
 from a desire to be instructed and to enlarge the sphere of their 
 ideas, and that vivacity of mind and imagination which is found 
 even among tiie poorest of the Highlanders. 
 
 We find a difference in the reception of strangers ; and although 
 the inhabitants of Bute, as well as all Scotsmen, still possess the 
 virtue of hospitality in an eminent degree, they have, like the 
 Lowlanders in general, borrowed from their English neighbours 
 a little more reserve and coldness at a first interview. 
 
 Before the departure of the packet-boat, we had time to ascend 
 a hill to the west of Rothesay, from whence we enjoyed a very 
 fine view of a great part of the island, the town, its gardens, its 
 port, the fine bay covered with vessels, and the rich cultivation of 
 the environs. VVe were singularly struck with the contrast of 
 this picture, where all is life and animation, and the wild and 
 solitary perspective which we contemplated, the evening before, 
 from the top of the elevated mountain of Goatfield. 
 
 At eleven we got on board the packet, and after a passage of 
 ten hours we arrived at Greenock ; from whence we took the mail 
 to Glasgow, passing the town of Paisley, which is agreeably situ- 
 ated on an eminence, and renowned throughout Scotland for its 
 flourishing manufactories. In the evening I went to the theatre 
 of Glasgow ; it is a fine edifice, but a fault in the construction of 
 the interior prevents the audience from properly hearing the actors. 
 Having again taken the mail, I arrived, on the 21st of May, in 
 Edinburgh, perfectly pleased with a journey which, in every 
 respect, much surpassed my expectations. 
 
 CHAPTER VIL 
 
 Morayshire — the Town of Elgin — Elgin Cathedral^ ^c. ^c. 
 
 Elgin, the capital of the county of Moray, is situated 6l8 miles 
 to the west of Aberdeen, It is a small town, consisting of 4000 
 
7^ • Travels in Scotland. 
 
 inhabitants, and built on the banl<s of the river Lossie, in the 
 midst of a plain without trees, little cultivated, and oF a dull 
 apj)earance. The city itself is ancient, the houses are well built 
 with stone ; some, belonging to rich individuals, are surrounded 
 with beautiful gardens. 
 
 Elgin was burnt in 1336, by Edward III. King of England, 
 while marching with Edward Baliol against the partizans of 
 Bruce. The churches and houses belonging to the ecclesiastics 
 Were spared in the general destruction. The city was, mitil th6 
 reformation, the seat of the Bishop of Moray and his Chapter. 
 The ruins of the magnificent cathedral of Elgin are the only 
 objects worthy of fixing the attention in this city, which has been 
 greatly despoiled of its ancient splendour. 
 
 The cathedral, founded in 1224 by Andrd de Moray, is situated 
 in the middle of the city ; they had, originally, the idea of build- 
 ing this edifice near the episcopal castle, the ruins of which are 
 still to be seen towards the little lake of Spinie, three miles from 
 Elgin. To judge of it from the fine remains saved from the 
 destructive fanaticism of Knox and the early reformers of Scot- 
 land, this church, in its original state, must, from the grandeur 
 of its dimensions, and the beauty of its architecture, have sur- 
 passed the finest cathedrals of Great Britain, without even ex- 
 cepting that of York, so much boasted of by the amateurs of the 
 Gothic style. That which now remains of this superb edifice 
 are, two elevated towers, which surmount the faqade of the westj 
 and between which the door of entrance is still to be seen; it is 
 nlso a portion of the choir ; the grand and beautiful window on the 
 eastern side, which closes the choir of the church ; the chamber of 
 the Chapter, and some of the isolated lateral windows. Like 
 all cathedrals, this one was constructed in form of a cross ; the 
 principal branch was 246 feet in length, royal measure ; and 33 
 in breadth ; the transversal branch of the cross was 107 feet long. 
 At the commencement of the iSth century, there was still to be 
 seen the high tower, in the middle of the church, destined for the 
 steeple ; its elevation was 185 feet ; in 17 1 1 it fell down entirely, 
 and the interior of the church is now strewed with its fragments. 
 The whole cathedral was formerly covered with lead. By an 
 Order of the Council at Edinburgh, this lead was carried away, 
 and intended to be sold to defray the expenses of the army. But 
 as the vessel which was to carry it to Holland perished in the 
 Bay of Aberdeen, the zealous Catholics did not fail to see in this 
 shipwreck the finger of God, who thus punished the authors of 
 such a sacrilege. 
 
 The window from the west was formerly a piece of workman- 
 ship of great beauty : but there is now only the frame to be seen. 
 
Travels in ScotlaiuL jff 
 
 The branches of stone, so light and of so complicated a structure, 
 with which the Gothic windows of great cathedrals are usually or* 
 namented, have been completely destroyed. But there are still to be 
 seen, in a small gallery which runs along under this window, and 
 in the exterior frame of the arch, in Ogee, which forms the door 
 of entrance to the cathedral, works which, from the effect of the 
 whole, and the completeness of details, may be regarded as Chefs- 
 cVoBUvre in the art. The best-preserved fragments are the two 
 towers, and the fine window of the east, as well as that part of the 
 choir touching the latter, which is ornamented with two rows of 
 niches, and sculptured mouldings of great perfection. The 
 chamber where the Chapter assembled, forms an octagonal build- 
 ing belonging to the choir: it is much admired by strangers for 
 the beauty of its architecture. A Gothic window occupies the 
 middle of seven faces of the octagon, the eighth communicates 
 by a door with the Cathedral. A column, composed of fasces, 
 rises in the centre of this edifice, and the divergent branches, 
 which issue from the summit, form the arches which support the 
 roof. In this cathedral are also shown the tombs of the family of 
 the Dukes of Gordon. 
 
 There are, in the environs of Elgin, some considerable domains, 
 such as Duf}^"us and Gordonstown. The latter estate, at a short 
 distance from the sea, is susceptible of becoming a superb habi- 
 tation ; the house is built after the Italian style, with large apart- 
 ments, and a very fine stair-case ; but it is not furnished, the pro- 
 prietor never inhabiting it. The garden and environs of the 
 house, which abound with woods, feel the effects of the absence 
 of the master, as they are much neglected ; a few repairs 
 would make Gordonstown one of the finest residences in the 
 north of Scotland. Not far from thence, on the banks of the 
 sea, are hills, enclosing numerous and vast caverns, named the 
 Grottoes of Causius. These rocks, of a soft grey free-stone, have 
 been so worn and cut by the waters, that they present, in one 
 place, the appearance of profound grottoes, vaults, and triumphal 
 arches ; and in another, isolated towers, and masses of rock, sepa- 
 rated from the rest of the hill, and cut into a thousand fantastic 
 forms. The sea rolling its large blue waves at the foot of the 
 rocks, covers with foam the surrounding shore, and adds by its 
 roaring to the deep impression produced by this solitary and wild 
 spot. One of the numerous excavations with which the perpen^ 
 dicular face of the rock is pierced, has its entrance shut by a 
 door ; it is a small square chamber, which appears dug by the 
 hand of man ; formerly, perhaps, the abode of a hermit : it, at 
 present, serves as a refuge for fishermen surprised by a storm, and 
 for the shepherds who guard the flocks on the summit of these 
 high hills. During the Rebellion of 17'15, the Laird of Gordons- 
 
78 Travels in Scotland, 
 
 town concealed his horses in this cavern in order to save them 
 from the pillage of the armies. 
 
 It now remains for me, before quitting this part of Scotland, to 
 make some general observations on Morayshire. 
 
 The county of Moray forms, at this day, only a part of that 
 which was formerly called tlie province of Moray. This province, 
 besides the county of the same name, still comprises the county 
 of Nairn, a part of those of Inverness and Banff, and in general 
 all the country bounded on the north by the Moray Firth, and 
 the Lake of Beaulie ; on the east and on the south by the moun- 
 tains which rise on the right bank of the Spey, and on the west 
 by those which extend to the western districts of Urquhart, Fort 
 Augustus, and Laggan. Nature has divided the province of 
 Moray into two distinct regions ; the flat country which belongs 
 to the Lowlands, (a fertile region, well cultivated, and conse- 
 quently peopled and flourishing) and the mountains forming part 
 of the Highlands, which, like the rest of that country, are rocky, 
 uncultivated, wild, and always deserted. 
 
 In the plain which forms the northern part of the province, are 
 situated the cities of Nairn, Forres, Elgin, Fochabers, and Banff, 
 there are also fine villages and handsome country seats ; the in- 
 habitants speak English, or rather a dialect derived from that lan- 
 guage, and distinguished from the Scottish under the name of the 
 dialect of Morayshire ; their cottages are clean, well constructed, 
 and they perform religious service in the churches, in English. 
 The conquerors, who have at various epochs invaded these fertile 
 regions, have left behind them incontestable traces of their pas- 
 sage, and durable monuments of their residence. The Romans, 
 under their general, Agricola, formed these establishments, the 
 ruins of which still remain. Near to Duffus, and on the banks of 
 the sea, are to be seen the ruins of an ancient Roman fortress, 
 designed by Ptolemy, under the name of Ptoroton^ and still known 
 by the inhabitants fifty years ago, under that of Torytoivn ; it is 
 now named the Burglu In the flat country of Moray are found the 
 remains of fortifications and encampments of the Romans, and on 
 digging the land, the workmen frequently discover the urns of the 
 liead, with medals and arms which belonged to that conquering 
 people. 
 
 i The Danes who, at several times in the eleventh century, under 
 •their chief Helgy, occupied this province, have left fortifications 
 behind them, which are now in ruins ; it is to them that is owing 
 the foundation of the capital, Elgin, thus named by them in ho- 
 nour of their chief. 
 
 Until the reformation, the plains of Moray were divided among 
 powerful feudal chiefs, rich fraternities, and religious communities. 
 
Travels in Scailand, f§ 
 
 (some towns possessing franchises of little extent,) a bishop and 
 his chapter residing at Elgin. The latter enjoyed great power and 
 rich benefices in the province, where they possessed vast domains. 
 
 The ancient castles of the Barons, and the Gotliic ruins of the 
 abbeys and convents, still attest the political state of tiie province 
 of Moray in the middle ages. Besides the Cathedral of Elgin, and 
 the Priory of Pluscardine, the ruins are still to be seen, in the 
 country, of the Priories of Urquhart, Kinloss, Messindew, {Mai- 
 son Dieu, or House of God,) formerly occupied by the Benedict- 
 ines, the Bernardins, and the Hospitable Brothers; whilst in the 
 towns of Elgin, Forres, and Inverness, the Dominicans and Fran- 
 ciscans possessed rich convents. 
 
 Delivered at the present day from feudal extortions, and the 
 influence of a numerous population of monks, which suppressed 
 the genitfs of industry and the progress of knowledge among the 
 poor inhabitants of those favourite regions of nature, the labouring 
 classes may now employ all their faculties with anvantage, in put- 
 ting to good account a fertile soil and a singularly mild climate, by a 
 better understood cultivation ; they may avail themselves of more 
 extended commercial relations, of an advantageous position on the 
 banks of the sea, at the mouths of many rivers, some of which are 
 navigable, and all abounding with fish. 
 
 The district of mountains which occupies the southern part of 
 the province presents quite a different spectacle ; there are vast 
 deserts covered with heath, the climate is very cold and wet, and 
 seems to oppose the progress of vegetation ; the bottoms of the 
 narrow valleys alone, with which this mountainous region is fur- 
 rowed, produce some birch, elm, fir, and other trees of the 
 northern country. If the Romans and the Danes have made some 
 temporary incursions into these countries, defended by nature 
 and by a warlike people, at least they were never able to establish 
 themselves, nor even to leave a single monument behind them. 
 Thus the inhabitants of these mountains, without a mixture of 
 foreign race^ have long preserved the traits which formerly dis- 
 tinguished their Caledonian ancestors. At this day they still wear 
 the ancient costume of the Highlanders. They speak only Gaelic, 
 and divine service is performed among them in that language. In 
 this vast group of mountains no city is to be found, but here and 
 there are met the castles of the chiefs, surrounded by scattered 
 cottages or huts, which are inhabited by the Highlanders, the 
 anciest vassals of these chiefs. 
 
 The principal tribes which live in the mountainous districts of 
 Moray are the Macintoshes, the Frazers, the Chisholms, the Grants, 
 the Gordons, the Cummings, &c. These clans, although at pre- 
 sent mixed and united by a thousand kindred ties, formerly com- 
 posed separate bodies, and lived in the domains of their respective 
 
so Travels in Scotland, 
 
 chiefs. Thus the Gordons inhabited Banffshire, near the place 
 where the fine Castle of the Duke of Gordon stands. The Grants, 
 are still concentrated in the hilly part of Morayshire, round the 
 ancient castle of their venerable chief, Sir James Grant. The 
 Cummings, formerly a very powerful clan, but now much dispersed, 
 and diminished, inhabited also the mountains of the county of 
 Moray. The Macintoshes, Frazers, and Chisholms, occupy rather 
 the environs of Inverness. These tribes, now on more friendly 
 terms, have often in former times, by their murderous wars,, 
 covered the banks of the bays of Moray with blood. Seduced by the; 
 the allurements of pillage of a rich and fertile country, the chiefs- 
 of these poor tribes were seen at the head of their warlike and 
 savage bands, falling upon the peaceable inhabitants of the plains, 
 carrying away their property, and excusing themselves on the 
 ground of an ancient adage of the Highlanders, that in the fine 
 country of Moray, every man might come and Seize his prey. 
 
 The changes produced by the abolition of the feudal system, 
 have not yet had so salutary an influence on the Highlanders, 
 as on the inhabitants of the plains ; and from the nature even 
 of those districts, it is hardly to be presumed that the moun- 
 tainous region can ever come up to the flat country in popu- 
 lation, and acquire that movement which produces the develope- 
 ment of agricultural, industrious, and commercial resources. On 
 the contrary, the system which many proprietors have adopted of 
 annihilating the small farms, and in order to increase their reve- 
 nue, replacing with sheep the ancient population of vassals devoted 
 to their families, seems to condemn these wild regions to an eter- 
 nal sterility. A great emigration was the consequence, and whole 
 districts which formerly supported many families, are now occu- 
 pied only by flocks of sheep. 1 feel a pleasure in being able to 
 state here, that all the proprietors of Morayshire have not acttd 
 in this manner. I know some who, guided by more generous 
 sentiments, have preferred sacrificing a temporary augmentation 
 of revenue, in order to retain among them their ancient vassals, 
 and choosing to be surrounded by afl^ectionate tenants, rather than 
 display a vain luxury in the capital, or in foreign countries. For 
 this purpose they have provided occupations for those of their 
 tenants, whom the introduction of the new system of large farms 
 deprived of their ancient livelihood. There are some who have, 
 at a great expense, established villages, either on the sea-shore for 
 the fisheries, or in the valleys for manufactories, in order to afford 
 an asylum for the poor people, and prevent them from experiencing 
 destitution and misery in a foreign clime. In these villages the 
 peasant receives his habitation, and the implements necessary for 
 his trade, gratis ; it is not till after some years, when his industry 
 prospers, and enables him to make small savings on the produce 
 
Travels in Scotland, g'P 
 
 of his labour, that the proprietor requires a lease, trifling at first, 
 and increasing progressively. Others encourage the clearing of 
 uncultivated lands by premiums, or in ceding by a long lease to 
 the farmer, all the produce of the soil which he cultivates, without 
 requiring any compensation There is no doubt but this step, 
 dictated by a spirit of benevolence, will in the end turn to the ad- 
 vantage of the proprietor. That period is perhaps remote, but 
 there must necessarily arrive a time, when the melioration of the 
 domain considered as capital, will amply repay him for the sacri- 
 fices which he has made of his income. 
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 Cairngorum hills — Dangerous defile ofDriimochcur — l^lair Athol — 
 Battle of Killycrankie — Accounts of Graham of Claverhouse, and 
 Cameron of Lochiel — Dunkeld — Perth, and Edinburgh. 
 
 We continued our route across a deserted country, barren lands, 
 and hills covered with heath, and after entering into the great val- 
 ley of Strathspey, one of the most considerable enclosed by the 
 chain of mountains, we slept at the little Inn of Pitmain. The 
 valley of Spey is wild, uncultivated, and surrounded by lofty sum- 
 mits, among which we remarked that of Cairngorum, which is the 
 highest. This mountain derives its name from a variety of crys- 
 tallized quartz, of a fine yellow topaz, which is found there, and 
 which is much esteemed by Scottish lapidaries for the purity of its 
 colour, its fine water, and its brilliancy ; there are very considera- 
 ble pieces in the turf pits which cover the flanks of the moun- 
 tains. The peasants of the neighbourhood, who know that they 
 can always sell them at very high prices, commence, every spring, 
 to search for Cairngorum stones. They choose the spring in pre- 
 ference, because the rains of autumn and winter having detached 
 the fragments of the rock which contains these crystals, they then 
 find them in greater abundance at the foot of the mountain. These 
 rains also in carrying away the tufts of heath and portions of vege- 
 table earth, display to the eye the finest traces of these crystals, 
 scattered here and there in considerable quantities. >) 
 
 We were still penetrating farther into a country of high moun- 
 tains and frightful deserts ; the weather was sharp and cutting. 
 This region, the most elevated of Scotland, is also the coldest ; 
 such a quantity of snow falls in winter in these valleys and moun- 
 tains, that the road becomes impracticable, and the travellers who 
 come from Inverness to Edinburgh, are obliged to follow along 
 the sea shore, and pass by Aberdeen and St. Andrew's, which is 
 greatly out of the way. I have known individuals who already^ 
 in the month of November, have experienced the greatest diffi- 
 
 VOYAGES, Vol. VI. M 
 
82 Travels in Scotland, 
 
 culties from the quantity of snow which had fallen in these valleys : 
 they were obliged to leave their coaches in the open field, far 
 from any habitation, and compelled to travel a number of miles 
 on foot, in the midst of thick snow, where no traces of tlie road 
 were to be seen, in order to gain the nearest village ; and it was not 
 until several days iiad elapsed that they could continue their jour- 
 ney. Similar disasters have been experienced by travellers who 
 have in the bad season crossed the elevated passages of the Alps. 
 Here is also a defile called Drumochcur, which it is necessary to 
 pass. This mountain, which derives its name from that wild dis- 
 trict, separates thebason of Spey, (the waters of which flow towards 
 the north, and run into the gulf of Moray ;) from that of Tay, which 
 runs towards the south, and empties itself into the Firth of Tay. 
 
 We pursued our course through the valley, at the bottom of 
 which runs the Garrie, a torrent which takes its source in the 
 defile of Drumochcur, and falls into the Tay. Before arriving at 
 Blair, we descended for an instant to visit the falls of Bruya, 
 which are seen a little to the left of the great road. The Bruya 
 is a torrent which rushes into the Garrie, and which, a little 
 before Its mouth, precipitates itself in cascades from the top of a 
 rock. The successive cataracts are very picturesque, particularly 
 the last, which is the highest of them. An elegant stone bridge of 
 one arch, built above these falls, adds greatly to the beauty of the 
 scene. 
 
 We employed some hours in promenading in the superb park 
 of Blair, belonging to the Duke of Athol ; nothing can equal the 
 magnificence of the lofty trees of the forests which abound here. 
 Large forests of fir and larch cover the declivity of the mountains ; 
 and foaming torrents precipitate with loud noise from the height of 
 the steep glens, between wild mountains. 
 
 In the midst of these fine woods, green meadows, and pic- 
 turesque rocks, one may fancy himself in Switzerland, and think 
 he sees a torrent of the Alps in the handsome cascade of Yorke, 
 which rushes from the top of the rocks, covered every where with 
 groups of trees, and various kinds of indigenous birch. 
 
 We were shown, in the park, three rein-deer, sent from Iceland 
 to the Duke of Athol. These fine animals were left at full liberty 
 with the stags and deer, in a particular portion of the domain. It 
 blew a cold and penetrating autumnal wind, and we sought for 
 the rays of the sun to warm us. But the rein-deer, accustomed 
 to the climates of the Pole, avoided those beneficent rays, and 
 lying in the shade, they panted like dogs in the heat of summer. 
 They were neither afraid nor mischievous, for they suffered us to 
 approach them without inquietude, and without using their formi- 
 dable horns to drive us away. 
 
 Scarcely had we quitted the domains of the Duke of Athol, 
 
 ■m 
 
Travels In Scotland. 83 
 
 when the country again presented a wild aspect. The mountains 
 were contracted, and we soon arrived at the narrow defile of Kil- 
 lycrankie ; here the rocks on both sides of the river approach 
 so near, that its furious waters, at the bottom of the abyss, have 
 hardly room to escape. The defile of Kiliycrankie is celebrated 
 in the history of Scotland, by the death of the Viscount of Dundee. 
 This nobleman, at the head of his brave Highlanders, defeated 
 the Parliamentary army commanded by General Mackay, at the 
 battle of Kiliycrankie, which took place on the 18^/i oi'Jime, 1689. 
 
 The States, or Parliament of Scotland, had declared the for- 
 feiture of King James VII. (James II. of England,) and their 
 intention of placing on the throne William, Prince of Orange, 
 who had been named King of England. Dundee, after opposing 
 with all his power the decision of that assembly, and having become 
 the object of hatred to the Presbyterian party, (then all powerful,) 
 whom he had persecuted in the last reign, retired into the moun- 
 tains, and engaged several clans to take up arms in defence of 
 their dethroned King. The parliament of Scotland hastened to 
 send general Mackay against him, at the head of a regular army, 
 composed partly of English. Mackay wished to commence ope- 
 rations by the siege of the fortress of Blair Athol, occupied by 
 the Highlanders. But Dundee left him no time, and desiring to 
 profit by the advantage of ground, he marched at the head of his 
 small troop, animated with that courage which supplies the place 
 of numbers, and surprised the army of Mackay, who cleared, 
 with great difficulty, the narrow defile of Kiliycrankie. 
 
 A lively fire, on both sides, was the prelude to the engagement. 
 The Highlanders, impatient to come closer to the enemy, threw 
 away their guns, and seizing their formidable swOrds, they precipi- 
 tatedthemselves from the mountains, like a furious torrent, uttering 
 their wild and warlike cries. In seven minutes the enemy's army 
 was broken, dispersed, and put to flight in the greatest disorder ; 
 the cavalry of Mackay were thrust down by the impetuous attack 
 of the infantry of Dundee, whilst the small band of Highland 
 cavalry charged and defeated the regiment of infantry which 
 Mackay himself commanded; 1200 killed, and 500 prisoners, were 
 the loss of the parliamentary army, in this short but memorable 
 engagement. The Highlanders did not profit by their decisive 
 victory ; Dundee, their brave general, was killed by a random 
 shot, and the consternation wkich this catastrophe spread among 
 his troops, saved the remains of Mackay 's army, and arrested the 
 pursuit of the fugitives. " If Dundee had lived," said that 
 general in rallying his soldiers, '* our retreat would not have been 
 so tranquil." But with Dundee ended the resistance of the 
 Highlanders, and the cause of James was lost. The clans, not- 
 withstanding their brilliant victory, were discouraged ; they re- 
 
84 Travels in Scotland. 
 
 turned to their habliaiions, and laying aside their arms, profited by 
 the amnesty offered to them by King William. 
 • Two remarkable personages served, at the same time, in the Scot- 
 tish army at Killycrankie. The first was General Viscount Dun- 
 dee, who commanded, and whose premature death was grievously 
 mourned by Scotland. That valiant warrior, brought up from 
 his tenderest youth in the profession of arms, had long served on 
 the continent, with the troops of the United Provinces and of some 
 other powers. Returned into the bosom of his country, he sig- 
 nalized himself by his attachment to tlie principles of the Tories, 
 or Royalists, by his courage and the severity of the discipline 
 which he imposed on his soldiers. He had been employed success- 
 fully in dispersing the numerous bodies of tiie Puritans, or Cove- 
 nanters, who assembled under arms to perform Divine Service, 
 and who, in their rencounters with the royal troops, were often 
 formidable by their number, their fanaticism, and the military 
 talents of their chiefs. 
 
 Graham, of Claverhouse, (for the title of Viscount of Dundee 
 was not yet given to this general,) after having gained many signal 
 victories over the rebels, followed the fortunes of Charles II. and 
 his brother James 11., until the moment when the latter unfor- 
 tunate monarch, in signing his abdication, disbanded his army. 
 It was at this time that, loaded with the favours of the Prince, by 
 whom he was honoured with the title of Viscount in recompense 
 for his services, that he retired into Scotland, with the intention 
 of using all his authority to serve the house of Stuart. That occa- 
 sion soon presented itself, and he went into the Highlands, where 
 he made an appeal to the clans, who immediately armed and flew 
 to his standard; it is firmly believed that had he survived the vic- 
 tory of Killycrankie, the aflairs of the exiled house would have 
 taken a very different turn in Scotk'ind. 
 
 In the sajue aimy was a warrior not less remarkable for his 
 .valour and his attachment to the Stuarts — -Sir Evan Cameron of 
 jLochiel. This true model of a Scottish Chief, at the age of 6*5 
 years, still fougiu for the same cause which he had en^ braced in 
 his youth. Chief ot tiie clan of Cameron, he had, with his 
 brave vassals, constantly resisted the formidable armies of Crom- 
 well ; and by frequent successful battles, he had accustomed his 
 Jribe to concjuer itguiar bodies of English troops, very superior 
 'in number. Distiiiguib.iied by King Charles, and King James II., 
 he received, at Narious times, testimonies of their satisfaction. 
 In fine, every other chief of the Highlands had laid down his 
 arms, whilst he still continued fighting at the head of his clan. 
 He was the last to submit to Cromwell, and general Monck used 
 every means in his power to induce him to serve the cause of the 
 .Prote<?tor,but in vain. 
 
Travels in Scotland, 85 
 
 - When Dundee had again given the signal of insurrection in the 
 Highlands, Lochiel and his brave Camerons were the first to 
 range tliemselves under his banners. The success of the battle 
 of Killycrankie was, in a great measure, due to the precence of 
 mind of this valiant chief, and to the profound knowledge which 
 his long experience had given him of the character of the High- 
 landers. 
 
 - As soon as we passed the wild delile of Killycrankie, the coun- 
 try l)resen led a more cheerful and open appearance; the moun- 
 tains disappeared, the valley enlaigcd, and soon after appeared 
 the charming estate of Fascally, situated at the conflux of the 
 two rivers, Garrie and Tumel; a romantic retreat, at the bottom 
 of a valley covered wiih verdure, on the banks of waters, and at 
 the foot of hills abounding with woods to the very summit ; be- 
 hind whiLh were seen the steep picturesque rocks of the high 
 mountains. The route continued to present a variety of views, 
 until we arrived at Dunkeld, where we alighted. 
 
 Dunkeld is a very little town, possessing nothing remark- 
 able but its position in the middle of a beautiful valley, its an- 
 cient cathedral, and the fine park of the Duke of Athol adjoining 
 to it. The valley is large, bounded with mountains of small 
 elevation, and watered by the Tay. The cathedral is, for the most 
 part, in ruins ; but the choir is still entire, and serves as a church 
 for the parish of Dunkeld. I shall not stop to describe the su- 
 perb domain of the Duke of Athol, the most remarkable in Scot- 
 land, for its extent, and the beauty of its woods. All the hills 
 are seen from a distance, covered to the summit, with great forests 
 of fir and larch-trees, planted within the last fifty years. The 
 Tay, like a river of the Alps, rolls its rapid floods in the midst of 
 those woody hills, and presents a thousand varied and picturesque 
 scenes from all parts. In contemplating this superb vegetation, 
 artificially obtained from the rocks, (which do not appear to be 
 more fertile than those of the rest of the Highlands,) one cannot 
 help expressing an ardent wish that the proprietors of all mountains 
 would hasten to follow the example of the Duke of Athol, and 
 adorn the barren flanks of their hills with similar forests. What 
 an animated spectacle would those beautiful valleys of the Gram- 
 pians present, were they thus sheltered ; but up to this period they 
 are destitute of that principal trait, which would make them 
 worthy of being compared with the smiling valleys of the Alps. 
 
 In the park of Dunkeld is shown the hall of Ossian : it is an 
 elegant pavilion, elevated on a rock, quite near to a foaming 
 cascade ; the interior of this pavilion is decorated with mirrors, 
 in which the cascade is reflected under diff^erent faces, producing 
 an original and singular effect. 
 
 I saw with still more interest, among the fine trees which adorn 
 
86 Travels in Scotland. 
 
 this estate, a superb larch, brought from the mountains of Swit- 
 zerland, little more than half a century ago. It was then the 
 first tree of that kind which had been seen in Scotland ; they 
 enclosed it at first in a green-house, and afterwards made a trial 
 of it in the open ground. Finding an agreeable soil, and a 
 mountainous country, this tree was not long in attaining a con- 
 siderable size. This unexpected success inspired the idea of 
 naturalizing this kind of tree in Scotland, and planting it on the 
 hills, which had, until that period, been barren and naked. All 
 these plantations have succeeded to admiration. In various parts 
 of the Highlands considerable woods are to be seen, which already, 
 by the appearance of the trees, promise speedily to rival those 
 of their native country. 
 
 After leaving Dunkeld, we quitted the mountains all at once, in 
 order to enter into the fertile plains of the Lowlands, and arrive 
 at Perth, a city of 24,000 inhabitants, capital of the county of that 
 name, and which, until the year 1437) (an epoch when the seat of 
 government was transferred to Edinburgh) was the capital of 
 Scotland. The fine river Tay runs by the side of the city, and a 
 superb modern bridge of 10 arches is built across it. This bridge 
 is 900 feet in length, and 80 in breadth, constructed with stone, 
 and is remarkable for the beauty of the masonry. The country 
 surrounding Perth is so fertile, the vegetation so fine, the Tay so 
 large and so majestic, that the Romans of the army of Agricola 
 cried out with one voice, '' Ecce Tiber, ecce Campus Martins .'" 
 
 I made no stay at Perth, but rapidly continuing my route, I 
 reached Kinross, where I again saw the beautiful Loch Leven : 
 afterwards, having crossed the Firth of Forth, I arrived at Edin- 
 burgh, there to pass a second winter. 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 The Origin, Language, Music, and Maimers of the Lowlanders, 
 
 It is well known that Scotland, although of no great extent, is 
 inhabited by two kinds of people, who differ greatly in their origin, 
 their manners, their habits, and their language. From the phy- 
 sical nature of the regions which they inhabit, they are distin- 
 guished, even in the country, as Lowlanders, or inhabitants of 
 the plain, and as Highlanders, or inhabitants of the mountains. 
 The latter, inclosed in the deserts of their inaccessible mountains, 
 had, until the middle of the last century, resisted every foreign 
 invasion, and preserved, from time immemorial, the customs, the 
 language, the warlike and invincible nature of their Celtic ances- 
 tors. The armies of the Romans, those conquerors of the world, 
 had been forced to arrest their progress at the entrance of the 
 
Travels in Scotland. SJ 
 
 narrow defiles which compose the gates of the Highlands ; and 
 the conquerors of the North, who invaded the low regions of the 
 British Isles, dared not engage in unknown countries, defended 
 alike by nature and by a warlike people. Though vassals of the 
 Kings of Scotland, the Highlanders never completely submitted 
 to their laws, appearing rather to act as their allies than as their 
 subjects. They have hitherto remained inaccessible to all the re- 
 volutions which, for so many ages, have desolated the face of Eu- 
 rope. It is not then astonishing, that in this corner of the earth 
 are to be found, separated from all the world, the unaltered remains 
 of those savage tribes which, in the time of the Romans, inhabi- 
 ted the northern countries of Europe. 
 
 It is not thus with the inhabitants of the fertile and less ele- 
 vated regions of the southern and eastern parts of Scotland ; 
 invaded successively by the conquerors who have at various 
 epochs subjected the Britons to their laws, they have operated 
 changes in their manners, and in their language, of which the 
 histories of every European people bear evident marks. 
 
 I shall not undertake here to unravel the profound obscurity 
 which covers this period : the origin of the two distinct nations 
 which inhabit Scotland, and the ancient relations which existed 
 between them, are subjects of great controversy among the 
 learned. 
 
 Some historians are of opinion that a similar nation came from 
 parts of the Continent inhabited by the Celts ; that they occupied 
 all the northern regions of Great Britain ; and peopled, by succes- 
 sive emigrations, the districts of the north of Ireland. According 
 to them, this people bore the name of Gael, which signifies, in the 
 Celtic language, a stranger. The Romans designated the country 
 which these people inhabited by the name of Caledonia, from the 
 union of the word Gael with that of dun, which, in Celtic, signi- 
 fies a mountain. The tribes of this wild and wandering nation 
 lived under the government of their particular chiefs, and never 
 thought of uniting under one commander ; but when the progress 
 of the Roman legions had carried the terror of their arms into 
 distant regions, the Gaels, or Caledonians, felt the necessity of 
 giving to one supreme chief the command of their various tribes, 
 in order effectually to maintain their independence, and oppose 
 with more force the invasions of the conquerors of the south. 
 Two kingdonis were formed ; that of the Gaels, or Caledonians 
 of the west, who lived in the mountains and islands ; and that of 
 the Caledonians of the east, who inhabited the plains. The first 
 were called Scots, from the word Scuite, which, in Gaelic, signi- 
 fies a vagabond, on account of their frequent incursions into the 
 southern districts, occupied by the Romans. The others were 
 
88 Travels in Scotland. 
 
 named Picts, from the Gaelic word Picteish, a thief and a robber,*" 
 as theyalso extended their ravages into the neighbouring territories. 
 These two nations lived together in great harmony, while they had 
 a common enemy to contend against, but no sooner had the 
 Romans abandoned the British Jsles, than ihey engaged in war 
 one against the other. Victory decided in the end for the Scots, 
 who invaded ihe kingdom of the Picts, exterminated the inhabi- 
 tants, and effaced, even to the very trace, the name of this people. 
 Proud of their success, they attacked the Britons of the south, still^ 
 enervated by their long slavery under the yoke of the Romans.^ 
 The Britons having called the 8axons to their aid, drove back the* 
 Scots into their mountains ; and having established themselves in^ 
 the country of the Picts, and in all the plains of Scotland, they 
 were the first origin of the present race of the Lowlanders, 
 
 Other antiquaries have thought that the distinction between the 
 two people who inhabit Scotland, arose from time immemorial, 
 and that the Scots were alone of Celtic origin, whilst the Picts' 
 were of Teutonic origin, and descended from a colony of Sax-'* 
 ons, or Scandinavians. Nothing is more difficult than to de- 
 cide between these two opinions, for authentic documents on such' 
 points of history are entirely wanting. We can only have recourse 
 to vague traditions and conjectures more or less hazardous, rela- 
 tive to those dark periods of time. The sole historical documents^ 
 on this subject, are those transmitted to us by the Romans, and 
 the earliest Scottish historians, who, on the revival of letters in 
 Europe, endeavoured to trace the history of their country. The 
 first were foreigners, ignorant of the language of the people whom 
 they conquered, and more occupied in civilizing than in studying 
 the manners of those barbarous nations, and ought to be regarded 
 at least as doubtful authorities, on questions of so difficult a 
 nature. The latter were imbued with traditions frequently ficti- 
 tious and romantic, endeavouring rather to astonish and amuse 
 their readers, than to instruct them ; and in writing history, they 
 were more inspired with love for the marvellous, than respect for 
 truth. 
 
 However this may be the fact, It appears beyond a doubt that; 
 during many ages, the kings of Scotland have governed, at the 
 
 * Tacitus frequently mentions, in his history, the Picti Bntamd, but this epi- 
 thet of Pidus, signifyins; paint, in the Latin lanj^uate, mitiht equally be applied 
 to many nations of Britain, who were in the habit of painting or tatooing their 
 bodies. The nation of the Picts derives its name, as I have said above, from a 
 Celtic or Gaelic term, and not from a Latin expression. The ancient Scottish 
 historians give a considerable catalogue of the Pictish, and most ancient Scottish 
 kings ; but the existence of these monarchs, which only reposes on the faith of 
 vague traditions, appears now quite fabulous, and we ought no more to confide 
 in the relations of Fordun, Boece, &c. than in the numerous portraits of those 
 kings which adorn the long gallery of Holy rood House. 
 
Travels in Scotland '^ 
 
 same time^ two different nations, as they appear in our day,* bear- 
 ing, in common, the name of Scots. Tlie one is entirely Celtic, 
 the other of a Teutonic race ; the first is preserved pure, and 
 without any foreign mixture, in its almOst inaccessible mountains; 
 the second, frequently subjugated by colonies from the continent 
 of Europe, has lost even the remembrance of the ancient Picts 
 who preceded it. Some rude vestiges of fortifications on the 
 summits of the hills, a few words in the languagCj perhaps some 
 superstitions of tbe Northern mythology, and some ancient cus- 
 toms among the people, — these are all that remain of the Picts, 
 the first inhabitants of the Lowlands of Scotland. 
 
 The long residence of the Roman armies in this country h 
 attested by a multitude of inscriptions and medals, which are 
 every where to be found, as well as by the remains of camps and 
 fortresses. After the Romans we find the Saxons, then the Nor- 
 wegians, conquer and occupy, at different periods, this country, 
 which the nature of the soil leaves almost without defence. An- 
 cient round towers, of small elevation, are regarded in Scotland 
 as monuments of the Danes. During the course of the long 
 wars between the English and the Scots, the armies of the former 
 frequently penetrated into the heart of the Lowlands. The Gaels, 
 or Highlanders, on their side, never ceased to sally forth in bands, 
 from their mountains^ to ravage the flat country^ which they re- 
 garded as their property, because an ancient tradition informed 
 them that their ancestors had been masters of it. 
 
 It is not astonishing that a nation thus composed of a mixture 
 of so many people, exposed to so many changes and vicissitudes, 
 should present such an amalgam of customs and various dialects 
 in its manners and language. Of all that characterizes a people, 
 language is perhaps that which bears the most profound marks, 
 in the events of its history. Scotland presents a striking proof 
 of this truth ; it may with good reason be considered as a dialect 
 of the English, with which it has more of connexion than differ- 
 ence. These fesemblances are greatly augmented since the 
 union of the two crowns, when the English language began, in 
 Scotland, to be the language of good company ; for in former 
 times, the language of the court itself was in the Scottish dialect; 
 a dialect which has only, within these few years, been entirely 
 abandoned to the lower classes of the people. However, as the 
 Scottish idiom contains many words and turnings adapted to the 
 particular usages of the country, for which the English language 
 
 * This division of the inhabitants of Scotland into two distinct people, has 
 been observed by the most ancient authors. Jean de Fordun, who wrote iu the 
 Fourteenth Century, mentions it in his History of Scotland. It is very astonish- 
 ing, that a period of five centuries has so little effaced the principal traits which 
 distinguish these two nations. 
 
 Voyages, Vol. VL N 
 
90 " Travels in Scotland. 
 
 presents no equivalent, they have preserved it, by clothing it as 
 much as possible with the English tongue 5 thus they have en- 
 riched their language with many happy expressions. It is to 
 these turnings and locutions, not in use in the south, that the 
 English always recognise their brethren of the North. 
 
 If this dialect was no more than a simple brogue, in use only 
 among the villagers, perhaps it would not be worth while stopping 
 to consider the degradation of a language which is disfigured in 
 the mouths of the vulgar peasantry : but it is not thus ; the Scot- 
 tish language ought to be regarded as a dialect of the English, 
 and not as an unnatural jargon ; it is, besides, a written language, 
 in which there are in existence many works in prose and verse. 
 The ancient historians of Scotland wrote in the language of their 
 country, and many simple and affecting ballads enable us to judge 
 that it is eminently adapted to poetry. The success which has 
 attended the dramatic pastoral of the GentJe Shepherd, by Allan 
 Ramsay, and the charming descriptive and lyrical pieces of 
 Burns, the poet, prove that this dialect is equally calculated for 
 the poetical expression of tender sentiments, and the enthusiasm 
 of a warlike muse. These circumstances will serve as an excuse 
 for arresting the attention of our readers, on a subject which 
 appears to merit some interest. 
 
 The Danish language is that which, next to the English, most 
 resembles the Scottish ; and this will not appear surprising when 
 we think of the frequent invasions of the Danes and the Norwe- 
 gians in the Lowlands of Scotland, during the 9th and lOth cen- 
 turies. The word Firth, which in Scottish means gulf, or bay, 
 .is evidently derived from the Fiord of the Norwegians. 
 , The Scots name a perpendicular rock, surrounded by water, 
 Skerry; the Danes call it Skier; and it is thus that the word 
 Fell, which terminates the names of several mountains in Scot- 
 land, corresponds with the Norwegian Field. We again find the 
 Norwegian termination preserved without alteration in the name 
 of Goatfield, which the Lowlanders give to the highest mountain 
 in the island of Arran ; and it would he absurd to suppose that 
 Field is here the same word as the English one, which signifies 
 a plain, as nothing can be so ridiculous as to give that name to a 
 high and barren mountain. 
 
 But, without contenting myself with these isolated examples, 
 I can cite, on this subject, the testimony of the learned Dr. 
 Jameson, a man wh.o best k^iows the language of his country. 
 He has pui)lisiied a Dictionary of this Idiom, as remarkable for 
 its extent, as for the profound etymological researches which it 
 displays. In order to show the resemblance of these two lan- 
 guages in a more striking light. Dr. Jameson has applied himself 
 to the translation of several Danish ballads into ancient Scottish. 
 
Travels in Scotland, $1' 
 
 He lias succeeded in tracing word for word, not only without inter- 
 verting the order of ideas, but even in preserving the same num- 
 ber of verses. Very frequently the words of the translation have 
 so great a connexion with those of the original, that it might be 
 said the orthography alone is changed. These ballads are taken 
 from a collection named Kcempe Fisier, published in Denmark 
 in 15:n, 
 
 Independently of the French words, with which the English lan- 
 guage abounds, (words brought over by the Normans, and which, 
 since the conquest, have passed into Scottish along with the Eng- 
 lish,) the Scottish language possesses many which have been im 
 ported, if 1 may so express myself, directly from France, without 
 passing through England. The numerous relations which formerly 
 existed between France and Scotland, the residence of auxiliary 
 French troops in the latter country, during the wars of the I6tli 
 century, the Ijabit which the Scots had, for a long time, of 
 educating their children in the colleges of France, and of main- 
 taining some troops in the service of that power, all these causes 
 have not a little contributed to the introduction of French expres- 
 sions in the Scottish language. Many words have preserved their 
 first signification ; some are employed in a different sense, but 
 preserving, however, something of their original meaning. Thus 
 from the word bon, a term of eulogy, they say bonnie, signifying 
 handsome ; applying to physical qualities that which designates 
 a quality of the heart. Do they not say, nearly in the same sense 
 in French, un homrne de bonne minCj une bonne tournure ? It is the 
 same with the word brave, (in Scotch braw,) which means fine, 
 an acceptation taken in some provinces of France, as well as in 
 the Italian language. 
 
 One of those traits which characterise the Scottish idiom is, 
 that it admits of diminutives, the same as the Italian ; the diph- 
 thong ie, added to the end of words enfeebles the sense. Thus 
 bit, bittie, bairn, bairnie, 8fc, This faculty of terminating by a 
 vowel, a word ending with one or more consonants, gives a soft- 
 ness to the language. The vowels are much more multiplied 
 than in English, and the Scottish idiom possesses the greater 
 part of the elements which form a soft and sonorous language. 
 But the tedious and drawling accent of the Scots, the harsh and 
 guttural manner in which they pronounce the terms derived from 
 the Gaelic, and all the words in which gh are found, take away 
 much of that softness of which the language is susceptible. It 
 would appear that they have only to adapt the English pronunci- 
 ation to the Scottish, in order to form one of the most harmonious 
 dialects of the northern countries. 
 
 The connexion existing between the language of a people and 
 its music, has never, it seems to me, been well determined, and 
 
92 Travel* in Scotland. 
 
 this interesting subject should merit the attention of philosopherT- 
 It appears certain, that among the most ancient people, as well as 
 among the most savage nations, the first essays of music have 
 accompanied those of poetry. The two arts, then, mutually as- 
 sisted each other, to express sentiments with more energy and 
 truth, and to transmit to posterity heroic actions, and great na- 
 tional recollections. 
 
 A tune nearly similar to what we now call recitative, appears to 
 have accompanied the declamation of the poems of Homer, when 
 these chefi-d'cBuvre were repeated in the public places of the cities 
 of Greece, by itinerant singers. The plaintive and wild verses of 
 Ossian are still sung in the mountains of Scotland, in slow, mo- 
 notonous airs, but rendered expressive, by a strongly pronounced 
 rythm. 
 
 The most ancient tunes, perhaps, which exist in the civilized 
 world, were transmitted by tradition, with the poems which ac- 
 company them ; such as were of old sung by the bards in the 
 castles of the Scottish chiefs. It appears beyond a doubt, that 
 when the poets, irispired by their genius, chanted in reality their 
 yerses, the music and the language were so adapted to each 
 other, that the modifications brought by time and circumstances, 
 to the genius of the language, operated corresponding changes in 
 the genius of music. But when the progress of civilization 
 separated these two arts, born and bred together, their history has 
 become very different. Whilst the national language, subjected 
 to all the vicissitudes of politics, is altered and disfigured, mixed 
 with the languages of conquerors, and neighbouring nations, 
 always leaving, hovsrever, some traces by which it can be recog- 
 nized ; the national music appears to preserve for a long time, its 
 original character, and time alone makes it undergo some modi- 
 fications, independent of politics and history. Such appears at 
 least, the comparative march of the two arts. But so little is 
 known of the annals of music, even among the most civilized 
 Xjationsj that it is very possible, in studying this art more tho- 
 roughly, and comparing it among different nations, and in differ- 
 ent ages, we may again come to find, in the music of a people, as 
 in its language, the traces of its history. I do not pretend, in 
 the remarks which I have made on the Scottish music, to resolve 
 this question entirely, or to satisfy those who make the history of 
 music the object of their learned researches : but, perhaps, som^ 
 observations on an art, so remarkable for its originality, and so 
 little known hitherto, may engage them to seek in the ancient 
 Scottish airs, some traces of that music of remote ages, now al- 
 together lost in our southern countries. 
 
 The Scots are of the very small number of European nations, 
 who possess a truly national music, founcied on a system differ^ 
 
Travels in Scotland, 99 
 
 ent from all those which are novy in use. We find among 
 them, airs and tunes of a melody unique in its kind, which ap- 
 pear to partake less of music, cultivated as an art, than of that 
 primitive music, which is a natural language, in relation to the 
 climate and the physiognomy of the country which gave birth to 
 it. In the most ancient airs of the Lowlands, we again find the 
 Gaelic music entire, that music which is as ancient even as the 
 people of the Highlands, and which, by its wild and plaintive 
 melody, is in harmony with the steep rocks, the howling of the 
 winds, and the monotony of the rolling of floods, or solitary rivers, 
 which it seems to resemble. We cannot doubt, but that the 
 actual music of the Lowlands is primitively derived from the for- 
 mer, since in defiance of the modifications which time has made 
 in the ancient system, we find, even in the most recent compo- 
 sitions, all the distinctive characters of the Gaelic music. But 
 what are the events which have operated these changes ? 
 
 Have the Danes and the French in any way contributed to the 
 present formation of Scottish music, as they have contributed to 
 that of the language of this people ? Has Scotland possessed 
 some individual endowed with a musical genius, who has modified 
 those wild airs by a new melody, more analogous to that of the 
 southern countries, and to our present taste ? History does not 
 furnish us with sufficient data to reply to these questions in a man- 
 ner at all satisfactory. 
 
 The anonymous author of a dissertation on Scottish music, has 
 treated this subject with as much detail as the small number of 
 authorities which he has consulted would permit him. He be- 
 gins by refuting an opinion sufficiently prevalent in Scotland, 
 viz. that David Rizzio, the favourite of Queen Mary, had, if not 
 invented, at least brought the Scottish music to great perfection, 
 in assimilating it as much as possible to that of the Italian. Accord 
 ing to him, the music of the Lowlands existed a long time before 
 Kizzio ; and this Italian, although known in Europe as a musi- 
 cian, was neither a composer, nor very clever for execution. Be- 
 sides, the short duration of his residence in Scotland, which was 
 no mo^*e than three years, and the kind of life which he led at 
 court, would hardly allow him to find sufficient time to consum- 
 mate so difficult a work, as that of introducing a kind of music 
 altogether new, or to re-model all the amcient airs after a new 
 system. 
 
 The author is led to believe that King James I. of Scotland, 
 has composed the oldest airs which are now sung in the Lowlands. 
 The ancient historians, particularly John Major, speak of this 
 monarch as an able musician, knowing how to play on many 
 instruments, and having composed church music, and popular 
 ballads, which were sung a long time after his death. 
 
©4 Travels in Scotland. 
 
 James I. Jived in the middle of the 15th century; and this 
 prince, a passionate admirer of the fine arts, was endowed with a 
 genius infinitely superior to that of his time ; he displeased his 
 warlike and turbulent nobles, by endeavouring to make the arts 
 flourish in his kingdom. It was he who introduced organs and 
 choirs into the cathedrals and abbeys of Scotland. He had him- 
 self composed the music for the choirs, and he delighted in play- 
 ing the harp and the lute. 
 
 We shall find in support of the testimony of the Scots, 
 a passage from a celebrated Italian writer, whose judgment, on 
 similar matters, is much more calculated to make an impression 
 than that of the learned of the North. Tassoni, in his Pensieri 
 ' Divcrsi, says, that at the end of the 16th century, one of the 
 ablest musicians in Italy, the Prince of Venosa, Carlo Gesualdo, 
 admired, and even imitated, the kind of music invented by King 
 James I. of Scotland. Tassoni speaks of this music as d'una 
 nuova musica lamentevole e mesta, differente de tutte le altre ; a just 
 description, and quite characteristic of the Scottish music. 
 
 I shall not follow the author of the dissertation in the conclu- 
 sions which he draws from that passage, when, not content with 
 taking away from the Italian Rizzio the merit of having brought 
 the Scottish music to perfection, he seeks to prove that it was 
 this same music which, being adopted in Italy, has given to the 
 Italian melody that charm which has raised it above all modern 
 music. 
 
 The music in use in the Lowlands, and which is the most ge- 
 nerally known under the name of Scottish music, appears to me 
 to derive its origin from the Gaelic music, which we find at this 
 day among the inhabitants of the mountains. The characteristic 
 trait, which distinguishes from all others, this simple but imper- 
 fect melody, is the almost continual absence of two of the notes 
 which constitute our gamut, viz. the fourth and the seventh. In 
 the most simple airs of the Gaelic music, those which are gene- 
 rally sung in the Hebrides, and in parts of the country the wild- 
 est and the least frequented by strangers, I have observed these 
 two notes constantly wanting. We ought even to believe that 
 the Gaelic gamut is only composed of five notes, which, for the 
 simple note id are, ut, ri, mi, sol, la. These five notes, and their 
 octaves, give rise to many different combinations, and serve to 
 form particular airs, which have all a resemblance at bottom. It 
 seems as if they wished to compensate, by the diversity of rythm, 
 the poverty of the music ; and, in fact, it has been rendered ne- 
 cessary in order to indicate the time of the measure, to employ 
 signs much more varied than in our music, 
 
 I shall now confine myself in remarking, that the absence of two 
 ' notes, so important incur musical system, renders our rules of ac- 
 
Travels in Scotland, J^5 
 
 companiment, and fundamental bass, totally inapplicable to Gaelic 
 music, since, without the seventh, or sensible note, we can never, 
 with certitude, determine the tune. But this absence must not 
 be regarded as an accidental omission, for it is too regular ; nor 
 as a proof of the ignorance of the Highlanders, and their incapa- 
 city to catch our musical rules; the intention of avoiding these 
 notes is too marked, and too constant, not to recognise in it indi- 
 cations of a system of music quite different from ours. A very 
 remarkable fact leads us to regard this musical system as of the 
 highest antiquity. The only people in the world among whom we 
 find any thing at all analogous to the subject before us, are also 
 a people who trace their annals to the most remote antiquity, and 
 who, for many ages, have preserved alike, without any alteration, 
 the manners, usages, and arts of their forefathers. 
 
 The music of the Chinese, from what we can judge by the wri- 
 tings of the missionaries, and of Pdie Amyot in particular, has 
 precisely the same distinguishing characters as the Scottish music. 
 This coincidence among two people so different in their manners, 
 language, and history, and placed at the two remotest extremities 
 of the ancient world, has appeared to me of too new and striking 
 a nature to be passed over in silence. 
 
 The greater part of the Scottish tunes are destined to accom- 
 pany small poems, or pastoral ballads, in which the music and the 
 words are so much in harmony, that they lend, reciprocally, a new 
 t-'harm. The ablest Scottish poets, Ramsay, Ferguson, and 
 BtJRNS, have composed new ballads on ancient airs, and have 
 admirably taken advantage of the tender and pathetic expression 
 of this music, to describe the pangs of love, the chagrins pf ab- 
 sence, and the melancholy sensations experienced by the con- 
 templation of wild and dreary nature. 
 
 Haydn, Mozaut, Plkyel, and other able musicians, have in- 
 troduced, with success, many Scottish ballads into their compo- 
 sitions. Haydn himself has not disdained to labour in the ac- 
 companying of some of the most melodious of these national 
 airs, and iias added to their charms by all the effect which a rich 
 and learned harmony produces. 
 
 Notwithstanding the authority of these classic names, I agree 
 that it is almost impossible to catch the spirit of the Scottish rri'jsic, 
 and to feel all its merits, without having acquired a certain habit 
 of hearing it. We ought to judge, therelore, less from the opinion 
 of strangers ; but rather from the wonderful effect produced by 
 these airs, on the Scots themselves. I have already said, that 
 -it is sufficient for the orchestra of a theatre to strike up one of 
 the national airs of Scotland, in order to induce the whole audience 
 to rise, and follow in gesture, and often with the voice, the rythm, 
 
06 Ti-avels in Scotland, 
 
 sometimes slow, and supported by a romantic plaintiveness ; at 
 other times, lively and animated by the airs of the dance; 
 
 Frequently one of the most touching of these airs, Lochaber 
 no more^ has produced effects on the Scots, at a distance from 
 their homes, similar to those of the Banz des vachcs on the Swiss 
 peasantry. 
 
 I have been told, that some Scotsmen, at the moment when they 
 were embarking for India, where an honourable and lucrative em* 
 ploy awaited them, renounced at once their projects and their hopesj 
 on hearing this ballad sung, which traced anew to their hearts, the 
 charms of that country they were about to quit, perhaps for ever* 
 
 It is by similar traits that we can judge of the effect of a kind of 
 music, however removed it may seem from our present ideas of 
 melody and harmony. If we heard those songs of Orpheus, 
 Amphion, and Arion, which produced on the minds of the|Greeks 
 so lively an impression that, to express their admiration, they sup- 
 posed that the most formidable and ferocious animals, that even 
 the very stones were moved by them ; were we to judge of these 
 airs after our established rules, and our habitual prejudices, it is 
 probable that we should treat these inspired pieces as barbarous 
 and lamentable music, with which the delicate ears of our con- 
 noisseurs would be every moment offended. But what are the 
 effects produced by our music, however learned and regular it 
 may be, compared to those which were produced by the simple 
 and natural airs which softened the most obdurate hearts^ 
 calmed the furious passions, restored the broken spirits, and ren- 
 dered them capable of heroic actions ! It would seem that the 
 more music is removed from nature, the more it loses its power 
 over the mass of society. The taste for our learned music is 
 only inherited by those who have made it their peculiar study* 
 Whole classes, even nations, seem deprived of a sentiment for 
 music. Does not this proceed from our having treated it as an 
 art, thereby losing the secret of those grand effects, produced by 
 this most general, and most energetic of all languages ? It is 
 easy to perceive these differences among the two kinds of people 
 who compose the Scottish nation. All the Highlanders feel a 
 lively emotion on hearing their wild and imperfect music j whilst 
 the most perfect music of the Lowlands is no longer so popular, 
 nor so generally felt by the people. 
 
 The more men advance in civilization, the more the charac- 
 teristic traits, by which the various nations are distinguished, are 
 effaced, and lost to the view. The institutions and customs, are 
 much alike among all nations, and the concourse of people, in pur- 
 suit of objects of common interest, bring in connexion nations the 
 most remote, and the most different in their origin. Such is at 
 present the state of Europe. The inhabitants of the countries 
 
Travels in ScotlamL 97 
 
 which comjK)se it, formerly so diflerent from each other, having, 
 by the march of time, acquired more constant and intimate rela- 
 tions, aim, every day more and more, at taking a similar physiog- 
 nomy, at resembling each other in their dress and domestic em- 
 ployments, and modelling themselves after one common type. 
 The tone and manners of good society are the same in England as 
 in France, Italy, and Germany ; all great cities resemble each 
 other ; the habits, even of the lower class, are nearly the same in 
 the greater part of Europe, or differ only by almost imperceptible 
 shades. It is in order to seize these shades that the traveller 
 ought to apply himself. The more civilization has advanced 
 among the people which he visits, the more difficult will be his 
 task ; and it appears to me, that in travelling over Europe, we are 
 more struck, with the uniformity existing, than with the differences 
 which we expect to find among nations. 
 
 There are, however, many causes, in the character of nations, 
 the most alike by their exterior physiognomy, which produce real 
 differences. The situation of the country, the configuration of 
 the soil and climate, modify, in various ways, the habits of the 
 people; but the influence of an established Religion, a mode of 
 government, and intellectual culture more or less advanced, act 
 with still greater energy. 
 
 Civilization, always on the march, offers also, in its relative 
 progress, terms of comparison between the inhabitants of different 
 states. All nations set out From one point; all tend to the same 
 object; but some have commenced their career long before others ; 
 and some remain stationary, whilst others, advancing with rapid 
 strides, have got the start of their neighbours, and often leave 
 them very far behind. 
 
 How various are the ways by which nations arrive at the same 
 end 1 Some apply themselves exclusively in causing the Sciences 
 and Letters to flourish ; — others Commerce and the Arts ; — some 
 agriculture ; — others, in fine, devote themselves, to the art of war, 
 and aspire to the glory of conquests. It is thus that, among 
 nations which ought to resemble each other in every point, we 
 may still find many traits of difference, which are interesting to 
 study. 
 
 These reflections naturally flow from the singular facts which 
 present themselves to the observer of the progress of the human 
 mind, in the country known by the name of the Lowlands of Scot- 
 land, a region of little extent, which does not contain, in surface, 
 the half of the ancient kingdom of that name. It is there, how- 
 ever, that were developed, that love for Letters and the Sciencesj 
 that industry, those fine institutions, which have thrown so great a 
 lustre on the Scottish nation ; whilst the wild inhabitants of the 
 Highlands, and the islands belonging to them, still plunged in the 
 
 VoYAttBS, Vol VI. O 
 
9$ Travels in ScotlancL 
 
 darkness of ignorance, lived under the influence of the feudal 
 system, more favourable to heroism than to learning. In fact, 
 the Highlanders were content, after having laid down their arms, 
 to procure themselves a pitiful subsistence, in painfully labouring 
 on a barren soil ; their ambition was bounded by upholding, in the 
 field of battle, the ancient glory of their aucestorSjand they willingly 
 left to their brethren of the fertile regions of the south of Scot- 
 land, the care of promoting commerce and the arts. The natural 
 situation of the country, the presence of a court often friendly to 
 letters, the existence of many cities endowed with privileges and 
 immunities, and the system of national representation adopted in 
 Scotland, all appeared to favour the Lowlanders ; that ardour for 
 mental labour which began to animate them, and which promised 
 one day to produce the most astonishing effects on all parts of their 
 social organization. 
 
 Their progress was slow during the latter reigns of the Stuarts. 
 The frequent wars with England, which brought, without ceasing, 
 their enemies into the heart of the kingdom, — the troubles also, 
 and revolutions which followed the religious reformation, conti- 
 nually put fetters on the intellectual improvement of the nation. 
 However, Letters were not without admirers; many Univer- 
 sities were established, commerce flourished, and Scotland, al- 
 thpugh yet far behind England in respect to institutions and in- 
 dustry, marched on a par with many states of the European Con- 
 tinent. It was reserved to the 18th century to restore peace and 
 tranquillity to Scotland, and to see it, after having lost its inde- 
 pendence, and its political individuality, advance with giant 
 strides in the career of civilization, and threaten even to get the 
 start of her ancient rival, who, proud of her former superiority, 
 continued still to load it with outrageous disdain. 
 
 Ancient cities, of small extent, and badly constructed, have 
 been aggrandized, in every sense, by the addition of new streets, 
 of elegant architecture, and cleared, by the cares of an active and 
 superintending police, of that filth which had been so disagreeably 
 ofi^ensive to strangers. New burghs, villages, and innumerable 
 sea-ports have been erected ; canals of communication have been 
 opened, great public roads have been established, bridges and 
 aqueducts have been constructed, and the communications between 
 various parts of the kingtiom rendered easy and secure. 
 
 The changes which have been made in the country parts, have 
 not been less remarkable, nor less advantageous. Instead of dark 
 and dreary dungeons, formerly inhabited by the Scottish nobility, 
 elegant houses have been constructed. The villages, even the 
 huts of the simple labourers, have an aspect of order and of com-< 
 fort, vvhicji contrasts strongly with the air of misery and want 
 which they formerly presented j an idea of which may be formed 
 
TraveU in Scotland, fni 
 
 from the existing state of tlie Highlands. Even the face of the 
 country has taken quite another appearance ; the richest and nrost 
 productive soil has succeeded to regions formerly abandoned to 
 nature, or which yielded but a small return to the negligent hands 
 who cultivated them. The value of land and its revenue has 
 increased in rapid proportion. The proprietors, not content with 
 improving their estates, by forcing the soil to produce a greater 
 quantity of articles of consumption, have endeavoured also to 
 augment the beauty of them ; they have covered the little hills 
 and valleys, formerly barren and naked, with fine plantations of 
 trees of various kinds, and have thus restored to their country an 
 ornament which it originally possessed, but which the hands of 
 rapacious conquerors had destroyed. 
 
 In the general progress of civilization, commerce and letters 
 have not been in arrear ; flourishing manufactories have, in all 
 the cities, and even villages, furnished employment to a rapidly 
 increasing population ; and their productions, rivalling in quality 
 and price the English manufactures, have been exported in vast 
 quantities, into all the inhabited parts of the two hemispheres. 
 Fleets of merchant vessels cover the seas. Riches and public 
 credit, the natural results of private opulence, have increased in 
 the same proportion ; Banks have been established ; private indi- 
 viduals, by their character, and their rank in society, have acquired 
 so great credit, that they have successfully put into circulation in 
 commerce, bank notes, which are received with as much confi- 
 dence throughout Scotland, as if they were notes of the Bank of 
 England. Those of Sir Wm. Forbes and Co. are at present the 
 most circulated in Scotland. Mercantile transactions, and pur- 
 chases of all kinds, from the value of one pound and upwards, 
 are made by the aid of these notes, with as much security as can 
 be done any where else with gold and silver. 
 
 As. to Letters and the Sciences, I have sufficiently enlarged on 
 the system of instruction adopted in the University of Edinburgh, 
 to have occasion here to prove that the Scots have made asto- 
 nishing progress. It will be sutficient to say that three other 
 Universities concur, with that of Edinburgh, to promote proper 
 studies, and to multiply men of Letters in Scotland. Glasgow, 
 Aberdeen, and St. Andrews, are too famous, as Universities, to 
 render it necessary to cite them more particularly. 
 
 Without pretending to recal to recollection the services which 
 Scotland has rendered to the republic of letters, a subject which, 
 alone, would furnish matter for a vast and important work, I shall 
 confine myself to naming Ferguson, Adam Smith, Hume, 
 Blair, Thomson, Robertson, and Dugald Stewart, in the 
 various branches of literature and philosophy ; and to add to these 
 names, known and esteemed by all Europe, those of Cullen, 
 
100 Travels in Scotland. 
 
 Black, Monbo, Simpson, Maclaurim, Hutton, Playpair, 
 Leslie, and Brewster, not less celebrated in the annals of 
 Science. This simple enumeration suffices to show that Scot- 
 land has contributed largely to the progress of the human mind. 
 
 Independent of this prodigious flight towards every thing that 
 is distinguished, it will appear not less astonishing to find that the 
 Scottisli nation has not purchased the benefits of an advanced 
 civilization by the sacrifice of virtue ; — at the expense of which 
 so many nations have risen to an eminent degree of prosperity 
 and literary reputation. 
 
 Religion is preserved in all its purity, — honoured by all classes 
 of society, — and with it, public and private morals. The excesses 
 of luxury, which if not the cause of the fall of States, are at least 
 one of the most certain symptoms, have not, in Scotland, up to 
 this period, accompanied the rapid increase of riches. There 
 reign still, in the manners and tastes of society, a moderation 
 and a simplicity altogether exemplary ; and hospitality, that vir- 
 tue which seems every where else to be extinguished by the pro- 
 gress of civilization, has lost nothing in Scotland by the changes 
 which have taken place. 
 
 Are we to attribute, (as it is generally believed,) this wonderful 
 improvement in Scotland, during the last century, to its defini- 
 tive union with England in 1707 ? It does not appear to me that 
 this opinion is founded on incontestable proofs ; it can only be 
 supported in this sense, — that the Union procured to the Scots 
 that tranquillity and repose, necessary to cultivate, with advan- 
 tage, the arts of peace. And yet, without the successive revolu- 
 tions which have not ceased to agitate the British Isles, while the 
 Stuarts reigned in England, that tranquillity would equally have 
 been attained by the accession of the same sovereign family to the 
 thrones of England and Scotland, from the commencement of 
 the 17th century. The Act of definitive Union, which was passed 
 a century later, does not seem to me to have much augmented 
 the relationship of the two nations, already subjected to the same 
 monarch 5 since the laws which governed them, their institutions, 
 and even their religion remained unchanged ; and if the Act of 
 Union had had any marked influence on the existence of Scotland, 
 that influence would have been rather prejudicial to its advance- 
 ment, by depriving it of the benefits of an independent political 
 existence, and of a more extended national representation. Besides, 
 the prejudices nourished by the English against their new compa- 
 triots, the disdain which they affected for them, tended rather to 
 discourage the Scots, than to excite them to imitate a people more 
 advanced than they were in Letters, Industry, and Commerce. 
 I think then, that we ought principally to seek among the Scots 
 themselves, and in their situation anterior to the revolution, for 
 
Travels in Scotland, 101 
 
 the causes which have produced that prosperity and that lustre 
 which distinguish the nation at this day. 
 
 We shall find the causes in the very nature of their institutions, 
 in the mode of instruction for a long period established in the 
 Universities, but above all, in the establishment of parochial 
 schools, which preceded only by a few years the epoch of the 
 Union. This institution, which did not exist in England, and 
 which was intended to diffuse the blessings of education among the 
 very lowest classes of the people, has spread a beneficial influence 
 over the whole Scottish nation, and has, more than any thing else, 
 contributed to render this people one of the most enlightened in 
 Europe. 
 
 This was one of the last acts of the administration of the Par- 
 liament of Scotland, abolished by this very Union, for which 
 every Scotsman ought eternally to preserve a profound sentiment 
 of gratitude. In seeing the first body in the state thus signalizing 
 by foundations, as liberal as they were patriotic, the last momenta 
 of their political existence, who will dare to pretend that the 
 treaty by which this illustrious body was annihilated, was that 
 which opened the gates of civilization to the nation 1 
 
 It was under the auspices of religion and of the Calvlnistic doc- 
 trine, so unjustly crie-d down by the English, that this great and 
 noble institution, of which I have just spoken, has arisen and 
 flourished. To the particular organization of the Presbyterian 
 church, is in a great measure owing the maintenance and the 
 success of parochial schools ; a success which would have been, 
 perhaps, less distinguished under the direction of any other clergy 
 than those of the Calvinistic faith. 
 
 In fact, the studies required to qualify a minister of religion in 
 the Calvinistic reformed doctrine, are generally more profound 
 and complete than in any other communion, but that circum- 
 stance which has certainly contributed to the success of public 
 instruction, would have had much less influence, had not the 
 duty of residing among their flock been imposed on the ministers. 
 In every other place, and above all in England, we see the country 
 parishes administered by inferiors, and curates who have not been 
 brought up to profound studies, and who, satisfied with reading 
 the service in the church, frequently neglect their pastoral duties, 
 the responsibility of which is only indirectly attached to them. 
 It is not so in Scotland, a minister must reside in his parish, and 
 cannot delegate his charge to whomsoever may come in his way ; 
 his duty is to watch over the morals of his people, to assist the 
 poor, and above all to direct the parish schools, and to see that the 
 children profit by, and regularly attend to, the instructions of 
 their teachers. 
 
 This active superintendence has produced the happiest eifects ; 
 
102 Trm)els in Scotland, 
 
 the schools have been attended with zeal, and continue to increase 
 and to flourish at this day. Elementary instruction is spread 
 among all classes of the inhabitants, and Scotland has now left 
 England, in this respect, very far behind. The Scots enjoy the 
 very precious advantage, in common with the Dutch, and some of 
 the cantons of Switzerland, of having the entire population 
 educated and enlightened ; whilst in all the other states of Eu- 
 rope, without even excepting England and France, the lower 
 classes of the people remain still in the most shameful ignorance ; 
 the country people of Scotland, in consequence, are particularly 
 remarked for their love of order and labour, for industry, intelli- 
 gence, and purity of manners. I might here cite a thousand par- 
 ticular traits in support of what I have advanced, but nothing 
 can be more striking on this point, than the results presented by 
 Colquhoun, in his treatise on the riches of the British Empire, 
 This able economist has calculated, that within the last sixty 
 years, the productions of the Scottish soil have trebled, and that 
 this country, which formerly received its wheat and flour from 
 England, now sends a considerable quantity of grain to the Lon- 
 don market. 
 
 Scotland, says the same author, which produced at the time of 
 the Union in 1707, a gross revenue of 1 10,694/. sterling, has, in 
 the year 1813, paid into the public Treasury a net revenue of 
 4,155,599/. sterling. 
 
 The beneficial influence of education and religion has not been 
 less striking in regard to the morality of the people, than it has 
 been relative to the national riches. 
 
 Mr. Hume, in a speech delivered in Parliament on the 12th 
 of July, 1812, presented to the House of Commons official 
 reports of the comparative number of individuals accused of 
 crimes, in the three kingdoms, from IS05 to 1810 inclusive, from 
 which he established the following proportion. 
 
 In Ireland the number of accused, to that of the inhabitants, 
 was in the proportion of 1 to 1762. In England I to 1988, and 
 in Scotland 1 to 20,239. 
 
 The progress which the lower classes in Scotland have made in 
 intellectaal culture, has naturally produced a re-action on the 
 superior ranks of society, by developing a laudable emulation. 
 This impulse, strongly seconded by the principle which animates 
 the public establishments of instruction, has turned the attention 
 of the Scots towards a kind of study very different from that which 
 occupies the English. Whilst in the colleges and universities of 
 England, the attention of youth is directed to studies purely literary 
 and classical, (applying themselves solely in forming the taste and 
 the style) in Scotland, on the other hand, the system is to lead 
 the minds of young men to the study of Science and Pliilosophy, 
 
Travels in Scotland, lOI 
 
 so as to develope their reason and judgment. The result is, 
 that the English are more acquainted with the beauties of 
 the ancient poets, and the Scots with the useful arts and with 
 mankind. 
 
 The difference of the systems is particularly marked in the 
 present day, by the manner in which individuals of both nations, 
 who are intended for the Senate, prepare to act a part in their 
 respective careers. The young Englishmen study, in general, with 
 more care, the illusions of eloquence, and the art of expressing 
 new and brilliant ideas with elegance and force. They render them- 
 selves masters of language, and by ably calculating its effects, they 
 aspire to a distinguished rank among the orators of the House. 
 The Scots, on the contrary, more particularly apply themselves to 
 the theory of legislation, administration, and political economy ; 
 less brilliant in the debates in the House of Commons, than strong 
 in reasoning and information, they seek the more solid qualities 
 which constitute the statesman and the legislator.* 
 
 I have, it appears to me, said enough ; and I believe demon- 
 strated, that there exist differences between the English and the 
 Scots, sufficiently striking and essential in every class of society, 
 so as no longer to afford a pretension for saying, that it is to the 
 union of the two kingdoms that Scotland is indebted for the pro- 
 gress it has made during the 1 8th century. For how could England 
 give Institutions which it did not possess, and which it hardly pos- 
 sesses at the present hour ? 
 
 I am far, however, from denying that England had not an in- 
 direct influence on the moral developement of the Scottish nation. 
 The progress of the English in industry, commerce, and the arts, 
 when their neighbours were still much in arrear on these points, 
 excited the emulation of the Scots, and engaged them in many 
 respects to follow their example. This emulation was felt in 
 France, and in Holland, nearly at the same time that it arose in 
 Scotland, and it has produced in those two countries the most 
 salutary effects relative to manufactures, arts, and commerce. 
 These effects have been more marked in Scotland, by reason of 
 the great proximity of the country and the identity of the language. 
 But they would have been equally beneficial without the act of 
 union of 17^7 J they would have been the necessary consequence 
 of the mere accession of the Sccjttish monarch to the two thrones 
 united in 1603, an accession which ensured to Scotland a solid 
 
 • The Fiiglish have, within these few years, begun to feel the advantage which 
 the system of study adopted in the Scottish Universities gives to thfir brethren 
 of the north ; thus, we now see frequently, young men destined to public officen, 
 come to finish their education in Edinburgh and Glasgow, after leairins: OKford 
 and Cambridtje. In the two latter Universities, tliey have also latel\ formed 
 establishments analogous to those of the Scots, in order to accustom die young 
 men to the discussion of questions in law and politics. 
 
J 04 Travels in Scotland. 
 
 peace, by an alliance and confederation with its most ancient 
 and powerful enemies. 
 
 Since I have mentioned the Scottish clergy, it is not irrelevant, 
 it seems to me, to give here an idea of the ecclesiastical constitu- 
 tion of Scotland. 
 
 The Calvinistic reformed religion, which is established in this 
 country, does not, like the English church, admit of hierarchy 
 among its ministers. Thus every pastor, who has the charge of a 
 parish, is equal in rank and in power. This church recognizes no 
 chief, and its constitution, entirely republican, has devolved to cer- 
 tain bodies that power which, in all other communions, resides in 
 a few individuals. These bodies or consistories are not solely 
 composed of ecclesiastics, but a certain number of laymen are 
 admitted, which are known in Scotland, as in other Calvinistic 
 states, by the name of elders. 
 
 It will not be astonishing to find in a monarchical country these 
 republican forms, when it is recollected that John Knox, the 
 reformer of Scotland, imbibed all his ideas on the reform of the 
 church at Geneva, and that he modelled entirely his ecclesiastical 
 institutions on those which Calvin had founded in his own country, 
 in conformity with that which was established in some cantons of 
 Switzerland, by Zuinglius, Viret, and Ecolampadius. Calvinism, 
 which arose in republican states, has necessarily retained some- 
 thing of the spirit of the governments which first embraced it ; 
 however, the extent of Scotland rendered some changes necessary 
 in institutions which were designed for smaller states ; these 
 changes were trifling, and did not deviate from the spirit of the 
 institutions of Calvin. 
 
 Each parish is ruled by a pastor, who, with a certain number of 
 elders, compose the Kirk-session. This session is a tribunal of 
 morals, and at the same time an administrative body relative to the 
 funds destined for the relief of the poor. As a tribunal, it can 
 judge offences against morals and piety, and pronounce public 
 and private censures, and even excommunication. The effect of 
 this last sentence is by no means ciinl ; that is to say, it carries 
 with it no afflicting or bodily punishment, but has a moral effect, 
 by being addressed to the conscience. 
 
 There is an appeal from judgments pronounced by the Kirk- 
 session, to the Presbytery, a council whose jurisdiction is more 
 considerable, as it extends over many parishes : the pastors of this 
 district, and an elder from each parish, compose this tribunal. The 
 Presbyteries can also confer a license for preaching to candi- 
 dates for the holy ministry, who have not yet received confirmation. 
 But these probationers are not allowed to administer the sacra- 
 ments. The Presbyteries have the right of judging and censuring 
 
 i 
 
Travels in Scotland. \6^ 
 
 theii* own members, and they are presided over by a moderator 
 elected from among the ecclesiastical members of their body. 
 
 From the presbytery there is an appeal to the provincial Synod, 
 an assembly still more numerous, comprising all the parishes of 
 one or two counties; it is governed, also, by a moderator chosen 
 by their own body. The assembling of provincial Synods is in 
 many respects similar to that of the ancient dioceses of the catho- 
 lic bishops. 
 
 In fine, the general assembly judges, iri the last resort, all 
 ecclesiastical matters. This imposing meeting meets annually 
 at Edinburgh, in the month of May, and is composed of as many 
 ministers and elders as there are presbyteries. Each University, 
 and each Royal Burgh of Scotland, has the right of naming an 
 elder to be its representative in this assembly. It is here that all 
 the ecclesiastical laws are made, and the canons which govern 
 the church of Scotland, as well as the regulations relative to pub- 
 lic worship. The King names annually a Scottish nobleman to 
 represent his majesty in the assembly, in order that no resolutions 
 may be taken against the laws of the kingdom. The king's com- 
 missioner opens and closes the session, and during the time it 
 lasts he enjoys the greatest honours. 
 
 One of the functions of the General Assembly is the liomina- 
 tion to vacant livings, and this is not one of the least delicate. By 
 a remnant of the constitution of the catholic church, families 
 who acquired, at the Reformation, the lands and property of the 
 convents, or of the clergy, have preserved the right, which the 
 bishops, or the religious communities at that time enjoyed, that 
 of presenting candidates for the vacant livings. Those who exer- 
 cise this privilege are called patrons. They are either great pro- 
 prietors, or municipal councils of cities, or, in fine, the crown 5 
 for, besides the goods of the church, which at the time of the 
 Reformation devolved to the king ; (on the occasion of different 
 rebellions,) numerous private properties were confiscated and 
 united to the domain of the crown. 
 
 It sometimes happens that the minister presented by the pa- 
 tron is disapproved of by the parish, and this circumstance id 
 the subject of very animated discussions on the respective rights 
 of the patron and the community. It belongs to the General 
 Assembly to pronounce on the question, as it also names defi- 
 nitively, the individual to the vacant place. 
 
 Many beneficial changes have been produced in the spirit of 
 the General Assembly, since the epoch when, animated by a fu- 
 rious and almost fanatic zeal, it caused to be pulled down and 
 destroyed, all the cathedrals and churches where the Catholic 
 religion had been celebrated, and when it governed the whole of 
 Scotland by that formidable confederation, known in the history 
 
 Voyages, Vol. VL P 
 
106 Travels in Scothnd, 
 
 of Charles I. Cromwell, and Charles II. by the name of thU 
 Solemn League and Covenant, an arbitrary and intolerant power, 
 which exercised the most absolute despotism over the consciences 
 of men. 
 
 The Scottish clergy are equally remarkable at this day for their 
 learning, and their exemplary morals^ as well as for a wise to- 
 lerance which is happily united to the enlightened zeal by which 
 they are animated. 
 
 Besides the invaluable advantage which is presented for the 
 instruction of the lower classes, l)y the pastors being obliged to 
 reside in their parishes, it cannot be doubted that this custom 
 has not had a salutary influence on the clergy themselves. 
 We never see in Scotland those examples, unfortunately too 
 frequent in England, of young clergymen, propiietors of rich 
 and numerous benefices, who, leaving to subordinate ministers 
 the care and the trouble of regulating their parishes, lay aside^ 
 even to the very dress, the functions and character of the ho- 
 nourable and sacred vocation which they have embraced. We do 
 not see in Scotland, young men aspire to the Holy Ministry, 
 merely to make financial calculations, and employ a revenue ac- 
 quired without trouble, by intrigue, or by favour, in order to gra- 
 tify their passions and their vanity. 
 
 If the smallness of their income, which seldom averages mor^ 
 than 1501. sterling a year, and the obligation of living in their 
 parishes, take from the minister the power, and even the desire 
 of taking part in worldly pleasures, these two considerations 
 prevent tlie young men, of an elevated class in society, from de- 
 voting themselves to a profession, which promises neither profit 
 nor advancement. — Is not this an inconvenience ? 
 
 If persons distinguished by their rank and birth embraced this 
 noble vocation, would it not reflect an eclat and a lustre over the 
 ecclesiastical state, which it has too long been deprived of ? Per- 
 haps, also, we should see less frequently, families, consfderabler 
 for their rank, or their fortune, abandon the Presbyterian form,? 
 and attach preference to the English mode of worship. The 
 latter exists in Scotland, but is only tolerated there, for the Cal- 
 vinistic is the prevailing religion. It is practised by the descend- 
 ants of those who embraced it under the reigns of Charles I. and 
 11,, and who, more than once, S^hed their blood to defend it 
 against the attacks of the Presbyterians. The m^inisters of the 
 English form of worship in Scotland, are under the jurisdiction 
 of two or three Bishops, who have merely the title of that 
 office, enJK)ying no revenues, nor considerable privileges like the 
 English Bishops, nor have they a place in the House of Peers. 
 There exists only a small number of CatboHcf in Scotland^, 
 
Travels in Scotland, 10 J 
 
 except in the north, and in some parts of the Hebrides.* But 
 the number of Protestant sects is immense ; they are all com- 
 prised under the general name of dissenters and methodists. 
 Each sect has its chapels, and they are so numerous, that it 
 would be endless to enter into details on this head. 
 
 The inhabitants of the Lowlands do not present to the ob- 
 server any very characteristic physiognomy, nor any of those 
 extraordinary and original customs which can distinguish them 
 from other civilized countries. 'J he few usages truly national, 
 preserved by the country people, and the lower classes in towns, 
 partake much of the ancient manners of the Highlanders. That 
 which is most remarkable among this portion of the Scottish 
 nation, is less the result of certain particular habits, than that 
 general spirit which animates the inhabitants, in their whole 
 mode of life. 
 
 The influence of a more solid and general instruction, of an 
 enlightened and profound piety, is felt by the inhabitants of the 
 towns, as well as of the country, among the manufacturing class, 
 as well as the laborious and numerous class of miners, cultiva- 
 tors, and sea-faring people. Families are so numerous in Scot- 
 land, that the resources of the country are not sufficient for their 
 support and employment. Thus we find a very considerable 
 number quit their native country in order to seek lucrative em- 
 ployments elsewhere. Warmly attached to their country, they 
 leave it with regret, and with the intention of returning when 
 they have acquired an independent fortune, there to spend the 
 rest of their lives in comfort and happiness. This idea supports 
 them in their labours, and gives them an industry and perse- 
 verance, which, joined to their morals, their religious habits, 
 good order, and economy, generally insure them success in their 
 undertakings. England, and its colonies in both hemispheres, 
 above all the East Indies, are the countries where the Scots, who 
 do not find resources for their activity at home, go to acquire a 
 fortune. 
 
 The people of the Low, as well as of the High-lands, appear 
 to have been, at a very remote period, divided into clans, of 
 which every individual bore the name of his particular chief. 
 These various clans probably occupied particular districts, and 
 lived under the command of their chiefs, who were themselves 
 vassals of the King of Scotland. Now dispersed, they no longer 
 recognise any chief, nor even a common origin ; it is, however, 
 owing to that ancient union under the same chief, that there is 
 so little variety in their proper names. An immense number of 
 
 * The Scottish Catholics have lately erected in Edinburgh a handiomc 
 church, in the Gothic style, in the eastern part of the New Town. 
 
J 08 Travels in Scotland, 
 
 individuals of all classes bear the same name, without belonging 
 to the same family. It is thus that Peers and Knights of Scot- 
 land have names which are to be met with in abundance, even 
 among the lowest classes of people. In order to distinguish them 
 from the crowd, they add the names of their estates, when they 
 are not decorated with some title, or eminent public function. 
 From thence proceeds the question which many strangers put to 
 the Scots,* in speaking of a certain name, for example, that of 
 Douglas, or Scott ; Is he of a good name — is he of a good family? 
 questions which otherwise would appear very ridiculous, as this 
 name, which is found in the family of the Dukes of Buc- 
 cleugh, belongs also to a crowd of mechanics, farmers, and la- 
 bourers. It is the same with the Highlanders, being that par- 
 ticular form which feudalism had established in Scotland, when 
 the nobles and their vassals bore the same name, and regarded 
 themselves as descended from one common stock. The great 
 proprietors, and those who approached the nearest by parentage 
 to the chief of the tribe, were naturally the most considerable. 
 
 The right of primogeniture, and the perpetual assignment of 
 lands, which still exist in our day, have preserved the same 
 property in the same families for a long period of time. 
 
 The abolition of the feudal system in Scotland, which de- 
 prived the nobles of their rights of sovereignty, did not strip 
 them of their domains. The estates have remained to the an- 
 cient proprietors ; thus, we find but an infinitely small number 
 of country proprietors at the present time ; the country people 
 are all either farmers, or work-people, possessing nothing (of their 
 own,) of the soil which they cultivate. The gentry who have 
 considerable lands, have endeavoured to restrain as much as pos- 
 sible the number of their farmers, and in a fertile country like 
 the Lowlands, this measure has produced the best effects, as 
 much for the economy of handy work, as for the perfection of 
 agriculture. There is no doubt at this day, that in this last 
 point, the western part of Scotland rivals, even advantageously, 
 with England. 
 
 The costume of the Lowlanders has nothing which distin- 
 guishes them from the English peasants, with the exception of 
 a bonnet of blue cloth, plaited, and a large mantle, or plaid, of 
 a white and grey stripe. They throw it over their shoulders du- 
 ring fine weather, and wrap themselves up with it entirely when 
 it rains. This plaid serves them also as a knapsack. This is 
 
 * Thus they say the Scots of Harden, the Scots of Ancrum, &c. The 
 names in the Lowlands are distinguished in general from those of the High- 
 lands by omitting the addition of Mac to the commencement of their names. 
 Among the most common names in the Lowlands are those of Scott, Douglas, 
 Ferguson, Robertson, Hamilton, Duncan, &c. &c. 
 
Travels in Scotland, 109 
 
 the costume of those groups of shepherds who tend the nume- 
 rous flocks of sheep on the harren hills, and in the uncultivated 
 lands which separate Scotland from England. Their truly pas- 
 toral life is described with a lively and poetical sentiment in their 
 ancient ballads, which they are fond of repeating with their na- 
 tional airs. Their huts are small, but more regularly and solidly 
 built than those of the Highlanders ; the former, at least, have 
 chimneys, and they have improved much of late years in their 
 interior arrangement. In general, the landed proprietors have 
 endeavoured lately to increase the comfort of their farmers as 
 much as possible, by encouraging among them a spirit of order, 
 economy, and cleanliness. 
 
 In comparing, as we have sometimes done, the character and 
 the spirit of the English with the Scots, we have endeavoured, 
 on many occasions, to assign a just title to the Scots, of a marked 
 superiority in points of the highest importance, over the En- 
 glish. From whence then, will be demanded, proceeds that 
 disdain which the English never cease to testify towards this 
 enlightened, pious, and industrious nation ? — and those ridiculous 
 prejudices spread against them throughout England ? What are 
 the motives of these prejudices which abound, not only in the 
 conversation of all classes of society, from the frontiers of Scot- 
 land to the most southern part of the kingdom, but even in the 
 writings of some of the most distinguished authors in England ? 
 Will it be credited, that some slight difference in the customs, 
 the language, the accent, some particular food, the supposed 
 poverty of the Scottish people, are ostensible motives for that 
 disdain with which they would wish to overwhelm a whole 
 nation ? Certainly, in a grave and thinking people, these are 
 subjects of animadversion — singularly frivolous. 
 
 But these are not the only causes, for although, in the eyes 
 of the English, all that is removed from their manners and cus- 
 toms, is a sure mark of inferiority, and the remains of bar- 
 barism, yet the difl^erence in the latter case is too feeble to cause 
 such a general antipathy. There are more solid reasons, which 
 seem better to explain the point. Does it not proceed from the 
 yet unextinguished national hatred, which formerly existed be- 
 tween these two rival nations— so long the bitterest enemies to 
 each other ? And is it not agreed — do we not recognise ou many 
 occasions, the marks of spite and wounded pride, from seeing 
 these despised Scots arrive, by their talents, perseverance, and 
 activity, at the most eminent places in the various careers which 
 they embrace ? 
 
 A man who finds himself supplanted in a situation to which he 
 thinks he has a right, by an unknown, whose talents and ac- 
 tivity are his only titles, feels his pride offended, and will seldom 
 
110 Travels in Scotland, 
 
 iail of accusing his competitor of baseness, and attribute his 
 success to intrigue and favour. Such is the position of many 
 Englishmen who find themselves in the back ground, and it has 
 not been without pain, that they have seen England, India, and 
 the Colonies, filled by a vast number of young Scotsmen, bring- 
 ing along with them a good education, widely extended infor- 
 mation, zeal, natural intelligence, a spirit of order and good 
 conduct ; and who, animated by a laudable ambition, persever- 
 ingly seek for the most honourable and lucrative places. Success 
 3)as, of course, crowned the efforts of these enterprising and 
 enlightened spirits ; and those who, by a misplaced pride, re- 
 posed solely on their pretended rights, have cried out "injustice V* 
 accused the Scots with using every means to arrive at their ob- 
 ject, and far from endeavouring to struggle with more advan- 
 tage, by acquiring that learning which had been useful to their 
 rivals, they have found it more convenient to pour out their ill- 
 humour and disdain upon them. 
 
 They have also warmly reproached the Scots, with what they 
 term their national pride, or spirit of Clanship ; they have blamed 
 them for reciprocally supporting, and seeking to favour each other, 
 in the objects of their pursuits. They find it very improper that 
 Scotsmen, in place and in credit, should profit by their situation, 
 to draw their countrymen around them, and endeavour to procure 
 situations to members of their families or clans. Among the 
 faults with which they reproached Lord Bute, in his administra- 
 tion, they have particularly insisted on the pretended wrong which 
 he did to the nation in placing Scotsmen imthe various branches 
 of the Government. " Poor England is lost !" said one of the 
 wits of the time, '•• but what chagrins me the most is, to see 
 that the Scots have found it." I do not know if they can blame 
 a statesman from wishing to be surrounded with persons who are 
 known to him ; above all, (as was the case here) when he chose 
 them from among a people distinguished for their learning, mo- 
 rality, and good faith. But one thing is certain, that nothing but 
 prejudice can make it criminal in an individual, not to forget in 
 prosp(?rJty those with whom he was formerly connected by friend- 
 ship, family, or country. 
 
 There is, in fine, one circumstance which has tended still more 
 to exciite unfavourable prejudices in England, against the Scots, 
 — the journey of Dr. Samuel Johnson to the Hebrides. This illus- 
 trious lexicographer, more versed in the study of books than of 
 men, had never been out of London, or the surrounding counties. 
 One fine day, at the age of 64 years, he took it into his head to 
 visit Scotland, its mountains, and isles. Such a voyage, fatiguing 
 enough for a man in the flower of age, was then, considering the 
 badness of the roads across the mountains, a very hazardous en- 
 
 < 
 
Travels in Scotland. 1 1 1 
 
 terpri^e ^oi* an old man, and above all an old man like Dr. John- 
 Son, accustomed to his ease, a lover of repose, society, and good 
 cheer. He sets out, imbued with violent prejudices against the 
 country he was about to visit ; for he partook^ in the highest de- 
 gree, of all the opinions in vogue among the English, relative to 
 foreign countries ; he sets out without a particle of zeal for disco- 
 veries. 
 
 All the contrarieties of the journey, and those hindrances, so 
 soon forgotten by those who travel in an interesting country for 
 information, leave a profound impression on his mind. He sees 
 nothing in Scotland worthy of study, neither the genius, the lavvs^ 
 nor the manners of the people; he finds only bad inns, worse 
 roads, poor huts, a barren and unfruitful soil, and, as he himself 
 has said, he only regarded Scotland as " the meanest part of Eng- 
 land/* Promptly repulsed by an exterior a little wild and rude, he 
 perceived not that the people whom he despised were like those 
 mineral substances, covered with thick crust, which time wears off, 
 displaying the most precious metals. He did not even feel the 
 value of that hospitality, so generous, so delicate, among the 
 Highlanders ;— they served him with dishes which he did not like, 
 •—he was offended, and repulsed his hosts with disdain. He re- 
 turned, in fine, more exasperated than ever against Scotland and 
 its inhabitants. His ill-humour breathed in his conversation, and 
 in his books ; he never ceased directing his sarcasms against the 
 Scots, he denied them all kind of literary merit, at the very time 
 when the works of Hume, Robertson, and Adam Smith circu- 
 lated in all Europe, and were eagerly received by the learned in 
 every country, and translated into all languages. He did not 
 stop here, his pleasure in wounding the Scots was such, that he 
 went so far as to insult them in his Dictionary of the English 
 language ; a work, certainly, in which we should least expect to 
 find puns against a whole nation. He found, however, the way of 
 slipping his favourite topic into his book. He has defined the 
 word Oats — " Grain with which the English feed their horses, 
 and with which the Scots feed themselves !'* These pleasantries, 
 eagerly received by the English, at a moment when the Scots 
 began to open the road for public employments, circulated from 
 mouth to mouth, and were speedily transmitted from one end of 
 the kingdom to the other.* * 
 
 * It is remarkable, that while Johnson, who knew so ill the character of the 
 Scots, was making them a continual subject for pleasantry ; another Englishmaa, 
 the learned and respectable Pennant, published the voyage which his zeal for Na- 
 tural History led him to undertake into Scotland, and in which he seized every 
 Occasion to render to the Scottish nation the justice due to it ; and to infuse into 
 the minds of his readers, those sentiments of benevolence and affection which 
 he experienced from a people, so badly appreciated by his predecessors. 
 
112 Travekin ScotLmd, 
 
 It is a great evil that such prejudices should pass from England 
 to the Continent, and that the nations of Europe should be accus- 
 tomed to form their opinion of the Scottish people, from the 
 judgment of the English. But it is a still greater evil, that these 
 prejudices should have penetrated, by degrees, into Scotland itself* 
 That there are to be found Scotsmen, dazzled by the splendour 
 and luxury of the metropolis, who prefer the bustling pleasures 
 of London to a more quiet and regular life in their native coun- 
 try, may be easily conceived. But when we see them return to 
 their country, affecting an insulting disdain for the society and 
 the customs of Scotland, and wishing to change the original 
 find peculiar character of their countrymen, into a servile imita- 
 tion of English manners, it will afford matter of astonishment 
 to all who are acquainted with the difference existing between 
 the two nations. 
 
 Happily, however, the national character and spirit are yet too 
 strong in Scotland to fear the influence of these dangerous ex- 
 amples. But if the power of fashion is extended farther, if the 
 Scots, seduced by the vain illusions of elegance and luxury, begin 
 to change the spirit of their institutions, — if, forgetting tlieir na- 
 tional glory, they model their manners on those of strangers, that 
 lustre which shines over it to day, will only serve, the more effec- 
 tually, to expose to the world the folly and the ignorance of those^ 
 who caused it to disappear. And then, only, Scotland will be th^' 
 ** meanest pari of England/' 
 
 t»E Bfipl?*