Wi-'i^^ 
 
 
JOURNEY 
 
 FROM 
 
 EDINBURGH 
 
 THROUGH 
 
 PARTS OF NORTH BRITAIN. 
 
 VOL. I. 
 
Si' 
 
 f 
 ^ 
 
 
 
 I 
 
 v^^ 
 
JOURNEY 
 
 FROM 
 
 EDINBURGH 
 
 THROUGH 
 
 PARTS OF NORTH BRITAIN: 
 
 CONTAINING 
 
 REMARKS ON SCOTISH LANDSCAPE; 
 
 AND OBSERVATIONS ON RURAL ECONOMY, NATURAL 
 
 HISTORY, MANUFACTURES, TRADE, AND COMMERCE; 
 
 Interfperfed with 
 
 ANECDOTES, 
 
 TRADITIONAL, LITERARY, AND HISTORICAL j 
 
 TOGETHER WITH 
 
 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES, 
 
 RELATING CHIEFLY TO CIVIL AND ECCLESIASTICAL AFFAIRS, FROM 
 THE TWELFTH CENTURY DOWN TO THE PRESENT TIME. 
 
 IN TWO VOLUMES, 
 
 EmbeUIfhed with FORTT-FOUR ENGRAVINGS, 
 From Drawings made on the Spot, of the Lake, River, and Mountain Scenery of Scotland. 
 
 By ALEXANDER CAMPBELL. 
 
 VOL. L 
 
 LONDON: 
 
 Printed by A. Strahan, Printers-Street; 
 
 FOR T. N. LONGMAN AND O. REES, PATERNOSTER-ROW J AND 
 
 VERNOR AND HOOD IN THE POULTRY. 
 
 1802. 
 
QIFI OF 
 
 PROFESSOR C.A. KOFOID 
 
PREFACE. 
 
 1 HE title-page of a literary produdion ought, if poffible, to 
 convey to the mind of the reader a pretty accurate notion of its 
 fcope and general contents; an apology, therefore, for the feem- 
 ing prolixity of the title-page prefixed to thefe volumes, will be 
 found in the utility of this good old pradlice. 
 
 Although I have more than once appeared before the public 
 as an author, I feel on this occafion, that diffidence and anxiety 
 which are natural to one who gleans in a field wherein fo many 
 have reaped with reward and diftlncbion ; yet confcious of hav- 
 ing bellowed due pains in order to render it worthy of accept- 
 ance, I await the time when the candid and judicious fhall have 
 awarded that fhare of approbation, to which this performance 
 may be found juftly entitled. 
 
 It appeared to me, notwithftanding the numerous w^riters 
 that of late have directed their attention to the examination of 
 the antiquities, natural hiftory, peculiar cuftoms and manners 
 of the northern fedion of our ifland, that many things had 
 
 A 2 efcaped 
 
 Wm6B12 
 
iv i>REFACE. 
 
 elcaped their diligence of refearch, which a native intimately 
 acquainted with the clafTic ground and hiftorical incidents there- 
 to belonging, as well as with many traditionary particulars 
 about to fink into that oblivion from which they are now 
 fnatched, might have it in his power to examine more at lei- 
 fure than any flranger, how accurate foever, traverfing haftily 
 the various diftrids defcribed in the following journey : in col- 
 lecting materials for which, I have fpared neither time nor la- 
 bour; and toward a proper fele<flion and arrangement of what 
 I deemed moft interefling and valuable, I have done all in my 
 power. 
 
 Aware of that kind of difguft which ceafelefs egotifm ufually 
 excites, 1 have chofen to appear as feldom as poffible in the 
 body of the work ; by which means the reader is fpared the 
 unneceflary intrufion that too frequently occurs in fimilar pro- 
 dudions. In truth, were I to relate but a fmall part of the 
 cafual incidents connected with the prefent itinerary, it w^ould 
 fwell into many more volumes to very little purpofe. But, 
 befides three feveral excurfions made on purpofe to take the 
 {ketches of the fcenery faithfully on the fpot, as well as to afcer- 
 tain from perfonal furvey the prefent ftate of rural economy, 
 manufactures, trade, and commerce, I have had, during twenty 
 years of my life, frequent occafion to vifit the extenfive range 
 thrpugh which the traveller is herein directed. 
 
 S In 
 
PREFACE. V 
 
 In treating of many particulars refpeding recent occurrences, 
 as well as flriking events of more remote periods of ScotifK 
 hiftory, it will manifeftly appear, that I have delivered my fen- 
 timents with that manly freedom which is charaderiftic of one 
 attached to no party, and independent in his mind, — tempered^ 
 however, with due moderation, keeping fteadily in view a fcru- 
 pulous regard to truth wherever it was to be found. 
 
 It will alfo be feen, that, befides placing many known fads 
 and circumftances in new lights, much original information on 
 a great variety of topics will afford fatisfadion to thofe who find 
 pleafure in fomewhat more than mere fuperficial knowledge. 
 
 This, I truft, will more fully appear in the defcriptions, and 
 hiftorical and traditional matter refpeding many parts of the 
 highlands, particularly Loch-Kaitrin, and the wilds adjacent ; 
 the bifhoprick of Dunkeld; the towns of Linlithgow, Stirling,, 
 Perth, and Dundee ; the ancient archiepifcopal fee of St. An- 
 drew's, together with its univerfity ; and the prefent capital of 
 Scotland, Edinburgh ; as alfo a fketch of its univerfity, particu- 
 larly its celebrated fchool of medicine from its firft eftabllfhment 
 to the prefent period ; with an hiftorical outline of the Scotifh 
 epifcopal church, from the firft dawn of the Reformation to the 
 clofc of the eighteenth century. Befide thefe different articles, 
 there will likewife be found interfperfed throughout, many bio- 
 graphical notices of fome importance ta thofe who may be in» 
 
 terefted 
 
vl PREFACE. 
 
 terefted in the literary fame of a few Scotfnien whofe writings 
 are held in high eftimation in the republic of letters. To thefe 
 notices are added two or three flight iketches rerpe<^lng the 
 fine arts north of the Tweed ; together with the hiftory of the 
 Scotifh ftage from its origin down to the prefent time. 
 
 Having thus prepared the reader for what he is to expedl in 
 the following fheets, I fliall only add a few remarks refpe(5ting 
 fome notices that have come to my knowledge fince the pre- 
 fent production was fent to the prefs. 
 
 In drawing a contraft of the character of the ancient Cale- 
 donians and the Highlanders of the prefent day, I have thrown 
 out a few hints relative to the poetry common to Ireland and 
 the Hebrides, in which the Fingalians of both nations are 
 celebrated ; as alfo, fome particulars refpeding the Scotifh- 
 Gaelic being a written language (contrary to the opinion of 
 Johnfon) long before the invention of printing. In addition 
 to what I have faid on thefe fubjeds in the courfe of the pre- 
 fent work, and elfewhere, I have to ftate a communication 
 made in a letter, dated " ift March 1801," from my friend Mr. 
 J. Ritfon, of Gray's Inn, of fufficient importance to juftify its 
 infertion in this place. 
 
 " I have made" (fays Mr. Ritfon) " two difcoveries lately in 
 the hiftory of Fin-Mac-Coul. He is mentioned in Jocelin's 
 life of St. Patrick, written about 1180, as contemporary with 
 
 that 
 
PREFACE. vii 
 
 that faint ; but in a book of much greater authority, the Ulfter 
 Annals, of which there is a tranflation in the Mufeum, he is 
 placed in the middle of the ninth century, or year 856, when 
 it is faid, " Cuhal-Fin, with his EiigliJlD- Irijlj \_Hibernicey ut alibi. 
 Fingall\ (was) put to flight by Ivan" This, if it mean" (con- 
 tinues Mr. Rltfon) " the fame man, is an hiftorical fadt which 
 cannot be difputed : but" (he adds) " at all events, he was a 
 native or inhabitant of Ireland^ 
 
 In my reply to the letter whence this extrad Is taken, I men- 
 tioned what difcoveries had been lately made at Edinburgh 
 with regard to ancient MSS. in the Gaelic language ; and like- 
 wife fent him a literal tranflation of a pafl!age from a book 
 printed at Edinburgh A. D. 1567 in that tongue ; and to be 
 found in the preface of the abbot oi Icolomkill diw^ bifhop of the 
 IJles John CarfweWs Book of Common Prayer (by the way, the 
 firfl; protefl:ant Prayer-book in ufe north of the Tweed till an 
 unfuccefsful attempt was made in the reign of Charles the 
 Martyr). The paflTage alluded to is to the following purport. 
 " But there is a great want" (fays this pious prelate) " w^ith us, 
 *' and it is a great weight upon us, the Gael of Scotland and 
 " Ireland *, above the reft: of mankind, that our Gaelic lan- 
 " guage is not printed, as are the other languages and tongues 
 " of the world : and there is a greater want fl:ill, that of the 
 " Holy Bible not being printed in the Gaelic language, as it is 
 
 * ** Gaoidhil Alban agas Eirean.'* 
 
 "in 
 
Vm PREFACE, 
 
 ^ in the Latin and the EngUfh, and every other tongue : and 
 ** alfo, it is a want, that we have never yet had any account 
 ** printed of the antiquities of our country, or of our anceftors 
 ** amongft us. But, although we have fome accounts of the 
 " Gael of Scotland and Ireland in the manufcript books of chief 
 " bards and hifloriographers *, and others ; yet, the labour of 
 " writing them over with the hand is great ; but the procefs of 
 *' printing, be the work how voluminous foever, is fpeedy and 
 " eafily accomplilhed. And great is the blindnefs, ignorance, 
 " and fmful darknefs, and evil defign of the teachers and writ- 
 ** erSj and oral confervators f , of the Gaelic, in as much as 
 '* they are more defn'ous and accuftomed to compofe vain, 
 *' tempting, lying hiftories, to gain the idle applaufe of the world, 
 " concerning Tuath de Danonds, and Milefians, — concerning 
 *' champions, and Fin-mac-Cumhal and Fingalians, and a great 
 *' many more that need not be mentioned in this place J.'* 
 Here then is a manifeft proof, that the Gaelic language was not 
 only a written, but alfo a printed language, more than two hun- 
 dred years ago, — a ftriking fadl, in dired: contradidion of 
 Dr. Johnfon's hafty aflertion, that " the Earfe" (he means 
 Irifh, or Gaelic) " never was a written language j and there 
 
 * " Fileadh agas DHamlian.'* 
 
 f " Lucht dcachtaidh agas fgriobht'ha chumhdai'irli." 
 
 ij: " Cumadh ar Thuath de dhanond agas mhacaibh milead agas arna ciiradhaigbh 
 *' agas fhind mac cumhail gona fhianoibh agas ar mhoran elle nach airbini agas nach 
 .'** jiii^ifim andfo do chumadhach." 
 
 ^ is 
 
PREFACE. IX 
 
 " is not in the world an Earfe manufcript a hundred years 
 " old*" 
 
 Thefe additional notices refpedlng Gaelic antiquities I have 
 thought proper to give without any comment whatever ; and 
 as it fell to my lot, after a filence of nearly eighteen years, 
 to revive the celebrated controverfy refpedling the authenticity 
 of Oflian, and having difcovered and brought before the literary 
 world, " The Highlander," a juvenile performance of the in- 
 g<enious tranflator of our Celtic Homer, I truft, my apology 
 is made, in thus having Hated what will fo materially contri- 
 bute to the further inveftigation of this interefling fubje£t. 
 
 In writing the various obfervations contained in thefe vo- 
 lumes, I had often occafion to notice perfons then living, 
 who are fmce dead, circumftances relative to whom will feem 
 greatly altered in their application ; — this, however, in fome 
 inftances, was not forefeen. The venerable father of General 
 Abercromby, greatly advanced in years, paid the debt of nature 
 while that hero was on his expedition in the Mediterranean ; 
 he himfelf too is numbered among the illuflrious dead, having 
 nobly fallen in wrefting Egypt from the hands of the French. 
 The renowned conqueror of that diftant region of the earth 
 never appeared fo truly great, as on that day when Learning 
 beheld him, on his return, with dignified modefty, feated 
 
 • See Johnfon's Journey to the Weftern Iflands. 
 
 a among 
 
X PliEFACE. 
 
 among his fellow-citizens in the hall of tlnjllttite Nationale de- 
 France, Nor did Abercromby, in my opinion, fhine more in 
 the midft of his moft fplendid military achievements, than when 
 feen by few fave his own family and immediate neighbours, 
 while in the noifelefs tenor of ferene retirement fuperintending 
 his rural affairs, and encouraging by his prefence the indigent 
 young ones in the fchool which his private bounty had founded 
 for their inftrudion. The fame of Abercromby it belongs 
 to hiftory to record ; his domeftic virtues, till lateft ages, ta 
 mankind to imitate. 
 
 TABLE 
 
TABLE OF CONTENTS 
 
 OF 
 
 THE FIRST VOLUME. 
 
 JL/EpARTtJRE from Edinburgh — Prince's Street— Fine Profpeft of the New 
 and Old Town, Caftle, and diftant Objeas— St. Cuthbert's or Weft 
 Church ; concerning which, a miftake in Arnot's Hiftorjr of Edinburgh is 
 rectified — Lothian-Road — Singular Wager — Water of Leith — Edinburgh 
 Caftle — Napier, Lord Merchifton, and Henry Briggs of Greftiam College — 
 Corftorphine — Weft Lothian—- Agricultural Improvements Linlithgowfhirc 
 — Invafion of Edward I. — Kirklifton — Niddery Caftle — Winft>urgh famous 
 at one time for Bees — Field-Marftial John Earl of Stair, an Agricul- 
 turift, _ _ - . - Page i 
 
 liiNLiTHGow, an ancient Burgh — faid to have been firft founded by Edward I. 
 A. D. 1301. — Palace—Church, in the Aifle of which James IV. was warned 
 by an Apparition previous to his Fall in the Field of Floden, A. D. 1513. — 
 Linlithgow formerly the Verfailles of Scotland — ^The Birth-Place of Mary 
 Queen of Scots — Religious Houfes of Linlithgow, previous to the Reforma- 
 tion — Affaflinatlon of the Regent Murray — The Solemn League and Co- 
 venant burnt in Linligthow, A. D. 1622. — This Town populous and thriving 
 — Manufacture, Trade, &c. — Agriculture, Minerals, &c. in the Vicinity 
 of Linlithgow — Departure weftward from Linlithgow — Pafs the River Aven 
 — Battle of Linlithgow Bridge, in the Minority of James V.— Enter Stlrling- 
 {hire — Village of Laurifton — Grime's Dyke— Roman Antiquities — Cal- 
 lander-Houfc— Agricola's Chain of Forts, and Rampart, - 1 7 
 
 9. 2 Falkirk, 
 
xii CONTENTS. 
 
 Falkirk, the principal Mart for horned dttle—TryJIs or Fairs in the au- 
 tumnal Months yearly — Carron Iron-Works — Forth and Clyde Canal, in the 
 Diredion of the Roman Wall, or VaUum Jniomm—B^ink of Falkirk in 1745,. 
 untoward Event of the Death of one of the Rebel Leaders, {Angus M'Donald, 
 Colonel of the Glengary Regiment,) caufcd by the accidemal- Dlfcharge of a 
 Piece, by a Private of the Clanranald Highlanders— Bad Confequences of 
 this accident to the Caufe of Prince Charles— Severe Sufferings of many. 
 Families, and Perfons of Condition — Infcriptions on Tomb-Stones in the 
 Church-yard— Among others, that on a Stone facred to the Memory of 
 John Stuart, emphatically called the Right Arm of Wallace — Battle of the 
 Carron, in which that illulhious Patriot was beat by Edward I. — Conference 
 of Wallace and Bruce after the Battle— Arthur's Oon, or little Pantheon, a 
 Work of the Romans — Leave Falkirk — Pafs through the Village of Camclon 
 — The ancient Roman flation of Camelon— Village of Larbcrt — Dunipace, a 
 Place mentioned frequently in Scotifh Hiftory — The Torwood— Wallace's 
 Tree, no Fragment of which remains — Ancient Foreft throughout various 
 extenfive DiftriiSts of the North — Diftant view of Stirling Caftle— Bannock- 
 burn — Battle of Bannockburn defcribed— A flight Sketch of Scotifh Hif- 
 tory, from the Death of Robert de Bruce, till the Imprifonment of Mary- 
 Stuart, Qu^een of Scots — Leave Bannockburn — St. Ninian's — Approach to 
 Stirling, - - - - - Page 29 
 
 Stirling — Edmonftone's Walk — Beautiful and fublime Profpedts commanded 
 from various Stations po'n-Aed out — Vale of Montleth — Links o' Forth, &c, 
 — Cambus-Kenneth — Aloa — Craigforth — Dunblane — SherrifF-Moor, Sec- 
 Battle of Stirling-bridge — Stirling as a Burgh — Its Sett, or Conftiiution, Po- 
 pulation, Manufaflures, Trade, Salmon Fiihery, &c.— Hiftory of Stirling— 
 Chapel-Royal of Stirling one of the richeft; in Scotland — Religious Houfes, 
 and Hofpitals of Stirling — Schools, &c. — For the Remainder of what relates 
 to Stirling, fee Additional Notes. Note (B) vol. ii. p. 369, - 75 
 
 Departure from Stirling Weftward. — Bridge of Dript-- Enter Perthfliire — 
 Craigforth— Audertyre— Mill of Tor — Mofles of Kincardine and Flanders — 
 Mofs-lairds, a Colony from the Grampian Mountains — Concerning the agri- 
 cultural Improvements of thefe Mofles — Blairdrummond — Dodlor Wallace 
 —Lord Kaimes— Adelphi Cotton Works— Down Caftle — Village of Down 
 
 9 — Approalch 
 
CONTENTS. .-lui 
 
 — Approach to the Plighlands - Cambus-Wallace — Lanrick— Cambus-Morc 
 
 —Sublime a-fpe6l of the Grampian Regions — Village of Callander, the firft 
 
 _ within the Confines of tlie Highlands of Scotland, - - Page 92 
 
 The Highlands— Keltie Water— Wooden-Bridge at Brachland, and Pvloun- 
 tain Torrent— Callander — Schools, &c. — The Roman Camp, as it is called 
 — Benledi — The Lake, River, and Mountain Scenery of Scotland — Excurfion 
 to the Lakes — Viz. Lcch-Venuchar, Loch Achray, and Loch-K^iitrin — 
 Gleii-fin-Glas — Bridge of Turk — Loch-Achray. — The Tro/Jjafhs as they are 
 called — Cori-nan-Urifchin — Loch-Katrin — Brianchoil — Glen-Artney — Doc- 
 tor Archibald Cameron apprehended in this deep recefs — Carried thence to 
 Stirling, Edinburgh, London, and to the Tower as a State Prlfoner — ^Tried, 
 condemned, and executed at Tyburn, as a Traitor, on the 7th June, 1755.. — 
 Mr.JohnConachar a Clergyman oftheScotifli Epifcopal Church, betrayed by 
 his own Servant — Tried, condemned, and banilhed Scotland for Life — Some 
 particulars refpedling the Murder of Cimpbell of Glenure ; and farther 
 Diftrefles which it caufed — particularly in the Trial, Sentence and Execution 
 of Mr. James Stewart of Ardlhiel. — The Weft End of Loch-Kaitrin — Coill- 
 chrah — Glengyle— Port-nan-Ellen — Scenery of the Lake — Rob Roy the 
 celebrated Free-booter's Hut — His behaviour to a Stcwird of the Duke of 
 Montrofe — Chief of the Macgregors, doubtful who — Rob Roy, alias Macgre- 
 gor (Son of the famous Rob Roy) apprehended at Gartniore Fair, for the 
 forcible AbduiHiion and Marriage of the Heirefs of Edinbelly in May 175 I 
 —Tried, cond^^mned and hanged for this Crime — Return ta the Eaft End 
 of the Lake — Occafional Verl'es on the fublime Scenery which here 
 ^xc^tnis— A Faithful fetv (till remain attached, amid thtfe Wilds, to the 
 almoft extiuifl Family of Stuart* — Bo-Caftle — Kilmyhuog — Tomachef- 
 faig — Waifoti-Jhawing — Excurfion from Callander to Lochaird, and the Loch- 
 of-Montieth — Botanic Plants, Minerals, &c. in the Vicinity of Callander — 
 Concerning the Form.ition of Mountains — Salubrity of the Air in the Moun- 
 tainous Regions of Pcrfh^liire — Introdudlion of the Sheep-ftore- Farms in the 
 Neighbourhood of C dlander f. Fifh of the Lakes,, and of the River Tieth-— 
 —The Speech of the Inhabitants of this DiftriiSl of the Highlands confifts 
 
 • See alfo Additional Notes — Note (C) vol. ii. p. 373. 
 f See alfc Additional Notes— Note (E) vol. ii. p. 375. 
 
 ofi 
 
Kiv CONTENTS. 
 
 of a bad DIale£l: of the Gaelic Language — Some peculiar Cuftoms fpecifieJ 
 — Beltin-Daj, Hallow-e'en, &c. - - - Page 102 
 
 The Pass of Lent — Approach to, awful and impreflive — Wood of Leny— 
 Enter thePafs into the Grampians and Weft Highlands— Weftern Extremity 
 of the Wood — Sterile Wildnefs of the Scene which here prefents—On pro- 
 ceeding, the blue Expanfe of Loch Lubnaig comes in View — In the Diftance 
 the Hill of Ardchulery, beneath the Brow of which the Hunting-Seat of 
 the Abydinian TtavelleF Bruce is feen — The whole View from the Station 
 here pointed out, peculiarly grand, and impreffive — Arrived at the Weftern 
 Shores of the Lake, the Profpecl feen on looking toward the Eaftern borders 
 not lefs fublime than the former — Strathayre — CharatSlcrillic Appearance of 
 the Inhabitants of this Valley— The Braes of Balquhidder — Fewers, and 
 
 ' ■ Farmers of this Tra£l of Country — Edinchip — Locherin-Head — Stratherin— 
 Some Particulars refpe£ling the Scenery, Hiftorical Occurrences, &c. of the 
 Courfe of the River Erin — From Locherin-Head through Glenogle into 
 Braidalbane — Glendochart — Benmore and Mountainous Region to the Weft 
 — Chilling Idea of Winter— Affecting Circumftance relative to a poor High- 
 land Family— 'Proceed by the Banks of the Dochart to Killin, - 144 
 
 KiLLiN — Hill of Stron-Chlachan— Hefghts of Finlairg — and lofty Wilds of Ben- 
 Laurs — Review of the CharacSler of the Modern, contrafted with that of 
 the Ancient Highlanders — Conflicts of the Clans — Exemplified in a defperate 
 Affair which took place on the Hill immediately rifmg above Killin between 
 the M'Donells of Keapnoch, and Campbells of Braidalbane — Drefs, Arms, 
 Manners, Mufic, Poetry, &c. of the Highlanders, both ^ in Antient and 
 Modern Times — The vaft Change for the better in the Condition of the High- 
 landers fince the Abolition of Pit and Gal/aius (hereditary Jurifdiflion) in 
 the Year 1748. Profound Policy of the late Lord Chatham with regard to 
 the Syftem of enlifting the Chieftains and their followers on the Side of Go- 
 vernment — Emigration — The Shcep-fyftem the principal Caufe— Rack-rent, 
 &c. The Progrefs of Literature in the Highlands of Scotland— Population 
 of the Parifii of Killin— Plan of Agriculture purfued in thefe Diftrids - Fifh 
 
 of Lochtay and neighbouring tributary Waters — Natural Hiftory, &c. 
 
 Leave Killin, - - - " ^59 
 
 Castle 
 
CONTEISTTS. x^r 
 
 Castle Finlairig — Kiiinel the Family Refidence of Francis MacNab, Efq. 
 Chief of that Name— .Inifh-mhui, the Family burying-place— The Grave of 
 Fingal— Poetical Dcfcription of the Funeral of that Hero — Druidical Re- 
 mains on Ben-Laurs — AfFedlation of Northern Antiquities — Some PafTages 
 refpedling the Highlands and the Celts, from Pinkerton's Inquiry into the 
 Hiftory of Scotland— Proceed down the Southern Side of Loch-tay Ap- 
 pearance — Cultivation on the Bofom of Ben-Laurs — Corn-fields creeping as it 
 were to the mid-way Heights — A Proof of the perfevering Indullry of the 
 poor Inhabitants of thefe elevated Regions — Pity that their Pofleffions fliould 
 be rack-rented ! — The Stretch of Country through which Loch-tay and the 
 River Tay run is by far the mod populous Diftridt of the Highlands — Source 
 of the Tay — Holy Pool of St. Flllan — Minerals and other natural Produc- 
 tions in the Courfe of Loch-tay — Fine Profpe£ls from Stations pointed out 
 on the Shores of the Lake —Villages of Clocheran and Ardoenaig— Ap- 
 proach to Tayraouth, the Rcfidence of the Braidalbane Family, Page 203: 
 
 Kenmore— Defcriptlon of its Situation — Taymouth — View from the Temple 
 in the ornamented Grounds — Loch-tay Cell or Priory of St. Auguftine's— 
 Earl of Braidalbane's Manfion, its Library, Golleftion of Pictures, &c.— 
 Parifti of Kenmore — Population — Rural Economy — Some loofe Hints con- 
 cerning an improved Syftem of Store-Farms— Quellions refpedling the fame 
 — 'Under proper Management, breeding of Swine might turn out to good 
 Account in the Highlands of Scotland — Loch-tay, its Length, Breadth^ 
 Depth, Fifli, &c. Remarkable Phenomena with refpeft to its ebbing and 
 'flowing at different Periods— Concerning the Natural Hiftory of its imme- 
 diate Vicinity — Leave Taymouth and proceed down the Bank of the River, 
 
 212 
 
 Strath-Tay.-!— Opening into Glenlion— Extenfivc Sheep-walks— Fortingal— 
 Roman Antiquities— Danifh Watch-To wers — Manners, Cuftoms, Sec. of the 
 former and prefent Inhabitants of tlie Parifh of Fortingal — Clan MacGregor 
 inhabited of old throughout Glenlion, Ranoch, ^md Parts adjacent— Caftle 
 Menzje, Aberfeldie, Weemj Tay-bridge, Parl(li of Weem, lies ftrangely. 
 intermixed with the neighbouring Pariihes— >CIrcumftances unfavourable to 
 Agriculture,, particularly.ibortLcafes.—Logierait— Regality Court of Athole 
 
 — Deepi 
 
xvi CONTENTS. 
 
 •^Deep Policy in feudal Times exemplified in a traditional Occurrence re- 
 fpefling the Earls of Athol, and Braidalbane, and Keappoch — Scenery about 
 Logierait is highly pi£vurcfque — Banks of the Tummel — Fafcaily — The Con- 
 flux of the Tummel and Garry-— The Pafs of Killicrankie— Battle of KilU- 
 crankie — Pitcairn's Epitaph -on Lord Dundee, who fell in that memorable 
 Conflift—Parifii of Moulin — is pretty populous at prefent — fome Ratlftical 
 Matters relative to this Diftrift— Dr. Adam Fcrguflbn, a Native of this Pa* 
 xifli — Clan Donachie, or Robertfons of Struan (of whom the late Principal 
 Robertfon the Hiftorian was dcfcended *)— a Branch of the M'Donalds molt 
 confiderable Inhabitants, formerly of this Part of Perthftiire — Struan Robertfon 
 the Poet, - . _ - - Page 232 
 
 Blair-Athol and Struan.— Blair-Caftle — The fumptuous Entertainment of 
 James V. and his Suite by the Earl of Athol— Statiflical Matters relative to 
 the united Parifhes of Blair- Athol and Struan — Character of the Highlanders 
 for Hofpitality, by no Means peculiar to that Race of People — Superftition 
 of the Highlanders, and fingular Obfervances that ftill remain in fome Mea- 
 fure at this Day — The Fall of the Tummel — Maflacre of fome Macgregors, 
 who had hid themfelves near this Spot in a fecret Cave -Bridge over the 
 Garry — Fincaftle — Dun Alifter, or Mons Alexander, the Family Manfion of 
 Struan — LochRannoch — Village of Kinlock-Rannach — Grand Scenery in its 
 immediate Vicinity— Shee-Chailon — Bridge of Tummel — Loch-Tummel— 
 Apen-of • Dull — Caftle-garbh — Cofhiville — Wade's- bridge — Aberfeldie — — 
 thence down the right Bank of the Tay — Approach to Dunkeld — Village of 
 Dawally, &c. 
 
 Dunkeld. — Rural Economy in the Bifhoprick and Neighbourhood of Dun- 
 keld — Natural Hiftory — Pidurefque Beauties of the Brahan — OfTian's-hall— . 
 
 Catara£t, or Fall of the Brahan — Rumbling-Brig— Infcriptions,&c -Return 
 
 to Inver — Banks of the Tay— Afcend the Pathways on the North bank of 
 the River to Stations commanding extenfive Profpe6ts, particularly to that 
 called " The King' s Seat" — Defcription of thefe vaft and highly pidurefque 
 Views—Hiftorical Sketch of the ancient See of Dunkeld — Modern State of 
 the Town and Environs of Dunkeld, Inver, and Little Dunkeld— Leave the 
 
 * vide Stewart's Life of Robertfon, juft publiflied. 
 
 Highlands 
 
CONTENTS. xvli 
 
 Highlands— Murthly Caftle— Extenfivc Opening into the Stoimont and 
 Strathmore, - _ - . Page 'i6c) 
 
 Strathmore, (or Great Strath, plain or level Diftrift,) extending from Stir- 
 ling to Stonhive, a Stretch of Country fixty Miles in Length ; many Parts 
 of which are in a State of the highell Cultivation — Antiquities Roman and 
 Britifti — Relicks of religious Houfes, &c. - - 296 
 
 BiRNAM Wood, hardly a Veftige of its former woody Honours vifible— This 
 Tra£t of Country now in a State of rapid Improvement— Excellent Road 
 through this ancient Foreft to Perth- River Tay — Fall of the Tay, or Linn 
 of Campfie — Lees o' Luncarty — Danifh Antiquities— Scone — Palace — Ab- 
 bey — Great Want of ornamental Improvement, of which this charming 
 Spot is fufceptible in no common Stile — The ancient Bertha— Antiquities — 
 Cromwell-Park — Stormont-field — Pitcairn-Green — all in a thriving Con- 
 dition with refpe£l to various Branches of Labour and Induftry— The River 
 Almond — Glen-Almond— Sublime and Pidurefque Scenery of that Diftrifl 
 —Approach to Perth, - - - ^oo 
 
 Perth — Its fine Situation on the South Bank of the Tay — Labour and In- 
 duftry every where difcernable around Perth — A flight Outline of the Rife 
 and Progrefs of its Trade and Commerce — of its early Hiftory from the 
 Time of the Romans, down to the eighteenth Century, including many Par- 
 ticulars concerning Civil and Ecclcfiaftical Affairs, Religious Eftablifliments 
 previous to the Reformation — National Councils — Military Tranfadtions in 
 
 and about that ancient City, once the Capital of North-Britain *< The 
 
 Goivrie Confpiracie'^ as it is called — Defcription of James VI.'s Perfon — Some 
 Account of the Earl of Gowrie's Accomplifhments, and Popularity — The 
 myf\erious Affair refpe£ting his Murder, and that of his Brother Alexander 
 Ruthven, plainly flated — AfTafTination of James I. in the Convent of Black- 
 friars, near Perth, A. D. 1437-Error correded refpeding a remarkable In- 
 undation mentioned by Boece, Fordun, and Buchanan — Several Inundations 
 mentioned, which did great Mifchief to Perth — Bridge of Perth— Salmon- 
 fifhery — Improvements in Agriculture in the immediate Neighbourhood of 
 that City- Natural Hiflory of the Hills near Perth— Defcription of fome 
 remarkable Places around it— A Sail down the Tay recommended to fee Its 
 
 b Beauties 
 
xviii CONTENTS. 
 
 Beauties to proper Advantage ; and again, to enjoy more wide and extended 
 Profpedts, to afcend the Summit of More-dun-hill — Sublime, beautiful, and 
 pidturefque Scenes from thence defcried in almoft every Direftion—Excur- 
 fions in the near Vicinity of Perth pointed out To the Banks of the Al- 
 mond — Lednoch — Traditional Story concerning Bessy Bell and Mary Gray, 
 two celebrated Beauties of the feventeenth Century — Hunting Tower or Ruth- 
 vcn Caftle— Traditional Circumftances refpedling a Place in the Caftle called 
 *^ T/je Maiden's Leap"~~Hiiiovical Event, called « Tie Raid of Ruthven;' 
 which happened in the Minority of James VI. — Bleach-fields — Print-fields, 
 Machinery, &c. in the Neighbourhood of Ruthven Caftle— Canal of Bal- 
 houfie— or Low's-nvork — Perth, an eminent Nurfery of Learning — Schools 
 and Academy — Antiquarian Society — Libraries, &c. Thefe elegant and 
 tifeful Purfuits, of Knowledge and rational Recreation, highly chara£leriftic 
 of the poliflicd Manners and Society of Perth — A Trait of the ancient Inha- 
 bitants of that City, in contraft with thofe of the prefent Day, refpedling 
 Dramatic Performances, in Proof of the Juftice of thefe Obfervations — Po- 
 ■ pulation of Perth, though its Situation be low, yet the Inhabitants are re- 
 markably healthy— Municipal Conftitution of Perth, &c. - Page 30^ 
 
 Departure from Perth to Edinburgh by one of two Ways — that leading dl- 
 rc£lly thither by Kinrofs and the Queen's Ferry— or by Dundee, St. An- 
 drew's, and along the Eaft Coaft of Fife, to Kinghorn— thence crofs Frith 
 of Forth to Leith and the Capital— Journey by Dundee through the Carfe 
 of Gowrie — Village of Bridge-End — Fine View of Perth, and diftant Pro- 
 fpe£l of the Grampians from a Station fpecified — Opening into the fertile 
 Plains of Gowrie, the Granary of the North — Beauties of this rich and 
 highly-cultivated level Diftri£l, poflefllng all the chara6leriftic Features oithe 
 Lonvlands of Scotland, properly fo called — Elcho Caftle and Convent — Errol — 
 Caftle Lion— Kinnaird Caftle, &c— Abbey of Lindores — Balmerino-Abbey 
 — Conflux of the Tay and Erin — Roflie, Longforgan, Milnfield, Village of 
 Invergowrie, Approach to the Town of Dundee, - - ^72 
 
 Dundee — chief Town of the County of Angus — confiderable home and fo- 
 reign Trade of the Port of Dundee — commercial and enterprifing Spirit of 
 the Inhabitants of that Town — its Manufactures, Exports, and Imports— 
 Since the Revolution, and particularly fince the Union of South and North 
 
 14. Britain, 
 
CONTENTS. xlx 
 
 Britain, this Town hath arifcn into Confequence formerly unknown in this 
 Part of the Country. — Population of Dundee— Manners and Difpofitions of 
 the People— Eminent Men, Natives of Dundee and its immediate Vicinity 
 — Dundee remarkable for religious Se£laries — Agriculture— Natural Hlftory 
 of the Grounds adjacent^Fiflieries of the Frith of Tay at Dundee — Crofs the 
 Water — Woodhaven on the Southern Shores of the Tay— Leuchers Caftle— 
 Bridge over the Eden — Approach to St. Andrew's, - Page 379 
 
 St. Andrew's — the great Emporium of the Eaft Coaft of Scotland in former 
 Ages— its Splendor long ago extin£l — celebrated as the Seat of Learning, 
 and religious Eftablifhments — A flight Draught of the EcclefiaRical Hiftory 
 of the Archiepifcopal See of St. Andrew's — Concerning fome of the Dig- 
 nitaries who make a Figure in Scotifh Hiftory, at one Time belonging to this 
 ancient Metropolitan City — Remarkable Reverfe of Fortune in the Cafe of 
 Bifhop James Bethune— The AfTiiflination of Cardinal Beatoun — ^The cruel 
 Fate and untimely Death of Archbiftiop Sharp— Some Circumftances con- 
 cerning the fearful End of the Chief of his Murderers — On the Death of 
 the Archbifhop, Epifcopacy declined North of the Tweed ; and Arthur 
 Rofs, who died about the Beginning of the eighteenth Century, was the laft 
 of the Bifliops of St. Andrew's, - 1 r. 394 ^ 
 
 b2 LIST 
 
( X" ) 
 
 LIST OF THE PLATES 
 
 OF 
 
 VOLUME THE FIRST, 
 
 JtvUINS of Linlithgow Palace, from the Eaft, fronting - Page 1 7 
 
 Ruins of Linlithgow Palace, from the Weft - - 18 
 
 Stirling, from the South - . - 7^ 
 
 Stirling-Caftle, and Vale of Monteith - - 76 
 
 The Windings of the Forth - - - 77 
 
 Down-Caftle, Craigforth, and Stirling in the Diftance - 99 
 
 Benledi - . - - 105 
 
 Loch-vana-choir - - • • io(J 
 
 Loch-achray • « • » ib, 
 
 Cori-nan-Urifchin - - - - 109 
 
 Loch-Kaitrin, Eaft End - - - no 
 
 Loch-Kaitrin, Weft End - • i 12I 
 
 Hill of Binian, from the Lake - - 129 
 
 Loch-Lubnaig, Eaft End - - - 146 
 
 Loch-Lubnaig, Weft End - - - 147 
 
 Locherin-head - - - - 15* 
 
 Loch-Tay, from Killin - - - - 159 
 
 Loch-Tay, looking toward Killin - - - 2 10 
 
 Taymouth - - " 214 
 
 Pafs of Killicrankie - - - - 246 
 
 Kinloch-Rannoch - - - - 260 
 
 Tall of the Brahan - - - - 272 
 
 The Rumbling-brig over the Brahan - - - 274 
 
 The Windings of the Tay, looking toward the Mountains of Athol 276 
 
 View from the Heights of Dunkeld - - 279 
 
 Perth, and diftant View of the Grampians - 37* 
 
 View in the Carfe of Gowrie - - - 374 
 
 THE 
 
( xxlii ) 
 
 THE Author's great diftance from London prevented his 
 revifing and corredling the flieets as they were printed ofF: 
 he trufts, therefore, that the reader will have the goodnefs to 
 make with his pen the alterations which are pointed out in the 
 following 
 
 "TABLE OF ERRATA, 
 
 VOL. I. 
 
 Page Line 
 A, ^. for more than all read moreover 
 
 in the foreground 
 8. iy for antiquarian read antiquary 
 o. p. for Here he read Now he 
 o. 5. note, /or lludy of medicine, agri- 
 culture, read lludies of medicine 
 and agriculture 
 23. lO. for intervened read fupervened 
 38. 23. f°r Arthur's Den read Arthur's 
 
 Oon 
 42, 17. Loch-garric rf«</ Loch-garrle 
 
 — \()< for conties of Moray read county 
 
 of Moray ; for and read at 
 20. for and others read and other parts 
 
 — 1 . note, for author read authors 
 47. 21. for prepared read laid 
 
 58. 22. for James V. read James IV. 
 
 62. 14. for Guardians read Guardian 
 
 63. I. note, for Council read Court 
 
 78. 26. for the Priories of Infuli Sti 
 Colmoci, read the Priories of Infuli 
 Sti Colmcci, and Rofneth 
 80. 26. delete the 'words and woody mofles, 
 82. 3. note,yor Camelow r^a^/ Camelon 
 106. 21. for ftreaks read ftretches 
 
 109. 24. yor Aides r^W lleeps 
 
 1 10. 6. for buQi read birch 
 
 1 18. 18. yorBalJachorlilhr^^^ Ballachoilifti 
 122. x'i.for indentions r^«d^ indentations 
 124. 4. note, yir Here r^aa' There 
 126. ^' for Robert Orig read Robert Oig 
 133. 6. for in 1688 read 1788 
 14 . I • note,yor Achmor's read Achraar's 
 147. 3. for Craig-na-co-beily read Craig- 
 
 na-co-heilg 
 149. 8. for wings read winds 
 I c 1 . 19. for Edinlhip read Edinchip 
 152. 22. for and the fubfequent rtad and 
 
 alfo the eilabliftimenc 
 
 Page 
 154. 
 
 16;. 
 
 169. 
 
 177' 
 182. 
 
 185. 
 191. 
 
 203. 
 207. 
 209. 
 
 22;. 
 
 226. 
 231. 
 
 234- 
 237- 
 
 242. 
 
 246. 
 247. 
 ^5Z' 
 
 Line 
 6. for Monlvaud read Momvaird 
 8. ioxStuichadroin read Stuichachroin 
 12. for Bratdabin read Braidalbane 
 
 3. note, for Gaelic- Alb aniflj read Gae- 
 
 lic- Albanicb ; for Gaelic -Erenijh 
 read Gaelic- Erenich 
 ' 14. for Ebade read Ebude 
 2. notes, ycir They fee the r^<%/They 
 feethe 
 22. yor Highlander ^-/^^Z Hi'ghlanders. 
 8. notes,yor Daumeriez's rfa</Dou-» 
 
 meriez's 
 6. notes,yor 1799 read 1779 
 2. notes, after tie word contemph' 
 tion add. The Picts are called 
 Druinich in the Gaelic language; 
 hence, it is probable, Tey-nin- 
 Druinich may fignify PiSs*- 
 houfes 
 z^. for M*Nabbs r^^j:</M*Nab 
 27. for there read here 
 x'i. for deranged intelleft read de- 
 ranged in intelleft 
 I. for tightly read lightly 
 II. notes, /or Mill of Kin tyre read 
 
 Mull of Kmtyre 
 6. for rams read ram 
 Z' for pharmigans read ptarmigans 
 I . notes, yor Thichallin read Sheech- 
 alain 
 1 1 . for Loch-aive read Loch-awe 
 8. notes, for Achmas's read Ach- 
 mar's 
 24. ycr Appen a Dull read k'^xxi a Dull 
 
 4. notes.yorGantullyr^fld'GarntuIly 
 I . for Fafcarly read Fafcaily 
 
 15. for loom read gloom 
 19. for Carn-mhiC'Shifni read Carti' 
 mbic-chimi 
 
( 
 
 XXIV 
 
 Page 
 
 Line 
 
 254. 
 
 2. 
 
 255. 
 
 4- 
 
 263. 
 
 9- 
 
 273- 
 
 18. 
 
 274- 
 
 8. 
 
 278. 
 
 16, 
 
 284. 
 
 12. 
 
 290. 
 
 10. 
 
 296. 
 
 4- 
 
 304- 
 
 2. 
 
 307- 
 
 24. 
 
 310. 
 
 6. 
 
 for Port-au-ellien, Failkarly, r^/ii 
 Port-an-elien, Fafcaily 
 notes, yor Birnglo read Bengloe 
 for fine read few 
 for Cairbad read Carbair 
 for au read an 
 for Meiklonn read Meiklour 
 for 1 prefumed read 1 prefome 
 after pile read (the cathedral of 
 Dunkeld) 
 notes, for Rieth read Kieth 
 notes, for Aberberlemny read 
 Aberlemny 
 for render read renders 
 for John Barland read John Bor- 
 land 
 
 313* 14. /^'■eightthoufand fv«</ eight hun- 
 dred 
 
 Page 
 
 Line 
 
 321. 
 
 14. 
 
 332- 
 
 20. 
 
 341- 
 
 5- 
 
 350- 
 
 9- 
 
 
 18. 
 
 35'- 
 
 10. 
 
 358. 
 
 7' 
 
 359- 
 
 16. 
 
 360, 
 
 6. 
 
 38c. 
 
 5- 
 
 392; 
 
 I. 
 
 400. 
 
 18. 
 
 408. 
 
 5- 
 
 notes,/srBalcherfly «<2</Barean» 
 for fuppofitious read fuppofititious 
 for villeins read villains 
 for porpyhjic read porphyric 
 notes, for united kingdoms read 
 
 united kingdom 
 for fruit-trees read foreft-trees 
 for fixteenth century read feven- 
 
 teenth century 
 for the refidence read once the 
 
 refidence 
 for defigned read defired 
 notes, for Duntan read Duntau 
 for threfliing read the threfhing 
 
 machine 
 for Geenlaw read Greenlaw 
 notes,/or rebuilt read repaired 
 
 A JOUR 
 
A 
 
 JOURNEY, &c. 
 
 Vy N his departure from Edinburgh to Stirling, and the various 
 diftrifts through which the traveller pafles in the journey de- 
 fcribed in the following fheets, let him proceed weftward by- 
 Princes Street ; on entering which, a far extended row of 
 houfes, pretty uniformly arranged, leads the eye in linear per- 
 fpe(Stive ; and, as a contrail on the left, the old town feems 
 fantaftically piled on the fteep afcent that abruptly terminates 
 in the rock on which Edinburgh caftle appears. As we ad- 
 vance, the huge mafs of this rock, from top to bottom, is feen 
 impending in fullen grandeur over what once contained an 
 unhealthy pool, called the North-loch ; on the weft bank of 
 w^hich ftands St. Cuthbert's church furrounded by tomb-ftones ; 
 the lengthening Ihadow, and deepening gloom of which, when 
 feen at fun-fet, is in fine harmony with the caftle, reflecHiing 
 
 B . vividly 
 
4 LOTHIAN ROAD. 
 
 afpedl of the College church ; the heights of Calton, Salilbury 
 Craigs, and Arthur's Seat, together with the lofty maffes of the 
 old town, irregular, and but dimly difcerned through fmoke on 
 the right ; and on the left, the clean, elegant, lengthening and 
 fpreading new town ; and, more than all, St. Cuthbert's church, 
 over which impending, gloomy and wild, feated on its dark 
 cliffy fteep, the Caftk frowns, adding folema dignity to this 
 uncommon fcene. 
 
 As we proceed on our journey, we arrive at a fpacious open- 
 ing on the left, called the Lothian-road. This road had been 
 the fubje£t of much fpeculation long before it was made. At 
 laft, however, a gentleman undertook, for an inconfiderable 
 wager, to make this piece of road, about a quarter of a mile in 
 length, and in many parts twenty paces in breadth, fo far paflable 
 with one day's labour, as that he might drive over it in fafety 
 with his carriage ; which, to the furprife of all who had heard 
 of, or witneffed this whimfical undertaking, he accomplifhed ; 
 and thus gained his bet. The difficulties to be furmounted in 
 this arduous attempt, were various and intricate. The line of 
 road was almoft ftraight, and lay through fields, orchards, gar- 
 dens, and a multiplicity of fmall houfes. Left any one, therefore, 
 whofe property in this diredion might fuft'er injury when re- 
 moving obftru6tions, fliould take the alarm, and make application 
 for legal means, which would at leaft retard, if not prevent fuch 
 unufual and fummary procedure, it was neceflary to be fecret and 
 expeditious. Accordingly, matters were concerted with addrefs, 
 and executed with promptitude. It happened to be winter, when 
 the labouring poor, in general, are out of employ, and a day's 
 work now and then is all they have to depend on for a pre- 
 
 6 carious 
 
SINGULAR WAGER. 5 
 
 carious and fcanty fubfiftence ; of courfe, a fufficient number of 
 hands were eafily procured, and at no great expence. Many 
 hundreds appeared on the ground at fun- rife on this eventful 
 day — a day. of much mirth to fome ; while others had caufe 
 fufficient to lament the ravages of a very few hours. Parties 
 filed off to various occupations : Some to demolifh houfes ; 
 others to pull down dikes : — Some to root up hedges ; others 
 to cut down trees : in fhort, this ruthlefs band continued their 
 depredations with unwearied affiduity ; and before the fall of 
 night, they had accomplilhed their bufinefs of deftrudion, as 
 was then the opinion of fome perfons : — but it evidently appears 
 now to have been productive of public utility. 
 
 Among the many fcenes of temporary diftrefs which this un- 
 expeded invafion occafioned, that experienced by a fimplexold 
 woman is fuppofed to have been one of the moft ludicrous inci- 
 dents of the day. Long before day-light, the good, eafy foul had 
 milked her cows, (for, being a milk-woman, fuch was her ufual 
 occupation) — her pipe fmoked, and tea taken — (the elTence of 
 this precious herb being the chief luxury of the poor) — all things 
 were in readinefs for her departure to ferve her cuftomers ; but, 
 recolleding that a few friends were to eat fome Jloeef s-hcad- 
 broth with her at mid-day, fhe, with great compofure, prepared 
 the kail-pot^ put in the accuftomed ingredients, and left it on 
 the fire, fo that it might fimmer undifturbed till flie fhould, 
 on her return, cook it leifurely to her fatisfaCtion. Judge 
 of her furprife and difappointment, however; on her return, 
 neither pot, nor fire, neither houfe, byre^ nor cows, were in the 
 places where (he had left them ! for all had fufFered a material 
 
 and 
 
6 WATER OF LEITH. 
 
 and radical change, having been fwept, away in the general 
 wreck ! 
 
 We turn now to the right, and, proceeding through the turn- 
 pike, take the road to the left, ftraight on, till we fall in with the 
 great road that leads to Stirling, by Linlithgow and Falkirk. 
 
 The firft objed: worthy of attention is a bridge thrown over 
 the Water of Leith, called the Colt-bridge. On each fide of this 
 fpot very pleafing views are already compofed ; and with flen- 
 der additions, which are at hand, interefting fubjed:s for the 
 pencil might be {ketched. 
 
 This river, the moft confiderable ftream in the immediate 
 vicinity of the metropolis, has its origin in the Pentland hills ; 
 which, as we proceed, are feen on the left, ftretching far to the 
 weftward. The flour, barley, corn, paper, and other mills on 
 the Water of Leith are very numerous ; but, it is highly to be re- 
 gretted, that this once pelucid ftream is now fo much contaminated 
 by what runs into it from vile diftilleries, and other loathfome 
 matter from the tan-works, &c. that, though it formerly was 
 the haunt of the fineft trout in Scotland, it has almoft be- 
 come barren of fifh, is unhealthful to drink, and nearly ufe- 
 lefs for culinary purpofes. — This is a public grievance, and ought 
 ftri£lly to be inquired into ; for, is there any thing fo elTential to 
 our comforts and exiftence as water, pure as it ifTues from its 
 uncontaminated fources ? 
 
 Nearly oppofite to the bridge, a little to the right, is Murray- 
 field. At the fecond mile ftone, pleafantly fituated on the 
 fhoulder (facing the fouth) of Corftorphin-hill, is the villa of 
 Eelle-mont, As we advance, two or three more fuch retreats 
 
 are 
 
VIEW OF EDINBURGH. f 
 
 are feen judlcioufly fituated, and appear to be m a chafter ftile 
 of architedure than thofe of Belle-mont*. 
 
 A little way beyond the fecond mile flone, as we afcend a 
 gentle eminence, on looking towards Edinburgh, we command 
 a ftriking profpett of that city and its environs. The town 
 feems as emerging from a wood, to rife in mid-air, and make 
 part of the craggy rudenefs of Arthur's Seat and its cliffs. The 
 hills to the right, the principal among which is Craig-Lockhart, 
 form fide-wings admirably adapted to the grandeur of the fcene. 
 The middle ground is filled up with modern villas, and a few 
 old manfions, that catch with peculiar effedt fuch floating-lights 
 as occafionally illumine and add grandeur in a breadth of light 
 and (hade to this interefting profpett. 
 
 Among the ancient buildings which are difcernlble from this 
 fpot, White-houfe and Merchifton-houfe are the mod confpicu- 
 ous. The latter of thefe venerable relicks of former times is 
 worthy of notice, as having been the chief refidence of Napier, 
 ** the famous inventor of the Logarithms, the perfon to whom 
 '* the title of great man is more juftly due, (fays Hume,) than 
 " any other whom his country ever produced "f." Napier, like 
 the great Newton, was endov/ed with the brighteft ornament 
 of genius and learning, — modefly : and he knew, like him, how 
 to appreciate the talents of others, with all the candour which a 
 magnanimous mind is capable of feeling. This was exemplified 
 
 * In the year 1 745, when the Duke of Cumberland, in his route northward to quell the 
 commotions which exifted at that period in Scotland, remarked, in paffing, that Bcllc- 
 mont was the handfomeft villa he had met with north of the Tweed : — a proof, how 
 low a degree of architeftural tafte prevailed, at that period in Scotland . 
 
 f Hume's Hiil. vol. vii. p. 35. 8vo edit. 1775. 
 
 in 
 
10 WEST LOTHIAN. 
 
 About a quarter of a mile further on, the road takes a fudden 
 turn to the right ; and again, nearly at right angles, to the left ; 
 when it proceeds flraight forward in the direction of N. W. 
 The line from which the firft turn is made, is the new line of 
 road by Bathgate to Glafgow ; in all refpeds preferable to the 
 old one, which leads by Livingfton, Whiteburn, &c. 
 
 On gaining the height, a little beyond the fourth mile-flone, a 
 neat box is feen to the right, very pleafantly fituated, and com- 
 manding an extenfive profpcd:, particularly to the north and 
 north-weft. The name of the farm on which this houfe ftands 
 is Eajicraigs, — Still afcending, the horizon becomes more ample 
 and interefting at every ftep. As we approach the fifth mile- 
 ftone, the fertile plains of Weft-Lothian open to the left: they 
 are bounded on the fouth by the Pentland hills, whofe verdure 
 appears deepened into rufTet and purple, foftened by gradations 
 into various tints of azure ; till, in the diftance, remote objeds 
 vanifh in aerial perfpedive, or melt into the fky, where clouds, 
 ever-varying, enrich and harmonize the whole. Turning now 
 to the right, the diftant profped; is fublime. Here we firft 
 difcern the Grampians. Ben-ledi, whofe top feems to reach the 
 heavens, is the chief objed difcoverable. It is, however, but an 
 inconfiderable link in the grand chain of mountains, beyond 
 which the Caledonians retired to their faftnefTes ; where the Ro- 
 man eagle, appalled, flopped fhort and paufed, but ventured 
 not in purfuit of its prey ; while, unfubdued and fecure, and 
 prefering liberty to fplendid flavery, the hardy inhabitants 
 embraced poverty and independence, far remote, amid the wilds 
 and folitudes of defolated Albion. 
 
 5 ' The 
 
WEST LOTHIAN. n 
 
 The Ochil hills, which meet the Grampians beyond Stirling 
 Caftle, form a bold feature as they ftretch along the north fide 
 of the Frith of Forth ; a glimpfe of which is caught as the eye 
 furveys the more diftant objeds. The fmall illands of Inch- 
 Garvey and Inch-Col m, with others ftill fmaller, are feen to 
 confidcrable advantage, when a ftream of light happens to take 
 the dire<51:ion of the coaft. While the diftance is foftened in 
 aerial tints, and the fore- ground deepened into iliade, even a 
 profpedt of this magnitude becomes interefting to the lover of 
 land/cape ; but to one who fees not with the painter's enthufi- 
 afm, and pradifed eye, in vain does Nature difplay her enchant- 
 ing hues and fined forms ; he feels not the emotions which 
 thefe are calculated to call forth ; they neither allure nor afford 
 fatisfad:ion. 
 
 On Inch-Colm are to be diftindly feen, at this diftance, the 
 ruins of a monaftery founded by Alexander I. about the middle 
 of the twelfth century, in grateful remembrance of his having 
 efcaped the perils of fhipwreck. Here, it is faid, the Scottifh mo- 
 narch, while tempeft-bound for three days^ experienced the kind 
 attention of a hermit who miniftered in the chapel of this infu- 
 lated folitude ; but, as might be expeded, the hermit's hill of 
 fare was but indifferently fuited to a royal palate, even in thofe 
 rude times ; a fcanty fupply of fhell-fifh, and the milk oi one cow, 
 being all that this holy man was able to procure for the enter- 
 tainment of his gueft *. If this ftory be credible, it will readily 
 occur, that in cafe any of the king's fuite had the good fortune 
 to be faved on this ifland, the hermit muft have been fadly put 
 
 * H. Boece (Bocthius), lib. xii. p. 263. 
 
 C 2 to 
 
■iz WEST LOTHIAN. 
 
 to a nonplus how to fupply their wants ; perhaps they gathered 
 crabs, oyfters, and other ihell-fifh, while he milked his cow, 
 and drefled cockles. Be this as it might, the king, fenfible of 
 the fpecial interference of Providence in his prefervation, vowed 
 to perpetuate the event, by founding the monaftery of St. Au- 
 guftine above mentioned, and dedicating it to St. Colomba * as 
 a free-will offering for his fuppofed interpofition on this critical 
 occafion. 
 
 On the near ground, on either hand, and indeed in every 
 diredion, farm-houfes and gentlemen's feats appear profufely 
 fcattered, many of which feem fnugly fheltered amid inclofures 
 and pleafure-grounds ; while others appear expofed to the in- 
 clemencies of the weather. 
 
 The agricultural improvements efFe(3:ed in this diftri<St within 
 thefe few years are truly in a fuperior ftlle. Land, that not ten 
 years ago was fcarcely worth twenty fhillings the acre, is now 
 hardly to be got for fifty fhillings. The high crooked ridges 
 have vanifhed ; a plough with four horfes is not to be met with ; 
 quagmires are rarely to be feen ; whins have difappeared ; and 
 the a£t of parliament is become obfolete wherein broom is en- 
 acted to be fown at ftated periodsf . The rural economy is 
 entirely changed, and changed in all refpeds for the better. 
 The tenant vies in the comforts, nay, in the luxuries of life, 
 with the land-holder ; and, were the farmers lefs ambitious of 
 
 * " Qui, fervltio fan^li Colomba: deditus, ad quandam inibi capelliilam tenui viftu,* 
 utpote ladle unlus vacca ^ conchis ac pifcicuUs tnarin'ts contentatus, fedule fe dedii : de quibus 
 " cibariis Rex, cum fuis, tribus diebus vento corapellente, rcficitur." Vide Hope's 
 Min. Pracl. p. 415. 
 
 t See Regiam Majeftatcm, 
 
 the 
 
WEST LOTHIAN. 15 
 
 the mere exteriors of good-living, it is poffible that the favings 
 of aleafe might go far towards purchafmg the farm which their 
 knowledge and induftry have rendered valuable by improved 
 modes of cultivation. Befide the want of due regard to econo- 
 my in the articles of living, two very material obftacles prefent 
 themfelves to the farmer in the vicinity of a city fuch as Edin- 
 burgh ; namely, the moor-land cultivator ; and the city fpecu- 
 lator. The latter, dreaming of the pleafures of a country life, 
 longs to commence agriculturift, and applies his capital, or a 
 great part of it, to ftocking a farm, fnug and commodious, whither 
 he may retire, occafionally, from the buftle and noife of a town 
 life. The former, that is, the moorland farmer, weary of a 
 precarious, and at beft an unprofitable toil in upland diftrids, 
 (where the labours of the year frequently prove abortive, by 
 means of the fudden and unfavourable changes of the feafons, 
 the fodder being rendered almoft unfit for any purpofe but the 
 dung-hill, and the corn not only defedive, but alfo the fcanty 
 produce hardly eatable by man or beaft) fees with an eye of 
 envy and difcontent, as he goes forth to his labour, (for the 
 moorland farmer puts his hand to every kind of work,) the 
 farmer of the lowland diftrids bafking in the fun-fhine of pro- 
 fperity in all his undertakings. Feeling, in confequence, an 
 irrefiftible defire to change his fituation, for what he deems, and 
 he is certainly right, a lefs toilfome and a more certain mode 
 of fecuring the benefits of his talents and induftry, he hefitates 
 not, when the expiration of a leafe approaches, to vaskQfecret 
 offers for his more opulent neighbour's farm. Thus, the thriv- 
 ing tenant, who thought himfelf fecure in the rewards of his 
 care and attention in cultivating to the utmoft what prejudice 
 
 atul 
 
j^ LINLITHGOW. 
 
 and habit have no fmall fhare In rendering dear to him, finds, 
 to his InexprefTible angulfh, his farm given to another ! while 
 the infidlous fmlles of a-foffor^ whofe rapacity is exceffive, de- 
 lude him into hope till the very laft moment, and the firft 
 notice that awakens him from his fecurity is a legal warning of 
 removal. It happens too, not unfrequently, that this precious 
 /^(f?or contrives, by means infcrutable to all but fuch accomplifhed 
 fpeculators, to get farms into his own hand ; and jobs on at a 
 great rate ; till, perhaps, at length, the property becomes his 
 own ! — In this there is furely fomething radically wrong, other- 
 wife this evil could be checked in the bud. 
 
 In defcending, we traverfe the plain which appeared in front, 
 and fall in with Gogar-burn^ a fmall rivulet tributary to the Al- 
 mondy over which we pafs on a handfome bridge built of free 
 ftone, and enter the JJjire of Linlithgow. Being now on claffic 
 ground, an hiftorical incident may be noticed, as we furvey the 
 level fields through which the river fweeps in ample windings. 
 
 When Edward I. in 1298 invaded Scotland, in advancing 
 to Falkirk, where he had to encounter Wallace In battle, it 
 was near this fpot that he commanded his troops to halt, and 
 pitch their tents. A liberal portion of wine was immediately 
 ordered to be diftributed throughout the camp. This, however, 
 had by no means the effedl intended : on the contrary, no fooner 
 had the fumes of the wine affeded the brains of the hot-headed 
 Welchmen, than a quarrel arofe between them and the Ehglifh. 
 The Welch, only recently fubdued by Edward, feemed but luke- 
 warm in an expedition planned for the avowed purpofes of fub- 
 jugating a high-minded, independent people, like themfelves. 
 
 Whether 
 
KIRKLISTON. 15 
 
 Whether the Englifh obferved this difpofitlon in their Welch 
 auxiliaries, and loaded them, in confequence, with reproach, is 
 not afcertained : but mutual hatred produced a bloody conteft, 
 in which many fell on both fides ; and not a few of the Englifli 
 ecclefiaftics, perhaps endeavouring to appeafe the wrath of the 
 combatants, fuffered in the combat. 
 
 Although this event w^as followed by the Welch troops with- 
 drawing themfelves from the main body of the army ; yet, in 
 the fubfequent battle at Falkirk, the Englifh were triumphant. 
 But this blow, fo feverely felt by the Scottifh patriots, fubdued 
 not that fpirit of independence which finally prevailed ; and 
 which fo nobly manifefted itfelf on the day when Bruce led 
 on the heroes of Bannockburn, and fnatched the palm of victory 
 from the mercilefs invader. For his having thus afl'erted the 
 rights of an imperial crown, a generous and free-born people 
 bellowed it on him ; and he juftly merited the boon, as the 
 reward of his fufferings, prudence, and courage. 
 
 As we aproach Kirkl'ijion^ its appearance is but mean; on 
 paffinga fmall ftream to the weft, however, the fcene improves. 
 The ground on which it ftands being elevated, it is feen to ad- 
 vantage ; and on the whole, as it pofTefles the charadleriftics of 
 an ancient Scottifh village, it merits the attention of a traveller 
 who delights in the pifhurefque. 
 
 The parifh of Kirklifton is but fmall in its dimcnfions ; being 
 little more than five miles in length, by three in breadth. It 
 contains about fifteen hundred inhabitants, whofe purfuits are 
 chiefly thofe depending on agriculture. The foil is remarkably 
 fuited to fuch purpofes ; yielding rich and abundant crops of 
 
 every 
 
i5 NIDDERY CASTLE. 
 
 every kind hitherto tried ; more particularly greea crops, fuch 
 as turnip, cabbage, &c.* 
 
 A ftone, called the Catftane^ bearing an infcription f , meafur- 
 ing nearly three feet in diameter, by four and a half feet in 
 height, of an irregular prifmatic form, is to be met with here, 
 and is fuppofcd to be of confiderable antiquity. % 
 
 As we proceed, the ruins of Niddery-cajile^ nearly oppofite the 
 tenth mile-ftone, are to be feen on the left. 
 
 Gaining the eminence, we pafs through the fmall village of 
 Win/burgh^ at one time noted for the propagation of bees ; a 
 branch of rural economy which is fhamefully negleded in this 
 country of late. There is no mode of honeft induftry, wherein 
 the pooreft cottager, nay even the old and infirm, might more 
 readily find agreeable recreation and means of fubfiftence, nor 
 any which is better adapted to the habits and affociations of a 
 
 * The celebrated warrior and ftatefman Field -Marfhal John Earl of Stair lies buried 
 in the church of Kirklifton: — there is no monument to record this; but fliouldfuch ever 
 be eredled, let it not be forgotten that he was the firll in Scotland who introduced turnips 
 and cabbages in the open field for the ufe of cattle — an event more worthy of humanity 
 and a true patriot, than the moil brilliant vidlories, or tlie moll fplendid negociations 
 and treaties. — The church of Kirklifton belonged to the Johanites of Jerufalem, whofe 
 vows were l. poverty, 2. charity, 3. obedience. " No man can be admitted (fays 
 ** Spottlfwood) to this order, without making proof of his birth, and juftifyingby char- 
 " ters or other authentic documents his nobility for four generations, both on the father 
 *■'■ and the mother's fide. He muft be born in lawful marriage, the baftards of Kings 
 ^* and Princes only being excepted." Hope's Min. Praft. Appen. p. 481. 
 
 fViz. 
 
 IN OCT 
 
 VMVLOIACI 
 
 VETTD 
 
 UICTA. 
 
 ■% lo the year 995, according to our hiftorians, a battle was fought near Kirklifton. 
 
 country 
 

 
 ^ 
 
 4 
 
 ^1 
 
LINLITHGOW. ly 
 
 country life, than this pleafing branch of hufbandry. A wife 
 legiflature, therefore, would do well to ena£t fuch regulations 
 refpedting the culture of bees, as might afford due encourage- 
 ment to that innocent and truly ufeful employment. 
 
 From Winjhurgh^ we command an extenfive profpe<fl in every 
 direction. The country is well cultivated, and improves at 
 every ftep. The principal caufe of this improvement is appa- 
 rent when we difcover Linlithgow ; for, it is generally allowed, 
 that cultivation of land is in proportion to the near neighbour- 
 hood of a town, and the number and induftry of its inhabi- 
 tants. 
 
 Linlithgow, or, as it is called in the Gaelic language, Glen 
 Euchuy is fuppofed, by fome of our antiquaries, to be the fame 
 as the Lindum of Ptolemy. It is an ancient burgh, and deemed 
 the fixth in Scotland : but its decayed fplendour, venerable in 
 ruins, is ftill apparent, and Ihews that Linlithgow was a place 
 of confiderable importance, when Scotland was governed by its 
 native princes. Yet a native prince was not the founder of 
 the moft ftriking remains of former magnificence to be feen at 
 this place ; as, according to Fordun, Edward L during his cam- 
 paign in Scotland anno 1301, built a caftle on the fite of a 
 Roman camp, the remains of which are ftill vifible. This 
 caftle, by order of Bruce, was demoliftied in part when fur- 
 prized by the Scots in 13 11. It was afterwards re-built, though 
 by whom is unknown : but, it fhould feem, additions were made, 
 from time to time, till the fquare, which ftill appears perfed, 
 was completed. The front and the porch were erected by 
 James V. ; and the north fide by his grandfon James VI. Th^ 
 eaft fide is by far the moft interefting in point of elegant fculp- 
 
 D ture, 
 
i^^ LINLITHGOW. 
 
 ture, and merits the attention of thofe who delight In this 
 fpeeies of ornamental architedure. The weft fide is little bet- 
 ter than a dead wall, gloomy, and inelegant in the extreme. 
 What is chiefly to be admired, however, in contemplating this 
 ruin, is its fituation. The ground on which the palace of Lin- 
 lithgow ftands, rifes in the form of an amphitheatre above the 
 lake ; a profpedl of which, together with the grounds adjacent, 
 is commanded from this fpot. The church is hard by, where, 
 it is faid, James IV. was warned, by a perfonated apparition, not 
 to proceed in his then meditated expedition into England ; fo fatal 
 to himfelf and the flower of the Scotifli nobility, in the memo- 
 rable battle at the foot of the Flowden hills, fought September 
 9th, ann. 15 13*. 
 
 During the greater part of his reign, James V., the fon of this 
 ill-fated prince, made Linlithgow, by his frequent refidence in. 
 it, the Verfailles of Scotland. The apartment is ftill fhewn 
 where his unfortunate daughter Mary was born ; born, alas ! 
 to meet the ftorms of contending factions ; and to experience 
 the dire effedts of the envy and jealoufy of a fifter queen, 
 whofe diflimulation, in meditating murder, was only exceeded by 
 the gaiety that flie difplayed when fignlng the death-warrant of 
 her near.eft relation, Mary of Scotland. — " Go, (faid jQie to Davids 
 fon, one of her obfequious minions,) and tell Walfmgham what 
 " I have done, though I am afraid he will die of grief when he 
 " hears it f." Thus did Queen Elizabeth, after detaining Mary 
 Stuart almoft nineteen years a prifoner, deliver her into the 
 hands of the executioner. 
 
 * Pitfcottle, p. 215. 
 
 f See Robertfoa's Hilt, of Scotland, p. 144, quarto edit. 1759. 
 
 Rude 
 
1^ 
 
 
 ^. 
 
 ^ 
 
 ^ 
 
 
 
 ^ 
 
 Iv 
 
 ;^ 
 
20 LINLITHGOW. 
 
 ligious eftabllfhment took place throughout Scotland as well as 
 England *. 
 
 Linlithgow is faid to be famous for wells. If the fantaftic 
 appearance of fome be meant, the remark is applicable — one in 
 particular, ereded before the town-houfe in 1620, isfufficiently 
 grotefque ; — its conftru£J:ion, however, is curious. 
 
 Nearly oppofite to this fpot, the wooden-gallery where 
 the aflaffin of the regent Murray took his ftand, is pointed 
 out. The circumftances relating to the murder of Murray, 
 as recorded in hiftory, are fo interefting as to merit particular 
 attention. 
 
 While Elizabeth was meditating how Ihe fliould effed the 
 ruin of Mary, an affair happened, which in no fmall degree dif- 
 concerted her meafures. The Regent Murray, who was an 
 avowed fupporter of the Reformation, expofed himfelf to the 
 rancour of the dignified clergy, and many of the moft powerful 
 of the nobility ; among whom, the Hamiltons, who had warmly 
 efpoufed the caufe of the Scottiih Queen, feemed the moft im- 
 placable in their hatred to him. One of their number, James 
 Hamilton, the nephew of John Hamilton, Archbifhop of St. 
 Andrews, (who, for imputed crimes, was condemned and exe- 
 cuted at Stirling f ) undertook to difpofe of the Regent. 
 
 Murray, whofe policy led him to improve every advantage 
 which the affair at Langfide had put in his power, by a well-timed 
 moderation, not only fpared the Kves of many whom the fate of 
 
 • The hillorian Dr. Henry Inftituted a public library in Linlltligow, and bequeathed 
 his valuable colkaion of books as a foundation for fo truly liberal a defign. 
 
 •J- ift April 157 1. 
 
 8 battle 
 
LINLITHGOW. ji 
 
 battle had thr«..wn into his hands ; but alfo extended his clemency 
 to feveral who had been condemned to death, and had had their 
 lands confifcated. Among thofe who had experienced his favour, 
 was James Hamilton* : Party rage, however, added to an injury 
 fuftained in the tendereft point, funk deep into his heart, and made 
 him lofe fight of the benefit received. Part of Hamilton's lands 
 had been given by the Regent to a favourite ; who, in the a£t 
 of feizing them, turned the wife of Hamilton out of her chamber 
 into the open fields, almoft naked, and expofed to the horrors 
 of the night. Driven to defpair, before morning Ihe became 
 furioufly mad. Hearing of the outrage, Hamilton vowed re- 
 venge : yet he deferred the execution of his purpofe till the 
 author of all this mifchief fhould be completely in his power, 
 fo as to make fure of him ; and thus, at once, rid the world of a 
 tyrant, his Queen of an unnatural brother, and himfelf of one 
 whofe death became eflential to the comfort of his exiftence. 
 The Regent was at Stirling, and in his way to Edinburgh had 
 to pafs through Linlithgow. Hamilton, who had watched his 
 opportunity, feized on this favourable moment to perpetrate the 
 horrid deed — murder ! proceeding with all the deliberation of 
 an aflaffin, he took every precaution to efcape obfervation. — 
 And now we behold him {kulking by the fide of yon window 
 which faces this way, with his piece loaded, and ready to aim 
 the fatal blow. Meantime, Murray, who had been warned of 
 his danger, with undaunted mien comes onward, amidft a vaft 
 croud of fpediators, who view him and his attendants with 
 admiration mingled with anxiety and difmay ; for they were 
 not without apprehenfion of his danger. Arrived at the fatal 
 
 * Of Bothwellhaugh. . 
 
 ipot, 
 
22 LINLITHGOW. 
 
 fpot, a fliot is heard : the Regent fuddenly dlfmounts, and calls 
 aloud, " I am wounded !" — at the fame inftant the horfe next 
 his own falls down in the agonies of death. One and the fame 
 bullet efFe(5ted this mifchief. All is confternation, — while fome, 
 rouzed from the fudden emotion of furprize, turn to the fpot 
 whence the report of the piece feemed to iiTue — Mad with rage, 
 they attempt to burft open the door, but in vain ; it is fecurely 
 barricaded. The afTaflin, meantime, is effed;ing his efcape. Tbe 
 frantic affallants, at laft, find entrance : — they fearch every- 
 where ; but in amazement behold with what precaution he had 
 fcreened himfelf from the pofTibility of difcovery during the 
 fatal moment devoted to murder. Here lies the feather-bed 
 on which he knelt in the very ad ; there hangs the fable tapef- 
 try before which he lurked in fecret, calm and intent on the deed : 
 the one to prevent the movement of his feet from being heard, 
 the other to render his fhadow imperceptible from without. 
 Thefe objeds ftill more inflame the indignant fpedators, who 
 call aloud for fummary and inftant juftice ; but, fecure in his 
 flight, the aflaflfm is off* at full fpeed ; a fleet horfe bears him fwiftly 
 far out of the reach of thofe who feek after him. Of this they are 
 fatisfied, on difcovering the breach that he had made in a garden 
 wall at the back part of the houfe, to favour his efcape. Their 
 difappointment is extreme. Recollediing, however, the danger in 
 which the Regent is plunged, they haften to inquire whether any 
 hope remains of faving his life : they are told, that as yet the iflfue 
 is doubtful. The Regent feels the hand of death upon him, and 
 knows that he has but a (hort time to live. He prepares to meet 
 his fate, with that dignified compofure which a great mind 
 alone feels at approaching difl^blution. The moment is at 
 
 hand ; that groan is his laft. 
 
 Thus 
 
LINLITHGOW. 25 
 
 Thus fell the Regent Murray ; and in his fall the reformers 
 fuftained the lofs of a zealous fupporter of their caufe; which 
 Elizabeth, by her influence, foon fupplied in the perfon of the 
 Earl of Lenox ; who, after fome delay, was chofen Regent. 
 Lenox, however, being not long after killed at an aflault on 
 Stirling, the Earl of Mar was elecSled in his ftead. Mar, however, 
 enjoyed this precarious and dangerous ftation but for a very 
 fhort time. Little more than twelve months had elapfed before 
 this patriotic and worthy Regent, difgufted with intrigue and 
 cabal, became melancholy ; difeafe intervened, which eventually 
 proved fatal, and he died in Odober 1572. To Mar fucceeded 
 the rapacious Morton, whofe odious adminiftration became in- 
 fupportable ; till, in his turn, the gloomy Douglas was brought 
 to the fcaffold, and fufFered the punilliment ufually inflided on 
 the worft of criminals. Such were the woeful events in this 
 diftradted corner of the ifland, toward the clofe of the fixteenth 
 century. 
 
 Few occurrences worthy of hiftorical notice, fince the folemn 
 League and Covenant was burnt in 1622, have taken place in 
 Linlithgow. It is now a populous and thriving burgh. The 
 inhabitants are chiefly engaged in the manufadure of leather 
 fhoes, in wool-combing and bleaching of linen, together with 
 breweries and difl;illeries in and near the town. The number 
 of inhabitants in the parlfh of Linlithgow is faid to amount to 
 3220, the greater part of whom refide in the town. The land 
 everywhere about this place is well cultivated. The foil, ia 
 general, is rather light ; notwithfl:anding, by proper manage- 
 ment, it is made to yield abundantly, particularly hay-crops. 
 The pafturage is excellent, and rears and fattens black-cattle 
 
 well. 
 
34 LINLITHGOW. 
 
 The parifli contains between feven and eight thoufand acres, 
 two thirds of which are arable. It is faid, that the rental, on 
 an average, is little more than twenty Ihillings per acre. The 
 minerals about the hills in the neighbourhood of Linlithgow, 
 befide lime-ftone, are fuppofed to be valuable : it is remarkable, 
 that, notwithftanding its near vicinity to Borrowftounnefs, a 
 fea-port of confiderable trade, no attempt has hitherto been 
 made to explore the minerals of this diftrid, fo as to afcertain 
 their true value. 
 
 In proceeding from Linlithgow, we pafs over the Aven by a 
 bridge, to which the town gives its name. About a mile up the 
 river, Emanuel Priory, formerly mentioned, was fituated. Still 
 a fmall part of its ruins remains. On the oppofite bank of this 
 pleafant folitude, a battle was fought, during the minority of 
 James V. between the adherents of Angus and Lenox, in which 
 the followers of the latter were defeated with great flaughter, 
 and their leader flain. In civil broils, fuch hoftile meetings are 
 ufually attended with peculiar horrors ; and, in this rencounter, 
 the carnage on both fides was truly dreadful. 
 
 Angus, the powerful chieftain of the Douglafes, was married 
 to the Queen Dowager*, the mother of James V. and, through 
 much intrigue, was appointed guardian to that young prince : 
 but James, tired of reftraint, fought occafion to rid himfelf of 
 his guardian, and to get the reins of government into his own 
 hands. Many unfuccefsful attempts had been made for this 
 purpofe, which the vigilance of Angus had rendered abortive. 
 Much blood had alfo flowed ; but ftill the young king was in 
 
 • Sifter of Henry VIII. of England. 
 
 the 
 
LINLITHGOW. 25 
 
 the hands of his tyrant guardian. The bold defign of refcuing 
 James, who was little better than a prifoner on parole in the 
 caftle of Edinburgh, was planned with due caution, and had 
 nearly been carried into efte£t, when the fate of the battle above 
 alluded to blafted the fanguine expectations of the royal party. 
 The young king, who fecretly hated the nobility, placed his 
 chief confidence in his clergy ; who, willing to maintain their 
 power under the protection of regal authority, made it a prin- 
 cipal obje£b, by every means, to fecure the influence of the 
 crown in fupport of the church. Cardinal Beaton was the per- 
 fon in whom the young prince mofl confided ; and to him was 
 intrufled fuch means as could be devifed for the ruin of Angus, 
 and the confequent independence of the king. This fubtle 
 ecclefiaftic, when informed of James's refolution, propofed put- 
 ting John Stuart Earl of Lenox, the neareft of kin to the king 
 himfelf, at the head of the moft formidable enemies of Angus, 
 and thus, by force of arms, obliging him to give James his free- 
 dom, and the reins of government into his own hands. With 
 this intention, Lenox coile£ted his ftrength at Stirling. Angus, 
 hearing of his motions, made every poffible effort to fruflrate 
 this plan in the very outfet. Accordingly, he immediately fent 
 directions to the Hamiltons in the wefl, and to the Homes and 
 others of his friends in the fouth, (whom, together with his own 
 clan and retainers, he deemed faithful to his interefl,) to meet at 
 a time appointed, in order to watch the motions of Lenox and 
 his followers. Meanwhile the king was in the caftle of Edin- 
 burgh, and affeCted profound ignorance of what was going for- 
 ward. Secret intelligence was carried to Angus of the movements 
 of Lenox's army, which was already on its way to Edinburgh 
 
 £ in 
 
26 LII^LITHGOW. 
 
 in three columns. The advanced guard of the Hamlltons, 
 ported on the heights above Linlithgow on the left bank of the 
 river Avon, defcried the approach of the enemy. Lenox, with 
 a numerous train of artillery, and infantry and cavalry compofed 
 of defperate and hardy men, many of whom were Highlanders, 
 and not a few of the gentlemen of rank and condition of the 
 fhires of Fyfe, Angus, Stirling, Kyle, Carrick, and Cunningham, 
 with many followers, pufhed his van to the bridge above-men- 
 tioned ; but, finding it already occupied by a ftrong detachment 
 from the enemy, he gave orders to pafs the river farther up, 
 near to the Priory. This accomplifhed, they rufhed boldly up 
 the oppofite bank, but were repulfed with lofs. The Hamil- 
 tons, greatly inferior in point of numbers to the followers of 
 Lenox, were elated by their fuccefs in the onfet ; and, every 
 moment expecting Angus with a powerful reinforcement from 
 Edinburgh, difputed the heights with great bravery. The battle 
 now raged in all its fury. Angus appeared on the field with 
 a defperate band of borderers, and came brifkly to the charge. 
 Meantime the king, who had been joined by the inhabitants 
 of Edinburgh and Leith, came flowly on, in no wife anxious to 
 fruftrate the intentions of Lenox: but, on advancing as far as 
 Corftorphine-hills, hearing the incefiant roar of the artillery, and 
 being fliarply reprimanded by George Douglas (the brother of 
 Angus) for his tardinefs, he made all poffible hafte to the field 
 of battle. A woeful fpedacle now prefented itfelf to the young 
 monarch. The people lay mangled in promifcuous heaps. 
 The followers of Lenox had given way, and himfelf lay dead 
 on the field. The Earl of Arran flood over him weeping. 
 His fon had given the death-wound ; the wretch had even 
 
 committed 
 
STIRLINGSHIRE. 17 
 
 committed this outrage after Lenox was made prifoner. Thus 
 the uncle lamented the untimely fate of his nephew whom his 
 fon had butchered in cold blood. The king beheld this affecting 
 fcene with deep anguifh. Such are the horrors in which civil 
 commotions involve friends and relatives dear to each other by 
 all the ties of humanity. O happy ftate of fociety when war 
 fhall be no more ; when peace and good-will Ihall be eftabliflied 
 among humankind, and all our defires centre in benevolence, 
 and a juft regard to each other's comforts ! 
 
 Turning our eyes from the valley where fo many brave men 
 formerly fell, we with pleafure obferve, to the right, about a 
 gun-fhot or two below the bridge, that the enterprizing ma- 
 nufacturer has reared a houfe of induftry * ; on every hand, the 
 comfortable dwellings of the induftrious are fpringing up. In- 
 (lead of the gloomy caftle and reclufe nunnery, the gay villa 
 and cheerful airy boxes (fnug and {heltered from the blafts of 
 winter, and fmiling in all the lovelinefs of flowers and fhrubbery 
 in the milder feafons) are every where feen : and long may they 
 be feen, and become more and more numerous, till the whole 
 country is, as if by inchantment transformed into one extended 
 city, intermingled with gardens, orchards, corn-fields, and 
 commons, a land of abundance and peace. 
 
 On paffing the Avon, we enter Sttrlingfljir€. A little beyond 
 the nineteenth mile-ftone, to the left, is Almond-houfe. At 
 the twenty-firft mile-ftone we fall in with the fmall village of 
 Polmont : here feveral well-built houfes are feen, and their fitu- 
 ations are happily chofen. The village of Laurifton, pleafant- 
 ly fituated on a rifmg ground, is the next that we pafs through. 
 
 * Belonging to Mr. Black's printfield, 
 
 E 2 Au 
 
ta GRIME'S DYKE. 
 
 An air of cleanlinefs and comfort is every where apparent about 
 It, which greatly adds to the pleafure felt in obferving the 
 habitations of thofe " who toil in the lower employments of 
 " life," happy and contented in their ftations, regardlefs of 
 aught but how to gain fufficient to fupply their immediate 
 wants ; for concerning much more they feldom feem folicitous. 
 
 A little way beyond the turnpike Callander-houfe appears. 
 The houfe itfelf is not an objedt worthy of attention ; but the 
 decorations and improvements every where about it are in a firft- 
 rate ftyle. Again we tread on ground celebrated in hiftory. 
 Near to this fpot, a part of Grime s dyke is to be feen. This 
 fmgular monum.ent of Roman antiquity, can be diftindly traced 
 acrofs the country, from fea to fea *. 
 
 On looking over the map of our ifland, the flighteft glance 
 will difcover, that this ifthmus between the Friths of Forth and 
 Clyde is the narrowed part of Britain. A range of hills, run- 
 ning nearly parallel to the courfe of the Grampian mountains, 
 extends throughout the whole breadth of the ifland. " It is the 
 " weftmoft divillon of this range," fays General Roy, " known 
 " by the name of the Kilfyth, or Campfey-hills, which extends 
 " beyond the north fide of the ifthmus between the Forth and 
 " the Clyde;" and pretty much in this dired:ion did Agricclaj 
 in his too fuccefsful attempt to fubdue the Britons, raife his 
 fecond chain of forts, the veftlges of which may be diftlndly 
 traced at this day. In the reign of Antoninus Pius, Lollius 
 Urbicus, commander of the Roman legions in Britain, follow- 
 ing, as fome fuppofe, the chain of forts which had been raifed 
 
 * See General Roy's furvey. 
 
 3 by 
 
FALKIRK. 29 
 
 by his predecefTor, as forming a check on the Incurfions of the 
 Barbarians, conftrudted a rampart along this neck of land, 
 which, he vainly fuppofed, was, when garrifoned by his chofen 
 bands, impregnable. Tradition reports it, however, to have 
 proved otherwife. Grime, a powerful chief, with a band of 
 defperate Britons, is faid to have formed the defign of furprifing 
 the Roman garrifon, polled near to a place now known by the 
 name of " Elf-hill." This he adually accomplifhed ; and that 
 valorous achievement is perpetuated by this ftupendous piece of 
 art, thenceforward called Grime's Dyke. 
 
 On entering Falkirk^ we are apt, from its mean appearance, 
 to form an unfavourable idea of its inhabitants ; but this imr 
 preffion wears off when we come more narrowly to examine 
 the buftle and induftry obfervable as we pafs on. Its vicinity 
 to the great canal (with which, on leaving this town, we fall in, 
 and pafs under, through an aqueduct arch, conftrucSed with 
 much judgment, and fubftantially built) gives it an advantage 
 that few towns in Scotland poflefs, excepting fuch as are fituated 
 on the principal rivers and fea-fhores. 
 
 If Falkirk, on account of its inelegant appearance, be uninte- 
 refting to the traveller, the grounds adjacent will furnifh him 
 with objects fufficient to awaken his curiofity with regard to 
 trade, commerce, and hiftorical incident. 
 
 Before Falkirk was eftablifhed as the principal mart of the north 
 for horned-cattle, it was little better than an overgrown village, 
 the inhabitants of which were almoft without employ, and poor 
 in the extreme. No fooner were the tryjls as they are called, 
 which are held in the months of Auguft, September, and Od;o- 
 ber, reforted to by drovers from almoft every part of Scotland, 
 
 and 
 
JO CARRON. 
 
 and many parts of England, than this town became a flourlfh- 
 ing and animated trading place. 
 
 About a mile and a half to the north-weft, the Carron-com- 
 pany's iron-works are fcen. This company eftablilhed themfelves 
 in this part of the country about forty years ago, and have con- 
 fiderably added to the fpirit of induftry and fpeculation which, 
 fince that period, has become fo prevalent throughout almoft 
 every part of Scotland. The iron-works merit the attention of 
 the traveller, and may be viewe^d as objects of curious conflruc- 
 tion by day, and of pidturefque appearance, or rather fublimity, 
 by night. On beholding the dark-rolling fmoke mingle, as it 
 were, with the furrounding flaihes that burft inceflantly from 
 the great forges, ideas of being in the neighbourhood of a vol- 
 cano, are naturally fuggefted, and afford a pleafure analogous to 
 what is felt in contemplating the fubllme in nature. 
 
 The erection of the iron-works at Carron was foon fucceeded 
 by a piece of art no lefs complicated than the vaft apparatus of 
 the great forges. This was the Canal ; a monument of lafting 
 celebrity, which, in a ftriking manner, marks the commercial 
 fpirit of the times. This canal joins the Atlantic ocean with the 
 German fea, and infulates South and North Britain. Of the 
 many inventions and contrivances to facilitate the extenfion of 
 commerce, none more interefts the mind accuftomed to reflec- 
 tion, than the conftrudting of navigable canals ; more efpecially, 
 •when obftacles in their afped: formidable, and almoft infuper- 
 able, are fubdued and rendered ufeful. An eminent inftance 
 prefents itfelf in the whole courfe of the great canal that joins 
 the rivers Forth and Clyde, pafling through a tra£t of nearly 
 forty miles, great part of which is marfhy, and in no fmall 
 
 degree 
 
CARRON. ji 
 
 degree mountainous ; where cargoes, the produce of remoteft 
 regions, are fafely landed, amid the wilds through which it is 
 condudted ; — where the Romans in -vain conftruded a barrier, 
 that w^as to mark the bounds of their conqueft on the North, 
 and to exclude a people whom to reduce by force of arms was 
 found too arduous for that power which had hurled empires 
 into ruin, and fubjugated millions to the rapacity of ruthlefs 
 conquerors. 
 
 The circumjacent grounds prefent to the claflic traveller the 
 former theatre of thofe obftinate and bloody contefts, which fo 
 often blur the page of Scotiih hiftory. 
 
 About a mile to the right, on the banks of the Carron, Wal- 
 lace was vanquifhed ; and Scotifh valour had nearly funk in 
 his overthrow. From nearly the fpot where, towards the end 
 of the thirteenth century, the Englifh army triumphed over the 
 devoted Scots, did the royal army of England, about the mid- 
 dle of the eighteenth century, attack a handful of Highlanders ; 
 but with very different fortune ; for no fooner had thefe daring 
 fons of the mountains charged the veteran troops of the Elector 
 of Hanover, than a general rout enfued : the royal army, panick 
 ftruck, fled as far as Linlithgow, where they fet fire to the 
 palace, and did other mifchief in their precipitate retreat. The 
 Highlanders, negleding to reap the advantage which fo decifive 
 a ftroke had put in their power, gave over the purfuit ; and, while 
 loitering in the town of Falkirk, an unfortunate accident which 
 took place at this critical jundure greatly conduced to throw 
 a damp on the fuccefs of the arms of the unfortunate Charles 
 Stuart. While a foldier of the rebel-army was cleaning his 
 mufquet, it went off, and its contents were lodged in the body 
 
 of 
 
3t CARRON. 
 
 of a highland chieftain, who died in confequence. This acci- 
 dent proved no lefs fatal to the man in whofe pojTeffion the 
 piece was found ; for he was led forth, without ceremony, and 
 fliot dead on the fpot by his own comrades ; — fuch being the 
 facrifice which they deemed indifpenfable to the manes of their 
 unfortunate leader. Deeply affected at the irreparable lofs they 
 had fuftained, the mountaineers retired in difmay to their faftnefs; 
 and thus the caufe in which they had embarked was fubjeded 
 to a temporary derangement, eventual mifcarriage, and all the 
 horrors attendant on a civil infurred:ion when unfuccefsful. 
 
 Many families of condition fufFered feverely in the fruitlefs 
 cnterprize alluded to : but none more keenly felt the dire 
 efFeds of civil war than the family of Monro of Foulis*. Three 
 brothers fell : two were murdered in cold blood ; and the third 
 was aflaffinated, his murderers miftaking him for a perfon 
 whom they fought after in vain. An elegant infcription, in Latin, 
 to the memory of Sir Robert Monro, is to be feen in the church- 
 yard of Falkirk ; as is alfo another epitaph, facred to the memory 
 of John de Graham, emphatically called the right arm of Wal- 
 lace, who fell combating the enemies of his country, at the 
 memorable battle of Falkirk, fought on the 22d of July, I298f. 
 The hero of this memorable battle, William Wallace, was an 
 
 inftance 
 
 * Chief of that name. 
 
 •f Mente manumque potens, et Vallas fides Achates, 
 Conditur hie Gramus, bello interfeitus Angh's. 
 
 Vivit poft funera virtus, — is the motto infcribed about his arms. 
 
 In Scoto Saxon, the following : 
 Here lyes Sir John the Grame, baith wight and wife, \_ 
 
 Ane of the worthies refcult Scotland thrice j 
 
 Ane 
 
CARROJtf. 33 
 
 inftance of thofe latent virtues and military talents which burft 
 forth on fome cafual exigence, when public fpirit and national in- 
 ■dependence feem proftrate,and almoft extin6:. That high degree 
 of difinterefted patriotifm, magnanimity, and virtue, difplayed 
 in the condu(ft of Wallace, might be claimed with pride by any 
 nation. His actions are worthy of remembrance ; for he nobly 
 fought for the liberties of his devoted country, and periftied in 
 the attempt to re-eftablifli its independence. 
 
 When the independence of Scotland was firft called in queftion, 
 Edward I. at a time when the right to the crown was fubmitted 
 to his decifion*, made little fcruple in annexing the regal 
 dignities to thofe of England ; thus enflaving the people, and 
 gratifying his boundlefs ambition. Yet, ftrange as it may feem, 
 it is no lefs certain, that, though neither of the competitors for 
 the Scotlfh crown acknowledged his pretenfions, they both 
 tamely fubmitted ; the one becaufe he was unable to maintain 
 his pretenfions ; the other being content to hold, under the de- 
 grading fufFrage of a tyrant, the mock dignities of royalty, on 
 the humiliating conditions of fealty and feudal tenure. 
 
 Ane better knight not to t^he world was lent. 
 Nor was glide Grame of truth and hardimcnt. 
 
 When Cromwell, in his progrefs northward, had ftationed his Englilh troops at FaJ- 
 •kirk, one of his officers wifhed to have the Latin epitaph tranilated, which accordingly 
 was done by a fchoolniafter, in the following words ; 
 
 Of mind and conrage ftrong, and Wallace' true Achates, 
 Here lies Sir John the Graham, kill'd by the Englifli baties. 
 
 A little to the left, a ftone unpolifhed, and without an infcription, marks the fpot 
 -where another warrior was laid, namely John Stuart the brave anceflor of the prefent 
 family of Bute, who commanded that day a divifion of the Scotifh army, and fell in 
 the battle, covered with wounds. 
 
 * By co^fent of the competitors, Bruce and Baliol, on the eKtiufiion of tiie royal 
 line in the perfon of Alexander III. 
 
 F Edward, 
 
1^4 CARRON. 
 
 Edward, having accomplifhed his defign, no fooner found 
 himfelf mafter of the liberties and independence of Scotland, 
 by having placed the timid Baliol on the throne, than he 
 thought it time to reap the advantages of his newly-ac- 
 quired power. There is a point, however, below which 
 degraded humanity finks not. Wallace, who from early 
 infancy beheld the thraldom in which his countrymen were 
 held by their oppreflbrs, thirfted for revenge, and feized every 
 occafion to indicate his intention of one day delivering his 
 country from tyranny. Being in the private ftation of a 
 country gentleman, narrow in his circumftances, and of courfe 
 poiTefling little influence, his valour, joined to prudence 
 and a high regard to truth and honour, were all that he had to 
 recommend him to notitre at his firft entrance on the glorious 
 tafk of chacing hence the rapacious minions of the ambitious 
 Edward. 
 
 No fooner had "Wallace ereded the ftandard of freedom, than 
 the bold fpirit of independence revived ; and Scotifli warriors, 
 fearlefs of the confequences, rufhed boldly to the field, refolved 
 to regain their loft liberties, or perifh in the attempt. Much 
 blood had already flowed in fkirmifhes, in which Wallace not 
 unfrequently proved vidorious ; and his chofen few thus gain- 
 ing fkill in arms, and confidence in their own prowefs, en- 
 couraged others to join them in what at firft appeared a vain 
 and fruitlefs enterprife, A fpirit of independence, once arouzed, 
 fpread rapidly through every denomination of patriots. That 
 timidity and jealoufy which w^eigh down the enthufiafm of 
 infant enterprife decayed apace ; and in their ftead, confidence 
 in each other, a cordial union of intereft, together with a tho- 
 rough 
 
CARRON. * 55 
 
 rough convidlon of the importance and jiiftice of their caufe,; 
 powerfully fti mutated the Scots to make one glorious effort to 
 obtain the confummation of their wiihes. 
 
 Wallace, who by this time found himfelf at the head of a 
 powerful army, faw nothing before him but vidory, and the 
 confequent emancipation of his countrymen. At this critical 
 period Edward was in France, and heard with concern that 
 his power w^as not only rapidly on the decline in the north, 
 but that the Scotilh nobles, in defiance of their folemn engage- 
 ments to him as their Liege Lord^ had adually thrown off the 
 mafk, and fpurned his attempts to fubdue them. A feudal 
 King is but the creature of conventional compa(fl: ; and fuch the 
 Englifh monarch found himfelf, when the Scotifli ariflocracy, 
 worthy the admiration of after-ages, made a bold effort to free 
 themfelves and their adherents from foreign flavery, hateful, 
 as degrading in the extreme. 
 
 The Scotifh army, led on by Wallace, now chofen General- 
 ifTimo, and guardian of the kingdom under Baliol, was triumph- 
 ant every where. That of the Englifh, headed by Edward in 
 perfon (who had made peace with France, in order to re- 
 eflablifh his power in the north), w^as rapidly advancing to quell 
 the infurredion ; when, at Falkirk, Wallace awaited the ifTue of 
 a hoftile meeting, which was to reflore independence to Scot- 
 land, or once more fink it under the uplifted arms of a ruthlefs 
 invader. But Wallace was now to experience a reverfe of 
 fortune. Envy engendered jealoufy and diflruft among the 
 Scotifh leaders, and this eventually proved the ruin of their 
 caufe. Edward was not ignorant of thefe circumflances, on 
 which he had more dependance than on the fuccefs of his 
 
 F 2 arms. 
 
56 CARRON. 
 
 arms. Hence his eager defire to bring the event to a crlfis, 
 which as yet appeared doubtful, or at beft hazardous. He well 
 knew, that to oppofe a bold and impetuous band ©f veterans, 
 dauntlefs as invincible, accuftomed to fuccefs and vidory, de- 
 Termined to conquer or die, was an enterprize of no fmall 
 magnitude ; efpecially as he found himfelf far diftant from 
 whatever fuccours exigencies might require ; and it muft be 
 allowed, that few, except Edward, notwithftanding his know- 
 ledge of the exifting difcontents in the Scotifh camp, were to 
 be found competent to fo arduous an undertaking. He had, 
 however, no alternative. Every thing moft dear to him was 
 at ftake. His reputation as a foldier, his wifdom as a poli- 
 tician, his power as a fovereign prince, and his claims as a 
 conqueror, were motives that imperioufly urged him to hazard 
 the eventful iflue of a pitched battle. Accordingly, he deter- 
 mined to attack the arch-rebel Wallace ; he, whom none could 
 fubdue, fave Edward the conqueror of Wales. 
 
 Both armies were now in fight of each other. From the 
 height on which Falkirk is fituated, Edward beheld the Scotifli 
 army advantageoufly ported about a mile to the north weft. 
 Wallace, who had by this time been informed of Edward's in- 
 tentions to attack him, drew out his troops in three divifions and 
 prepared for the combat. A difpute now arofe among the Scot- 
 iih chieftains as to who fhould lead the van. Edward, apprized 
 of this circumftance, feized the favourable moment, and charged 
 with great fury. Cummin of Banenoch and his followers, the 
 flower of the Scotlfh army, had marched off in difguft. The 
 divifion commanded by Stuart of Bute, and that fupported by 
 Wallace, received the whole fliock of Edward's onfet. Each 
 
 army 
 
CARRON. 37 
 
 army fought with unheard-of bravery : but, overpowered by 
 numbers, Wallace was forced to give way, and the rout became 
 general and bloody. Bruce had mingled in the fray, and the 
 battle raged in all its horrors wherever he directed. Wallace 
 and Bruce met : the combat was terrible. They feparated, but 
 agreed to meet again ; and they kept their appointment. 
 
 Meanwhile the Scotilh army, retreating beyond the Carron 
 in the greateft diforder, were fcattered in every direction ; for 
 their leaders were either flain, or lay wounded on the field of 
 battle. Edward, exulting in his good fortune, gave over the 
 purfuit, and the fame evening retired to Linlithgow, in order to 
 refrefli his troops. 
 
 When Wallace had colledled together as many of the fugi- 
 tives as he could find, and conduded them to a fafe retreat, 
 he went, according to appointment, to the river fide, where 
 Bruce awaited his coming on the oppofite bank. Bruce demand- 
 ed a conference ; to which Wallace readily confented. They 
 both proceeded to a convenient fpot, at which the river is narrow, 
 and its banks pretty fteep ; and Bruce began the conference 
 nearly as follows : " Great as thou art efteemed, in wifdom as 
 in valour, why tarnifh fo fair a reputation by perfifting in the 
 madnefs that feems to polTefs thee, in thus lengthening out a 
 bloody conteft, which this day*s woeful experience ihould teach 
 thee muft eventually terminate in ruin and difgrace to us and 
 our deareft interefts? Or hath fome dsemon whifpered thee, that 
 the crown (hall be offered thee by a mifguided populace, as the 
 reward of thy" — Here Wallace interrupted him, and indig- 
 nantly replied : " No, Bruce ! my aim is far above fo poor, fo 
 fordid an end, as to claim a kingdom to which I have no title ei- 
 ther 
 
3* CARRON. 
 
 ther by birth or fortune, as the reward of my fervices. Far 
 different are the motives that ftimulate me in the glorious career, 
 in which moft wilUngly I fhall fpill the laft drop of my blood. 
 Open thine eyes, Bruce, and fee thy true interefl involved in the 
 Caufe that I have efpoufed. Shall I afk thee to whom the king- 
 dom doth appertain rightfully ? Is it not to thyfelf ? Inftead, then, 
 of fighting under the banners of a ufurper, the tyrant of many 
 flaves, turn from him quickly ; affert thine own right ; gather 
 together thine own people; under thee, they will, even yet, 
 maintain their independence, and chace the tyrant Edward to 
 his own dominions. If fo glorious an end fuit not thy mind, 
 go, and follow the fortunes of Edward ; be the minion of his 
 ambition ; hug thy chains in fecurity : while I, the fport of un- 
 certainty and the chance of war, will embrace honeft poverty, 
 and die free in defence of my country and its dearefl rights *.'* 
 So faying, they parted, each to his aflbciates in arms ; the one to 
 feaft at the celebration of the victory ; the other, to bury the 
 flain, and to mourn the fate of his beft generals, his bofom 
 friends, and valiant countrymen. 
 
 In traverfmg the field of battle, Wallace muft have obferved 
 objects that recalled to his reniembrance the fate of his devoted 
 country when fubjugated by the Romans. At a ford in the 
 immediate neighbourhood of Arthur's Den, the mangled remains 
 of the Scotifli army had to pafs the Carron, while their valiant 
 leader, with a chofen band of warriors, covered their retreat. 
 Here, as may eafily be imagined, the greateft carnage took place : 
 and here too, and abouthalf way between the wall of Antoninus, 
 was the other fcene of adion. 
 
 * Buchanan, Lib. viii. 
 
 Near 
 
CARRON. 39 
 
 Near to the Carron works the Lacellum, or little pantheon, 
 called, by the vulgar, Arthur s Oon *, formerly ftood. This fin- 
 gular monument of Roman antiquity was nearly entire till the 
 year 1742, when Sir Michael Bruce, the proprietor, caufed it to 
 be razed to the ground, in order to complete a mill-dam for 
 which he was partly in want of materials. 
 
 The Carron, though now dwindled to an inconfiderable ftream, 
 has every appearance of having, at no very remote period, been 
 a river of confiderable magnitude ; and there is reafon to fuppofe 
 that, fo late as the time when the Romans were in pofleflion of 
 Britain, the fea flowed up as far as Camelon, a flation then 
 occupied by them, " where (it is faid) fome traces of their port 
 
 are ftill vifiblef-" 
 
 As we pafs through a village, about a mile beyond Falkirk, 
 that takes its name from the ancient Camelon, from the circum- 
 ftance of fome of the ftones dug out from the ruins of that 
 Roman ftation, forming part of the dwelling houfes formerly 
 built, we ftrike off to the right, being the road to Stirling, 
 (that on our left leading to Glafgow,) and foon after crofs over 
 the Carron. On looking back toward the fouth, we perceive 
 the fite of the ancient Camelon^ through which the military way 
 pafled, that ran through great part of England, and entered 
 Scotland at the Solway Frith, pafled through Annandale and 
 Clydfdale to Glafgow, and fo on acrofs the ifthmus in the 
 diredion of Agricola's chain of forts and the wall of Antoninus, 
 through Camelon to the Carron ; from thence it is feen a little to 
 the weft of the village of Larbert, in a diredion toward Stirling, 
 
 * At Pennycuick, a model is ereded of Arthur's Oon. f General Roy's furveyv 
 
 as 
 
40 VILLAGE OF LARBERT. 
 
 as ftraight as the nature of the grounds through which it pafles 
 will admit. It is faid, indeed, that the line of diredion in which 
 the Roman caufeway was conduded, is the fliortefl: by far from 
 Falkirk to Stirling*. 
 
 The village of Larbert, through which we dired our courfe, 
 is fituated on an eminence, commanding an extenfive view of 
 the country around. Nor many years fince, a mount, fomewhat 
 refembling a watch tower in all probability, was extant, which 
 was an advanced poft of the Romans, while their camp was at 
 Camelon, which lies on the oppofite fide of the Carron, as above- 
 mentioned : but no part of it now remains, it having neceflarily 
 been removed when the road was made to pafs diredly through 
 the village. 
 
 The parifli of Larbert is now united to that of Dunipace ; 
 thefe united parifhes extend from eafl to weft eight, and from 
 north to fouth two, miles ; and contain between five and fix 
 thoufand perfons : the Carron iron-works employ a thoufand 
 of the number. 
 
 Dunipace is mentioned in our Scotifh hiftories as the fpot 
 where national affairs were wont to be adjufted ; and treaties of 
 peace are faid to have been finally agreed on and folemnly rati- 
 fied at this place. 
 
 A little beyond the twenty-eighth mile ftone, we enter the 
 Torw^od^ once a confiderable foreft of oakwood ; but now 
 fcarcely a veftige of its former grandeur remains. Here Wal- 
 lace lurked in imminent danger, but was able to elude the fearch 
 of his enemies. About a mile to the left, the fpot is pointed 
 
 * This way muft have been that over which Agricola led his forces beyond the Forth 
 in his fixth campaign ; it was afterwards ufed in the expedition of Sevcrus and Caracalla. 
 
 2 out 
 
TORWOOD. 41 
 
 out to the enquiring traveller, where that hero is fald to have 
 often repofed under a favourite oak ; not a relick of it, however, 
 is now to be feen ; for, like Shakefpear's mulberry-tree, it has 
 been carried off piece-meal, as fomething facred and invaluable *. 
 The diameter of this tree is faid to have been eleven or twelve 
 feet ; which, if true, was a greater fize than any to be found at 
 this period in Scotland, except in a wood the property of the 
 Duke of Hamilton, in Lanarkfhire, where there are fllil fome 
 oak trees of great fize and age. 
 
 The decay of oak wood in Scotland is a matter of national 
 regret. The Sylva Caledonia^ mentioned by Pliny and the 
 Scotifh hiftorian Boethius, can hardly be traced. It is not im- 
 probable, that the out-fkirts of the Sylva Caledonia extended eaft- 
 ward as far as the Torwood ; for it is generally allowed, that its 
 commencement was a little beyond Stirling, and that it extended 
 over mountains and vallies through the greater part of the high- 
 lands of Scotland. Even at this day it can be traced, though 
 indiftindly, in almoft every direction beyond Stirling ; particu- 
 larly to the north and weft. In the mofs of Kincardine, frag- 
 ments of oak wood of confiderable fize are to be met with every- 
 where beneath the furface of the mofs f . The theory of mofs 
 
 • The little knoll on which the tree ftood, is furrounded by a marfli, through which 
 fomething like a caufeway leads'to the knoll. Thefe appearances have given rife to fome 
 fanciful conjedlures ; among others, that this fpot might have been a place of faciifice, 
 in former times, when Druids offered human viftims. 
 
 The prefent Earl of Buchan a few years ago prefented General Wafhington with a 
 fnuff-box made of a fragment of Wallace's oak. 
 
 Since the above was written, the great Wafhington has paid the debt of nature. By 
 his will he direfted the fnuff box to be returned to the original donor, to be difpofed of 
 as he may think proper.— See Wafhington's Will. 
 
 f The Great Michael, a fhip of war built by James IV. is faid to have exhaufted the 
 greater part of the oak wood in Fyfe.— See Pittfcotie's hiflory. 
 
 G is 
 
42 TORWOOD. 
 
 is now well underftood, and proved to be formed by the gradual 
 decay of wood *. This is manifeft in all our northern diftrids. 
 Huge piles of oak are found, trunks of enormous dimenfions 
 appear, and fragments of pines and other fpecies of wood are to 
 be met with throughout the mountains and vallies, and on the 
 banks of our lakes and rivers, and fea-fhores ; which are fo many 
 inconteftable proofs in fupport of the opinion with regard to the 
 extent of the Sylva Caledonia. 
 
 The remains of forefts through the weftern parts of Perthfhire 
 and Argylefhire, and beyond the Forth northwards, are ftill 
 evident ; the fame appearances may frequently be feen in the 
 northern parts of Perthfhire and Invernefs-fhire, where confider- 
 able tra£ts of country were anciently forefts of great extent ; the 
 proprietors yet reaping the advantages which their remains are 
 capable of yielding. From Kinloch-leven, the weftern extremity 
 of Invernefs-fhire, along the fhores of Loch-eil, Loch-arkaig, 
 Loch-locha, Loch-oich, Loch-garric, Loch-nefs, Strath-glafs, 
 Glen-morifon, and Loch-loyn, forefts were, till very lately, to be 
 found. This was alfo the cafe in the counties of Moray \ and 
 Abernethy, and others on the banks of the Spey, where, fo late 
 as the year 1728, mafts of 50 and 70 feet in length were pro- 
 cured for the navy J. Unlefs fome fpeedy and effedual means, 
 however, be fallen upon to lefTen the demand for, and promote 
 the growth of firs and oaks in this ifland, the period may 
 arrive, and perhaps it is at no great diftance, when, to the un- 
 
 * This opinion has been controverted by ferae late author. — See Anderfon, &c. 
 
 •\ The counties of Rofs and Sutherland alfo contain forefts of confiderable extent. 
 
 ■\_ The late ingenious Aaron Hill was fuperintcndant of the forefts of Abernethy at 
 that tinie. See his life, Brit. Poet. 
 
 fpeakable 
 
BANNOCKBURN. 45 
 
 Ipeakable detriment of its inhabitants, thefe moft eflential articles 
 may no longer be found. 
 
 On leaving the Torwood, we proceed through a tra£t of 
 country, which, though well enough cultivated, is but poor in 
 point of foil, and bare in its general appearance : but towards 
 the Forth the land is exceedingly fertile ; and gentlemen's feats, 
 delightfully fituated on its banks, are flieltered amid inclofures 
 of thriving plantations. Among others, that of the Abyffinian 
 traveller, Bruce of Kinnaird, is moft deferving of attention j with 
 much expence, and no fmall degree of trouble, he, foon after 
 returning to his native country, here fitted up a mufeum, in 
 which are depofited the curiofities procured by him in his 
 travels. 
 
 On paffing over a piece of moor-land near the thirty-fecond 
 mile-ftone, we perceive, a few miles diftant, the Caftle and 
 Town of Stirling. When at this diftance, the traveller fancies a 
 refemblance of Stirling to Edinburgh ; but, on a nearer approach, 
 the feeming refemblance vanifhes, and he is fatisfied that the 
 fimilarity is very trifling indeed. 
 
 On our way to Stirling (at the thirty-third mile ftone) we pafs 
 through the village of Bannockburn, now pretty much extend- 
 ed on the fteep banks of the rivulet from which its name is de- 
 rived. The fpot that we here tread, is that on which the Englifh 
 forces under Edward II. met with an overthrow, the effeds of 
 which fecured for a time the independence of the Scotifh throne 
 and the peace of the nation. 
 
 No event, in which human blood flowed in profufion, is re- 
 corded by the Scotifh hiftorians, with a greater degree of that 
 national pride which is common to moft people, than the me- 
 
 G 2 morable 
 
44 BANNOCKBURN. 
 
 morable battle fought on the 24th July, 13 14, between the 
 Englifh and Scotifh armies, on the fields about Bannockburn. 
 
 The vidtories of Poidiers and CrelTy have been celebrated with 
 all that energy and glow of colouring with which the hiftorians 
 of England ufually decorate their illumined page j but defeats 
 are by them thrown into fliade. This is pardonable on the 
 fcore of national predilection. The fame indulgence which 
 their partiality claims on fuch occafions, is here expected, while 
 a few of the leading circumftances relating to the vidory ob- 
 tained by the Scots, under the royal ftandard of Robert de 
 Bruce, are narrated in this place. 
 
 Our poets and hiftorians dwell with admiration on the hero- 
 Ifm difplayed in the eventful life of the valiant Bruce. At one 
 time we view him a fatellite of the Englifh court ; at another, 
 aflerting the rights of his country : unfortunate in his career 
 of glory, we behold him a fugitive, wandering among the 
 mountains, friendlefs, and unknown : but, ere long, his better 
 fortune beckons him to the field, where vidlory awaited the 
 valour of his arms. 
 
 National enthufiafm being excited, the indignant nobles croud- 
 ed to the ftandard of the grandfon of him who was the compe- 
 titor of Baliol for the imperial diadem. Every man felt for the 
 independence of his country ; and all refolved to conquer or 
 die in the common caufe ; the juftice of which the fword alone 
 was competent to decide. 
 
 Many combats were gallantly fuftained by the Scots, though 
 unattended with fuccefs, before the decifive battle, now about 
 to be defcribed,, was fought, which effedually difappointed the 
 liopes of Edward of Carnarvon, and totally defeated his purpofe 
 
 1 to 
 
BANNOCKBURN. 45 
 
 to reduce Scotland by force of arms. Edward's forces had been 
 led northward, as to certain vidory. They were compofed of 
 men of all defcriptions, collected from Flanders, Gafcony, Ire- 
 land, Wales, England, and even Scotland ; and were bent on 
 mlfchief, blood, and rapine. Their numbers are fald to have 
 been more than it is eafy to credit ; while the army of Bruce did 
 not exceed thirty thoufand fighting men. The motives of an 
 invading army differ widely from thofe which aduate the firm 
 refolves of a band of patriots, determined to repel invafion, 
 however formidable its afped. When to motives founded in 
 honour, and excited by a love of freedom, are added experience 
 in war and courage in danger, thefe, if brought into adion with 
 due precaution and fkilful dexterity, can fcarcely fail of fuccefs, 
 when life, fortune, and all that is dear to man, are at ftake. 
 Thus animated, the Scotilh army, under Bruce, repelled and 
 vanquifhed the army of Edward. 
 
 However exaggerated the reports might be of the number and 
 ftrength of the Englifh forces, yet one thing Bruce knew to be 
 certain, that his cavalry were far inferior to theirs j he therefore 
 had recourfe to fiiratagem, in order to enfure their deftrudUon, to 
 fecure his camp from the confequence of furprife, and prevent 
 his being furrounded by an army fo much more numerous than 
 that which he had muftered to oppofe it. 
 
 Having pofted his troops on the left fide of the Bannock, 
 where, on one hand, a morals * of confidcrable extent, and on 
 the other a range of pretty fteep rocks f happened to be, Bruce 
 taking advantage of thefe favourable circumftances, and having 
 a rivulet, whofe fteep banks were of themfelves a bulwark, ia 
 
 * Miltown bog. -f Murray's, craigs. 
 
 front,, 
 
46 BANNOCKBURN. 
 
 front, direded deep ditches to be made along the whole extent 
 of his Hne, on the left bank of the rivulet, and ordered them to 
 be planted with fharp pointed flakes, covered with turf, fo 
 much refembling the natural appearance of the grounds adjacent, 
 as to elude the poffibility of detection. 
 
 Excepting the caftles of Berwick, Edinburgh, and Stirling, 
 Bruce had feized on the principal fortrefles throughout the king- 
 dom. Stirling held out to the laft, having been defended with 
 great bravery by Philip de Moubray againft the valour and fkill 
 of Edward Bruce, the king's brother, who in vain made every 
 poffible effort to reduce a fortrefs of fo much importance, being 
 a key to all beyond the Forth, and, in the event of a defeat, a 
 place of fafety and retreat. Tired out, and impatient of fo 
 fruitlefs an enterprize, Edward Bruce offered terms of capitula- 
 tion to the governor of Stirling caftle, which were agreed to, on 
 condition that, if no relief from England arrived by a certain day, 
 Moubray fhould open the gates to the befiegers. The day ap- 
 pointed was approaching, and the looked-for fuccours not far 
 diftant ; for already had Edward commenced his march from 
 Edinburgh, whence the firft day he proceeded to Falkirk, and 
 there halted. Having refrefhed his troops moft part of the 
 following day, he in the afternoon arrived on the field of battle, 
 and pitched his tent nearly oppofite to that of Bruce, who had 
 unfurled the royal banner, and awaited his coming. Ere fun- 
 fet, when camp was feen almoft joined to camp, a bloody con^ 
 Aid: enfued between a body of Englifh cavalry which had been 
 detached to the relief of Stirling caftle, and one of Scotifh 
 cavalry : the latter proved vidlorious ; and fuch of the Englifh 
 as efcaped the flaughter fell back in difmay on the main body 
 
 of 
 
BANNOCKBURN. 47 
 
 of their army. Stung with Ihame at this untoward repulfe, 
 the vanquifhed vowed vengeance, and terribly kept their word. 
 Night clofed on the combatants, and its fhortnefs hardly allowed 
 them neceflary repofe. 
 
 By day-break both armies were in motion ; and each combat- 
 ant waited in anxious expectation for the fignal of battle. The 
 Englifh army advanced in three divifions to the brink of the 
 rivulet Bannock ; their infantry formed the centre, and was led 
 on by the king in perfon ; the wings confifted chiefly of 
 cavalry, and were commanded by the earls of Glocefter and 
 Hereford. The Scotilh, forces were alfo drawn up in three 
 divifions ; the right wing, which occupied the higheft grounds, 
 was commanded by Edward, brother of Bruce ; and the left, 
 which ftretched far to the north on the low grounds, was given 
 in charge to Randolph, an able and experienced general, on 
 whom much depended ; the main body was fupported by Bruce 
 himfelf. It is on level ground that cavalry can ad: moil to ad- 
 vantage. The Englifh, aware of this, vigoroufly charged the 
 divifion commanded by Randolph ; while he, anticipating the 
 confufion into which the enemy muft fall in their rapid ap- 
 proach, when brought into the fnare prepared for them, was 
 prepared to rufh on and complete their overthrow. The ftrata- 
 gem completely fuceeeded ; the Englifh horfes fell into the 
 concealed ditches, and were thrown into the greateft diforder. 
 At that inftant the Scots charged, and made terrible havock. 
 Excited by an irrefiftible curiofity, the Scotifh line prefled for- 
 ward to view what was going on in the plain below, when, as 
 Bruce was riding in front, in order to make the foldiers keep 
 their ranks, an Englifli knight, armed at all points, rode full tilt 
 
 with; 
 
4S BANNOCKBURN. 
 
 with his lance couched againft the breaft of the Scotifh king ; 
 but, miffing his aim, Bruce, with his battle ax, at one ftroke 
 brought him to the ground *. Encouraged by this favourable 
 omen, the Scotifh infantry came boldly to the charge ; but the 
 Englifh archers fo galled them in the onfet, that had not Bruce 
 fpeedlly difpatched a body of light horfemen to annoy the enemy, 
 the fate of the day might have been foon decided. The battle 
 now fpread from wing to wing, and raged with the utmoft fury. 
 At this time it feemed doubtful to which fide vidory incUned ; 
 when, to the amazement of the Engliih, a frefh army, as it 
 were, appeared on the heights to their left, which threatened to 
 furround them, and cut off their retreat. The danger however 
 was not real, as the imagined army confided only of fuch attend- 
 ants on the camp as chance had thrown together, and who having 
 with remarkable addrefs drawn up in order of battle, marched 
 on leifurely to the heights. Here, with a general fhout, they 
 called on their countrymen to ftrike home, and waved their 
 mock banner to the wind ; fo that this motly band appeared no 
 lefs formidable than if they had carried deftru^lion in their 
 ranks. Whether this flratagem, fo ingenioufly conduded, 
 originated among the adors themfelves, or had been precon- 
 certed in a council of war among the Scotifh commanders, is 
 left to conjedure ; the effed, however, was the fame ; for as 
 foon as the Englifh perceived them, fearing left their retreat 
 fhould be cut off, they fled in all diredions. The carnage now 
 became dreadful. The Scots fhewed no mercy, and purfued 
 the enemy everywhere. Many fell by the fword, and a vafl 
 number, in attempting to efcape, were drowned in the Forth. 
 
 * Buchanan fays, that it was with a truncheon. 
 
 So 
 
BANNOCKBURN. 49 
 
 So great and fo general was the flaughter on both fides, that 
 hiftorians are at a lofs how to eftimate it. Eaflward the ground 
 was ftrewed with the flain for a great length of way. Sir James 
 Douglas, who, with a body of light cavalry, led the purfuit, ha- 
 rafled the rear of the enemy ; and had not Edward been received 
 by the governor of Dunbar Caftle, and thence fcnt round by 
 water to Berwick upon Tweed, he certainly would have fallen 
 into the hands of his purfuers. The flower of the Englifh no- 
 bility lay on the field of battle ; and many were taken prifoners, 
 whofe ranfom enriched the victorious army. The booty alfo 
 was immenfe. , From that period Scotland has experienced the 
 high advantages procured by the vid:ory obtained over the 
 Englifli at Bannockburn : for thus the independence of the Scot- 
 ifh crown was eftabliflied, and afterwards maintained, though 
 not without much blood, by fucceeding monarchs; till by mutual 
 confent an union of the kingdoms was agitated, agreed to, and 
 folemnly ratified, early in the eighteenth century. 
 
 A flight retrofped: of the leading points which mark the pro- 
 grefs of affairs, from the time when the Englifh were finally 
 obliged to abandon their favourite idea of bending Scotland 
 under a foreign yoke, may not here be deemed out of place. 
 
 Where monarchy becomes the fountain of honour, emolu- 
 ment, and order in a ftate, one of the attendant evils is, that 
 minors being often called, in the courfe of fucceffion, to the 
 high ofiice of regal dignity, the power delegated to regents and 
 others their dependants, during their nonage, becomes the engine 
 of oppreffion, and the caufe of civil contentions. If paffive- 
 imbecility on the one hand, and ferocious refiftance on the other^ 
 do not occafion the mifchiefs arifmgfrom the ill regulated fyftems- 
 
 H that 
 
5D BANNOCKBURN. 
 
 that too fatally obtain in a rude, unlettered age, we are unable 
 to account either for that languid apathy, or thofe inordinate 
 commotions, which fhake to the centre the eftabliflied order of 
 fociety. In perufing the Scotifh annals, this remark feems 
 illuftrated by the events that took place from the time when 
 the fucceflbr of Bruce afcended the throne, to that of our fixth 
 James ; whence it appears, that of ten kings, feven were minors, 
 andalmoft infants. 
 
 That haughty and mutinous fpirit, fo predominant in the 
 feudal times, was not eafiiy reftrained among fuch a nobility as 
 the Scotifh were, who looked on their fovereign as a being 
 created by themfelves, and holding by their fuffrage merely the 
 title and immunities of the kingly office. A more unfortunate 
 race of kings, perhaps, never exifted than thofe of Scotland. 
 Circumfcribed in their authority, and limited in their fortune *, 
 they were but ill qualified either to bend to their will an im- 
 perious ariftocracy, or to bribe a needy commonalty to fupport 
 iheir vain attempts at abfolute fway ; add to this, the power and 
 authority of the church, which, in all things temporal as well 
 as fpiritual, impeded every movement of government ; and little 
 remains to account for the endlefs calamities that befel our 
 race of monarchs. 
 
 On the death of the hero of Bannockburn, his fon David 
 Bruce, while yet a child of nine years old, was, amidft the fond 
 hopes of the people, called to the throne ; and Randolph, by 
 
 * " I. King Malcolm gave and diftributed all lands of the realm of Scotland amongft 
 his men. 2 And rtferved na' thing in propertie to hinnfelfe, hot the royall dignitie, and 
 
 the Mute hill, in the towne of Scone. 3. And all his Barons gave and granted to him 
 the warde and relief of thp heir of ilk Baron, qiihen he fould happen to deccis, for the 
 
 King's fiiftentation." Vide Regiam Majeftatem, chap. i. 
 
 univerful 
 
BANNOCKBURN. ^ 
 
 imiverfal confent, was chofen Regent. Scarcely, however, had 
 thefe events taken place, when Edward, the fon of John Baliol, 
 King (by appointment of Edward Longfhanks) of Scotland, 
 came with a fleet from France ; and on his landing was joined by 
 the Englifli who had been difpoflefled of their lands, and by the 
 difafFeded Scotifh ; fo that in a ihort time he was enabled to pof- 
 fefs himfelf of the crown, while David Bruce retired an exile into 
 France. Scotland was divided into two parties, the one efpouf^ 
 ing the caufe of young Bruce, the other that of the ufurper 
 Baliol. The latter, being powerfully fupported by Edward III. 
 of England, was on the point of eftablifliing his pretenfions to 
 the Scotifli throne by a decifive battle, fought on St. Magda- 
 lene's day in the year 1333, at Halidon-hill near Berv^ick ; but 
 too fatal to the Scotifli army, which, having imprudently en- 
 gaged the Englifh to difadvantage, once more affo.ded a 
 favourable opportunity to England to lord it over this devoted 
 country. The name of Bruce was heard of only in derifion ; 
 the Scotifh nobility were almoft annihilated ; and to fo low a ftate 
 had the nation fallen, that fcarcely a body of men fufEcient to 
 face the enemy could be muftered, fo as to keep alive that 
 ancient fpirit of independence v»?hich, even in the worft of times,, 
 characterized the inhabitants of the north. Time, however, 
 brought about a more favourable train of circumflances, and. 
 the Englifh were again driven hence. David Bruce was recalled; 
 and, dying in the forty-feventh year of his age, he, in a fulf 
 aflembly of the ftates, appointed Robert Stuart,, the firft of that 
 name, heir and fucceffor to the Scotifh crown. 
 
 Richard II. the cotemporary of Robert Stuart, having levied- 
 a vail armament, entered Scotland, ravaged the whole country 
 
 H z frQjo. 
 
52 BANNOCKBURN. 
 
 from the borders to the Forth, and returned triumphant to 
 England. Robert in his turn retaliated, by making inroads 
 through Cumberland, and at the fame time laying wafte North- 
 umberland and the parts adjacent. When that divifion of the 
 Scotlfh army which was led by Douglas was on its return, 
 loaded with fpoils, it was overtaken at Otterburn near New- 
 caftle upon Tync by Percy, and immediately a battle enfued, 
 wherein the Englifli were defeated with great flaughter ; in fhort, 
 the reign of Robert Stuart was as turbulent as it was inglorious ; 
 and that of his fuccefTor John, his eldeft fon, (known in hiftory 
 by the title of Robert III.) who fucceeded his father in the 
 year 1390, was not more tranquil. 
 
 To Robert III. fucceeded James I. a prince to whom hiftorians 
 fondly afcribe an uncommon (hare of mental accomplilliments; 
 he was at once a poet, a mufician, and pofleiled of high talents 
 for government. During the eighteen years that this young prince 
 had been detained a flate prifoner in England, the affairs of his 
 kingdom had been ftrangely mifmanaged ; infomuch that his 
 revenues were low in the extreme j robberies had increafed to an 
 enormous degree ; the clergy were immoral in their lives ; and 
 the nobles, proud and imperious, as well as regardlefs of even 
 the {l:iadow of juftice or of royal authority, fcorned every 
 effort made by their fovereign to abridge their power, eftablifh 
 falutary laws, and diftribute throughout his dominions more 
 equal and impartial juftice. His laudable attempts to civilize a 
 rude and barbarous people, and to check the power of a venal 
 ariftocracy, coft him his life ; for he was treacheroufly murdered- 
 by his uncle, in the flower of manhood and career of glory, at 
 Perth, A.D. 1437. 
 
 James 
 
BANNOCKBURN. 5j 
 
 James II. was alfo a minor, being but feven years of age when 
 he afcended the throne ; and, as in his predeceflbr's minority 
 and captivity, the realm was governed by Robert Duke of Al- 
 bany and his fon Murdo, who both afpired to regal authority ; 
 fo in like manner, during the minority of our fecond James, none 
 were deemed more worthy of the adminiftration of affairs than 
 Sir Alexander Livingfton, who was appointed Regent, and Sir 
 William Crichton, Chancellor, an office which he held under the 
 late king. Soon after thefe ftatefmen had alTumed the functions 
 of government, it became but too apparent, that, inftead of up- 
 right rulers, the nation had feleded men who purfued meafures 
 diametrically oppofite to each other, and as void of jviftice as of 
 found policy. The confequences were fuch as might have been 
 expected : the effeds of difcord and mutual jealoufy fo wrought 
 on all defcriptions of people, that nothing was heard of but 
 favage ferocity, rapine, and every excefs of depraved humanity. 
 In the midft of thefe diforders, the Earl of Douglas, a youth of 
 high family pretenfions and vaft demefnes, regardlefs of royal 
 authority, afle'rted his independence, and afTumed the ftate and 
 dignity of majefty, creating knights and fenators with all the 
 mock pageantry of a court. Such was the complexion of the 
 manners which obtained in Scotland during the latter part of 
 the fifteenth century. 
 
 Where monarchy is permanent, the exaltation of particular 
 families often depends on the predilection of the reigning prince 
 for certain favourites. Thus the family of Boyd, by means of 
 the chief of that name having been chofen governor of the 
 kingdom during the minority of James III. (who on the death 
 
 of 
 
54 BANNOCKBURN-. 
 
 of his father *, being but an infant of feven years old, afcended- 
 the throne) ; the future grandeur of the Boyds depended on the 
 afcendancy to be gained over the affections of the young king j 
 and his guardian, infinuating himfelf into his good graces, found 
 it not difficult to manage the affairs of ftate in the manner heft 
 adapted to his ambitious projects* 
 
 The education of a prince is among the moft arduous under- 
 takings affigned to human ingenuity. In a rude age, void of 
 principles confonant to reafon, found policy, and juftice, no won- 
 der if miftakes fatal to the people's happinefs marked the feeble 
 reign of our third James.. An immoderate love of favourites, 
 and thofe too not the moft fele<3;, funk him gradually into con- 
 tempt, and he fell a vi^im to the evil confequences which his 
 own imprudencies had induced. His reign terminated in an un- 
 natural rebellion, headed by hi& eldeft Ton the Duke of Rothfay, 
 a youth of fifteen, who, partly by threats and partly by promifes, 
 had been drawn into it by the indignant nobles. The fatal 
 fpot where the weak and fuperftitlous king was treacheroufly 
 murdered, is ftill pointed out to the enquiring ftrangerf. 
 
 The circumftances that led to the untimely fate of James 
 III, peculiarly mark the age in which he lived. The ariftocracy 
 difregarded the authority of kings, and deemed them of no 
 farther ufe, than merely as convenient pivots on which the ma- 
 chine of government turned at pleafure. The king, on the other 
 
 * James II. was killed hy tke aceidental burlling of a cannon at the iiege of Rox- 
 burgh CalUe, A. D. 1460, 
 
 f At a fmall village near Bannock,burn, called the Mi/ion. Part of the mill (known, 
 by the name of Beaion's Mill) is ftill extant, and is converted into a dwelling houfe j 
 the under wall of which is the remnant of the old buildings. 
 
 hands 
 
BANNOCKBURN. 55 
 
 kand, conceived " that noblemen were of his predecefTors' mak- 
 ** ing, as the coin ; and why he might not put his ftamp upon 
 " the fame metal, or when thofe old medals were defaced, that 
 " he might not refound them, and give them a new print, he 
 " thought no fufficient reafon could be given *.'* The Scotifli 
 nobility and their fovereign, therefore, differing in opinion with 
 regard to a new creation of their order, together with other 
 matters connected therewith, took the field againft him, as hath 
 already been flated ; and by force of arms convinced his followers 
 that he was in the wrong, in taking upon himfelf a degree of 
 authority to which they had never given their fuffrage. Oa 
 nearly the fame fpot where their anceftors boldly encountered the 
 Englifh, did the indignant malcontents oppofe their lawful 
 Ibvereign, and gained their point with lefs bloodfhed than 
 when Bruce rode triumphant over the tented field, won by his 
 {kill and the valour of his combatants. 
 
 On the difcomfiture of his followers, James, who had been 
 provided with a fwift charger, was among the firfl that fled. 
 In the a£t of leaping a ditch, he fell from his horfe, and was fo 
 ftunned by the fall as to be carried infenfible to a mill, where 
 he was laid carelefsly in a corner, and covered with a coarfe 
 garment, till, gradually recovering, he told his condition, and 
 trulted to the care and fidelity of thofe on whofe protedion he 
 was caft. In this fituation, feeling himfelf fo weakened by the 
 hurt received as to be apprehenfive of difTolution, he defired 
 that if a priefl: were at hand he might receive the benefit of 
 abfolution. At that critical moment three of the king's mofl 
 implacable enemies happened to pafs by, one of whom was a 
 
 * Drummond of Hawthornden's Hlllory of the Reign of James III. p. 60. 
 
 S prieft, 
 
S6 BANNOCKBURN. 
 
 prieft, who gave him abfolution, indeed, but at the fame time 
 ftabbed him to the heart *. 
 
 If the reign of our third James was turbulent, that of his fon 
 and fucceflbr was little lefs fo. At the age of fixteen James IV. 
 began his reign. Graceful in his perfon, and prepofl'effing in 
 his manners, he foon gained the confidence and efteem of his 
 fubjedis, and eventually brought about fuch a reformation in 
 the executive government of the kingdom, as laid the founda- 
 tion of thofe eflential and permanent benefits, which were more 
 fully manifefted in the grand events that took place in the reign 
 of his immediate fuccelTor James V. 
 
 While Henry the feventh of England was improving the 
 condition of the poorer clafles of his fubjefts in the fouth, our 
 northern boroughs were little more than the appendages of 
 feudal greatnefs ; yet a gradual change for the better, by fecret 
 and unheeded ways, was in its progrefs in Scotland. A radical 
 and moll material alteration took place in the hereditary de- 
 mefnes of the nobility. Being enabled to difpofe of their lands,, 
 the rich and induftrious commoners (who having either accumu- 
 lated the tokens of labour, or rapidly increafed their wealth, in 
 the improvement which commerce and the arts were daily 
 making), became the purchafers of extenfive tracts of country ; 
 and, bearing the burthen of the taxes impofed from time to time, 
 they rofe gradually into confequence, in the fame proportion as 
 the idle and voluptuous nobles fquandered their inheritance and 
 
 ♦ This tragical event happened in June 1488, when the battle which terminated his 
 fruitlefs ftruggle with fo powerful an ariftocracy was fought, commonly called the bat- 
 tle of Sawchy burn, fo named from a fmall brook that runs through a traft of ground 
 tailed " Little Can^/ar,"' 
 
 diflipated 
 
BANNOCKBURN. 57 
 
 diflipated their means*. The populace of the north imitating 
 their fouthern neighbours, and wifely forefeeing the time when 
 their induftry and ingenuity were to confer on their pofterity 
 riches and honours, let no opportunity Hip that might eventually 
 turn to their future advantage. Hence the confequence attained 
 by our villages ; which, being erected into a ftate of municipal in- 
 dependence protected by royal authority, became the refidence 
 of the merchant, the artizan, and the labourer. Thus we trace 
 the origin of our royal boroughs f . 
 
 As wealth in modern times ftrengthens and fupports power, fo, 
 in more remote periods of our Scotifh hiftory, we are to afcribe to 
 the fame caufe the influence which the lefler barons, or freeholders 
 and burghers, obtained in our national councils. The king, by 
 thefe means keeping in check the encroachments at which the 
 greater barons were continually aiming, gained an afcendancy 
 that feemed at times more than an equipoife in the adminif- 
 tration of public affairs. Hence the origin of our Parliaments. 
 But a Scotifli differed from an Englifh Parliament in one (per- 
 haps) effential particular, namely, in having but one houfe of 
 reprefentatives, confiding of Great Barons, Prelates, and Free- 
 holders, and delegates from boroughs J ; and, ftrange as it may 
 feem, the leffer Barons and Burghers §, little folicitous in an 
 
 * " The ereftion of Royal Boroughs in Scotland, is at leafl as early as David 1 ;'* 
 See Arnot's Hift. of Edin. p. 462. 
 
 f See this fubjeft elegantly illuftrated in the writings of Smith and Hume. 
 
 X See Lord Kaimes' Efiays on Brit. Antiq. 
 
 § In a preamble to the laws of Robert III. BurgefiTes are mentioned for thefirft time. 
 Ibid. See Robcrtfon's Hill, of Scotland, book I. 
 
 I age 
 
5o BANNOCKBURN. 
 
 enemy's hands, and wandered fomewhere In difgulfe,) fome 
 time elapfed before a perfon qualified for the important office of 
 Regent (the young king being an infant of little more than two 
 years of age *) could be feledted. At length the Duke of Al- 
 bany, a native of France, was inverted with this high mark of 
 national diftindion. Twelve years did this bold and enterpriz- 
 ing man exercife the fundions of authority, ere the ariftocracy, 
 who during that period had in fome meafure recovered from 
 the blow fuftained in the battle of Flowden, rendered it neceffary 
 for him to refign the unlimited power that his high notions of 
 prerogative led him to exercife. When the Regent retired to 
 France, eight perfons were named to affift occafionally the young 
 monarch in his deliberations. One of thefe eight, namely the 
 earl of Angus, by marrying the widowed queen, became eventu- 
 ally the fole governor of his fon-in-law the young prince. 
 
 In Cardinal Beaton, Angus found his match in politics ; and 
 James, having afTumed the government, difcovered in this 
 ambitious prelate a perfon admirably adapted to his grand 
 defign of humbling the nobility. At this period the clergy had 
 arrived at the acme of their profperity. Riches had put with- 
 in their reach the means of indulging their grofs voluptuoufnefs. 
 The faireft portions of the land had become the inheritance of 
 the church ; and by this time churchmen had acquired an almoft 
 unconquerable afcendancy over the minds of the unthinking 
 part of mankind. But extremes will meet : the reformation of 
 religion, which had made fo great a progrefs on the continent, 
 had reached the fouthern parts of this illand, and its influence 
 fpread even acrofs the Tweed. An innovation fo fatal to the 
 
 • Pittfcotie's hiftory. 
 
 church, 
 
BANNOCKBURN. Ci 
 
 church, and not lefs fo to the nobility, was by no means defirable 
 to either party. James, feizing this favourable opportunity of 
 oppofing intereft to intereft, called the clergy into his fecret coun- 
 cils ; in which fituation, feeling their own importance, they dili- 
 gently applied themfelves to intrenching the temporal immunities 
 of their order within royal authority; trufting to the weaknefs of 
 fuperftitious minds, as the chain by which they kept the fureit hold 
 of their peculiar privileges. Thus they thought to fet at defiance 
 any attempts which hot-headed reformers might make to under- 
 mine the interefts of the holy Catholic-church. In this, however, 
 the clergy were miftaken ; for the reformation of religion was 
 making flow but fure progrefs ; while men of talents, fmcere in 
 the caufe, and zealous to promote by every pofTible means its 
 deareft intereft, were working in fecret to accomplifli their grand 
 defign, the ultimate objedt of their wiihes. 
 
 Henry VIII. the uncle of our young monarch, at one time 
 perfecuting the Catholics, at another the Proteftants, fometimes 
 defending the faith againft the dodlrine.of heretics, and at others 
 the champion of freedom in religious opinion, exhibited an 
 example of licentioufnefs and inconfiftency that was foon imi- 
 tated by his royal nephew. The latter pofiefled no common 
 degree of intelledual vigour, and wanted not the means by 
 which to humble the pride of the nobility, render churchmen 
 fubfervient to the plan he formed to eftabllfh his own power 
 beyond the reach of controul, and make the royal prerogative 
 paramount to law and eftabllfhed cuftom. The meafures that 
 followed were admirably calculated to enfure fuccefs. The 
 clergy's temporaltles depending on the pleafure of the king, he 
 knew beft how to fecure their fupport, as involved In his inde- 
 pendence 
 
6o BANNOCKBURN. 
 
 enemy's hands, and wandered fomewhere In dlfgulfe,) fome 
 time elapfed before a perfon qualified for the important office of 
 Regent (the young king being an infant of little more than two 
 years of age *) could be fele^ted. At length the Duke of Al- 
 bany, a native of France, was inverted with this high mark of 
 national diftindtion. Twelve years did this bold and enterpriz- 
 ing man exercife the fundions of authority, ere the ariftocracy, 
 who during that period had in fome meafure recovered from 
 the blow fuftained in the battle of Flowden, rendered it neceffary 
 for him to refign the unlimited power that his high notions of 
 prerogative led him to exercife. When the Regent retired to 
 France, eight perfons were named to affift occafionally the young 
 monarch in his deliberations. One of thefe eight, namely the 
 earl of Angus, by marrying the widowed queen, became eventu- 
 ally the fole governor of his fon-in-law the young prince. 
 
 In Cardinal Beaton, Angus found his match in politics ; and 
 James, having affumed the government, difcovered in this 
 ambitious prelate a perfon admirably adapted to his grand 
 defign of humbling the nobility. At this period the clergy had 
 arrived at the acme of their profperity. Riches had put with- 
 in their reach the means of indulging their grofs voluptuoufnefs. 
 The faireft portions of the land had become the inheritance of 
 the church ; and by this time churchmen had acquired an almoft 
 unconquerable afcendancy over the minds of the unthinking 
 part of mankind. But extremes will meet : the reformation of 
 religion, which had made fo great a progrefs on the continent, 
 had reached the fouthern parts of this ifland, and its influence 
 fpread even acrofs the Tweed. An innovation fo fatal to the 
 
 * Pittfcotie's hlftory, 
 
 church, 
 
BANNOCKBURN. Ci 
 
 church, and not lefs fo to the nobility, was by no means defirable 
 to either party. James, feizing this favourable opportunity of 
 oppofing intereft to intereft, called the clergy into his fecret coun- 
 cils ; in which fituation, feeling their own importance, they dili- 
 gently applied themfelves to intrenching the temporal immunities 
 ot their order within royal authority; trufting to the weaknefs of 
 fuperftitious minds, as the chain by which they kept the fureft hold 
 of their peculiar privileges. Thus they thought to fet at defiance 
 any attempts which hot-headed reformers might make to under- 
 mine the interefts of the holy Catholic-chiirch, In this, however, 
 the clergy were miftaken ; for the reformation of religion was 
 making flow but fure progrefs ; while men of talents, fmcere in 
 the caufe, and zealous to promote by every pofTible means its 
 deareft intereft, were working in fecret to accomplifh their grand 
 defign, the ultimate objedl of their wifhes. 
 
 Henry VIII. the uncle of our young monarch, at one time 
 perfecuting the Catholics, at another the Proteftants, fometimes 
 defending the faith againft the dodrine.of heretics, and at others 
 the champion of freedom in religious opinion, exhibited an 
 example of licentioufnefs and inconfiftency that was foon imi- 
 tated by his royal nephew. The latter pofTefled no common 
 degree of intelledual vigour, and wanted not the means by 
 which to humble the pride of the nobility, render churchmen 
 fubfervient to the plan he formed to eftabiifh his own power 
 beyond the reach of controul, and make the royal prerogative 
 paramount to law and eftablifl^ed cuftom. The meafures that 
 followed were admirably calculated to enfure fuccefs. The 
 clergy's temporalties depending on the pleafure of the king, he 
 knew beft how to fecure their fupport, as involved in his inde- 
 pendence 
 
^z BANNOCKBURN. 
 
 pendence and fafety. • Learning had by this time made confider- 
 able advances in Scotland ; and while the nobility remained in 
 their ancient ignorance, the clergy had not neglected altogether 
 the cultivation of humanity and other branches of fcience, which 
 gave them a degree of confequence far above their wonted fhare 
 in government according to the ancient conftitution of Scotifli 
 Parliaments*. 
 
 In order, perhaps, the more efFe<£lually to bind to his intereft 
 the dignified order of the ecclefiaflics, James oppofed the re- 
 formers with the utmoft rigour ; and fuch were the wanton 
 cruelties exercifed in the profecution of what was then deemed 
 jujiice^ that Henry himfelf was outdone by his royal nephew of 
 Scotland. James's refentment feemed particularly diredted to 
 the total deftrudtion of his late guardians the Earl of Angus, and 
 his accomplifhed filler Jane Douglas. The former was banifiied 
 the country for ever ; and the latter was burnt for witchcraft, 
 and fuppofed treafonable practices againft the life of the deluded, 
 and by this time imbecile, monarch. But, ere James funk be- 
 neath his mortifications and difappointments, he difplayed talents 
 that well became a patriotic prince who deferved the high 
 regard and confidence of his fubjeds. His minority was long, 
 and marked with every fpecies of robbery and malverfation. 
 The more effedtually to check thefe enormities, he adminiftered 
 
 * " Under the feudal government, the church, being reckoned a third eftate, had its 
 *' reprefentatives in ParHamcnt ; the number of thefe was confiderable, and they poffefTed 
 " great influence in that aflembly. The fuperftition of former kings, and the xeal of an 
 *' ignorant age, had bellowed on ecclefiaflics a great portion of the national wealth ; 
 *' and the authority which they had acquired by the reverence of the people was fu- 
 « perior even to that which they derived from their riches." Robertfon's Hilloi-y of 
 Scotland, Book I* 
 
 jufticQ 
 
BANNOCKBURN. 63 
 
 juftice in perfon, and inftituted a court*, which none fince hath 
 furpafled in wlfdom and the impartial adminiftration of whole- 
 fome laws. 
 
 The time was now at hand when the glory of the Scotifh 
 crown was verging toward its departure. James, who outlived 
 his reputation as a man and as a prince, forefaw the evils to 
 which his race was deftined. At the very juncture when Scot- 
 land, emerging into notice among nations, became a deiirable 
 objed of alliance, another minor, and that too a female, fuc- 
 ceeded to the Scotifh throne ; and no period of our hiftory was 
 more producSlive of ftriking events than the reign of Mary 
 Queen of Scots. 
 
 Bowed down with cares that prefled hard on his ambition, and' 
 feeling himfelf unable any longer to counteract the fecret influence 
 of the Englifh court in his councils ; unfuccefsful in the field f, 
 and foiled in his attempts to fubdue the turbulent fpirit of the 
 nobility; his enterprizes rendered abortive, his vanity mortified, 
 and his refentment little more than the faint image of his former 
 power, James, the high-minded, ambitious prince, became 
 thoughtful, referved, peevifh and melancholy; till at length, his 
 mind brooding over the viciffitudes of a turbulent reign, his 
 difordered imagination reprefented every profpedt as full of ter- 
 ror and difafter. In this deplorable depreflion of intelle6t, he 
 was relieved by death, which happened at Falkland on the 14th 
 December 1542 ; his infant daughter Mary, who fucceeded 
 him, being only a few days old. 
 
 * The Council of Seffion. 
 
 f The battle of the Sohvay Mofs, fo fatal to the Scotifh army, led on by tlie 
 king's favourite Oliver Sinclair, was fought 24th Auguft 1542. 
 
 2 No 
 
64 BANNOCKBURN. 
 
 No period of the Scotifh hiftory is more deferving of particular 
 attention and caloi invefligation, than the reign of the unfortu- 
 nate Queen of Scots ; but, inftead of the hiftorian's fearch- 
 ing for the true caufes of events, we too often find him per- 
 plexing himfelf with vain conjed:ures and ideal authority, that 
 mifguide the impartial inquirer after truth, and leave him in 
 error or painful uncertainty. 
 
 From her earlieft infancy Mary feems to have experienced a 
 fate, varied as unfortunate, rarely the lot of thofe elevated to the 
 higheft rank. In her better days, with charms peculiarly in- 
 terefting as to perfon, and a mind highly cultivated for the age 
 in which fhe flourifhed, fhe enjoyed all the pleafures which fuch 
 a fplendid and voluptuous court as that of France afforded. At 
 the tender age of fix years fhe was conveyed in the fleet that 
 brought over the French forces, under the command of Strozzi, 
 to the Regent's affiflance, out of her native dominions, to fhare 
 the royal dignities of France. To the habits and afTociations 
 acquired by her in her earlier years, arc to be afcribed the 
 indifcretions of her after-life ; to which mufl be added the 
 manners and morals of the times, as well as the progrefs that 
 civilization had made amid the rage of contending fad:ions, and 
 that ungovernable fpirit of innovation and intrigue which fo 
 generally obtained throughout Europe toward the middle of the 
 fixteenth century. 
 
 On the death of her father James V. Mary afcended the throne, 
 unconfcious of the elevated ftation in which fhe was deftined to 
 move, while as yet her infant days glided by in all the extafy of 
 innocence and unmingled joy. Her mother, Mary of Lorraine, 
 the Queen Dowager, together with the crafty Beaton, flivoured 
 
 the 
 
BANNOCKBURN. ^ 65 
 
 the interefl: of the French in Scotland ; and, for the purpofe of 
 preferving their power, the former projedted the marriage of her 
 infant daughter to the Dauphin of France ; which event taking 
 place, left the Queen Dowager and the Cardinal uncontrolled in 
 the exercife of their government. 
 
 It is faid, that Beatoun, while he attended the death-bed of 
 the late king, forged a will, wherein he nominated himfelf to 
 the Regency ; but his pretenfions foon fell to the ground, and 
 his influence even in church affairs began to decline apace. 
 Still, however, he had fo much fway In the government, during 
 the earlier part of the admlniftration of his fucceffor the Earl of 
 Arran (next heir to the Queen), as to prevent any material ad- 
 vance in the reformation of religion : notwithftanding which, 
 its progrefs was fecret and liable. Popular execrations in deep 
 murmurs were heard with fear and trembling, while many vic- 
 tims fell facrifices to religious perfecution ; and the court, at a 
 lofs how to a(3: confiftently with its own fafety, connived at the 
 enormity of the meafures purfued by the church. 
 
 Henry of England, defirous of uniting both kingdoms, had 
 gained the promife of his niece the infant Queen in marriage 
 for his fon Edward. His rage, therefore, became exceffive 
 when he underilood that his views were completely fruftrated, 
 and that France had gained the afcendancy in the Scotifh court, 
 by the marriage of the Dauphin to the Scotifh Queen. He both 
 threatened and executed vengeance. The battle of Pinkey* 
 is memorable for the dreadful overthrow of the Scotifh army* 
 Yet, by this difafter, the Englifli profited lefs than the French: 
 for Scotland, which had fo long refifted the Englifh yoke, 
 
 * Fought loth Sept. 15^7. 
 
 K. tamely 
 
66 BANNOCKBURN. 
 
 tamely yielded its independence to France, and became tittle 
 better than a province of that kingdom ; while both countries 
 were lulled into the pleafing delufion that the union of the 
 crowns was completed by the marriage of the Queen of Scota 
 to the Dauphin of France. 
 
 Meanwhile, the reformation was rapidly advancing. Cardinal 
 Beatoun had met the reward of his manifold cruelties and ads 
 of oppreffion, though not in a legal way * ; and many converts 
 of the firft rank had warmly efpoufed the new doctrines, which 
 gained ground daily, and were embraced with all the enthufiafni 
 that novelty could infpire. 
 
 Every circumftance feemed to accelerate the caufe of the 
 ^Proteftants. Become formidable to their enemies, they were 
 courted even by the Queen-dowager, who, through a fyftem; 
 of intrigue, obliged the Regent himfelf to refign his office in 
 her favour ; and hence, though diredtly contrary to her views 
 and intentions, the reformation gained the afcendancy of 
 the political interefts in Scotland. In England, Elizabeth, with 
 no reluctant hand, aided the grand proje£l of religious liberty 
 which obtained fo generally on the continent. Sandlioned by 
 fuch high authority, popular errors were quickly difpelled ; and 
 the Englifh Proteftants, ftill fmarting with the cruelties of Mary, 
 eagerly embraced every opportunity of improving the condition 
 of their fufFering brethren in Scotland. To thefe circumftances, 
 
 * The perpetrator of Beatoun's afniffination was one Norman Leslie, the cideft, 
 fon of the Earl of Rothes, who with Angular addref, together with a few cholcu af- 
 foclates, feized on the caftle of St. Andrew's, turned out, without injuring, the domef- 
 tics, and *« delivered their country, thougli by a moil unjuftifiable aftion, from an 
 ambitious man, whofc pride was infuppor table to the nobles, as his cruelty and cunning 
 were the great checks to the reformation." Robertfou's Hift. of Scotland. 
 
 then. 
 
BANNOCKBURN. 67 
 
 then, in no fmall degree, is the rapid progrefs of the reformation 
 in the north to be attributed. 
 
 The riches of the church, which had accumulated through 
 ages, were too tempting not to prompt the worldly-minded to 
 grafp at them, under the fpecious pretence of zeal for religion *\ 
 The diffblutenefs of the clergy, together with their ignorance, 
 infolence, and cruelty, excited honeft indignation in the breafts 
 of fincere men devoted to what they deemed a glorious caufe. 
 Taking all thefe confiderations into the account, it may be 
 plainly perceived in what manner the minds of men came gra- 
 dually to embrace dodrines lefs inconfiftent with reafon, in 
 preference to the grofs idolatry of the church of Rome, 
 
 The Lords of the Congregation, as they called them- 
 felves, countenanced in their proceedings by Queen Elizabeth, 
 were ever on the watch to counterad: the meafures of the Queen 
 Regent, who made no fecret of promoting the interefts and 
 ambitious views of France with regard to Scotland. To for- 
 ward the Preibyterian caufe, Elizabeth had fent fupplies of 
 money ; and a formidable army was on its march to join the 
 rebel Lords, when Mary of Loraine thought it high time to 
 exert herfelf in defence of the religion of her fathers, and the 
 hereditary dignities of her only child, the Dauphinefs of France 
 and Queen of Scots, A French army, having arrived as auxili- 
 aries, laid wafte the country around Edinburgh, and, retiring 
 into Leith, fortified the citadel and town, the Queen Regent 
 being at their head with a determined refolution to defend her 
 caule to the utmoft. During the fiege t, which lafted three 
 
 * Little lefs than one half of the property of the nation had fallen into the hands of 
 a focicty which is always acquiring, and can never lofe. Robcrtfon. 
 
 •J- April 1560. Barrel's Diary. See Lefly, Lindfay, &c. 
 
 K 2 months, 
 
6« BANNOCKBURK. 
 
 months, the Queen died * ; and foon after, terms of capitulation 
 were propofed on the part of the French ; but thefe were re- 
 jeded. At length, however, a peace was concluded : the French 
 were fuffered to retire, while the Englifh auxiliaries returned 
 homewards; and the Congregatiofi were convinced that their 
 caufe, which was now triumphant, was favoured by the Most 
 High himfelf ; and feemed no longer rebellion, but holy in- 
 furreilion, founded in neceffity and juftice. 
 
 While affairs were in this train in Scotland, the Queen of Scots'" 
 hufband, Francis II. died. Meanwhile the reformed religion 
 was eftablillied by the folemn fandion of the reprefentatives of 
 the nation in parliament affembled ; and the dignified clergy of 
 the Romifh church beheld with the utmoft horror an a£t that 
 was to annihilate their power ; while three of the Barons only 
 were found bold enough to withhold their affent f. 
 
 On the death of her hufband, all the gay profpeds of 
 future grandeur vaniflied from the fight of the widowed 
 Mary. To return to her native country, in which jarring 
 interefts and contending factions had thrown every thing into 
 the wildefl: diforder, feemed lefs alluring than to remain in the 
 dignified though fallen flation of a Queen Dowager, in a 
 country where the innocent days of her tender years had imper- 
 ceptibly glided amid the elegancies of the mofl polifhed court 
 in Europe, in which fhe fhone the morning ftar of youth and 
 beauty. Yet her return was indifpenfable. Accordingly, pre- 
 paratio-ns for her departure were made ; and, when all things 
 were in readinefs, fhe embarked with a fuitable retinue for her 
 paternal dominions. 
 
 * JuneijCo. Ibid. f Bothwell, Athole, and Somerville. Auguft 15 6o» 
 
 After 
 
BANNOCKBURN. 6^ 
 
 After an abfence of near thirteen years, Mary, welcomed by 
 the acclamations of an admiring multitude, touched in fafety 
 the fliore of her native kingdom. Elegant and graceful in her 
 perfon, with a countenance full of intelligence and vivacity, the 
 lovely bloom of nineteen heightening the delicacy of her com- 
 plexion, and pofleffing all the blandifhments of refined manners,. 
 Ihe could not fail to excite the moft grateful prepofTeflions in 
 the bofom of each beholder. Her deportment, though mild and 
 unafFeded, was dignified and imprellive, and carried the ap- 
 pearance of one born to command. The rigid coldnefs of 
 Prefbyterian fandity, however, was but ill fuited to bend 
 to even fo captivating a beauty as Mary Stuart ; and her high- 
 minded Barons, though it was ftill the age of chivalry, were toc^ 
 proud to exceed in courtefy : a fad reverfe, in point of gal- 
 lantry, of what fhe had witnefTed in France, muft therefore 
 have ftruck her at firft fight. To this may be added, the gene- 
 ral afped of the country. What a contraft to the glories of 
 Autumn on the delightful fhores which fhe had quitted I But 
 a few days had elapfed fince all the delicacies of exiftence in 
 full luxuriance were within her reach* j and now, nought but the 
 fterile mountains of Scotland were before her : fplendour and 
 magnificence fhe had left behind, and fhe came accompanied by 
 but few friends to whom fhe could unbofom thofe fears, doubts, 
 and perplexities which arofe in her mind, ere fhe had well re- 
 covered from the fatigues of her journey f . 
 
 The apprehenfions of Mary were but too well founded. 
 Young as fhe then was, and inexperienced in the bufinefs of 
 ftate, it is not to be wondered at, if, in fo critical a jundure,and 
 
 * Augull 156 1. -f Brantome. 
 
 unaided 
 
70 BANNOCKBURN. 
 
 unaided by any on whofe wifdom, talents, integrity, fteadinefs, 
 courage, or attachment, to her perfon, {he could rely, we fre- 
 quently fee her the dupe of her ignorance, and the fport of 
 crafty cabal. Nothing feemed fo much to contribute to the 
 miferies of her fhort and unhappy reign, as the gaiety and 
 Iplendour which her French attendants exhibited, to the gloomy 
 reformers, and to the ftern nobility who had joined the Congre- 
 gatiofi. The fpirit of envy broke loofe, and every thing w^hich 
 had even the appearance of decoration, either in the palace or 
 in the church, was marked for deftrudion. Thofe who but 
 lately had been perfecuted became now the perfecutors, and 
 knew no bounds in the execution of their pious meafures 
 againft " Papifts and whoremongers." In fhort, Mary faw with 
 concern, that to contend with fanaticifm was but to add fuel to 
 a flame already fpread far and wide through the kingdom ; 
 and to divert the dillra£tion of men's minds, until fome more 
 favourable opportunity prefented of reftoring tranquillity to the 
 church, was the firft objed that demanded her attention. There 
 had been no offspring by her late hufband Francis. Many af- 
 pired to the honour of becoming the partner of her bed and 
 throne ; but none feemed fo forcibly to ftrike her fancy, and 
 captivate her heart, as Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley, a youth 
 whole education and perfonal attractions, if hiftory fpeak truth, 
 by no means juftified her choice. The fequel of this imprudent 
 choice is but too well known ; and, in contemplating the in- 
 famous tranfadions fubfequent to this unfortunate ftep, Mary 
 appears to fmk beneath the common level of the meaneft profti- 
 tute hackneyed in the ways of intrigue and difiimulation. Hif- 
 torianSj from a romantic fpirit of miftaken gallantry, have 
 
 1 1 attempted 
 
BANNOCKBURN. 7, 
 
 attempted to throw the coadud of Queen Mary into new- 
 lights, arrayed in the fpotlefs robe of innocence ; but it were 
 better to caft into fhade what the fteady hand of truth hath to 
 record refpeding the dire tranfaiStlons of this period of our 
 Scotifh hiftory. In extenuation, might be urged the fpirit of 
 the times, the force of example, the peculiar circumftances, un- 
 favourable as ungovernable, and many other caufes, in no fmall 
 degree deftrudive of a juft redtitude of condud: ; yet it muft 
 be confefled, that no feries of caufes, however imperious, ought 
 ever to be admitted in palliation of eifeds fo totally fubverfive 
 of the laws of nature and conventional fandion. 
 
 No fooner had Mary beftowed the matrimonial rights on her 
 hufband, and, with the confent of her Barons and Freeholders, 
 conferred the title of King on him*, than rebellion and confpiracy 
 began to fhew their hideous forms. To the affaflinatlon of 
 Rizzio, fucceeded the murder of Darnley; and fuperadded ta 
 thefe enormities, the ipirit of religious perfecution raged through- 
 out the kingdom with unabating fury. The Prefbyterlans had 
 urged on the fall of Rizzio, while the murder of Darnley was 
 planned and perpetrated by the Catholics; both parties feizing 
 their opportunities, through the irregularities of paflion, and 
 the unguarded moments of unfufpeding fecurity. It was at 
 this time that Mary pradifed the arts of diflimulation with 
 confummate addrefs. No fooner had Darnley proftituted 
 his honour and health in every fpecies of debauchery, than, 
 to complete his career, he muft needs participate in the 
 foul ad of the aifaffination of a fuppofed rival. His turn, 
 however, came next, Mary put on the Ihew of reconcilia- 
 
 * July xs^^. 
 
 tion 
 
72 BANNOCKBURN. 
 
 tion with her hufband, while, if flie was not accefTary to, at leaft 
 flie was not altogether ignorant of, an intention to rid her and 
 her party of one who was deemed unworthy of fo high a ftation, 
 at a period too fo big wdth the great events that were about to 
 be eftabliflied. Darnley was murdered ; and Bothwell in a fnort 
 time after filled his place in the too fufceptible bofom of 
 Mary. Thefe circumftauces were but too fatally calculated to 
 bring her into difgrace and contempt with her fubjeds. She 
 was hunted down, and her perfonal liberty difpofed of. Bereft 
 of her kingdom, and immured in the folitude of a ftate prifon 
 for eighteen years, through the fliameful intrigues of a relative, 
 whofe true interefts fhould have induced her to make every 
 exertion to reinftate the unfortunate victim to her former great- 
 nefs, Mary, the once accomplifhed and lovelieft of women, was 
 fufFered to languifli, and expiate her indifcretions in all the 
 anguifli of dlfappointment, regret, and a tender recolledlon of 
 the earlier part of her exiftence, during which fhe placidly glided 
 down the llream of life, its banks being luxuriantly fhaded from 
 too intenfe heat, and Iheltered from every cafual blaft. Such 
 was the retrofpedl: prefented to the mind of Mary, and it muft 
 have cut to the foul an imagination and fenfibility lefs lively 
 than {he muft be fuppofed to have retained to the end of her life. 
 Death, therefore, came a welcome gueft to relieve a much-in- 
 jured captive. But let execration blight the hand that figned 
 the death-warrant of one who had fufFered a thoufand deaths, 
 while eighteen years confinement was not fufficient to quiet the 
 apprehenfions of an ambitious and a too jealous rival Queen. 
 
 The conduct of the Scots with regard- to their imprifoned 
 Queen muft ever continue an indelible ftain on the national 
 
 4:harad:c'r. 
 
BANNOCKBURN. 7^ 
 
 charader. An attempt to exculpate fuch condud would be 
 the grofleft infult to honefty and truth. Let it remain a humi- 
 liating inftance, that, amidft the fury of contending fadions, even 
 the majority of a people may perfevere for a length of time in 
 thoughtlefs errors fatal to humanity and juftice. 
 
 While Mary was in the hands of the rebels, wl i. . ...th- 
 fefsly detained her, ilie was compelled to refign the rega^ -i^ M^ie^i 
 in favour of her fon, an infant of a year old, who w- 
 at Stirling 29th July 1567. It is worthy of remark, that, at 
 this coronation, both Prefbyterians and Papifts laid afide their 
 mutual jealoufies, and alTifted at the ceremony. After a fermon 
 preached by that Arch-Reformer John Knox, the Bifhop of 
 Orkney anointed, put the crown on the head, the fvvord by 
 the fide, the fceptre in the hand of the infant King, " to the 
 bringing to him (fays Lindfay) of every one of which, prayers 
 were made in the Scotilh tongue, wherein the whole ceremony 
 was faid and done*.'* At the fame time Murray, the Queen's 
 natural brother, was declared Regent. The education of the 
 royal infant was entrufted to George Buchanan ; who, together 
 with his pupil, relided chiefly in Stirling Caflle. 
 
 About a mile from Bannockburn, we pafs through the 
 village of St. Ninian's. One thing remarkable will flrike the 
 traveller in his way through St. Ninian's, namely, the disjundion 
 of the parifli-church from its fteeple. In the year 1746 the 
 church belonging to this fteeple, then occupied as a magazine by 
 the rebel army of Charles Edward Stuart, was blown up ; but 
 the fteeple was untouched, and ftill remains a monument of that 
 event. The prefent church was built foon after the deftrudion 
 
 * Hlftory of James VI. 
 
 L of 
 
74 ST. NINIAN'S. 
 
 of the former, and it was deemed unfafe to attach the new to 
 any fragment of the old buildings. Hence the fingular appear- 
 ance which the church and fleeple of St. Ninian*s exhibit to a 
 ftranger. One thing deferves particular notice with regard to 
 the ecclefiaftical eftablifhment of this church. In the year 1788 
 the right of patronage was purchafed by the parifhioners ; and, 
 every head of a family having a right to vote in the election of 
 the clergyman, a majority of voices is in all cafes decifive. This, 
 privilege, when not abufed, is great indeed. Were individual pre- 
 fentations in right of hereditary patronage thus abolifhed, either 
 by an equivalent from Government, or by voluntary contribu- 
 tions, as was the cafe in the inftance juft mentioned, much 
 comfort might refult, and petty fchifms in church eflablifhments 
 ceafe. 
 
 At the parochial fchool of St. Ninian's the Greek and Roman 
 claflics are taught, together with Englifh, arithmetic, and various 
 branches of pradtical mathematics. 
 
 It has already been remarked, that the fields in the immediate 
 vicinity of Stirling, particularly on the fouth fide, were in for- 
 mer times the fcenes of contending armies. Many of the adja*- 
 cent grounds that lie round the village of St. Ninian's ftill retain 
 names fignificant of the tragical events which occurred during 
 the bloody times alluded to. Three battles were fought at dif- 
 tant periods on thefe fields. The firft on record was fought on 
 the 13th of September 1297, and the Englifh defeated*; the 
 fecond, on the 24th of June 13 14, when again the Englifla were 
 
 * The defeat of the Englifh army, commanded by Hiigli Creffingliam and John 
 Earl of Surrey, was effeftcd at Corn-town on the north bank of the Forth ; and Wallace^ 
 ■B'ho commianded the Scotifli patriots, purfuing the Enghfh as far as Torvvood, com- 
 pleted their overthrow near St. Ninian'j. 
 
 totally 
 
'"»» 
 

 
ST. NINIAN'S. 75 
 
 totally routed * ; and the third, a civil broil, on the i ith of June 
 1488, when the fon led on the rebels againft the father, as al- 
 ready noticed in a former page of this work f . 
 
 The approach to Stirling from the fouth, is faid to bear fome 
 refemblance to Edinburgh ; but, unlefs we confider the caftle of 
 both towns being fituated on rocks as fufficient to raife in the 
 imagination a refemblance, it can hold good in no other re- 
 fpedt. Even in this particular there is a material difference ; for 
 the rock on which Edinburgh caftle Hands is entirely infulated, 
 having no other in its neighbourhood ; whereas, on the contrary, 
 thoiTgh the rock is infulated whereon Stirling caftle is fituated ; 
 yet the chafm which feparates the rocks on which the fortifica- 
 tions are erected, is fo narrow that it hardly interrupts the chain 
 of rocks that ftretches to the water's edge at the bridge over the 
 Forth. Round this eminence, on the fouthern ridge of which. 
 the town is built, a road is conducted with great art and admi- 
 rable contrivance, that commands profped:s of which language 
 cannot convey any idea that would not fall infinitely fliort of 
 the grandeur which is every where prefented to view J. 
 
 * The battle of Bannockburn, already detailed at fome length. In a field not far 
 from .St. Ninian's, on Brock-brae, a ftone, called the bore-ftone, having a confiderablc 
 perforation near its centre, in which the royal ftandard of Bruce was fixed, is ftill 
 pointed out to the traveller. The circumftance mentioned by our hiftorians, of Ballon, 
 a Carmelite friar, who accompanied the Englifh invader in full confidence of coaqueft, 
 which he was to have celebrated in the poetry of the times, is a fingular reverfe of the 
 original intention. The poet was taken prifoner, and obtained his liberty on con- 
 dition of compoiing a fong of viftory, julHy afcribed to Scotifii valour. See this poem 
 prcfervcd by Fordun, a copy of which is infertcd in Vol. 18. Stat. Ace. 
 
 f Battle of Sauchie-burn, on returning from which, James III. was flain by a priefr. 
 
 :j; A rude feat is erected, on the back part of which" Mr. Edmonfton's name appears, 
 with the date when this path was conitrufted, anno 1723 ; and lengthened, greatly 
 improved, and finifhed, under tlie diredlion of the magiftrates in 1791. 
 
 L 2 Devoid 
 
75 EDMONSTON'S WALKS. 
 
 Devoid of feeling muft the mind be, that does not enjoy the 
 fenfaticns which the objedls to be met with in Edmonjion s-walks 
 are calculated to raife. Let not any fuch afcend the craggy 
 wilds round which this path is conduced : in vain, to him, doth 
 nature fpread forth her grandeur, in rude, fublime, and fantaftic 
 forms ; he feels not their impreffive force : they awaken not in 
 his bofom the glow of fentiment and aflbciation of ideas whence 
 the mental feaft of pure delight is furnifhed. 
 
 To view with advantage the profpe<fls commanded from Ed- 
 Inonfton's-walks, we ought to enter them where they begin, and 
 proceed as they afcend through the, wooded precipice, till wc 
 gain the fummit, and clear the umbrage ; when, all at once, the 
 Grampian mountains burft into view. An extenfive plain, 
 brown, and feemingly barren, fpreading from beneath thefe 
 mountains, wherein glimpfes of the river Teith, in its approach 
 to the Forth, are caught, forms a fine contraft to the folemn 
 gloom of the diftance ; if haply ftreams of floating light fkim 
 along in movements flow, gradual, and almofl: imperceptible, the 
 cffedt muft be impreflTive in a high degree ; and if at the fame 
 time, as is often the cafe, particularly in the morning early the 
 mifl: afcend the bofom of the mountains, while the top clifl^s 
 catch vividly the fun's rays, and refled them with fo mild a 
 luftre as to harmonize and enliven the whole, aflbciations are 
 raifed in the mind, of beauty and fubllmity blended in one vaft 
 whole, comprehending the true chara6teriftics of Scotifli fcenery 
 on the greateft pofllible fcale. The flupendous heights that bound 
 the horizon are fkreened by two lefl^er ridges which run nearly 
 parallel in the direction of north-eaft towards Stirling, and in- 
 clofe the extenfive plain already noticed, called the Vale of 
 
 4 * Monteith, 
 
^^ 
 
 
 
 ^ 
 ^ 
 
 
 ^ 
 
 ^ 
 
K 
 \.^^ 
 
 ^ 
 
 \ 
 
 
 
 .^ 
 
VALE OF MONTEITH, 77 
 
 Montekh. This vale, in many parts, is highly cultivated, and 
 confifts of foil various and fertile. In other parts, as may natur- 
 ally be fuppofed, particularly towards the foot of the mountains, 
 the foil becomes more and more fterile, till woods and rocks for- 
 bid the farther efforts of man's induftry ; but man's ingenuity 
 fcorns the admonition, and makes even rocks and woods contri- 
 bute to the fupply of his wants ; for the minerals in thefe 
 mountains are rich and abundant ; and the woods yield to their 
 wealthy proprietors liberal fums for bark and charcoal ; particu- 
 larly thofe on the eftates belonging to Drummond of Perth, the 
 Earl of Moray, and the Duke of Montrofe, to whom the princi- 
 pal range of the mountains in view belongs. 
 
 On reaching a precipice on the right hand, and turning to- 
 wards the northeaft, we behold, fpread under the eye, a plain 
 of vaft extent*, called the Carfe, through which the windings 
 of the Forth form the moft interefting part of the profpeift. 
 The ample fweeps of the river, which is navigable as far as the 
 bridge f, give the mind an idea of utility as well as grandeur. 
 The fearching eye can difcern, in almoft every creek and pen- 
 infula, decayed edifices, modern manfions, fnug farm-houfes, 
 hamlets, villages, and towns, amid corn-fields, meadows, and 
 inclofures, floating indiftindly on the view, till all feems loft in 
 aerial tints, and is hardly to be perceived where the extreme 
 verge of the horizon melts into the azure of the remoteft dif- 
 tance. In the fore-ground of this elevated profpe(5l, we have 
 the church and church-yard immediately in front ; and the 
 
 * Said to be upwards of iixty miles in length, and in many parts from ten to fifteen 
 miles in breadth. 
 
 f Small velfelfi of eighty tone burthen work up, though KOt without difSculty, to the 
 bridge. 
 
 greater. 
 
78 CAMBUS- KENNETH. 
 
 greater part of the town, over the houfe-tops of which we fur- 
 vey the full extent of the profped thus pointed out. The moft 
 ftriking ohje(f^ in the middle ground is the ruins of Cam.bus- 
 kenneth Abbey, the tower of which, the ruthlefs hand of 
 fanaticifm, during the firft violent paroxifms of reUgioiis reform 
 viatton^ feems to have fpared. 
 
 Cambus-Kenneth, now a venerable ruin, was in former 
 times a houfe of confiderable confequence. Its fituation on the 
 north bank of the Forth is, in truth, one of the happieft that 
 could be chofen. According to Spottifwood *, this Abbey was 
 founded 1 147, by David I. of Scotland, for canons- regular of 
 the order of St. AuguRine, who were defigned Abbates de Strive- 
 ling^ the firft of w^hom were from Artois. By fome of our hif- 
 torians it is ftated, that James III. and his Queen were buried 
 in the vaults of this cemetery ; but this is uncertain. When 
 Stirling w^as the refidence of the Scotifh court, the Abbots of 
 Cambus-Kenneth were generally men entrufted with important 
 tranfa<ftions in affairs of ftate ; for example, when, in the year 
 1532, the College of Juftice was inftituted by James V. the Ab- 
 bot of this place, Alexander M'dn, was the firft prefident of the 
 Court of SefTion ; a proof of the power which the church then 
 exercifed in our civil eftablifhments. Since church lands have 
 been fecularized, the revenues of this houfe have paffed from 
 the Erjkines of Alva^ to an hofpital for decayed tradefmen, 
 founded by one Cowan, who left to it the favings of his induftry. 
 The^Priories of Ififtdi Jit Colmoci are faid to have belonged to 
 Cambus-Kenneth, the former in Monteith and the latter in 
 Dumbartonfhire; but, with regard to this point, authorities differ. 
 
 * See Spotlifv/ood's Appendix to Hope's Minor Pra<5l:cej p. 421. 
 
 To 
 
ALOA, 79 
 
 To the left of the Abbey, a range of rocks, called the Abbey 
 Craigs, rifing abruptly from the water's edge beneath the brow 
 of the higheft hill, forms a bold feature of tbe profpe^t. Im- 
 mediately behind this, the vale of Devon ((heltered from the 
 north winds by the Ochil-hills, which extend in a north- 
 eafterly dire(3:ion, till with little interruption they fall into the 
 German ocean) is feen lichly cultivated and adorned with woods 
 and verdure. At the entrance of this valley, Jlloa^ a fea port of 
 confiderable trade, is fituated*. From Aloa\\\^ eye is attradled 
 to Clackmannan Tower ^ the place in which, with due veneration, 
 a fword and helmet, faid to have belonged to Robert de Bruce, 
 are preferved, as relicks of that celebrated hero. In times of 
 peace, the trade on both fides of the Forth, is rather extenfive. 
 The great diftilleries of Kilbagie and Kennet-pans, though 
 viewed by the poor with a jealous eye, are produdllve in no 
 fmall degree to the proprietors, and contribute a large fum to 
 the revenue. The fait- works are more popular, as yielding one 
 of the indifpenfable ncceflaries of life ; and formerly thefe were 
 very advantageous to the owners. The coal and lime- works, 
 too, are carried on with great fpirit and fuccefs. In fhort, what- 
 ever eftabllihraent is fixed on the banks of this river, has many 
 effential local circumftances in Its favour ; fuch as convenient 
 outlets to every part of the globe, plenty of fuel, and, the country 
 being populous and the people healthy, labour at a. cheap rate.. 
 
 Defcending from this eminence, and refuming our walk round: 
 the bafe of the caftle, at every ftep we meet with fomething to ad- 
 mire : the jutting rocks, that feera ready to precipitate thetiifelves 
 from their mouldering connection with each other : the rugged. 
 
 * See Note [AJ at the end of the vohime.. 
 
 appearance: 
 
»0 CRAIGFORTH. 
 
 appearance of the ftcep beneath us : the curious remains of 
 artificial grandeur in the mount of earth, in form fomewhat like 
 a table, round which, as tradition records, royal caroufals were 
 held with the higheft fplendour and magnificence. This fpot 
 was the centre of the royal gardens ; but nothing is now to be 
 feen, fave marfhes, and a few (lumps of fruit-trees. The -exten- 
 five park behind the gardens, called the King's Park, where the 
 deer for royal fport was firft turned off, though now difmantled 
 of its wood, exhibits a fine range for field exercifes. Craig-, 
 forth too, wooded to the top, on whofe acclivity the manfion 
 houfe of Mr. Callander is (^tn fheltered among rifing planta- 
 tations and aged trees : thefe objeds, and many others which 
 the curious eye will delight to dwell on in its range, are calcu- 
 lated to recall to remembrance part vrciffitudes, and to awaken 
 a train of pleafing ideas in the mind of one accuftomed to 
 reflection. As we proceed, we get diredlly under the walls of 
 the fortrefs, which threatens to crufh by its fall any aflailants 
 that may be bold enough to attempt a breach on this fide. On 
 turning round the bafe of the hanging precipice, we find the 
 river directly under our eye ; and here it is that the falmon- 
 fifhery is carried on, which is fo lucrative to thofe concerned In 
 it at Stirling. From this point alfo, the opening into the High- 
 lands through Dunblane, formerly a Biihop's fee. Is to be 
 difcerned ; and through this glen, the Jllan, a flream tributary 
 to the Forth, takes its courfe. In this opening, and on the 
 adjacent eminences, groups of trees and woody mofTes are ju- 
 dicioujQy planted in the pleafure grounds around the family 
 feats on the greater branch of the Forth^ the river Tc'ith^ whofe 
 conflux with it is within a fhort difl:ance of Cralgforth^ already 
 
 noticed. 
 
DUNBLANE. -li 
 
 noticed. Dunblane is a place of great antiquity *. So early as the 
 twelfth century, in the reign of David il., from being a Convent 
 of Culdees^ it was ereded into a biflioprick ; but, the records and 
 chartulary being either loft or negleded, Keith^ in his catalogue, 
 is unable to fix the precife time of its foundation, neither can he 
 afcertain who was firft confecrated Bifhop of this See. The 
 cathedral and palace, though in ruins, appear to have been of 
 fuperior elegance in defign and workmanfiiip. The Library^ 
 founded in 1675, by the pious and learned prelate Robert Leigh- 
 ton^ is a valuable acquifition to that part of the country. Since 
 his time, feveral donations of books and money have been made, 
 and its funds are fo confiderable as to allow a fmall falary to a 
 Librarian, who ads under the management of truftees, the heirs 
 and reprefentatives of thofe nominated by the executors of the 
 original founder f. That extenfive heath which ftretches away 
 to the north, called the Sheriff-moor^ was the fcene of adion in 
 November 17 15, between the royal forces under the Duke of 
 Argyle^ and the rebel army commanded by the Earl of Mar^ in 
 which both parties claimed the vidory ; but 
 
 '* Some fay that \ye wan, and fome fay that they wan, 
 
 " Some fay that nane wan at a', man ; 
 
 « But a'e thing I'm fuie, that at Sheriff Mmr 
 
 ** A battle there was, which I faw, man : 
 
 *< And we ran, and tliey ran awa', man," Sec. 
 
 * Its diftance from Stirling is about fix miles. St. Blaan was fuperior of this 
 Convent, in the reign of Kenneth III. A.D. 982. See Buchanan and Keith. The 
 Priory of Monimuflc was annexed to the Bifhoprick of Dunblane, 161 7. At a fmal! 
 diftance from Dunblane, the ruins of Inchaffray Abbey (infula MiiTarum) in Strathern 
 are to be feen. It was founded in 1200, and dedicated to St. John the Evangelift. 
 The Priories belonging to Inchaffray were StrathfiUan, Seariiiche, and Abernethy. , 
 
 f See Sinclair's Statiftical Account, Parifli Dunblane, vol. vii. p. 323. 
 
 M On 
 
«2 STIRLING. 
 
 On the evening before this battle, the rebel army occupied the 
 fame ftation, ^t^rJocb^ which the Romans did in the third year 
 of Agricola's expeditions; apofitlon chofen with much judgment 
 for a camp, the remains of which are more vifible than any 
 other Roman ftatlon in Scotland. The traveller will not find 
 his time mis-fpent in making an excurfion, on purpofe, to this 
 clafrical fpot. The road to Stirling pafTes through part of the 
 pretoriiim^ and nearly parallel to the ancient Roman military 
 way, which runs acrofs the iiland ; but, at what particular fpot 
 the Romans paifed the Forth, antiquaries feem not agreed ; 
 however, that a communication throughout the parts of the 
 ifland which they had fubjugated was kept up, cannot be doubt- 
 ed ; but whether by means of a bridge of boats over the Forth, 
 or otherwife, muft remain in the obfcurity into which (pventeen 
 centuries have thrown this part of hiftory *. 
 
 The prefent bridge over the river at Stirling, which we now 
 have in view, is in every refpedt inelegant, and far from being 
 commodious : at what time it was built is uncertain 'f. In fo 
 fine a county, in which public fpirit is fo manifefl: on every oc»- 
 cafion, it would do honour to thofe concerned in carrying on 
 
 * Whether the Roman military way, called the Lovg caitjeivay, leading from the- 
 bridge of Stirling into Perthfhire, be a continuation of that formerly traced through. 
 Camelo'w, is rather doubtful. There is llrong reafon to fufpeft that the river was an- 
 ciently much larger than it is at piefcnt ; and it is but natural to fuppofe that the 
 (hips of the Romans might have eafily found fafe mooring confiderably farther up than 
 where veffels now ftop.- Hence^ the reafonablenefs of the conjefture, that Agricola's 
 fleet advanced nearly to the confluence of the Forth and the Allan,, v/here a communi- 
 cation with it and his camp waa of confequence kept up^ 
 
 f A bridge over the Forth near Stirling, by means of which there was a communi- 
 cation between the fouth and north of that river, ir, mentioned by our hillorians fo early 
 as the leign of Donald. V. Vide Buchanan, lib. vi, ; Fordun, ikc^ 
 
 public 
 
STIRLING. II3. 
 
 public works, to fet about one of fuch utility as a bridge : the 
 eredion, and that fpeedily, of a bridge fuitable to the tafte and 
 knowledge of the times, fubftantial, convenient, and in a 
 ftyle of architecture elegant and ftately, is therefore mod 
 earneflly prefled on their notice. 
 
 In the time of the druggies made by Wallace for the^indepen- 
 dence of his country, he obtained confiderable advantage by a 
 ftratagem planned for the enemy's deftrudion, by artfully un- 
 dermining a wooden bridge, which is reported to have ftood a 
 little farther up the river than the prefent done bridge. As foon 
 as the Englifh troops advanced, Wallace retreated : the Englidi 
 followed over the bridge, which inftantly giving way, the Scot- 
 ifli warriors feized the favourable moment, and made dreadful 
 carnage. Among the flain was Hugh de Creflingham, the Eiui 
 of Surrey's treafurer, by profeflion a pried, who had rendered 
 himfelf detedable by his many cruelties and oppreflions ; and as 
 tf his death had not fufficiently expiated his crimes, the fai^agc 
 Scots, having flayed the dead body, cut the &in Into thongs, and 
 made furniture of them for their horfes. The Earl of Surrey *, 
 who beheld the defeat of the detachment which had thus fallen 
 into ambudi, retreated with the main body of his army, as far 
 as the Torwood, where he fell in with the Earl of Lennox and 
 a drong party under his commami, and immediately an adion 
 commenced. Meanwhile, Wallace coming up, and falling on 
 Surrey's rear, a total rout of the Englifli enfued f ; and few re- 
 mained to carry the intelligence to the enraged Edward ; who, 
 however, foon obtained complete revenge at the battle of Falkirk. 
 
 • Surrey (Warren) commanded the expedition, Edward being then in Fiance. 
 
 f Tt- is battle, the inoft decifive that VvMIace had ever fouglu, took place in Seplenbcr 
 
 U 2 It 
 
84 STIRLING. 
 
 It Is truly marvellous what rivers of human blood have flowed 
 around the fpot that we are now furveying. The laft effufion 
 (and it is hoped it will for ever remain fo,) was when the grand- 
 fon of James VII. made his fruitlefs effort to regain the Britifli 
 throne in the year 1745. Inftead of Charles-Edward improving 
 the advantage gained by him over the army of George II. at 
 Falkirk, by fome ftrange fatality he marched diredlly to Stirling, 
 and laid fiege to the caftle. After much lofs of men on the 
 part of the rebels, they raifed the fiege ; and, retiring northward, 
 the remainder of their army was cut to pieces on the fatal field 
 of Culloden. Thus ended the hopes of the Jacobite party in 
 Scotland ; which, till that unfortunate day, were fanguine in 
 the extreme. 
 
 ..nHaving pointed out the leading objeds that flrike the eye in 
 Edmonston's Walks, and a few hiftorical events conneded 
 with them, it now remains to trace the mofl; memorable occur- 
 rences that regard Stirling as a borough. 
 
 The precife era of the commencement of Boroughs Royal In 
 Scotland is not with certainty known; but it is generally fup- 
 pofed, that Edinburgh had been fome time previous to the 
 reign of David I.* ereded into a borough; and, from its hav- 
 ing been from time immemorial a royal refidence, it is natural 
 
 to fuppofe that Stirling alfo enjoyed the fame privilege f. It 
 
 * *« In a charter granted by that prince to the canons regular of Holyrood houfe, 
 Edinburgh is fpoken- of as a borough holding of the king, paying lijm certain revenues^ 
 and having the privilege of free markets." Arnot's Hift. of Edin. p. 462. 
 
 •f The fet, or conftitution of StirHng as a borough royal, is extremely fimple. The 
 old magiilrates elefk the new ; by which means all difputes about eledlions are pre- 
 vented. By a late regulation, however, the provoft, bailies, treafurer, and convener 
 cannot be continued in their offices more than two years fucceflively. 
 
 fends 
 
STIRLING. R5 
 
 fends one Reprefentative to Parliament, and one Commlffioner 
 to the Convention of Royal Boroughs, vfhizh court meets annually 
 at Edinburgh*. The Lord Provoft (who, though tiot a member, is 
 perpetual prefident) and Magiftrates keep open table, at the ex- 
 pence of the gude Toun, during the four days that the Conven- 
 tion is held. 
 
 Stirling, by ftatiftical computation, is reckoned to contain 
 about five thoufand inhabitants. Its articles of manufacture 
 are chiefly plaidings, fhalloons, cotton fluffs, and carpeting -f. 
 The falmon fifhery alfo is carried on with confiderable advan- 
 tage on the Forth at this place J. The more ancient buildings 
 of this place are in the fame inelegant and inconvenient ftyle of 
 architecture fo commonly to be met with in every town through- 
 out Scotland. But the modern manfions, built within thefe 
 
 * " This court (fays Arnot) was conftituted in the reign of James III., and ap- 
 pointed to be held yearly at Inverkeithing. It does not appear, however, from the 
 records of the Cenvention, that it met earlier than the year 1552." See Hid. of Edin. 
 p. 463. 
 
 The bufinefs chiefly fubmitted to the confideration of this Convention refpefts the 
 trade and commerce of the community ; and, as a fixth part of the land-tax is impofed 
 on the boroughs, each borough is afleffed according to its ftate of trade and revenues. 
 It alfo gives fanftion to the alienation of part of its real eftate, and regulates matters 
 rcfpefting cledlions, &c. A Borough Reform has been frequently attempted, but 
 hitherto without fuccefs in Scotland. The moil fpirited attempt ever made was in May 
 1784; fince which time, little or nothing has been done, to effeft fo truly patriotic a 
 purpofe. On the fubjeft of the plan of Borough Reform, the reader may confult "A 
 Letter from a Member of the general Convention of Delegates of the Royal Boroughs^ 
 &c" printed at Edinburgh in the year 1 784. — The author is a gentleman eminent at the 
 Scotifli bar. 
 
 f Formerly, the fpinning of tobacco was a confiderable branch of indullry. 
 
 \ The falmon fifhery belongs to the town of Stirling. A few years ago it was let at 
 30I. per ann. ; it now brings a revenue of 405 1. Formerly the inhabitants of Stirling 
 had falmon at a low price ; but latterly they have been deprived of this benefit, by 
 reafon of the great demand for the London and Edinburgh markets. 
 
 2 twenty 
 
86 STIRLING. 
 
 twenty years, are neat ; many of them elegant, and all at leaft 
 cgmfortable. Such is the happy efFe61: of induftry and honeft 
 gain ! 
 
 With one exception, the ftreets and lanes of Stirling are nar- 
 row, and far from being clean, or in any manner comfortable*. 
 The exception is the High Street ; which, indeed, has every 
 advantage of a free circulation of air, and breadth of area. This 
 being the principal ftreet, and that diredly leading to the caftle, 
 in former times the nobility had their dwelling-houfes in it "j". 
 The ruins of a palace begun by the Earl of Mar J when regent, 
 in the minority of our fixth James, run tranfverfely at the head 
 of thi-s ftreet. On turning to the right, as we proceed to the 
 caftle, an old palace, once the town refidence of the Argyh 
 family, appears not only habitable, but ftill preferves fomewhat 
 of its rude ftatelinefs ||. Having gained the fummit of the fteep, 
 we may halt, and, turning round, furvey from a more elevated 
 {lation, the furrounding country formerly defcribed. 
 
 * Baker's Wynd, which leads from Quality Street, is the mod populous of any of 
 the lanes In Stirling. ' The other principal ftreets, viz. St. John Street, Mary's Wynd, 
 and Friar's Wynd, are narrow and dirty, the habitations of Idlenefs and poverty. 
 
 •j- Moil of the more ancient buildings In the High Street have long fince been taken 
 down, to give place to modern houfes and improvements. The houfe occupied by one 
 of the favourlies of our fiKth James, the Earl of Lennox (Efme Stuart) was extant till 
 very lately. An old building ftill remains. In which Darnley, the hufband of Mary 
 Queen of Scots, lodged ; and to which, owing to the unhappy difunion of fentiment 
 that exifted between him and the Queen, he- confined himfeif in fallen folitudc, during 
 the time his infant fon (afterwards king) was baptized. 
 
 \ It Is callfd by the town's people, ihe Earl of Mar^s nvari, and is fald to have been 
 built In 1570, partly from the materials of Cambus-Kenneth abbey, foon after its demo- 
 lition at the Reformation. 
 
 II Argyles Lodging, as it is denominated, was begun by Alexander Vifcount of Stirling, 
 •oue of our moft celebrated Scotllh poets, In the year 1637. 
 
 After 
 
STIRLING. t7 
 
 After entering the caftle, the firft thing that ftrikes us is, the 
 grotefque and uncouth appearance of the ancient buildings ; and 
 what greatly adds to this appearance is, the ruinous ftate every 
 obje£t prefents ; the mind alfociating chains and dungeons with 
 the murderous artillery feen on the ramparts. But we are 
 happily relieved from fuch impreffions on gaining fome com- 
 manding eminence, where the eye recognizes the objedls that it 
 had but lately dwelt on with delight, in full range and variety. 
 
 In the iron reign of the feudal fyftem, many Barons had 
 their gloomy caftles fituated within fight, or found of bugle, of 
 this fortrefs, then deemed a rallying point, and place of general 
 fafety : to the north-weft, Moray\ caftle, at Down ; to the north- 
 eaft. Mars Tower at Aloa ; Robert de Bruce %^ at Clackmannan ; 
 and Caftle Gloom^ (fituated in the wild recefs on an almoft inac- 
 ceffible rock, infulated by two mountain ftreams, that precipitate 
 themfelves at the bafe of this craggy fteep, of the Aichil hills,) 
 once a refidence of the Argyle family 
 
 On a more minute infpe£lion of the buildings of this fortrefs, 
 our attention is directed to the detail of their feveral compart- 
 ments. And firft, let us furvey the fquare, (on three fides of 
 which, pillars, whofe pedeftals are grotefque figures, are the 
 chief ornaments,) built by James V. Among the ftatues, if 
 fuch hideous things in imitation of the human form deferve the 
 name, are the effigy of this monarch in the highland drefs of 
 the times, and that of his cup-bearer Douglas. The reft are 
 fcarcely worth mentioning. The ftranger's notice is next at- 
 tracted by the parliament-houfe, once a fplendid room 120 feet 
 by "^^^ round which was a gallery, the remains whereof are 
 fcarcely to be difcerned. Here it was that our Scotifli legiflators 
 
 were 
 
go 
 
 STIRLING. 
 
 chapel-royal for fecular priefts ; annexing to the latter the 
 revenues of Coldingham *, a rich priory in Berwickfhire, which 
 gave great offence, and v^as the principal caufe of the rebellion 
 that terminated in the untimely death of that prince. 
 
 Our three latter Jamefes alfo made Stirling their principal' 
 refidence, and greatly added to the decorations of the town as 
 well as the caftle. James IV. in whofe mind were blended the 
 frailties of fuperftition, with the more exalted emotions that 
 give grace and dignity to a prince, caufed the collegiate church, 
 or royal chapel, to be erected, in which public worfhip is 
 now performed, and appended to its revenues large endow- 
 ments f. The convent of StrtveUing was alfo founded by this 
 pious prince in the year 1494, for the order of Obfervantinesy 
 (Gray Friars) a mendicant tribe, with whom " he frequently 
 affifted at mafs in their Quire % \ and in Lent, retiring from all 
 
 * See Hope's Minor Praft. 
 
 f Of all the collegiate churches in Scotland, none feems to have enjoyed greater 
 riches than the chapel-royal of Stirling, befidcs peculiar diftinftion. Its Dean was* 
 the Queen's confeflbr, with epifcopal jurifdiftion. Befides a Dean, it had a Sub-dean,. 
 Sacriftan, Chanter or Singer, Treafurer, Chancellor, Arch-dean, fixteen Chaplains at 
 the King's collation, and fix finging boys at his nomination, who had by his Majefty a- 
 mafter of mufic appointed them. " It was endowed with the abbles of Dundrinan and 
 Jnchmahotneytht lands of Cefnocky the priory oi Rofneth, the parfonage oi Dunbar with 
 the arch-prefbytery and prebendary of Spot, JValtam, Duns, P'tncarton, the churches 
 Damelington, Jloa, the two Cultons, Dairy mp/e, Kelly ^ Ktrkmore, and other churches, 
 chapels, and lands, valued in King James Vlth's time to a very high rental." See. 
 Appendix to Hope's Minor Praft. Thefe collegiate churches were ere6led for fecu- 
 lar canons, " and were governed by a Dean or Provoft, who had all jurifdiftion over 
 them. They were inftituted for performing divine fervice, and finging maffes for the. 
 fouls of the founders and patrons, and their friends." — Ibid. The prefent place of 
 worfiiip was built by Cardinal Beaton. 
 
 :J; " Boethius (or Boece) fays, that Richard II. King of England, (whom neverthe- 
 lefs moft people take to have been a counterfeit) dying in the caftle of Strivellingy was 
 buried in this church, ad cornu fummi aliens.^' — See Keith. 
 
 worldly 
 
STIRLING. 91 
 
 worldly afFairs, he here gave himfelf up entirely to his devotions, 
 and dined upon Good Friday on bread and water, upon his bare 
 knees, with the community ." In imitation of his royal mafter, 
 Robert Spittel (taylor to James V.) founded an hofpital for the 
 relief of decayed tradefmen and merchants, near the port of St. 
 Mary's Wynd, Stirling. There was another hofpital dedicated 
 to St» James^ at the end of Stirling-bridge, which belonged to 
 Cambus - Kenneth "^^ And fo early as the year 1233, the Black- 
 fr'iars^ or Dominicans, had a monaftery near to the wall of this 
 town, founded by Alexander II \. It appears then, from this 
 flight fketch of its hiftory, that Stirling has been looked on 
 as a place of confiderable confequence, not only in latter, but 
 alfo in former periods of our Scotifh annals J. 
 
 Before taking leave of Stirling, it were unfair not to mention 
 the fchool eftablifhed here for the inftrudlion of youth in Latin- 
 grammar, writing, accounts, and various other branches of ufe- 
 ful knowledge. Than David Doeg^ LL.D. the learned and 
 ingenious mafter of the grammar- fchool, there are few whofe 
 merits as teachers, and value as amiable members of fociety, 
 better deferve to be remembered §. 
 
 * The hofpital of John Cowan is already mentioned. About the year 1725, John 
 Allan, writer in Stirling, eftablifhed another charitable foundation for maintaining, 
 clothing, and educating fourteen boys. See Stat. Ace. vol. viii. 
 
 f « It is fuppofed that every twelfth perfon in Stirling receives charity," fays the 
 author of the Statiftical Account of Stirling. The rich funds of which Stirling is in 
 poffeflion by means of the charitable foundations above noticed, attraft ftrangers to it, 
 particularly from the Highlands ; as, after a refidence of three years, they are entitled 
 to the benefit of paupers. See Stat. Ace. vol. viii. par. Stirling. 
 
 \ See Note [B] at the end of the volume. 
 
 § Since wi-iting the above, this venerable teacher has departed this world at Stirling, 
 havhig fpent upwards of forty years of his life in the education of youth. 
 
 N 2 The 
 
9* AUCHTERTYRE. 
 
 The traveller has the choice of two roads in. his departure 
 from Stirling to Callander^ which is the next ftage in the north- 
 weft diredlion to the Highlands. The one is by the bridge ; 
 the other turns off at the bridge, to the left, winds at the foot 
 of the crags, and paffes right below the caftle. In purfuing 
 our excurfion by this road, we foon fall in with the Forth, over 
 w^hich we pafs by the bridge of Dript as it is called, and enter 
 Perthjldire, On turning round to take a retrofpedtive view, we 
 command, from this point, an interefting profpcd of Stirling 
 caftle, and the adjacent grounds; Craig-forth on the right, with 
 its vrooded cliffs impending over the river, which here fweeps 
 llowly along its bafe, coming in the fore-ground, together with 
 the bridge, give much intereft to the landfcape. As we proceed, 
 we pafs, on the right, Auchtertyre, pleafantly fituated on the 
 right bank of the Teith, which here forms the moft confiderable 
 branch of the Forth. The proprietor of this eftate has greatly 
 improved it ; and has alfo, like Shenjlone^ in a truly claflical 
 manner, led the mufes to his dwelling by the languages in which 
 they were formerly wooed by Greek and Roman bards ; there 
 being fcarcely an avenue, grot, bower, or refting-place, in which 
 fome elegant infcription fronri one or other of the favourite 
 authors of antiquity, is not to be met with in traverfing the 
 pleafure-grounds of Auchtertyre*. A little farther on, we 
 enter the Blair-Drummond eftate. 
 
 To the right, our attention is attracted by a piece of machinery 
 at the Mill of Tor, This confifts of a great wheel, fo con- 
 ftruded as to raife water, which is conveyed in an oppofite direc- 
 tion from that whence it proceeds, to a neighbouring mofs, for 
 
 * The property of Mr. Ramfay. 
 
 the 
 
MILL OF TOR. 95 
 
 the purpofe of wafliing it away into the Forth, and by this 
 means clearing a valuable and extenfive trad: of arable ground 
 v;hich it covers, to the depth of from three to twelve feet *. 
 
 The water-wheel at the Mill of Tor is the invention of Mr. 
 Meikle of Aloa, an engineer of great ingenuity, to whom this 
 country is indebted for manyufeful improvements in mechanics. 
 The fimple conftrudion of this machine denotes at once its 
 utility. It confifts of one large wheel, twenty-eight feet in 
 diameter, with two fets of arms, and two of buckets ; a ciftern, 
 which delivers the water into pipes of eighteen inches diameter, 
 that convey it for three hundred yards, and difcharge it into an 
 aquedud, which reaches the mofs at the diftance of eight hundred 
 yards ; thence it fweeps away the loofened parts into the channels 
 made in different fedions of the mofs ; and thus it finds its way 
 to the river, and is no more feen f. 
 
 The 
 
 • The depth of the mofs in what is called the Spread-field, is from 2 to 6 feet ; fn 
 other parts, the depth is from 8 to 14 feet. Stat. Ace. vol. iv. p. 495. 
 
 f The following is the exa6t meafurement of the great wheel for raifing water to 
 the mofs of Kincardine, at the Mill of Tor : | 
 
 Feet. Inches. 
 Diameter over all of the wheel - 28 — 
 
 Width - - - - 10 — 
 
 Float-board - - - — 16 
 
 Buckets infide, each - * — . ^j 
 
 Two fets of arms, tcrv in number. 
 Two fets of buckets, eighty in number. 
 Sixty float -boards. 
 It is but fair to noiice in this place the original intetttor of the threjhin^-fnachint^ 
 who, according to the author of the Statiflical Account of Kilmadock and Down, 
 refided at Craighead in the parifh of Dunblane. He was a farmer, of the name 
 of Michael Stirling, who lived to the great age of eighty-nine, and died in the year 
 1796. This ingenious man, fu far back as the ye«r 1748, (a year remarkable for 
 
 tb« 
 
^ MOSSES OF KINCARDINE AND FLANDERS. 
 
 The mofles of Kincardine and Flanders, as they are called, 
 form an extend ve flat of many tht^ufand acres. They appear 
 to have been formed, as all mofles are fuppofed to have been, 
 of decayed wood. This theory of the growth of mofs feems 
 now univerfally admitted. A vifit to the Mofs-lairds (as they 
 are denominated) of Kincardine is well worth the performing ; 
 the traveller having it therebyin his power to gratify his curiofity, 
 with regard to the happy effeds of well-befl;owed labour and 
 ingenuity. 
 
 The late Lord Kaimes, into whofe pofl^efl^ion the eftate of 
 Blairdrummond came in 1767, contemplating the advantages 
 which might arife from clearing that part of the lands buried 
 under the mols of Kincardine, lofl: no time in endeavouring to 
 accomplifli what was fo defirable. Accordingly, he invited a 
 number of poor families from the more remote parts of this 
 difl:ri(St of Perthfhire to come and fettle in this wafl:e ; and 
 marked out certain portions of it to each fettler *, in order that, 
 
 by 
 
 the annihilation of the hereditary right of Pit and Gallows in Scotland) projefted the firft 
 rude efiay of a machine for threfhing out corn, which conlifted merely of threfliing-boards 
 moved vertically by an inner wheel on the fame axis, moved by an outer wheel which went 
 by water. The men flood round the threfhing-boards, each with a flieaf in his hand, and 
 held them to the boards in their rotatory motion ; and thus the work was performed in 
 a length of time as one is to fixteen ; a thing then deemed almoft incredible. Mr. 
 Meikle, engineer at Aloa, a man eminent in his profeffion, faw Mr. Stirling's ingenious 
 contrivance, and foon after conftrufted the threfhing-machine now in general ufe 
 improvements on which have been frequently made by various hands. 
 
 * The colony of highlanders eftabhfhed in the mofs of Kincardine confifts of between 
 feven and eight hundred pcrfons ; they are moftly from Balquhidder^ which lies about 
 twenty miles to t>.c weftward, and are a remnant of the Maclarens, Macintyres, and 
 Macgregors.— They retain their original language, manners, and cuftoms, as if in the 
 
 midft 
 
MOSSES OF KINCARDINE AND FLANDERS. 95 
 
 by degrees, this hitherto unprofitable heath might become as 
 good arable land as any other part of his valuable demefnes, 
 for fuch truly is the eftate of Blairdrummond. 
 
 The 
 
 mldft of their native mountains; and it may be no great ftretch of fancy to fuppofe, 
 that on this fpot their anceftors were wont to range the forefl in the chace, and repofe 
 beneath the oaks, that, like themfelves, lie buried under the depth of the mofs. 
 
 The terms on which the poor tenants of this mofs have their leafes, cannot be comi 
 mended. — For example, the quantity of land given to each tenant is from 6 to 8 
 acres mofs, value 3d per acre, on a leafe of three times twelve years. After building 
 His hut, for which he is allowed by the proprietor from 3I. to 4I. he commences his 
 labours of clearings &c. ; but to this he cannot devote his whole attention, on account 
 of having. to provide for himfelf and family by cutting peats, and fuch other honeft 
 fhifts as his Ingenuity fuggells : fo that the tenant, at the end of the firfl twelve years, 
 finds himfelf poffefled of no more than three acres of arable land ; the produce of which 
 yields him on an average 7 bolls of barley, or the like number in oats per acre, from one 
 of feed ; therefore, when feed is dedu6ted, 6 bolls per acre is the neat produce. — The 
 value of each boll Is 15. (hlUIngs on an average, which makes the whole three acres 
 value in produce 13I. 10s. yearly per annum, at the end of the fir ft twelve years. 
 Quere. — If three acres are gained in twelve years, how much is gained in one year? 
 Anfwer one fourth of an acre. A labourer can earn nine- fhillings per week, a fum 
 equal to 23I. 8?. per annum. Of courfe, a mofs-lairdy as- he is in derifion called, gives 
 his labour the firft year for one-fourth of an acre, the fecond for one-half of an acre, 
 and fo on, for the firft twelve years ; but this is not all : — " At- the end of the leafe, 
 all buildings-that have been ■ erefted on the pofTeffion belong. to the proprietor; and the 
 tenant is not entitled to any compenfation for them or his impi-ovements." See Sin- 
 clair's Statiftical Account, vol. vi. p. 496. Moreover, the poor tenant actually pays 
 rent for what he has cleared ; rifing gradually, as the term of the leafe advances, 
 from a mark Scotifh, to twelve (hillings per acre. 
 
 Now it is very obvious, that if the tenant, inftead of paying rent for what arable land 
 he has reclaimed from the mofs, were to pay in an inverfe ratio as his leafe ap- 
 proaches the term of its conclufion, he would, in order to reap the full advantage of the 
 loweft poflible rent, double his diligence, fo as to enjoy it as long as he could ; and, as 
 the ground thus gained to landholders is worth now fo many years purchafe, let the 
 tenant, at the expiration of his leafe, not only have a reafonable price f6r labour, 
 and the ihtcreft of fuch money as he has beftowed'in the neceffary operations, but al'o 
 be indemnified, at leaft to a certain amount, for whatever buildings have been eredted by 
 him on the polTeifion. Premiums, as ftimulants to labour and honeft induftry, fliould- 
 llkewife be given to fuch as clear the moft land, and in the beft manner. ** Some pro- 
 prietors, 
 
MOSSES OF KINCARDINE AND FLANDERS. 
 
 The attempts that had been made to regain the foil which the 
 mofs covers, were not attended with the fuccefs that was antici- 
 pated, prior to the acceffion of Lord Kalmes to the Blairdrum- 
 mond eftate. Draining, trenching, burning, and other methods 
 ha<l failed. The idea occurred of fweeping away the fuper- 
 incumbent ftratum of mofs by means of water ; and then, 
 by placing heaps of cut mofs in fuch manner as brought them 
 into adion, when the colledions of water were let down upon 
 them, the foil was left clear for the plough ; and thus the laft 
 proprietor had the fatisfadlion of feeing his plans of agriculture 
 in fome meafure fucceed, though not altogether to his wifhes. 
 His Lordihip's fon, the prefent proprietor, following the lauda- 
 ble example of his father, continued the mode of clearing away 
 the mofs by water. In order to do this the more effed:ually, he 
 caufed the machine already mentioned to be ere£led, and he 
 has lately had it completely repaired : it is hoped, therefore, that 
 he will be amply repaid every expence, as well as the purpofe 
 for which it was originally intended be fully anfwered*. 
 
 We are now confiderably advanced into what formerly was 
 the Sylva Caledonia or Caledonian Forejl^ the decay of which 
 gave exiftence to the vaft tra(fl of mofs we are furveying. Trees 
 
 prietors, (fays the writer above quoted) of more liberal and enlarged views, pay to 
 the tenant from 3I, to 12I. for each acre reclaimed, according to the depth of the mofs, 
 or bog-earth, removed from it. In fome cafes, this is paid when the work is executed ; 
 in others, it is paid at the end of the leafe. In the firfl cafe, tlie tenant pays from 12s. 
 to 1 6s. rent per acre ; in the fecond cafe, he pays no rent. 
 
 * For farther information on the improvement of mofs, &c. fee Anderfon's writings 
 on the fubjeft ; alfo, " An account of the Improvement of Mofo, &c. in a Letter to 
 a Friend." Edin. printed, 3d edition, 1798. — And fome judicious remarks in Jami- 
 fon's Miner^ilogy of the Shetland Iflands, 5cc. 
 
 1 5 and 
 
KINCARDINE. 97 
 
 and roots of great fize, oak principally, are continually to be 
 met with in clearing off the mofs ; and what appears more re- 
 markable, where this vaft foreft, a veftige of which fcarcely 
 remains, grew into full vigour, there are evident marks of the 
 fea having retired to give place to vegetation : thus, as it fhould 
 feem, the alternate ftates of land and water, are admirably cal- 
 culated to maintain a due equipoife in the general laws of the 
 univerfe*. 
 
 The population of the parifli of Kincardine is eftimated 
 at 2060 inhabitants. The number of proprietors exceeds 
 twenty, one half of whom are non-refident. The condition 
 of tenants in this diftri(5t has greatly improved within the laft 
 thirty years. The value of lands is rapidly on the increafe, and 
 rents are riling in proportion. Extenfive plantations appear 
 in a thriving condition, and promife much emolument to the 
 landlord. On the Blairdrummond eftate alone the wood is 
 eftimated at five thoufand pounds. The mode of agriculture is 
 much better than heretofore ; the late Lord Kaimes having, by 
 his example, led the way to many eflential improvements ; and 
 fince his time, there feems a progreffive advancement made here, 
 that bids fair to rival the beft exertions of the low-country far- 
 mer throughout the fhire. 
 
 • What was formerly remarked, with refpeft to the fea having, at fome remote period, 
 advanced nearer the feet of mountains, is applicable to fome parts of this parifli, mofl; of 
 which lies in the angle formed by the two branches of the Forth that meet near Craig- 
 forih. Beds of fhells, particularly oyfter, are found at different depths of the foil, 
 which appears to have been formed from the neighbouring heights at the bottom of the 
 fea, agreeably to the Hiittonian theory. The general appearance of the foil is fand, m 
 which the marks of undulations are ftill vifible ; fleech, intermixed with marine produc- 
 tions ; mofs, as already defcrihed, with clay to a great depth, of various colours. Near 
 the bed of the river Teath, and towards the upper part of the parifh, the foil is a light 
 loam, and near the furface gravelly, but not unproduftive. 
 
 O The 
 
c^8 BLAIRDRUMMOND. 
 
 The inhabitants of this parifh are faid to be fagaciouSj com- 
 municative, and fenfible. Of the eminent men who were 
 natives of this place, Do&or Robert Wallace^ the learned author of 
 " The Population of Ancient Nations," is firft among the num- 
 ber. Though Lord Kaimes was not born here, yet, as his afhes 
 repofe in this parifh, it claims him : he died in December 1782. 
 Philofophy, Jurifprudence, Criticifm, and Agriculture, found inr 
 Henry Home Lord Kaimes a zealous and able difciple*. As a 
 patriot, he flood eminently diftinguiilied ; as a judge, he was 
 upright ; and as a farmer, he was refpedable in a degree feldom 
 equalled. Enlightened by extenfive profpeds of men and man- 
 ners, he was liberal in his fentiments, and cheerful in his deport- 
 ment, holding in contempt the narrow prejudices of little minds, 
 while he made due allowance for any cafual bias that might dim 
 the luftre of public fpirit or private virtue. 
 
 On quitting the pleafure-ground of Blairdrummond, we keep 
 on to the right, leaving on the left the road to the fort of 
 Innverfnaid, by Thornhill, a village lately celebrated for making 
 whlfky, the diftillation of which (before the late compofition 
 for excife duties took place) was carried on to a confiderable 
 extent, to the no fmall injury of the morals of the inhabitants. 
 As we proceed, we fee on the right a deep dell, which appears 
 to have been the winding courfe of a ftream, that has either 
 become dry or changed its courfe. Over the eminence which 
 forms the left bank of this dell, a glimpfe of Down Caftle is 
 caught, and produces an agreeable effect. On our approach to 
 
 * His works are, Britifh Antiquities, EfTays on Morality and Natural Religion^ 
 Hiftorical Law, Principles of Equity, Sketches of the Hiftory of Man, Elements of 
 Criticifm, Gentleman Farmer, Loofe Hints on Education, &c. 
 
 a ^ the 
 
■^ 
 
 <^ 
 
 
 V) 
 
 
 4 
 
 -«^ 
 
 I 
 
 :^ 
 
 
 ^ 
 
 
 I 
 
DOWN CASTLE. ^9 
 
 the Teith, we pafs by fnug cottages, the habitations of the fpin- 
 fters of the Adelphi Cotton Works *. Wherever manufa(£tories 
 are eftablifhed, woe to the neighbouring farmers ; for the 
 wages of fervants are out of all bounds, as almoft every one 
 employed about works that engage fo many hands as cotton 
 machinery muft neceflarily require, gets great wages; of con- 
 fequence, thofe who are greedy of gain forfake the plough, and 
 follow the more profitable employment of the two, that of the 
 manufactory. With regard to the plough and the loom, little 
 doubt remains which is the mod profitable ; but the queftion, 
 which is moft friendly to population and the morals of the 
 people, would require a greater fpace for difcuffion than can in 
 this place be allowed. 
 
 On pafling the Teith, over an ancient bridge of two arches*}", 
 }uft as we afcend the rifing ground of its left bank, we com- 
 mand an interefting profpedt of Down-cajlle^ now a ruin, fitu- 
 ated on a gentle eminence, embofTed in a wood that hangs over 
 the river, which here, fweeping round the level lawn below the 
 caftle, meets the Ardoch, a rapid ftream, and both move flowly 
 on till they arc loft in one common refervoir the Forth, in their 
 progrefs to the fea. On both fides of the river its banks are 
 v/ooded, and rife in the moft pidlurefque fwells. In the diftance, 
 Craigforth, Stirling-caftle, and the higheft of the Ochil-hills, 
 feem admirably placed for the compofition of a pidture ; while 
 the Ikilful painter cannot fail to add a fore-ground from the 
 
 * Thefe works have fiifFcred lately by fire. 
 
 f This bridge is faid to have been built by Robert Spittal, taylor to James V, 
 (the fame who founded an hofpital in Stirling) about the year 1530. Stat. Ace. 
 ;vol XX. p. 50. 
 
 O 2 materials 
 
loo DOWN CASTLE. 
 
 materials he fees at hand on the nearer banks of the Telth, which 
 here pafles beneath his eye with a free and noble volume of 
 water. Since the year 1 745, when a garrifon of the rebel army* 
 occupied Down Callle, it has been fufFered to fall into decay. It 
 is the property of the Earl of Moray. At what time it was 
 built is uncertain. JNIurdoch Duke of Albany is faid to have 
 been its founder ; but this refts folely on tradition. In the reign 
 of our fifth James, Sir James Stewart of Beath was by that 
 monarch appointed Conftable thereof; and in 1565 his fon 
 obtained a charter, under the great feal, of certain lands to be 
 called the barony of Down. During the civil war in Queen 
 Mary's reign, it was a place of retreat to the loyalifts of that 
 period *. The demefnes belonging to this caftle being eredled 
 into 2i barony prior to the abolition of hereditary jurifdidion in 
 the year 1 748, courts of law were held in it ; but, happily for 
 the Scotifh peafantry, ever fmce that period,/// and gallows^ as 
 hereditary and exclufive privileges, have been folemnly conveyed 
 to the executive government of Britain ; and trial by jury 
 fubftituted in place of thefe vile tools of oppreffion and feudal 
 tyranny. 
 
 On the left bank of the Teith, that ftretches towards Stirling, 
 the road is agreeably varied with wooded inclofures and gentle- 
 men's feats pleafantly fituated on eminences which command 
 extenfive profpeds ; or fheltered in fome fweet folitude, whofe 
 level lawn forms the verdant margin of the river, refleding, as it 
 moves flowly along, all the fylvan charms of thofe fequeftered 
 retreats f . All about this part of the country, the management 
 
 * See Grofe's Antiquities, and De Cardonell's Scotifh Antiquities. 
 
 •\ Mr. Edmofton's houfe of Newton, clofe in upon the river, is emboflcd in wood and 
 sharmingly pifturcfque. 
 
 of 
 
VILLAGE OF DOWN. loi 
 
 of bees is carried on with fuccefs ; and the honey, owing in great 
 meafure to the vicinity of the apiaries to the Kincardine mofs 
 and the Braes of Down^ where the bees have fo vaft and free a 
 range, is remarkable for its flavour and quantity. In fhort, the 
 rural economy of this diftrid of Perthfhire is highly creditable 
 to every defcription of perfons concerned in it. ' 
 
 The village of Down, which we pafs on our right, is rifing 
 into confequence. Formerly, it confided of a few ftraggling 
 ill-built huts ; but now a general appearance of neatnefs and 
 comfort is manifeft, particularly in the eaft part of the village. 
 It derives confiderable fupport from five fairs, held here, in the 
 months of February, May, July, November, and December, 
 when a fine fhew of cattle, collected throughout the weftern 
 ides, and other parts of our highland diftrids, is exhibited for 
 fale. 
 
 We now bid adieu to the fertile plains of the lowlands. The 
 highlands prefent their awful bulwarks, in folemn grandeur, and 
 fterile gloom. The foil, as we proceed, feems hardly fufceptible 
 of vegetation ; and were it not that here and there fome ver- 
 dure, and a few miferable huts, are met with as we pais along, 
 one would feel half inclined to turn back, and proceed no 
 farther. But by degrees we get familiarized with nakednefs 
 and fterllity ; and when curiofity prompts, and fome hopes of 
 gratification remain, we feel ourfelves infenfibly led on in the 
 purfuit of our objed:. 
 
 A few folitary manfions, that form a contrafl with the wretched 
 hovels on the road-fide, are to be met with in our way ; thefe are 
 Mr. Edmofton's houfe (on the right) of Cambus Wallace, Sir John 
 
 Macgregor*s 
 
CALLANDER. roj 
 
 Beiule the Roman camp^ as it is denominated, little tli-^.t deferves 
 the traveller's notice is to be met with in the immediate vicinity 
 of Callander. The appearance which this Terpentine bank, 
 called the Roman camp, exhibits, is truly beautiful. It fcems 
 probable that it was left in nearly its prefent form by the river's 
 having changed its courfe at fome remote period, as on the 
 oppofite lide a continuation of it is very perceptible. The 
 prefent courfe of the Teith is more in a diredt line, and four 
 acres of fine meadow are cut off by its thus having taken a new 
 fweep, from the oppofite bank, in the windings of this curvi- 
 linear inclofure. The prefent pofleiFor, Captain Fatrfoul^ has 
 every thing about this charming retreat in the highcft order ; 
 and it is but juftice to add, that, though he is retired from the 
 bufy world, and repofnig on the lap of cafe and affluence, his 
 neighbours fpeak in the higheft terms of this gentleman's boun- 
 ty, liberality, and focial difpofition. 
 
 On our return from the Roman camp^ we have a grand profpe<St 
 o^Benledi^ one of the higheft mountains in Scotland*"; part of the 
 village, and the bridge over the Teith, behind which the rugged 
 heights of the Pafs of Lcney appear ; and on the right, an abrupt 
 eminence, briftled with lirs, rifes immediately over the village, 
 and proteds it from the rude blafts of the north winds ; the grey 
 cliffs of which are fcen through the deep hue of the plantation, 
 natural wood and heath. In times of heavy and continued 
 rains, a ftream falls down, whofe lengthened whitenefs is in fine 
 contraft with the furrounding fccnery, and adds not a little to 
 the grandeur and fublimity of the whole. 
 
 The lake, river, and mountain fcenery of Scotland has been 
 the fubje<St of the warmeft admiration. For pidurcfcjue beauty 
 
 • BenUdi i$ more than three thoufaod ftct above the level of the fca, 
 
 P and 
 
(^. 
 
 vV 
 
 ^ 
 
 ^ 
 
CALLANDER. 105 
 
 Befide the Roman camp, as it is denominated, little tlir.t deferves 
 the traveller's notice is to be met with in the immediate vicinity 
 of Callander, The appearance which this Terpentine bank, 
 called the Roman camp, exhibits, is truly beautiful. It feems 
 probable that it was left in nearly its prefent form by the river*s 
 having changed its courfe at fome remote period, as on the 
 oppofite fide a continuation of it is very perceptible. The 
 prefent courfe of the Teith is more in a diredt line, and four 
 acres of fine meadow are cut off by its thus having taken a new 
 fweep, from the oppofite bank, in the windings of this curvi- 
 linear inclofure. The prefent poflefTor, Captain Fairfoul^ has 
 every thing about this charming retreat in the higheft order ; 
 and it is but juftice to add, that, though he is retired from the 
 bufy world, and repofing on the lap of eafe and affluence, his 
 neighbours fpeak in the higheft terms of this gentleman's boun- 
 ty, liberality, and focial difpofition. 
 
 On our return from the Roman camp^ we have a grand profpe(9: 
 oiBenled'i^ one of the higheft mountains in Scotland*; part of the 
 village, and the bridge over the Teith, behind which the rugged 
 heights of the Rafs of Leney appear ; and on the right, an abrupt 
 eminence, briftled with firs, rifes immediately over the village, 
 and protects it from the rude blafts of the north winds ; the grey 
 cliffs of which are feen through the deep hue of the plantation, 
 natural wood and heath. In times of heavy and continued 
 rains, a ftream falls down, whofe lengthened whitenefs is in fine 
 contraft with the furrounding fcenery, and adds not a little to 
 the grandeur and fublimity of the whole. 
 
 The lake, river, and mountain fcenery of Scotland has been 
 the fubjed: of the warmeft admiration. For pi£turefque beauty 
 
 • B«nUdl is more than three thoufaod feet above the level of the fea. 
 
 P and 
 
10(5 CALLANDER. 
 
 and fubllmky, the Lochs Venuchar, Achray, and Kaitrln, which 
 run in a line, with little interruption, for twenty miles in 
 the diredion from eaft to weft, can hardly be exceeded any- 
 where. To one who has a relifh for Nature retired amid her 
 deepeil folitudes, an excurfion to thefe lakes will be amply re- 
 warded. 
 
 From Callander, then, it will be requlfite to provide two 
 articles with which we cannot conveniently difpenfe, namely, 
 provifions and a guide. We crofs the Teith by the bridge at 
 Callander, and pafs through that part of the village fituated on 
 the fouth bank of the river, — turn to the right, and foon fall in 
 with its left branch, which ilTues from Loch-vana-choi?\ This 
 flream we trace onward, till the fheet of water from which it 
 derives its origin opens to view. The margin of this lake, on 
 the left, fwells gently into the retiring eminences. On the 
 right, a bold promontory, finely formed and beautifully wooded, 
 advances into the raiddk of the water, and rifes into a precipice 
 which efcapes the view, by means of a nearer ridge, that feems 
 a portion of the fouthern limb of Betiledi^ coming forward as a 
 fide-wing, rugged, fteep, and craggy. The fore-ground is the 
 entrance into the wood that ftreaks along the northern fhores of 
 the lake, which foftens off in the diflance, and is hid by a remote 
 head-land : Benvenu^ a mountain from which this lake has its 
 name, terminates the profped:. The glimpfes caught in pafTing 
 along the fliores and promontories, which extend in length three 
 miles, are always pleafing and often interefting. 
 
 No fooner do we reach the weftern extremity of Loch-vana- 
 chotr^ than we difcover Lochachray, This loch, though fmaller 
 than the former, is not the lefs pidurefque of the two. As 
 foon as we gain a gentle eminence that overlooks the lake, its 
 
 7 appearance 
 

 \ 
 
 ^ 
 ^ 
 
 

 ^ 
 
 I: 
 
 '%^ 
 
CALLANDER. 107 
 
 appearance is truly charming. It feems to reft calm a^nd ferene 
 amid the mountains which furround it. Cultivated fpots, among 
 which hamlets are feen thickly fcattered beneath the {helter of 
 green knolls and wooded fteeps, convey the idea of quiet and 
 contentment, the hleflings of frugal retirement, and honeft in- 
 duftry : the inhabitants, though poor, being ignorant of wants, 
 known only to thofe who depend on the labours of others, 
 upon whom they look down with difdain. 
 
 In order, however, to be more highly gratified with the Induftry 
 and appearance of comfort of the peafantry of this diftridt of the 
 highlands, let us ftrike off to the right ; and at about the diftance 
 of a mile, as we reach the opening into Glen-Jin- glas^ we have a 
 profpec^ truly magnificent, and highly interefting. Here we 
 are pleafed with the general appearance of cultivation and com- 
 fort among the peaceable inhabitants of this glen, the lofty 
 fides of which appear verdant from their bafe to the very top- 
 cliffs, where formerly the roe and red-deer were wont to roam 
 free and at large, in fear of no intrufion but that of the hunter. 
 But the found of the chace is heard no more : other quadrupeds 
 occupy this foreft, once fet apart for royal fports. Sheep, now 
 the l^aple commodity of our mountainous diftri(4s, have almoft 
 banifhed the breed of native quadrupeds, efpecially thofe of the 
 chace ; but as yet, in this glen, the inhabitants have not alfo 
 been driven out of their poflelfions. Long may they enjoy the 
 fields which their forefathers cultivated with a lefs flcllful hand ! 
 May they never forget how to climb the craggy wilds which their 
 ancefiors were wont to climb in purfuit of the hart and roe-buck ! 
 May their honeft labours be rewarded with independence to the 
 
 P 2 lateft 
 
zo8 CALLANDER. 
 
 lateft pofterity* ! The fceneiy of this glen is fingularly wild, 
 yet, at the fame time, far from giving that idea of rude and 
 barren nakednefs but too often to be feen amid ihefe mountains. 
 The Turk^ that winds gently through it, fuddenly fmks into a 
 deeper chafm, formed by fome terrible convulfion, and is heard far 
 below, brawling along the hidden fragments of rocks in its rapid 
 courfe, which we now re-trace, and crofling over by the bridge 
 ofTurk^ proceed along the margin of Lochachray. At every 
 ftep the fcenery gains on the attention. About mid-way, the 
 farther extremity of this beautiful piece of water is feen. A 
 fmall ifland, with a few trees and brufli-wood on it, neareft the 
 north-border of the lake, harmonizes with that folemnity which 
 the furrounding objeds occafion. At the bafe of this mountain, 
 •which terminates the profped, huge piles of rock in fantaftic 
 fragments feem as if at fome remote period they had been 
 hurled down from the craggy wilds on the right, and fixed in 
 the random order in which they now appear. Pathlefs and per- 
 plexed with all the wild luxuriance of briar, bramble, thorn, 
 and a multiplicity of matted vegetation, (till lately, when a 
 road, rude, it is confefled, but, on foot and on horfeback, pafla- 
 ble, was, with much difficulty conftruded,) the entrance to 
 Locb-Kaitrm was known to the natives only; and, indeed, to 
 but very few of them. On turning a creek to the right, we 
 enter this celebrated pafs called the Trojhachs f . Thefe rugged 
 mafles leave their hoary cliffs, and bend in all their fantaflic 
 wildnefs over us, as we proceed on to the extremity of the pafs j 
 
 * See Note [CJ, at the end of the volume. 
 
 •j- Trofacb, i. e. rough nefs. This is a modern name, Brianchoil is its proper name, 
 txpreffive of its cliffy and wooded appearance. 
 
 where 
 
• ^ 
 
 '^ 
 
 \x 
 
 "^ 
 
 ^^ 
 
 ?■ 
 
 ^v 
 
 RJ 
 
 . 'N 
 
 j; 
 
 ^^ 
 
 «^ 
 
 
 ^ 
 
 
 Js 
 
 1 
 
 i^ 
 
 \ 
 
 
 ^ 
 
 -«.• 
 
 k\ 
 
 ~ 
 
 I 
 
CALLANDER. 109 
 
 where fome, more conical than the reft, feem to a lively imagi- 
 nation as if placed by nature as mute fpedators of that thrilling 
 amazement which the ftranger feels at his entrance on the con- 
 fines of the lake ; the eaft end of which is the deep and dark 
 pool on whofe margin we now halt. Here let us paufe. — Look 
 up to the left ; behold that gigantic precipice, wooded to the 
 top, bending over the pool in fullen grandeur. Among thefe 
 rocks, whofe gloom refts eternal on the bofom of the lake, in 
 former times a favage band, ruthlefs, intradlable, and cruel, 
 had fixed their lurking-place, and iflued forth, naked as they 
 were born, committing depredations on the peaceable inhabitants 
 of thefe glens, ravifhing the women, murdering thofe that re- 
 fifted, fetting fire to the habitations all around, and butchering 
 without diftindion the old and the young. Hence this precipice 
 retains the name of Cori-nan-Urifckin^ the den of the wild-men, 
 or favages *. Such is the tradition refped:ing this headlong 
 fteep, whofe appearance is fo flriking on our firft entrance, to 
 Loch-Kaitrin. Nearly oppofite to this fpot wicker huts are judi- 
 cioufly placed on a rock which rifes perpendicularly from the 
 water. Here the traveller may reft, and contemplate nature in 
 her rude and fublime afpeds. 
 
 In purfuing our furvey, we have often to encounter pieces 
 of the road that require attention and due caution in pafling 
 along thefe rocky Aides. Sometimes we pafs precipices, where 
 the road has been cut out of the folid rock ; and not unfre- 
 quently it approaches fo near the water's edge as to threaten 
 danger. But, after becoming familiarized to fuch perils, we 
 lofe every kind of fear. 
 
 * It I's called, for what reafon is unknown, by the author of the Statiltlcal Account 
 of the Parilh of Callander, *' The roch and dm of the ghoji" 
 
 As 
 
iio CALLANDER. 
 
 As we proceed, the lake gradually opens on us, and difplays, 
 in finely-flowing fweeps, its wooded fhores, and the mountain- 
 ous diftance that forms a back-ground at once elegant and lofty. 
 There often appears in the fore-ground a bold mafs of almoft 
 vertical rock, whofe ledges and crevices bear trees pendant, and 
 of moft pid:urefque appearance, chiefly the weeping bufli, the 
 mountain alh, oak, and other indigenous forefl:-trees, whofe 
 roots, bare, and twifted in the fantafl:ic diredion which the 
 fcanty foil and pointed rocks may chance to give, add much to 
 the rich variety of the fcene. 
 
 Still, as we advance, the expanfe of the water becomes more 
 and more charming. The fhores rife into the adjoining emi- 
 nences with lefs declivity, and more ample in point of meadow 
 and verdure. The mountains to the right afl^ume a fublime air, 
 and the m^ore diftant, foftened in aerial tints, are finely contrafl;- 
 ed by fome wooded iflands, which, as it were, pu(h forward into 
 the view, and compofe an admirable fore-ground. Here, too, 
 the difl:ance is enlivened with the huts of the inhabitants of 
 thefe wilds j for it is pleafing to reflcfft, that, even in the mofl: 
 inacceflfible parts of our mountains, traces of human indufl;ry are 
 to be diTcerned. Goats climbing the fliaggy fl:eeps in quefl: of 
 "herbs of higher flavour and rarely to be met with ; — cattle rov- 
 ing at large for food ; and (heep far in the back-ground, feen In 
 fcattered groups, bronzing on fides of mountains, while their 
 bleetlng is heard mingling with the lowing of cattle, the melody 
 of birds, the milk-maid's voice in fome artlefs love-fong, fome 
 fweetly wild or tender ditty ; at the fame time the woodman's 
 fl:roke, muhiplied by echo among the hidden clifls, felling the 
 flubborn ohk, or weeping birch : — all, all, in adiuirable com- 
 bination, awaken emotions of tender delight and pleafing reverie. 
 
 The 
 
CALLAND. Ill 
 
 The diverfity of views as we ad^^g on the Lake feems 
 endlefs. At every ten or twenty pa thick woods, where 
 fome green fpots at intervals are feen i^j^g oppofite borders, 
 attract notice. Here, a little rill, har yifible among bent 
 and brake, is heard tinkling by ; there, a ^\\ brook ripling over 
 its pebbled bed, pafl'es with little noife. Oi^js hand, a mountain 
 ftream rufhing headlong down yon (hag.fteep, bounding in 
 white and various jets, and colleding its rce into one body, 
 where fome chafm, narrow and deep-clovereceives it, foaming 
 and furious in its fall, when foon it lofe^s ftrength in the 
 ftill waters to which inceffantly it hurries onvj ; on that hand, 
 the unknown depth of the lake, as we ftand a.be brink of fome 
 impending precipice, ftrikes us with awe ; anf^ perchance, no 
 fudden guft of wind agitate its pellucid bofc, the fun-beams 
 playing on its fmooth furface, and the reflecons of the fur- 
 rounding fcenery,are finely contrafted in the daUng brightnefs; 
 and the broad maffes of hanging rocks, the gy hues of the 
 lofty top-cliffs, the deep purple of the retiring ieps, the aerial 
 tint's of mountains, faint, and far diftant : thel all thefe in- 
 terefting materials for the pencil, as well as for th magic hand 
 of defcription, are to be met with in our excurfion > the craggy 
 wilds of Loch-Kaitrhu 
 
 If the views on this lake, fo far as we have hherto pro- 
 ceeded, intereft us not, it will be in vain to advance ^ ihe weft 
 end of it; but if aught in the rude and fublime fcees which 
 here furround us hath afforded fatisfadion or deligt, let us 
 
 go on. 
 
 From the heavy and frequent rains attraded by th< neigh- 
 bouring hills, the meadows that ikirt the vale of Stratb-Lai'tney^ 
 
 though 
 
114 CALLANDER. 
 
 place of his concealment, where they found him and the before- 
 mentioned clergyman, Mr. Conachar, on whom they were 
 about to feize, but, by the addrefs of the lady of the houfe and 
 her fifler, were diverted for a moment from their purpofe. 
 Meantime the Do£lor and his companion, leaving the chamber, 
 as if to return immediately, made off with all poffible hafte. 
 The foldiers, taking the alarm, ftarted up, and rufhed out j and, as 
 mifchance would have it, juft as Cameron, who was fomewhat 
 unwieldy in his perfon, had reached a frnall brook a few paces 
 from the houfe, they feized him, put him into a boat that was 
 in waiting, and carried him prifoner to Innerfnaid ; thence to 
 Stirling, where he remained only a few days ; after which he 
 was conveyed to the Caftle of Edinburgh, and from thence 
 was fent, in cuftody of tw^o of his Majefty's meflengers, to Lon- 
 don, and thrown into the Tower. His companion, Mr. Co- 
 nachar, was a perfon of great agility, prefence of mind, and 
 bodily ftrength ; and, by climbing the rocks, which feem almoft 
 inacceffible, he was out of fight in a few minutes, and eluded 
 every fearch made after him. 
 
 The fate of Doctor Cameron was cruel in the extreme. 
 Seven years had elapfed after he had gone into voluntary exile 
 before he ventured to return ; and that he ran any rifk of being 
 condemned to death, was what he had little reafon to apprehend : 
 in this, however, he found himfelf woefully miftaken ; for, 
 though at firft he was advifed againft acknowledging himfelf to 
 be the perfon mentioned in the a(St of attainder, yet, on the 
 day of his trial *, with a becoming degree of fortitude, he ad<- 
 m.itted it. His behaviour in court was calm, coiledted, dignified, 
 
 * May 17, 1753. 
 
 5 yet 
 
CALLANDER. 115 
 
 yet refpe^lful, and he replied, with precifion and deference, to 
 fuch queftions as were put to him. After the ufual forms of 
 trial, he was condemned, and ordered for execution on that day 
 three weeks ; the court, of its tender mercy, being pleafed to 
 grant the indulgence of a week more than was at firft intended, 
 on account of his wife, who was at Lifle in Flanders with her 
 feven infants (all dependent on him for fupport), being permitted 
 to take a laft farewell of her unfortunate hufband. She arrived, 
 and loft not a moment in her application for royal mercy ; but, 
 in the ad of prefenting her petition, fhe was rudely pufhed afide 
 by an attendant, and, falling into a fainting-fit, was conveyed 
 out of the royal prefence. The day of the Dodor's execution 
 was drawing near. He was denied the ufe of pen, ink, and 
 paper, and watched with the utmoft vigilance. His diftradted 
 wife flew a fecond time to the feet of royalty, but was un- 
 fuccefsful in her prayers. Her third application was to the 
 Princefs-Dowager of Wales ; but all her efforts proved fruitlefs ; 
 and, left any of the royal family (hould be further difturbed by 
 her tears and fupplications, orders were given to fhut her up 
 with her hufband. A fhort time previous to his execution 
 they had been feparated ; and, when he expreffed an earneft 
 defire to take an eternal farewell, he was told that fhe had 
 been fent away early in the morning. 
 
 On Thurfday, June 7th, about ten o'clock, Dodor Cameron 
 feated himfelf in the fledge prepared to convey him to Tyburn, 
 attended by Sir Richard Glyn and a party of the guards. On 
 his way thither he appeared perfectly at eafe, often addrefling 
 the weeping multitude, who gazed compaflTionately on him as 
 lie paffed along the ftreets, in a tone fo firm and compofed, as 
 
 Q^-2 fhcwed 
 
ri6 CALLANDER. 
 
 ihewecl that he met death, confcious of having deferved well of 
 mankind for his good intentions, as well as for the great humanity 
 thathe had difplayed in fparing thofe whom the fate of battle threw 
 into the hands of his aflbciates in thecaufe he had efpoufed, and 
 which he was about to feal with his blood *. With the utmoft 
 fortitude and compofure he mounted the fatal fcaffold, and, 
 having fpent a few minutes in devotion, was turned off. He 
 was fufpended fcarcely twenty-four minutes, when he was takea 
 down, his head cut off, his heart torn out, and burnt. His. 
 
 * Doctor Cameron being denied the ufe of pen, ink, and paper, except in the pre- 
 sence of one or more ofBcers of juftice, wrote with a pencil, on fuch fcraps of paper as 
 chance thrtnv in his way, fome circumftances to fliew his true charafter to pofterity, and. 
 gave them to his wife. Of his having done fo he informed the flieriff in attendance,. 
 while on the cart, immediately previous to his being executed. The following are fome 
 sxtrads from thofe fcraps. — On thefecondJUp of paper :— " V/hile in the Prince's army, I 
 faved the lives and effefts of more than three hundred perfons in Scotland,, who were firmly 
 attached to the Govsrnment. — In July 1745, before our fmall army had reached Coiry- 
 erg, it was moved by fome of the chiefs to apply to the prince for a ftrong detachment of 
 clans to diftrefs Campbell of Inveraw's houfe and tenants in the neighbourhood; which, 
 my brother Lochiel and I fo fuccefsfully oppofed, by reprefenting to our c^enerous 
 leader (who was always an enemy to oppi-eflion,) that fuch proceedings could be nowife 
 ufeful to his undertaking, that the motion was entirely laid afide, to the no fmall mor- 
 tification of the propofers. My brother and I likewife prevented fuch another defign 
 againft Breadalbane, to the great fatisfadtion of our dear prince."— (5« a third Jllp of 
 paper \ *' Iv^y br-other and I did fervice to the town of Glafgow, of which the pi-incipal, 
 gentry of the neighbourhood were then, and are to this day, very fenfible." On our 
 march to Stirling, I my fclf hindered the whole town of Kiikintulloch from being de-- 
 ftroyed, and its inhabitants put to the fwoi'd.— -Mr. Campbell of Shawfield owe^ me like- 
 wife fome fmall favours done to himfelf and family, which at leaft deferved fome return 
 in my behalf. And Lady Duncan Campbell of Lochnell, now in London, can, if flie 
 pleafes, vouch for the tiaith of fome of the above facts." — See London Mag. vol. xv. 
 and Scots Mag. for the year 1753. — Thus was this worthy and heroic man deferted 
 in his utmoft need, even by thofe who could by fmall exertion have faved his hfe ; and 
 thofe, too, who having benefited by his clemency, when many of their fi'iends were 
 in his power, ought ever to have been mindful of it. The above ftatement v/as partly 
 furniihed from the public records of the period ; and partly by the daughter of Doftor 
 Cameron, who communicated thsm to the author's ncareft relative. 
 
 body. 
 
CALLANDER, 117 
 
 body, thus mangled, was put into a hearfe, and conveyed pri- 
 vately to an undertaker's *. Thus died one of thofe vidims, 
 who, following the firm conviction of their underflanding in 
 what they deemed their indifpenfable duty, fell facrifices to the 
 woeful expediency of the times. 
 
 Mr. John Conachar, the companion of this unfortunate gentle- 
 man, who for forae time had eluded the vigilance of thofe 
 employed to enfnare him, was at length apprehended, on infor- 
 mation given by his own man-fervant, on the 30th of January 
 1755, immediately after celebrating the fervice appointed by the 
 church of England for the anniverfary of King Charles the Mar- 
 tyr f, and lodged in Stirling, jail, on a charge of fedition ; but 
 this charge was afterwards changed to one for the breach of 
 Ad: 34. Sef. I. Pari. I. anno 1661, Againjl Clandejliite andU?i- 
 lawful Marriage sX^"* — Mr. Conachar having been tried in the 
 weftern circuit at Inveraray, April nth 1755, a jury confift- 
 ing chiefly of thofe of the name of Campbell returned a verdid. 
 
 * <' Dr. Cameron's remains were carried from Mr. Stephenfon's, undertaker \x\ the 
 Strand, on Saturday June gth, at twelve at night, and interred in the large vault in the 
 Savoy chapel. Several gentlemen attended the funeral, who feemed greatly to lament 
 his unhappy fate." Scots Mag. June 1753. 
 
 -j- At his town houfe in Gortlach, parifh of Aberfail, fliire of Perth, twelve miles 
 N.W. of Stirling. 
 
 :j: The fon of this gentleman,. Mr. James Conachar, Civil Engineer, died lately in 
 India, whither he had gone to ereft machinery on an extenfive foreft near Calicut. In 
 his profeffion he was fecond to none in this country ; but, liaving failed in bulinefs, tlie 
 fituatioji to which he was invited, in India prefenting itfelf, he accepted of the offers 
 made him. Soon after his arrival, he was feized with the ufual fymptoms of a U'uer com- 
 plaint, and died before he had completed the thirty-third year of his age, fincercly 
 lamented : for,. a young man poffefled of a more affe6lionate heart, of jufter notions of 
 integrity and honour, withal fenfible, well-informed, and accompliihed in every fub- 
 flautial branch of knowledge, feldom appears in any age or country. — In him, the 
 writer of thefe pages has loft a friend whom he tenderly loved. 
 
 in 
 
ii8 CALLANDER. 
 
 in thefe words : " All in one voice find the pannel (prifoner) 
 ** guilty of celebrating three feveral marriages in an inorderly 
 " manner, in terms of the libel ; but, in refpedt of feveral al- 
 " leviating circumftances, they recommend him to mercy.'* 
 It was figned by Meffrs. Archibald Campbell of Melford, Chan- 
 cellor, (foreman,) and Niel Campbell of Loch-head, Clerk*.'* 
 He was fentenced to be tranfported forth of Scotland for life ! 
 At the time when the fmoking afhes of the defolated habitations 
 of the northern parts of this ifland lay fcattered to the winds of 
 lieaven, and the wounds of thofe who had bled in fupport of 
 the declining houfe of Stuart were yet frefh, a man of Mr. 
 Conachar's adivity and popularity, officiating in his clerical 
 functions, was viewed by the friends of the government with 
 a jealous eye ; and as he was the clergyman who attended Mr. 
 James Stuart, a fuppofed acceflary to the murder of Mr. Colin 
 Campbell of Glenure, in his laft moments af the place of exe- 
 cution, on the fpot where the murder was perpetrated, in a wood 
 near to the ferry of Ballachorlifh f, he was the more obnoxi- 
 ous to the ill-will of thofe who were of the jury that condemned 
 Mr. Stuart : confequently, Mr. Conachar was a marked man, 
 and eventually felt the keen tooth of party rage. 
 
 One of the great evils of civil commotions is forfeiture of 
 lands ; and the miferies that fuch 7iece[[ary adts engender are dif- 
 treffing in the extreme. An inftance of this kind was the caufe 
 of much contention, which terminated in the murder of the 
 gentleman above alluded to. 
 
 Stuart of Ardfhiel, for having been concerned in the rebellion 
 of 1745* was attainted, and his lands confifcatcd. Campbell of 
 
 * Scots Mag. for June 1753, p. 315, 316. 
 
 •j- Mr. Campbell of Glenure was nflaflinated on the 14th of May 1752, 
 
 Glenure 
 
CALLANDER. ug 
 
 Glenure was appointed fteward on the forfeited eftate of Ard- 
 ihiel, and under him the brother of the former pofTeflbr. The 
 tenants were fubje<ft to the immediate governance of the latter 
 gentleman, and looked up to him as their mafter and the re- 
 prefentative of their late landlord. 
 
 Campbell of Glenure, who had hitherto behaved with deli- 
 cacy and confideration, in order to accommodate fome of his 
 own friends with farms on the lands of Ardfhiel, gave diredions 
 for luch removals as he thought proper, and took fome legal 
 fteps that were ill received by the tenants. A man, who was 
 little better than an out-law, of the name of Stuart, commonly 
 called Doriald Brech, it Ihould feem, way- laid Mr. Campbell in 
 a wood near Ballachorlifh and ihot him dead on the fpot. The 
 wretch abfconded, and it was alleged that he was inftigated to 
 this horrid deed by Mr. James Stuart already mentioned. This 
 unfortunate gentleman was tried, condemned, and ordered to be 
 hung in chains ; which fentence was put in execution on the 
 fpo*- where the murder was committed. Thus we have a 
 melancholy inftance of the evils which arife from confifcation 
 of property, when a new order of things difarranges the old 
 eftablifhed cuftoms, and wherelocal prejudices obtain, and have 
 fuch deep root as to bias every principle of redlitude in the 
 rude minds of the weak and ignorant*. But to return : — 
 
 As 
 
 * An inftanc; of that animofity fo deteftable among men of narrow views pofrefTt-d 
 of power^ isj to the eternal difgrace of thofe concerned, held up to execration in the 
 mode of conducing the trial of this unfortunate gentleman. At the fame time that it 
 exhibits ftrong traits of the feudal jurifdiclion, it alfo fhews, that,, under tli« forms of 
 legal jullice, the mofl flagrant a£ls of opprcfiion may be fan6\ioned by the law of the 
 land, and by a jury influenced by authority, and overawed by the prefence of judges 
 who may prefiime to interpret the law, conJlrue vague allegations into fubdantial eviw 
 
 dcncev 
 
lid -CALLANDER, 
 
 As we proceed from Brianchoil^ the place which gave occafioii 
 to the preceding digrefllon, we fall in with a brook that defcends 
 rapidly from the mountains, through a winding valley to the 
 
 right, 
 
 evidence, and dictate the application of fuppofititious criminality in the cafe of the un- 
 fortunate perfon who may chance to be put on his trial before a court unduly appointed, 
 venal, or cotrupted. 
 
 It Is confidently affertcd, and believed by many {llll living, that James Stuart war. 
 condemned innocently, and fufFered unjuftly, for the murder of Campbell of Glenure ^ 
 nay, fome go the length of faying that he was previoufly deemed a facriiice to the re- 
 fentment of the Campbells ; and it muft be confeffed that the ftr^nge mode of procedure 
 on his trial juttifies the alTertion.— -Let us examine : A man was (hot dead on the fpot, 
 but by whom was not proved, though ftrong fufpiclons fell on Donald Brech Stuart, who 
 had abfconded ; yet, as an accejfary., this gentleman, who, it was proved, was in his own 
 houfe when the deed was perpetrated, was imprifoned iv'ithout even a 'warrant, no one 
 fuffered to vifit him, fo that he might have an opportunity of preparing for his defence; 
 — was tried at Inverary, theDuie ofArgyky as Lord Juftice- General, prefiding in court j 
 and of the jury eleven nvere Campbells, all of them holding their lands as fubjed fiiperior 
 of the Duke ; fo that here was an inftance, even In modern times, of one fitting in the 
 double capacity of judge and chief where the fphlt of Clanjliip muft have Influenced no 
 lefs than the fplrit o^ party. The following extrafts from this Interefting trial will throw 
 better light on the tranfaftion than any comment whatever : " When Mr. Miller, one of 
 the pannel's (prifoner's) lawyers, defired that the deponing witncfs (Mr. Campbell of 
 Airds) might be interrogated as to the pannel's moral character In the country, and 
 particularly whether or not he was a God-fearing man, and generally employed in tak- 
 ing care of the affairs of luidoivs and orphans r"' the Lord Juftice General was pleafed 
 to oppofe the interrogatory, faying words to this purport : « Would you pretend, Sir, 
 to prove the moral charader of the pannel, after being guilty of rehellion, a crime that 
 comprehends almoft all other crimes ? Here you will find treafons, murders, ra'nues, op- 
 prejjlons, perjuries," &c.— To which the lawyer anfwered, that he abhorred rehellion ag 
 much as any perfon whatever; but, with great fubniifuon, he was entitled to plead fof 
 the pannel, that It was foreign to the prefent cafe, fince the king had been pleafed to 
 grant an indemnity In which the pannel was comprehended; and therefore he could le^-allV- 
 interrogate the witneffes as to the pannel's moral charadler. *' This was never refufed " 
 added he : " to give an Inftance : the famous Collin s was a rebel to his God and Savi- 
 our, as his writings teftify, yet his moft zealous enemies never denied his moral charac- 
 ter 
 

 I 
 
 si 
 
 ^^ 
 
 vV'^ 
 
CALLANDER. 121 
 
 right, which we pafs, and afcend the ihoulder of a hill that rifes 
 precipitous from the water's edge, then dcfcend gradually into a 
 wood overhung with huge fragments of rocks which threaten 
 inftant deftrudion in their fall. In pafling through this wood, 
 [CoiUchrah^ the weftern extremity of the lake is feen at inter- 
 vals through the glade, bounded by the dreary precipices of 
 Glengyle. On emerging from the wood of Coilichrah, we may 
 take our ftations for views of the lake, which here fends forward 
 an arm through Glengyle, at Mr. M*Pharlane's houfe, a neat 
 though plain manfion, where we command two or three points 
 of view to great advantage. 
 
 The firft of thefe ftations is from Port-nan^ellan^ clofe to 
 Mr. M'Pharlane's houfe. The fcenery of the lake exhibits 
 here the moft pifturefque flow of harmonizing lines, bold mafles, 
 and varied hues. When the woods put on the yellow tints of 
 autumn, and the bofom of the lake is clear, reflective, and finely 
 illumined in gradations of aerial foftnefs, the efi'edt of fun-fet 
 
 ter to be extremely good.' — The clerk, however, was forbidden to mark any thing faid 
 by the witneffes relating to the goodnefs of the pannel's moral charadler ; as is obferved 
 by Mr. .Brown (554). — Remarkable was the refieftion of the poor pannel himfelf on 
 this occafion, who faid to his agent, * It is all over now ; my lawyers need give them- 
 felves no further trouble about me : my doom is as certain as if it were pronounced. / 
 alnuays dreaded this place, ( Inverary,) and the influence that prevails in it ; but this out-does 
 all. God forgive them.' p. 558. Mr. Brown (another of the prifoner'a lawyers) was 
 interrupted by Duncan Campbell of South-hall, one of the jury, who faid aloud, * Pray 
 Sir, cutjloort ; nve have enough of it, and are quite tired, the trial having Icjled lotig.' — It is 
 true, the trial had lafted long. But nine hours at lead of the time fpent were employed 
 by the profecutors for one hour by the pannel. — The jury had fat in court Jifty hours 
 ivithout Jleep ; the laft day of the trial no notes were taken by the jury-men ; and in 
 thisttate of the bufinefs, a verdid was brought, of Guilty art and part in the murder of 
 Colin Campbell of Glenure. 
 
 R is 
 
124 CALLANDER. 
 
 Rob Roy^ alias Campbell, alias McGregor, the perfon here 
 alluded to, was brother to the Laird of McGregor, the reprefen- 
 tative of the Royal Clan Alpine^ (a tribe at one period of no 
 fmall confideration among our Celtic mountaineers,) and was, 
 in the abfence of his brother, appointed to the command 6f that 
 clan *. At the battle of SherifF-moor, (A. D. 17 15,) Rob Roy, 
 who 
 
 . *' Stood watch 
 
 On a hill, for to catch 
 The booty for ought that I faw, man j 
 
 I'or he ne'er advanced 
 
 From the place he was flanced, 
 Till nae mare to do there at a' man,'* 
 
 is faid to have made this reply to one of the officers of King 
 James's army, who had been difpatched to order him into action 
 
 • The chief of the M'G'regors, if ftill in being, is a very poor man, and lives in a 
 miferable hut on the banks of Lochlomond. Sir John Murray, alias M'Gregor, has 
 lately affumed the arms and name of that clan ; great part of whom confider him as 
 having well-grounded pretenfions too, as the chief of the Royal Clan Alpine. Here 
 feems fomething pecuharly hard in the fate of this clan (M'Gregor). For feveral cen- 
 turies back they have been viewed by the reft of the clans with deteftation and horror j 
 though for what juft reafons our Scotifh writers fcem greatly at variance in their con- 
 jedlures. Some allege, but do not pretend to bring forward proofs fufficient, that the 
 M'Gregors were a difgrace to the reft of our clans, by being more cruel, rapacious, and 
 blood-thlrfty than their neighbours, who found them too intraftable ever to form an alli- 
 ance with them ; of confequence, they became at laft fo obnoxious, as to render a total 
 extirpation of the clan a matter of neceflity ; and accordingly, the legiflature confented 
 to a profcription en majfe of the M'Gregors, who were aftually hunted with blood- 
 hounds hke wild beafts ! On the other hand, it is faid, a more injured clan than the 
 McGregors does not exift ; for they were ever found true to their king and country, 
 though, unfortunately for themfelves, they were often on the wrong fide of the queftion : 
 but, fo terrible were they to their enemies, that unlefs they had been entirely extir- 
 pated, they would foon have become an over- match, and deftroyed that balance of power 
 among our mountaineers, fo effential to belligerous jurifprudence. So that, by the in- 
 trigues of their enemies at court, their awful doom was fixed, and carried into horrid 
 execution by royal authority. A61 i. Charles L c. 30. 
 
 with 
 
CALLANDER. 125 
 
 With his followers : " If they cannot do it (faid Roy) without 
 me, they cannot do it with me," and fo left the field. It was 
 alleged by fome, that the Duke of Argyle, who commanded 
 the forces againft the rebels, had fuch influence with Rob Roy 
 as to keep him at a diftance j and it is even faid that the fortune 
 of the day turned, in great meafure, on this manoeuvre *. Till 
 the day of his death, he ceafed not to harafs thofe whom he 
 deemed opprelTors of the poor; and particularly the families of 
 Montrofe, Murray, and Drummond, the three great proprietors 
 of that diftrld: which is fuppofed to have been in the pofleflion 
 of the M'Gregors, and which Rob Roy aflerted was his by 
 right of heritage, and the fword his charter by which he 
 maintained that right. " Roy had his good qualities," fays 
 Pennant, " and, ftrange to fay," (adds he,) " was a true friend to 
 the widow and orphan*)"." His fon, it appears, followed his 
 father's footfteps pretty clofely J ; for, in our public records for 
 the year 1753, we find, that Rob Roy, alias M'Gregor, fon of 
 the famous Rob Roy, and brother to James, was apprehended 
 at the fair in Gartmore, by a party of foldiers from Inverfnaid, 
 committed to Stirling caftle May 19th, and brought to Edin- 
 burgh tolbooth on the 26th. He was fugitated, firft in 1736, 
 for murder, and again in 1751, for the forcible abduction and 
 marriage of Mrs. Jean Kay, heirefs of Edinbelly §. On the 
 24th of January (1753) came on, before the Court of Juftici- 
 
 * See Campbell's Life of John Duke of Argyle , and alfo Boyfe's Hlftory of the 
 Rebellion. 
 
 \ Pennant's Voyage to the Hebrides, vol. 2. p. 204. 
 ■\. See Note [D] at the end of the Volume. 
 § Scots Mag. vol. xiv. p. $56, for 1752. 
 
 ary, 
 
126 CALLANDER. 
 
 ary, the trial of Robert M'Gregor, alias Campbell, alias Drum- 
 mond, alias Robert Orig, fonof the deceafed Robert McGregor, 
 commonly called Rob Roy^ indicted, at the inftance of his 
 Majefty's advocate, for the crimes of hamefucken, forcible ab- 
 duction, forcible marriage, and rape. The fadt founded on, and 
 the libel, mutatis mutandis^ were the fame in this cafe as in that 
 of the pannel's brother James*. On the 29th the jury gave 
 in their verdidl, " finding, all in one voice, that the pannel i& 
 guilty, art and part, of entering, with other lawlefs perfons, 
 armed, the houfe of Edinbelly, which belonged to the deceafed 
 Jean Kay, defigned in the indidment, where fhe and family 
 then dwelt, and, in a forcible and hollile manner, within the 
 
 * The Lord Advocate, in tLe pleadings on the trial of James vStuart for the murder 
 of Colin Campbell of Glenure, before mentioned, in the following paffages alludes to 
 this James. — " And you mufl have all heard of the late barbarous enterprize of Robert 
 M'Gregor and liis accomplices, in carrying off from her own houfe the unfortunate 
 Jean Kay, a young widow, and an heirefs, in the depth of winter, and middle of the 
 night, into remote parts of the highlands, and caufing her to be married to that Robert, 
 a perfon of no fortune, and an outlaw for murder ; for being a conductor in which at- 
 tempt, James Drummond, alias M'Gregor, a brother of Robert, has been lately con- 
 vifted. The excufe offered for James M'Gregor was the fame miftaken principle that 
 appears to have mifled the unhappy prifoner at the bar. It was faid, that James 
 M'Gregor was aftuated by one of the beft affeftions ; he was fceking no perfonal ad- 
 vantage to himfelf by that enterprize, but only to make the fortune of Robert his 
 brother." The fate of James was lefs melancholy than that of Robert his brother; 
 for, while in prifon, his daughter contrived his efcape in the following manner : Being 
 confined in the caftle of Edinburgh, his daughter had liberty to vifit him at ftated 
 times; and, being in the habit of doing fo frequently, fhe vcas the lefs fufpefted of any 
 defign to favour his efcape : this, however, fhe effeded, with confiderable addrcfs. 
 Having difguifed herfeif in the drefs of acobler, fhe caufed her father to exchange clothes 
 with her ; and, feigning to quarrel with the pretended cobler for having brought a pair 
 of fhoes but ill mended, fhe fcolded him heartily in the hearing of the centinels without ; 
 <vvhile he, muttering his difcontent at fuch rough ufage, pafTed the guards unfufpeded, 
 and thus got clear off. The gates of the city were fhut as foon as his efcape was dif- 
 jE.overed, yet every fearch after him proved fruiclefs. 
 
 faid 
 
CALLANDER, - \<ij 
 
 fald houfe, did attack, Invade, and lay violent hands upon the 
 perfon of the faid Jean Kay, and did carry her out and away 
 from the faid houfe," The lords fentenced the pannel to be 
 lianged in the Grafs-market of Edinburgh on the 6th of Febru- 
 ary next ( 1 754). The condemnation of this perfecuted man was 
 one of thofe adls at which the feeling mind recoils with horror. 
 The circumftances attending the alleged criminality of the cafe 
 were viewed differently at the very time when people's minds wers 
 agitated by the bold and barefaced meafures which the culprit 
 adopted In carrying off his wife j for fuch fhe always admitted 
 herfelf to be, cohabited with him as fuch, and paid and received 
 vifits with him among their relations and neighbours. Thefe 
 circumftances were oifered to be proved In open court, but re» 
 jedted. It came out on the trial, that the. whole affair had been 
 preconcerted between the parties ; fo as to give It the appear- 
 ance of a run-away-marrlage, and thus fave the lady, a widow 
 of nineteen *, from the difpleafure of her mother and other re- 
 latives, who were averfe to the match. Yet,, fo malignantly 
 was the profecution carried on agalnft this unfortunate outlaw, 
 that a petition was prefented to the Court of SefTion, February 
 1 2th, 1 75 1, by the mother and uncle of Jean Kay, reprefenting 
 the affair of the marriage as a breach of the peace, although feve- 
 ral attempts had been made, with the affiflance of the military, 
 to take her from her pretended \]M^2iX\A ;. and praying, that a 
 fteward might be appointed on her eftate, with power to apply 
 the neceffary fums for carrying on the profecution agalnft her 
 hufband, in order to bring him and his brothers, and their ac- 
 complices, to juftice ; the prayer of which petition was granted, 
 
 • She had been the wife of John Wight of Eafter-GHns, 
 
 5; On. 
 
128 CALLANDER. 
 
 On hearing of this, 'Robert and his wife repaired to Edin- 
 burgh, and prefented a counter-petition, which was rejected. 
 A fecond was prefented ; but it fliared the fame fate. On the 
 1 8th of March his wife was examined by three of the criminal- 
 court judges, viz. Lords Juftice Clerk, Drummore, and Elchies ; 
 when fhe acknowledged that fhe had been married, and that 
 fhe inclined to adhere to the marriage, and live in comfort with 
 her hufband. But her mother and friends perfuading the 
 judges that, by giving her over in charge to them, the falfe im- 
 preffions under which flic then laboured would be foon changed 
 Into very different fenfations, and the real ftate of the cafe would 
 be thus known, they ordered Jean Kay into the cuftody of a 
 Mr. Wightman of Maulflie, refiding in the Potter-row, near 
 Edinburgh. Here flie remained in clofe confinement, centinels 
 being placed at the door of the houfe by order of the magiftrates, 
 from the i8th of March till the 4th of June, when a declara- 
 tion, which in the mean time had been obtained, was adhered to 
 before the Lord Juftice Clerk and Lord Drummore, in which 
 the unfortunate delinquent was libelled by his infatuated wife 
 for the crimes above-mentioned. After emitting the declara- 
 tions contained in this libel, flie was fet at liberty ; and, with- 
 out being permitted to have fo much as one interview with her 
 hufband, was hurried tiway to Glafgow by her mother, where 
 ,flie was attacked by the fmall-pox, of which flie died on the 
 4th of Odober 1751. Her unfortunate hufband was fcized, 
 condemned, and hanged, as already mentioned *. Thus wc 
 
 are 
 
 * In order to aggravate the cafe of this unfortunate man, every thing that could be 
 brought againll his moral cliaradter was heaped together, as a formidable body of evi- 
 dence ; among other things, that of murder, houghing of cattle ; and the court fuftained 
 
 thefe 
 

 
 
 ^ 
 
CALLANDER. 125 
 
 are furnifhed with woeful examples of the rancorous fpirit with 
 which, even in latter times, the M'Gregors were hunted down. 
 But, happily, the time is paft ; and this clan may once more 
 become as refpe£table as it is formidable, and raife itfelf above 
 the narrow prejudices of party fpirit, fo long the difgrace of this 
 part of our ifland. But, to return: 
 
 On leaving this part of our excurfion, we ought, if poffible, 
 to fail down the lake, on our return. The fcenery, in this cafe, 
 appears with every advantage ; as, when the weather is favour- 
 able, we can more eadly condu£t our movements on the water, 
 and take fuch ftations, in the middle, or on the fides ofit,aswe 
 may judge moft fuitable to our purpofe. 
 
 On our approach to the eaftem fliores of the Lake, the en- 
 trance into it prefents a wild magnificence, peculiar almoft to 
 the fpot which we now furvey. On the- left, the hoary cliiFs, 
 hung with weeping birch, and variety of brufti-wood matted 
 and thick woven, are feen fhelving in airy grandeur ; while the 
 bare pinacle of Binean above the reft, and dire(Stly oppofite 
 to Benvenu^ raifes " fantaftic forms unfeen, fave to the poet's 
 eye. 
 
 High on the top-clfflTs of yon conic fteep 
 
 Scotland's dread Genius ftood, and gaz'd afar 
 
 On Rome's proud legions. Hark ! the founding fhield 
 
 Twangs on his arm, while echo pours along, 
 
 And roufes Albion's chieftains — Quick thro* wood. 
 
 O'er wild, from winding valley, mountain, plain, 
 
 thefe as valid aggravations of his guilt, particularly that of habit and repute of theft ; — 
 but as to the murder of John M'Laren of Weftern-Inveraray with which he was, together 
 with his brothers, accufed, he ftood acquitted ; as alfo of the houghing and wounding 
 of cattle ; thefe things not having been proven. 
 
 S Come 
 
,30 CALLANDER. 
 
 Come pouring forth, fierce, and indignant, thofe 
 
 To conquer, to repel the foe, refolv'd 
 
 Glorioufly to fall, fighting for freedom, 
 
 Freedom's injured caufe. — Behold them now, 
 
 Marfhall'd in lengthened line, a hardy race 
 
 Of dauntlefs warriors, favage, fierce, relentlefs ; 
 
 Moving along to meet th' invading crew. — 
 
 Subhme in ire, the Guardian Genius (hakes 
 
 His pond'rous javelin, ftamps his fteel-fhod heel — 
 
 The confclous mountain reels; fhook to the centre, 
 
 And now explofivcj rocks head-long hurl do(vn, 
 
 Huge in chaotic wlldnefs, rude emafs'd ; 
 
 As bounding in acceleration dreadful ! 
 
 Shattering each oak, tearing the wooded fteep, 
 
 Andcrufhing in their courfe each living form.— 
 
 How vaft the ruin ! — 
 
 The Spirit of the Lake in depth profound. 
 
 Starts 'mid the dire convulfion, - fhrleks aloud. 
 
 And ftares in wild confufion. Now aflcance 
 
 He darts a fearful look, where undlfmay'd 
 
 The Guardian Genius ftands, while round him flafli 
 
 Heaven's thunder -bolts ; and awful thunder peals — 
 
 'TIs pafl. Nature now paufes. — 
 
 Calm Is the bofom of the deep, and ftill 
 The darken'd air — The Spirit of the Lake 
 Solemn and low mutters his vaft amazement. 
 To whom the Guardian Genius: 
 
 " Afcend with me ; yon coming blaft 
 See, down the Lake it feuds along, 
 
 Lafhing the wild waves — bind It fad ; 
 And on Its fpeed, the clouds among, 
 
 Swift dart we to you darken'd ftrand. 
 Where Roman legions dare profane 
 
 The hallow'd temples of our land. 
 
 Now, hafte, away In vain. In vain 
 
 They tread exulting o'er our fields. — 
 Sons of the mountains ! meet the foe 
 
 In conflldl fierce. — He yields, he yields I 
 Scatter'd in wild difmay, now lo 
 
 Seeks {helter in his flilps." 
 
CALLANDER. 131 
 
 To whom the Spirit of the Lake 
 
 — — " Tis done, 'tis done — 
 
 The battle's fought,— the battle's won ; 
 Our warriors crown'd with viftory return, 
 
 And find repofe amid our mountains wild, 
 
 Where fweet domeftic joys moll mild 
 Await the truly brave, whofe bofoms burn 
 With love of country, love of human kind !" — — 
 
 The pleafures of imagination, amid the fcenes that here prefent 
 themfelves, can hardly be fuppreffed. " As they are the inlets 
 (as Akenfide elegantly expreffes it) of fome of the moft ex- 
 quifite pleafures we are acquainted with, men of warm and 
 fenfible tempers have fought means to recall the delightful per- 
 ceptions they afford, independent of the obje£ts which origi- 
 nally produced them. This gave rife to the imitative or 
 defigning arts; fome of which, like painting and fculpture, 
 diredtly copy the external appearances which were admired in 
 nature ; others, like mufic and poetry, bring them back to re- 
 membrance by figns univerfally eftablifhed and underftood." 
 
 Here the painter, (whofe pradifed eye fees at a glance the 
 
 fubjedt that fuits beft the pencil,) as he fails flowly along, will 
 
 find ample fcope for feledion and arrangement. Indeed, the 
 
 artifl polTefTed of that genuine enthufiafm neceflary in the mind 
 
 of one keen in the purfuit of excellence, can never be at a lofs, 
 
 where fuch aprofufion of pidurefque objeds is to be met with ; 
 
 and w^hile his fketch-book and pencil are in his hands, he may 
 
 catch, in a favourable point of view, fome bold feature, or happy 
 
 effed:, and render it fubfervient to the compofition of the fu- 
 
 blime in landfcape. Thus Salvator Rofa^ and the immortal 
 
 Claude Lorrain made their fludies after nature ; it is unnecefTary 
 
 to fay with what fuccefs. 
 
 S2 On 
 
,|3» CALLANDER. 
 
 On taking leave of this region of fiiblimity and hiftorical in- 
 eident, we feel recalled to the mind the images which were 
 excited as we rambled through the intricate defiles and mazes 
 on the pleafant and truly admirable banks of Loch-Kaitrin, 
 
 We now return by the fide of the Lochs Achray and Vena- 
 char ; the fcenery being reverfed in point of profpe(St, keeps the 
 attention ever on the ftretch, and rewards it with variety and 
 intereft. 
 
 A craggy knoll, infulated by two branches of the ftream that 
 empties Loch-Kaitrin into Loch-Achray, is fhewn to the travel- 
 ler as neutral ground ; to whom it belongs not having been 
 properly afcertained, there being two claimants *, neither of 
 whom has yet made good his pretenfions to this barren fpot : 
 .of courfe it remains an emblem of former times, when deadly 
 feuds decided who fhould have the right. 
 
 Formerly the whole of this diftrid belonged to the Earl of 
 Mar, but was afterwards exchanged for the eftate of Aha, A 
 more complete foreft for deer can hardly be found any where ; 
 it being fupplied with wood and water, and almoft inaccefTible 
 in many parts: the range is extenfive, mountainous, and abound- 
 ing in fprings and moft excellent pafture ; and, what animals of 
 the deer kind love above every thing elfe, filence and repofe 
 feem to have fixed their refidence here. 
 
 Amid thefe glens a faithful few adhere to the almofl extinct 
 family of Stuart. " Henry IX. (Cardinal York)" fay they, 
 •' yet liveth ; fhould he not marry and have ilTue f , the King 
 of Sardinia is the heir apparent ; and fhould he even fail in 
 
 * The Earl of Moray, and the Duke of Montrofe. 
 f This man is paft 70, and moreover a Cardinal ! 
 
 4 heirs 
 
CALLANDER. ij3 
 
 heirs to the Britifh throne, others may be found, whofe title is 
 preferable to the houfe of Hanover!'* Even at this day, a faith-* 
 fulfew meet in Edinburgh, and preferve the ancient eftablifh- 
 ment of Church and King as before the revolution. They 
 fcruple not to afTert, that the qualification of the Scotifh Epifcopal 
 clergy, in 1688, was a grofs fchifm, and that their minds may yet 
 be enlightened, in confequence whereof they may be enabled to 
 trace their way back, and return into the bofom of the church, 
 in all humility and godly forrow. 
 
 Although this part of the highlands is befl: adapted for (heep, 
 yet feveral patches on the fides of the lakes are cultivated with 
 grain, and in the modern modes of agriculture too : not only the 
 Scotifh plough is changed for the Englifh, but even threfhing ma- 
 chines have lately been introduced. The former divifion of run^ 
 rig is laid afide, and the fmall farmers have their allotments better 
 defined and more compadb, which is a great improvement. In 
 July early potatoes are ready ; in Auguft the flax is pulled ; in 
 September, the barley harveft commences; and the oats, and late 
 peafe and potatoes, are ready by the middle of October, and 
 fometimes earlier, in good feafons*. There is a brifk market 
 for every article of fuflenance in this parifh ; and provifions are 
 pretty reafonable. In fhort, its advantages are many, and its 
 means of improvement within the reach of public fpirit and 
 induftry, well regulated and properly applied. 
 
 Inftead of purfuing, on our return, the courfe of that branch 
 of the Teath which iffaes from Loch-Venachar, we keep to 
 the left, along the bafe of Benledi^ and pafs the north branch of 
 the Teath over the bridge at Bo-cajlle^ formerly the refidence of 
 
 * Statiftical Accounts. 
 
 the 
 
134 CALLANDER. 
 
 the Balfour s^ of Burlk^ now the property of the Earl of Breadal- 
 bane. The tradition refpeding the manner of obtaining this 
 caftle is not very honourable to the anceftors into whofe pof- 
 feffion it firft came. But, if a flri£t fcrutiny were to be made 
 into the titles of the poflefTors of landed property, what might not 
 the confequences be ? This farm, in point of hill grazing and low 
 pafture, is extenfive and profitable. On the plain, the appearance 
 of an artificial bank has given rife to the conjed:ure that former- 
 ly lines of approach were made to reduce the caftle which fomc- 
 where (the precife fpot not known) was in this place, as its name 
 Bo-cafle implies : but to indulge in conjectural etymology, and 
 fanciful theory, may certainly miflead, and inculcate error : 
 Hence the folly of feeking after vain derivatives, without im- 
 port or meaning; neverthelefs, remains of antiquities and names 
 of places are frequently to be met wath throughout Scotland, 
 refpedting which it may happen that a coincidence between 
 words and local circumftances does exift : yet it muft be con- 
 it^tdifoinewhat too much of this kind is manifeft in our Statiftical 
 Accounts, that might have been fpared. Whatever is authenti- 
 cated by hiftory ought never to be omitted ; but furely fidion 
 ought not to be fubftltuted for faCt ; neither ought ideal fancies 
 to occupy the place of genuine data. 
 
 As we pafs over the bridge of Kihnachoog^ we fee a cemetery 
 on the right, in which formerly flood a chapel, dedicated to St. 
 Chug*, whofe feftival falls on the 26th November, on which a 
 cattle market is held in the neighbourhood. There is an arti- 
 ficial mount called Tomacheffaig at the bridge of Callander, 
 
 * Probably the fame with St. Machute, Bifliop and Confcffor, A. D. 553. See 
 Keith's Catalogue, p. 234. 
 
 where 
 
CALLANDER. 135 
 
 where the church-yard is, dedicated, as fome fuppofe, to " SL 
 Mackejfage Bifhop and Confeflbr in Scotland*," A. D. 520. At 
 Little Leney^ the burying place of the Buchanatts^ a knoll, fimi- 
 lar to that above-mentioned, but fomewhat larger, is ftill extant. 
 Tradition fays, that thefe little mounts were ufed for butts on 
 Sundays after evening-fervice, when the exercife of the bow 
 and arrow was kept up. This pra6tice was univerfal all over Scot- 
 land at fo late a period as the accefHon of our Sixth James to 
 the Englifh throne "f. In the time of James I. the bed and 
 moft accomplifhed of our Scotifh Princes, archery, as a military 
 art, was held in high eftimation. In his reign an a£t was pafTed 
 ordaining " every perfon after twelve years of age, to bulk 
 (/. e. equip) himfelf as att archer : that bow be maid near every 
 paroch kirk, wharin, on holydays, men may cum and fchutte at 
 leaft thrice about, and have ufage of archerie ; and whafa ufes 
 not the faid archerie, the laird of the land, or the ferrifF, fall 
 raife (/. e fine) him a wedder." Pari. I. A6t 18. By a fubfequent 
 ad:, isoaipon f chawing [i. e. a general mufter] with bow and ar- 
 row was appointed four times in the year. Although the intro- 
 duction of fire-arms has caufed the total difufe of archery, yet, 
 fo fond are the Scots of this ancient armour, that, even at this 
 
 * Keith's Catalogue, p. 232. Near Lufs on Lochlomond, a cairn, or heap of ftones, 
 is to be feen in memory of this Saint. See Pennant's Tour in Scotland, p. 247. 
 
 ■)• '* Their weapons againll their enemies are bows and arrows. The arrows, for the 
 moft part hooked, with a barb en either fide, which once entered within the body can- 
 not be drawn forth again, unlefs the wound be made wider. Some of them fight with 
 fwords and axes. In place of a drum they have a bagpipe. They deliglit much In 
 mufic, but chiefly in harps and clairfchoes of their own fafhion. They fing verfts prettily 
 compounded, containing (for the moft part) praifes of valiant men. There is not almoft 
 any other argument whereof their rhymes entreat." Sec Dcfcription of the Ifles of 
 Scotland." London 1603. 
 
 day, 
 
136 CALLANDER. 
 
 day, the royal company of Scotifh archers keep up regular meet- 
 ings, and Ihoot annually for a prize at Edinburgh, and likewife 
 at Muffelburgh. 
 
 The traveller who may incline to vilit the Loch of Monteith^ 
 and Lochaird^ a diftance, in all, from Callandar of about twelve 
 miles, will be much gratified with fcenery, if not fublime, yet 
 little lefs interfting than that already vifited. The Loch of 
 Monteith is a fheet of water remarkable not only for pidiu- 
 refque beauty, but alfo for having, in former times, been chofea 
 as a fweet retreat for a Priory, the ruins of which are ftill to 
 be feen on the largeft of two fmall iflands, that conftitute the 
 chief ornaments of this Lake. This Monaftery, namely, " /«- 
 fula Sti, Colmoci" belonged to the Abbey of Cambus- Kenneth^ al- 
 ready noticed. It is faid to have been founded by Murdoch earl 
 of Monteith, who was killed at the battle of Duplin in the year 
 1332 ; but Spottifwood feems to doubt this, as in Prynnes Col- 
 le£fions, vol. 3. p. 6^2>y mention is made that " Adam Priour de 
 rijle de Saint Colmoch fwore fealty to Ed'ward L in the year 
 1 296, as alfo did Alexander Earl of Monteith .^ father to the above 
 Earl Murdoch *. The Loch of Monteith contains trout, perch, 
 pike and eel. Salmon alfo were to be found in the Forth, but 
 have nearly difappeared fmce the mofs of Kincardine began to 
 be floated down the river. 
 
 Lochaird is about five miles fouth-weft of the Loch of Mon- 
 teith. The remains of a caftellet, faid to have been built by the 
 Duke of Albany in the minority of James L are ftill to be feen 
 on a fmall ifland in the midft of the Lake. 
 
 • See Spottifwood's Account of Religious-houfea. 
 
 To 
 
CALLANDER. 
 
 •57 
 
 To the botanift, as well as to the mmeraloglft, the grounds 
 over which we travelled prefent a rich variety of objects for 
 fpeculation. 
 
 Among the botanic plants which here abound, are to be found 
 liver-wort [lichen caninus of Linnseus), the medicinal qualities of 
 which are by Dr. Mead highly extolled in cafes o{ hydrophobia: — 
 uva urft arbutus^ Linn, (whortleberry), a low flirub, the leaves 
 of which fomewhat refemble the myrtle, and are deemed medi- 
 cinal ; it was much recommended by Dr. de Haen of Vienna 
 in nephritic complaints, and in cafes of ulcerations in the urin- 
 ary paflage: — club-mofs {lycopodium, Linn.) in variety ; it was 
 formerly ufed by the natives as a verydraftic emetic : — bottle-mofs ^ 
 (fplachnum) bryums^ hypnums^ and other moffes in great variety, 
 as defcribed by Lightfoot in his Flora Scot'ica ; as alfo of the 
 ciafs Cryptogamia^ the twenty- fourth in the order of Linnaeus, in 
 number four, viz. flags, ferns, mufhrooms, moffes, with their 
 genera and fpecies ; but this clafs of plants is but flightly noticed 
 in the Flora Scotica* 
 
 The minerals of this diftri^t are numerous and valuable ; par- 
 ticularly the foffils. A lead mine was formerly wrought in the 
 N. W. fide of Benledi, that yielded twenty fhillings worth of 
 filver in the hundred weight of ore ; but fmce this tra6t of 
 country was reftored to the original proprietor, Mr. Drummond 
 of Perth, little has been done in fearch of more valuable veins. 
 This certainly is a negledt, and ought not to remain fo. There 
 are, no doubt, many veins of rich quality ; as, on feveral parts 
 of the Perth eftate hereabouts, fpecimens of lead ore have been 
 picked up lately, that fufficiently indicate an abundance of this 
 valuable metal, fo much ufed in the arts. 
 
 T Of 
 
 1 
 
1-3^' CALLANDER. 
 
 Of the foffil fubftances of ftone, a great variety are to be met 
 v/ith in this diftrid. Among others, the pudding ftone (wurm^ 
 Jlcin gum *, under which Werner comprehends calcareous 
 quartz, pebbles of various colours, liliceous fchiftus in argillaceous 
 beds, or in cements of fand-ftone) forms the greater part of the 
 fpecies of rock above Callander. It is remarkably durable ; and 
 feveral of the houfes in the village are built of it: it has a 
 beautiful appearance, having a deep red cement, through which 
 are interfperfed pebbles of various colours. The vein of this 
 rock ftretches in the diredion S. W. and N. E. for feveral miles, 
 through rivers, lakes, valleys and mountains; the ftrata lie in 
 flags of vaft dimenfions, and of no determinate thicknefs, the 
 cutters inclining varioufly. Two parallel veins to this pudding- 
 ftone rock, the one of lime ftone, of a fine blue, and ftreaked 
 with white, the other of flate, of a deep purple, run at the dif-^ 
 tance of a mile from each other, over a vaft tradl of country ; as 
 alfo a vein of fand-ftone rock, in the fame direction. Granite of 
 various form and colour, but chiefly grey and blue, compofe the 
 greater part of the mountainous regions of this diftrid, together 
 with marble, that might be wrought with confiderable profit 
 and advantage. A great variety of argillaceous earth is to be 
 met with in every diredion ; the blue, grey, and white clays 
 are remarkably fine, and might be turned to good account in 
 the manufadure of porcelain. 
 
 The formation of mountains is one of the fublimeft fubjeds 
 for fpeculation in the whole range of natural hiftory. The 
 various theories, fplendid as hypothetical, that have ferved to 
 
 * See KIrwan's Elements of Mineralogy, Cronftedt's Sept. MIn. and Scbemiffer's 
 Syft. of Min. 
 
 amufe. 
 
CALLANDER. 139 
 
 amufe, while they failed to inftrud, feem, to have vanifhed one 
 after the other, as the fleeting phantoms which bewilder the 
 heated imagination of the fpeculative vifionary in philofophy ; 
 without fo much as fuggefting to the mind that fome time was 
 loft in the purfult. The prevailing notion among mineralogifts 
 of the higheft repute is, that mountains " feem to be formed by 
 precipitation or depofition *." The primitive mountains, or 
 rocks, have their foundations as deep-feated in the earth as the 
 labour of man has penetrated ; and they alfo compofe the moft 
 elevated parts of the known world. The granite rocks arc 
 more univerfal than any other throughout the various feOiions 
 of the globe yet difcovered. This granite is confidered by mi- 
 neralogifts to be of two fpecific kinds, which they denominate 
 primary 2CCi^ fecondary ; the former containing no petrifadions 
 of animals, vegetables, or metals ; the latter containing occafion- 
 ally thefe ; as alfo, opal, topaz, ftiorl, gainets, amethyfts, and 
 adamantine fpar. The fecondary mountains are ftratified ; fuch 
 as bafalt, ftratified argillaceous fchiftus (flaty clay), aluminous 
 fchiftus, lime-ftone, marl, fand-ftone,whet-ftone, mill-ftone, pud- 
 ding-ftonefjcoal, clay, marble, limeftone, loadftone, chalk, flint, 
 barytes, iron, lead, copper, rock-falt, gypfum : to which may be 
 added, alluvialX and volcanic mountains ; the former confifting 
 chiefly of bituminous wood, loam, fand, and potter's clay ; while 
 the products of the latter are, lava, pumice, and volcanic afhes. 
 When to thefe are added organized vegetable and animal earth, the 
 
 * Schemiffer's^yftcm of MIn. 
 
 f This ftone obtained its name from our Englifii tap'tdarles. 
 
 % The produfts of alluvial mountains are, mar/hy iron ore, aluminous earth aiwi 
 tcrf, fuch as pitch turf, moor turf, mofs turf, heath turf, 5cc. 
 
 T 2 formations 
 
142 CALLANDER. 
 
 is field labour ; but there are alfo weavers, taylors, carpenters, 
 mafons, &c. ; on the whole they are fober and induftrious ; and 
 there are very few poor on the parifh. There are two great 
 fairs, and three lefler for country meetings, at Callander ; and 
 much bufinefs is tranfaded at the two former by Englifh drovers. 
 
 Neither the horfes nor the horned cattle in Callander are of the 
 •true highland breed ; yet the former are hardy and fure-footed ; 
 and the latter feed up well, and are fit for the dairy. About 
 five and twenty or thirty years ago, the fheep and farming bufi- 
 nefs was firft introduced into the highlands ; when this diftri£l 
 was among the earlieft to embrace the fpeculation* : and a pro- 
 fitable one it has proved indeed ; at leaft to the land-owners and 
 fubftantial taxmen.— It has already been noticed how prejudicial 
 this mode of farming is to population ; and yet, happily, it 
 feems to have had little effed: in this way in thefe parts ; for, 
 according to the returns made in 1755, the number of fouls in 
 the parifh of Callander amounted to 1750 ; and by the Statiflical 
 Account in 1790, it was 2100; fo that it appears the number 
 had increafed 350 fince the former period. 
 
 The hfh found in the lakes and rivers here, are falmon, trouts, 
 greylings, pikes, jacks, eels ; to thefe may be added that fpecies 
 of mufcles in which pearls are found ; but this latter fifti feems 
 €xhaufted, from the great eagernefs which the people on the 
 banks of the Teath difcovered to become rich by means of the 
 psarlJiJJjcry. 
 
 Although this diftrid can hardly be" deemed highland^ yet the 
 language fpoken by the generality of the people is a bad dialed 
 of the ancient Celtic or Gaelic, greatly corrupted, and vulgar in 
 
 * See Note [E^j at the end of the volume. , 
 
 point 
 
CALLANDER. ' 143 
 
 point of pronunciation. The diaka: of the Scoto-Saxon, or 
 language of the lowlands, is fpoken much in the fame vulgar 
 and drawling accent. The cuftoms, however, of this part of 
 the country are altogether highland. For example : on the firft 
 day of May (old ftyle), which is Beltin-day'^, the boys of the 
 neighbouring hamlets meet, and retire to fome fequeftered fpot 
 amid the hills, where they cut a circular trench out of the green 
 turf, in the centre of which a table is formed, round which they 
 fit and eat a repaft dreffed in the following manner for the 
 Gccafion : Milk and eggs being made into the confiftence of 
 a cuftard, an oatmeal cake is kneaded very thick, and toafted by 
 being fet up againft a ftone at the embers : this is called a bon?iach- 
 chlo'ich^ or ftone-cake. As to each perfon prefent a portion of this 
 cake is to be diftributed, it is cut into the requifite number of 
 pieces. One bit of it is then bedaubed with charcoal, and the 
 whole put into a bonnet. Each lad draws out a bit ; and he to 
 whofe lot the black falls, is fald to be devoted to BeaUteine^ Bel- 
 tin, or Baal's-fire, as a facrifice. Inilead of a£tual immolation, 
 however, the vidim is made to fkip three times through the 
 glowing embers, and here the ceremony ends. Another cuftom, 
 alfo the relick of ancient fuperftition, is ftill obferved, though, 
 like the former, it is falling rapidly into negle<£t. On the lil of 
 November, All-Saints even^ fires, ufually made of ferns, are 
 kindled on knolls within fight of each other, and the boys in- 
 terefted in each fire fet fl:ones on end amid the afhes, whicli 
 
 * The Palil'ia, or feaft of Pa/fj, goddcfs of fhepherds, was obferved by the Romans 
 on the I ith of the Kalends of May, with great folemnlty. Among other ceremonies 
 they concluded with dancing over the fires they had made in the fields, of fnch (lubble as 
 they could gather for the purpofe, This feftival is called fometimes Partiia apariendo, 
 from orifons made for the fecundity of their flocks and herds. See Ovid. Fait. v. 721, 
 
 % are. 
 
144 LENEY. 
 
 are colIe<Sled carefully Into a circular form, one ftone for each of 
 the party concerned ; and if it fhould happen that any ftone is 
 moved out of its place before next morning, the perfon repre- 
 fented by fuch ftone, is fuppofed to be fey^ i. e. unfortunate, 
 devoted, and doomed to die within a year from that day. But 
 through moft other parts of the north and weft of Scotland the 
 feftival of All-Saints, or Hallow-ee?i is ftili kept with much fan- 
 taftic ceremony and feftivity ; for a charaderlftlc defcription of 
 which, fee Burns's admirable poem intitled Halloween^ fubjoined 
 to which are notes that explain many of the ftrange cuftoms 
 not altogether exploded even to this day. 
 
 As we proceed on our journey from Callander weft ward, we 
 fee on the right the family manfion of the Buchanans of Leney ; 
 the prefent reprefentative is Hamilton of Bardowie. The charter 
 of this family is as old as the year 1247, having been obtained in 
 the 23d year of Alexander II.'s reign*. It appears from the remains 
 of an old caftle f at the manfe of Callander, (on which the date 
 above the principal door is 1596) once the refidence of the 
 Livingftons of Linlithgow, now the property of the family of 
 Perth, that near the foot of thefe mountains was confidered a 
 favourable retirement in former times, as on any fudden emer- 
 gency the hills might be reforted to ; and, amid the faftnefles of 
 the Grampians the enemy be fet at defiance. On approaching 
 the Pafs of Leney ^ the traveller muft be ftruck with the appear- 
 ance of the vaft wooded amphitheatre riftng in folemn grandeur 
 l)efore him. 
 
 * See Buchanan of Achmor*8 Hlftory of the furname Buchanan, p. 96, 97. 
 
 f In 1737 this caftle, then completely in ruins, was taken down to build a mill ^d 
 a dam head dike. The prefent manfe was alfo in part built of what remained about 
 twenty years fmcc. Stat. Ace. Vd.n^ Callander. 
 
 On 
 
CALLANDER. 145 
 
 On pafling through the fmall village of Kilmahoog^ which is 
 pleafantly fituated .along the river Teath^ we foon enter the 
 ivoodof Lainy^ and reach the Pafs to the north-weft Highlands. 
 At prefent, the wood being cut down, as we approach, the 
 bending precipices are feen in full mafs, gloomy and folemn. 
 But, before the wood was ftripped of its honours, the traveller, 
 long ere he arrived at the Pafs^ heard, but faw not the whole 
 volume of the river as it ruflied through the huge fragments of 
 rock that here form the bulwark of this narrow entrance into 
 the Grampians ; and on his arrival, he caught a glimpfe of its 
 foaming fury as it burft forth : while, turning to his right, he 
 found himfelf immediately under a vaft precipice, on the hang- 
 ing cliffs of which trees hid from his fight the vaft height to 
 which it towered ; and, before him, he perceived at its bafe^ 
 only a few feet cut out of the folid rock, impending over a 
 roaring catarad, critical in the extreme, by which he was to 
 gain accefs into the faftneffes, where, till towards the middle of 
 the prefent century, a people remained, " untouched by the 
 Roman or Saxon invafions on the fouth, and by thofe of the 
 Danes on the eaft and weft fkirts of their country ; the unmixed 
 remains of that Celtic empire which once ftretched from the 
 pillars of Hercules to Archangel *." 
 
 Having gained entrance, we foon reach the weftern extremity 
 of the wood ; on clearing which, to one who never has been 
 before in the Highlands, a new fcene of magnificence prefents 
 itfelf. A glen, wild, fterile, bleak, fliut out from all but the 
 inhabitants of the neighbouring mountains, which here appear 
 almoft inacceffible, ftrikes the ftranger with awe ; and he thanks 
 
 * Dalrymple's Memoirs of Great Britain. 
 
 U Heaven 
 
146 CALLANDER. 
 
 Heaven that his lot was not caft on fo cheerlefs a fpot *. In this 
 folitude, though in its a(ped: comfortlefs in the extreme, fuch is 
 the grandeur which nature, in rude magniiicence, difplays, that 
 the bold features of the furrounding mountains cannot fail to 
 rivet the eye of the traveller, and raife in his mind correfponding 
 emotions of the fublime. In the middle ground a wooded knoll, 
 finely formed, round which, on the left hand, the Teatb, near 
 its fource, takes its firft fweep, and hurries through a fmall mea- 
 dow, forms an interefting feature. The ruins of a mill are in. 
 the fore-ground. On the right, a flope, fudden in its afcent, but 
 miferably deftitute of every thing like verdure, flretches forward 
 into the profpe£t, which is bounded by a mountain, not alto- 
 gether inelegant in point of fhape. On the left, the north-weft 
 Ihoulder oi Benledi^ rifmg in an almoft perpendicular direcSlion,, 
 huge, rugged, and fteep, marked by the mountain ftreams of 
 many ages, frowns over us in gloomy filence. The effed: is im- 
 preflive ; and the more fo, as it is fudden and unexpected. But, 
 as we proceed, on gaining the knoll already noticed, the blue ex- 
 panfe of Loch Liibnaig is feen fpread out before us. The hill 
 of Ardchulery^ which rifes in dignified elevation, verdant to the 
 top, and prettily wooded along its bafe, terminates the view. 
 Beneath the brow of this hill a folitary and but fmall manfion^ 
 on a plat of rifmg ground, clofe on the margin of the Lake, for- 
 merly the hunting feat of our Abyflinian traveller Bruce of 
 KiNNAiRD, is feen pleafantly flieltered amid trees, behind which 
 a glen winds up the fteeps, and is hid from the fight by the 
 rifing fweep of the ridge that ftretches above on the left, with 
 
 * On this fpot, however, it was the fate of the author of thefe pages firil to draw 
 breath ; and a more barren wafte is fcarcely to be met with in the whole wedern diilridt' 
 of Perth dure. The name of the farm is Tomlea, Birch-hill. 
 
 an 
 

 
 
 ^ 
 
LOCH LUBNAIG. 147 
 
 an inclination gentle and elegant, from the water's edge. This 
 forms a fine contrail to the oppofite fide-wing, a bold mafs, 
 called Craig-na-co-he'ily^ whofe deep ihade throws darknefs over 
 the lake ; and whofe impending cliffs, hoary amid a thoufand 
 fragments of fcattered remnants, hurled down from time to time 
 by mountain torrents from the top-cliffs, are feen refleded in 
 the opaque mirror of the lake below ; and as the margin, clofe 
 in upon the water, approaches nearer the eye, its verdure, and 
 woods, and broken grounds, are beheld in beautiful variety, en- 
 riching the fcene. 
 
 We now follow the winding courfe of the lake *. At the 
 point which formerly bounded our profped:, near the houfe 
 already noticed, and a fmall bridge thrown over a rapid flream 
 that defcends from the hills and rulhes into the lake at our feet, 
 the opening into the wefl end of Strathayre ftrikes the eye, 
 the lake and mountain perfpeflive of which affords another 
 pleafing gratification to the lover of Scotifh landfkape. From 
 this point too, we command a fine retrofpedive view of the lake; 
 where the craggy wilds of Craig-na-co-heily frown in fullen 
 grandeur over the profound depth of the water, which, it is fup- 
 pofed, is here the greateft. Behind this, and on the fame fide, 
 being a continuation of the rugged fleep, a promontory rifes 
 as it were out of the lake, and retires in wooded maffes into the 
 bofom of the mountain. On the other fide of the lake, its 
 eaftern extremity is marked by the projedling, wooded point of 
 Tombea j oppofite to which a rapid torrent rolls down the face 
 of Benledt gravel flones and loofe fragments of rocks in its courfe. 
 Thefe have choaked up the outlet of the lake, and formed a 
 
 * Hence, as fome allege, its name Loch Lubna'tgf the nvinding-lake. 
 
 U 2 bar, 
 
148 STRATHAYRE. 
 
 bar, which it is In contemplation to remove entirely, fo that the- 
 water may get free paflage ; and by this means the adjoining 
 banks will in great meafure be gained to the proprietors, * one 
 of whom is intrufted with the arduous undertaking. 
 
 As we proceed, the road taking a fweep clofe on the water's 
 edge by the bafe of the hill of Ardchiilery^ we are much delight- 
 ed with the fweet retreats amid the knolls and wooded recefles 
 along the green (lopes rifin.^ gracefully on the margin of the lake ; 
 which, as we advance, 'ecome more and more narrow, till the 
 fedgy fwamp at its weuern extremity indicates its origin, and. 
 hides the black, fluggifh ftream that enters it here, after wind- 
 ing its way for feveral miles through a valley in every refpecSt 
 paftoral from the flats of Balqiihidder. Every thing in Strath- 
 ayre is in character with the furrounding fcenery, which is truly 
 Highland. The drefs, air, and language of the induftrious and 
 happyinmatesof thefehiits; their rude implements of hufbandry; 
 the dwarfifh appearance of their cattle ; their peat-ftacks ; in 
 fhort, every article about their dwellings, is charadleriflic of a 
 people as yet but in the unpolifhed flate of infant fociety. But, , 
 amid all this rudenefs, to our no fmall furprife, we fall in all at 
 once with a newly ered:ed village, the houfes of which are 
 built with ftone and lime, and flated too ! It is truly admirable 
 to think that, within the fhort fpace of two or three years at moft, 
 this new eftablifhment has been planned and executed with a. 
 fpirit and perfeverance highly honourable to thofe concerned in 
 the undertaking. The inhabitants of this village are called 
 feuers 'j i. e. tenants on an indefinite leafe, paying a fum down, ^ 
 and a yearly fine, for which they have a certain portion of. 
 
 * Mr. Buchanan of Aclilaifliie, 
 
 land ; 
 
BALQUHIDDER. 149 
 
 Jknd for building on, for garden-ground, arable ground, meadow, 
 and hill-grazing. 
 
 On our left, at the weft end of the long valley through v/hich 
 we have purfued our journey, the braes of Balquhidder^ extend- 
 ing far to the fouthward, open upon us. Here we have a fublime 
 fcene of mountain perfpe£tive, contrafted with an extenfive level, 
 evidently the former bed of a lake, now a green fwamp ; 
 through which the river Balva'ig wings its courfe, and con- 
 nedis Loch-hibnaig which we have ju. left behind, Lochdoine^ 
 and Lochvo'tL In time of great floods tho intermediate grounds 
 are laid under water, when the whole extent of the vallies Bal- 
 qiihidder and Strathayre feem one continued iheet of water \ and 
 there is little doubt, that this is the ancient bed of the ri\Qx Forth, 
 the fource of which is to be feen in the vale of Balquhidder. 
 The river Balvaigy and the lakes which it conned:s, abound in 
 trout, char, bull-trout, and falmon. The whole extent of this 
 glen, as feen from the road, £eems ivcll adapted for pafture.. 
 Although the hills on either hand appear almoft naked, yet it 
 is believed, (as was the cafe in moft parts of Scotland,) that 
 the higher and particularly the lower grounds were covered with 
 wood; as in the mofles, there have been found trunks and 
 fragments of oak, alder, and birch. But whatever wood is now 
 met with is cut down for the fake of its bark; and the poor 
 inhabitants can hardly obtain fo much as will ferve for roofing 
 their huts, or for the rude utenfils of hufbandry. The laft 
 cutting of the oak-wood in this parifh was fold for 1,4001. ller- 
 ing*. The emigration to the mofles of Kincardin and Flan-? 
 ders was chiefly from this glen and other parts of Balquhidder^ 
 
 * jS.ee S.tatillical Accounts, val. xvi. p. 90. 
 
 The 
 
ajb BALQUHIDDER. 
 
 The population of confequence is greatly diminiflied. The 
 ftranger will naturally inquire why fo many infatuated beings 
 'wandered from their home, which, in every refpecSt, appears 
 preferable to the dreary wafte that they now labour to cultivate. 
 He is anfwered, when informed that there are upwards of 
 twenty thoufand fheep, where half a century ago one tenth 
 of that number were not to be found. Formerly the lands 
 were occupied by fifty tenants ; now eight tackfmen have the 
 whole in their own hands, and have divided the hill and dale 
 into fheep-walks. This parifh is the property of fourteen 
 different perfons *, fix of whom refide in it. The boundaries 
 of each proprietor are marked ; and every farm is divided ac- 
 cording to the old Scotifli fafhion, of out-field and in-field, that 
 is, hill pafture, and arable ground. "VsfYiQrt fiveral fmall farmers 
 are ftationed on 2,fmallfarm^ the pradice oifoumifig is followed, 
 which is to be underftood thus : the haddin (keeping) of four 
 fheep is allowed to one cuw ^ and double that number to one 
 horfe : for the grafs for each flieep there is an allowance of from 
 one to three fliillings per annum, and confequently, from eight 
 to twenty-four (hillings for keeping a horfe ! but be it remem- 
 bered, that the Highland horfes are kept out fummer and winter. 
 The annual rent of the whole parifh does not, at prefent, exceed 
 three thoufand pounds. The arable land rents at from five 
 to fifteen fhillings per acre (Scots), and, the returns, with the 
 utmoft care, are but inconfiderable ; the poor tenants being 
 often obliged to fetch from the low country oats and oat-meal ; 
 which, together with potatoes, milk, and bad mutton, (it being 
 principally the carcafes of difeafed fheep,) conftitute the chief 
 
 * See Statiftical Accounts, vol. xvl. p. 90. 
 
 9 part 
 
"^ 
 
 
LOGHEARN. 151 
 
 part of their diet. Add to this, fcarcity of fuel ; and let any- 
 one think how difficult it muft be to live in fo poor a country : 
 yet here the fmile of contentment brightens the human counte- 
 nance ; and the franknefs and inquifitive difpofition charaderiftic. 
 of the Highlander, is in no fmall degree obfervable in the inhabi- 
 tants of the braes of Balquhidder *. 
 
 We now turn to the right, and about two miles further on o£ 
 excellent-made road, we come to Lochearn-head. Celebrated 
 as the Romans were for conftru(Sting their military ways, they 
 certainly were far inferior to the moderns ; as an inftance, may, 
 be adduced, in fupport of this remark, the. piec€ o£ road which, 
 here forms part of that line leading from Stirling to Fort William^ 
 and the northern diftrids of Invernefs and Argylefhires. It was. 
 lately repaired, new modeled, and infped;ed by Colonel Mont- 
 gomery, to whom the public are much indebted for his fkill and 
 attention to the highways through many parts of the^ weft and 
 Highlands of Scotland.. 
 
 On an elevated plat on the left, before we come within fight; 
 of Lochearn^ we obferve EdinJJjip^ the refidence of Mr. Campbell, 
 whofe property extends along the face of the hills that rife fo 
 barren to appearance behind the houfe. 
 
 The profpe6t of the lake from the inn of Locherin-head is 
 by no means interefting at firft fight; however, when properly 
 thrown into a breadth of light and Ihade, by fome cafual ftream- 
 oSJioating-ligbt\\\\xmn\2i\.m^ certain portions of the landfcape, fo 
 as to produce a happy effect, even from this point LocheriTi 
 becomes a fit fubjed for the pencil f. 
 
 The 
 
 * S.ee Note [F], at the end of the volume. 
 
 f About two miles down the lake, Edinample, a refidence belonging to the Earl of* 
 Bre^albane, is very pleafantly fituated. The fall of the Ample is truly worthy of a . 
 
 vilit; - 
 
,54 STRATHERN. 
 
 Duplin between the Scotifli and Englifli forces; the latter 
 claiming the vidlory with inconfiderable lofs ; while on the fide 
 of the Scots the carnage was fhocking ; three thoufand, it is re- 
 corded, were left dead on the field of battle. 
 
 About the beginning of the fixteenth century, the church 
 of Momvaud was a fcene of horrid brutality, charaderiftic of 
 the unhappy fpirit of the times. The abbot of Inchaffray, 
 Walter Murray^ finding that the tythes, to which his houfe had 
 a claim, were but indifferently paid, refolved to colled: them in 
 perfon. The Drummo?ids^ on whofe eftate this church was 
 eftabliflied, did not much relifh the abbot's mode of collection, 
 and oppofed him with infult ; on which the abbot and his 
 party retired into the church, as a fanduary not to be violated. 
 The Drummonds, who by this time had acquired new ftrength 
 by a party of Argylefhire highlanders, headed by Campbell of 
 D imji affji ag e ^ ]omin^ them, furrounded the place of the abbot's 
 retreat. In this critical pofturc of affairs, a random fhot from 
 one of the ecclefiadic's party killed one of the Campbells. 
 Their chief took inftant and dreadful vengeance: He fet fire to 
 the church, and all that had taken refuge in it periflied in the 
 flames ! while the fiend, and his hellifh crew, exulted in the 
 deed ! Are we then to look back with fond admiration: on feudal 
 times, when fuch horrid murders were perpetrated ? 
 
 Not far from the fcene of this fhocking tranfa6lion, lies Tip- 
 per-moor^ where the great Montrofe gained a vi(Story over the 
 unfortunate Covenanters^ who fi:ruggled fo nobly for liberty of 
 confcience, and eventually prevailed. Two thoufand of thefe 
 brave men perifhed on the field of battle, and two thoufand 
 were made prifoners,. 
 
 Strath crn 
 
STRATHERN. i^s 
 
 Strathern was once more vifited with the calamities of war 
 in the year 1715. In order to deprive the King's forces of a 
 favourable ftation, the rebel army fet fire to the villages of Blacks 
 ford^ Dinnin^ Muthel^ and Auchterairder^ turning out the devoted 
 villagers to the wide world in the depth of winter, to fhift for 
 themfelves *". 
 
 But the times have altered : — This valley is no longer the 
 fcene of deadly feuds and devaftation. Agriculture fmiles 
 around, and gay plenty every where is feen ; cheerfulnefs and 
 harmony reign throughout this happy diftritft ; and the follow- 
 ing beautiful lines, the compofition of our countryman Mal- 
 let, are happily applicable to the furrounding fcenery, par- 
 ticularly the fpot which they celebrate: 
 
 The fmiling morn, the breathing fpring. 
 
 Invite the tuneful birds to fing : 
 
 And while they warble from each fpray 
 
 JLove melts tkc univerfal lay. 
 
 Let us, Amanda, timely wife, 
 Like them improve the hour that flies, 
 And in foft raptures wafte the day, 
 Among the birks of Invermay. 
 
 Invermay^ the charming retreat alluded to, is pleafantly fituated 
 on the banks of the May, a ftream tributary to the Erin. The 
 chalybeate wells of Pitcathly are not far diftant. Family feats, 
 farm-houfes, and cottages, are feen in quick fucceflion along the 
 whole windings of the river, from its fource to its confluence 
 
 * The order for this wanton cruelty was dated the fifteenth year of Jimes VIII's 
 reign, at Scone \ ^t)\ January 17 15-16. It is faid in extenuat'on, by the hiftorians of 
 that period, that a large fum of money was left in the hands of General Gordon for the 
 relief of the unfortunate fufftrers. 
 
 X 2 with 
 
ijS GLENLOCHART. 
 
 How chilling is the idea of a winter fpent in this inhofpitable 
 wildernefs, where fnows reft on the mountains till fummer is 
 far advanced, and where the influence of the fun is felt but for 
 a fhort feafon ! Yet happinefs and fweet contentment dwell amid 
 thefe barren waftes ; and even the mountains afford the necef- 
 faries of rude exiftence ; where, in deep retirement, and remote 
 from the bufy haunts of men, the highlander, independent by his 
 ruftic induftry, enjoys unmolefted all that he deems neceflary to 
 domeftic comfort. Happy is it, if no unforefeen calamity blights 
 that moderate degree of the goods of fortune whicTi he enjoys ; 
 but fometimes, in the wafteful courfe of the river Dochart^ 
 when mountain torrents defcend in all their fury, and fwell 
 it fuddenly, every thing is fwept away in its courfe, and the 
 unfortunate fufFerers are left without the means of fupport 
 for man or beaft through the approaching winter! In winter 
 too, calamities of a diftreffing nature often overtake the inhabi- 
 tants of this glen. A woeful inftance occurred a few years fmce, 
 that gave very general caufe for lamentation ; the circumftances 
 oi which, as related by the neighbours, in whofe remembrance 
 the fatal cataftrophe is ftrongly impreffed, were as follow : 
 
 It was in the depth of winter, and the feafon exceflively fevere 
 and changeable. Sometimes the fnow lay deep ; at other times 
 rain fell in torrents : fometimes the froft fet in with extreme in- 
 tenfenefs; then fuddenly came a thaw, accompanied with heavy 
 fhowers. During thefe rapid changes, it frequently happened 
 that the fnow was rent into vaft fragments, which were carried ' 
 jdown the hills with accelerated precipitation, fweeping whatever 
 lay in their way into the bottom of the valley. In the courfe 
 taken by one of thefe vaft fragments of fnow, lay the habitation 
 
 of 
 
^ 
 
 
 
 ^ 
 
 ^ 
 
 
KILLIN. 159 
 
 of a poor hiduftrious family. The night had hardly fallen, and 
 young and old gathered round the evening fire, when in an 
 inftant, in the twinkling of an eye, the whole of this family, 
 except the mother, were buried beneath a vafl mafs of fnow. 
 By what eircumftance this poor woman efcaped the fate of her 
 devoted family, {he was unable to explain ; but fhe ftill wan- 
 ders about the country, feemingly refigned to the w^ill of Heaven, 
 
 Proceeding by the banks of the Dochart to Killin^ the hill called 
 Stroti-chlachan^ the craggy heights of Finla'irg^ and the lofty 
 wilds of Ben-laurs^ with Loch-tay ftretching its ample breadth 
 along the bafe of thefe mountains, are feen, as grand and fimple 
 parts of a magnificent whole. 
 
 The traveller cannot fail of being pleafed with the fcenery about 
 Ktllin. As he enters the village from the weft, he obferves the 
 river Dochart ruftiing through rocky fragments^ and dividing 
 its waters among infulated precipices, over which it foams, and 
 fweeps round two illets covered wuth pines ; then calmly feeks 
 its way tlirough green meadows and inclofures, till, meeting the 
 Ilow-winding Locha in its courfe, both rivers fall filently into the 
 bofom of the lake. 
 
 Advanced as we now are into, the interior parts of the high- 
 lands of Scotland, it may not be uninterefting to bring under 
 confideration the character of the modern, contrafted with the 
 habits and purfuits of the ancient inhabitants of thefe mountains. 
 The former, we have opportunities of obferving as they pafs by, 
 or in our intercourfe with them in the common concerns of life ; 
 at merry-meetings, or on more folemn occafions; but refpe6ting 
 the latter, tradition, and what is imperfedly recorded in hif- 
 tory, muft fupply matermls for the flight flcetch about to be given. 
 
 
nto iCILLIN. 
 
 It cannot but appear remarkable to a mind accuftomed to re- 
 'fledion, that at the clofe of the eighteenth century, great portions 
 of the iflands of Britain and Ireland are inhabited by a race of 
 people, in language and manners very diffimilar to thofe in other 
 portions of thefe iflands, that have experienced through many 
 ^'ges material and various changes with regard to invafions and 
 their confequences. Driven to the mountainous regions of this 
 ifland, the ancient inhabitants carried with them their language, 
 their cuftoms, and their manners ; and it can hardly admit of 
 •doubt, that for a time thefe would be preferved with fuch fond- 
 ■nefs and facred regard to the memory of thofe who firft fixed 
 their habitations amid the inacceflible faftnefles of the Grampians, 
 as to infure them a degree of permanence, the effedts of which 
 'have come down to nearly our own times. On this reafonable 
 conjedure, for it is no more, we muft raife our hypothefis, and 
 •draw our conclufions from what appears leaft removed from 
 truth and probabiHty. But, it is a lamentable confideration, 
 that the truth of hiftory is but too often violated, even by our 
 beft hiftorians; and certain it is, that, unlefs events are preferved 
 as they exadly happened, and are recorded by the unerring 
 hand of chronology, we ought ever to be cautious how 
 we admit them as part of the hiflory of human tranfadions. 
 Thus much premifed, let it ferve as a check on what follows. 
 
 Hiftory hath its fabulous, ancient, and modern periods. Of 
 the two former, much is fupplied by conjedure ; but of the 
 latter, known events fpeak for themfelves. Of the fabulous and 
 ^ancient hiftory of the Hebrides^ a confideraole part is but im- 
 perfedly handed down to us ; and, as to the modern hiftory, 
 Uridly fo called, much of it is but ill calculated to imprefs an 
 
 1 1 impartial 
 
KILLIN, i6i 
 
 impartial inquirer with favourable ideas of that magnanimity, 
 regard to juftice, and the higher attributes of humanity, faid ta 
 have obtained in a flare of fociety fo celebrated in our fongs and 
 traditional tales ; in thofe particularly which are afcribed to 
 OJfian^ the fon of Fingal^ the " king of woody Morven." Yet, 
 from this remark, it is by no means to be inferred that due con- 
 fideration is to be withheld from traditional hiftory ; on the 
 contrary, where oral recitations convey moral inftrudion, as well 
 as celebrate the actions of heroes, they ought ever to be regarded 
 as the only mode of authentic information that a rude, unlettered 
 people have of preferving an account of themfelves to their 
 pofterity. This, then, is their hiftory ; and, as hiftory is " phi- 
 lofophy teaching by example," fo, in like manner, oral tradi- 
 tion is calculated to raife in the mind a generous ambition to 
 imitate the heroic deeds, and imbibe the noble glow of fentiment 
 thereby celebrated. So far we may admit, with fafety, the tra- 
 ditional hiftory of our anceftors ; but, to conned this with gene- 
 ral hiftory, as eftabliflied on chronological order, is to err in the 
 extreme. It is a vain attempt to afcertain the precife era of 
 Offian. All nations bear teftimony to their own barbarity ; and 
 there is not any people, however rude, but have traditions of 
 remote times, wherein their anceftors are celebrated either as 
 heroes, or as deified beings, from whom they derive the luftre 
 of an immortal name and divine origin. Examples of this are 
 to be found in the hiftories of ancient nations, whofe rude chain 
 of probable incidents is all that the hiftorian has to guide him 
 in his refearches into the origin of thofe tribes, the founders of 
 the Greek and Roman republics. Nor does he heiitate in adopt- 
 ing the poetical hiftories of the earlier periods of their aflbci- 
 
 Y ation ; 
 
»gj IvILLIN. 
 
 atlon ; and thence traces the progrefs of their civilization, 
 through the various mazes of their mihtary, commercial, and 
 political advancement ; as alfo that of their knowledge in 
 the arts and fciences, to that point, beyond which, hitherto, a 
 retrograde feries commences, and (lamentable refled:ion !) a rapid 
 <iecline and eventual diflblution of empire takes place, till fcarcely 
 a veftige remains to prove that fo great a nation flourilhed, fo 
 powerful a people exifted. 
 
 The fcattered remnants of the Celtic nations that are flill exiftlng 
 in the weilern parts of Britain and Ireland, retain, even at this day, 
 fo much of their original peculiarity of manners, as manifeftly to 
 <iiftinguilh them from other clafles of the inhabitants of thefe 
 diftrids: and, till lately, love, frienddiip, and war, conftituted 
 the fole obje<St of their purfuits. Thefe are the diftinguifhing 
 charadteriftics of a rude ftate of fociety. But we flill live in an 
 age wherein the arts of war and government are regarded as 
 thofe beft adapted to more advanced ftages of civilization than 
 even the prefent. For man is confidered, conftitutionally, as the 
 butcher of his kind, or, at beft, a fighting-animal, whofe very 
 nature partakes fo much of the noble afFedions which he has in 
 common with the tyger, lion, bull, or dunghill-cock. It fol- 
 lows as a confequence, founded in the immutable laws of 
 nature, that, as long as the world lafts, war will be the chief 
 employment of man ; and as government is a fcience necefTary 
 to regulate the time and manner of fighting, as well as to pro- 
 vide for the means of protedion and defence, there is no room 
 to doubt that war and government will conrtitute the more 
 honourable employments of a ftate dependant on fuch means 
 for the maintenance of focial order. Why then call an age 
 
 barbarous, 
 
KILLIN. r65 
 
 barbarous, wbich Is charaderlzed by feuds, and conflids, and de^ 
 predatlons,, and domeftic quarrels ? If, for inftance, one nation 
 goes to war with another, does either fcruple to ufe every 
 means poffible to deftroy its advcrfary I Wherein lies the differ- 
 ence between one tribe, or, as it is called among highlanders, one 
 C/a/i going to war with another, and adopting every means the 
 one can devife for the extirpation of the other, fo as to prevent 
 farther moleftation, and enfure the comforts which arife fronx 
 temporary fecurity, indemnification for the paft, and fafety for the 
 future ? — But we muft defift, as there is no faying how far this 
 argument might lead. — Let it fuffice, that in all ages and coun- 
 tries it has appeared that war has found its advocates, and its 
 practitioners, and fupporters too. What wonder then, if among 
 the favage wilds of Caledonia, a people, whofe chief glory was 
 war, and all its concomitant perils, and who till very lately 
 were diftinguifhed by few other of the attributes of humanity, 
 are ftill in feme meafure attached to what feems fo far inherent 
 in human nature, fighting and plunder? — And, if fuch be ne- 
 cefiiiry in a refined ftate of fociety, how much more fo mull 
 it be in a rude ftate? But to apologize for times of barbarity 
 is not to the prefent purpofe* 
 
 The ancient Cells were divided into tribes, or clafTes, or clans, 
 as their defcendants are now called. Their bufinefs was war, 
 and their religion druidifm. To the Druids fucceeded the Cul- 
 dees • but the patriarchal ftate was materially altered when the 
 feudal fyftem obtained univerfally in Europe. Thefe changes 
 wrought many othersjinimical to the ancient eftabliftiments among 
 the Celts ; and time and circumftances, continually operating on 
 the living manners of a reduced people, haftened their downfall. 
 
 Y 2 Retaining 
 
iG^ , KILLIN. 
 
 retaining their original language, and fome of theit ancient cuf- 
 toms, their morals were corrupted, and they became ferocious 
 freebooters, following their lords and mafters blindly, either to 
 the chace, or to the field of battle : — Thus we have to deplore 
 the debafed ftate of a fallen race, whom the power of Rome 
 itfelf could only drive to the mountains, but never fubdue. 
 This frank acknowledgment is due to truth. It is in this 
 humiliating ilate that we mufl compare the highlanders of for- 
 mer times with thofe of the prefent. 
 
 Whoever examines the border hiftory of England and Scot- 
 land, will find it fimilar to the hiftory of the confines of the 
 highlands and lowlands of Scotland. The Corficans of this day 
 refemble our borderers and highlanders in many particulars. 
 In fliort, in fimilar circumftances, human nature is found every 
 where much the fame, and the adions of one period correfpond 
 pretty nearly with thofe of a fimilar period, making allow- 
 ance for fuch cafualties as feem to govern the moment. 
 
 Two material changes have taken place fince the Romans left 
 this part of our ifland. Thefe are, the total expulfion of the 
 Pi(Sts ; and fince the days of Malcolm Can-more^ who flourifh- 
 ed in the eleventh century, the gradual decay of the Gaelic^ or 
 language of the Celts in Scotland *. The inhabitants of the 
 
 ' mountains 
 
 * That the Gaelic language was that fpoken at court, can admit of no doubt what- 
 ever The peevifli fcrupks which fome affedl to entertain with regard to this circnm- 
 flance, merits filent contempt ; as to difcufs the fubjedl would be to no purpofe, where 
 ignorance and folly are to be combated. Whether the Pids and Cells fpoke one and the 
 fame language is not eafy to be afcertained ; however, from the time a\ hcii K .;, n eth II. 
 overthrew the PiBs on the banks of t . lay near Scoru, our hilloti.u , (for what reafon 
 it is difficult to guefs, unlefs it be confiilent with truth) mention the Pids as a people 
 that had beetij and that ceojed to k from the period here alluded to. 
 
 The 
 
KILLIN. i6| 
 
 mountains retained their original language, while the Scoto- 
 ■Saxo?i prevailed among the inhabitants of the lowlands. The 
 occupations of the inhabitants of both diftridts were pretty much 
 on a par ; for each, in their turn, plundered and murdered the 
 other, till both were reftrained by exemplary punifliments. In 
 the reigns of our Jamefes, the thieves of the borders and of the 
 highlands were greatly brought under fubordination to the laws. 
 This was accomplifhed by the ftrong hand alone*. In the mi- 
 nority of the fixth James, and during the latter part of his reign, 
 they fufFered feverely. Yet even at that period the profefiion 
 
 The Highlanders at this hour are accultomed to call the country they inhabit Alabin \ 
 and that inhabited by the Celtic Irifh, Erin ; and when they talk of their own lan- 
 guage, they denominate it Gaelic -Alabinijh., and that of the Celtic Irifh Gaelic -Erini/h, 
 They call likewife the inhabitants of the lowlands Gaul and Saffanach, i. e. Strangers 
 and Saxons ; the former is applied to the lowland Scots, and the latter to the Englifh 
 Scots, or the Engliih fouth of the Tweed, as England is alfo called Sqffan or Saxony. 
 With regard to thefe particulars there can be no difpute ; and thefe fairly indicate that 
 our hiftorians are correft in their accounts of the earlier inhabitants of this ifland, and 
 of the various revolutions that have taken place ; which, in truth, conftitute the great 
 body of our national annals. By looking over a map of Scotland, we can trace pretty 
 cxadlly the line beyond which the Gaelic is ftill the living language of the inhabitants r. 
 thus, from the banks of Loch-lomond, in the weft, by the foot of the Grampians down 
 to the Murray Frith, and the upper parts of the fliires of Caithnefs on the north, and 
 from Nairne on the eaft, and among the Ebuade as far as St. Kilda : comprehending a 
 wide and extended region of this northern feftion of the ifland of Great Britain. 
 
 * The loth of Oftober, (1567,) ther was ane proclaimatione to meit ye Regent 
 (Murray) in Peiblefs, upone ye 8 of November nixt, for the reprefling of the thieves 
 in Annandail and Eafdail ; bot my Lord Regent, thinking they wald gett advertifmcnt, 
 he preventit the day, and came over the water fecretly, and logit at Dalkieth ; this 
 upone the 19 day ; and upone ye morrow he depairted towards Hauich, quher he 
 came both fedetly and fuddenly, and ther tooke 34. thieves, quhom he partly caufed 
 hang, and partly droune, 5 he let frie upon cautione ; and upon the 2d day of November 
 he brought other 10 of them with him to Edinburghe, and ther put them in irons.'* 
 See Birrel's Diary, p. 12. Conftabk's edit. Edin. 1798. 
 
 of 
 
j66 KILLIN. 
 
 of tBiefwsLS by no means deemed fo reproachful as many may 
 be difpofed to imagine ; for not only our highland gentry 
 thought it not unworthy of their dignity, but alfo the inhabi- 
 tants of the fouthern diftridis were no lefs renowned for their 
 exploits in that perilous calling *. Nay, fometimes Majefty 
 itfelf was thought by the feditious and diiTkffe(^ed to receive 
 aid from our Scotifh banditti at times, and in cafes of extreme 
 danger "f. To take a retrofpe<3: of the feuds and conflids 
 among the highland clans, did our limits admit of it, might af- 
 ford matter of refledion to the curious inquirer into the rude 
 manners of a barbarous age, wherein the patriarchal and feudal 
 fyftems were united, carrying along with an authority purely 
 gratuitous, all the prejudices in favour of the rights of primo- 
 geniture and chieftainfhip, without fo much as an idea that a 
 different order of fociety could exift. The highland clans were 
 unlike in fome refpeds the tribes of the Greeks and Romans, 
 
 * ** The — March (1603) 7 M'Gregors and Armftrongs wer hangit at the croffe.'' 
 Birrel's Diary, P- 6t. Conftable's Edit. 1798. 
 
 " The 10 of March (1603) twa notable thieves hangit at the croiTe, ane Thomas 
 Haidie, and ane Davidfon. Ibid. 
 
 *' The 15 Mali (1603) thrie brether of the Betefones hangit at the crofle, quha 
 were notabell thiefFes. Ibid.. 
 
 ** The 2 Junii (1603) ane notable thieff, callit Robert Fleming, quha dwelt at the 
 lious of Mulr, hangit for theft, oppreflion, and refett of thiefFes." Ibid. 
 
 Meantime the ferocity of the borderers, when rcftrained from difcharging itfelf upon 
 their ancient enemies of the oppofite nation (England), ccafed not to break forth into 
 cruel outrages againll their neighbours at home. To reprefs thefe aAs of violence, it 
 was found neceflary, in the very laft Parliaments of England and Scotland that were 
 held under different fovereigns, to enforce the old,, and frame new llatutes. See Ridr 
 path's Border Hiftory of England and Scotland, 410. p. 699. 
 
 f " Upone the morne of this time, (i. e. 31 December 1596.) and before this day, 
 yair waes ane grate rumour and word among the townfmen that the King's M. fould 
 fend in (to Edinburgh) Will Kinmond the common llueff, and.fo many fouthland men, 
 as fould fpulzie the town of Edih. Ibid, p. 41, 
 
 and 
 
KILLIN. 167 
 
 and even the Hebrews, Germans, Tartars, and others, par- 
 ticularly with regard to their leaders ; for not only a chief was 
 looked up to as a common father ; but under him, in fubordinate 
 degrees, chieftains or heads of families were of high condition, 
 and were as tenacious of their rights as the common patriarch, 
 to whom all paid implicit obedience. Their hills and vallies 
 were divided into deer forefts, and pafture grounds. Every in- 
 dividual had his fpot allotted him in the community. Every 
 one claimed a fliare in the chace, and in the booty ; and if every 
 thing was not in common, it was merely becaufe it was neceflary 
 to preferve that degree of order confequent on the fubdivifions 
 of each clan, and their pofleflions. 
 
 When it happened that any of the chiefs, by grants from the 
 crown, by marriage, or any other means, acquired large demefnes, 
 it demanded their utmoft vigilance and prowefs to preferve from 
 the incurfions of their more powerful neighbours their privi- 
 leges and property. Hence the feuds and favage conflidls 
 which difgraced the clans from the eleventh to the latter end of 
 the laft century * ; from " the confliSl of Drumilial^ in the days 
 of Malcolm II. to the battle of Mulroy^ fought between the Laird 
 <f Macintofh^ and Macdonell of Keappoch f. 
 
 The Macdofiells of Keappoch, a brave and refolute race of 
 warriors, and the Campbells of Braidalbane, a numerous and no 
 lefs warlike people, were continually making inroads on one 
 
 * See the Hiftory of the Feuds and Conflidls among the Clans in the northern parts 
 of Scotland, and in the weftern ifles, from the year 1031 until 1619, now firft publlfhed 
 from a MS. wrote in the reign of James VI. Glafgow printed by Robert and Andrew 
 Foulis, 1764. 
 
 f See Swift's Life of Captain J. Crichton.— See alfo Johnfon's Journey to the 
 "Weftern Iflands of Scotland. 
 
 another's 
 
i69 KILLIN. 
 
 another's lands. A defperate conflid took place on the hill 
 rifmg immediately above the church of KHIm, called Stroji- 
 chlachan^ between thofe clans, toward the latter end of the 
 fixteenth century, in confequence of an expedition, called a 
 creach^ undertaken by the brother of Keappoch, and a number 
 of his followers, againft the inhabitants of Bufirannoch and 
 Strathtay, The Macdonells^ who had travelled from their faft- 
 nefTes in Brae-lochaher^ over the mountains, through Rannochy 
 and Gkfilion^ had carried off all the cattle in their way fouth- 
 ward ; and returning with their booty, by the heights of Deijfery 
 which run along the fouth fide of Loch-tay^ they had afcended 
 Stronchlachan ; when tidings of their progrefs reached a party 
 of Campbells who were afTembled in the Hall of Finlarlg at a 
 chriftening. Fired with indignation at fo daring an infult, they 
 inflantly rufhed forth, afcended the hill, and attacked the foe, 
 but were repulfed with lofs. The iliiar^o;?^///, triumphant, pur- 
 fued their route ; but the Catnpbells receiving a reinforcement, as 
 well they might on their own lands, followed the enemy, and 
 came up with him on the braes of Glenurcba^ where they over- 
 powered him by numbers, recovered the booty, and returned in 
 triumph, having accomplifhed their revenge. Let this ferve as 
 . an inftance of the former feuds of the clans. 
 
 In contrafting the former cuftoms, occupations, and manners 
 of the highlanders with the prefent, we are ftruck with a wide 
 difference in moft refpeds. We no longer behold them that 
 high independant race of people which they were even a century 
 ago : — much more, then, muft the inhabitants of thefe moun- 
 tains, two or more centuries fmce, have differed from the prefent 
 race, their defcendants. As the manners and cufloms of the 
 
 1 1 highlanders 
 
killin: 169 
 
 Highlanders have obtained notice, in the general defcriptions 
 of the Hebrides^ from the year 1549, when Mr. Donald 
 Monroy high dean of the ifles, travelled through moft of 
 them, and drew up a very accurate account, to the period 
 of Doctor Samuel yohnfon\ journey to the weftern ifles ; the 
 flight notices to be found in this place, when fupported by 
 the authorities referred to, and from which a few extrads are 
 fubjoined, may not prove lefs acceptable to an impartial in- 
 quirer, whofe chief objed is the difcovery of truth, ungarnifhed 
 by fidion. 
 
 As in the more remote parts of any country we are to expe£t 
 the leaft alteration in the cuftoms and manners of the people, 
 the inhabitants of the wefliern ifles may'reafonably be fuppofed 
 to have preferved much of their primitive mode of life. Hence 
 the propriety of confidering what regards them as charaderifliic 
 of more remote times ; and thus are we furnifhed with fome 
 data to guide our opinions in the comparative view herein fub- 
 mitted. 
 
 The ancient highlanders, like all unpolifhed nations, delighted 
 in the pleafures of the chace ; and thofe living in iflands, and 
 on the fea-coafl:s, occupied themfelves in fifliing, and other 
 maritime purfuits ; of confequence, they fubfiflied entirely on 
 animal food. Afterwards, animals became domefl;icated, and 
 the produce of milk entered into the articles of diet *. To the 
 domeftication of certain animals, as the horfe, cow, flieep, &c, 
 
 fucceeded 
 
 * So late as the year 1597, the highlanders are defcrlbed In the following manner; 
 *• Their bankets are hunting and fifhing. They fee the their flefh in the tripe, or elfe iu 
 the flcinne of the beaft, filling the fame full of water- Now and then in hunting they 
 ilraine out the blood, and eat the fle(h raw. Their drink is the broth of fodden flefli. 
 They love well the drink made of whey, and kept certayne ycres, drinking the fame at 
 
 Z feafts; 
 
?7o KILLIN. 
 
 fiicceeded the humble attempts at agriculture ; and, by the fol- 
 lowing quotations from Monro's Defcription of the Weftern 
 Ifles *, it appears, that even in the middle of the fixteenth cen- 
 tury, the ufe of corn was not unknown among the inhabitants 
 of the Mbiidc^. " Golmkill. Narreft this be twa myles of fea, 
 " layes the ile Erifche callit I-colm-kill, that is Sand: Colm's ile, 
 " ane faire mayne ile twa myle lang and maire, and ane myle 
 " braid, fertill and fruitful of corne and ftore and guid for fifh- 
 " ing." — " Hefker Nagaillon, it has a bundance of corne and 
 ** elding for fire, it perteins to the Nuns of Columnkill." — 
 " Tarndfay an ile of five myles lange, and hafF myle braid, ane 
 
 *' rough ile, with certain tounis, well inhabit and manurit ; hot 
 
 , A, ____^ 
 
 feafts : it is named by them Blandhm f . The mofl part of them drink water. Their 
 ciillom is, to make their bread of oats and barley (which are the only kinds of grayne 
 that grow in thefe parts) : experience (with time) hath taught them to make it in fuch 
 fort, that it is not unpleafant to eate. They take a httle of it in the morning, and fo, 
 palEng to the hunting, or any other bufinefie, content themfelves therewith, without 
 any other kind of meat till even." See Defcription of the Ifles of Scotland, *< im- 
 printed at London for John Flaflcet, 1603." The fame author mentions, in another 
 part of his defcription, that *' South eafl from Lewis, almoll three fcore myles, there 
 is a little ifland low and playne, well manured, named Rona, the inhabitants whereof are 
 rude men, and almoll without religion. The lord of the ground limits certain houfe- 
 holds to occupy it, appointing for every houfehold, few, or many fheepe, according to 
 his pleafure, whereon they may eafily live and pay their rent ; whatfoever refts at the 
 year's end, more than their neceffary fuftentatlon,, they fend the fame yeerly to Lewis 
 to their matter. The rent for the moil part which they pay is barley meale, fewed up 
 in flieep flclnnes, in great quantity ; — amongft them grow no flore of any other kind of 
 grayne." 
 
 " The great produce of barley (fays Martin) draws many ftrangers to this ifland, 
 (Harris) with a defign to procure as much of this grain as they can, which they get 
 jfrom the inhabitants ^ra/w only for aflcing, as they do horfes, fheep, wool, &c." Mar- 
 tin's Defcription of the Wcliern Ifles. 
 
 •j- " On the coarts (of Iceland) they generally drink blar.daJ''' In the Elfdalln of V/crmeland m, 
 Sweden, the common beverege of the country people is miik, mixed with wattr, and called by 
 them hlando' See Letters on Iceland, p. no. See alfo Buchanarij Kj. i- 
 
 * The edition quoted is that printed. by William Auld, Ediii. 1774. 
 
 8 « all 
 
KILLIN. 17 1 
 
 *' all this fertlll is delved with fpaides, excepting fa maikell as 
 " ane horfe-pleugh will teil, and zet they have maift abundance 
 " of heir, miekell of corne, (tore, and iifhing ; it perteins to 
 " Ad'Cloyd of Herrey." — Thus we trace the gradual progrefs 
 towards civilization, in regard to the neceflkry articles of 
 fubfiftence, among the inhabitants of the more remote parts of 
 the highlands and weftern ifles. A writer of the latter end of 
 the ftxteenth century, when fpeaking of their drefs, &c. fays, 
 " They delight in marled clothes, fpecially that have long ftripes 
 " of fundry colours ; they love chiefly purple and blew. Their 
 *' predecefTors ufed fhort mantles, or playds of divers colours, 
 " fundry ways divided ; and among fome, the fame cuflome is 
 " obferved to this day ; but for the moft part now they are 
 " browne, moft neer to the colour of the hadder, to the effect, 
 " when they lye amongft the hadder, the bright colour of their 
 " playds {hall not bewray them ; with the which, rather coloured 
 " than clad, they fuffcr the moft cruel tempefts that blow in the 
 " open field, in fuch fort, that under a wrythe of fnow they 
 " deep found. • In their houfes alfo, they lye upon the ground, 
 " laying betwixt them and it, brakens, or hadder *, the rootes 
 " thereof downe, and the tops up, fo prettily layed together, 
 " that they are as foft as feather-beds, and much more whole- 
 " fome ; for the tops themfelves are dry of nature, whereby it 
 " dries the weake humours, and reftores againe the ftrength of 
 *' the fmews troubled before ; and that fo evidently, that they 
 " who at evening go to reft fore and weary, rife in the morning 
 
 * That this was the cuftora univerfally in Scotland at the time when Kenneth II, 
 overthrew the Picts, is evident, from the circumftance of the nobles, when lodged 
 in the King's name, lying on the floor in the great hall, with nothing under them but 
 Jeaves and grafs. See Buchanan, lib. v. 
 
 Z 2 whole 
 
I 
 
 I7t KILIN. 
 
 " whole and able. As none of lefe people care for their beds 
 " and bedding, fo take they gr tcR pleafure in rudenelTe and 
 " hardnefle. If for their own ommodity^ or upon neceffity^ 
 " they travel into any othercourry, they rejecSt the feather-bed 
 " and bedding of their hofte. They wrap themfelves up in 
 " their playds, fo taking their rel ; careful indeed, left that bar- 
 " barous delicacie of the mayne ind (as they tearme it) corrupt 
 "their naturall and country havnefle*." Such were the ap- 
 parel, &c. of the natives of th Weftern Ifles, and fuch the 
 fcorn in which they held effenuacy two centuries ago! To- 
 wards the latter end of the laft ^ntury, the fame cuftoms and 
 manners, as appears from MaJris defcription, were hardly 
 aboliftied, " They lie for the n>ft part (fays he) on beds of . 
 *' ftraw, and fome on beds of htth ; which latter being made 
 " after their way, with the top upermoft, are almoft as foft as a 
 " feather bed, and yielded a plefant fcent after lying on 'em 
 *' once. The natives by experiace have found it to be ef- 
 " fedtual for drying fuperfluous hmours, and ftrengthening the 
 " nerves. It is very refrefhing af:r a fatigue of ^y kind. The 
 " Fi&s are faid to have had an a: of brewing curious ale with 
 ** the tops of heath, but they re' fed to communicate it to the 
 " Scots, and fo it is loft f-" 
 
 *' The firft habit (fays the fan author) wore by perfons of 
 ** diftindion in the iflands, was le Leni-croicb from the Irifli 
 
 - * Defcription of the Weftern Ifles of Sec md in 1597 ; imprinted at London by- 
 John Flaflcet, in Paules Church yard 1603.— et alfo Buchanan, lib. i. from whonv 
 this anonymous author feem^ to have borrowf great part of his defcription. 
 
 f Martin's Defcription of the Weftern Ifl, 2d edit. p. 196. It is fomewhat re- 
 markable, that the vulgar in Scotland alwa ■ cor.fidcred the Pi3s, or Fe'ighst 
 ingenious rather than as a warlike people. 
 
KILLIN 
 
 «73 
 
 ** (Gaelic) word leni^ which fignies a fhirt, and crotch, fafFron, 
 *' becaufe their fhirt was dyed wih that herb * : the ordinary 
 *' number of ells (yards) ufed to miie this robe was twenty- four ; 
 " it was the upper garb reaching elow the knees, and was tied 
 " with a belt round the middle ; ut the iflanders have laid it 
 " afide about a hundred years ao. They now generally ufe 
 " coat, waiftcoat, and breeches, as ifewhere ; and on their heads 
 *' wear bonnets made of thick C3th, fome blue, fome black, 
 " fome grey. Many of the peope wear trowis "f.-^-The fhoes 
 " anciently wore, were a piece o the hide of a deer, cow, or 
 " horfe with the hair on, being hid behind and before with a 
 " point of leather. They generlly wear now flioes, having 
 ** ane thin fole only. But perfor, of diftindion wear the garb 
 " in fafliion in the fouth of Scotind. The plaid is wore only 
 " by the men, and is made of fie wool : — it confifts of divers 
 " colours, and there is great ingauity required in forting the 
 " colours," fo as to be agreeable t> the niceft fancy. For this 
 " reafon the women are at gre: pains, firft to give an exadt 
 " pattern of the pla'id on a piecof wood, having the number 
 " of threads of the ftripe on it. "he length of the plaid is fevert 
 " double ells. When they trave on foot, the plaid is tied on 
 " the bread with a bodkin of boe or wood (juft as thQfpina 
 ** worn by the Germans^ according to the defcription of C. Taci- 
 
 jden mentions the appearance of ''Nell and his followers at the court of. 
 with their faffron-ftaed (hirts, &c. Hift. Eliz. p. 69. 
 
 * mbrenfis, \.\ ironvls was worn by the Irlfh in the 
 
 ^leir jackets^) reeches, and ftockings were of one piece, 
 
 id mantle co^ring the fhoulders, and coming down to 
 
 ^^ETs ilripes and )Iours. — Vide Cambrenf. Ever. p. 738. 
 
 ^^n by the Belgi Gauls, as Strabo relates.— St rab. lib. iv, 
 
 " tusj : 
 
174- KrLLIN. 
 
 " tus) : the plaid Is tied round the middle with a leather belt ; it 
 " is pleated from the belt to the knee very nicely ; this drefs 
 " for footmen is found much eafier and lighter than breeches or 
 " trowis. 
 
 " The ancient drefs wore by the women, and which is yet 
 " wore by fome of the vulgar, called arifad, is a white plaid, 
 " having a few fmall ftripes of black, blue, and red ; it reached 
 " from the neck to the heels, and was tied before on the breaft 
 " with a buckle of filver, or brafs, according to the quality of 
 ** the perfon. I have feen fome of the former of a hundred 
 " marks value : it was broad as any ordinary pewter plate, the 
 " whole curioufly engraven with various animals, &c. There 
 " was a lefTer buckle, which was w^ore in the middle of the 
 " larger, and above two ounces weight : it had in the centre a 
 " large piece of chryftal, or fome finer ftone, and this was fet 
 " all round with feveral flones of a lefTer fize. 
 
 " The plaid, being pleated all round, was tied with a belt 
 " below the breaft ; the belt was of leather, and feveral pieces of 
 " filver intermixed with the leather like a chain. The lower 
 " end of the belt has a piece of plate about eight inches long, 
 " and three in breadth curioufly engraven : the end of which 
 " w^as adorned with fine ftones, or pieces of red coral. They 
 " wore ileeves of fcarlet cloth clofed at the end as men's vefts, 
 " with gold lace round 'em, having plate buttons fet with fine 
 *' ftones. The head-drefs was a fine kerchief oi linen ftraight 
 *' about the head, hanging down the back taper-wife ; a large 
 *' lock of hair hangs down their cheeks above their breaft, the 
 *' lower end tied with a knot of ribbands*." 
 
 * Martin's Defcriptlon, p. 207, 208, 209. 
 
 Such 
 
KILLIN, 175: 
 
 Such, according to the two laft quoted writers, was the drels 
 of the ancient Highlanders ; and their accounts agree pretty well 
 with tradition, and v/hat is ftiil retained of the habit of former 
 times. But the drefs of the prefent day is by no means uniform ; 
 the intercourfe with the low country being fuch, as to make the 
 introduction of more (hewy apparel a matter of courfe ; and the 
 lowland drefs is fantaftically combined with the highland, fo as- 
 to exhibit a ludicrous effect. 
 
 Of the poetry and mufic of the Highlanders much has been: 
 faid ; though the fubjed has not obtained that degree of atten-- 
 tion which its interefting nature demands. With perfons de- 
 void of a mufical ear, and with thofe who do not underftand the 
 Gaelic language, the aflertions of a modern, and a native too,, 
 will have but little weight ; hence it may be neceflary to add 
 the teftimony of a writer already quoted ; but, to fuch as are 
 poiTefTed of an ear for mufic, and who may be content with the 
 fpecimens of the poetry of the Highlanders, preferved in tranf- 
 lations already in the hands of the public, the additional infor- 
 mation herein communicated, from real knowledge, may not. 
 be deemed unworthy of acceptance. 
 
 " They (meaning the Highlanders) delight much in 
 
 " muficke, but chiefly in harps and clairfchoes of their own 
 '^ failiion. The firings of the clairfchoes are made of braffe- 
 •* wire, and the firings of the harps of fmews ; which firings 
 " they flrike either with their nayles, growing long, or elfe with 
 " an inflrument appoynted for that ufe. They take great plea- 
 " fure to decke their harps and clairfchoes with filv^r and 
 *' precious flones ; the poore ones that cannot attayne hereunto^ 
 « decke them with chriflall. They fing verfes prettely comr 
 
 " pound^. 
 
1-6 KILLIN. 
 
 " pound, contaymng (for the moft part) prayfes of valiant men. 
 " There is not ahnoft any other argument, whereof their rymes 
 " intreat. They fpeak the ancient French language, altered a 
 " little *." The harp and clairfcboes are now heard of in an- 
 cient fong only in the highlands. At what period thefe inftruments 
 ceafed to be ufed, is not on record ; and tradition is filent on 
 this head. But as Irifh harpers occafionally vifited the high- 
 lands and weftern ifles till latelyf , the harp might have been ex- 
 tant fo late as the middle of the prefent century. Thus far we 
 know, that from remote times down to the prefent, harpers 
 were received as welcome guefts, particularly in the highlands of 
 Scotland ; and fo late as the latter end of the fixteenth century, 
 as appears by the above quotation, the harp was in common 
 ufe among the natives of the weftern ifles. How it happened 
 that the noify and inharmonious bag-pipe banifhed the foft and 
 expreflive harp, we cannot fay ; but certain it is that the bag- 
 pipe is now the only inftrument that obtains univerfally in the 
 highland diftrids. That it is an inftrument of great antiquity, 
 cannot be denied ; as it appeared in various forms among the 
 Greeks and Romans of the earlier ages ; and at the prefent day, 
 
 * Vide ** Certayne matters concerning the Realme of Scotland, &c. as they were 
 anno Domini i 597 ; imprinted at London for John Flaflcet 1603." ^'^^ '^^'^ Buchanan. 
 
 f It appears that it was a cuftom among the Scotch nobles to be lulled to jfleep by 
 the found of the harp. It is faid, that an Irifh harper, who flept in the bed chamber 
 of King ^/y6(3fl'/W, murdered him while afleep. — Vide Buchanan, lib. iv. Our firft 
 James is faid to have been a fkilful performer on the harp. Strolling harpers from 
 Ireland are mentioned by different authors. The laft three of any note were blind, viz. 
 'Tujhne, mentioned in Dr. Alexander Pennycuick's poems, prefixed to his Defcription 
 of Tvveeddale, Edin. 1715 ; Rory or Roderick Dall (i. e. blind Roderick) mention- 
 ed by Tytkr (fee his Dlifertation on Scotifh Mufic ) ; and M' Donald (fee his Effay 
 prefixed to his CoUedlion of Highland Airs\ O^Kean^ who alfo was blind, was in the 
 habit of vifiting this country till within thefe Cxteen years. 
 
 there 
 
IvILLlN. i-jj 
 
 there Is fcarcely a corner in Europe, in whicli it is not to be 
 met with, in fome (hape or other *. 
 
 " The prayfes of valiant men," alludes to the traditional hif- 
 tory of the highlanders, as preferved in their poetical rhapfodies, 
 fome of which reprefent a Fingalian race of giants ; and others, 
 lefs extravagant in. defcription, reprefent the Fingalians as a race 
 of heroes, terriblb in battle ; but, *' as the gale that moves the 
 grafs to thofe who afked their aid." True it is, that the poets 
 and hiftorians of the lowlands of Scotland make but flight 
 mention of the traditions in the highlands j and from this cir- 
 cumftance, fome have peeviilily rejected as fpurious the tranf- 
 lations which have appeared of our poetical remains. But 
 nothing can be more unreafonable; for, although our traditional 
 hijlory fhould be received with great caution, yet many allufions 
 to obfcure periods of our legitimate hiftory, by no means in- 
 compatible with admitted points, are to be met with in the 
 compofitions afcribed to Offian. 
 
 Fin-mac-cumhal, or, as M'Pherfon has tranllated it, Fhigal^ 
 is well known as the celebrated hero of antiquity among the 
 native Irilh, and the Scotilh highlanders. Both lay claim to him, 
 and to the poetical rhapfodies refped:ing him and his heroes ; 
 and, as the Scotifh highlander and the Irifh aborigines are un- 
 doubtedly one and the fame people, whofe language, in great 
 meafure, even at this day, whofe cuftoms and manners are the 
 fame, it feems a matter of fmall importance on which fide of the 
 "water FIngal and his heroes were born and flouriflied. Let 
 antiquaries puzzle themfelves about this point; it fhall be our 
 
 * TTie harp feems to have been pretty univerf il among the northern nations. — See 
 Voyage en Sibere, par Mon. Gmelin, tom. i. p. 30. See alfo, Ledgwkk's InTa .'^n- 
 ticjuities, Walker's Hillory of the Irifh Bards, 5cc. 
 
 A a bufmefs 
 
178 ' KILLIN. 
 
 bufiiiers to trace to oar own times Vv^hatever mention is made of 
 thefe celebrated heroes in our Scotifh annals, either poetical or 
 hiftorical. 
 
 The firfl: author of any note who mentions Fmgal is, the 
 celebrated author of the Bruce, Barbour^ Arch- deacon of Aber- 
 deen, vsdio wrote towards the latter end of the fourteenth 
 century*. Hedor Boethius, Buchanan and Leilie, mcniion 
 Fin-mac- cull ^ \ as doth alfo Nicolfon in his Scotilh Hlflorical 
 Library J, but in fuch a way as to clafs what relates to him 
 with the fidions of romance. To whatever period of our tra- 
 ditional hiftory the Fimis are referable, their exigence at fome 
 time is undoubted. The whole higiilands and ifles, with refpedt 
 to traditional remains, bear witnefs. Names of places to this 
 hour clearly evince the age of Gflian. " There are (fays 
 
 * " Metliynke Marthoeke's fon, 
 
 " Right as GowMAKMORN * vves won 
 
 " Tyl liaif fra Fyngal his mcnyie 
 
 *' Ric:ht fa fra us all hys hes hee." jSar^owrV Bruce. 
 
 f Buchanan (lib ii.) makes mention of the ancient Bards — Hift. Boet. lib. viii. 
 Ivcflie, lib. iv. mentions the heroes of Fingal — See alfo J. Johnfton, Refat. ad Yitr, 
 Scotl. 
 
 X "There's an old romance (fays Nicolion) of the famous acls of Fyn-Mac-Coul^ 
 " a giant of prodii'ious flaturc, in the days ai \\. Eiva'm [or Egenius) iha ftcond; 
 *' wherein fome particulars of that reign, are pretended to be recorded : but my author 
 •' juflly ranks this witii fome of the like flamp concerning K. Arthur, and others 
 " of our ancient Engli/h worthies." — Scotifh Hill. p. 141. But Barbour calls his 
 "poetical Yih of Bruce a Romance. The word (romance) was then (fays Nicolfon) 
 •' of better reputation than of later times ; and the Romant of Rom.nts has been inno- 
 
 *' cen ly applied to true hiftory as well as the Ballad of Ballads to a facrcd fonp-." 
 
 The hiftoriari or poet (call him what you will, they were anciently the fame profeffion) 
 lived, &c. ibid, p 146. 
 
 * Gaul-mac-morn, Finm'c cumhal, i. e. Gaul the fon of MornI, and the Fingal of 
 Ofllan, as tranfiated by M'Pherfou. 
 
 * Martin 
 
KtLLIN. r79 
 
 Marfin, in his Defcrlption of the ifle of Skie) three [fuch] ftones 
 *' on the fea coaft oppofite to Skernefs^ each of them three foot 
 "high: the natives have a- tradition that upon thefe' flones a 
 " big caldron was fct, for boiHng Fin-mac-coul\ meat. This 
 " gigantic man is repoited to have been general of a militia that 
 " came from Spam to Ireland^ and from thence to thofe ifles: 
 " all his foldiers called Fknty from Finn : he is believed to have 
 ''^ arrived in the ifles in the reign of king Evan*: the na- 
 " tives have many ftories of this general and his army, va-th 
 " which I will not trouble the reader. He is mentioned ia 
 " Biihop Leily's hiftory -j^" This paflage evidently alludes to 
 
 the 
 
 * A. D. 420. 
 
 •j- J. Led. lib. iv p. 131. Martin fays, in p. 219, ivhen fpeakingof the \!\qo^ Aarariy 
 ** there are feveral caves on the coaft of this ifle; t:.ofe on the weft are pretty large, 
 *■' particularly In Drum-crucy, a hundred men may fie or lie in it ; it is contrafted 
 " gi'adually from the floor upwards to the roof. In the upper end there is a large 
 " piece of rock formed like a pillar ; there is graven on it a deer, and underneath it a 
 *' two-handed fword ; there is a void fpace on each fide of the pillar. The fouthfide 
 ** of the cave has a horfe ftioe engraven on it On each fide of the door, there is a 
 ** hole cut out, and*hat they fay was for holding big trees, .on which the caldrons hang 
 ** for boiling beef and venifon. The natives fay that this was the cave in which Firi' 
 " mac-cotil lodged during the time of his refidence in this ifle, and that his guards lay ia . 
 " the lefler caves, which are near this big one '* Mr. Pennant mentions Fingal'a cave 
 on the weftern fliore oiylaran. '* The moft remarkable," fays he, " are thofe o[ Fin- 
 " mac cull or Fingal, the fon of Gumhal^ the father of 0^^«, who, tradition fays, re- 
 ♦* fided in this ifland for the fake of hunting. One of thefe caverns is a hundred and 
 ** twelve feet long, and thirty high, narrowing to the top like a gothic arch." — Pen- 
 nant's Voyage to the Hebrides, p. 206. In truth, there is hardly a diftrift in the 
 highlands and weftern iflands, but in fome corner or other of it rude remains of the 
 Fingalian times are pointed out : — For example, about KiU'in, Glenroy, and Glenfpean 
 in Lochaber, Fingal's cave in Staffu, &c. Hence the vain fuppofition, which fome 
 have embraced, that as " The palace of Fin-mac Cumhal in Leirifter is feated on the 
 " fummit of the hill of Allen, or rather, as the natives of that country pronounce it, 
 ** Allowiii, the village and bog of Allen have thence derived their name; Thn'e are 
 
 A a 2 « ftilU 
 
i8o KILLIN. 
 
 the tradition of the Spanifh origin of the earlier inhabitants of 
 Ireland and North Britain : hence we may account for both 
 nations having their popular traditions in many refpedls fimi- 
 lar, as to what regards the traditional hiftory of the Fingalian 
 heroes. Doctor Barnard (Bifhop of Killaloe) labours .with 
 much ingenuity to reconcile the opinions of the Scotilh and 
 Irifli antiquaries on the fubjed: of the Milefian Dynafty in Ire- 
 land, and the favourite idea that the northern parts of Ireland 
 were peopled by the ancient Caledonians, By a fimilar mode 
 of reafoning, it might be fhewn that what regards the poems 
 afcribed to Oflian, to be met with on both fides of the water, but 
 confirms their authenticity ; and, notwithftanding the ftrange 
 admixture of the marvellous and the religious, to be found in 
 the various editions of thefe wandering rhapfodies in Scotland 
 and Ireland, fufficient of the genuine remains of Oilian is flill to 
 be difcerned, to fatisfy any reafonabJe perfon " that Fingal lived 
 " and OfTian fang," as the eloquent though fceptical hiftorian* 
 expreffes himfelf. 
 
 RefpecSling the moral fentiments of the morf ancient High- 
 landers, if we credit their own teftimony, as delineated in their 
 
 " ftill remains of fome trenches on the top of the hill, where Fin-mac-Ciimhal and 
 ** his Fians were wont to celebrate their fcafts. The country thereabouts abounds 
 '• in wonderful tales of the exploits of thefe ancient heroes." (Vide " The Tranf- 
 " aftions of the Royal Ivifh Academy, 1787, vcl i.") Hence the unfounded opinion 
 that Fingal and his heroes were peculiar to Ireland. It appear?, on the contrary, that 
 thefe heroes of antiquity were common to both iflands, and relate to times fo remote, 
 that their defcendants attributed to them matchlefs prowefs, fupereminent excellence, 
 and fuch as hath not appeared in any age, or country, fince the time when they were 
 fuppofcd to have lived. The heroes of the Greeks live in the fongs of Homer in the 
 fame way. 
 
 * Gibbon. 
 
 poetical 
 
KILL IN . - 18 1 
 
 poetical and traditional tales, we mufl further acknowledge 
 them to be worthy of the veneration in which they are held. 
 But, from the time that the feudal fcheme obtained, the morals of 
 the highlanders became inordinately vitiated, and bafe in the 
 extreme. Savage fiercenefs, fervility, and a thirft of plunder, 
 ufurped the nobler fentiments of the dignified independence of 
 the patriarchal fyftem. Feuds, and conflids, and profcriptions, 
 were the fruits of this ever-to-be-laraented change ; and, not 
 until the laft attempt to reftore the Stuart family to the royal 
 dignity of thefe realms, did the patriarchal, conjoined with the 
 feudal fyftem, receive a complete overthrow, from which, it 
 is more than probable, it can never, in any formidable degree, 
 recover. 
 
 Morals and politics being clofely united in bonds of amity, W'e 
 may expe£l to find the politics of the highlanders confonant to 
 their notions of moral reditude ; and, as their morals became 
 depraved through a change of fyftem, fo alfo their politics became 
 weak and wavering as the occafion varied. Thus it happened, 
 that when led into the field they were ignorant of the caufe of 
 quarrel ; and, bent on plunder, they fought with incredible fury 
 to obtain it ; but, that point gained, they difcovered little anxiety 
 as to which fide claimed the victory ; who was in the right, or 
 who in the wrong *. 
 
 " Their armour (fays an author already quoted f,) wherewith 
 ** they cover their bodies in time of warre, is an iron bonnet 
 ** and an habbergion fide, almoft even to their heeles. Their 
 
 * Buchanan, Cunningham's Hlft. of Great Brit. Dalrymple's Memoirs of Great 
 Britain. 
 
 f Vide Defcription of the Ides of Scotland, A. D, 1597 ; printed by J. Flaflcet, 
 1603, London. See alfo Buchanan, h'b. i. 
 
 ^ " weapon.? 
 
>32- KILLIN. 
 
 "weapons againft their enemies arc bowes and arrowes. TTi^ 
 " arrowes, for the moft part hooked, cannot be drawn forth 
 " againe, unlefs the wound be made wider. Some of them 
 " fight with broad- fwords and axes. In place of a drum, they 
 " ufe a bag-pipe *." 
 
 " The ancient way of fighting (fays Martin) was by fet bat- 
 *^'- tie ; and for arms fome had broad two-handed fwords and 
 " head-pieces, and others bowes and arrows. When all their 
 " arrows were fpent, they attacked one another w^ith fword in 
 " hand. Since the invention of guns, they are very early ac- 
 " cuftomed to ufe them, and carry their pieces with them where- 
 " ever they gof. They learn to handle the broad-fword and 
 " target. The chief of each tribe advances with his followers 
 " within fhot of the enemy, having firft laid afide their upper 
 " garments ; and, after one general difcharge, they attack witA 
 *' fword in hand, (as they did at KiUicranky^ which foon brings 
 " the matter to an ilTue, and verifies the obfervation made of 
 " 'em by hiftorians : 
 
 " Aul mors e'tto, aut •u'lSoria lata.^^' 
 
 *'^ Their arms (fays the author of The Memoirs of Great 
 ** Britain and Ireland) Vv^ere a broad-fword, a dagger called a 
 " durk, a target, a mulket, and two piftols ; fo they carried the 
 
 • It appears, that in the reign of Henry VII. of England, and James IV. of Scot- 
 land, (A.D. 14B5.) the drefs of the highlanders was nearly the fame a^ ic was a 
 century after. ** Hi fago,.et interiore tunica amiciuntur ; nudifque genu tenus tibiiy 
 «' incidunt. Arma funt arcus et fagittae cum enfe admodum lato, et pugione una tantum 
 ••ex parte acuto." Polydor. Virg. lib. i. p. 11. 
 
 \, This u precifely the cuftom with the Indians ; as alfo with the Corficans, who are 
 in general the belt markfmcn in the world. The Corficans refemble the highlanders in 
 many refpcds ; as do alfo the Portuguefe peafantr)' in the Provinces. See Daumeriez's 
 Account of Portugal 
 
 " long 
 
KILLIN. 185 
 
 " long fword of the Celtes, the pugio of the Romans, the fhield 
 " of the ancients, and both kinds of modern fire-arms all together. 
 " In battle they threw away the plaid and under garment, and 
 "fought in their jackets, making thus their movements quicker 
 " and their (Irokes more forcible. Their advance to battle was 
 " rapid, like the charge of dragoons; when near the enemy, 
 " they flopped a little to draw breath, and difcharged th^ir 
 " mufkets, which they then dropped on the ground : advancing, 
 " they fired their piftols, which they threw, almofl: at the fame 
 " inftant, againft the heads of their opponents ; and then rufhed 
 " into their ranks with the broad-fword, threatening and fhaking 
 " the fword as they ran on, fo as to conquer the enemy's eye, 
 *' while his body was yet unhurt. They fought, not in long 
 " and regular lines, but in feparate bands, like the wedges con- 
 " denfed and firm ; their army being ranged according to the 
 " clans which compofcd it, and each clan, according to its 
 " families ; fo that there arofe a competition in valour of clan 
 ^' with clan, of family with family, of brother with brother. 
 " To make an opening in regular troops, and to conquer, they 
 " reckoned the fame thing ; becaufe in clofe engagements, and 
 " in broken ranks, no regular troops could withftand them. 
 " they received the bayonet in the target, which they carried en 
 " the left arm ; then turning it afide, or twilling it in the target, 
 *' they attacked with the broad-fword the enemy encumbered and 
 " defencelefs ; and, where they could not wield the broad-fword, 
 "they dabbed with the durk. The only foes they dreaded 
 " were cavalry, to which many caufes contributed : the novelty 
 " of the enemy, the want of the bayonet to receive the (hock of 
 " horfe ; the attack made on them with their own weapon, the 
 
 " broad- 
 

 184 KILLIN, 
 
 ** broad-fword j the fize of the dragoon horfes appearing larger to 
 ** them, from a comparifon with thofe of their country ; but 
 " above all, a belief entertained univerfally, among the lower 
 " clafs of highlanders, that a war-horfe is ufcd to fight with his 
 " feet and teeth." But fince our highlanders have been trained 
 to arms according to the approved modern tadics, this notion 
 has entirely vanifhed. When formed into regular corps, their 
 difcipline is highly exemplary ; and their condud in the fiield 
 is worthy the celebrity that it has acquired in all ages. Plunder 
 is no longer their objed ; and, fober and attentive, they gain ef- 
 teem and refped wherever they are quartered. Although they 
 do not now look up to their chieftains for the fmile of appro- 
 bation ; yet, fuch is their fenfe of propriety, that ftrid honour 
 marks their adions ; and they are fcrupuloufly honeft in their 
 dealings, as well as careful to preferve their moral charader^ 
 Such then, is the change for the better in highlanders under 
 military difcipline. 
 
 Formerly, the chieftain of a clan was an officer of the firft im- 
 portance. Before he entered on his patriarchal government, and 
 ere his followers owned him as fit for enterprize, proofs of his 
 valour were required, to fatisfy them of his prowefs in the field ; 
 and, as he likewife was fole umpire in all domeftic difputes, it 
 feldom happened that an opportunity was wanting for the dif- 
 play of his judicial talents. The firft fpecimen of manhood 
 expedled in the young chieftain was dexterity in hunting ; the 
 next was to make an incurfion, attended with extreme hazard, 
 on fome neighbour with whom he was at open variance, and to 
 carry off, by force of arms, whatever cattle he and his followers 
 fell in with. In this manner conflids and feuds were nourifh- 
 
 ed. 
 
KILL IN. 1$^ 
 
 ed, andkept conftantly in exiftence among our Scodfli highlanders. 
 But thefe conflids ceafed almofl: entirely about the middle of the 
 feventeenth century ; and hereditary jurifdi<flion was abolifhed 
 in 1748, by an ad of the Britiih legiflature, when highland 
 emancipation was, in part, accompliftied. The folemnities in 
 the inauguration of a chief are no more. The voice of the 
 bard is filent in the hall. The deeds of other times are no longer 
 recounted as incentives to emulate their forefathers*. The 
 fyftem is altogether changed ; and the manners of civilized 
 Europe are rapidly prevailing in the remoteft corners of the 
 Highlands and Weftern Iflands. 
 
 Next to the abolition of hereditary jurifdidion, what chiefly- 
 accelerated the change obfervable in our highland diftrids in 
 point of civilization was, a law prohibiting the national dif- 
 tindion of drefs and the ufe of arms : " To have feen the Senate 
 " of a great people (fays an author) fitting maturely and 
 " wifely deliberating on what fhape and colour the garb of the 
 *' highlander was to confift of, muft have been an objedl rather 
 " fatal to gravity, if the ab fence of gravity could ever be per- 
 *' mitted, where the happinefs of mankind was at flake f." 
 But fuch a procedure was not without precedent. The profound 
 politician is well aware how much drefs plays about the imagi- 
 nation, and how eafily it aflbciates with the prejudices of national 
 diftindion. " While the Irifh preferved their native language 
 
 * The love of poetry is flill prevalent among the Arabs of the defert and the YerncH. 
 Like the northern bards, one of them recites the heroic deeds of ancient heroes, which 
 are liilened to with enthufiafm by the warriors as they repofe in their tents. See Me- 
 moirs relative to Egypt, written during the campaigns of Bonaparte. 
 
 ,f " A Letter to the Right Hon. Charles Jenkinfon, Efq. Edin. printed for Charles 
 Elliot, 1799." 
 
 B b "and 
 
i86 KILLIN. 
 
 " and drefs, (fays the author of the Antiquities of Ireland *,) 
 " there was no hope of civilizing them, or bringing them to an 
 " acquiefcence in Englifh dominion or Englifh laws. Aware 
 " of this, the Britiih princes endeavoured early to reduce, by 
 " very penal laws, the Irifli to a conformity with their other 
 " fubjeds ; and for this purpofe were enacted the celebrated 
 " ftatute of Kilkenny, A. D. 1365, the 25 Henry VL, 5 Ed- 
 " ward IV. and 28 Henry VIII. f" How far this mode of 
 procedure was founded in juftice and found policy, is a fubje£t 
 of enquiry not to be entered on in this place. Although the 
 native language of the highlanders was not profcribed by any 
 formal a6: of the legiflature J, yet all means were ufed to 
 haften its decline and eventual annihilation. The Trijlo^ or (as 
 it was termed among the native highlanders) Gaelic^ has been 
 greatly depreciated by many, but by thofe chiefly who are igno- 
 rant of it, and prejudiced againft every thing that relates to the 
 antiquities of Scotland, and have, befides, a rooted averfion to 
 the defcendants of the Celtic tribes, who are fuppofed to have 
 retired to the mountains ; fo that many, equally ignorant and 
 prejudiced, taking their opinion with regard to thefe points on 
 truft, feem fatisfied that the Gaelic "is the rude fpeech of a 
 " barbarous people, who had few thoughts to exprefs, and were 
 
 * Ledgwick's Antiquities of Ireland, p. 34.6. 
 
 + Vide Camden's Remains, p. 200, and Leland's Hift. of Ireland, vol. i. p. 320. 
 
 \ It appears from an aft of council of Scotland, anent the fettlement of fchools, De- 
 cember 18, i6i6— " For as meikle that the Inglifh toung may be univerfally planted, 
 and the Irifhe language, which is one of the chief and principale caufes of the continu- 
 ance of barbaritie and inciviHtie among the inhabitants of the Ifles and Heylandis, may 
 be abolilhed, and removit," &c that fo early as the beginning of the feventeenth cen- 
 tury the annihilation of our Scotifh Gaelic was aimed at, even under the fandion of 
 that fage monarch our fixth Jame» of facrcd menmory. 
 
 " content. 
 
KILLIN. i«7 
 
 " content as they conceived grofsly,to be grofsly underftood." — 
 " Many will ftartle, (continues this author,) when they are told 
 " that the Earfe [he means Ir'ijh^ or, as it is in Scotland called, 
 " Gaelic^ never was a written language; that there is not in the 
 ** world an Earfe manufcrlpt a hundred years old'"^'.'* That this 
 afTertion is manlfeftly erroneous, now remains to be proved. 
 Miftakes of this kind often originate in ignorance, or mifcon- 
 ception. Thus, for example, many who fuppofe the Gaelic and 
 Irijh to be radically diiferent, imagine that the Earfe^ as they 
 term it, was never written ; and, therefore, that no ancient 
 manufcript can exift ; whereas, on the contrary, the Gaelic AU 
 hatiach^ and the Gaelic Kriiiich are radically the fame, and by 
 fome authors are called without diflindion Irijlo, For inftance, 
 Martin, who was a native of the Ifle of Skie, invariably deno- 
 minates the language of the Weftern Ifles, IriJh, " Mr. Lhwyd 
 " tells me, (fays Nicolfon,) that in his laft travels in Ireland 
 " he met with one Beatoiin^ a poor fojourning clergyman, who 
 " had picked up feveral fragments of old h'ifh manufcripts in 
 « the Highlands and Weftern Ifles of Scotland f." This Bea- 
 toun is doubtlefs the fame perfon mentioned by Martin in 
 the words following: '* Fergus Beaton hath the following ancient 
 " manufcripts in the Irifh characters: to-wit, y^i;/V^;/«<2, Averroes, 
 " yoannes de Vigo, Bernardus Gordonus, and feveral volumes of 
 " HypocratesXy It thus appears, that tranflations were no un- 
 common things in former times in the Hebrides, Among the 
 MSS. mentioned by Bifhop Nicolfon, faid by Lhwyd to have 
 
 * Vide Johnfon's Journey to the Weftern Iflands. 
 
 \ Nicolfoii's Scot. Hid. Lib p. 67. 
 
 \ Martin's Defcriptlon of the Weftern Ifles, p. 89. 
 
 B b 2 beea 
 
1 88 KILLIN. 
 
 been in Beatouns, poffeflion, are " three large leaves of the works 
 " of Cabri le fachair M^Cormac M'-Arteonfhaor^ who was a hea- 
 " then, and lived about the year 200." St. Columbus is faid to 
 have written in IriQi verfe *. It is well known that a duan 
 (i. e. a poem) is extant, the compofition of a bard, enumerating 
 the anceftors of the reigning monarch Malcolm (Ill.)Ceanmoref. 
 " The late Irifh antiquaries (fays Nicolfon) have found an old 
 " poem in their language, compofed about the time of Malcolm 
 " Canmore (A. D. 1057), wherein are regiftered the names of the 
 " kings of Scotland, with the number of years they feverally 
 " reigned j a great many genealogies (adds this author) and 
 " pedigrees of the Scotijh kings have been drawn up ; among 
 " which the moft famous (and moft common in the libraries of 
 " great men) is that which was compofed by a highlander 
 *' of quality, and repeated to Alexander III. at his corona- 
 " tion X ( A. D. 1249).'* Having produced fufficient authority 
 that the Irijlo or Gaelic was written at very remote periods, it is 
 hoped that, in future, the ignorance and filly prejudice of thofe 
 who merely fkim the furface of refearch will meet with the con- 
 tempt it deferves from the true critic and the judicious antiquary. 
 It is a matter of infinite regret, that fo few manufcripts of 
 the Gaelic language have been preferved ; and it is a lamentable 
 truth, that it is haftening faft to a total extindlion. This, even 
 by the highlanders themfelves, is looked on with a degree of 
 feeming indifference, not eafy to be accounted for. By thofe 
 
 * See Nicolfon's Scotifh Hiftorlcal Library, p. 233, 234. 
 
 f See Pinkerton's Enquiry, voL ii. 321, in which are fnferted the originals and 
 tranflatlons. 
 
 X Nicolfon's Scot. Hift. Lib. p. 139. 
 
 ignorant 
 
KILLIN. igc, 
 
 ignorant of the Gaelic tongue, it is believed incapable of 
 perfpicuity and copioufnefs : nothing is more unfounded. 
 About feven years ago, (i. e. 1792,) a fociety confiding of young 
 gentlemen, natives of the highlands, then ftudents at the uni- 
 verfity of Edinburgh, was eftablifhed, and met weekly in Divinity 
 Hall, for the exprefs purpofe of exercifmgthemfelves in the Gaelic 
 language ; and their orations and debates were carried on with 
 much elegance and perfpicuity, even on the moft abftradt fub- 
 je£ts of fcience ; nay, fo critically nice were they, that rules, 
 with penalties annexed, were eftablifhed for enforcing a rigid ob- 
 fervance of the language in its idiomatic purity. Even at this 
 late period, tranflations of the works of our beft Englifh and 
 French authors, were due encouragement given, might be 
 made in Gaelic, to fay nothing of original performances, which 
 might add ornament to ancient literature, and pour inflrudion 
 over the mind of a people that by nature are moft apt for ac- 
 quiring all manner of ufefiil and elegant knowledge. 
 
 Of the fuperftition of the ancient Celts, many have given 
 an account. Of late, fuperftition has evidently declined in the 
 Highlands and Weftern Iflands of Scotland. This can be ac- 
 counted for in many ways, but chiefly by reafon of the propa- 
 gation of the reformed religion, and the conftant communication 
 of the low-country with the highland diftrids. Formerly 
 (and remains are yet obfervable) the fuperftitious rites of our 
 highlanders confifted of a ftrange heterogeneous mixture of 
 pagan, popifti, proteftant, and even fabulous obfervances, ludi- 
 crous in the extreme. To illuftrate this remark by a few ex- 
 amples. 
 
 li is maintained by all moralifts and divines, that religion is 
 natural to the human race. The politician, availing himfelf of 
 
 6 this 
 
190 KILLIN. 
 
 this unlverfally received maxim, holds It up as a felf-evldent 
 propofition, and connedls religion with civil eftablifliments, — 
 hence the union of church and ftate. Anxiety about the future, 
 and a dread of a fomewhat inexplicable as incomprehenfible, 
 feem the foundation of gloomy fupcrftition. In rude ftages of 
 fociety, doubt and impenetrable obfcurity, with refped; to events 
 placed beyond the power of human prudence to controul or com- 
 mand, lead the mind involuntarily captive, by the chain of grofs 
 fupcrftition, and debilitating fears which render the votary fufcep- 
 tlble of the wildeft delufionsof fupernatural myftery, and the dupe 
 of the moft extravagant pretenfions of prieftcraft. In almofl: 
 every fedion of the globe, fet forms, refembling more or lefs the 
 ceremonies of what is handed down to us as ancient Druidifm, 
 are mentioned as having been univerfally prevalent in the more 
 remote periods of fociety. It feems (as if inherent in the hu- 
 man mind) that man delights in being deceived. Hence the 
 magic of the Druids gave place to the no lefs diabolical myfticifms 
 of popifh fuperilition. That the one was grafted on the other, 
 moft philofophers agree. To the Druids fucceeded the earlier 
 miflionaries of the gofpel ; and one fet of errors, through the 
 imbecility of the credulous, obtained in the place of others but 
 little lefs palpable. 
 
 " The magic of the Druids, (fays an author*,) or part of it, 
 " feems to have remained among the Britons, even after their 
 " converfion to Chriftianity ; and is called Taifi in Scotland ; 
 " which is a way of predid:ing which they cdW fecofid-Jight : and 
 " I take it to be a relid of Druidifm f ." Martin, in his " Ac- 
 
 " count 
 
 * Vide Rowland's Mcna Antiqua Reftaurata, p. 140. 
 
 -}■ " There are feveral little ftone houfes built above ground (fays Martin in his 
 Dcfcription of the Ifle of Skie), capable only of holding one perfon, and round in form ; 
 
KILLIN. tQi 
 
 ** count of the Second-fight^ called in Irilh Tai/hy'^ fays, " the 
 ^^ fecond-Jight is a lingular faculty of feeing an otherwife invifible 
 " object, without any previous means ufed by the perfon that 
 " fees it for that end ; the vifion makes fuch a lively impreffion 
 *' upon the feers, that they neither fee nor think of any thing 
 " elfe except the vifion, as long as it continues; and they appear 
 " penfive, or jovial, according to the objed; which was reprefented 
 " to them. At the fight of a vifion, the eye-lids of the perfon 
 " are erected, and the eyes continue ftanding till the objed: va- 
 " nifh. This is obvious to others w^ho are by when the perfons 
 " happen to fee a vifion, and occurred more t^n once to my 
 " own obfervation, and to others that were with me*." — " The 
 ^^ fecond-Jight (fays Dr. Johnfon) is an impreffion made either 
 " on the mind by the eye, or by the eye upon the mind, [this 
 
 one of 'em is to be feen in Fortry, another at Lincro, and at Culuknock ; tliey arc 
 called Tey-nin-druinic/j, i. e. Druid's houfe. Druidich fignifies a retired perfon, much 
 devoted to contemplation." 
 
 It is a point not yet decided, whether the Druids had any known letters. The ogunif 
 fo much talked of, does not feem fufficiently authenticated, notwithftanding what 
 O'Mulloy (fee his Irifli Grammar, 1669) 0'Flaher:y, Mac Firbis, Ware, and other Irifh 
 antiquaries (See Vol. I. Royal Irifh Academy's Tranf.),have alTerted in favour of it. 
 The Druids inhabited caves, confecrated trees, and worfliipped in groves. They in- 
 ftrufted their pupils in the myfterics of the function with all the form of gloomy 
 fuperftition. The Culdees, the immediate fucceflbrs of the Druids, living in fmiilar re . 
 tirement, the veneration of the multitude for this facred order was eafily transferred 
 frorti their pagan predeceffors ; and thus we find one fyftem of pious fraud fubftituted 
 for the other, which, gradually accumulating through ages, was not finally aboliflied till 
 the reformed religion obtained in the more enlightened parts of Europe. It is faid, thai 
 the Druids chofe the ifland of Anglefey (the ancient Mono) for the feat of their eftablifti- 
 ment. But, refpefting their boafled improvements in fcience, philofophy, difcipHnc, 
 and jurlfprudence, much, it is feared, rcfts on mere conjefture. 
 
 * Martin's Defeription of the Wcftern Ifles, p. 300. 
 
 '^is 
 
192 KILLIN. 
 
 " is a loofc and unpliUofophic mode of exprefling his meaning 
 " furely] by whicli things diftanr or future are perceived, and 
 " feen as if they were prefent." — By the ttrnx fecond-Jight^ feems 
 " to be meant a mode of feeing fuperadded to that which na« 
 " ture generally beftows. In the Earfe it is called Taifch^ which 
 " fignifies Ilkewife a fpedlre, or vifion. I know not, nor is it 
 " likely that the Highlanders ever examined, whether by 7'aifch, 
 " ufed for fecond-fight, they mean the power of feeing, or the 
 " thing feen." The Iflanders (continues the Doctor) of all de- 
 " grees, whether of rank or underftanding, univerfally admit it ; 
 " except the rnj|kifters, who univerfally deny it, and are fufpe£t- 
 " ed to deny it, in confequence of a fyftem, againft convidion. 
 *' One of them honeftly told me, that he came to Sky with a 
 " refolution not to believe it;" and the Doiflor as honeftly con- 
 fefles, " I never could advance my curiofity to convidion ; but 
 " came away at laft only willing to believe*." So much for 
 the ridiculous notions with regard to tht fecond-Jight. 
 
 Notwithftanding the diffufion of the gofpel, to which caufe 
 its minifters attribute the fall of heathenifh, and, in great mea- 
 fure, popifli fuperftition, a belief in fpedlres, witches, fairies, 
 brounies, and hobgoblins, is not altogether extinguifhed in many 
 parts of the Highlands and Weftern Ifles. The old people feem 
 greatly puzzled, and even (hocked, at the infidelity of the young, 
 and fee with the utmofl: concern their favourite doctrines vanifh, 
 as the dawn of reafon advances. They lift up their eyes to 
 heaven, and figh, deeply concerned for their degenerate offspring. 
 
 Religious perfecution was never heard of in the Highlands ; 
 and abftrad fpeculations can hardly get footing where fuper- 
 
 * Vide Johnfon's Journey to the Weftern Iflands. 
 
 ftition 
 
KILLIN. 193 
 
 ftitlon Is fo ftrangely mingled with pofidve inftltutions and ef- 
 tablifKed obfervances ; — the poor are more foiicitous about the 
 prefent than the future ; and the richer fort of perfons are too 
 indolent, and too much devoted to pleafure, to trouble them- 
 selves farther than to fecure the momentary j oy, and the repofe 
 which a rude voluptuous race delight in. 
 
 The vaft change which within the laft fifty years the inhabi- 
 tants of the diftrids north of the Grampians have undergone, 
 is hardly to be paralleled in the hiftory of the human race. 
 Averfe from fedentary habits, wherein cool application and patient 
 itiduftry lead to reputation and reward, the quick, clear appre- 
 henfion of the highlander found little relifh for the refinements 
 of civilized fociety and abftraft fpeculations, and as little for 
 the plodding drudgery of commercial employments, or any of 
 the liberal profeflions, in which he is to be chained down for 
 life. Perfonal activity was his delight. — To face danger, re- 
 gardlefs of hazard the moft formidable, was to him mere paftime j 
 and to acquire fame in arms, conftituted the chief objed: of his 
 devotion at the ftirine of honour. The profound policy of the 
 late Lord Chatham, in availing himfelf of this propenfity, Is 
 among tlie chief chara£teriftics of that illuftrious ftatcfman's ad- 
 miniftration. But the fyftem which he adopted gave a new and 
 unexpedted bias to the mind of the highlander. He no fooner 
 went abroad into the world, than he found of what confequence 
 he was to the ftate. The defire of riches awakened in his foul 
 ambition and a thlrft of power. The meaneft peafant's fon 
 faw, with a heart palpitating with joy, that rank and fortune 
 were, by a happy train of circumftances, placed within his reach ; 
 and that, one day, he might have it in his power to return home, 
 
 C c and 
 
194 KILLIN. 
 
 and vie with the proud chieftain himfelf, in all the pomp and 
 fplendour of foreign climes, in eafe and affluence. Hence -we 
 may obferve the dawn of that change fo remarkable in the high- 
 lands of Scotland. Freed from hereditary jurifdidion, protected 
 by the laws, and feniible of that portion of freedom which has 
 even reached thus far northward, the pooreft highlander is now 
 imprefled with an idea of his individual confequence to the 
 community, and feeks emolument and honour beyond his native 
 boundary, where he had been fecludedfrom the great world, which 
 he fo much longed to fee and take an active part in. If he be driven 
 from his native valley by others fomewhat more opulent, and 
 greedy of pofleffing a greater portion of land than himfelf, he is 
 cheered with the fond hope of returning with riches fufficient 
 to purchafe what formerly he was, on account of his poverty, 
 obliged to relinquifh ; and thus he may, in his turn, difpofe of 
 the fate of thofe who were the means of making it neceffary for 
 him to become the architect of his own fortune. 
 
 Whether^ on the whole, emigration may not contribute to 
 the advancement of human happinefs, to the extenfion of com- 
 mercial intercourfe, and to the difFufion of knowledge and 
 the ufeful arts, is a confideration left to thofe whofe province it 
 is to regulate the grand interefts of civilized life j but, to be 
 driven from home by oppreffion, under whatever denomination 
 it be felt, is an evil from which it is natural to hope for relief 
 by a change of fituation, at a diftance where the profped: of 
 bettering our condition allures, and the hope of fuccefs invites 
 to a new and lefs precarious eftablifhment. 
 
 Within the laft half century, the ftaple commodity of the 
 Highlands and Weftern Iflands was black cattle ; but now Iheep 
 
 J 3 have 
 
KILLIN, 195 
 
 have banifhed cattle ; and would to heaven men had not fhared 
 the fame fate ! The Hebrew fliepherds were not holden in 
 greater deteftation among thofe nations whom they drove out 
 from their paternal inheritance, than, till lately, the low-country 
 fliepherds were among the highlanders; and every thing that 
 belonged to a fhepherd's life was held in utter abhorrence, and 
 confidered as beneath the dignity of a man to interfere in ; 
 quite oppofite ideas, however, now generally prevail ; even the 
 gentleman of family and condition deigns to ad: the part of a 
 fhepherd ; and the paftoral life, at one time the occupation of 
 the loweft of the people, is likely to become as refped:able as 
 when David the fon of JefTe followed his father's flieep, ere he 
 had afcended the throne of Saul the fon of Kilh, who, while in 
 queft of his father's afles, was anointed king over Ifrael, being 
 thus raifed from the meaneft of the people, to be ruler over 
 them. Such are the changes in human affairs; and fuch, in all 
 likelihood, though not precifely to the fame extent, eventually 
 may take place in the wilds of North Britain 1 
 
 The fpirit of fpeculation has fpread rapidly from valley to 
 valley. • An epidemic madnefs for fheep-grazing feems to rage 
 with unabating fury. Rents within the laft ten years have ad- 
 vanced beyond all former calculation ; moft parts of the high- 
 lands are under fheep ; and the country has become defolate, 
 and almoft drained of its native inhabitants. If this alarms not 
 the ftate, there is little hope of a flop being put to emigrations 
 from the Highlands and Weftern Iflands. Whence will our 
 armies be recruited ; where fhall we find mariners to man 
 our navy, the bulwark of our ifland, the negled: of which 
 would endanger our exiftence, as a free, independent nation i 
 
 • C c 2 If 
 
196 KILLIK. 
 
 If our fiflieries perifh through depopulation, and our mountains 
 and vallies be peopled with fhepherds, inftead of the hardy- 
 race of our Scotilh highlanders, what will be the confe- 
 quence ? 
 
 Both fides of Loch-tay have experienced more than once the 
 emigration of their inhabitants ; and it is much to be feared^ 
 that another, more numerous than any hitherto knowm, is, from 
 circumftances too delicate to be touched on, about to takeplace^ 
 unlefs prompt and conciliatory meafures be adopted to mitigate 
 the grievances (real or fuppofed it matters not) of which the 
 Braidalbane people loudly complain. 
 
 A fet of more contented and thriving tenantry than wevc to 
 be found on the vaft demefnes of the Braidalbane family hardly 
 exifted any where, till a change of fyftem (which commenced in 
 the life-time of the late Earl, who all acknowledge was a good 
 landlord,) reduced the poorer tenants, the offspring of former 
 vafTals, either to emigrate, or toil year after year, on the fterile 
 faces of thefe ftupendous mountains, in order to make up a rent 
 exaded with the utmoft rigour, whatever became of their livei 
 flock, their wives, and their children. Is this oppreffion ? 
 
 The difturbances that lately took place in Rofs-fhire were 
 occafioned by converting a number of fmall farms into a few 
 extenfive fheep-walks. Upwards of thirty poor families, each 
 of whom had inherited the fmall Duchas from father to fon, 
 without interruption for many generations, were turned adrift 
 on the world, and their pofleflions let to fhepherds who had 
 come from a diftant part of the kingdom. Was it any wonder 
 then^ that, in the firfl: paroxyfms of difappointment and defpair, 
 thefe wretched wanderers, ere they took their departure from 
 
 the 
 
KILLIN. »97 
 
 the fcene of their nativity and earlier part of life, committed un- 
 warrantable excefles, which indignation prompted, and which 
 reafon, appalled, knew not how to expiate ? The law of the 
 land violated, eftablifhed order broken, what was to be done ? 
 Shall it be recorded, that thefe deluded wretches fuffered the 
 punifhment due to their crimes ! What ftrange infatuation is 
 it that binds the highlander to the heath-clad wilds through 
 which he fo fondly delights to wander ? Early aflbciations, habit^ 
 and above all, ignorance of a more fruitful foil and more genial 
 climate, may, in part, account for fo irrefiftible an inclinatioa 
 to remain on the fpot on which he firft drew breath. Of this 
 propenfity, why fliould futh cruel advantage be taken, as to raifc 
 the piice to fo enormous a pitch, for permiflion to toil for a 
 miferable fubfiftence ? It is afierted, that the more the highland- 
 er*8 rent is advanced, the more diligently will he drive to realise 
 it ; and that thus the full value of thefe barren waftes is fecured 
 to the owners, while the riches of the community are augmented. 
 It may be fo ; but, furely this is buying one's comforts at a dear 
 rate, to fay no worfe of it. 
 
 Several judicious hints have been thrown out, with regard to 
 putting a flop to the evil confequences of rac^-rent, as it is called, 
 in the Highlands and Weftern Iflands. Thefe hints, however, 
 have fhared the fate of fuch effufions as, philanthropy fuggefts, 
 and rapacity fmiles at, while fecure in its exadions,. fandioned 
 by authority, and fupported by the laws. It appears, then, that 
 it refts with the legiflature to redrefs the grievances here point- 
 ed out ; and let the hope be indulged, that the day is not far 
 diftant, when a Britifh fenate will deliberate on the beft means 
 of preventing emigrations from the highlands of Scotland- 
 Few 
 
igS KILLIN. 
 
 Few villages are more delightfully fituated than Kilim. It Is 
 irregularly fcattered on the weft end of Locl^tay, and eommands 
 a fine profpe^- of that- lake. To the Jover of pidurefque 
 fcehery, the environs of Killin will be found peculiarly intereft- 
 irig. AH the aflfembkge of wood and water, hill and valley, that 
 conftitutes landfcape, is to be met with here in endl-efs variety. 
 To be minute, therefore, in defcripti-on, were needlefe, and a 
 general enumeration would fall greatly fhort of what, ori actual 
 furvey, can hardly fail to intereft and pleafe. Moft of the in- 
 habitants of this village are tradefmen*, who find fufficient 
 employment from their neighbours in the glens and in the 
 borders of the lake. Even amid thefe wilds the ufeful occu- 
 pations of life are to be found ; and there are fome appearances, 
 which indicate that the elegancies of civilization are at no great 
 diftance; for what will not ingenuity and honeft induftry at- 
 chieve? What a contraft to times by no means remote ! About 
 the beginning of the eighteenth century the fpirit of clanfhrp 
 feemed the highlander's fole fpring of a6bion. Reftlefs and 
 favage in their difpofitions, the arts of peace were almoft entirely 
 negleded. The man who could beft handle the fword, or hit 
 the mark, was efteemed the moft ufeful ; of confequence, while 
 fuch rude notions prevailed, induftry was held in contempt : 
 wretchednefs and want were the ufual attendants on idlenefs 
 and mifguided exertion ; and, though rents were exacted, they 
 were either ill paid, or could not be colleded without much 
 trouble, and even hazard. Turbulence and knavery required 
 
 * In tin's parifh, which is extenfive, there are at j^refent 2360 inhabitants. Among 
 thefe are 36 weavers, 22 taylors, 19 Ihoe-makcrs, 14 wrights, 9 flaxdreffers, 7 fliop- 
 keepers, 6 fmiths, and 2 bakers, befides millers, carriers, &c. See Sinclair's Stat, 
 Ace. vol. xvii. p. 380. 
 
 coercive 
 
KILLIN, 199 
 
 coercive means to check them, and wife regulations, admlnlftered 
 with promptitude and energy, to deflroy whatever remained 
 of the old fyftem among the highlanders of this di{lri(fl. 
 Happily for the prcfent generation, the meafures which were 
 adopted, and the advancement of civilization, have brought about 
 that change, fo much for the better, which has fo generally ob- 
 tained not only through the highlands, but in every corner of 
 our northern fedlion of the kingdom, within thefe thirty years. 
 Now, the tokens of labour circulate abundantly*; induftry is 
 thus ftimulated ; agriculture, the true ftrength of a nation, is 
 improving daily ; rents are paid pun6tually ; all live in the 
 utmoft harmony ; they conduct the labours of the field with 
 the mutual afliftance of each other ; their cattle feed in common ; 
 and, were their rents but moderate, a happier race of people, 
 (who, though not affluent, are far from a flate of poverty) 
 hardly could be found, than the inhabitants of this diflrid of 
 the Braidalbane eftate. 
 
 The progreis of literature in the highlands is among the re- 
 markable changes which have taken place within this century. 
 For inflance, not fifty years ago, there were but one or two fchook 
 of any note in the whole extent of Perthfhire ; now, th^re are 
 two or three in every parilh, including funday-fchools, and 
 thofe eflabiifhed by the fociety for propagating Chriftian know- 
 ledge f. From thefe humble feminaries, the future luminaries 
 
 of 
 
 * The price of labour is, in truth, far from being low. For inftance :— Domeftic 
 men-fervants get from 7I. to lol. ; women-fervants from z\. to 3I. per ann. ; i fhilling" 
 per diem is paid to labourers ; and to carpenters and mafons, feom is. 6d. to 2s. See 
 Sinclair's' Stat. Ace. vol. xvii. pi 376. Ijir^ro •> 
 
 -J- It appears (fee Chamberlayne's State of Great Britain, p. 28.) that the whole 
 number of charity fchools throughout the Highlands and Weftcni liks, in May 1724, 
 
 did 
 
200 KILLIN. 
 
 of the literary world may emerge ; and perhaps the day is not 
 far diilant, when the poets and orators of Greece and Rome, 
 whofe works are already underftood among' the inhabitants of 
 thefe fterile regions, may find rivals in the defcendants of the 
 ancient Caledonians. Already, not a few have diflinguifhed 
 themfelves in the republic of letters ; the pulpit and the bar alfo 
 witnefs many of their brighteft ornaments, that have of late 
 appeared, fufficient to juftify a prefage of future celebrity. At 
 the pariili fchool of Killin, the elements of the Greek, Latin, and 
 French languages are taught, befides the Gaelic ; as alfo writ- 
 ing, arithmefic, and book-keeping, in the moft approved manner. 
 Three additional fchools for inftrudtion in the reading of Englilh 
 and Gaelic, and in writing and arithmetic, have alfo been ef- 
 tablifhed in the parifh ; and fchool-miftrefles have been appoint- 
 ed to teach fewing, knitting of {lockings, and other branches of 
 female induftry. But the fmallnefs of the pecuniary emolu- 
 ments of all thefe ingenious teax:hers is to be lamented ; the 
 higheft falary to any individual not exceeding twenty pounds 
 fterling per annum » This is a public fcandal, and calls aloud for 
 redrefs. 
 
 The population of this parifh, notwithftanding emigrations, 
 the introdudion of fheep, and the confequent converfion of 
 
 did not amount to more than fxxty ; and the number of fcholars of both fexes, to more 
 than two thoufand three hundred and forty-four ; many of whom were grown up per- 
 fons ; nay, it was not uncommon to fee parents and their children go hand in hand to 
 fchool, and fubmit patiently to the drudgery of acquiring the rudiments of fudi learning 
 as at that period was taught. With fuch eagernefs did the highlanders embrace the 
 firft attempts at civilization, 
 
 fmall 
 
KILLIN. 301 
 
 fmall farms into larger, for greater range of pafture grounds, it 
 appears, on the whole, has neither remarkably increafed nor 
 diminiflied within the laft fixty years, if we are to judge by 
 the regifters of baptifms, which, it is faid, have been kept with 
 tolerable accuracy ; the total number of births from 1 73 1 to 
 1790, being 6916, — average annually 1153*. The extenfive 
 grazings in this parifh are well (locked with black cattle and 
 fheep ; the former is of the highland breed, the latter of the 
 Linton. There is alfo a hardy breed of horfes, fit for the labour 
 of the country, and kept at fmall expence, being feldom or 
 never taken into a (table, till compelled by the exce(five in- 
 clemency of the weather. There has lately been introduced 
 a fmall breed of fwine, whofe fle(h -is remarkably delicate, and 
 rich in point of flavour. The highlanders, who formerly had 
 a (Irong aver(ion to pork, can now relilh it highly. The pro- 
 portion of arable ground to that of pafture is but fmall, and the 
 returns feldom exceed four-fold. The harvefts are late, and 
 often precarious. The feeds fown are oats, barley, peafe, and 
 potatoes ; and a good deal of flax is raifed. Turnips, rye-grafs, 
 and clover begin to be cultivated, and promife fufhcient en- 
 couragement to proceed inthefe lucrative branches of hufbandry. 
 The prices of provifions are moderate *, and, except in years of 
 general fcarcity, they are to be had in abundance. The Earl of 
 Braidalbane is the principal proprietor of this pari(h ; but, be- 
 fides him, there are four more proprietors, fome of whom refide 
 on their eftates, agreeably to the good old cuftom. The valued 
 
 • The price of beef, mutton, veal, and pork, is at an average 3<3*per lb. of iji oz.; 
 btitter ijd. per lb. of zz oz., and cheefe from 58. 10.73. per ftone, of 2,2 lb. See Statif- 
 tical Account. * 
 
 D d rent 
 
202 KILLIN. 
 
 rent of the whole pirifli Is 3115I. 6s. 8d. Scots, which, fup- 
 pofing it valued a century and a half back, is equal to 4667I. 2s, 
 6d. fterling. The real rent in 1790 amounted to about 3030!. 
 but fince that period it has rifen confiderably. How far the 
 poor tenants may be able to bear this rife is another queftion. 
 
 Before thefe mountains and vallies were converted into ex- 
 tenfive ftieep-walks, forefts for deer were fet apart, and kept 
 with the utmoft care. A great variety of game was then to be 
 found ; but now, deer and roes are fcarcely to be met with j 
 and in a fhort time heath-game will be fo rare as to make fruit- 
 lefs the attempt to find any. 
 
 The various fpecies of fifh caught in the lake, and the rivers 
 which run into it, are falmon and trout, char, perch, pike, and 
 eel. The pearl fifhery was, fome years ago, a favourite fpecu- 
 lation, but lately it has been profecuted lefs ; owing, perhaps, 
 to a fcarcity of that fpecies of mufcle which contains pearl ; or, 
 to other purfuits, more lucrative, engaging the attention of thofe 
 who followed it. Saint Fond, a member of the National 
 Inftitute of France, who made a tour to the Hebrides in 1784 *, 
 IS very particular in his defcription of the pearl fiihery in thefe 
 rivers. This author confiders the pearl-mufcle as belonging to 
 the mia pi£iorum of Linnaeus. He thinks that he has difcovered 
 an invariable rule by which the fhells containing pearl may be 
 known on the firft glance \ and this difcovery, he fays, was 
 by him communicated to Buffon^ as noticed in his Natural 
 Hijlory of Minerals (vol. iv. p. 125). St. Fond imagines, that the 
 difeafe occafioning the formation of pearl depends on the fhell 
 
 * St. Fond*s Travels through England and Scotland are newly tranflated into En- 
 gliih. 1799. 
 
 being 
 
CASTLE FINLARIG. 203 
 
 being perforated by a certain fpecies of auger- worm, and other 
 worms not hitherto defcribed. He alfo hints, that by means of 
 artificial perforations pearls may be produced ; as he fuppolcs 
 that the Chinefe are acquainted with this art, and pradife it to 
 much account. Other methods are mentioned, fuch as opening 
 carefully the fliell, and depofiting a fmall bit of mother of 
 pearl, as a nucleus for the pearly matter to form on, a method 
 adopted in Finland, and other parts. St. Fond's theory, with 
 regard to the formation of pearl, may, perhaps, be found to be a 
 juft one. 
 
 On leaving Killin, it is recommended to the traveller to pro- 
 ceed down the lake along its right border, as being, in point of 
 variety, and for commanding the greater number of fine pro- 
 fpe<Ss, by far preferable to the left ; befides, the road is lefs 
 hilly, and, on the whole, fuperior to that on the north border 
 of the lake. We proceed then on our journey ; pafs, once more, 
 the bridges over the impetuous Dochart, and turn to the left. 
 As we afccnd above the orchards and manfion-houfe oi Achmore^ 
 we obferve on the oppofite fide of the lake, fheltering its moul- 
 dering walls amid aged trees, Cajile-Finlarig^ the ancient feat of 
 the knights of Glenurcha^ faid to have been built A. D. 1523. 
 We obferve alfo, fituated on a plain at the weft end of the lake, a 
 neat but fmall manfion (Kinnel), belonging to Mr. M'Nabbs, the 
 chieftain of that name. The family burying-ground, hi/h-mhuiy 
 clofe by the houfe, is pointed out to the ftranger, as a fpot of 
 fmgular beauty. It undoubtedly is fuch, and is highly calculated 
 to raife ideas of tendernefs and forrow ; as an infulated grove of 
 tall pines, whofe folemn afpedt and deep filence are in fine 
 
 D d 2 harmQny 
 
204 FINGAL'S BURIAL-PLACE. 
 
 harmony with the roaring waters around it, the blue expanfe 
 of the lake, calm and unruffled, and the fublime heights of the 
 mountains that rife from its margin, are objects well fuited to 
 correfpond with the belief that Fingal fleeps here in the 
 duft. To add to this fond idea, fix gray ftones, equi-diftant, 
 are feen on the plain beneath the eye. Carried back to former 
 times, the imagination eafily pictures to itfelf the mournful, 
 yet fublime ceremony of entombing " The king of woody 
 *' Morven." — " The beams of the weft linger on the top-clifFs 
 " of the mountains. Grey mift refts on the mid-way heights. 
 ** A dead ftillnefs reigns. Not a leaf is feen to move. The 
 " gloom of autumn fpreads around. Its many tints are feen 
 " along the borders of the lake. The lake kifles the margin in 
 '* filence, and feems as if bound in icy chains. At intervals, the 
 *' voice of grief is heard. It is the foft fong of mourning : bards 
 " and heroes mingle their voices with the harps of Salma. Fingal 
 " is no more: the chief of men Heeps in death. Behold, in 
 " folemn movement winding flowly down the rugged brow of 
 " Finlarig, the lifelefs form of the hero, borne by thofe whofe 
 " fame is the fong of bards. Nearer and nearer the mournful 
 " band approaches. And now the mourners reft on the piain^ 
 " Offian, fon of the fallen, is mute. He mufes on times that 
 "are paft.— He is the laft of his race. Ofcar, the hope of his 
 " earlier .days, fleeps with his fathers : and Fingal delcends to 
 " the narrow houfe, where Trenmor and Trathil repafe. Six 
 " gray ftones mark the green mound where fleep the heroes ia 
 •" duft. . ^oft, mournful, and flow, the fong of woe afceuds ifi 
 " ftralns that thrill and melt the foul. It is wafted on the rniy 
 
 " breeze 
 
^ 
 
 FINGAL'S BURIAL-PLACE. 205 
 
 ** breeze of the evening. And now the deeds of Fingal, match- 
 " lefs in might, fwell on the rifing gale. Friend of the feeble, 
 " foe of the oppreflbr, whofe arm in kindnefs was ftretched forth 
 " to the injured. The lightning of his fteel gleamed in the 
 ** caufe of his people. But, alas ! he lies low in the duft. To 
 *' mourn his fall, heroes of former days, who witnefled his 
 ** mighty deeds, bend from their airy cliffs. Darknefs defcends 
 " on the plain. Hollow murmurs at intervals are heard. The 
 ** ftorm howls in the mountains. The lonely blaft comes on 
 " its wings of fpeed. The light of heaven flaflies on the diftant 
 " heath. Thunder peals along the vallies. The rivers ruih in 
 " foaming ft reams along their narrow plains. The lake toffes 
 ** its waves to the tempeft. The ftorm rages in its ftrength." 
 On the oppoftte fide of the lake, at the foot of mount Laurs, 
 fome Druidical remains, lefs complete than thofe mentioned 
 •before, are ftili obfervable. 
 
 Strange ideas have been lately propagated, and with no com- 
 anon afliduity,rerped:ingth e Druidical antiquities of thiscountry, 
 and of Ireland. An affedation of northern antiquities has 
 wrought up the wild ideas of a few fuperficial thinkers to a pitch 
 of folly truly ridiculous. " Scandinaviaj as has already been ob- 
 ** ferved, (fays one of thefe filly pedants) was always mountainous 
 ** and ill peopled : neverthelefs it hath fent forth colonies to Scot- 
 ** land, Denmark, Ireland, the Hebrides, and Orkneys* :" there- 
 fore, the inhabitants of Scotland, the Hebrides, and even Ireland, 
 are not defcendants of the Celts, as fome have fuppofed, but of 
 Scandinavians. This dreaming antiquary pretends aUo to give 
 «Q hiftorical account of the Celts ; but in this he fails, no lefs 
 
 * Vide Plnkerton*s Enquiry into the Hill, of Scotland, 
 
 3 ' ' than. 
 
 m 
 
2o6 JLOCH TAY. 
 
 than he does in his attempt to deduce inferences from his vain fap- 
 pofitions refpe6ling the northern migrations. " The Celts (fays 
 " he) were the moll ancient inhabitants of Europe. Before the 
 ** time of Csfar, they were reduced to a third part of Gaul, and 
 " the weftern part of Britain and Ireland ;" — " thefe in Scotland 
 " are very often called the Wellli, or Cufnraigy The Dalriads,or 
 ** prefent highlanders, were only a paltry Irilh colony, never 
 *' extending beyond Argyle, till a late period." Our author 
 fpeaks of the Celts in the following manner : — " The Celts [are] 
 " mere favages, and worfe than the favages of America, and 
 " remarkable, even to our own time, for a total negledt of agri- 
 " culture themfelves, and for plundering their neighbours," In 
 defcribing thecharaderiflic diftindions of the inhabitants of the 
 highlands, and thofe of the lowlands, he adds: — In mind and 
 " manners the diftindiion is marked. The lowlanders are acute, 
 " adive, induftrious, fr^e ; the highlanders, ftupid, indolent, 
 *' Ilavifh, foolifh, fawning : the former, in fhort, have every at- 
 '* tribute of a civilized people ; the latter are abfolute favages, 
 ** and will continue fo till the race be loft by mixture. — Had all 
 " the Celtic cattle (continues this author) emigrated fome cen- 
 ** tunes ago, how happy had it been for that country ! All we 
 *' can do is to plant colonies among them, and by encouraging 
 ** emigration, try to get quit of the breed. The Celts are 
 " mere favages, moft tenacious of their fpeech and manners*.'^ 
 Reader ! thou art amid the wilds which thefe Celtic cattle in- 
 habit. Judge for thyfelf. Look around, and be not deceived 
 by the words of a weak and prejudiced man. 
 
 As we proceed down the fide of Loch Tay, we pafs through 
 confiderable tracts of natural wood ; and here and there fall in 
 
 * Vide Pinkcrton's Enquiry. 
 
 with 
 
LOCH TAY. ^07 
 
 with fmall patches of tolerably cultivated ground, but chiefly 
 laid out for meadow hay, an article of the firft confequence to 
 the poor induftrious tenant, whole fole dependence, probably,, 
 is on the fale of a few cattle,, but fcantily fupplied by what little 
 fodder can be ftored up for the winter, the produce of thefe 
 fmall fields and meadows. On the oppofite fide of the lake, we 
 obferve the corn-fields extending from the water's edge to a 
 confiderable height on the face of the higheft mountains ; a- 
 proof that induftry is not wanting on the part of the poor in- 
 habitants of thefe inhofpitable regions. Pity it is, that their rents 
 fhould be fo intolerable as to render their toil irkfome, and the 
 hope of bettering their fortune languid in the extreme ! It may 
 not yet be too late to meliorate the condition of thefe people, 
 deprefled in circumftances, perhaps, by reafon of expences in- 
 curred in the rearing and educating (for the pooreft peafant fends 
 hi& children to fchool) a numerous offspring. For, be it ever 
 remembered, that a numerous and induftrious family, healthy 
 in body, and virtuoufly difpofed, contributes to the real fupport 
 of a ftate, and the fubftantial wealth of a free and independent 
 nation. Hence the good policy of availing ourfelves of that 
 principle which feems to rivet the highlander to the very hillocks 
 and tufts of heath over which he ftruts in all the pride of con- 
 fcious vigour and fuppofed independence, — by every generous 
 and noble means in the power of thofe deftined to difpofe of the 
 ftite of the induftrious and labouring clafTes of the community. 
 
 Of all the diftrids of the highlands, that through which Loch 
 Tay runs is by far the moft populous. The tradt there pointed out, 
 is bounded on the weft by Cami-drom^ and on the eaft by Dun^ 
 keld. This diftrid: being the moft populous, accounts in great 
 
 meafure 
 
2o8 LOCH TAY. 
 
 meafure for its being in a higher ftate of agricultural improve- 
 ment than any other of equal extent in the highlands, particu- 
 larly the weftern diftrids ; for it is believed, that, in many parts 
 of the northern diftrids, particularly in Rofs-fhire, Caithnefs- 
 fhlre, and Sutherland-fhire, agriculture is carried on with fur- 
 prizing fuccefs. 
 
 There is fomething pleafmg in tracing confiderable ftreams 
 to their origin ; hence, the religious veneration in which, in 
 remote ages, the fource of the Nile was held. The Tay, to 
 compare fmall things with great, though it has not its origin 
 beyond the mountains of the moon, colleds its waters amid 
 mountains rugged and of vaft altitude ; and, affuredly, not lefs 
 flerile than the mod inhofpitable regions of Nubia itfelf. About 
 half a mile beyond Tyndrum, or, as it was formerly denominated, 
 Cairn-drom^ two inconfiderable rills, for the moft part dry, origi- 
 nating in one point, on the face of a hill*, form an angle, the 
 right-hand fide of which continues its direction to the Atlantic^ 
 and that on the left to the German ocean: the latter, after paffing 
 through the dreary wilds of Strath-Fillan and Glendochart, the 
 paftoral fcenery of Strath-tay, and the fruitful plains of the Carfe 
 o/" Gowry, a courfe of between fixty and feventy miles, yields its 
 many tributary waters to the German ocean a little to the N. E. 
 of Dundee. Near the fource of the Tay is the celebrated pool, 
 faid to have derived its virtues in the cure of lunacy from the 
 circumflance of its having been confecrated by Saint Fillan'\, 
 
 To 
 
 * Although the above ftrcamlet is faid to be the fource of the Tay, yet many con- 
 fiderable rivers tributary to it, fuch as the Tummel, Gary, &c. have their origin in 
 rery remote parts ; — perhaps more fo than that pointed out above. 
 
 \ There was anciently a Cell, or Priory, belonging to the ylbhey of Inchaffray in 
 Strathern, near the holy pool of St. Fillan, " founded by King Rohri the Bruce ^ and 
 
 confecrated 
 
LOCH TAY. 209 
 
 To what caufe the cure is to be afcribed that frequently takes 
 place after fubmerfion in this holy pool, is furely a matter de- 
 ferving of inquiry. The cold-bath, in many difeafes, is of /great 
 benefit. Dodor Currie's (of Liverpool) late work on its ufe in 
 cafes of fever, has thrown confiderable light on many particu- 
 lars refpedting this branch of the Materia Medica. A feries of 
 obfervations on the efFeds of the cold-bath in cafes of derange- 
 ment of intelled, is mod earneftly recommended ; and it is not 
 unlikely, that much benefit may be derived from fo falutary and 
 fimple a pradtice, founded on more judicious experience than at 
 firft fight is feen in the fuperftitious obfervances at the holy pool 
 of St. Fillan. It muft not efcape us, that many things which 
 appear trivial in the extreme, and even ridiculous, may be wifely 
 enough employed in giving aid to the means ufed, among a rude 
 and ignorant people, in the cure of difeafes ; hence the many 
 fuperftitious rites which were wont to accompany every at- 
 tempt to reftore health to the difeafed, and fanity to the 
 deranged intellect. 
 
 The great variety of foils and fituations in Straths Fillan, 
 Dochart, and Tay, (hews to what advantage botany might be 
 ftudied in thefe parts, in proper feafons, and when vegetation is 
 moft vigorous. The minerals, too, that are to be met with in 
 
 *< confecrated to St. Fillan^ in confideration of the aflTiftance he had from that faint at the 
 " battle of BannocJihirn in the year 1314. At the difTolution of the rehgious houfes, 
 " this Priory, with all its revenues and fuperlorities, was given by the king to Campldl 
 *♦ of Gknorchy, anceftor of the Earl of Braidalbane, in whofc pofTeffion it ftill remains.'* 
 Vide Spotifwood's Appendix to Hope's Minor Prafticks, p. 424 ; and Keith, p. 241. 
 The arm of Fillan is faid to have wrought marvelloufly that day, notwithftanding its 
 withered condition, at the battle above-mentioned ; for to it was afcribed the vitlory. 
 Vide He6lor Boecc's Hiil. Scot, pr 302. 
 
 E e this 
 
2IO LOCH TAY. 
 
 this fubdlvlfion of Pertbfhire, afford ample matter for fpeculatloa 
 to the intelligent naturalift. At Carn-drom a lead mine has 
 been wrought, but with fo little fuccefs, that the miners ceafed 
 their labours feveral years back : perhaps the diftance from fuel 
 and charcoal was one great reafon for difcontinuing the fmelt- 
 ing of the lead-ore at this place : the ore itfelf is abundant. The 
 galleries, which are now in a ruinous ftate, are cut through 
 rocks of micaceous fchiftus. The ore is found intermixed with 
 white quartz, and pyrites. The procefs obfervcd in feparating 
 the metal from its ore, is eafy and fmiple. The ore h pulver^ 
 ized and wafhed, charcoal, peat, and pit-coal are added y then 
 this mixture is fubmitted to the adion of heat in a furnace ; and 
 thus the operation is completed, and the metal formed into, 
 bars for tranfportation wherever it may be required. Limeftone 
 abounds throughout the parts here pointed out ; but there are no 
 mineral fprings ; at leaft none of any remarkable properties. 
 The mountains on both fides of Loch Tay are compofed of a 
 micaceous rock intermixed with a fchiftus and quartz ore mat- 
 ter that give it a brilliant appearance: garnets alfo of an inferior 
 quality are to be met with. 
 
 The profpeds, as we proceed down th.e lake, are not much 
 diverfified ; neither do we meet with many which the painter 
 would flop to delineate ; a few, however, deferve particular 
 notice. Near to the twelfth mile-ftone, on looking back, a 
 charming view prefents itfelf, containing all the charadleriftrc 
 grandeur of lake and mountain fcenery. Wooded promontories 
 on either fide of the lake rife gracefully from the margin, and 
 fwell boldly into finely-formed mafles. On the left, particu- 
 larly, a wooded precipice rifes abruptly from the water's edge, 
 
 the 
 
\ 
 
LOCH TAY. ttx 
 
 the bafe of which pufhes forward, and forms a double bay, adorn- 
 ed with objeds that give a pleafing variety, fuch as cottages and 
 trees fantaftically grouped, aged and piiflurcfque j and loole rocks 
 piled together in huge mafles, irregular and wild. Strips of 
 meadow and corn-grounds are feen fheltered among the trees ; 
 and the idea of comfort and humble contentment is aflbciated 
 with thefe appearances. Killin is beheld in the ofF-fkip behind 
 which the chain of hills that feparates Glens Dochart and Locha 
 towers in lofty grandeur. The opening into thefe glens is alfo 
 feen ; and the imagination is carried up the courfe of the rivers, 
 where many a highland hamlet, whofe inhabitants, though poor 
 in the comforts of life, are yet contented w^ith their condition 
 amid rocks, precipices, and mountains, lie fcattered here and 
 there on the narrow plains of thefe vallies. 
 
 Another ftation for a profped will be found at the fixth mile- 
 Hone, and a third, at the fourth mile-ftone. 
 
 At the latter of thefe ftations a profpedt of great magnificence 
 is commanded. Ben-more, one of the higheft mountains in 
 Britain, rears its double peak in the clouds. The neighbouring 
 hills, though of confiderable altitude, feem diminutive when 
 compared to it. The whole breadth of Loch Tay, and eleven 
 miles of its length, together with its lofty fhores, are feen at a 
 glance ; and on the whole, for extent and grandeur, the view 
 here pointed out may bear comparifon with any that is to be 
 feen on the lake. We now direct our attention to the eaft 
 ihores of Loch Tay. 
 
 In our way to Kenmore, we pafs through the hamlets of Cloch- 
 erati and Ardoeimig ; remarkable for nothing but their pleafant 
 fituations, and that peculiarity which in former times gave 
 
 E e 2 charader 
 
2 12 KENMORE. 
 
 charader to the habitations of fmall communities of highlanders, 
 who lived in nearly the rude manner of their forefathers. 
 
 As we travel along, and approach the eaftern extremity of 
 the lake, we obferve, on its oppofite fide, a valley opening into 
 another that terminates the firft at right angles : the latter of 
 thefe vallies is Glenlion. At this opening the vaft ridge of Ben" 
 laurs concludes ; and the hill called Drummond rifes abruptly, 
 and ftretches for the length of three miles to T'aymouthy and two 
 beyond it, where it terminates, and the opening into Glenlion 
 commences. The road here hangs over the water at a confider- 
 able height ; and the point of obfervation is rather too elevated 
 for a pidlurefque view of the grounds on the eaft end of the 
 lake. The face of the country now takes a diiferent charad:er. 
 It no longer wears that lofty afpedt to which our eye has be- 
 come familiar on the weftern fliores of the lake ; but rather, the 
 great outlines that here charadlerize the landfcape, are ample and 
 flowing ; afluming grandeur in eafy inclinations, and heights, 
 though extenfive, yet neither bleak nor rugged ; evidently in- 
 dicating that the lowlands commence at no great diflance. 
 
 In our approach to Taymouth (or Ballach *, as it is called in 
 the Gaelic), the family refidence of the Earl of Braidalbane, we 
 are much pleafed with the fituation of the fmall neat village of 
 Kenmore '\. The promontory on which it is built puihes bold- 
 ly into the lake, by which an ample fweep of a bay is formed ; 
 but fo fhallow, that, at a confiderable diftance from the fhore, 
 the bottom can eafily be difcerned. Every thing about Kenmore 
 
 * From the Gaelic, bealach, a gap, or mouth, or opening into a valley or glen : 
 hence Taymouth* 
 
 f From the Gaelic, Cean-mor, great head, or head-land. 
 
 has 
 
- KENMORE. 213* 
 
 has an air of cleanlinefs and comfort. The church, manfe, 
 inn, and bridge, are modern, and were built by the late Earl *. 
 The church is plain and decent j the manfe neat and commodi- 
 ous ; the inn convenient, comfortable, and well fupplied with 
 the neceflary articles of living ; and the bridge, thrown over the 
 Tay a little below where it iffues from the lake, is truly in an 
 elegant ftile of architedure. It confifts of three large and two 
 lefler arches, the whole being fubftantially built of hewn ftone ; 
 and its appearance is light, free, and juftly proportioned. It 
 was conftru^led under the direction of the late Sir Archibald 
 Campbell^ and defigned by the late ingenious Baxter^ an archi- 
 teift whofe talents were an ornament to his country. 
 
 The number of elegant bridges which have been ere£led in 
 the various parts of England, Scotland, and Ireland within the 
 laft thirty years^ is highly honourable to the age we live in. The 
 theory of arches is now well underftood ; and, notwithftanding 
 the difference between this theory and the rules obferved in 
 building bridges, it is truly admirable to what perfedion engi- 
 neers and architects have carried this noble art. May the 
 talents adequate to fuch ufeful and elegant undertakings be ever 
 patronized by a nation that knows its own interefts, and has mag- 
 nanimity fufficient to reward the pofTeffors of them with emolu- 
 ment and diftindion ! Then we may again behold a Leonardo Da 
 Vinci, a Michael Angelo, an Inigo Jones, a Wren, a Chambers, 
 an Adam, with all their experience difplayed in their mafterly 
 produdions fuperadded to their own creative genius : and thus 
 the advancement of fo liberal an art as architedure may once' 
 
 * The church, manfe, and inn, were built about thirty-eight and the bridge about 
 twenty-two years ago. 
 
 more 
 
2 14 TAYMOUTH. 
 
 more be revived ; as when Vltruvlus flourillied, and gave laws 
 to the fclence which he at once eftabllllied and adorned. 
 
 On entering the lawn on which Earl Braidalbane's manfion is 
 fituated, the contraR between the rugged wildernefs that we have 
 juft traverfed,and the fmooth enamelled verdure on which we now 
 tread, is fo ftriking, as to excite in the mind pleafing ideas, fuch 
 as are ufually called forth in contemplating the various exertions 
 of rural economy ; more efpecially when we meet with fuch 
 fylvan fcenes (decorated by the hand of tafte, fcrupuloufly nice 
 in preferving the genuine charader of their original features) as 
 are to befeen in our ramble through the demefnes of Tay mouth. 
 As a guide generally attends ftrangers in their furvey, every fpot 
 worth vifiting is pointed out with addrefs and civility ; and it 
 rarely happens, that thofe vifitants who can relifh a judicious 
 difplay of rude nature and art combined return difiatisfied. 
 One profpedt, to which the attention of the traveller is diredled, 
 deferves particular notice: it is that which an elegant temple, 
 dedicated to Venus, commands. In the near ground are the vil- 
 lage of Kenmore, and the bridge over the Tay where it iffues 
 from the lake. Behind the bridge, a fmall diftance from the 
 {hore, is an idet, on which the mouldering remains of a Priory, 
 almoft completely hid by the trees that fhelter this once facred 
 fpot, are ftill vifible "*. Immediately above this ifle, on the left, 
 
 the 
 
 * This monaftcry was inhabited by Canons- Regular of St. Auguftine, who at one 
 time had 28 monafteiiesin Scotland. Loch Tay's Cell or Priory, * belonging to Scone 
 (fays Spottifwood) Avas founded by Alexander in the year 1 122. Here Silylla his Queen, 
 daughter of Henry Beauclerk King of England, died, and is buried. The m -ft part of the 
 buildings of this monaftery are Itill extant (i. e. 1715) ". See Spottifwood's Appen- 
 dix to Hope's Minor Erafticks, p. 414. and Keith'e Catalogue, p. 236. In order to fup- 
 ply the cell of this illet with fifn at all times, the monks had the privilege of lifiiing on the 
 
 lake 
 
•I. 
 
 ^ 
 
 .^ 
 
 ^. 
 
 ■§ 
 
 ;^ 
 
 s 
 
 ^ 
 
 />. 
 
 ^ 
 
 ^ 
 
 
 A 
 
 
 S 
 
 
 5- 
 
 
 '1 
 
 
 ^ 
 
 
 >J^ 
 
TAYMOUTH. 215 
 
 the road is feen winding on the fteep eminence that rifes 
 abru|)tly from the water's edge : on the right, the correfponding 
 promontory is more mild in its character, and rifes grace- 
 fully in all its varied tints, from the lively green of its narrow 
 ftripes of meadow {cen amid the darker hues of the wood, to ' 
 the deep purple that fhades its heathy fummit as it takes its 
 place among the retiring uplands. Beyond the head-land on 
 the left, the firft great bending of the lake is feen. Its wooded 
 border is in its afpedl more marked, and rifes, though not abrupt- 
 ly, with a noble air of magnificence. Behind this eminence, 
 on the fame fide of the profpe£t, the towering heights of Ben- 
 laurs command attention. Its ample bofom, ftretching many a 
 mile in folemn grandeur along the winding fhores of the lake, 
 which here is hid from the fight, feems a vaft country elevated 
 in mid-air. , In the. extreme diftance, forming a fine termination 
 to this grand feen© of lake and mountain perfpedive, the double 
 cone of Ben-more is feen in its aerial veil, mingling with the 
 kindred hues of the remoteft region of the vifible horizon.. 
 Under whatever circumftances the profpedl commanded from > 
 this ftation i is beheld-^whether in the cool frefhnefs of the 
 morning, or in the glowing radiance of the evening — in the re- 
 pofe of mid-day, or when the fragrant breeze ruffles the furface 
 of the lake, and gives motion to every fhrub and tree among the • 
 deep receffes of the mountains, whofe dark grey cliffs, tufted 
 with rough brown heath, the growth of ages, are feen, and their 
 rugged brows, furrovv^ed with the torrents that fuddenly rufh i 
 
 lake and the Tay without regard to feafons ; and this privilege the prefent proprietor . 
 enjoys In right of hia charter, without, being, fubjed to reftridion by ftatute.. . 
 
 down > 
 
.216 TAYMOUTH. 
 
 down and fvveep every thing in their courfe : — whether, while 
 the lake, ftill, calm, and clear as the highly-poliflied furface of 
 the trued refledor, gives juft but inverted images of each fur- 
 rounding objed, not a breath abroad, not a leaf moving, every 
 thing around huflied into deep filence and repofe ; — or, when the 
 ftorm fcowls on high, the mountains inveloped in dark rolling 
 mifts, lightning gleaming in vivid flafhes, thunder in peals of 
 rapid fucceffion running along the upper regions of the atmo- 
 fphere, as if the Eternal in his wrath fpoke from the clouds ; the 
 wild waves of the troubled lake lafhing the huge precipices that 
 hang over its profoundeft depths : — whether the fmiling land- 
 fcape, chearful and gay, be lit up in the mild radiance of mid- 
 fummer, or clothed in the depth of winter with fnow, and the 
 fun fcarcely feen above the mountainous horizon, renders every 
 thing around a cheerlefs wafte, fhut up from communication 
 with the world ; or, till fpring again advancing, with benign 
 influence, reftores all to the genial warmth of fummer : — what- 
 ever the vicifTitudes of feafons may bring, under whatever light 
 and (hade the grand features of the profped: here pointed out 
 are viewed, ftill the fcene is fubllme, and highly chara^teriftic 
 of what of late has been denominated Scot'i/Jj landfcape^ in its 
 happieft aflemblage of pid:urefque beauty. 
 
 In our range through the parks of Taymouth, we are charmed 
 with the variety of path-ways, conducted through woods, and 
 by the banks of the Tay, which here runs in a free and rapid 
 volume as it fweeps along its tributary ftireams that defcend from 
 the neighbouring hills and retired vallles. Of the family man- 
 fion little can be faid in praife of its external appearance. It is 
 partly new, and partly old ; and it muft be confelled, that a 
 
 I more 
 
KENMORE. 217 
 
 more awkward pile of building is hardly to be met with. With- 
 in, fome of the apartments are fpacious, elegantly furniflied, 
 and ornamented with a few capital paintings. There are fome 
 portraits by Vandyke^ and yamifoii (the Scotifh Vandyke), a part 
 of which are painted in their beft manner, and are chiefly 
 valuable on that account. There are likewife a few hiftorical 
 fubjeds in a capital ftile ; the painters of which were Guercino^ 
 Afin'ibal Caracci^ Bleaky and Gavin Haiiiilton, There is alfo a 
 landfcape by Bodewyns and Bout^ touched in a free, mafterly 
 manner. In the library are fome literary curiofities : among 
 others, what is called the Black-book, a chronicle of the times* ; 
 and Duncan Laider, a poem ; both written in the Scoto-Saxon 
 dialed f. It is extremely probable that, if careful fearch were 
 made through this library, feveral other valuable articles of lite- 
 rature might be refcued from oblivion ; and it is moft likely that 
 if fome one, pofTefTed of fufficient patience, induftry, and bibli- 
 othecal knowledge, were carefully and diligently to examine 
 the public and private libraries in Scotland, much curious mat- 
 ter might be found, relative to antiquities, fecret hiftory, and 
 polite literature, which would greatly add to the flender flore that 
 w^e yet have to boaft of, particularly north of the Tweed, in the 
 prefent flate of advancement in the feveral branches of learning 
 to which thefe belong. 
 
 In our books of heraldry, theanceftors of the BraidalbanefamU 
 ly meet with diftinguiihed notice ; but if from fome marginal notes 
 in manufcript, prefixed to the feveral accounts given in thefe 
 books of this ancient and numerous name, Campbell^ one were to 
 
 • The fixteenth century. 
 
 •]• Vide Warton's Hiftory of Englifii Poetry. See alfo Campbell's IntrodiiAion to 
 the Hiftory of Poetry in Scotland ; and Pennant's Tour in Scotland, in which this 
 poem was firft noticed. 
 
 F f judge 
 
11^ KENMORE. 
 
 judge by what means fo many have rifen to high titles, honours, 
 and the pofleffion of extenfive demefnes ; it is to be apprehended, 
 that a fevere fcrutiny into the condudt of feveral individuals 
 ■would lead to a fcepticifm rather fatal to the high notions that 
 fome entertain of anceftry. But the confideration of thefe topics 
 would be here entirely out of place. To return, then, to what 
 is more immediately conneded with our main fubjedt ; namely,, 
 the pointing out fuch things as are moil worthy of attention about 
 Kenmore and Taymouth^ we (hall further notice fome few par- 
 ticulars relating to ftatiftical matters, and the natural hiftory of 
 thefe parts. 
 
 The parifli of Kenmore is bounded on the eaft by the parifhes- 
 of Dull and Weem ; on the weft by Killln ; on the fouth by 
 Comrie and Monivaird ; and on the north and north-eaft by 
 Fortingale, and a part of Weem. Its greateft breadth is (tv^n 
 miles ; and its length is about eight miles, extending on either 
 fide of Loch Tay, in the diredion of north- weft. According to an 
 arrangement in former times, part of Glenlochy belonged to Ken- 
 more and Weem : this was perhaps owing to Glenlochy being ex- 
 cellent for pafture, which induced the inhabitants of this end of 
 the lake to fend their cattle thither during the fummer months *. 
 The population of this parifh appears to have increafed con- 
 liderably fmce 1755, when a furvey w^as taken, and the return 
 made to Dodor Webfter. At that period there were 3067 per- 
 fons refident in the late parifti ; and in 1794-5, there were 3463 ; 
 being an increafe of 396. The mechanics here are 9 mafons, 
 10 fmiths, 36 Wrights, 8 coopers, 20 flax-drcflers, 63 weavers, 
 38 taylors, 4 hofiers, i dyer, and 26 fhoe-makers, making all 
 
 * A fmall part of this parifli lies in a deep retirement in Glengnaifli over a hill to 
 the fouth. Vide Sinclair's Stat. Account, vol. xvii. 
 
 together 
 
KENMORE. 219 
 
 together 215 that are employed in handicrafts ; a (Iriking proof 
 how rapidly the highlands are advancing in every means of 
 improvement. The cultivation of lands in this parifli is now 
 carried on with great fpirit and fuccefs. The foil, though 
 loamy, yields very tolerable returns ; and it is to be hoped, 
 that in a fhort time, turnip and fown grafs crops, fo profitable 
 in the rearing of cattle, will be properly attended to, fo as to en- 
 able the fmall farmers to increafe their live ftock, and keep 
 them in good condition through the winter and fpring. But, as 
 fheep are gaining the afcendancy here as well as elfbwhere, 
 there is little likelihood of agriculture being followed with that 
 avidity which otherwife it might. The number of black-cattle 
 already bears but a fmall proportion to that of the fheep ; there 
 being of the former 3028, and of the latter, 1 1,480. Say there 
 were but half the number of fheep, /. f .5740 ; in that cafe, allow- 
 ing the ufual number of fheep to one cow, which is four, there 
 would be 1435 head of cattle reared in this parifh more than 
 there are at prefent. It remains then to be confidered, whether 
 the cofts and profits, fituation and foil, and other cafualties, 
 being favourable, it would not be more to the advantage of the 
 farmer, the landlord, and the country at large, (taking into the 
 account the confequences of depopulation, which moft afTuredly 
 takes place when fmall farms are converted into extenfive fheep- 
 walks) to promote rearing of black-cattle in preference to paf- 
 turing of fheep. But the difcuflion of this interefling topic 
 would lead beyond the limits prefcribed to the few hints 
 thrown out in this place. 
 
 Since the management of fheep has become fo prevalent 
 throughout our highland diftri<fls, inflead of encouraging in- 
 groflers of land, who frequently do not breed cattle or fheep 
 
 F f 2 themfelves, 
 
220 KENMORE. 
 
 themfelves, but rather employ too much time in purchafing in 
 diftant parts live ftock for the market, to the great detriment of 
 their neighbours, who exert their induftry in breeding ; it ought 
 to be a primary obje6t with proprietors, to encourage the pre- 
 fervation of a due balance between population, and the breeding 
 of cattle and fheep; and to be watchful left the extreme of 
 over-ftocking or under-ftocking be prejudicial to the real interefts 
 of allconcerned. 
 
 Let us fuppofe a farm that can pafture 2000 fheep, and a 
 proportional number of black-cattle, to be divided among four 
 farmers, each paying a rent of 50I. per ann. ; and that thefe 
 four farmers form a common ftock, out of which the falaries 
 paid to the fhepherds employed in the management, and all 
 other expences, are to be defrayed. Let a iJDinterlng be re- 
 ferved, in cafe of a long and fevere winter, fo as to infure fufEcient 
 range and provender, which are the fure prefervatives againft 
 the accidents and difeafes that aflail live ftock. The following 
 may give fome idea of the management of a iheep-farm laid out 
 
 in this manner : 
 
 Dk. 
 Rent at 2s. a head for 2000 
 
 fiieep, is - 
 
 A fliepherd and two affiftants, 
 allowing handfomely 
 
 Wool bags, tar and butter, 
 fhepherd's meal, extra wa- 
 ges for fmearing, &c. - 
 
 Fox -hunters, and incidental 
 expences, fay 
 
 * Under the denomination of aged wedders are comprehended (merely for brevity's 
 fake) milk ewes, gett ewes, dimmonds, three year olds, rams, &c. 
 
 6 which, 
 
 £' 
 
 s. 
 
 d. 
 
 Cr. £. 
 
 By cafli for the faid flock's wool 80 
 
 s, 
 
 
 d. 
 
 
 
 200 
 
 
 
 
 
 By do. for 3C0 Iambs, 5s. 6d. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 each - > g2 
 
 10 
 
 
 
 40 
 
 
 
 
 
 By do. for 150 do. fliot, 4s. each 30 
 300 Aged wedders * and flack 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 ewes i6s. 6d. - 24-7 
 
 10 
 
 
 
 30 
 
 
 
 
 
 Crocks 150, 8s. . - 60 
 
 
 
 
 
 5 
 
 
 
 
 
 500 
 Deduft cofts - _ 275 
 And there remains a clear — _ 
 
 
 
 
 
 275 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 profit of - - 225 
 
 
 
 
 
KENMORE. 221 
 
 which, when divided among four is, 56I. 5s. a piece. Add to 
 this the produce of whatever cattle happen to be reared on the 
 lower parts of the farm ; likewife corn, barley, potatoes, &c. and 
 the fituation of fmall farms of this defcription Is far from being 
 defpicable. It is manifeft, then, that the land-owner has a rent 
 equal to any that monopolizers can pofTibly afford; he has, be- 
 fides, the pleafure of knowing that four families can thus be 
 reared inftead of one; and that the more numerous they are the 
 better, as thereby the divifion of labour will greatly add to the 
 facility of improvement of whatever defcription. Now, with 
 regard to improvements in the breed and management of (heep, 
 the following queftions may afford matter for fpeculation. 
 
 Queftion i. Whether it might not be more profitable, on the 
 whole, to pay greater attention to the quality of the wool, than 
 to the bone and bulk of fheep ? 
 
 Queftion 2. Whether if what is called the true highland 
 breed of fheep were pafturcd on the fame range as the Linton 
 breed, the advantage derived from the former might not be 
 greater than that arifing from the latter ; particularly as the 
 former are more delicate in point of flefh, the wool is much 
 finer, and fells dearer ; and the fame paflure that maintains 10 
 fheep of the foreign breed will maintain 20 of the fmall native 
 breed ; befides, that the native breed are lefs liable to difeafes 
 than the foreign, are more hardy, and require lefs trouble in 
 the management? Now, as the native Iheep are fuperior in 
 quality, with regard to finenefs of wool and delicacy of flefh, 
 to the foreign breed, and are lefs liable to maladies, lefs trouble- 
 fome in the management, and double the number can be paf- 
 tured on an equal extent of range to that of any other breed, 
 
 would 
 
22 2 KENMORE. 
 
 would it not be advifeable to make fair trial how far the fmall 
 highland breed of fheep would anfwer in preference to any 
 foreign breed hitherto introduced on fheep-farms * ? 
 
 Queftion 3. Whether eftablifhments for the manufaduring of 
 wool in the highland diftrifts ought not to be promoted and 
 encouraged; and for this purpofe, might not young men, fons 
 of gentlemen and refpe£table ftore-mafters, inftead of being bred 
 to bufinefs as cotton-manufacturers, as is the cuflom at prefent, 
 be bred to the woollen trade on its various branches ; and thus, 
 even under the {heep-breeding fyftem, our raw materials be 
 brought to market under fuch favourable circumftances as would 
 infure every due advantage ? Thus might the induftrious poor 
 earn a comfortable fubfiftence, and emigration be prevented f. 
 
 * On a Jdieep-walk that would pafture 2000 flieep of the Linton breed, double the 
 number, i. e. 4000 of the native highland kind could be paftured. — The following 
 calculation will afford fome idea of the advantage of the one mode over the other : For 
 the fake of keeping the calculation within a narrow compafs, let a fmall number fuffice. 
 
 Twenty wedders, each weighing 
 4olb., at 6d. per lb. - - 20 
 
 Wool of do. 2 I ftone, at 8s. 
 per ftone - - _ i 
 
 21 00 
 Balance or profit - - 4116 
 
 Forty wedders, native fheep, 
 each weighing 241b. at 6d. 
 per lb. - - - 24 o o 
 
 Wool of do. 3 ftones, los. 6d. 
 
 per ftone - - i 1 1 6 
 
 25 II 6 
 
 25 II 6 
 
 If this calculation be correft, and coincide with a fair trial, the advantage on the fide 
 of the fmall breed, even of the Galloway fpecies, is fufficiently evident, and turns out 
 nearly twenty- three per cent, more than the coarfe wool kind. The wool of the fmall 
 breed of flieep has been known to fell at i6s. per ftone, while only 7s. or 8s. was got for 
 the other kind. See Smith's Agr, Survey. 
 
 \ See Dr. Smith's Agricultural Survey of Argylefliire, where tin's fubjedl is con- 
 fidered at great length, and with truly enlightened views and patriotic fcntiments. 
 See alfo Campbell's Account of the Pariih of Noith Knabdale, ^Sinclair's Stat. Ace. 
 vol. v. p. 259. 
 
 Queftion 
 
KENMORE. 223' 
 
 Queftion 4. Whether goats ought not to conftltute a principal 
 part of the live flock on our highland ftore-farms ; as they feed 
 where fheep can hardly venture ;: require little attention, com- 
 paratively ; are excellent and nutritive food, efpecially when 
 their hind-quarters are made into hams ; have much tallow, and 
 their milk: is medicinal, and, when converted into cheefe, is ex- 
 cellent and fells high ; befide which, their fkins might fetch 
 a good price, and might be made into excellent leather for 
 either boots or breeches; in fhort, if due attention were paid 
 to a proper breed of goats, might not the profits be truly con- 
 fiderable ? 
 
 Queftion 5. Might not much profit arife from a ftrid: attention 
 to the breed of borfes, oi black cattle, d^nd. oifwine in the high- 
 lands ; and ought not the propagation oi bees to be encouraged 
 by every means poflible, where fo much heath and fuch vaft 
 variety of herbs abound as in our mountainous diftri6ts ? 
 
 Before leaving this fubjedt, it may not be deemed unintereft-^ 
 ing to mention a few particulars refpeding the management of 
 ftore-farms in general. 
 
 The highlands of Scotland feem peculiarly adapted for the 
 breeding of black-cattle, fheep, and goats. The native breeds 
 of each of thefe ought to be preferred to any foreign kinds, ex- 
 cept thofe neareft the native, as, without doubt, more likely to 
 thrive on the foil, more hardy, lefs liable to difeafe, and re- 
 quiring lefs trouble and expence in the management, than; 
 any breed hitherto introduced into the country by our ftore- 
 farmers. 
 
 The main points to be kept in view in the management of 
 black cattle are, to be careful not to mix the breed ; to be at- 
 tentive 
 
2 24 KENMORE. 
 
 tentive to procure good bulls * ; to keep cattle cool, clean, and 
 
 dry ; not to rear more than there is an abundance of pafturc and 
 
 provender for; otherwife, cattle are liable to difeafe, and become 
 
 ftinted in their growth. As fhape, a choice pile, fhort legs, 
 
 deep ribs, a ftraight back, a high creft, and a longifh fnout, 
 
 are the recommendatory marks of a good highland cow, the 
 
 Englifh buyers expedt fuch to be hardy and ftrong-boned, to 
 
 feed true, and fat quickly. A real highland cow of this defcrip- 
 
 tion may, when full fed and fit for flaughter, weigh from 360 
 
 to 5601b. avoirdupois, which at the rate of fixpence f)er pound, 
 
 including hide and tallow, amounts to from 9I. to 14I. j and fuch 
 
 beafts as are brought to weigh thus much are ufually bought 
 
 up at from 5I. to 81. by the Englifh drovers. 
 
 In the management of fheep-farms, the following confider- 
 ations are chiefly to be attended to. Next to the native breed 
 of highland fheep, the fmall Cheviot and ancient Galloway 
 breeds are to be preferred, principally on account of the deli- 
 cacy of their flefh and the finenefs of their fleeces f; to flock 
 
 tightly, 
 
 * The idea of degeneracy being the confequence of a bull bulh'ng his own offspring, 
 is now exploded ; as, on inveftigation, the fadl proved otherwife. It was a prevailing 
 opinion, that it is proper to change the bull every three years ; though they ufually 
 retain their vigour till ten years old. To let cows have the bull fo as to calve in the 
 beginning of April, is of great advantage. Calves ought to be allov/ed to fuck their 
 dams. 
 
 f ** Of thefe flieep, the moft diftinguifhing marks are orange- coloured faces and legs, 
 fhort thick wool, and very fmall fize. When full grown, and tolerably fat, the wed- 
 der would not exceed 30, nor the ewe aylb. ; and it would require 18 to 20 of their 
 fleeces to make a ftone of zGj; lb." It is in general fold from 12 to 14 fhillings a flone. 
 See Sinclair's Stat. Accounts, vol. xvii. p. 569. Par. Mochrum. « Very few, how- 
 ever, of this truly primitive breed, it is fuppofed, now remain. A few years ago. Lord 
 Daer and Admiral Stewart purchafed here fome of the native ewes, in order to try a 
 
 breed 
 
KENMORE. 225 
 
 tightly J and to change to pafture fuited to the health and con- 
 dition of the Itock, fo as to guard againfl the inclemency of 
 weather, and the difeafes incident to fheep*. Where the ftieep- 
 walk is high and expofed, the wedder fyftem is recommended ; 
 and where there are good low-lying paftures, with adequate re- 
 fources for a cold and lengthened fpring, the breeding fyftem 
 is, in general, found to be moft profitable ; but where there is 
 a fufficient range in low and high pafture, both fyftems, con- 
 
 breed between them and SpaniHi, Shetland, and other rams ; but both thefe pubh'c- 
 fpirited perfbnages were unfortunately cut off by death, while engaged in this and 
 many other patriotic experiments for the improvement of their country." — Ibid. p. 569. 
 The Cheviot breed are far preferable to the Linton ; for, befide their fleeces being finer 
 and clofer, of courfe warmer, they are long in body, long-legged, well-boned, and every 
 way fitted for enduring the fevered weather, and climbing the higheft mountains ; and 
 are faid to be lefs liable to difeafe than the black-faced or Linton kind. Several 
 gentlemen have Introduced them into Argylefliire : among others, Mr. Campbell at 
 Auch, and the Duke of Argyle ; asalfoEarl Braldalbane on fome farms in PerthrtuVe 
 and in Argylcfliire; and thefe feveral trials have been fuccefsful beyond their moft fan- 
 guine hopes. About twenty years ago !Le. 1778), on the Mill of Kintyre, fome parcels 
 of the old highland breed were crofTed with the Linton kind. The refult of this experi- 
 ment proved favourable, and the wool In this diftrift of Argylefiiire ftlll continues of a 
 quality much fuperior to any other In that part of the country. FiJe Smith's Agric. 
 Survey, p. 242. 
 
 * To raife artificial grafles ; to foAr the feeds of whins, broom, jiiniper, parHey, and 
 other falutary plants ; to raifc crops of turnips, potatoes, and carrot, nay cabbages of 
 ▼arious fpecles ; to drain fome parts, and water others, — ought all to enter into the 
 rural economy of the ftore-farmer, and would. In the end, be much to his advan- 
 tage, as well as to that of the country at large. Some advife the making of hay- 
 heather, the heather to be cut in Auguft, when the heath is In its fall bloom. Dry 
 provender is much recommended by ilore-fai mtrs in England. See Young's Annals, 
 vol. xiii. pq/Jtm. Mufeum Ruft., &c. A Treatlfe on Paflurage, printed for E. Bal- 
 four, Edin. 1790. Report of the Committee of the Highland Society : particularly 
 the Appendix, Edin. printed for the ufe of the Society, 1 790. The Complete Grazier, 
 London printed 1767. 
 
 G g joined, 
 
226 KENMORE. 
 
 joined, may anfwer very well. With refpedl to ram-breeding, 
 it is believed that too little attention has heretofore been paid to 
 this moft eflential part of flieep-flocking, Inftead of turning 
 rams loofe indifcriminately among the flocks at the proper feafon, 
 as has univerfally been the cuftom hitherto, fmall inclofures 
 ought to be formed, and the ewes admitted to the rams one at a 
 time only, the rams to ferve each ewe once and no more. " By 
 " this judicious and accurate regulation (fays Mr. Marfhall*), a 
 ** ram is enabled to ferve nearly twice the number of ewes that he 
 '* would do if turned loofe among them, efpecially a young ramf ." 
 The ufual pradlice is, to buy rams of three years old, to ride 
 one year, and then fell off, and to change frequently, the oftener 
 the better ; but this will not apply to the breeding and rearing 
 of the native highland fheep, the fmall Galloway, or Cheviot 
 kind ; nor of the Shetland breed. Rams may be efficient 
 and vigorous till fix or feven years old ; and a good breed ought 
 never to be changed, unlefs for another of a fuperior quality J. 
 A ram-park fhould always form part of the ftore-mafler's 
 eftablilhment ; as without it much prejudice may and often 
 does arife, befides inconvenience, in the management of the 
 flock. 
 
 The difeafes to which fheep are liable are fo formidable, and 
 fo little within the compafs of any treatment yet thoroughly 
 underftood, that it were to little purpofe to lay down any rules 
 
 * FUe Marlhall's Midland Counties, vol. i. 
 
 f By the prefent praftice one ram is allowed to four-fcore rtieep ; but by that here 
 recommended fix-fcore fheep might be ferved by a healthful vigorous ram. 
 
 :j: Some experiments have been tried with fuccefs in croffing Spanilh and native high- 
 land (heep, 
 
 refpeding 
 
KENMORE. , 227 
 
 refpeding the method of cure : fuffice it to fay, that a ftate of 
 health in beaft, as well as in man, depends on a due obfervance 
 as to proper food and clothing ; as, on the one hand, too great 
 an indulgence induces difeafes connedled with generous diet, and 
 leads to an over-delicacy in regard to defence againft the changes 
 of the feafons ; and on the other, a lack of the common necef- 
 faries of life, together with a fcanty fupply of what proteds 
 animal exiftence againft w^ind, rain, froft, and fnow, pre-difpofes 
 to debility, and difeafes connefted with wretchednefs and want. 
 Both thefe extremes fhould be avoided ; and a difcreet ufe of 
 the one, with a prudent attention to the means beft calculated 
 to guard againft the evil confequences of the other, will effec- 
 tually infure fuccefs in the art of preferving the health of man 
 and domeftic animals*. 
 
 * The difeafes to which flieep are mod liable are, the hraxyy or, as it is called in 
 different parts of England, the midden-ill^, the red-tuaterf the black-'water^ and the ro/, 
 or what is by fome called pochd \ both the braxy and the rot arc fatal in the ex- 
 treme to flieep, carrying off nearly one third, and in fome inflances the one half of a 
 flock at a time. If thefe difeafes are curable, a change of pafture is the only remedy ; 
 and the fufpefted part of a flock fliould be fold off immediately, without referve, 
 to buy in new flock. The native breed, as lefs liable to difeafe, ought without hefita- 
 tion to be prefcrved. To prevent the ravages of the braxy, to fupport the hogs (year 
 olds) in Autumn on artificial crops, fuch as fown graffes, turnips, rape, &c. is found to 
 anfwer in mod cafes. See Robfon's Report. Stat. Ace. of Selkirk, vol. ii. p. 440. 
 Stat. Ace. Linton, vol. i. p. 133. *' I will be bound for it (fays Robfon) the better . 
 <• keeping will prevent the braxy, or Jicknefs as they call it." " It was common in 
 « every part of England (continues he), until it was prevented by better food." In 
 large flocks, (he adds) a cart load, for many mornings in fucceffion in the latter end of 
 Otlober and beginning of November, was not uncommon to be brought home dead." 
 The advantage of light flocking, and green artificial crops, is obvious, to fay no more. 
 There are other maladies to which fheep are liable, fuch as the gripping, or loupiugill as 
 fome call it, a paralytic affedlion. The /urJy, or water in the head, the fcal^, fags, or 
 kades,Jicks, foot-rot, and other local difeafes incident to flieep, are treated varloufly, but 
 with very little fuccefs. Cleanllnefs and comfortable keeping are the fure preventives. 
 
 G g 2 With 
 
2a« KENMORE. 
 
 With rcfpcct to the management of a herd of goats, little can 
 here be communicated, for want of fufficient knowledge or ex- 
 perience in this branch of ftock-farming ; but, without doubt, 
 much profit might accrue, as hath already been remarked, from 
 goats forming part of a ftore-farm. 
 
 The breeding of fwine is another branch of rural economy, 
 but too little attended to in our highland diftrids. When it is 
 confidered how eafily, and under what unfavourable circum- 
 ftances, fwine can be reared and fattened, it feems perfedly 
 within the reach of the pooreft cottager to have a breeding fow, 
 the produce of which is returned within the year and half; and 
 mod affuredly no kind of induftry whatever is attended with 
 lefs trouble and expence ; nor can a more profitable one, pro- 
 vided the management be judicious, be readily pointed out. 
 What no other domeftic animal will make ufe of, a hog will 
 feed on ; and will feek his food on the fea-fhore, as well as in 
 the woods, or on the almoft barren moor. The refufe of the 
 dairy, of the mill, and of culinary operations, are to him dain- 
 ties ; how much more muft he relilh regular and more generous 
 feeding, fuch as potatoes, carrots, and, occafionally, peafe, beans, 
 and corn ! When fattened to a reafonable degree, and fit for the 
 ufe of man, hams of the fineft quality and moft delicate flavour 
 might be made ; and as the fmoke of peat or wood is found to 
 give a peculiar odour, that is very grateful to many, highland hams 
 might be as much fought after, as, at prefent, Weftphalia hams 
 are, and might prove no inconfiderable fource of national 
 wealth : nay, were proper means taken to encourage the breed- 
 ing of fwine in the highlands of Scotland, the fheep fyftem 
 itfelf would yield in emolument to the rearing of hogs, curing 
 
 of 
 
TAYMOUTH. 229 
 
 of pork, and fmoking of hams *. Then, population would in- 
 creafe, as the comforts of life would be more eafily procured ; 
 inftead of emigrations, the induftrious would find employment j 
 and thus there would exift no caufe of murmur, no fhadow 
 of oppreflion. Let agriculture be promoted in our lowlands ; 
 the rearing of fuch animals as have been mentioned on our 
 mountains and in ourvallies ; the eftablifhment of woollen ma- 
 nufadlories in the diftrids beft calculated for them; and cotton 
 works in favourable fituations ; let our fifheries be placed on an 
 eligible footing ; our trade be made free, and our ports be open- 
 ed to the whole world ; then Scotland would have to boaft of 
 her ancient independence, and be blefled with a plenitude of 
 every necefTary comfort within the reach of human induftry. 
 
 With refpe£t to the naturalhiftory of the immediate vicinity 
 of Taymout h ^ hdiSing in a former page faid fomewhat on this 
 fubje6l, the lefs will be requifite in this place :; therefore, a few 
 general hints muft fuffice, and thefe ftated as briefly as poffible. 
 
 Loch Tay is in length about 15 ftatute miles, and at its greateft, 
 breadth two miles nearly. By fome, it is reckoned a hundred 
 
 * The parifh of Lochmaben in Dumfricsfiiire is famous for breeding of fwine. 
 " There are (fays the writer of a Statiftical Account of that parifh) people who make 
 a trade of faking and curing (fwine). There maybe loool.. worth fold in the parifli 
 annually, befides what is confumed by the inhabitants " — " It is affirmed (continues 
 this author) by fome who are converfant iff that bufinefs, that from Nith to Sark and 
 Efl<, an extent of country about 30 miles the longeft way, and about 16 the 
 fhortcft, there is above 20,oool. brought in annually for fwine." Stat. Ace. vol. vii, 
 p. 243. It is to be remarked, that the foil in this parifh is of a fine quality, and yields 
 abundant crops of every kind hitherto tried. It may be objedted by fome, that the 
 highlands are on the whole unfavourable to the rearing of hogs, more efpecially to the 
 fattening of them ? — To this it may be anfwered, that, if falted cabbage, corn, and 
 carrots fatten well, as all allow to be the cafe, furely an abundance of fuch food can, , 
 without much difficulty, be procured in the highlands, as well as any where elfe. 
 
 fathoms. 
 
230 TAYMOUTH. 
 
 fathoms deep; but confiderably fliort of this may be its real 
 depth. It abounds in falmon, pike, perch, eel, charr, and mofs- 
 trout. Thefe various kinds of fifh are of excellent quality, and 
 the falmon is found clean and fit for the table at all feafons: 
 hence the privilege granted to the Braidalbane family of fifhing 
 in the lake without reflridion. Loch Tay is feldom known to 
 freeze in the fevered winters ; and lately, it has been remarked 
 by the inhabitants of the lower end of the lake, that unufual 
 and violent agitations take place in it, when every thing around 
 is calm and in profound filence *. The caufe of this has not 
 hitherto been fufEciently inveftigated, fo as to afford any fatis- 
 fa^tion with regard to the phenomena that have been obferved 
 while the lake was thus agitated. The firft remarkable flux and 
 reflux of Loch Tay known to have happened, was on Sunday 
 the 1 2th of September 1784; and the fame appearance took 
 place feveral fucceffive days, though with lefs violence than the 
 firfl: f . A fimilar flux and reflux occurred on the 13th July 
 1794, fince which time no farther agitation during a deep calm 
 has been obferved. 
 
 The quadrupeds of this diftricft are thofe found commonly 
 among the Grampians ; fuch as deer, roes, mountain-hares, and 
 hares of the downs, wild-cats, foxes, martins, weafels, badgers, 
 and others. 
 
 * In the year 1755, at tlie time when the great earthquake happened at Lifboii, 
 LiOchLomond was obferved to be in a ftate of uncommon agitation, without any apparent 
 caufe. That fimilar phenomena take place in great bodies of frefli water lakes, is fuf- 
 ficiently known ; but from what caufe naturaliils have not yet difcovered. 
 
 -j* The waters fuddenly retired to a diftance of between 90 and 100 yards from the 
 fhore, and rofe in the middle of the lake in the form of a vafl wave, with a rufhing 
 noife ; then gradually fubfided, and continued to ebb and flow in this manner for the 
 fpace of two hours. Vide Sinclair's Stat. Ace. vol. xvii.; and the Philofophical Tranf- 
 2.£t:ous cf the Royal Socie'fy of Edinburgh, vol. i. 
 
 Of 
 
TAYMOUTH. 231 
 
 Of the various kinds of birds, may be reckoned the game of 
 the lower regions, fuch as partridges, groufe, woodcocks, black 
 cocks ; and in the higher parts of the mountain, pharmlgans, 
 dotterels, and plovers. The birds of prey, are eagles, hav/ks of 
 various kinds, ravens, crows, and magpies. The birds that 
 frequent the lake and river are ducks of various kinds, wild- 
 geefe, herons, fea-gulls, and fea-eagles. There are alfo fcaiip- 
 ducks, water-rails, ring-ouzels, wood-peckers, nut-hathes, Icfler 
 red-polls, and other birds accounted rather rare in thefe parts. 
 
 The minerals on the borders of the lake and in the adjacent 
 mountains v»-ere mentioned in a preceding page; thefe confift 
 of rocks compofed chiefly of a micaceous fchiftus, intermixed : 
 with felt, fpar and quartz. 
 
 The different fpecies of wood to be found on the borders of 
 the lake, and for a confiderable way up the face of the moun- 
 tains, are oak, pine, birch, mountain afh, and hazel. On the 
 fouth fide of the lake many oak trees, of remarkably fine 
 appearance, are left {landing, and promife to be of confiderable 
 value a few years hence. The hill of Drummond* at Tay- 
 mouth, which begins below Kenmore, is planted and ftretches 
 five miles weftward, with pine, larch, oak, &c. and in a 
 fhort time this hill will become a fpecimen of what the ancient 
 forefts of this country were. 
 
 Among the alpine plants, many of which are rare, may be 
 numbered the phleum alpinum^ chereliria fedoides^ veronica fexa- 
 tilisy gentiana ?nvalis, arenai'ia faxatilis ^ ajiragalus uraletifts^ acrof- 
 ticum ilvenfe^ juncus^ jaquini^ egrigerofi alpinum^ cerajiium alpi' 
 niim ; and fome other rare plants have been difcovered by Mr. 
 
 * Or Drumnin. 
 
 I John 
 
234 FORTINGAL. 
 
 fkirted with woods of birch, and the remains of that vafl natural 
 pme foreft, which extended over this mountainous region to 
 the fliores of the Atlantic. In this immenfe foreft are fcattered a 
 great many fmall lakes, fome of which contain charr, and others 
 excellent trout. On examining an accurate map of Scotland on 
 a large fcale, fuch as Stobie's or Ainflie's, the number of frefh- 
 water lakes will be found confiderable, and feveral of them ex- 
 tenfive. From the Frith of Clyde to the Murray Frith, are no lefs 
 than twelve greater, befides an indefinite number of lefler lakes. 
 Among the more extenfive are, Loch-Lomond, Loch-Tay, 
 Loch-Aive, and Loch-Nefs*. The great fupply of water in 
 every direction that might be converted to the ufeful purpofes 
 of inland navigation from lakes and rivers, and fprings innume- 
 rable, points out the vaft advantage of interfering the country 
 with canals ; than which no fpeculation whatever would be 
 more beneficial to adventurers in it, as well as to the community 
 at large. The remains of a yew tree meafuring 52 feet in cir- 
 cumference are ftill extant in the church-yard of Fortingal. 
 Before this extraordinary tree fell into decay, its dimenfions 
 muft have been truly grand. An old adt of parliament ordering 
 broom-feeds and whin-feeds to be fown f, is to be feen among 
 our obfolete Scotifh ftatutes ; as alfo another, ordering yews to 
 be planted in church-yards, for the purpofe, no doubt, of hav- 
 ing a fufficient fupply for bow-wood near at hand, as church- 
 yards were the ufual places for the exercife of the bow and arrow. 
 
 * Some of thefe lakes are near thirty miles In length, and have no communication 
 with the fea. See an ingenious paper in the Manchefter Phil. Tranf. by Mr. Gough, 
 the celebrated blind philofopher, on the fubjeft of frefli-water lakes. 
 
 f With an intention, moft likely, of providing food for cattle in fpring, before the 
 grafs fprung up. 
 
 The 
 
FORTINGAL. t^s 
 
 The name of this parlfli, Fortingal, or Feart-nin-galy as it Is 
 called in Gaelic, iignifies, as fome fuppofe, " the works or 
 exploits of ftrangers * ;" and, from what appears at the weft end 
 of this diftri<fl of the remains of a Roman encampment, it is 
 imagined that fome of the legions had penetrated beyond the 
 barriers of the Grampians : hence there is reafon to conclude, 
 that the etymology of the name of this parifh is more than 
 fanciful. 
 
 The area within the Praetorium is tolerably perfcO:, and mea- 
 fures about 80 Scotifh acres. Three urns and fome Roman coins 
 have been dug up, as alfo a copper vefiel, a Drawing of which is 
 preferved in Pennant's Scotifn Tour. A number of circular forts 
 in various parts of this pariili excite much fpeculation refpedling 
 their original intention. They are moftly from 30 to 40 feet 
 in diameter, and about 5 feet high ; and the ftones of which 
 they are built are of vaft fize, and rudely put together. It is 
 fuppofed, that thefe forts may have been ufed as watch-towers, 
 for the purpofe of giving alarm on any fudden appearance 
 of an invafion. They extend a great length of way, and traces 
 of them are to be met with from Dunkeld to Glenorchy, a ftretch 
 of country of at leaft 70 miles. Tradition mentions this diftridt 
 to have been the fcene of King Robert Bruce's exploits, as feve- 
 ral names of places fignify f . 
 
 The manners of the people inhabiting the higher parts of the 
 parilh of Fortingal have, within the laft fifty years, undergone 
 
 * Sinclair's Statift. Ace. vol. ii. p. 449. i^^^r/ fignifies alfo ftrength, virtue; fear- 
 tail fignifies power of mind and body, energetic, miraculous. 
 
 t As Glen SafTan, " the Saxon's glen ;" Dailchofuie, '* the field of viftory," &c. 
 
 H h 2 a material 
 
236 FORTINGAL. 
 
 a material change *. Prior to this period, they lived in un- 
 comfortable huts, with fcarcely a bed to lie on, and had little clfe 
 to fupport life, fave what chance threw in their way, of game, 
 or what they could procure by plunder. The happy eftablifh- 
 ment of peace and order, after the laft fruitlefs attempt to re- 
 ftore the Stuart family to the throne, brought about every 
 means of comfort, and fuch rational enjoyment as is compati- 
 ble with honeft induftry. A few examples were fufficient to 
 demonftrate to the highlanders, that depredations were no longer 
 to be fufFered, and that liberty and the produce of labour were 
 to be regarded as the high privileges of the peaceable and in- 
 duftrious. Hence arofe a different fyftem ; and its effecfts are 
 now fo manifefl as to require no further comment ; for, to be 
 convinced of this happy change, we need only look around, 
 when we fhall be fatished that peace and good order are the 
 bleflings which procure the wealth and independence of a free 
 ftate. 
 
 Formerly, the greater part of the united diftrids belonging to 
 Fortingal, as well as moft of the weftern diftridls of Perthlhire, 
 were in the hands of the Clan Gregor. The McGregors were 
 once a potent and numerous race f . How they came to be dif- 
 polTefled of their lands, hunted down like wild beafts, and almoft 
 exterminated, is left merely to tradition and fanciful accounts, 
 fuch as have found a place in our books of heraldry, and hif- 
 
 * This is not only tlie cafe wif h the parifhioners of Fortingal ; but, in truth, the 
 whole highland difti ifls of Scotland have undergone a radical reformation, as lafling, it 
 is to be hoped, as efFc6tual. 
 
 f A terrible battle is faid to have been fought between the M'Gregors and the 
 Mackays on the banks of the river Lion. 
 
 tories 
 
CASTLE MENZIE. 237 
 
 tories of clans *. Ktiorhiih in Ranoch was a feat of the Mac- 
 gregors in ancient times, as appears from traditional hiftory, and 
 a pathetic lament on the chief of that houfe, heginning 
 
 Tha muladj tha mulad, 
 Tha mulad gam lionadh, &c. 
 
 At the nineteenth mile-ftone, Bulfraik, the rehdence of Mr, 
 Menzies, is feen as we pafs ; ai^d a mile farther down, on the 
 north fide of the Tay, Caftle Menzies, the family refidence of 
 the chief of Clan Menzies, appears, overhung hy wooded preci- 
 pices, whofe hoary cliffs add dignity to the fcene, and harmo- 
 nize with the milder afped: of the lawn on which the caftle is 
 fuuated. Tradition reports, that fome centuries back a chief of 
 the Clan Menzies, having refigned his titles and eflates to a 
 younger brother, retired into the mountains; and, fixing his 
 refidence in a cell which he caufed to be built in the cleft of a 
 rock, a confiderable way up the heights that rife behind Caftle 
 Menzies, relinquiflied all fecular concerns,, and embraced the 
 ftill life of an infulated reclufe. 
 
 The village of Aberfeldie is the next objed: we meet with, 
 worthy of notice principally on account of the picfturefque 
 fcenery in its immediate vicinity. In a deep wooded glen 
 along the courfe of a mountain ftreamlet, which bounds in fan- 
 taftic wildnefs among chafms and impending rocks overhung 
 
 * It is here proper to remark, that many fundamental errors have crept into the 
 account given of the M'Gregors in Douglas's Baronage. A manufcript, confiding 
 of hiitorical ftri6^ure8 on that account, (together with a very different genealogy of the 
 chief of the M'Gregors from that given in Douglas's Baronage,) was lately put into 
 the prefent writer's hands, which, at a future period, he means to bring forward ; 
 as, however uninterefting the fubjeft of clanfhip may appear to fome, particularly at 
 this advanced period of civilization, truth ought ever to obtain, and completely triumph 
 over error. See Buchanan of Achmas's Hift. and Gen. Eflay. 
 
 with 
 
?3S ABERFELDIE. 
 
 with brufla-wood and birch trees, drooping elegantly over in-, 
 numerable cafcades that rufh headlong down, and are colleded 
 into a water fall of confiderable magnitude, the ftranger is di- 
 rected to advance. He here meets with all that is fo happily 
 defcribed by our favourite Burns in the following Scotch fong* : 
 
 THE BIRKS OF ABERFELDIE. 
 Tun E — *' Birhs of Abergeldie,^* 
 
 Burthen — Bonny laffie ivill ye go, 'will ye go, "^111 ye go. 
 
 Bonny lajfie iv'tll ye go, to the Birhs of Aberjeldie? 
 Now Simmer blinks on flowery braes, 
 An o'er the cryftal ftreamlct phiys 
 Come let us fpend the h'ghtfome days 
 'Mong birks o' Aberfeldie. 
 
 Bonny Ifjte tuiil ye go, &c. 
 The little birdies blythly fing. 
 While o*er their heads the hazels fing 
 Or lightly flit on wanton wing 
 'Mong birks o' Aberfeldie. 
 
 Bonny hffie, &c. 
 Th» braes afcend like lofty wa's, 
 The foamy fl:ream deep-roaring fa's 
 O'erhung wi' fragrant fpreading (haws, 
 The birks o' Aberfeldie. 
 
 Bonny Iqffte, &c. 
 The hoary cliffs are crown'd wi' flowers, 
 White o'er the linns the burnie pours, 
 An' rifing weets wi mifly flaowers 
 The birks o' Aberfeldie. 
 
 Bonny Iqjfie, &c. 
 Let fortune's gifts at random flee. 
 They ne'er fliall draw a wifh frae me ! 
 Supremely bleft wi' love and thee 
 'Mong birks o' Aberfeldie. 
 
 Bonny lajfte, &c, 
 
 * It fhould feem, from fome of the lyric compofitions of Burns, that he had made a 
 poetical tour through the highlands of Scotland. 
 
 Pennant 
 
WEEM. 239 
 
 Pennant notices the wild beauties of this pleafing folitude with 
 peculiar delight*. The village of Aberfeldy is daily increafing 
 in dimenfions ; and the decent appearance of the newly-built 
 houfes gives every thing about the place an air of bufinefs, and 
 even of confequence. On the oppofite fide of the Tay, is the 
 thriving village of Weem ; in which the pariQi church is fituated. 
 About the time when the Scotifh militia ad was about to be 
 carried into effe(St, a commotion among the people in various 
 parts of Scotland wore at one period a very unfavourable 
 a<pe6b. In the village lafl: mentioned, a deeply-planned infurrec- 
 tion had adlually commenced, the confequences of which might 
 have proved fatal in the extreme, if, by prompt and coercive 
 means, the threatening evil had not been checked in its outfet ; 
 and, fortunately, nothing farther enfued, but the feizure and 
 trial of a few individuals who had been more adive than the 
 reft. On the day appointed for the trial of the culprits, it ap- 
 peared that one of them, the moft daring and active, had 
 abfconded ; he, of courfe, was out-Iawed ; and another, who 
 chofe to ftand trial at the circuit in Perth, was fentenced to tranf- 
 portation ; an award deemed by fome rather fevere ; and it was 
 hoped that a remiffion of his punifliment would take place, when 
 all the circumftances of the cafe were fully inveftigated. 
 
 Tay Bridge, built by General Wade when conduding the 
 military road leading from Edinburgh to Invernefs by Stirling, 
 though far inferior in point of elegance to the bridge at Tay- 
 mouth, is notwithftanding a fubftantial building. Prior to the 
 period when a free communication was opened by means of 
 
 * Monefs, the property of Mr. Fleming, which lies on the rivulet of Aberfcldie, is 
 chiefly noticed by Pennant, yide vol. iii. p. 37. 
 
 military 
 
240 WE EM. 
 
 military ways to the mofl: remote parts of Scotland, it is incon- 
 ceivable how truly wretched our public roads v/ere kept. AU 
 though Wade blundered egregioufly in many inftances, yet, when 
 we confider what difficulties he had to encounter in condud:- 
 ing his extenfive lines of roads over fuch vail: trails of barren 
 waftes and mountains, fufficient almoft to have damped his ar- 
 dour, however great, our admiration is raifed by contemplating 
 how much he accompliilied. 
 
 The parifh of Weem lies ftrangely fcattered among the hills 
 and remote glens of this part of the country. For inftance, 
 Achmore, near KiUin, on the fouth vveft border of Loch Tay, 
 conftitutes a part of the paridi of Weem, though diftant from it 
 2 2 miles. In Glenlochay too, a diftance of 30 miles from 
 Weem, are fome farms belonging to this parifh. In fhort, the 
 pariflies of Weem, Logierait, Fortingal, Kenmore, Killin, and 
 Dull, feem fo intermixed with each other, as to render any con- 
 jedure as to the origin of the arrangement of thefe feveral parts, 
 fo diftant from each other, almoft nugatory *. What regards 
 the climate, foil, produce, &c. of this parifh is fo fimilar to 
 what refpe6:ively belongs to Kenmore and Fortingal, as to ren- 
 der any farther remarks unneceflary. 
 
 Two great di fad vantages, occafioned by the extenfion of agri- 
 culture in the di(lri£ts of Weem, are, a fcarcity of fuel, and (hort 
 leafes. A greater evil can hardly exift, than a fcarcity of fuel ; 
 not only becaufe it conftitutes one of the indifpenfable articles 
 of life, but as, without it, lime-flone cannot be calcined for the 
 
 * The writer of the Statiltical Account of Weem, with great teafoii, fuppofes, 
 *' that when pariflies were firfl; eftabh'fhed, every proprietor endowed the parifh church 
 moft contiguous to his place of refidence with tiie tythes of his own lands, at whatever 
 dillaiice they happened to be fiiuated." Stat. Ace. vol. xii. 
 
 2 purpofes 
 
WEEM. 241- 
 
 purpofes of manure. The time neceflarily ipent, too, in cafting 
 of peats, is a great hindrance to every fpecies of agricultural 
 improvement *. To wafte as fmall a quantity of fuel as pofTible, 
 is certainly an obje6t of the greateft confequence, where fo ufe- 
 ful an article is with difficulty procured. Hence, with much 
 propriety, the Scotifh Highland Society have taken this fubjedt 
 into confideration ; and have invited the attention of the public 
 to it, by the offer of a reward for the invention of a ftove re- 
 quiring in the dreffing of victuals, and other purpofes, the leaft 
 poffible quantity of fuel f. On the topic of lliort leafes being 
 prejudicial to improvements in agriculture, it is not eafy, in a 
 narrow compafs, to lay down even the outlines of the radical 
 difadvantages to individuals as well as to the landed intereff, 
 nay to the community at large. One thing, however, is fo 
 palpable as to be obvious to everyone; namely, that where we 
 exped to reap, we labour and fow with a liberal hand j but 
 where we expedl not to reap, the labour h beftowed with a 
 carelefs hand, as we know not who may enjoy the produce of 
 our induflry. Hence it is manifeft, that if improvements in the 
 breeds of fheep and black-cattle, together with the raifing of 
 grafles and green crops, be objeds of the firft importance In the 
 grand fcheme of improvements in agriculture, a wife legiflature 
 (if a legiflature can with propriety interfere in matters of private 
 property) ought, with due promptitude, to attend to this mofl: 
 efl^ential branch of a nation's induflry ; fo that landlords and 
 
 * Statift. Ace. vol. xii. parifli of Weem. 
 
 f Since the above was written, it apptars, that Mr. WiUiam Howe, iron monger, 
 of Pi inces Street, Edinburgh, has invented a Hove, for which he has received feme 
 acknowledgement from the Society. 
 
 I i tenants 
 
242 ABERFELDIE. 
 
 tenants may mutually reap all the benefits that might arlfe from 
 a proper attention to rural economy. In that cafe, fuch a 
 code of fumptuary laws might be formed, as would guard 
 againft the evil confequences of bad feafons, and the no 
 lefs fatal effects of a fidtiiious fcarcity in grain and live ftock. 
 
 As we leave Aberfeldie, we obferve on the left a ftone of 
 confiderable magnitude fet up on end ; perhaps for the purpofe 
 of marking the fpot where the afhes of fome hero repofe *\ 
 Many fuch are to be feen as we pafs along ; fome of which 
 are fuppofed to be of Danilh origin, and others to be Druidical 
 remains. 
 
 Both fides oftheTay feem pretty well peopled. Although the 
 hamlets are mean, yet it can fcarcely be faid that there appears 
 any degree of poverty about them ; and the dwellings of the 
 more opulent inhabitants feem comfortable enough, particularly 
 thofe on the left bank of the river "t". 
 
 If, inftead of purfuing our journey dire£lly to Dunkeld, we 
 would rather vlfit Blair in Athol, it is neceflary to pafs the Tay 
 by Wade's bridge, and proceed along the windings of the river, 
 till we come to its confluence with the Tummel, over which 
 we pafs by boat, and follow its courfe the length of Blair. 
 But another route, more circuitous indeed, though not lefs in- 
 terefting, is to crofs the Tay by the bridge at Aberfeldie, and 
 afcend through Apen a Dull to the bridge of Tummel ; thence 
 to make an excurfion along the fouth fide of Lochrannoch, and 
 return by the north border of the lake to the bridge of Turn- 
 
 * This ftone is ten feet high by four feet in diameter. 
 
 f Among thefe are the family manfions of feveral gentlemen of the name of Stuart, 
 and on the oppofite bank are alfo the feats of feveral of the fame name; among others 
 GantuUy, the refidence of Sir Stuart, bart. 
 
 mel 5 
 
LOGIERAIT. 243 
 
 mel ; thence to crofs over the hills to Blair in Athol, and .proceed 
 to Dunkeld. 
 
 The diftance from Wade's bridge to Logierait is about nine 
 miles ; the road is very pleafing, and keeps nearly parallel with 
 the bendings and fweep of the Tay, on the banks of which are 
 delightfully fituated feveral family manlions amid fweet retire- 
 ments, fuch as hill and vale, wood and water, render charming 
 even in the folitudes of the north. 
 
 Logierait is a village of fmall extent, and is nowife remarkable 
 in its appearance ; except that it lies clofe in upon the river, 
 and on that account feems pleafantly enough fituated. The 
 remains of the Caftle of Logierait, now fcarcely vifible, are 
 fituated on an eminence near the ferry of Tummel, about half 
 a mile from the village. It is faid to have been the refidence 
 of Robert IL foon after he made, with confent of an aflembly 
 of the ftates, Robert Earl of Fife viceroy of Scotland, A. D. 
 1406 *. 
 
 The Regality court of Athol in feudal times was held at Logie- 
 rait f. The power and jurifdidlion of Lords of Regalities 
 were, by the feudal law that obtained in Scotland, very confider- 
 able X' In the traditional reports ftill current among the inhabi- 
 tants of Strath-Tay, this court is particularly noticed as a ftriking 
 trait of the deep policy of favage times ; when this fort of de- 
 legated royal rights to a fubjedt was intruded to perfons who 
 
 * Vide Buchanan, lib. ix. Pennant fon what authority is not known) fays, that this 
 fortrefs was a hunting feat of Alexander III. See his Tour to Scotland, vol. III. 
 P- 39- 
 
 •f Hence, as fome fuppofe, its name, Lagan ache: /,/7o-dr«, a hollow place j -^aV^, the 
 ending of differences. See Statiilical Account, vol. iv. p. 87. 
 
 X Vide Craig de Feud, fee alfo Hope's Minor Pradlicks, Title ix. p. 304, Sec. 
 
 I i 2 purfued 
 
244 LOGIERAIT. 
 
 purfued fuch arbitrary meafures as put the lives and fortunes of 
 their vafTals, and even unfavoured neighbours, In their power. 
 Thus It happened, that one of the Earls of Braidalbane, being on 
 citation obliged to appear and anfwer to certain alledged crimes 
 in the Regality Court before the Earl of Athol, as Lord of Re- 
 gality, at Logier^it, had very nearly fallen into the fnare fo 
 artfully laid for his deftrudion ; but a fcheme which was no 
 lefs artfully planned fucceeded, and by this means he efcaped 
 the crafty wiles of his too powerful neighbour. 
 
 Not long after the affair already noticed, which took place on 
 
 Stronchlachan, above Killin, between the M'Donells of Keap- 
 
 poch and the Campbells of Braidalbane, the Earl of Athol, taking 
 
 advantage of this circumftance, applied to M'Donell of Keap- 
 
 poch in order to bring him forward to bear falfe witnefs againft 
 
 th42 Earl of Braidalbane on the day appointed for his trial at Lo- 
 
 gierait. Keappoch feemed to liften attentively to the fuggeftions 
 
 of Athol, while he refolved to a(Sl a different part. Keappoch 
 
 had ftipulated as a rew^ard for fo important a fervice, a very con- 
 
 fiderable fum, which Athol, having agreed to, ratified by bond. 
 
 On the day of Braidalbane's citation at the Regality court of 
 
 Logierait, Keappoch failed not to be prefent ; and when the 
 
 arch-offender appeared before the tribunal of the inexorable 
 
 Athol, Keappoch, as agreed on, was called forth to bear witnefs 
 
 of certain alledged crimes and mifdemeanors. Braidalbane, 
 
 who eyed Keappoch afkance, in gloomy filence, was aftonifhed 
 
 at the favourable and fudden change in the afped of the bufinefs 
 
 before the court ; when Keappoch, as if flruck with horror at 
 
 the awful crime of perjury which he was about to perpetrate, 
 
 ftarted back, and at the fame time pulling out of his pocket the 
 
 5 bond 
 
LOGIERAIT. 245 
 
 bond granted by Athol, threw it from him with dlfdahi, fay- 
 ing, " Although I be not fo rich as either of you, and have a 
 numerous offspring to provide for, yet I will not bargain for 
 my eternal damnation by wilfully perjuring myfelf. There, 
 take back your bribe, Athol : let me be juft." — The court, at 
 thefe words, rofe up in amazement ; Athol himfelf, covered 
 with confufion, retired in hafte ; and the hoftile chieftains from 
 that inftant became reconciled, embraced one another as friends, 
 continued fo during their lives, and their defcendants to this day 
 remain linked in the ftridteft bonds of amity *. 
 
 The fcenery about Logierait is highly pidurefque ; the whole 
 way from the ferry of Tummel to Blair being one continued feries 
 of delightful profpeds, diverfified by endlefs variety. The 
 vale through which the Tummel winds its courfe is adorned 
 with meadows, corn-fields, and woodlands, that flant gently to 
 the water's edge. The bare cliffs that rife in hoary grandeur 
 above the hanging groves, and ruffet heath, on the left, lead the 
 eye to the diflant mountains which terminate the far extended 
 fcene. On the right, the charader of the banks is lefs lofty, and 
 they have an air of paftoral elegance in their flopes and rifings. 
 In fhort, fo charming an afTemblage of pidurefque beauty as is dif- 
 played In the flretch of country here pointed out, is rarely to be 
 met with. In paffing onward along the winding of the Tummel, 
 we meet with feveral retirements pleafantly fituatedj among 
 
 * The imperfeclion of our criminal law in Scotland has been long a fubjeft of na- 
 tional regret. Indeed, prior to the year 1748, when hereditary jurifdiftion was aboliflied, 
 and the right oi pit and gallows bought up by the executive power, to whom properly 
 it ought ever to belong, our criminal code was in great meafure undefined and arbi- 
 trary. But fince that period fome regulations have been adopted, that are faid to 
 anfwer in oioft cafes. 
 
 which 
 
246 KILLICRANKIE. 
 
 which, that of Fafcarly, near the confluence of the rivers Garry 
 and Tummelj is the moil favoured in this refpedt. The Pafs of 
 Killicrankie is about a mile beyond Fafcarly, and is one of 
 thofe fcenes which are calculated to infpire feelings of the fub- 
 lime in nature, which, when aflbciated with hiftorical incident, 
 becomes interefting in the higheft degree. 
 
 ' Although James had refigned the regal dignities of the 
 Englifh throne, and William Prince of Orange had, by confent 
 of Parliament, aiTumed the rights and privileges of a Britifli 
 monarch ; yet many, in the three kingdoms, were firmly at- 
 tached, from principle as well as intereft, to the oppofite caufe, 
 — the divine origin of kingly government, and chofe, rather 
 than fubmit to the will of the majority, to fly to arms in fup- 
 port of the pretenfions of their lawful fovereign and native 
 prince. Hence the firft war, which was termed rebellion, in 
 order to reftore the Stuart family to the throne of their anceftors. 
 Beyond the pafs of Killicrankie, on the 17th July 1689, a com- 
 bat took place between a party of the Prince of Orange's army, 
 commanded by General Mackay, and a body of raw Irifli re- 
 cruits combined with a handful of fierce highlanders headed by 
 the undaunted Clavers, Lord Vifcount Dundee, which termi- 
 nated fatally to the caufe of James, though vi<ftory remained on 
 the fide of the Irifl.i and the Scotilh highlanders. 
 
 On the morning of the 17th July, Mackay put his troops in 
 motion, and, letting forward with his vanguard from Dunkeld 
 for the opening into the pafs of Killicrankie, arrived on the fpot 
 about mid-day, where he gave orders to halt. Here he refted 
 two hours, after which he commenced his march through the 
 pafs. Having entered the confines of this awful folitude, 
 
 where 
 
KILLICRANKIE. 247 
 
 e 
 
 where impending precipices feem to threaten inftant rum, the 
 foldiers advanced with Toft and cautious Heps, left the found of 
 their feet fhould give notice of their approach to the enemy, who, 
 apprized of the progrefs of Mackay's forces, lay on his arms 
 on the fide of a mountain within view of the north end of the 
 pafs. While thus recumbent, the rebels, undifmayed, beheld 
 the royal army form in order of battle on the plain beneath 
 them. Imprefled with the folemnity of the furrounding objeds 
 that compofe the fublimity of this fcene, where mountains 
 tower aloft, on whofe ample bofoms huge fragments of rock 
 crofs each other in every diredion, and where all is hufhed into 
 filence, fave when birds of prey on high fcream the death-notes, 
 which, wildly mingling with the hollow murmurs of the foaming 
 Garry as it hurries through fragments that have tumbled from 
 the impending precipices, which feem to clofe in wooded loom, 
 and bury it from the view, ftrike terror on the foul ; — while, im- 
 patient of their fate, the royal forces, led on by their ikilful 
 leader, paufed as they looked around them ; — in this awful 
 fufpenfe both armies remained in fight of each other till toward 
 fun-fet ; when it was refolved, in a council of war among the 
 rebel chiefs, to give battle at night-fall : for, the highlanders, 
 trufting to their valour and the fuccefs of their mode of attack, 
 never doubted on whofe fide victory would remain. The event 
 juftified their hopes : Dundee detached his clans in order, and 
 formed them into compadl wedges, fo as to break the enemy's 
 line, and hand to hand decide the fate of the combat. With 
 this bold determination, the rebel general rufhed down, at the 
 head of a brave handful of his followers, on the firm battalions 
 of his opponent. The onfet was impetuous, and bloody. The 
 
 line 
 
i^S KILLICRANKIE. 
 
 line was In an inftant broken, and a terrible carnage enfuedi 
 The rout was complete ; and the rebels were victorious. Dun- 
 dee, perceiving a detachment of the enemy making, with all 
 poflible fpeed and good order, their retreat through the pafs, leap- 
 ed on horfeback, and fpurred on vigoroully for the mouth of the 
 defile ; and deeming vid:ory incomplete unlefs all chance of efcape 
 was rendered hopelefs, he was in the stO: of accomplifhing his 
 bold purpofe, when a muiket-fhot entered beneath his arm-pit. 
 Finding himfelf mortally wounded, he turned afide to meet with 
 heroic firmnefs his fate ; and his dying requeft was, to conceal 
 his mifchance from his comrades : then raifmg his languid eyes, 
 he fixed them on the field of battle ; and being told that " all was 
 well," he faid, " I am well then — I die contented," and expired 
 without a groan*. Two thoufand of king William's 'army 
 
 were 
 
 * The following elegant Epitaph is from the claffical pen of the ingenious and ac- 
 ccmplifhed Pitcairke, Du ndee's friend. To it is fubjoined an imitation, in Englifil 
 verfe :. 
 
 Ultimc Scotorum, potuit, quo fofpite folo, Of Scotifh heroes laft and beft, O Grame f! 
 
 Whofe bofom glow'd with freedom's holy 
 Libertas patriae falva fulfle tuae^. flime, 
 
 Indignant thou a foreign yoke didft fpurn,. 
 Te moriente novos accepit ScotiA cives : And greatly fell.: — Now Scoiia o'er thy urn 
 
 Mourns in fad filence thy untimely fate, 
 Accepltque novos te moriente Deos. And fees with wringing grief what ills await 
 
 Thy alter'd country !^ — E'en a faithful few 
 Ilia tibi fuperefle negat, tu non potes illi, Remain, not.— -Gods and people— all feem 
 
 new. 
 Ergo CAtEDONiiE nomen inane vale. O valiant chief !' thy country's name is gone ! 
 
 How fall'n! and e'en an alien fills the 
 throne ! 
 
 Tuque 
 
 •f- James Gr;eme, (Graham,) of Clavers, Lord Vifcount Dundee bycreation.—^/(/e McKay's MSS* 
 as quoted in Dalrymple's Memoirs of Great Britain and Ireland 5 Granger's Biograph, Hiftory, Smollet, 
 
 Guthrie, 
 
KILLICRANKIE. 249 
 
 were left dead on the fpot, and five hundred taken pnfoners. 
 The lofs on the fide of James was but inconfid arable ; yet in 
 the fall of fo undaunted a hero as Dundee, the caufe of that 
 exiled monarch received its death-wound. The Athol men, 
 whom Dundee had ordered into the fouth entrance of the pafs, 
 fell on the fugitives, and made terrible havock among them : 
 only two hundred with their General arrived in one body at 
 Stirling, after encountering incredible difficulties in their fecret 
 march over the mountains of Rannoch and Braidalbane. 
 Mackay, who was himfelf a highlander, while in the retreat, 
 refting on an eminence within fight of the field of battle, turned 
 round to fee who followed him in his route ; and, perceiving no 
 one attempting to harafs the laft of his followers, faid, " Surely 
 the highlanders have loft their leader ; elfe they would not have 
 lulTered us to efcape thus unmolefted." Having taken ample 
 vengeance on their enemies, the inexorable rebels, regarding 
 neither order nor decency, fell on the Englifh baggage, plunder- 
 ed the dead, and made off with whatever booty they could lay 
 their hands on. Some of the lefs rapacious carried the dead 
 
 Tuque vale gentis prifcae fortlfllme duftor, Out-live thou couldll not this !— clos'd arc 
 
 thine ej'es. 
 Optlme Scotorum atque ultin:ie, Grame, vale. Farewell ! — A patriot's boon is thine — the 
 
 martyr's prize. 
 
 Guthrie, and others. It appears from hiftoiy, that three feveral attempts were made toreftore the royal 
 family of Stuart to the Britifh throne, all of which proved unfuccefsful ; viz. that above-noticed, ia 
 1689 ; a fecond in 1715 ; and the third and lafl in T745. — Thus we fee, in little more than half a cen- 
 tury, every means to rellore our anci.nt race of nwnarchs fail ; and, fince the death oi the Young Ad- 
 ventuier, as he was called, Charlcs.Edtvard Stuart, every hope has vanifhed ; and the Brunfwick line 
 has no competitor to difttirb tlic qui^t of regular fucceflion to lateft patUrity. 
 
 K. k body 
 
250 MOULIN. 
 
 body of their gallant General to Blair, where he was Interred, 
 and ralfed a ftone to his memory on the fpot where he fell, 
 which is to be feen to this day. 
 
 The parifh of Moulin, in which the fcene of this battle lies, 
 though not extenfive for a highland diftrldt, is pretty populous. 
 Yet its population feems to have fomcwhat decreafed within the 
 lafl forty years ; for, according to Statiftical Accounts, in 1755 
 the number of inhabitants was 2109, and in 1790, it was only 
 1749; being a decreafe of 360. The people are remarkably 
 attentive to their various occupations; of courfe, few of them 
 are a burthen to the parifh. Of the 1749, only 32 were pau- 
 pers ; a fmall proportion indeed, when it is confidered how hard 
 they have to work for their bread ! But nothing is deemed by 
 a highlander more difgraceful than poverty in the extreme : 
 hence the laudable defire of a decent competency, which he fel- 
 dom fails to acquire by every honeft and lawful means within 
 the compafs of his induftry. The women, univerfally through- 
 out Perthfhire, and particularly in this diftrI6l, are excellent 
 fpinfters. According to the writer of the Statiftical Account, 
 the quantity of linen yarn fpun during the fplnning feafon, is 
 2310 fpindles, which at 2s. 4d. per fplndle, for 2300 fplndles, 
 will fetch at market the fum of 2683I. 6s. 8d. the produce of 
 the labour, from the middle of November, when labour In the 
 field ceafes, till Anarch, when It again commences — fay a period 
 of twenty-one weeks; thus, on an average 6S6 females from 
 8 to 60 years of age gain each, in the above fpace of time, 
 3I. 1 6s. gd. ; a fum equal to -the fupply of whatever articles of 
 drefs they may require, in which, of late, they fhew a degree 
 of neatnefs and cleanlinefs highly to be commended. To this 
 
 defire 
 
MOULIN. 251 
 
 defire of comfort and elegance, is joined an induftrious and fru- 
 gal turn ; together with an affectionate and obliging urbanity of 
 manners truly charaderiftic of the advancement of civilization 
 in the highlands of Scotland. But, notwithftanding all the 
 means of induftry which a highlander employs, it is a forrowful 
 confideration, that the more he toils, the more the refources of 
 his induftry are drained into channels which turn not to his 
 comfort ; and, after having reared, and even educated, a nume- 
 rous family, he is frequently, in his old age, forced to abandon 
 his native village, to give place to a fyftem, the effects of which 
 are already but too apparent. Would to heaven the following 
 lines were inapplicable to this melancholy ftatement : 
 
 111 fares the land, to haft'ning ills a prey, 
 
 Where wealth accumulates, and men decay ; 
 
 Princes and Lords may flourlfh, or may fade ; 
 
 A breath can make them, as a breath has made : 
 
 But a bold peafantry, their country's pride. 
 
 When once deftroyed — can never be fupply'd. Deferted Village. 
 
 The value of live flock and total value of produce in the parifli 
 of Moulin, is about 22,3731. flerling, and the real rent about 
 3000I. fterling. The mode of agriculture in this parifh is ftill 
 on the rude old plan ; but it is hoped, that the modern im- 
 provements, which very generally obtain throughout our high- 
 land diftri£ls, will fpeedily be introduced here. 
 
 Oak and birch woods abound in this diftrid, and prove very 
 profitable to their owners. Each cutting of oak is faid to be worth 
 4500I. fterling*,that of birch about 500I. Several extenfive plan- 
 tations of larch and Scotifli firs have been made on upland fitu- 
 ations favourable to their growth. The great and growing evil 
 
 * Oak is cut once in twenty years. Stat. Ace. vol. v. p, 68. 
 
 K k2 of 
 
252 MOULIN. 
 
 of a fcarcity of fuel is much to be lamented. Wood for fuel ought 
 to be cultivated with all pofTible care and expedition, as in a very 
 few years the difficulty of procuring peat will be almoft infurmount- 
 able. " One caufe," fays the writer of the Statiftical Account 
 of Moulin, " which accelerates a fcarcity of fuel, is the diftilling 
 of whiiky ; for one ftill confumcs as much peat as would ferve 
 five families." 
 
 Near to the village of Moulin {lands the ruins of a caflellet, 
 meafuring 76 by 80 feet, being nearly fquare, and having a 
 round turret at each end. It is fuppofed to have been a flrong 
 hold of the Cummins, once a powerful race, and to whom be- 
 longed in the fourteenth century the Lordfhips of Atholl and 
 Badenoch. The remains of fmall circular buildings, fuppofed 
 by fome to be of Pidifh origin, are flill pointed out in feveral 
 parts of this parifh ; as alfo two or three Druidical circles. In 
 a marl-pit near Moulin, the ikull, as is fuppofed, of one of thofe 
 horned cattle called uri^ found in the forefts of Gaul, and noticed 
 by Csefar *, was dug up fome years ago, and is flill to be feen at 
 the Caftle of Blair. The fkuU is fhaped like that of an ox ; the 
 piths of the horns are pretty entire, and meafure in circumference 
 thirteen inches each ; the reft of the fkull is in proportion. 
 
 When the Scotifh colony at Darien capitulated, Captain 
 
 Campbell of Finnab, a native of this parifh, was the officer who 
 made fo gallant a ftand amid dangers that might have appalled 
 the greateft hero, and procured for his w^orn-out comrades fuch 
 honourable terms as reflected the higheft luftre on his talents. 
 If this parifh can boaft of having given birth to this gallant 
 foldier, the neighbouring diftrid (Logierait), formerly noticed, 
 
 * Bell. Gall. lib. vl. cap. 26. 
 
 may 
 
MOULIN. 
 
 253 
 
 may be proud to number among its natives a philofopher 
 truly refpedable for learning, literary eminence, and, above 
 all, the genuine charaderiftics that diftinguifh the man : and 
 when Dr. Adam Fergufon, late ProfefTor of Moral Philofophy 
 in the Univerfity of Edinburgh, is mentioned, his name will 
 not be received without producing a lively fentiment of be- 
 coming pride, that poets, philofophers, foldiers, and ftatefmen, 
 have been furnifhed to the" world from our native mountains of 
 Scotland *. 
 
 Immediately adjoining the pariih of Moulin, are the united 
 parifhes of Blair- Atholl and Strowan, or Struan. The latter pariih 
 alfohas to boafl of a native eminent as an accomplilhed gentleman, 
 and a poet of confiderable merit, namely Robertfon of Struan f, 
 A little way above the church of Struan, on the fouth-weft bank 
 of the river Garry, a fquare mound, partly natural and partly 
 artificial, having a ditch or fofs parallel with its fides, faid to 
 have been conftruded by Allan McDonnell, (of the family of 
 Keppoch,) nick-named Dirip, is ftill to be feen. Another rude 
 monument, called Carn-mhic-JIdim'ty or Frazer of Lovat's cairn, 
 is to be found on the Minigcog road above Blair. Indeed there 
 are a great many fuch rude monuments of favage times ; as alfo, 
 feveral Druidical remains, and others it is fuppofed of Danifh 
 origin, which are pointed out to the curious enquirer J. 
 
 The Clan Donnachie, or Robertfons, a branch of the Mac- 
 donalds, were, till within the laft fifty years, the moft confider- 
 
 * As an hiftoiian, Fergufon is too well known to need any farther notice in this 
 place. Mallet and Macpherfon among our poets, and John Duke of Argyle as a fol- 
 dler and ftatefman, may be mentioned with refpeft. 
 
 -j- See Campbell's HiHory of Poetry in Scotland. 
 
 t See Stat. Ace. vol. ii. p. 477. 
 
 2 able 
 
254 BLAIR ATHOLL AND STROWAN. 
 
 able inhabitants of this diftrid. Their chief places of refidence 
 were at Struan, I.ude, Portau-eclien, Faiikarly, &c, * Accord- 
 ing to tradition, Duncan Raver M'Donald was the mod re- 
 nowned warrior of the Clan Donnachie, or Robertfons ; and 
 flourifhed in the time of our Bruces. From him was defcended 
 Gur poet of that name ; who feems to have inherited the war- 
 like fpirit of that chieftain, as he twice ftepped forward as a loyal 
 fupportcr of the Stuart caufe ; once in 1715, and again in 1745, 
 when he loft his eftate, and was left without a home, or the 
 means of fubfiftence ; yet, fo ftrong was his attachment to his 
 paternal inheritance, that he found means to procure an afylum 
 on his former property ; and fought to forget his misfortunes 
 in the joys of the cup, till he died in an advanced life ; leaving 
 behind him the reputation of a fteady adherent to the good old 
 caufe of Church and King, an accomplifhed gentleman, a focial 
 companion, and an honeft man. 
 
 For feveral hundred years back, the AthoU family have had 
 confiderable pofleflions in this diftricfl of Perth-fliirc. Their 
 place of refidence has been, and ftill is, AthoU-houfe, or Blair- 
 caftle. The approach to Blair promifes but little gratification to 
 the traveller; but, on ranging through the ornamented grounds, 
 he is agreeably difappointed ; for, here he meets with a vaft 
 variety of well difpofed path-ways condud.ing him along the 
 7'ilt, a rapid mountain ftream ; and he cannot fail to be pleafed, 
 if the charms of rural elegance, combined with the wild luxuri- 
 ance of fimple nature, can excite in his mind the pleafurable 
 
 * During the minority of James V., the Clan Donnachie, headed by their chief the 
 Laird of Struan, (Robertfon,) committed outrages over the diftri£l of AthoU and 
 counties adjacent ; till Struan himfclf was way-laid, while on a vifit at his uncle's, and 
 bafely affafiinated. Vide Buchanan, lib. xiii. 
 
 feelings 
 
BLAIR-ATHOLL AND STROWAN. 255 
 
 feelings that fuch fcenery is calculated to infpire. The family man - 
 {ion is little more than a pJain dwelling houfe ; but fome of the 
 rooms are fpacious, and well furnifhed. Before Blair-caftle was 
 transformed into the humble appearance that it at prefent exhibits, 
 its dimenfions were lofty, turreted, and had an air of grandeur 
 charaderiftic of feudal times. Here the gloomy affaffin of our 
 firft James meditated his bloody purpofe ; and it was here alfo, 
 about a century afterwards, that an Earl of Atholl, as if it were 
 to expiate the guilt of his cruel predecefTor, entertained in the 
 mod fum.ptuous manner, although above thirty miles diftant 
 from any town but Dunkeld, King James V. who had pafled 
 thither in order to hunt the deer of the Grampians, with a fuite, 
 in which were Margaret the Queen-mother, the Pope's Am- 
 baflador, and a numerous train of followers. If our hiflorian 
 Lindfay*, be in any degree correal in his acco.unt of this 
 fplendid banquet furniflied by x'^tholl to the Scotifh monarch, 
 we have no reafon to fuppofe there was want of any manner 
 of " meates, drinkes, and dilicacies that were to be gotten at 
 " that time in Scotland, either in brugh or land. So that he 
 " (the King) wanted none of his orders mare than he had 
 " been at home in his own palace. The king remained in 
 " this wildernefs (/'. e. Atholl) at the hunting the fpace of three 
 " days and three nights as 1 have fhewn. I heard men fay 
 ** (continues Lindfay) it coft the Earl of Atholl every day in 
 
 * Hift. James v., A.D. 1529.-— Robert Lindfay of Pitfcottie, and not Sir David 
 Lindfay of the Mount, as Pennant would have it ; and Pennant's Tour, vol. i. p. 121. 
 Pitfcottie, p. 225. The fpot where th^ banqueting houfe was prepared for the 
 reception of James is on the north fide of Birn glo. See Stat. Account, vol. ii. 
 
 P-475- 
 
 " expences 
 
 I 
 
256 BLAIR-ATHOLL AND STROWAN. 
 
 " expences a thoufand pounds *-" No fooner did the royal 
 vifitant take his departure, than Atholl caufed his highlandinen 
 to fet fire to the temporary palace and huts which had been 
 reared for the occafion, " that the king and the ambaflador 
 " might fee them on fire. Then the ambaflador faid to the 
 " king, " I marvel fir, that you iliould thole your fair palace to 
 *' be burnt, that your grace has been fo well lodged in ;" — ^then 
 the khig anfvvered the ambaflador and faid, *' It is the ufe of 
 " our highhindnien, though they be never fo well lodged, to burn 
 " their lodging when they depart f." 
 
 The 
 
 • A fum eqinl to 1500I. fterling. So that the three days' entertainment cofi: mine 
 hofl oi Atholl 4500I., — 3 pretty fnug fum for a royal vifit, to be fure ! 
 
 f *' This being done (continues Pitfcottie), the king returned to Dunkeld that 
 «' night (in fummer, A.D. 1529) ; and on the morn, to St. Johnflon (Perth). 1 
 " heard fay, tlie king, at that time, in the bounds of Atholl and Strathern, killed 
 *' thirty fcore of hart and hynd, with other fmall beafts, as roes, and roe buck, wolf, 
 " fox, and wild cats. Then the king, within a day or two came to Dundee, where 
 ** he was honourably received, and well entertained by the conftable, and rhe honeft 
 ** burgeffes thereof, and remained there three days ; and fyne pafled to St. Andrews, 
 " and his mother with him, and the ambaffador ; and there remained till Michaelmafs, 
 " and was well entertained by Bifhop James Beaton and Prior Patrick Hepburn. 
 *' Syne palled to Stirling, and remained there the moft part of the winter. Syne the 
 " next fpriug of the year he came to Edinburgh, and founded a fair palace in tlie abbey 
 '* of Holyrood-honfe, and a great toAver to hinifelf to reft into, when he pleafcd to 
 *< come. Furtlier, he fent to Flanders and brought home artillery and harnefs, with 
 " powder and bullets, with picks and all other kind of munition, and garniflicd his 
 " caftles therewith, viz. Edinburgh, Stirling, Dumbar, Dumbarton, and Blacknefs. 
 '• Further, he tranflated the palace of Linlithgow, and bigged a pretty palace in the 
 •' cafllc of Stirling." Fide Pitfcottie's Hiitory of the Jninefes, p. 228, 229. 
 
 It fliould feem, the next vifit the king paid to his highlandmen was not marked with 
 fo much merriment and banqueting as the former ; for, when ** the king pafled into 
 " the ifles, and there held juilice courts, and punifhed both thief and traitor according 
 " to their demerits, fyne brought many of the great men of the iiles captive with 
 
 " him ; 
 
BLAIR-ATHOLL AND STROWAN. 257 
 
 The united parilhes of Blair- AthoU and Strowan extend 30 
 miles in length, and above 18 in breadth ; the greater part of 
 which confifts of mountains, and almoft barren wilds ; yet, 
 notwithftanding, thefe fterile regions contain 3120 peribns ; and 
 it appears, that fmce 1755 the population has not greatly de- 
 creafed, although many changes have taken place within that 
 period, much to the prejudice of the patriarchal plan among the 
 highlanders *. The Iheep ^ftem is gaining ground here very 
 faft ; in confequence of which, rents are advancing in propor- 
 tion. The charad:er of the people is good ; they are fober, 
 induftrious, courteous to ftrangers, and charitable to the poor, 
 whether belonging to the parifli or roaming at large, as 
 beggars frequently do through moft of the highlands ; and 
 what is not a little remarkable, by. far the greater number of 
 them are from the lowlands. The reafon given by themfelves 
 is, that they feldom go away from the meaneft hut without re- 
 ceiving alms of fome kind or other. Thus, the warm benevo- 
 lent difpofition of honeft poverty expands at the mifery to 
 which, by fome flrange prefentiment, it feels itfelf allied ; and 
 readily imparts that aid which, in the courfe of an untoward 
 train of circumftances, it may demand in its turn. The hofpi- 
 tality of our highlanders has, at all times, been the fubje£t of 
 
 <♦ him ; fuch as Mudyart, Macconnel, Macloyd of the Lewi"?, Macneil, Maclane, Mac- 
 ** intofh, John Mudyard, Mackay,Mackenzie> with many others that I cannot ichearfc 
 " at thij time. Some of them he put in ward, and fome bade in court, and fome he 
 *' took pledges for good rule in time coming. So he bvouglit the ifles, both north 
 •♦« and fouth, in good rule and peace." Ibid. p. 279. 
 
 * The return to Dr. Webfter in 1755, was 3257 ; and that in 1791, was 3120 : — 
 difference 137 only. 
 
 L I panegyric 
 
258 BLAIR-ATHOLL AND STROWAN. 
 
 panegyric among our fouthern neighbours the lowland Scotiili, 
 and Englifh ; but they probably have no greater claim to this 
 virtue, than any other race of people, in any age or country, 
 fimilarly fituated, and governed by circumftances that give a 
 fimilar caft to the active powers of the human mind. The 
 nearer a people are to that ftate of fociety wherein the pureft max- 
 ims of patriarchal innocence obtain, the more will the finer 
 feelings of humanity difplay the an^iable blandiihments of hof- 
 pitality and rural enjoyment. This will happen in the woods 
 of America, Africa, and Afia, as well as among our mountains 
 of Wales, or of the highlands of Scotland. The more remote 
 from the bufy world, and the more ignorant of the comforts of 
 civil fociety as eftablifhed in great cities, and other parts that 
 have imbibed the fpirit of trade or commerce, the more do the 
 affections which indicate innocent hilarity, equanimity, and all 
 the amiable qualities of uncontaminated refped: for fmcerity, 
 truth, flrid honour, and a due obfervance of whatever is fit, 
 juft, and right, diffufe their influence over every the moft trivial 
 occurrence of domeftic intercourfe. Hence, the hofpitality we 
 fo much admire among a rude and fimple people, fuch as 
 the Welfh peafantry, or thofe of the highlands of Scotland *. 
 The manners of thofe highlanders who have had the advantage 
 of a liberal education, and fuch as have lived any time in great 
 cities, or have entered into the army, and feen the world on its 
 grand fcale, may reafonably be expected to refemble much the 
 urbanity of polifhed life : yet the peculiarities of original habit 
 and early afTociation are diftindly marked from the higheft to 
 
 * See the writings of Pennant, Sprat, Morgan, Anue RadclifFe, Coxe, Twifs, Moore, 
 &c. Weld, La Hontan, Charlevoix, Golden, &c. 
 
 the 
 
BLAIR-ATHOLL AND STROWAN. 259 
 
 the loweft. A natural warmth of temper, a ftrong tindure of 
 family pride, a love of fhew and of pleafure, and a thirft almoft 
 infatiable for diftindion, feem in a particular manner to charac- 
 terize the highlander. Inflexible, and ever in extremes, his 
 foul glows fervently in friendfhip, or rages in unextinguifhable 
 hatred. Aperfedl favage in his defires and averfions, he knows 
 no bounds to his refentment, no limits to his love; and he 
 rarely turns his back either on a friend or a foe. 
 
 Blended with the good qualities of the heart and the under- 
 ftanding, many weakneflTes are found among a people but limited 
 in their range of acquired knowledge in either art or fcience. 
 Superftition, the oiTspring of ignorance and credulity, whether 
 in polilhed or in rude fociety, feems, even at this day, not alto- 
 gether extinguiflied in our highland diftrids. Although many 
 obfervances that were, till of late, ftridly attemied to by the 
 natives of thefe mountains, have fallen into difufe ; or, if 
 heeded at all, rather form part of their fports than their devo- 
 tion ; yet a few may be noted in this place, as rather charadter- 
 iftic of pad times than of the prefent. Some of the fuperftitions 
 in the highlands are fuch as are common among the vulgar of 
 moft European nations* : for example, Broutiie (or Robin good- 
 fellow), fairies, fprights, hob -goblins, fpedres, and the like, were 
 till lately believed in, as alfo witches, and thofe pofTefTed of the 
 faculty of fecond fight. Thefe, together with the remains of 
 Druiuifm, and Chriftianity corrupted by Romifh idolatry, made 
 up the fuperftition of our highlands of Scotland. 
 
 « An inquiry Into the rife and progrefs of Superftltion is earneilly recommended 
 to the attention of philofophers. This fubje6t is full of intercft, and would form a 
 chief department of the hiilory of moral fciences. 
 
 L 1 2 Martin, 
 
26o BLAIR-ATHOLL AND STROWAN. 
 
 Martin, Pennant, and feveral of the writers of Sinclair's Col- 
 lecStion of Statiftical Accounts, having already noticed, at con- 
 fiderable length, mofl: of the fuperftitious pradices that till 
 lately prevailed in many parts of our mountainous diftrids, 
 the reader is referred to the w^orks of thofe ingenious authors, as 
 containing, fo far as confifts v^rith the knowledge of the prefent 
 writer, very faithful and circumftantial accounts relative to the 
 fubjed in queftion. It is, therefore, unneceflary to dwell, in 
 this place, on any particular cuftom, or relick of the abfurdities 
 that may h[ave arifen from the hopes and fears to which human 
 nature is prone in a ftate of rudenefs and fimplicity. But, as a 
 few inftances may fuffice to exhibit the nature and general fcope 
 of the w^hole fyftem,thefe fliall be placed in the order following, 
 that is, from the birth of the highlander to the time of his death 
 and funeral. 
 
 The cold-bath was fo much efteemed by the ancient race of 
 highlanders, that as foon as an infant was born he was plunged 
 into a running ftream, and wrapped carefully in a blanket* ; and 
 foon after he was made to fwallow a fmall quantity of frefh 
 butter, to accelerate the difcharge of the meconium f . When 
 an infant was chriftened, in order to counterad the power of 
 evil fpirits, witches, &c., he was put on a bafket with bread and 
 cheefe wrapped up in a linen cloth ; and thus the baflcet and its 
 contents were handed acrofs the fire, or fufpended on the pot- 
 crook that hung from the joift over the fire-place. Immedi- 
 ately after this ceremony, a difh of crowdie (a mixture of 
 
 * This cuftom was contioued up to manhood. The fame pra6lice prevailed among 
 the Indians of North America. See Rufh's Oration, 1774, p. 11. 
 
 f Caftor oil is ufed for the fame purpofe ; but fenfible midwives forbid any fuch 
 artificial means, trulling to nature and the influence of the mother's milk. 
 
 oat- meal 
 
BLAIR-ATHOLL AND STROWAN. 261 
 
 oat-meal and water) was prefented, and each of the company 
 took three horn-fpoonfuUs. The mother of the infant, as foon 
 as k'lrked^ could go about her ordinary concerns ; but till this 
 religious rite was performed, every thing that (he happened to 
 touch was deemed unclean, and avoided. Charms were in great 
 eftimation among the highlanders ; fuch as necklaces, pieces of 
 mountain aih fewed up in their garments, &c. If a highlander 
 heard a fudden guft of wind, he was fure to fearch it with his 
 broad-fword ; and it frequently happened, that a corpfe dropped 
 from the paffing blaft, the ill fated wife of fome of his relations, 
 who had died in child-bed. At times, to protedl himfelf from 
 the men-of-peace (for fuch, by way of courtefy, the highlander 
 calls fairies), he would draw a circle with a fapling oak, and bid 
 defiance to their power*. Lucky and unlucky days were attended 
 to among the highlanders no lefs fcrupuloufly than among the 
 Romans and other ancient tribes : the 14th of May in particular 
 is mark,ed as an untoward day "f . When a journey commenced, 
 particular attention was paid to the objeds that ^ prefented, 
 whether animate or inanimate ; and in this alfo the highland- 
 ers refembled the Romans in their fuperftition. The iith of 
 May, N. S. or Beltan-day^ was fet apart for feftivity j as was the 
 31ft October O. S. being Halloween, Juft as the ceremony of 
 marriage is about to begin, every thing that was tied about the 
 young couple is unbound ; in token perhaps of the liberty 
 which they mutually exchange in the bonds of matrimonial 
 
 ♦ Martin, p. 117. Pennant, vol. iii. p. 145. Stat. Ace. vol. v. p. 83. 
 
 •j- The day of the vpeek on which the 14th of May fell was fleemed unlucky during the 
 v.'hole of that year, and nothing of confequence was undertaken on that day: — none 
 \Tere wont to marry in Mayor January. The age of the moon alfo was firiAly attended to. 
 Pilgrimages were made to certain holy waters, &c. See Martin,. Wcftern Illes, p. 105.. 
 
 union.:. 
 
262 BLAIR-ATHOLL AND ST ROWAN. 
 
 union : and, as foon as the ceremony is over, the bride with 
 her women, and the bridegroom with his male-friends, retire in 
 feparate parties and different directions, to bind all faft as before. 
 The revelry next begins. Mufic and the dance, and w^iifky in 
 abundance, crowns the feftival. The prefents of relations are 
 made the next and fucceeding days, the young folks being left to 
 enjoy the endearments of conjugal happinefs. When difeafes, 
 which are chiefly of the acute kind, make their attack on the 
 highlander, he endeavours to procure evacuation by vomit or 
 flool, or profufc perfpiration. If thefe fail, he takes no food, 
 and trufls to nature for a cure. But, if he remains for any length 
 of time in pain, or fevere illnefs, fuperftitious pradices are re- 
 forted to ; and, as in the cafe of Glacach^ known by the name 
 of McDonald's dlfeafe (as certain individuals of that clan are 
 faid, by handling the patient, and in the adt repeating fome 
 words, to promote a cure), charms, amulets, and other means are 
 employed to reftore heakh to the fyftem *. On the death of a 
 highlander, the late-wake w^as followed by the Coranich : for 
 fome time back the Coranich has fallen into difufe ; and the bag- 
 pipe, which fucceeded, has alfo ceafed to be played before the 
 corpfe of the deceafed as it is borne to the place of its inter- 
 mentf. In fliort, the cuftoms and manners of the highlanders, 
 fmce their intercourfe with the inhabitants of the lowlands, are 
 becoming daily lefs peculiar ; and Jt may foon be difficult for 
 
 * Martin and Pennant have been very full on the difeafes and remedies of tlie 
 highlanders. — See alfo Kufti's Oration 1774, " An Inquiry into the Natural Hiilory 
 of Medicine among the ludians of North America." 
 
 -j- Still in Lochaber, and fome other parts of the highlands, the bag-pipe is founded 
 before the funeral proceffion, and \vhifl<y quaffed in abundance over the grave of the 
 deceafed. The ceremony rarely fails of ending in bloody nofes. 
 
 the 
 
THE GARRY AND THE TUMMEL. 263 
 
 the curious inquirer to trace any diffimilitude in the cuftoms or 
 manners of either defcription of the inhabitants of the northern 
 parts of our ifland. 
 
 As the traveller returns through the pafs of Killicrankie, he 
 perceives the Garry to fall over a precipice of confiderable 
 height ; yet, in time of great rains, the fweliing of this torrent 
 enables falmon to pufh up almoft to its fource. The fall of the 
 Tummel (eas-Z^zW/) is a flill grander object [than that of its 
 neighbouring ftream, the Garry. Fine falmon find their way 
 beyond this cataradt. Formerly they v^ere caught in wicker 
 ba{l?:ets, which were planted in the crevices of the rock over 
 which the Tummel falls. The natives, unmindful of the dan- 
 ger to which they expofed their perfons, with one hand grafped 
 fome flender twig that projected from the face of the flimy preci- 
 pice ; while with a harpoon (a gaff) they flood on the brink of 
 the foaming pool, and darted it into the fifli in their attempt to 
 mount beyond the fury of the ftream. Amid the deep recefles 
 of the Tummel, in the face of a vafl; rock, a forlorn band of 
 McGregors, when under the dreadful apprehenfions of outlawry j, 
 hid themfelves in a cave; but, being there found, were all inhuman- 
 ly butchered* : fuch was the cruel policy of the feudal fyftem ! 
 
 Should the traveller have fufEcient leifure to make an excur- 
 fion into the diftridt called Rannochy he will find reafon to be 
 much pleafed, and be amply rewarded for his trouble. 
 
 We turn off, then, to the right by the bridge over the Garry^ 
 under which the water, deep and dark,fteals filently along, and we 
 
 * After part of them were killed the red climbed into a tree that grew out of the 
 face of the rock ; upon which their purfuers cut their arms, and precipitated them to 
 the bottom. Vide Stat. Ace. vol. ii. p. 478. par. Blair- Atholl, and Struan. See 
 alfo Pennant's Tour, vol. iii. p. 118. 
 
 2 afcend 
 
264 SHEE-CHAILON. 
 
 afcend the winding pafs into Fincajlle^, Still afcending, we pafa 
 over a bleak and elevated trad of moor, till we come within 
 fight of Shee-chailon one of the higheft mountains in the 
 north f . As w^e defcend, Loch-Tummel fpreads beneath the 
 eye ; and its margin feems cultivated, and finely indented with 
 bays and projedting points, well wooded and verdant. The 
 mountain fcenery is bold and lofty ; and as we proceed, beyond 
 the bridge of Tummel the river difplays a rapid and ample vo- 
 lume ; but the face of the country is glootny and mountainous, 
 till v;e come to Dun Alijler^ the mount Alexander, once the re- 
 fidence of Robertfon of Struan, already mentioned. Here he 
 found a fafe retreat, when his miftaken loyalty to his exiled 
 prince made it dangerous for him to appear abroad ; and here, 
 it appears, he compofed feveral of his poetical pieces \, The 
 prefent proprietor, and fucceflbr of our poet, has built an elegant 
 manfion, fomewhat in the flile of our ancient caftles ; and it 
 feems well adapted to the grandeur of the furrounding fcenery. 
 The mo72s Alexander is an inconfiderable wooded eminence ; 
 at the foot of which, the Argentine || , a fmall mineral fpring, cele- 
 
 * It is faid, that no lefs than fifteen ruins of caftles are to be feen in this glen : hence, 
 it is called FonnchalfieaU the land of caftles. Vide Stat. Ace. vol. vi. p. 135. 
 
 ■j- Shee-chailon is 3564 feet abore the level of the fca. Dr. Maflcelyne, the celebrated 
 aftronomer, made fome aftronomical obfervations here a few years ago ; and the country 
 people's curiofity was greatly excited to know his reafons for coming fo far to view the 
 
 heavens. 
 
 \ With this diverfity of view 
 
 Oft have I wav'd my anxious pain, 
 When from this fummit I purfue 
 The rock, the river, wood, or plain. 
 
 Vide Struan's Poems, p. 241. Struan^s farezvell to the hermitage fitting on the top of 
 mount Alexander. 
 
 II Or filver well, from the bright appearance of the fand at its bottom. 
 
 brated 
 
LOCH RANNOCH. 
 
 265 
 
 brated by Struan, is fituated. As we proceed weftward, Loch- 
 
 Rannoch foon comes within view ; nor is it eafy to conceive a 
 
 more beautiful fheet of water, with all the grandeur of mountain* 
 
 perfpecStive, bays, and promontories ; leading the eye, till loft in 
 
 the extreme diftance ; where the mountains of Braidalbane and 
 
 Argyle hide their aerial fummits in the clouds that rife from the 
 
 weftern ocean. 
 
 At Kinloch-rannoch^ there is a handfome bridge of four arches, 
 
 over which the traveller may purfue his excurfion along the 
 
 fouth fhore of the lake, through the fir- wood already mentioned, 
 
 and return, after crofling the weftern extremity of Loch-Ran- 
 
 noch, by its northern fkirts, through a birch-wood of nearly the 
 
 fame extent as that on the oppcfite fide. This deviation, too, 
 
 from the ufual route, will be highly gratifying to fuch as delight 
 
 in obfervation and pi<flurefque fcenery. The advance which 
 
 agriculture has made through the vale of Rannoch is highly 
 
 deferving of commendation. The inhabitants are courteous and 
 
 hofpitable, and feem bent on induftry, and the bettering of their 
 
 condition j which, greatly to their honour, is every where mani- 
 
 feft in their mode of management, and their improvements. Cb- 
 
 lonel Robert/on of Struan *, and the Honourable Mr. Baron Norton^ 
 
 who have hunting feats in the diftridt, have not failed in fetting 
 
 an example in agricultural fpcculations, worthy of imitation. 
 
 The country gentleman is truly a refpeQable charader, as being, 
 
 diredly, an ufeful member of the ftate. Far different, indeed, is 
 
 the condud of fuch as colled their revenues and fet off to 
 
 town, in order to fquander away the accumulated gains of a 
 
 year's induftry and produce. 
 
 * Nearly the whole diftriil of Rannoch Is the property of Sir John Menzie and 
 Col. Robertfon of Struan. 
 
 M m From 
 
266 LOCH RANNOCH. 
 
 From the eafl: end of Loch-Rannoch, we command two fine 
 profpe(n:s. The one, in looking weft ward, prefents the lake 
 with its wooded Hopes, behind which the mountain eminences- 
 are feen retiring on either hand, in forms truly grand and pic- 
 turefque. The deep fhades of the pine foreft on the fouthern 
 fhore, is finely contrafted with the lively and variegated tints of 
 the birch wood on the oppofite fides of the lake. Looking eaft- 
 ward, the village of Kinloch forms the fore-ground ; in the rear, 
 on the left hand, a bold precipice, down which rufhes an 
 impetuous torrent, in two ftreams, which join at the bale, 
 commands, imprefTivcly, the attention *. Shee-chailon towers to 
 the right ; and oppofite to it Mount Alexander is feen in the 
 diftance. The fcene altogether is magnificent. 
 
 We may return to the place whence we departed at the pafs 
 of Killicrankie over the river Garry, or crofs the Tummel at 
 the bridge of Tummel, and hence proceed over the mountains 
 to Strath-tay. The latter, in regard to road, is preferable j and 
 after pafling a dreary wafte, chiefly np-hill, we defcend into the 
 plain of Apin-of-Dull^ a diftrift comparatively rich, and fertile in 
 no fm.all degree f . The ruins of Cajlle-garbh^ or Garth, are feen 
 on the right. Proceeding tiirough Cojhivllk^ and by the Kirk of 
 Dull^ three miles farther on we pafs on the left X\\q Cajile Men%'ic^ 
 arrive at Wetm^ and crofs the Tay by Wade's bridge to Aber- 
 fe-die, already defcribed. 
 
 * The lake by fome is faid to be fifteen flatute miles in length. It contair-s char 
 aiid bull trou^, both of excellent quality. The growth of the trees is ufually from 
 ov.e to three feet '.n diameter. They are cut at the faw mill of Kinloch, and fold to 
 the country people, who come far and near to purchafe fo rare and valuable a com- 
 modity. 
 
 -j- In tliis diftriit the rvain is of an excellent quality; and, in general, the harvell is 
 here as early as it is in Miu-Lothiau. Stat. Ace. vol. vi. p. 150. 
 
 From, 
 
^ 
 
 
 is- 
 
BANKS OF THE TAY. 267 
 
 From Aberfeldk we proceed down the right bank of the I'ay : 
 but fcarcely any thing worthy of particular notice is to be met 
 w^th till we come within fight of it« confluence with the Tummel^ 
 a fmall diftance before Logicrait. The plain through which the 
 rivers Tay and Tummel, now feen united, fweep their colleded 
 waters, is truly charming. 
 
 In looking toward Dunkeld, within the compafs of little mor^ 
 than eight miles, the fcene before us is highly pidurefque. Al- 
 though there is not much of the fublime, yet there is no want 
 of fufficient grandeur, to raife it in our eftimation as a tit fubjedt 
 for the canvas. The middle of the picture is occupied by the 
 windings of the Tay through meadows and wooded flopes : the 
 left wing, which fwells gradually into the uplands, is finely con- 
 trafted with the bold, impending precipices of Kmnaird on the 
 right ; at the bafe of which, the road takes a fudden turn into 
 the wood that ftretches for a confiderable way along the courfe 
 of the river. In the diftance, a chain of the Grampians, that 
 bounds Strathmore on the north, terminates the profpedl ; the 
 moft confpicuous point of which is the Kings/eat^ as it is cal- 
 led, a conical hill at the bafe of which Dunkeld is fituated. 
 
 On the oppofite bank of the river, about the feventh mile- 
 ftone, on looking up toward Blair, the profped is indeed de- 
 lightful. From nearly the fame fpot, a view into Strath-tay is 
 alfo highly interefting. A little nearer to Dunkeld, feveral 
 ftations may be taken ; particularly one about the fixth mile- 
 ftone, which commands an extenfive peep into both vallies, viz. 
 Strath Tay and Strath Tummel. A vaft variety of fore ground 
 and intermediate diftances are at hand to afford every affiftance 
 
 M m 2 to 
 
268 BANKS OF THE TAY. 
 
 to compofition. So that the pidurefque traveller, as well as the 
 fkilful artift, will find ample fcope for the exercife of tafte and 
 judgment in the fele6lion of fubjeds for the pencil. 
 
 As we proceed along the fouth bank of the Tay to Inver, we 
 are pleafed with the fnug and comfortable appearance of the 
 hamlets, and habitations of the farmers and the proprietors of 
 lands. Several of the latter, whofe prcdeceflbrs purchafed 
 church lands in the BlJJjoprick^ live on their own property in 
 eafe and independence ; and, having no vaft ftretch of country 
 to farm out to others, find it the more neceflary to attend im- 
 mediately to their own limited demefnes *. 
 
 On the north bank of the Tay, as on the fouth, the road 
 keeps pretty parallel and clofe in with the river; in confequence, 
 at every turn, new and beautiful profpe<fts prefent in rapid fuc- 
 ceflion, but not fo as to diftra<5t the attention ; on the contrary, 
 each fcene forms a .part of the feries, which feems conned:ed 
 by the charms of variety, novelty, richnefs, and grandeur in 
 landfcape. 
 
 Within five miles of Dunkeld, on the north bank of the Tay, 
 we pafs through Dowally, where the church "f of that parifh is 
 feen furrounded by a wretched group of huts, worfe than 
 which are no where to be met with, even in the remoteft dif- 
 trids of our mountains. It fhould feem, from ancient records, 
 
 * The properties alluded to are Glenalbert, Kinnaird, and Dalguife. 
 
 ■\ ** Upon information that the Irifh is fpoken in the highland parts of the parifh 
 ** of Caputh, the Bifhop built and endowed a church in honour of the bleffed mother 
 •* St. Anne (A. D. 1 500.), among the woods of the church lands of Dowally." yUe 
 Dr, Biffet's MS. Tranfiation of Abbot Mill's Hiftor)-, as quoted in Stat. Ace. vol. xx. 
 p. 465. 
 
 that 
 
DUNKELD. 269 
 
 that formerly Dowally conftituted only a part of the parifh of 
 Caputh ; but it is now confidered as united to Dunkeld. 
 
 The land fet apart for agriculture from the pafs of Killi- 
 crankie, but particularly from Mulenearn ten miles below Blair, 
 on both fides of the river, is of a quality by no means ill adapted 
 for raifmg crops of grain, potatoes, and turnip. The foil is, 
 in general, of a light fandy appearance, and the crops raifed on 
 it ripen early and yield liberal returns. It appears from the 
 Statiftical Accounts, that in the contiguous parifhes, Logierait, 
 Dowally and Dunkeld, Caputh *, and Clunie, the fame mode of 
 agriculture was purfued, and is not yet altogether aboliflied, to 
 the great hindrance of improvement. The old fyftem of outfield 
 and infield, eommonties, runrigs, and ridges crooked and 
 raifed in the middle^ which led to error, mifmanagement, and 
 eventual poverty, ought entirely to be abolifhed. The good 
 effeds of a change are even now fufficiently manifeft, to war- 
 rant a perfeverance in a better and more rational fyftem, in 
 which the true interefts of the landlord and tenant are involved, 
 as well as thofe of the community. 
 
 The writer of the Statiftical Account of the " City of Dun- 
 keld, and Parifti of Dowally," very judicioufly points out in 
 his " Hints for Improvements in Agriculture," fpecific and evi- 
 dent advantages refulting from fyftem in the management of 
 farms in thefe diftrids. To fummer-fallow and lime ; and to 
 crop, I. oats; 2. peafe or potatoes or turnip, ruta baga, or 
 Swedifti turnip by far preferable ; 3. barley and grafs feeds ; 4. 
 hay ; 5. and 6. pafture, is a mode of hufbandry ftrongly re- 
 commended ; and cannot fail of fuccefs, provided feafons anfwer, 
 
 * Called by fome Keapoch. 
 
 and 
 
2 70 DUNKELt). 
 
 f 
 
 and fufficient pains be beftowed. The watering of pafture and 
 heath grounds is alfo advifed *. 
 
 The live-ftock of thefe diftrids confifls of horfes, black cattle, 
 fheep, and fwine. Overftocking, and a deficiency of winter and 
 fpring provender, militate greatly againft the improvement df 
 breed, to which the Highland Society has of late years paid fo 
 much attention. The fheep are of the fmall white-faced fort 
 peculiar to the highlands ; the mutton is delicate, and the muf- 
 cular fibre fmall, and rich in its flavour. The wool fells from 
 1 6s. to il. per ftone. The ufual price is 7I. per fcore. The 
 fwine are of a fmall breed, the value of each from il. los. to 
 2I. ; and the pork is of excellent quality. 
 
 The other quadrupeds which frequent the diftri(Sls under re- 
 view, are red deer, roe deer, rabbits, hares, foxes, badgers, pine 
 martins, polecats, weazels, otters, rats, mice, moles, and urchans. 
 It is faid, that good red deer feed in the forefts of Atholl belonging 
 to the Duke. Roes have greatly increafed in number of late years, 
 and inhabit the woods about Dunkeld. Two miles to the weft- 
 waid of Dunkeld, at the entrance of the wood on the north fide 
 of the Tay, there is a rabbit warren, which produces a rent to 
 the Duke of 25I. per annum. 
 
 From the wooded fhelter afforded on the banks of the Tay, 
 mofl of the birds either indigenous or migratory in the diflrids 
 of our highlands are to be found about Dunkeld. Among the 
 native birds may be enumerated the groufe, black-cock f, part- 
 
 * See Dr. Smith's Agricultural Survey of Argylefhire, which contains much ufeful 
 information on this fubjeft. 
 
 + Of the native birds now extinft, the -capercallie ap-pczrs to have frequented the 
 braes of Atholl, and the banks of the Tay. See Stat. Ace. vol. xx. p. 473, letter 
 inferted from James VI. to the Marquis of TuUibardine, March 14, 1617. 
 
 3 ^'^^^^r 
 
DUNKELD. 271 
 
 ridge, plover, fnipe, ptarmigan, raven, rook, eagle, kite, buzzard, 
 grey-hawk, hen-hav^k, and fparrow-hawk ; — of the finging tribe 
 there is a vaft variety : among others, the linnet, lark, bullfinch, 
 thrufh, blackbird, ftarling ; and the lengthened note of the ftock- 
 dove is often heard in the melody of the v^oods. Of the mi- 
 gratory tribe there are the wood-cock, goat-fucker, pied oyfter- 
 catcher, northern diver, land rail, golden crefted wren, lap- 
 wing, cuckoo, tit- lark, fwallow, martin, ftone -chatterer, field- 
 fare, fnow-flight, &c. The aquatic fowls of the country are 
 in abundance, fuch as wild ducks, wild geefe, fwans, larger 
 teals, water rails, fandy larks, fea mews, pidtarnies ; and gulls 
 come up from the mouth of the Tay in fpring. The heron, 
 fcart, or cormorant, and ofprey, fometimes appear. 
 
 The range about Duukcld for the botanift is extenfive and 
 rich in indigenous plants. Befides natural wood, fuch as oak, 
 alder, afh, birch, fir, willow, &c. an indefinite number of exotics 
 are every where planted in the woods and fhrubberies of his 
 Grace of AthoU for many miles round. 
 
 Quartz, whinftone, grey granite, and moor ftone compofe, 
 chiefly, the rocks about Dunkeld. Pyrites, flate, and lime-ftone, 
 are found, in the neighbourhood, but in fuch fmall quantity as 
 to be of little ufe ; — free-ftone, of which, it is faid, the cathedral 
 was built, is alfo to be met with. 
 
 A defcription of Dunkeld and its environs is no eafy under- 
 taking ; and to prefent to the conception, by means of words, the 
 beauties of its pidurefque charms, and rural ornament, is a tafk . 
 not meant to be attempted in the flight fketch exhibited in thefe 
 pages. But, in order to point out to the traveller fome of the beau- 
 ties moft deferving his attention, the following hints may ferve to 
 
 lead 
 
272 DUNKELD. 
 
 lead him to ftations, from which he may behold the profpeds 
 that are by many deemed the fined in the whole range through 
 which he Is ufually conducted *. 
 
 From hiver we proceed along the banks of the Brahan^ 
 which, as we advance, becomes more and more rapid, impetu- 
 ous, and noify, till turning a little to the left, where an arch is 
 thrown over a chafm through which the river hurries onward, 
 we command a view of its fall, while the ear is ftunned by 
 the mighty roar of fo vaft a volume of water in its precipitation 
 over huge and dark coloured rocks, that feem in vain to arreft 
 it in its courfe. The effedt that fo grand an objedl is calculated to 
 ralfe in the mind, it is fincerely to be regretted, is much injured 
 by the appearance on the right, immediately oppofite to the 
 cataracft, of a pavilion of modern tafte, placed on a hanging 
 precipice called, by way of eminence, OJfians hall-\. The 
 ftranger is ufhered into this manfion with ridiculous ceremony. 
 Suffice it to fay, that, elegant as by fome it may be deemed, a 
 lover of the chafte fimplicity of nature views this pavilion as not 
 confiftent with the grandeur of the fcenery around it. It ought 
 to hi removed. 
 
 We proceed in our ramble along the -5r^;&^/;, through paths con- 
 ducted with much tafte and fancy, to what is called The R?mibling 
 
 * It frequently proves a fource of difappointment and difguft to be teafed with the 
 unmeaning chit-chat of a profefled guide ; therefore, it were, perhaps, on the whole 
 better to difmifs the perfon who adts as guide, and pafs on. 
 
 \ From Its name, one would naturall)' expe£l to find this hall in a ftile of rude ma?- 
 nificence fuitable to our idea of the era of Oflian. Nothing can be conceived more 
 diametrically oppofite. It is elegant, and finiflied to a degree of finical nicety rarely 
 to be met with. On the inner door of this hall, or hermitage, as it is fometimes called 
 is painted a figure reprefenting Oflian. It is, in fadt, a copy of the Belizarivs of Rubens 
 or Vandyke, by a young artill of the name of Stuart, au elevc of the late Duke of Athol. 
 
 Brig, 
 
S/tftcAd en Me Sfot tv Alfjc '' Uim^l-&U . 
 
 i 
 
 r. Medlu^U. JciiJff 
 
THE RUMBLING BRIG. 275 
 
 Brig* On our way thither, we frequently meet with huge 
 fragments of rocks, grouped fo fantaftically, as to lead the imagi- 
 nation to conceive them the labour of the giants of old, or of 
 the heroes celebrated in the poems of Oflian. The artift who 
 condudled the pathways along the banks of the Brahan, availing 
 himfelf of thefe accidental appearances, formed with appropri- 
 ate {kill and tafte, a rude and dark apartment in which the foU 
 lowing lines, the compofition of a lady*, are infcribed : 
 
 Ah ! fee the form that faintly gleams ; 
 'TIs Ofcar, come to cheer my dreams i 
 • On wreathes of mift ft glides away : 
 
 Oh ! ftay, my lovely Ofcar, ftay. 
 Awake the harp to doleful lays. 
 And foothe my foul with Ofcar's praife. 
 Wake, Offian, laft of Fingal's line. 
 And mix thy fighs and tears with mine. 
 The fhell is ceas'd in Ofcar's hall. 
 Since gloomy Cairbac faw thee fall. 
 The roe o'er Morven pliyful bounds, 
 Nor hears the cry of Ofcar's hounds, 
 Thy four grey Hones the hunter fpfes : 
 " Peace to the hero's gholl !" he cries. 
 
 Several infcriptions are to be feen in our ramble along the rug- 
 ged banks of the Brahan, characSteriftic of the fcenery around. 
 
 When by heavy falls of rain the Brahan rifes to its greateft poC 
 lible fwell, the rapidity and force that it difplays is truly amazing* 
 
 Wide o'er the brim, wih many a torrent fwell' d. 
 And the mix'd tuin of its banks o'erfpread. 
 At laft the rous'd-up river pours along ; 
 Refiftlefs, roaring, dreadful, down it comes 
 From the rude mountain and the moffy wild, 
 Tumbling t'; rough rocks abrupt, and founding far; 
 Then o'er the fandy valley floating fpreads, 
 Calm, fluggifh, filent j till again, conilrain'd 
 
 * Mrs. D. Fordyce. 
 
 N ri Between 
 
S74. THE RUMBLING BRrO. 
 
 Between two meeting hills, it burfts away. 
 
 Where rocks and woods o*erhang the turbid ftream ; 
 
 There gathering triple force, rapid and deep, 
 
 It boils, and wheels, and foams, and thunders through. 
 
 Thomson. — Winter. 
 
 A rude arch joins the chafm through which the Brahaa 
 " boils, and wheels, and foams, and thunders." It has been 
 called by the country people of the lowland diftri(3:s " The Rumb- 
 I'mg Br'ig^'' and by thofe of the higher " au Drochld chloich^* 
 the Bridge of the Stone ; perhaps from the appearance the chafm 
 exhibits ; having a huge fragment of rock wedged mid-way 
 down the yawning fteep, under which the fury of the fall is 
 hid for a moment, but is again caught by the eye in the dark 
 pool a little beyond the bending brows of the rocks, over which 
 the arch is thrown, fullen, filent, and deep. 
 
 As we return to Tnver^ it is preferable to keep the highway ; 
 by doing fo, we not only vary our ramble, but alfo command 
 -peeps of the circumjacent country, and particularly of the fweet- 
 ly fequeftered fituation of Dunkeld itfelf. 
 
 But if the traveller be difpofed to go a few miles farther up 
 the country, into Strathbraban, there are to be feen the ruins 
 QiTrochrie cajile, once the refidence of the Gowrie family. 
 When the Earl of Gowrie was attainted for being the principal 
 agent in the myflerious confpiracy againft James VI., the de- 
 mefnes of Trochrie were given to Sir William Bailie, Nov. i6th, 
 1600, at which time he was appointed keeper of the fbrefts of 
 ;Strathbrahan *. Cairns, and what are called Druidical circles, 
 .are alfo to be feen on the banks of the Brahan f . 
 
 Tradition mentions too, that a fmall field, a Ihort diftance 
 above Dunkeld, was once occupied by the intrepid anceftor of 
 
 * St^t. Ace. vol. vl. p. 376. •{• Ibid. 
 
 13 the 
 
/ // ^yy /' // >J ./ - /' 
 
 tf y ^/ , J y t 
 
 
BANKS OF THE TAY. 275 
 
 the Errol and Kinnoul families. This field is called Yoke haiigh 
 (Dalmacoig), It is laid, and hiftory fandions the tradition, that 
 on the day of the memorable battle of Luncarty *, near Perth, the 
 victorious Danes had continued their purfuit within a few 
 miles of the Pafs of Dunkeld, when the Caledonian Cincin- 
 natus, who was following the labours of the field with his two 
 fons, hearing of the terrible defeat of his countrymen, flew to 
 the pafs, his fons following, rallied the fugitives, fell furioufly 
 on the Danes, and put them to the rout with great flaughter ; 
 thus turning the fate of the day : which fortunate circumftance 
 led to a fpeedy, honourable, and lafting peace f. 
 
 On his return to Inver, if the traveller be defirous of hearing 
 a fpecimen of genuine highland reels and Strathfpeys, let him 
 inquire for Niel Gow : and, on fignifying a defire to hear 
 him perform, the mufical amateur cannot fail of being highly 
 gratified J. 
 
 The left bank of the Tay is no lefs interefiing to the lover of 
 Scotifh fcenery, than the grounds over which we have rambled 
 on the right bank, and along the rugged and woody fteeps of 
 
 » In the reign of Kenneth III. A.D. 976. 
 
 f Buchanan, lib. vi. See alfo Stat. Ace. vol. vi. parifii Little Dunkeld. 
 
 1 Niel Gow is a native of Inver. This ingenious man was originally bred a weaver ; 
 but his propenfity to play the violin led him to adopt it as a means of gaining a liveli- 
 hood ; and, it mull be confefled, few, if any, have a better claim to the patronage of 
 a generous public than this celebrated felf-taught performer. His manner of playing 
 his native airs is faithful, correft, and fpirited. He flurs none, but plays diftinftly, 
 with accuracy, precifion, and peculiar accentation : hence the excellency of his touch 
 and intonation, fo eflential to true talle and juft expreffion, the very foul of reels ancl 
 Strathfpeys. 
 
 The cotemporaries and countrymen of Niel Gow, were Daniel Dow, and Alex- 
 ander Macglafhan,both deceeifed. But Dow and Macglafhan had fome pretenfions to 
 the title of muficians, each having praftifed it as a fcientillc art, 
 
 N n 2 the 
 
$76 BANKS OF THE TAY. 
 
 the rapid Brahan. We crofs the Tay at the ferry of Inver, and, 
 as the boat proceeds, are ftruck with the grandeur of the fcene, 
 in which much of the beautiful is blended with the fublime. 
 
 We enter the pathways on the right ; and by one of the com- 
 municating arches flung acrofs the public road, we turn to the 
 left, and afcend by eafy and gentle inclinations through the 
 wood, till we come to an opening, where a profpe£t prefents, 
 at once beautiful and fublime in an admirable degree. In the 
 extreme diftance, the mountains of Atholl (among which Be- 
 iiigloe appears pre-eminent), fwelling in graceful magnificence 
 with their fummits in the clouds, foftened in the liquid tints of 
 the etherial hues which float along their mid-way heights, keep- 
 ing them blended in the azure brightnefs of the fky, form the 
 mofi: charming feature of the profpedt. The mountain per- 
 fpedlive is formed by the extenfive valley through which 
 the Tay fweeps along, for more than twenty miles. The 
 fore-ground prefents rich and varied objeds j of which, the 
 nearer windings of the river, with wooded rifings on either 
 hand, together with corn fields, meadows, hamlets, and farm- 
 houfes, confl;itute the chief, and add to the grandeur of the 
 fcene the charms of cultivated nature. When, as the fetting 
 fun defcends behind the diftant mountains, bathing their top- 
 cliffs in its golden radiance, a parting gleam, obliquely darted, 
 touches with vivid brightnefs as it glances along the craggy 
 brows of the nearer hills ; while the deepening vale is beheld, 
 through which the clear, foft, and full volume of the Tay is 
 feen flowing in its ample fweeps ; an effed is produced, be- 
 yond the powers of language to defcribe, or of the pencil to 
 imitate. 
 
 We 
 
J 
 
 
 5^ 
 
 ^ 
 
 Ni 
 
 
 1^ 
 
.^^ 
 
THE KING'S SEAT. 277 
 
 We may now return through the pathways * that lead to a 
 ftation commanding a profped to the eaftward. Amqng others 
 which might be mentioned, that called l^he Kings Seat affords 
 fome of the fineft views in the whole range. We pafs by a 
 fmall lake, which contains excellent fifli ; and by the way It 
 may be remarked, that, befides the falmon of the Tay, the lochs 
 .^11 around this diftri(3: contain abundance of excellent trout, 
 char, pike, perch, and eel, which afford to the angler a variety 
 of amufement. The prefent Duke, who is himfelf a keen fportf- 
 man, has it is faid, been particularly feledl in the choice of the 
 fifli in the fmall loch above noticed. Proceeding then, in our 
 afcent through the wood, to this ftation, we pafs a mountain 
 llreamlet pattering through its rocky bed, heard, but fcarcely 
 vifible, and foon come within fight of the hanging rock, beneath 
 which the King's Seat is rudely formed f. 
 
 From this ftation extenfive profpeds open to the right and to 
 the left, and immediately in the front. Firft then let us attend 
 to that on our right. 
 
 The whole valley of Strathbrahan, an extent of nine miles 
 weftward from Inver to Amulree, is feen at a glance. The 
 Brahan, which runs through it, and to which it gives its name, 
 is fcarcely vifible, till within a few miles of its approach to its 
 
 * It is faid, that the pathways through the ornamented grounds round Dunkeld are 
 conduced to a length, when taken coUeftively, of eighteen miles. 
 
 ^ In the midft of a fmall field near the fummit of thefe rocky heights, in a hollow 
 of the hills through which the ftream hurries along, a cottage is feen, the occupier of 
 which has refided in it for forty years. His name is David M'Craw. He is faid to 
 have enjoyed uninterrupted health, and has attained the great age of 82. In tlie 
 neighbouring parifhes, feveral perfons have attained a remarkable length of years. In 
 the courfe of twenty-three years, one of 91, one of 95, two of 103, and one of 1051, 
 .are adduced as inftances of longevity. See Stat. Ace. vol. vi. p. 36^. 
 
 confluence 
 

 V) 
 
 
 
 v| 
 
THE KING'S SEAT, 279 
 
 is feen, with the hills that bound it on the eaft ; among which 
 Dunfinaney whereon the remains of Macbeth's caftle appear, ter- 
 minates the view on the left. But the profpe£t which merits 
 moft attention is that immediately prefenting in front. We 
 look down from this craggy eminence, on the once Caledonian 
 city Dunkeld ; of which there remains nothing of its ancient 
 fplendour, fave part of the cathedral ; this, on nearer infpedion, 
 appears a venerable ruin, fituated on the bank of the Tay, a fpot 
 adapted by the hand of nature for retirement and holy office. 
 The manfion, office-houfes, and gardens of the Duke of Atholl, 
 and the town of Dunkeld, adjoin the cathedral : behind which the 
 Tay is feen emerging from the woods, and fweeping along in a 
 full, clear, and ample ftream through the narrow vale overhung 
 by the craggy heights on either hand, that form this pafs into 
 the Grampians. In the middle diftance, on the right bank of the 
 Tay, the heights of Birnam-wood appear, beyond which Strath- 
 more flretches from right to left ; the town of Perth appearing 
 in the plain, amid innumerable corn-fields and wooded inclofures. 
 
 for he was treacheroufly murdered in the flower of manhood, can hardly be contem- 
 plated without wonder bordering on enthufiafm. He feems to have pofleffed the genius 
 of a Leonardo Da Vinci, and the erudition of a Buchanan. A fpecimen of his talents 
 as a poet may be feen in the Delltia Poetarum Scotorum : but his other works have 
 either periflied, or have not reached us. After making large allowance for exaggeratioa 
 in the accounts which the hiftorians of the admirable Ci ichton have given of his vait 
 acquirements and excellence in almoft every department of elegant and ufeful knowledge, 
 he muft ftill be contemplated with admiration, mingled with the tendered emotions of 
 regret for the untimely fate of fo rare a fample of human perfeftion. — He was born in 
 the year 1551, and died in 1581, aged 30. The curious reader may obtain ample in- 
 formation refpefting this extraordinary man by confulting M'Kenzie's Scotifh Lives ; 
 the Adventurer, No. 81, Pennant, vol. i. Appendix ; the Edinburgh Mag. and Revlevr 
 for 1744 p 464; and the Encyclop. Britan.; befides Dempfter, M. Bayle, and others. 
 
 thickly- 
 
28a DUNlCELDi 
 
 thickly-planted hamlets, farmfteads, and family manfions. In the 
 diftance, a great extent of the Ochill hills, together with the 
 Lomond hills, one of the conical fummits of which rifes im- 
 mediately behind Falkland in Fifefliire, terminate the range of 
 this truly magnificent and pidurefque profped ; — the laft to- 
 which the traveller's attention is called in thofe feleded for his 
 contemplation among the Grampian mountains, whence he is 
 now about to depart. But, before taking a final leave of the 
 highlands of Scotland, fome flight remarks on the ancient and^ 
 modern ftate of Dunkeld, once the capital of Caledonia, may 
 not, to the traveller of more than mere fuperficial obfervation, 
 be deemed uninterefting, as exhibiting a comparative view of 
 former with latter times, in regard to this remote corner of our 
 ifland. 
 
 DuNCHALiON*, or, as it is now generally denominated, 
 Dunkeld^ according to Boethius, Buchanan, and other Scotifli 
 hiftorians, was at a remote period a place of ftrength, and after- 
 wards ere£ted into a biihoprick ; hence it is called the city of 
 Dunkeld. So early as the eighth century (729), according ta 
 Abbot Alexander Mill, a Convent of Culdees^ dedicated ta 
 the Holy Trinity, in honour of St. Columba, the patron faint 
 of the Fidfijh nat'ioii^ byCoNSTANTiNE III. King of the PiEts^ 
 at the requeft of Adarnnus^ a difclple of Columba f, was infti- 
 tuted here. But fome authors, who trace the eftablifhment of 
 this order of monks at Dunkeld to a more diftant period, affirm,., 
 
 * The higlilanders always call it by tin's name. Etymology in general is fo vague 
 and unfatisfaftory, that to purfue the names of places is but too often fruitlefs, or, at 
 beft, conjeftural. 
 
 f Abbot Mill's MS. Hlftory of the Bifl;ops. Keith's Catalogue of the Bifliops,, 
 p. 46^ 
 
 that 
 
DUNKELD. 28t 
 
 tliat St. Columba h'lmfelf founded a church here, fo early as the 
 fixth century *\ Be this as it may, it appears from authentic 
 records, that, in the year 1127, St. David I. Ki?7g of the Scots, 
 having expelled the Culdees^ appointed Gregory their abbot to be 
 bifliop, who obtained apoftolical cenfirmation and protedion 
 from Pope Alexander III. After having exercifed his eccle- 
 fiaftical fundions forty-two years, he died Anno Dom. 11 69, 
 and was fucceeded by Richard de Prebenda, and afterwards 
 by a regular fucceffion of Prelates to the final abolition of Epif- 
 copacy in Scotland, A. D. 1688. 
 
 Among the churchmen, bifliops of Dunkeld, eminently dif- 
 tinguiflied as ftatefmen or literary characters, may be men- 
 tioned, William Sinclair f, and Gavin Douglass. The 
 former of thefe, William Siticlair^ w^as at once an ecclefiaftic, 
 a ftatefman, and a warrior. " He was (fays Bifliop Keith) J a 
 *' great fautor of King Robert Bruce, upon account of which, 
 " and of his very noble and heroick difpofitions, that King was 
 *' pleafed to call him his owai Bifliop." In this heroic eccle- 
 fiaftic, the following inftance of bravery is noticed by our 
 poets and hiftorians. A fmall army of Englifh had landed near 
 Inverkeithing, and were ravaging the coaft of Fife, when Sinclair, 
 who at that time was refiding in his palace at Ochtertool, hear- 
 ing of the fruitlefs attempt which the fherifF of the county had 
 made to repel the invaders ||, flew to arms, rallied the fugitives, 
 
 led 
 
 * Halles' Annals of Scotland, vol. i. p. 107. Dalrymplt's Colledions, p. 247. 
 Smith's Life of St. Columba, p. 162. 
 
 f Brother of Sir Henry Sinclair of Roflin. 
 
 :J: Catalogue of Bifliops, p. 51. 
 
 11 It (hould feem that the flieriff, with the fmall body that he had haftily colleiled to 
 oppofe the EngUfh, fought rather {hy on the occafion. The pious patriot, however, 
 
 O 
 
 as 
 
282 DUNKELD. 
 
 led them to the charge, and repulfed the enemy with confider- 
 able lofs. Sinclair, having filled the fee of Dunkeld upwards of 
 twenty-eight years, died on the 27th June 1337, ^^^ ^^^ buried 
 in the choir of the cathedral *. 
 
 Of the celebrated men of letters, the ornaments of Scotifh 
 literature, Gavin Douglass, the thirty-fixth Bifhop of Dun- 
 keld, ftands eminently diflinguilhed. He ranks high as a- 
 fcholar, as an antiquarian, and as a poet. His well known 
 tranjQation of the Eneid of Virgil f is a lading monument of 
 
 38 rehearfed by Barbour in the following verfcs, by his fpirited exertions favcd his 
 countrynien from difgrace, and fecured vidilory : 
 
 Quhen thai away this ridand wer. 
 
 And na deferis begouth to fcape, 
 
 Of DunkeUyn the glide Byfchap, 
 
 That men callyt Wilyam S.\irTCLER,. 
 
 Come with a rout in gud maner ; 
 
 I trow on horle ther war fexty, 
 
 HymfelfF was armyt jolyly ; 
 
 And raid upon a ftalwart fted •y—Pitikertoti's Bruce, Bake xvii 
 
 The Byfchap that was rycht hardy 
 
 And mekiil, and ftark raid forouth ay. 
 
 Than in a frufche aflemblet thai, 
 
 And thai that at tlie fyrft meting, 
 
 Feld off the fpers fa far fowing, 
 
 Wandyft, and wald haiff bene away : 
 
 Towart the fchippys in hy held thai,. 
 
 And thai them chaffy t felounly ; 
 
 And flew thaim fa difpitoufly, 
 
 That all the felds ftrowyt war, 
 
 Gf Inglis men that flaync war thar. — Ibid. line 624. 
 * Anderfon*^s Independency, App. No. J 4. 
 
 f " The Bakes of the Eneados of the fames poet Virgelll, tranflated out of Latyne 
 verfes into Scotifh Meter, by the Reverend Father in God Mayfter Gavin Douglaf», 
 Bifhop of Dunkel, and Unkil to the Earl of Angus : Every Buke having its particular 
 Prologe. Imprinted at London 1553." 4to. 
 
 his 
 
DUNKELD. 2^3 
 
 Vis poetieal talents. Confiderlng the age in wlilch it was pro- 
 duced it is a work, of uncommon merit. A vigorous difplay of 
 imagination, together with a degree of tafte and refinement 
 not even furpaiTed at this day, characterize this mafterly perform- 
 ance*. Other two pieces, viz. King Hart \^ and the Palace of 
 Honour J, both allegorical poems, have alfo defcended to our 
 times. But thefe, in the eftimation of our beft critics, are inferior 
 to his Prologues to the books of the Eneid §. 
 
 Douglafs was not more diftinguifhed for his genius and learn- 
 ing, than for the higher charaderiftics of humanity. Prudence, 
 moderation, generofity, conftancy, magnanimity, and integrity, 
 were ever prefent when required to be brought into adion : 
 whether in the kindly intercourfe of private friendfhip, or in 
 the more important duties of jpublic employment, his wifdom 
 and benevolence beamed forth in full fplendour, yet mild and 
 ferene. Our accomplifhed poet, on the death of George Brown j[, 
 
 was 
 
 * He alfo tranflated Ovid's Remedlo /mora wliile he was young. See the Epilogue 
 to his tranflation of Virgil's Ertcid. 
 
 f This poem is now reprinted in Pinkerton's " Ancient Scotifli Poems," 1786. 
 
 :j: This piece alfo is among the fame compiler's *^ Scotifli Poems, reprinted from 
 fcarce editions." 1792. 
 
 ^ Douglafs wrote alfo Aurea Narratlones, Comedia aliquot facrtz^ et de Rebus Scotlcis ; 
 thefe works, however, are either loft or laid afide. Fide Hift. of Scot. Dempfter, and 
 Nicolfon's Scotch Hift. Library, p. 99. 
 
 |] George Brown, of the family of Mydmar, a native of Dundee, where he received 
 the earlier part of his education, ftudied fome time at the Univcrfity of St. Andreiu's, 
 and afterwards at Paris, at which place he obtained a Mafter of Arts' degree. On 
 his return he was appointed one of the four Regents of St. Salvator's College, St. An- 
 drews. Being fent by James III. to Rome, he was there confecratcd Bifhop of 
 Dunkeld by Pope Pius IV. Anno 1484. He died 12th January 1514-5, and was 
 fucceeded by Gavin Douglafs as above noticed. Brown feems to have had a tafte for 
 
 O o 2 fplendour, 
 
284 DUNKELD. 
 
 was raifed to the diocefe of Dunkeld ; and, after fome oppofitiony 
 was left in quiet pofleflion of that appointment. Amid the 
 fequeftered retirements which Dunkeld afforded, it is faid, he 
 dedicated his leifure to the mufes. His tranflation of the Eneid^ 
 a§ he himfelf informs us, was the labour of eighteen months. 
 
 Fra tyme I thareto fct my pen to wryte 
 (Thocht God wate gif thir boundis wer ful wyde 
 To me, that had fie befines befydcj) 
 Apoun this wyfe, as God lift len me grace, 
 // was compVyt In auchtene monelh'is fpace : — p. 484. 
 
 A proof of what genius can achieve when in full vigour, and 
 called into adtion. " I prefumed, " fays Bifhop Nicolfon, " it 
 *' may not be ungrateful to the reader to let him know that this 
 *' verfion is amongft thofe printed books whereon the late Ft\ 
 ^''Junius Fr. F. has left his moft excellent marginal notes*. 
 Douglafs had been Redor of Herriot, and Provoft of St. Giles, in 
 Edinburgh, till nominated by the Queen Regent, in the mi- 
 nority of James V., to the Archbifhopric of St. Andrews, anno 
 15 14, the year after he had finifhed his tranflation of the Eneid ; 
 *' but a flronger party " (fays Bifhop Keith) " oppofed him, and 
 " he was put by." The year following (anno 15 15), or rather 
 
 fplendour, and public utility. He built a caftelet on the ifland of Clunie near DunhekJy 
 to \vhich he could ride four different ways from Dunkeld on his own ground : in this 
 caftelet, the remains of which are ftill pretty entire, he died. Here alfo, it is faid, the 
 admirable Crichton was born. Befides the caftle of Clunie, Bilhop Brown built and 
 endowed the parifh church of Dowally, anno 1500. He likewife begana ftone bridge 
 over the Tay at Dunkeld, anno 1513 ; but it was never finiflied. Brown was a ftridl 
 obferver of church- difcipline, as well fpiritual as temporal. See Keith's Catalogue, 
 p. 56. Stat. Ace. vol. ix. par. Clunie. 
 
 * See NicoKon's Scot. Hift. Library, p. 99. 
 
 I515, 
 
DUNKELD. 285 
 
 15 1 6, the Queen-Dowager*, in whofe intereft Douglafs was, 
 prefented him to the fee of Dunkeld, and he was preferred to it 
 by Pope Leo X. There be remained, till called on by the flates 
 of Scotland to attend the^Duke of Albany 'wAjq France, where it 
 was intended he fliould affift at the renewal of the ancient league 
 between the two nations. Unluckily for the repofe of our 
 poet, however, the Emperor Charles V. aiid Henry VII. of 
 England had entered into a counter-alliance, which gave rife ta 
 a perfecution againft Douglafs, and obliged him to feek fhelter at 
 the Englilh court, where he was favourably received ; and con- 
 neding himfelf with the learned men of that age, among whom 
 Polydore Vergil the hiftorian became his friend, he devoted the 
 remainder of his life to literary pui fuits ; till, in the 48th year 
 of his age, he died at London in April 1522, and was buried 
 by the fide of Thomas Halfey^ Bifhop of Langlin in Ireland, in 
 the hofpital church of the Savoy.. Their epitaphs appear on 
 one ftone. 
 
 Venerable in ruins, the Cathedral of Dunkeld exhibits a ftrik- 
 ing trait of the ruthlefs zeal of the Reformers. The choir is 
 ftill occupied as a place of worfhip. It was built from the foun- 
 dation, on the fite of the Convent of the Culdees, (part of which is 
 to be feen in the middle of the eaftern gable) by Biihop Sinelair, 
 and finilhed by him in the year 1330. The aifle of the cathedral 
 was begun by Robert de Cairn ey the eighteenth Bifhop of Dun- 
 keld f , and finifhed by Bifhop John Raulfton^ who v/as raifed to 
 the fee in 1448. So zealous, it is faid, was Bifhop Raulflon in 
 
 • Mother of James V. 
 
 f According to Keith, the twcHty- fourth Bifliop. - F;V/^ Catal. p. ^i. He was 
 one of the hoitages for the redemption of James I. 
 
 carrying 
 
286 DUNKELD. 
 
 (Carrying on his labours, that he attended conftantly himfelf, In- 
 terefting even his occafional guefts in his undertaking*. The 
 Chapter- houfe was ered:ed by Bifhop 'Thomas Lauder in 1469 ; 
 as was alfo the fteeple, which was finiflied by Bifhop Brown in 
 150 1 : it contains four bells, remarkably well toned. The 
 fteeple has a rent from the bottom of the higheft window, 
 which runs down the middle of the wall. At what period this 
 rent took place is not known. The body of the Cathedral is 
 unroofed. Its extent within is forty paces in length by twenty 
 in breadth. It is fupported by round pillars with rectangular 
 capitals. Its arches, feven in number on either fide, and above 
 them an equal number of windows, are in the ftile ufually cal- 
 led Gothic. At the v^^efl end of the nave, the ruins of the great 
 window appear. But, alas ! where are now to be feen the 
 
 Storied windows richly diglit, ' 
 
 Calling a dim religious light ? 
 
 And no one hears 
 
 The pealing organ blow. 
 
 To the fuU-voic'd choir below. 
 
 In fervice highf . Milton's // Penferofo. 
 
 The body of the church is now converted into a place of Inter- 
 ment : on the north fide of the door which leads from the 
 choir into the nave, a monument, which formerly flood in the 
 middle of the choir, is feen, and attrads notice. It is ftill in 
 tolerable prefervation, and bears the following infcription : 
 '* Hie jacet Dominus Alexander Senefcallus Comes de Buchan, 
 
 * " Cum uno vel alio procerum feaim halilantium, fokhat certa lap'idum onera extra lapt- 
 cUUnam ferre quotulie." Fufe Abbot Mill's Hiftory, as quoted. Stat. Ace. vol. xx. 
 
 -J- The mufic for the Church of Dunkeld, 5 vols. 410. is among the MSS. of the 
 Libiary of the Univerfity of Edinburgh marked A. C. b. ll. See Campbell's Hift. 
 of Poetry in Scotland, p. 2^^. 
 
 " et 
 
DUNKELD. 287 
 
 ^^ et Domlnus de Badenach,'/^^/?d' memoj-ice^ qui oblit 20 die menfis 
 " Februarii, anno Dom. 1394." The effigies of this ^;r^/ mati is 
 In armour, recumbent, on a tablet fupported by pillars ornament- 
 ed and intermixed with figures. He was a prince of the blood- 
 royal, the third fon of Robert II. (High Steward of Scotland, 
 and the firft of the family of Stuart who fat on the throne^) 
 by Elizabeth Mure his favourite, and, as fome fay, his firft wife*. 
 He was called TChe wolf of Badenach f : a name given him as 
 charad:eriftic of his ferocious difpofition. Between the church 
 and the ftreet, a piece of ground is inclofed, which is occupied 
 as a burying-place ; but there appears fcarcely an infcription on 
 any of the tablets or tomb-ftones worthy of notice %. It fliould 
 
 have 
 
 * Tlie title of John' Stuart, aftenvards Robert III., the eldcfl of Eh"z. Miire's 
 fons, by Robert II. has been keenly contefted by Sir Lewis Stuart, advocate to 
 Charles I. his fucceflbr Sir George M'Kenzie,. Lewis Innes, Mabillon, Ruddiman, 
 Logan, Lord Kaimes, and David Hume. In the perfon of Cardinal York (now a 
 penfioner of the Britifh monarch !) the Stuart line will become extinft. . 
 
 f Lupus de Badenach. Vide Fordun's. Scotichron. p. 416. 
 
 :j: An Epitaph *' on the grave-itone of Margery Scot of Dunkeld," as given by 
 Pennant, and the author of tlie Statillical Account of Dunkeld> from thofe compofcd 
 by Alexander Pennycuick (the younger), was never infcribed on her grave-ftonc. 
 As Mr. Pennant has omitted fome lines, and the author of the Statiftical Account of 
 Dunkeld has tliought proper to ahcr others, the true I'cading is reftored in the copy 
 fubjoined, taken from the author's works, Druramond^s edition. 
 
 Stop paiTenger, until my life you read, 
 The living may get knowledge from the dead ; 
 Five times five years I liv'd a virgin life ; 
 Five times five years 1 was a virtuous wife ; 
 Ten times five years a widow grave and cluillej - 
 Tired ot the elements Pm noiu ut reji. 
 Betwixt my cradle and my grave were feen 
 Eight mighty Kings of Scotland and a Queen ^ 
 
 Tierce 
 
2 88 DUNKELD. 
 
 have been mentioned, that immediately before the pulpit on the 
 floor is to be feen a tablet of blue marble which lay on the 
 grave of Bijfoop Sinclair ; and alfo, in the fouth wall, on the left 
 of the pulpit, appear the arms of Bifhop Alexander Lindfay, who 
 in " 1638 renounced his office, abjured Epifcopacy, fubmitted 
 " to Prefbyterian parity, and accepted from the then rulers his 
 " former church of St. Mado's. He alfo acquired the Barony of 
 " Evelick in the Carfe of Gowrie*." In a niche on the fouth 
 fide of the nave of the Cathedral, is placed the figure in full 
 canonicals of Robert de Cairney^ formerly noticed, " Till his 
 " time " (fays the writer of the Statiflical Account of Dunkeld) 
 " the Bilhop's palace confifled of feveral long houfes, of two 
 " floors only, and covered with thatch in the highland form. 
 " He built in their place a fpacious edifice, fit for defence as well 
 " as accommodation. It contained " (Mill particularly informs 
 his reader) ^^ granaries and a larder T Although no veftige of it 
 
 Three Common -wealths, fuccefiively> I faw ; 
 
 Ten times the fubjcdls rife againft the law ; 
 
 And, which is worfe than any civil war, 
 
 A King arraigned before the fubjedls* bar ; 
 
 Swarms aifcSarians^ hot with hellirti rage. 
 
 Cut off his royal head on openjlage. 
 
 Twice did I fee old prelacy puU'd down, 
 
 And twice the cloach did fink beneath the gotvn. 
 
 1 faw the Stuart race thruft out ; nay more, 
 
 I faw our country yo/r/ for Englj/Jj ore ; 
 
 Our numerous nobles, who have famous been, 
 
 Sunk to the lowly number olfixteen 
 
 •Such defolat'tons in my days have been, 
 
 I have an end of all perfeSion feen. 
 
 Vide Pennycuick's Flowers of ParnalTus, p. 3. 
 "* Vide Keith's Catalogue of Blfhops, p. 180. 
 
 remains. 
 
DUNKFXD. 2f?9 
 
 remains, its fite is ftill called "the Cajlle clofe*." Robert de 
 Cairney died on the i6th January 1436, having been in pof- 
 feffion of this bifhoprick forty-years f . From the Bifhop's 
 palace a bridge over the Tay, partly of wood and partly of ftone, 
 was erected by Bifhop Thomas Lauder in 1469. " The foun- 
 dation of a fecond bridge was laid by Bifhop Brown in 15 13, 
 which was completed by Gavin Douglas :" when the river is 
 low, the piles on which the piers flood are flill vifible. No 
 account can be obtained when this bridge difappeared. Whether 
 it was fwept away by a flood, or demolifhed when the cathedral 
 was defpoiled of its ornaments and altered at the Reformation f, 
 or when Epifcopacy w^as finally abolifhed at the Revolution, and; 
 the Cathedral laid in ruins by the foldiery that were placed at 
 this pafs into the highlands, is left to conjedure. Be this as it 
 
 * In Slbzer's Theatrum Scotia (publifhed 1693), ^" °"^ of the views of Dunkeld,, 
 part of the Bifhop's palace is feen. 
 
 + Vide Keith's Catal. p. S^. 
 
 % A copy of the original letter containing the order iffued at the Reformation, as 
 given in the Stat. Ace. of Dunkeld, p. 4-22. is hereto fubjolned: 
 
 «< To our Traift friendis the Lairds of Arntilly and Kinvaid. 
 " Traift friendis, after maift harty commendacion, v^re pray you failnot to pafs in- 
 *< continent to the kirk of Dunkeld, and tak down the hail images thereof, and bring 
 *• forth to the kirk-zayrd, and burn thaym openly. And ficklyk caft down the alteris, 
 ** and purge the kirk of all kynd of monuments of idolatyre. And this ze fail not 
 " to do, as ze will do us Angular emplefeur j and fo commitis you to the prote£lion of 
 «* God. 
 
 <• From Edinburgh the xii. of Augufl 1560. 
 
 ** Signed Ar. Argyll. 
 
 *' James Stewart. 
 
 *• RUTHVEN." 
 
 " Fail not, bot ze tak guid heyd that neither the dafl<s, windocks, nor durrfs, be ■ 
 «< ony ways hurt or broken,~eyther glaflin wark or iron wark," 
 
 P p may,. 
 
793 DUNKELD. 
 
 may, the want of a bridge at Dunkeld is feverely felt *. " An 
 " eftimate (fays the author of the Statiftical Account of Dunkeld) 
 *' by an Engineer of talents and experience calculates the coft 
 *' of a bridge of three arches, to be built oppofite to the church 
 *' of Little Dunkeld^ at 1 2, cool, fterling," a fum, though it were 
 doubled, by no means beyond the yearly income of the noble 
 Duke who poflefles the vaft demefnes through which the Tay 
 winds its courfe for more than twenty miles. On contem- 
 plating the effeds of time, and of the ruthlefs hands which in 
 miftaken zeal dilapidated this once magnificent pile, its ruins 
 excite in the beholder a tender fentiment of regret, that awakens 
 kindred ideas,moft: aptly aflbciated with thofe called forth in view- 
 ing the fcenery around, and which carries the mind of the penfive 
 fpe(fl:ator to former times, when the God of nature was worfhip- 
 ped in the facred temple here dedicated^ to his name, with all 
 tlie pomp and fplendour of idolatrous ceremony. But the fcenc 
 IS changed ; the reign of the church has ceafed ; the age of 
 chivalry is no more ; and commerce has aflumed the place of 
 fplendid piety and elevated diftindion in the northern fedion 
 of our ifland. 
 
 In its fecularized, modern ftate, iDunkeld exhibits a thriving 
 appearance. The family refidence of the Duke ofAtholl^ though 
 neither fpacious nor elegant, is comfortable and commodious ; 
 
 * " To tlie cafual traveller a new bridge would be obvioufly a defirable accommo- 
 **' dation, and to Dunkeld, and the large diftrlft connected with it, a moft important 
 ■*< acquifition. The river (which has been known to rife feventeen feet at the ferry [of 
 *« Inver] above its ufual level) is often fo fwelled, as to render the paflage by a boat 
 *' either imprafti/:ablc, or highly perilous ; and the general wafte of time, and danger 
 ** to carriages, which is experienced (however flcilfuUy or alertly the boats are managed), 
 ♦< often prompt tliofe who would have otherwife preferred Dunkeld as a market-place, 
 ■^< to proceed to Perth.'' See Stat. Ace. vol. xx. p. 442. 
 
 and, 
 

 DUNKELD. 39* 
 
 and, when the out-houfes, gardens, and nurferles * are furveyed,, 
 all appear in fuch excellent order and condition, as to indi- 
 cate a genuine fpirit of rural economy. 
 
 Charles II. it is faid, offered Dunkeld a charter of erection' 
 Into a borough-royal ; but this offer was rejeded ; and by this 
 means it was " free from corporation reftridions, and from; 
 " election canvaffing ; a canvalling (fays the author lafl: quoted). 
 " which, by holding out the profped of pleafure without ex- 
 " pence, and gain without labour, feduces the- difTolute and the- 
 " lazy, and is followed, too often, by general intemperancej 
 " corruption, and ruin." — The remark is juft, when boroughs 
 are bought and fold : but, when corruption no longer prevails,, 
 the fufFrage of a free people will be guided by motives of gene- 
 ral good. Hence, it is reafonable to conclude, that the real 
 pleafure arifmg from a thorough conviction that a unity of 
 interefts conftitutes the true bafis of public and private happi- 
 nefs, will never degenerate into " intemperance, corruption, and 
 ruin." But, although Dunkeld is not a Royal Borough, yet its 
 internal police is well regulated. Its magiftrate is the Bailie of.' 
 the Barony, and is appointed by the Duke of Atholl. 
 
 There are fix fairs held in this town yearly, befides a market 
 on every Saturday. The cuftoms for the various articles bought 
 and fold at thefe fairs and markets are payable to the Duke of 
 Atholl, who provides an armed guard to preferve the peace, and: 
 apprehend diforderly pcrfons^ The ftaple commodity i& yarn f. 
 
 * The Duke of Atholl caufes to be reared in hig nurferiei by far the greater part 
 of the trees planted in his woods and pleafure-grounds. 
 
 f Notlcfs than two hundred thoufand fpindles are bought annually, the produce. of- 
 this diftridl of the highlands. Stat. Ace. vol. xx. p. 430. 
 
 P p 3 The 
 
ngt DUNKELD. 
 
 The manufaflure of linen is alfo carried on with confiderable 
 fpirit ; as alfo tanning of leather, and dreffing of fheep fkins. 
 The fituation of Dunkeld is peculiarly favourable for thefe 
 branches of manufacture. A bleach-field, a thread manufadory, 
 and perhaps a woollen manufactory, would be eligible. 
 
 There exift feveral focieties in Dunkeld, each of which is 
 governed by its own laws, agreeably to the objedt of its inftitu- 
 tion. 
 
 The firft, and moft ancient, is The Society of Chapmen, 
 Their original charter was granted by James V., and was re- 
 newed by James Duke of At boll in 1730, when he was high 
 iheriffof Perthfhire*. 
 
 The Society of Cordiners (or fhoe-makers) was new modelled 
 in 1774. Its principal object is, to provide for decayed or in- 
 xligent members. 
 
 * His Grace was an aflidaous and zealous improver of his eftates. Four thoufand 
 Scotlfti acres are faid to have been planted by the prefent Duke, confifting chiefly of 
 larix) Scotifli fir, fpruce, New England fir, aih, beech, Canada birch, lime, oak, abel, 
 Scotifli elm, Spanifh chefnut, holly, thorn, &c. Thefe extenfive plantations around 
 Dunkeld are as piofitable to the proprietor as ornamental to the fcenery, to which they 
 add the charms of piclurefque roughnefs. 
 
 In the garden of the Duke at Dunkeld, as well as at Blair, confiderable attention has 
 been paid to the culture ofRHUBARB (r^j3<3r/5flr«?H,Fharm.Lond.r>6fa»z,Pharm.Edin.) ; 
 for which much praife is due. In 1770, Dr. Mounfey of Peterfburgh fent to the late 
 Duke fome feeds of the true Rheum Palmatum : with what care thefe were reared, 
 Iranfplanted, and cultivated, may be judged when the reader is informed, that to the 
 value of 160I. fterling of the produce was fold to a London druggift in one feafon at 
 the low rate of 8s. per pound. Notwithftanding the medicinal virtues of this root, 
 it is well known that the late celebrated CuUen had a remarkable diflike to it, and 
 certainly had but little faith in its efficacy either as a cathartic or as a ftomachic. So 
 fays Dr. Gregory. 
 
 13 The 
 
LITTLE DUNKELD. 295 
 
 ne Society of Weavers was inftituted in 1785. It is numerous 
 and confequently wealthy; and its object is nearly the fame 
 with that of the Cordiners' fociety. 
 
 Befides thefe friendly aflbciations, there are two Mafons' 
 Lodges in Dunkcld ; and the greater part of their funds alfo is 
 applied to charitable purpofes. 
 
 " A female friendly fociety fhould be eftabliflied on the 
 " fame principle of the Cordiners' and Weavers* focieties*." 
 This fuggeftion is worthy of an enlightened mind and benevo- 
 lent heart. Would to God female friendly focieties, under 
 right management, were as univerfal as undoubtedly they would 
 be in every refpe(3: beneficial ! 
 
 Having given a comparative view of the ancient and modern 
 ftate of Dunkeld, we fhall take our leave of this interefting 
 fpot; and, from Inver, proceed on our journey fouthward, 
 purfuing the courfe of the Tay till we clear the pafs, and enter 
 the heights of Birnam wood, on our way to the lowlands, 
 where every thing prefents us with an afpedt charaderiftically 
 different from what we have been contemplating in our progrefs 
 through the deep recefTes of the Grampian mountains ; to which 
 we now bid adieu. 
 
 Soon after leaving Inver^ we pafs the parifh church of Little 
 Dunkeld^ which is fituated in a pleafant field of conliderable di- 
 menfions. The flipend of the clergyman here, as well as that 
 of the clergyman on the oppofite fide of the river, is low indeed. 
 The yearly ftipend of the former, including what is allowed for 
 communion elements, hardly exceeds 75I. : while that of the 
 latter (Dunkeld) does not exceed 95I. flerling. The times have 
 
 * Vide Stat, Ace. vol. xx. p. 432. 
 
 altered* 
 
294 LITTLE DUNKELD. 
 
 altered. The bifhoprick got into the hands of laymen long ago j 
 and it is well known, that in Scotland the church government 
 is, at leaft, cheap enough \ The moft ufeful branches of educa- 
 tion too, viz. reading, writing, and accounts, are to be acquired 
 at a far cheaper rate than among our fouthern neighbours. To 
 the poor, this is an invaluable bleffing*. In the parifh of 
 Little Dunkeld there are two charity fchools, and one parifh 
 fchool f : But the encouragment to teachers is poor in the 
 extreme. Bunkeld boafts of a grammar-fchool; but the whole 
 amount of its mafter's falary does not exceed (including fees 
 for eighty fcholars, at half a crown each) 78I. fterling per an- 
 num. There is likewife a Sunday-fchool, and a female day- 
 fchool for various branches of needle-work, and reading leflbns 
 in Engllih. 
 
 Keeping the heights of Birnam wood on the left, and the Tay 
 on the right, we pafs through the hamlet of Inch Eoen^ which 
 may be confidered as the laft group of highland huts that the 
 traveller meets with oncoming out of the defiles of the Grampians. 
 The road is newly made, and excellent. It fweeps through the 
 
 * ** The good efFefts of clwrity fchools (fays the author of the Statiftical Account 
 of Little Dunkeld) are manifeft and important. By means of them the youth in the 
 highlands are early inftrufted in the principles of religion and morah'ty, as well as 
 taught reading, writing, arithmetic, and a tolerable knowledge of the Englifh tongue^ 
 Thus fucceflive generations arife of enlightened and ufeful citizens. Some have en- 
 tertained the miftakcn maxim, " That it is impolitic to give the common people fo 
 much inilrudion :" a maxim bad enough for Ruflia, or for the church of Rome during 
 the periods of its fouleft corruption." See Stat. Ace. voL vi. p. 372. Little Dun* 
 keld. 
 
 ^ See Dr. Curries' (of Liverpool) " Obfervations on the Charafter and Condition of 
 the Scotifh Peafantry," prefixed to hfs Account of the Life and Criticifm on the Work« 
 of Robert Burns, 4 vols. 8vo. 1800. 
 
 narrow 
 
MURTHLY CASTLE. , 295 
 
 narrow vale formed by the heights of Birnam, and the oppofite 
 craggy fteeps of Stormont, till rifing to a level plain, where a fmall 
 lake appears to the right, we dear the pafs, and leave behind 
 that part of our ifland from which no hoftile foe ever returned 
 without having had proofs of the independent fplrit and deter- 
 mined valour of its inhabitants ; and from which no friend ever 
 departed without having experienced ads of kindnefs and hof- 
 pitality. 
 
 In afcending the heights of Birnam, about two miles below 
 Dunkeld, a building, now almoft a ruin, is feen on the left. It was 
 eredled about fixty years ago*, for the reception of twelve poor 
 men of the Scotijh Epifcopal Communiofi, on the eftate of Stuart 
 of Grantully^ who, at the beginning of the eighteenth century, 
 endowed it with the fum of twenty thoufand merks Scotiflx 
 money. 
 
 Murthly Caftle f, one of the feats of the Grantully family, 
 about half a mile farther to the left, charmingly fituated on a 
 doping embankment, amid verdant meadows and fpacious in- 
 clofures, around which the Tay fweeps fmoothly its clear and 
 ample ftream, is feen to great advantage. On either fide of the 
 river, the higher grounds are fteep, craggy, and well wooded. 
 In the back ground, the plain of Stormont, a part of Strathmore, 
 appears ; behind which, Dunfmnan, one of the SIdIa hills, made 
 claflic ground by the magic pen of Shakefpeare, towers in the 
 diftancc, and terminates the prafped:. 
 
 f A little below Murthly Is the free-ftone quarry from which the flone work of 
 Dunkeld Cathedral was built. The hill of Birnam yields abundance of flate of a 
 colour bordering on violet, remarkably beautiful. Lead ore mixed with quartz is alfo 
 to be found but not of a very rich quality. 
 
 Bounded 
 
igS STRATHMORE. 
 
 Bounded on the fouth and eaft by the Ochll and Sidla hills, 
 and on the weft and north by the great and continued chain of 
 the Grampians, St rath mo re extends from Stirling to Stone- 
 hive, a length of, at leaft, fixty miles ; thirty of which by fix 
 in breadth are highly cultivated, and richly adorned by nature 
 and art. This extenfive valley (through which the rivers Ifla 
 and Erocht, after having rolled their tributary ftreams from the 
 mountains, and burft their rocky bouads, in foaming fury* 
 unite in the plain, and glide fmoothly along until the Tay 
 receives them in dignified filence as he moves onward in his 
 llrength toward the German Ocean) is, by far, the moft extenfive 
 level ground in North Britain. 
 
 Strathmore is a fcene connedied with many particulars re- 
 fpeding the hiftory and antiquities of Scotland. It may not 
 therefore be deemed uninterefting, to notice a few of the 
 leading incidents, with the fpots connedied, moft of which are 
 within view from the ftation here mentioned, as we pafs on ; 
 for, as little is to be met with in our way through the dreary 
 trad of moor once the wood of Birnam, in order to fill up the 
 void, a page or two fhall be dedicated to the purpofe alluded to, 
 before we proceed further in our defcription. 
 
 The traveller whofe curiofity leads him to enquire after the 
 monuments of antiquity difperfed throughout Strathmore, in his 
 
 * The river Erocht, two miles above Blalr-govsrrie, is confined within a deep and 
 narrow channel, where meeting in its courfe huge rocks of an amazing altitude, it rufhcs 
 amid refounding caverns, far above which is feen on a vaft impending precipice Craig- 
 hall, fimilar in all refpefts to Hawthornden near Edinburgh. The Rieti, a confider- 
 able cataraA, is often vifited by the curious ; and is an objeft worthy of attention, 
 particularly when viev/ed with the furrounding fcene near Blair-gowrie, which is at 
 no great diftancc from Dunkeld. 
 
 vifit 
 
STRATHMORE. 297 
 
 vlfit along the courfe of the Ifla, will fall in with the remains of 
 Caftle Forter and Caftle Newton. Both thefe caftellets belonged 
 to the Ogilvies of Airl)^; but in the civil war during the reign 
 of Charles I., and in the time of Cromwell's Commonwealth, 
 they were burnt to the ground. The Marquis of Argyle per- 
 formed this diity^ which was foon afterwards returned by the 
 family of Airly. Thus civil broils defolate a land ; while the 
 deluded vidims take terrible vengeance on each other ! 
 
 Three miles beyond thefe ruins, the Ifla, below the Mill of 
 Craig^ precipitates itfelf over a perpendicular height of 70 or 
 80 feet. This water-fall is called the Reeky linn. The rocks 
 on each fide are of ftupendous altitude ; and the water appears, 
 as it moves among the huge and impending mafles to the plain 
 through which it feeks its level, deep, fuUen, and dark. 
 
 As we proceed along the courfe of the Ifla to its conflux with 
 the Tay, near the village of Alyth, the Caftle of Barry-hill, the 
 remains of which are ftill vifible, once ftood *, This ftrong- 
 hold is faid to have been the place of confinement of the cele^ 
 brated Britifli Helen, Vanora, by fome writers called Wanor^ 
 and Gtiinevar, the wife of King Arthur of fabulous record. 
 
 A fepulchral monument, fuppofed to have been that of Va- 
 nora, is to be feen in the church-yard of Meigle ; drawings of 
 which are given with great accuracy in Mr. Pennant's Scotifli 
 Tour, vol. iii. p. 166. At Glames and Dunoon are alfo fome 
 rude remains of antiquity. 
 
 About two miles northward of Couper of Ajigiis^ at a fmall 
 village called Couper Grange^ there is a repofitory, fuppofed to 
 
 * Near Barry-hill, in a ploughed field, an artificial cavity in form of a ditch, about 
 fix feet deep by four feet broad, faced up with ftones, and covered witli large broa^ 
 flags, was difcovered ; and when part of it was laid open, afhes were found. Stat 
 Ace. vol. vi. p, 406, 
 
 Q^q contain 
 
20?> ■ STllATHMORE. 
 
 contain the allies of facrifices offered by the ancient Caledonians, 
 
 ;the remains of which are ftill vifible, and are worthy the in- 
 
 ' fpedion of the antiquary. In the parifh of Kettins^ in the 
 
 . immediate vicinity of Coiipar of Angus ^ fome tumuli have lately 
 
 been difcovered. In the centre of a cairn an urn was found 
 
 full of bones. Not far from this the caftle of Dores^ faid 
 
 : to have been one of the ftrong-holds of Macbefh^ is feen on a 
 
 hill fouth of the fmall village of Pitcur ; and great quantities of 
 
 afhes were found near the fpot. An excavation in the folid 
 
 rock of this hill, in which alfo bones were found, was lately 
 
 difcovered by workmen quarrying ftones. Near the parifli* 
 
 church of Kettins^ the outlines of a camp can be diftindlly 
 
 traced. At Coupar of Angus the veftiges of this camp are alfo 
 
 to be feen, nearly 24 Scotifh acres fquare *. At Camp Muir, 
 
 a village about two miles fouth- weft of this place, the Romaa 
 
 army that Agricola led to the foot of the Grampians, it is 
 
 "fuppofed, was divided ; part of which remained on the fpot, 
 
 while the other fubdivifions were encamped in the various fta- 
 
 tions above pointed out. About feven miles weft-north-weft of 
 
 Coupar of Angus, at Meiklour, near the confluence of the rivers- 
 
 'jpa and Tay^ a Roman ftation is alfo difcoverable ; not far from 
 
 :which, in the parifh of Kinloch, in a moor at the eaft end of the 
 
 hill of Goitrdie^ a curious piece of antiquity, confifting of eight 
 
 mounds, with an equal number of correfponding trenches, is 
 
 ftill to be feen ; the mounds and trenches are alternate and 
 
 * Near to the centre of the prsetorium, in the year 1164, 3" abbey of Ciftenian 
 • Monks was founded, and endowed with ample revenues by Malcolm IV. Next to 
 the Kings, the Hays of Errol were the principal donors to this religious houfe. The 
 firft Abbot of this monailery was Ascelinus of Melrofs Abbey, who died in 1174;. 
 and the lalt Abbot was Donald Campbell of the family of Argyle, who, it is faid, at 
 the Reformation divided among five natural fons the lands belonging to this monaftery. 
 See Hope's MIn. Prac. p. 459 j and Stat. Ace. vol. xvii, p. jo. 
 
 parallel. 
 
STRx\THMORE. 299 
 
 parallel. This fpot is faid to have been that at which an ad- 
 vanced guard of the Caledonians vsras ftationed to watch the 
 motions of the Roman army that encamped at Inch-tuthll^ about 
 two miles to the fouthward in the great plain of the Stormont ; 
 and from the many veftiges of camps, numbers of tumuli, &c. "^ 
 difperfed throughout this part of the country, there is great rea- 
 fon for fuppofmg that the battle of Mofis Grampius^ fo fatal to 
 the Caledo7i'ians under Galgacus their general, and fo celebrated 
 by Tacitus as honourable to the Romans, led on to victory by 
 his friend and father-in-law Agrtcolay was fought on or near 
 the ground where thefe veftiges of antiquity are found. The 
 laft-mentioned Roman ftation, viz. Inchtutbil^ is particularly 
 noticed by our Scotifh hiftorian HeBor Boece^ who calls it 
 Tulina^ or Tuline\ and fays, that the Pidis had an oppiduniy which ^ 
 on the approach of Agricola, they abandoned to the Romans f. 
 The infulated appearance of Inchtuthiil J exhibits every mark 
 of the Tay, at fome remote period, having entirely furrounded this 
 fingular fpot. It is an elevated level of a hundred and fixty 
 Scotifh acres in circumference, raifed above the plain in which it 
 ftands about fixty feet. The Roman camp was formed on the 
 north-eaft margin, in a commanding ftation, having a view of 
 great part of Strathmore in every dire<flion. Time and circum- 
 ftances have greatly altered the appearance of Inchtuthil. On 
 the fpot which the Pids, and foon after them the Romans, once 
 
 * Efpecially at Haer -Cairns ^ ox Heer- Cairns-— ^tt. Stat. Ace. vols. ix. xvii. xix. 
 parifhes of Clunie, Kinloch,and Bendothy : particularly the latter (Bendochy) where 
 valuable information may be found. 
 
 f Beet. Hift. Scotix, lib. iv. p. 64. Holinfhed's Hill, of Scotland (tranflation of 
 Boece) p. 52, 53. 
 
 X Inchtuthel, or Innis-tuil, is of Gaelic derivation : Inms^ ifland ; tn'il, flood. 
 
 Q^q 2 occupied, 
 
30O STRATHMORE. 
 
 occupied, are the mclofures of the modera Delv'in^ the feat of 
 . Mackenzie Efquire, to whofe fpirited and patriotic exer- 
 tions, it is faid, the furrounding country is much indebted for a 
 fine difplay of rural elegance, and agricultural improvement. 
 But to proceed in the dired: route toward Perth ; 
 
 The road, as now conducted through the dreary wafte once 
 the wood of Birnam, (where a few trees are feen thinly fcattered 
 at diilant intervals, fo as to render its nakednefs more vifible,) is 
 made with great judgment, conveniency, and comfort to the 
 traveller. Even in this inhofpitable moor, the hand of culture 
 begins to fhew its magical power. It is truly furprizing how 
 much has been accomplifhed within thefe very few years, in 
 bringing into heart this hitherto almoft barren defert. Farm- 
 fteads*, inclofures, hedges, ditches, and plantations of wood, 
 appear on either hand as we pafs along ; and every thing pro- 
 mifes a reafonable return for the labour and expence bellowed 
 in the agricultural fpeculations of the fpirited cultivator of this 
 newly-created tra(^ of country. The rapid extenfion of agri- 
 culture, and improvement in roads, have been accompanied 
 by a no lefs furprizing advancement in manufactures. In the 
 year 1784, feveral public-fpirited gentlemen conned:ed with 
 mercantile houfes in Perth, among others, Mr. Dempfter, late 
 Member of Parliament, built a mill (in which Sir Richard Ark- 
 wright interefted himfelf) for the fpinning of cotton, at Stanley, 
 fituated on the right bank of the Tay ; where a village contain- 
 ing near a hundred families has lately been erected. Moft of this 
 moor is in the parifh of Aughtergaven ; the proprietors of which 
 are the Duke of Athol, Lord Mansfield, George Stewart of 
 
 • Vide Stat. Ace. vol. xvii. p. ^j^^, 
 
 Grandtully, 
 
STRATHMORE. 301 
 
 GrandtuIIy, and Robert Robertfon of Tullybelton, Efquires*. 
 As we defcend, by almoft imperceptible degrees, from the 
 lielghts of Birnam, we come within fight of the Tay, where 
 it fweeps along in filent dignity its ample ftream amid highly 
 cultivated fields, rich meadows, and extenfive inclofures, till 
 meeting the laft obftrud:ion to its conflux with the fea at the 
 Linn of Campfie, it falls in thunder, and darts rapidly on, till 
 it regains once more its fmooth, clear, deep, and filent tempera- 
 ment, and glides thus onward in its courfe through the Lees o* 
 Liincarty^ celebrated as the field of battle where the Danes were 
 overthrown; but what is fiill more pleafing to philofophical 
 contemplation, the field of blood is changed into a fcene in 
 which the bufy hand of art is employed in adding to the true 
 glory and wealth of a nation, the produce of its ingenuity and 
 induftry, far remote from the din of war, or the fruitlefs ftruggle 
 of contending nations. Tradition ftill fondly points out the 
 remains of the encampments of the Danifh and Scotifli armies ; 
 and on the oppofite fide of the river, on the farm called Gullan^ 
 the field where the brave anceftors of the families of Errol and 
 Kinnoul, the peafant John Hay and his two fons, were plough- 
 ing, when they fo gallantly ftruck in, and turned the fate of 
 the battle, is alfo pointed out f. About two miles further 
 
 down 
 
 * The Duke of Athol, in order to encourage the farmers of this moor to raife wheat 
 crops, caufed a mill to be built ; which, in a very fhort time after its ere6lion, was fo 
 infefted with rats, that it became impoffible to guard againft the mifchief they were 
 continually doing. It happened, however, that the mill and the whole grounds about it 
 were laid under water ; and a fudden froft enfuing, which la lied with great iiitenfenefs 
 for a length of time, from that period the rats difappeared, to the no fmall comfort of 
 all the neighbourhood. 
 
 ■\ It will be recore£led, that a field in the neighbourhood of Dunkeld is elfewhere 
 mentioned as that on which Hay and his two fons were ploughing on the day of the 
 
 battle 
 
302 SCONE. 
 
 down the Tay, on the oppofite fide to Luncarty Bleach-ficid, 
 the palace of Scofie * is feen. It is delightfully fituated on a 
 wood lawn, which flopes with an eafy inclination to the brink 
 of the river. Scofic-houfe is a feat of the Earl of Mansfield. 
 Whether it be built on the fite of the ancient palace of Scone, 
 the refidence, in former times, of feveral of our Scotifh kings, 
 and where ufually their coronation took place, is a matter of 
 fome doubt. At the Reformation, the abbey and palace of 
 Scone were fpoiled and burnt to the ground f . But, as all fuch 
 proceedings, tending ultimately to the eftablifhment of the true 
 religion, were the mere preludes to the downfal of antichrift, 
 it becomes not aProteftant to make any comments on the adions 
 of his forefathers, who, in the firft paroxyfms of their zeal, com- 
 mitted thofe feeming irregularities, the effeds of which are fo 
 manifeft to this day in every corner of North Britain. 
 
 "Scone, in Stormont^ a fubdivifion of the fhire of Perth, 
 " fituated a mile above Perth, upon the river Tay (fays Spottif- 
 " wood), was an Abbey, founded by King Alexander I., in the 
 *' year 1114, and was dedicated to the Holy Trinity, and St. 
 *' Michael the archangel. . It was the place where our Kings 
 " were accuflomed to be crowned, and where the fatal marble 
 
 battle of Luncarty. It is not the bufinefs of the prefent writer to reconcile thefe ap- 
 parent contradi6tions. 
 
 * Scaitif as pronounced by the highlanders. — " In digging near where the ancient 
 palace of Scone ftands, the workmen lately difcovered upwards of twenty ftone coffins, 
 near eight feet below the furface ; in which were depofitcd entire flccletons, one of 
 which was larger than any of the reft, and fuppofed to meafure eight feet in length, 
 Near the above, and not far from the foundation of the old monaftery, were alfo, found, 
 in digging, upwards of twenty filver, copper, and brafs Scots coins." Edinburgh 
 Mag. for December 1795, p. 450. 
 
 f See Stat. Ace. vol. xviii. p. 82. 
 
 " chair. 
 
SCONE. 303 
 
 " chair, now at Weftmmfler, was ufually kept. It formerly 
 " belonged to the Culdeesy if we truft George Buchanan, and 
 " fome other writers. The Extracfa ex Chronicis Scotia^ in the 
 " Advocates' Library, fays, that the Prior of this place was Ro^ 
 " bertus Cafionicus Sandli Ofwaldi de Nojlellis in Anglia. It 
 " was ereded into a temporal Lordfhip by King James VI. in 
 " favour of Sir David Murray, a Cadet of the family of Tulli- 
 " bardine, in the year 1604*:" of whom, it may be added, the 
 late illuftrious ilatefman Earl Mansfield was defcended, and 
 whofe birth-place Scone certainly is to be confideredf. The 
 prefent manfion-houfe of Scone is in all refpeds inelegant, 
 and unworthy of notice f . Some rude paintings, called hunting 
 pieces, and fome portraits, (among others, thofe of the prefent 
 King and his Queen, as large as life, in their robes of ftate) con- 
 ftitute the chief ornaments of this once celebrated place. And, 
 if we except the parks and pleafure grounds, little taflc is dif- 
 played in ornament or rural economy, where nature in her 
 mildeft afped might be rendered truly charming by a judicious 
 and well regulated plan of improvement ; fo as to raife in the 
 eftimation of every one poflefled of a juft relifh for rural orna- 
 ment, gardening, and building, as forming parts of a beautiful 
 whole, this favoured fpot, and render it a model of that excel- 
 lence pointed out in the works of Price and Knight, who have 
 laboured, and not in vain, to fix determinate, precife, and pradi- 
 cal rules in the art of Englifli gardening, rural ornament, land- 
 fcape, and the pidurefque ; but to return. 
 
 • Spottifwood, Hope's Minor Pradt. Appendix, 414. 
 
 \ Stat. Ace. vol. xviii. p. 80. 
 
 X " About a hundred yards due eaft from the fouthealt corner of the houfe are the 
 ▼eftiges of the old abbey church. On the fpot where our kings were crowned there- 
 grows a clump of trees." Stat. Ace. vol, xviii. p. 85. 
 
 Although; 
 
304 STRATIIMORE. 
 
 Although the plough has nearly obliterated every veftlge of 
 antiquity on either fide of the Tay, and the ikilful engineer and 
 manufacturer, in making room for their machinery, and bleach- 
 fields, have fwept away the mouldering fragments of former 
 ingenuity and fplendour, ftill enough remains to gratify reafon- 
 able curiofity, and to fhew that the fcenes under review form part 
 of the claflic ground of Scotifh hiftory. Among other relics of 
 antiquity that might be mentioned, the continuation of the Ro- 
 man military road leading along the foot of the Grampians, from 
 Ardocb, already noticed, to ncsiV B /air-gowne, which crofles the 
 Tay at its junction with the Almond^ is worthy of particular 
 notice. Here, alfo, the remains of a Roman ftation, though 
 gradually obliterated by the overflowing of the Almond, are 
 to be feen. Near this fpot, too, Roman urns have been found ; 
 and there is reafon for fuppofmg, that thefe urns contained the 
 allies of diftinguiflied Romans who fell at the battle of Mons 
 Grampius, Where the Roman military road flops on the fouth 
 bank of the Tay, oak planks, the remains of a wooden bridge, 
 were dug up, at the requeft of the late Dr. Hope, when the 
 fibre of the timber appeared frefh, and very little altered in its 
 texture *. Till very recently, a number of burrows, or tumuli, 
 were to be feen where the battle of Luncarty was fought "f. 
 Pieces of broken armour, weapons, bits of bridles, &c. have been 
 found in clearing the ground, which till of late was covered 
 with heath, furze, and brufhwood. The ancient Bertha^ by fome 
 
 * Stat. Ace. vol. XV. pari/h Rodgerton. 
 
 -|- A pillar raifed to commemorate the viftory over the Danes at Luncarty is to be 
 feen in the church-yard of Aberberlemny ; for a defcription of which (by Mr. Adam 
 de Cardonell,j fee Edinburgh Mag. vol. ii. p. 396, 397. 
 
 writers 
 
PITCAIRN GREEN. ' 305 
 
 writers fuppofed to be that where the town of Perth formerly 
 flood, which, however, is doubtful, was fituated near the con- 
 flux of the Tay and Almond. ' Hard by is a field called Crom-- 
 well Park, on which, it is faid, the Protedor had an advanced 
 poft ftationed. On this fpot, about the year 1782, Mr. William 
 M*Alpine, a young man of genius and enterprize, erected a 
 print-field, and cotton-mill ; and likewife, on the oppofite fide 
 of the Tay, near Scone, on what is now called Stormont-field, 
 he caufed to be laid down very extenfive works for calicoe print- 
 ing, the fpinning of cotton, and the bleaching of cotton and 
 linen cloths ; but this fpirited young {peculator, happening 
 to be deeply involved in commercial concerns with fome houfes 
 in Manchefter which failed, he fell of courfe. Such, too often, 
 is the fate of projedors ; while others reap the advantage of 
 their talents and induftry ! A company of Perth merchants now 
 carry on the works eftabliflied by M*Alpine, and their profits 
 are faid to be ample indeed. Adjoining to Cromwell Park is 
 Pit c air 71 Green y according to Mrs. Cowley the future rival of 
 Manchefl:er : 
 
 Proud Manchefter will here her fame divide, 
 
 Her varied works, her fafliion, and her taftc ; 
 This, bind in fnowy veft Horatio's fide, 
 
 That, flow in graceful folds from Chloe's waifl. 
 The ftripe fo well difpofed, the glowing bloom 
 
 Which overfpreads the whole, fhall here be feen s 
 Go., Manchester, and weep thy flighted loom— — 
 
 Its arts are cheriflied now on Pitcairn Green ! 
 
 Cowley's Scottjh Village, p. 10. 
 
 The next village to Pitcairn Green is Battleby, confifting chiefly 
 of the houfes of the weavers of Luncarty, 
 
 R*^ To 
 
3oS PERTH. 
 
 To go Into the detail refpedting canals, the extent and variety 
 of the machinery, &c. of the print-fields, bleach-fields, cot- 
 ton-mills, flax-raills, flour-mills, &c. would fwell into vo- 
 lumes : fuffice it, therefore, to fay, that nowhere have local advan- 
 tages been feized on with greater fpirit, alacrity, and effed:, than 
 in the neighbourhood of Perth, which now, as we crols the 
 river Almond, prefents itfelf at the diftance of about two miles. 
 
 The river Almond., too, which a little to the left forms its 
 junction with the Tay, runs through a confiderable part of the 
 claffic ground of Scotland. The fcenery of Glenalmond, for 
 fublimity and pidturefque beauty, is celebrated by every traveller 
 of tafte and feeling. Its flreams, cafcades and caverns, craggy 
 wilds and mountains, are viewed by ftrangers with admiration and 
 delight. Above all, the antiquary, and the warm admirers of the 
 poems of Offian, muft find objeds to contemplate with vene- 
 ration and regard : for many remains of Roman flations are 
 flill vlfible ; and the grave of Offian, which was difcovered by 
 General Wade\ workmen, will continue to be vifited with fond 
 cnthufiafm, by the lovers of thofe admirable compofitions 
 afcribed to the firft of our Celtic bards *. 
 
 Perth is fituated on the fouth bank of the Tay, on a fertile 
 plain, bounded by an amphitheatre formed of the hills of Kin- 
 noul and Moncrief, rifmg on the oppofite banks of the river ; 
 which, taking an ample fweep through the low grounds, feems 
 fuddenly to difappear among the craggy fteeps that overhang its 
 outlet from the mountainous regions, amid which we have 
 traced its courfe, to where it wafties the walls of this ancient 
 
 * See " One Day's Journey to the HigUands of Scotland, March 12, 1784," and 
 llkewife Stat. Ace. vol. xv. parlfh Menzie. 
 
 9 city, 
 
PERTH. ijQ«^ 
 
 city, the moft confiderable one north of the Forth, long before 
 Edinburgh was deemed the capital of Scotland. 
 
 Labour and induftry are everywhere difcernible around Perth. 
 Agriculture and manufadures feem here tranfpl anted into a foil 
 every way fuited to their refpedive departments. Rural orna- 
 ment, tafte, and elegance, are rapidly on the advance ; and 
 thefe are indicative of fubftantial wealth, fecurity, and the 
 profpedt of peace and abundance. The hill, the vale, the wood, 
 the lawn, the cultivated field, the fruitful garden, the fnug box, 
 the elegant villa, the wide and extending ftreet, the fpacious 
 fquare, and daily augmenting buildings ; all, ail exhibit a grow- 
 ing fplendour, not to be exceeded perhaps by Glafgow, or 
 by Edinburgh itfelf. Such are the rewards of induftry and 
 fpeculation, when guided by prudence, forefight, and economy. 
 Such will be the enjoyments of pofterity while they purfue the 
 fame courfe, and while civil and political freedom is guaranteed 
 by a wife and ftable government, which fhall watch with due 
 vigilance over the rights and privileges of a peaceably-difpofed 
 and contented people. 
 
 To trace by what means Perth has experienced the viciflltudes 
 
 of decay and profperity, belongs not to a work of fo general a 
 
 nature as that to which thefe fheets are devoted. Befides, a 
 
 jj^nj^ifDroper materials for producing any thing like a fatisfac- 
 
 torylKCtcn render the talk ungracious : that brevity and con- 
 
 denfation, too, of fubje6t,fo eflential to topographical defcription, 
 
 forbid any attempt to detail, at confiderable length, what refpeds 
 
 the rife and progrefs of trade and commerce, as contrafted in a 
 
 general view of the ancient and modern ftate of Perth. Thefe 
 
 confiderations, therefore, muft be kept in mind, in perufing 
 
 what follows. 
 
 R r 2 What, 
 
3o8 PERTH. 
 
 What, at firft view, muft be obferved by a ftranger on tak- 
 ing a curfory furvey of Perth and its environs, is, the rapid 
 improvements carrying on in every direction, charadieriftic of 
 public fpirit, opulence, and induftry. To trace the caufes to 
 which this flage of general profperity is owing, may convey to 
 the fpeculative traveller fome idea of the local advantages, as 
 well as favourable circumftances, which have opportunely been 
 feized on with regard to the trade and commerce of Perth, 
 in conjundion with the improvements in agriculture and manu- 
 factures, as conflituting the bafis of national wealth and power. 
 
 In order, then, that all the departments of induftry, as con- 
 ducted in the city of Perth and its immediate vicinity, may be 
 diftindlly kept in view, we fhall notice the origin, feveral 
 branches, and ramifications of each, as depending on the trunk 
 and roots of this fair and fruitful tree. The roots are the local 
 advantages; the trunk is the machinery for the abridgejnent 
 and divifion of labour ; and the branches may not inaptly be 
 confidered the importation and raifing of raw materials, the 
 weaving, bleaching, and exportation of ftaple-wares, and fo on ; 
 .taking notice as we proceed of the relation which thefe bear to 
 each other in the grand fcheme of national profperity. 
 
 The local advantages in the neighbourhood of Perth are 
 highly favourable to the eftabllfhment of machinery for the 
 purpofes of manufadure : a perfed: command of water-forces, 
 and every material (timber excepted) requifitein theeredion of 
 mills, &c. near at hand : moreover, the price of labour reafon- 
 able ; and workmen intelligent, expert, diligent, and fober. So 
 that circumftances are extremely favourable for extenfive fpecu- 
 lations in manufadure in the vicinity of Perth. To this may be 
 added, the fingular advantage of a free communication by water 
 
 to 
 
PERTH. 309 
 
 to tlie whole world by means of the Tay, which is navigable to 
 the very walls of the town. 
 
 Whatever diverfity of opinion may exifl: with regard to the 
 moral good or evil occafioned by the abridgement and divifion 
 of labour by means of machinery, it is an unqueftionable fad:, 
 that to the manufacturer the more extenfive the eftabliihments 
 m machinery, the more lucrative and lading (provided he con- 
 dudls his affairs with forefight and prudence) are the returns 
 from the capital employed. 
 
 The various branches of induftry, connected with the local 
 advantages and eftabliihment of mechanic powers for the pur- 
 pofes of manufacture, namely, the importation and raifing of 
 raw materials, weaving, bleaching, &c. of fuch fabrics as^ are 
 made in Perth and- its neighbourhood, are in the moft flourifh- 
 ing condition. The importation of flax, cotton, &c, is pretty 
 confiderable, and daily on the advance. Upwards of fifteen 
 thoufand looms are conftantly employed- in the manufacture of 
 linen and cotton in Perth, and as many more in the country 
 around it. The fabrics thus manufactured confift chiefly of 
 Silefias, Britannias, Kentings, Holland flieetings and fhirtings ; 
 long lawns, brown Hollands, HeflBans, pack-fheetings and Ofna- 
 burgs, cloths for window-blinds and umbrellas, cotton fluffs, 
 fuch as fliawl-cloths, calicoes and muflins, pulicate handkerchiefs, 
 &c. According to a report made in June '794, the total an- 
 nual amount of the linen and cotton trade, even under-rated, 
 was one hundred and twenty thoufand pounds fl:erling ; from 
 which mufl: be deduCted the amount of imports, and incidental 
 expences, fuch as ground-rent, wear and tear of machinery, price 
 
 of labour, intereft: of capital, <5cc. 
 
 There 
 
3 10 PERTH. 
 
 There are four bleach-fields in the neighbourhood of Perth ; 
 viz. one at Huntingtower, one at Tulloch, one at Luncarty, and 
 one at Stormont. The bleach-fields of Luncarty and Tulloch 
 are at prefent carried on by Sandemam, Turnbull, and Co. ; 
 that of Ruthven, or Huntingtower, by Richardfon and Co.; 
 and that of Stormont, by Thomas and John Barland*. It 
 frequently happens, that from fixty to feventy Scotiih acres are 
 covered with linens collected from various parts of Scotland, 
 and many parts of England. 
 
 Ther-e are cotton-works at Stanley "f , Cromwell Park, and 
 Luncarty, as already noticed. Befide thefe, there is cotton fpun 
 in the town of Perth. 
 
 There are three printing-works in the neighbourhood of 
 'Perth, viz. Ruthven printfield, Tulloch printfield, and Crom- 
 well Park printfield. The goods manufactured at thefe works 
 find a ready market at London. 
 
 Befides the various branches of manufadure already men- 
 tioned, there are mills for manufaduring of paper; for the 
 ibruifing of lintfeed into oil ; and corn, wheat, and barley mills, 
 
 * The Duke of A tholl is the proprietor of the land on which Ruthven or Hunting- 
 tower bleachfield is fituated ; the Earl of Kinnoul of that of Tulloch bleachfield ; 
 Graham of Balgowan of that of Luncarty bleachfield ; and the Earl of Mansfield of 
 that of Stormont bleachfield. 
 
 •f Flax-mills were lately ere<fted at Stanley, but were burnt almoft to the ground In 
 Sept. 1799. The command of water to thefe mills is unrivalled, and uninterrupted 
 ^during the moft intenfe froft ; owing principally to the fupply of water being con- 
 ^ufted by three different channels, cut at a vail expenfe through a hill, one of which is 
 !twelve feet wide, and is arched with ftone. The whole deliver their contents to the 
 great canal, which is twenty feet wide by four deep. This force falls on the great 
 wheels of the mills from a height of upwards of twenty feet. The whole of the ma- 
 ifjhiuery, &c. at Stanley is now in the marJtet. 
 
 The 
 
PERTH, 3H 
 
 The mill of Pitcairn, the property of Lord Methven ( Smith, 
 
 Efq.) manufadlures annually upwards of five thoufand bolls of 
 wheat into flour. 
 
 The manufa<5bure of tanned leather, boots, and flioes^ 
 at Perth, has for many years back been confiderable. The 
 dreffing of flieeps*, lambs', and kids' fkins, conftitutes another 
 very advantageous branch of manufadture. With this branch 
 is connected the making of gloves, v^hich is here carried on 
 with much fpirit. 
 
 Before the introdudllon of cotton-works on the grand fcale 
 as they exift at prefent, the trade and commerce of Perth was 
 comparatively limited and languid. 
 
 Soon after the commencement of the prefent war, in 1 793, 
 when bankruptcies became frequent, individual credit ftagnant, 
 and the public mind was directed to different objeds, the 
 market for cotton goods in particular was low in the extreme ; 
 and the manufacturers of Perth and its vicinity fuffered in the 
 general evil. But, fmce Brluin became the carrier of the whole 
 trading world, arid miftrefs of the feas, our manufadures have 
 found a ready market in every diredion. Hence the profperity, 
 comfort, elegance, and fplendour, fo vifible around our manu- 
 faduring towns ; and, among the reft, Perth feems not to be 
 outdone in what is indicative of fubflantlal wealth and gran- 
 deur. Long may this ancient city vie with her filler towns ; 
 and may (he ever preferve her refped and regard in everything 
 honourable, commendable, good, and juft T 
 
 Among the firft years of the late American W£lf , it Was, that 
 an extenfive meadow called Hutitingtower-haugh^ througli 
 which a canal, branched off from the river Almond, is con- 
 
 duded, 
 
3,12 PERTH. 
 
 duded, was deemed a fit fpot for eredlng buildings and ma- 
 chinery for a bleachfield. Since that period the feveral depart- 
 ments of manufadure mentioned above have been gradually, 
 eftabliflied. 
 
 One of the firft branches of untried manufadures was that of 
 paper : which was attempted by two very fpirited citizens, 
 namely Morifon and Lindfay. The Morifons of Perth are well 
 known as printers and publifhers. From twenty to thirty 
 thoufand volumes are printed annually at Perth ; the greater 
 part of which comes from the prefs of the Morifons ; to v/hofe 
 exertions the republic of letters is not a little indebted for an 
 example fo worthy of imitation. 
 
 Prior to the year 1745, Scotland had been fo often diflurbed by 
 reafon of civil commotions, religious jealoufies, and political dif- 
 putes, that little encouragement was afforded to a free fpirit of fpe- 
 culationin any confiderable enterprife. But, fmce that period, a 
 more liberal circulation of money, and efpecially fmce the peace 
 of- 1783, a greater degree of credit, fupported by paper currency, 
 having obtained pretty generally in Scotland, and particularly 
 in Perthfliire, it can eafily be accounted for, in what manner 
 the chief town of the fliire hath attained fuch confequence. 
 
 So far back as the year 1735, the tirft public bleachfield was 
 eftablifhed in the. neighbourhood of Perth, by Alexander Chrif- 
 tie, a linen-draper of Glafgow, of the fedt called Quakers, a 
 man of ftri(St honefty, poffeffing the abilities not only of a ma- 
 nufacturer, but of a fkilful hufbandman, This gentleman having 
 pyrchafed a leafe from the Earl of Kinnoul of a farm at 
 Tulloch, formerly mentioned, and having likewife entered 
 into a contrad with the town-council of Perth for a fufficient 
 
 fupply 
 
PERTH. 3,3 
 
 fupply of water from the mill-lead belonging to the town, 
 began his operations in manufactures and agriculture with fuch 
 fleadinefs and addrefs, as foon manifefted no common degree of 
 ^;ell dire(fled experience and enterprife. The example was 
 fpeedily followed, and the refult is known. 
 
 In the year 17 15, the Earl of Mar, at the head of the party 
 formed for the reftoration of the exiled houfe of Stuart, entered 
 Perth, and proclaimed James at the market- crofs. But this 
 change of regal go^fernment to the citizens of Perth was of fhort 
 duration ; for the Duke of Argyle, general in chief of the royal 
 army deftined to ftrike down rebellion in the north, advancing 
 to give battle to the Earl of Mar and his followers, was met by 
 the rebels, who oppofed, to three thoufand five hundred regular 
 troops, a force of hardly eight thoufand men, chiefly hlghlanders, 
 and but indifferently armed and difciplined. The refult of this 
 combat is well known. The battle was fierce and bloody ; yet, 
 vidory declaring for neither fide, each party withdrew from the 
 field ; the difcontented highlanders, whofe objed, like that of 
 all rude combatants, was plunder, retired to their faftnefs with 
 what they had violently felzed ; and the Pretender's caufe 
 fuffered feverely by fo untoward a ftroke at the very outfet of 
 his enterprize. While this army, become difcontented and 
 mutinous, was difperfing in every direction, the royal army 
 tinder Argyle was receiving reinforcements from England and 
 Holland daily. Meanwhile the Pretender himfelf landed with 
 a faithful few at Peterhead*, and was foon after joined by the 
 chiefs of his party : thence pafling to Scone, he aflembled his 
 nobles, with an intention that they fliould affift at his coronation; 
 
 * Decembei* lyij* 
 
 S f but 
 
314 PERTH. 
 
 but the ceremony was put off, Argyle with the mam hody 
 of his army rapidly advancing toward Perth, a retreat was re- 
 folved on; and the ill-fated James, forced to abandon his enter- 
 prife, ftole off with a few attendants, embarked with thegreatefl: 
 precipitation, and fet fail for France. His grandfon Charles- 
 Edward, thirty years after this event, experienced very nearly 
 the fame fate. And thus ended the civil commotions in North 
 Britain. 
 
 It has been afferted, that Perth benefited much by the circu- 
 lation of money in the rebellions of 1715 and 1745, owing to 
 its centrical fituation as a military poft ; and, that many invalids 
 of Cromwell's army, in 1654, remaining by choice in and near 
 Perth, fet an example of a(2:ivity and induftry of the utmoft im- 
 portance to the natives *. Hence arofe the fpirit for fpeculation 
 and enterprife fo manifeft at this day. 
 
 In our retrofpedlive view of the rife and progrefs of the trade 
 and commerce of Perth, we find that, towards the middle of 
 the feventeenth century, it was a place of confiderable im- 
 portance. 
 
 When our firft Charles made his triumphal entry into Edin- 
 burgh (15th June 1633), he paffed thence to his native place 
 Dunfermline ; and, among other of his royal burghs, he made 
 
 * " Pi-ovoft Aoftin died 4th Auguft (1723), greatly refpefted and lamented: a 
 ** good man, the friend of the poor, an encourager of Induftry, a promoter of trade and 
 *< the linen manufadlures. His father, Thomas Auftin, who came from England with 
 *' Cromwell's army, and fettled at Perth after the Reftoration, was tlie father of the 
 *< trade and navigation at this place. His numerous defcendants from \us three fons 
 ♦* and daughter have made a refpcftable figure, fome in promoting trade and manufac* 
 « tures, others in the army and navy." See Cant's Notes on Adarafon's Metrical 
 Hift. of Perth, vol. ii. p. 160. 
 
 his 
 
PERTH. 31^ 
 
 his public entry Into Perth the eighth day of July, where he 
 was received with fplendour and great rejoicings *. 
 
 It appears by the Charter of Confirmation granted by James 
 VI. to the burgh of Perth (dated at Holyroodhoufe, 15th Nov. 
 1600) in the thirty- third year of his reign, that fo low and de- 
 graded were weavers (now dignified by the name of manufac- 
 turers) held, that in the faid charter, they, as'alfo waukers, were 
 prohibited from being guild brothers '[. But, mark the difference 
 of the times ! — the weavers of Great Britain, as well as the 
 merchants, are now the great fupporters of our national wealth. 
 — Hence arife their importance and dignity in the (late. This 
 is the age of trade and commerce : induftry is refpedted, property 
 fecure, and liberty guaranteed by wife and falutary laws. Such" 
 princes as the feeble fucceffor of the illuftrious Elizabeth can no 
 longer fway the fceptre of an imperial throne ; yet, in his long 
 reign, peace was maintained, arts and fciences made rapid ad- 
 vances, and the foundation of our prefentgreatnefs was enlarged, 
 on which the fuperftrudure was reared, fo magnificent, fo fplen- 
 did, and fo feemingly lafling. 
 
 * " The morrow thaireafter came to our clmrche, and in his royal feat heard ane 
 <* reverend fermone; immediately thaireafter came to his lodging, (Cowrie's palace,) and 
 *' went down to the gardine thaireof ; his majeftie being thayre fet upon the wall next 
 *' the wattir of Tay, qiihair upone was ane fleetinge flaige of tymber cled about with 
 *' birks, uppone the quhilke, for his majeftle*s welcome and entrie, thretteine of our 
 « bretherine of our calling of glovers, with green cappis, filver livings, red ribbons, 
 *' quhyte fhoes, and bells about their leggis, fhewing raperies in their handis, and all uther 
 *' abulzements, dauncit our fword dance, with mony dificile knottis, fyvc being under, 
 ■« and fyve above upone thair flioulderls, three of them dauncing through thair feet, and 
 « about them, drinking wine, and brcking glafles, Qj.ihilkc (Goo be praifit) wes aftit 
 ^' and done without hurt or flcaith till any." Balfour's MSS. Annals apud Guthrie, 
 A. D. 1633, as quoted by Cant in Adamfon's Mufes Threnodie, vol. ii. p. 1 18. 
 
 + « Granting alfo to his burgefTes of Perth that all of them fliall be guild brethren, 
 *< except webfters, and waukers." See Cant's Hid. of Perth, vol. ii. p. 7. 
 
 S f 2 During 
 
3i6 PERTH. 
 
 During the reigns of the five Jamefes, and Mary Queen of 
 Scots, Perth experienced various viciffitudes in regard to its trade 
 and commercial concerns. When it was the feat of Govern- 
 ment, much of the weahh of the kingdom, it is reafonable to 
 fuppofe, muft have centered in this once celebrated capital. 
 
 It feems probable, from a lift of the magiftrates of Perth 
 carried fo far back as the year 1365, that its internal police 
 was kept up with due regularity and effect:. Previous to this 
 period, King William the Lion, his grandfather David L*, and 
 others, conferred grants and privileges by royal charter on this 
 ancient burgh. And if we trace back the trade of Perth to 
 more remote times, we find that enterprizing merchants from 
 Germany, and other parts, were wont to vifit and eftablifli 
 themfelves at this em.porium ; fo that it appears by our earlier 
 hiftorians, that a pretty extenfive commerce was carried on be- 
 tween Perth and the Netherlands in the twelfth and thirteenth 
 centuries 'f. " In early times (fays the author of the Stat. Ace.) 
 " Perth was a place of great trade. Alexander Necham, an 
 " Englifh writer, who read ledures at Paris in 1 180, was made 
 " Abbot of Exeter in 12 15, and died 1227, takes notice of 
 " Perth in the following diftich, quoted in Camden's Britannia ; 
 
 * Tranfis ample Tai, per rura, per oppida, per Perth i 
 
 * Regnum fuftentant illius urbis opes.' 
 
 " Thus Englifhed in Biihop Gibfon's tranflation of Camden's 
 « book: 
 
 * Commonly called St. David, from his works of piety. He erecSled many rehVious 
 houfes both in England and Scotland, and likewife four Bifhoprics, viz. Rofs, Brechen 
 Dunblane, and Dunkeld. 
 
 f /-^/V(? Fordun, Scoticbron, vol, ii. p. 130. 
 
 * Great 
 
PERTH. 317 
 
 * Great Tay through Perch, .hrough towns, through country flies. 
 
 * Penh the whole kingdom w\ h her wealth iiipph'cs. 
 
 " The literal veiTion is. Go on, great Tay, through fields, through 
 " towns, through Perth. The -wealtii of that city fupports the 
 ** kingdom*." How far this eulogium might have applied then, 
 it is not, at this diftance of time, eafy to judge ; but, with how 
 much propriety it might be applied to the prefent profperous 
 ftate of this charming fpot, it is hoped, has in fome fmall degree 
 been made to appear. 
 
 In the early periods of the Scotifh annals, it is fufficient to 
 obferve, that Perth is particularly noticed as the fcene of adion 
 of many interefting incidents relpedting military atchievements, 
 as well as jurifprudence, and ecclefiaftical affairs. It is a gene- 
 rally received opinion, that this city, foon after being vifited by 
 the Romans, was regularly built and fortified at the command of 
 Agricola ; at leaft, this is agreeable to common tradition : and 
 from fome circumftances related by Tacitus and Fordun,andby 
 others of our earlier hiftorians f , there is reafon to believe that 
 Perth, in remote times, was a place the moft likely of any to be 
 preferred by Agricola, being centrical, convenient, and defirable 
 as a fecure and pleafant refidence in peace, and a ftrong fortrefs, 
 in time of war. 
 
 In after times, when the Pids had eftablifhed their dominion 
 over the eafl of Scotland, and been converted to the Chriftian 
 
 * Stat. Ace. voL xvlii. p. 511. 
 
 ■f See " Mufes Threnodie," Mufe 3. voh J. p. 85. — And in confirmation of what 
 Adamfon here recites, the author of the Stat. Ace. of Perth (voh xviii, p. 494.) fays, 
 «* One of the remaining parts of the north wall of the town having been taken down 
 " a few years ago, a pretty large brafs coin of Cafar /ugujlus Ponlifex Maxmits, was found 
 '« in it, which has ever fiiice been in the poffeflion of Mr. James Ramfay, prefent Provoll 
 " of Perth" (i. e. in the year 1795). 
 
 faith, 
 
3iS PERTH 
 
 faith, Perth was named Saint Johnfton ; and a church was dedi- 
 cated to St. John the Baptift, whom the Pids feem to have 
 chofen for the tutelary faint of that town. Hence it is by fome 
 called St. Johnftown ; but, according to others, its Roman name 
 was Vidoria, a name continued by the Horeftii, or Pi£ts * ; 
 whofe capital, Abernethy, was not far diftant ; and whofe ter- 
 ritory lay chiefly fouth of the Tay f . When the Pi£ts were 
 expelled by the native Scots, and their territory torn from them, 
 their churches and church-lands were occupied by the fucceflbrs 
 of their clergy. Thus, to the reign of copxGueft fucceeded the 
 dominion of the church ; till, in procefs of time, its power be- 
 gan to decline, and the reformation of religion changed the face 
 of the country fo completely, that where the temples of the Mod 
 High beamed in full fplendour, (and no where more fo than in 
 Perth and its immediate neighbourhood,) hardly a veftige is 
 to be feen, a fad relic of former magnificence, of the golden age 
 of religion, when temporal bleffings were blended with holy 
 office ; — when monk and nun, abbot and abbefs, wallowed in 
 luxury, delight, and voluptuoufnefs; when the meadow and 
 the mill, devoted to their comforts, yielded but half their gifts 
 4:0 the meek, lowly, and patient laity ; when, in fliort, the church 
 reigned fupreme, and prince and people, fearful of future retri- 
 bution, fubmitted quietly to the dogmas of fuperftition, not 
 daring to call in queftion the facred ordinances handed down to 
 them from the " anclentejl of days ;" — ^all, all have vanifhed, fave 
 a folitary monument here and th^re, fcattered over the country, 
 
 * See Richard of Cirenceller's Itinerary, lib. i. c. 6.— See alfo Whitaker's Hiftory 
 of Manchefter. 
 
 •|- See Sibbald's HUlory of Fife. 
 
 6 as 
 
PERTH. 319 
 
 as it were to point out the fpot on which the wrath of heaven 
 fell in judgment for deviations into error, and mlfapplication 
 of the bleflings of Providence. — In confirmation of the above 
 remark, the city of Perth, (for it flill bears this diftinguilhing 
 title,) though prior to the Reformation it had to boaft its ample 
 fliare of religious eftabllfhments*, contains now but one pa- 
 
 rilh 
 
 * If one may judge by the number of religious boufes that exilled in former times 
 in Perth, its inhabitants feem to have had as reafonable a (hare of piety as the prefent 
 race, who enjoy the privileges of the reformed religion in the beauty of holinefs. 
 Adamfon, in his Metrical Hiftory of Perth, enumerates the feveral monafteries, 
 churches, chapels, &c. that were extant prior to the general ruin caufed by the Refor- 
 mation. The poet, on addrefllng his companions, as they furvey Perth from Tay~ 
 laav, an eminence on the weft fummit of the hill of Klnnoul, fays : • 
 
 Then 'gan I to declare 
 Where our old monasteries and churches fair 
 Sometime did ftand, placed at every corner 
 Was one, which with great beauty did adorn her. 
 The Charter-hotife'^ toward the foiith-weil ftood, 
 And at the fouth-eaft; the Friars who wzdx gray hood'^. 
 
 Toward 
 
 » "fhe Chm-ter-hnujc, Of Carthufun Monajiery, (MonafteriuTi vallis virtutls,) was founded by James I. 
 ct Scotland, on his return after his long captivity in England in the year 1429. The monks of this 
 order profcfTed great auflerity, and followed the rules of St. Bennet. Their founder was Bruno of 
 Paris, who inftituted the ordsr in 1086. They came into England in ri8o, and into Scotland in 14*9, 
 wl*ere they had only one eftablirtimcnt, viz. that aijove mentioned in Perth. The founder and his 
 queen were interred in the church of the monaftery. 
 
 i The Iioufe belonging to the Obfervanthies^ or Gray Friars, was founded by Lord Oliphant In the year 
 1460. It was deftroytd on the memorable nth of May 1559- (Vide Buchan. lib. xvi.) The order of 
 '* Frien Grey''' had nine convents in Sco;land, viz. at Edinburgh, St. i'Vndrews, Glafgovv, Aberdeen, Air, 
 Stirling, Elgin in Murray, Jedburgh, and Herth. " Thefe friars (fays Spottifwood) poiTefTsd nothing, the 
 «' places on which their houfes ftood excepted. They were allowed to go conftantly about with wallers 
 «< on their (houlders, to beg their fubfiftence from well-difpofed people ; from whence they were callici 
 «' Mendicants, and from their wearing clothes Gray-friars, their habits being a gray gown, with a caul, 
 <' and a rope about the middle. They went barefooted". (See Appendix to Hope's Minor Pra^ick-, 
 p. 503, 504.) ^3otv\uhftanding this f.eming poverty, and confeqnent aufkrity, it was found at the 
 Reformation, when the entliufiaftic rabbie broke into the convent of tlie Gr.iy.friars at Perth on the 
 jith May i5S9> that they had Ihcets, blankets, napery» and fine liuen equal to any to be found in the 
 
 houfes 
 
320 PERTH. 
 
 rifli church ! the fame that was dedicated to St. John the 
 
 Baptift. 
 
 Toward the north the Blach-fnars ^ church did fland ; 
 And Carmelites * upon the weftern hand, 
 With many chapels {landing here and there, 
 And fteeples fairly mounted in the air, 
 Our Ladle's Church, Saint Catherine's and Saint Paulc'sy 
 Where many a maffe was fung for defunft faules. 
 The Chappell of the Rood and fweet Saint Anne, 
 And Loret's chappel, from Rome's Vaiicane 
 
 Tranfported hither — 
 
 Saint Leonard cloifter, mourning Magdalane 
 Whofe criftall fountain flowes like Hippocrane. 
 Saint yohne's fair church, as yet in mids did (land ; 
 A braver fight was not in all this land 
 Than was this town when thus it flood decor'd. 
 As not a few yet living can record. 
 
 Mufes Threnodie. — Mufe vi. p. ij'j — 155. 
 
 houfes of any nobility of tliat period. Nay, {o well were their cellars and larders provided with good 
 tilings, that though there were but eight peifons in all belonging to the monaftery, the-y had eight pun- 
 cheons of fait beef, wine, beer, ale, bcfides ilore of other vidtuals. " Within two days (adds Spottif- 
 *' wood) fo bufy were they in aboliftiing idolatry, the wall only did remain of this edifice." p. 502. 
 See alfo John Knox's Hift , book ii. and likewife Buchanan, book xvi. Buchanan, in his Fratres Fra- 
 teriimi is very fevere on the Francifcans. 
 
 J The Convent of the Dominicans, or Black Friars, was founded by Alexander I. in the year 1231. 
 S:. Dcmlnick, the founder of this order of friars, is faid to have been the inventor of the inquifition. He 
 died 1221. This order of preaching mendicants were fent forth into forty five provinces, of which 
 Scotland was the eighteenth. There were no lefs than fifteen monafteries founded in this poor country, 
 viz. one at Edinburgh, Berwick, Air, Montrofe, Aberdeen, Elgin of Moray, Stirling, Inveinefs, Wigton, 
 Dundee, Coupar in Fife, St Monan's in Fife, St. Andrew's, Glafgow, and Perth. Bilhop Spottifwood 
 enumerates twenty-thiee houfes belonging to the Dominicans in Scotland. «' Notwithrtanding they pro- 
 " fefTed poverty, yet when their nefls were pulled down, they were found too rich for mendicants." 
 (See Appendix to Keith's Catalogue of Bilhops, p. 269.) Pull dewn their nefts, and the rookiiuUlJiy 
 a-jjaj, was a favourite maxiai of our reformer Knox. It was in the Convent of the Elack-friars that 
 James 1. was murdered. 
 
 4 The Convent belonging to the order of mendicants called Cannetites, or ff^/b^te Friars, was founded 
 by Alexander III., and flood on the land of Fullilum, or v^'hat is now called the dove-cot land, on the 
 
 road 
 
PERTH. 321 
 
 Baptift*. An almofl total annihilation of religious houfes took 
 place when the emancipation from popidi idolatry was pro- 
 claimed. " It was at Perth ( fays the author of the Stat, Ace. 
 *' of that town) that the reformed religion was firft publicly avow- 
 ** ed. Mr. John Knox, attended by many of the chief nobility 
 
 * It is not cafy to afcertaln what part remaining of St. John's church is the mod 
 ancient. It is now occupied as three diflinft places of worfhip, viz. the eaft, middle, 
 and weft. Tiie eaft is the choir, and is faid to have been built in the year 1400, after 
 the old choir had been removed. This church was liberally endowed by Malcolm III. 
 or Canmorey his fons Alexander I. fumamed the Fierce, and David 1. the faint, about 
 the beginning of the twelfth century ; but at the Reformation, mod of the property of 
 religious houfes reverted to the crown, and was difpofed of to temporal ufes : of courfe, 
 the parifh church of St. John was dripped of the mod valuable part of its revenue. At 
 this time, the three minlfters that belong to it, and tlieir afliftants, hate not more than 
 about four hundred and twenty pounds derling of falary yearly ! (See Stat. Ace. voL 
 xviii. p. 532). But befides this pariflt church, there are diffenters of various defcn'p- 
 tions in and about Perth : no lefs than nine different kinds have meeting-houfes in the 
 town, viz. Glaflltes, or Sandemonians, a congregation of Relief, Burghers, Anti- 
 burghers, a fociety of Balchridy, Anabaptids, Cameronians, (or old Prefbyterlans,) 
 EngHHi Epifcopalians, and a fmall congregation of the Scotiih Epifcopal communion, 
 or a remnant of the Scotiih Jacobites . 
 
 " road to Huntingtower. It is now converted Into a garden. " Richard Invcrkcithing, Blihop of Dunkeld, 
 *' built 'f;jys Spottifwood) for them (die White Friars) a chapel and large houfe in the year 126*." 
 Bifhop Tbomai Lauder founded here a mafs for the dead, and Bifliop George Brown repaired the church 
 and monaftery in a handfome manner; Lauder died on the 4th November 148 1 ; and Brown died iztli 
 January 1514-5.— Keith's Catalogue. Befides the four Convents and their churches, there were fevc- 
 ral chapels, hofpitals, and fmall nunneries annnexed to them, fuch as are mentioned in the above ex- 
 traft. *• Saint Leonard^ Cloijler, near Perth (fays Spottifwood), was an ancient priory, founded in 
 *♦ the year 1296- It was afterwards fuppreffed by King James I., and annexed to the charity-houfe of 
 •* Perth, which he founded near that city, together with the Magdalen's lands." The nuns of St. 
 Leonard followed the rules of St. Bennet. Lady Elizabeth Dunbar, the wife of David duke of Rothfay, 
 was Priorefs of this cloifter; but, the rules of St. Bennet not admitting a married woman to be Priorefs 
 in fo ftria an order, the prince was obliged to abandon her whom the god of love had confecrated 
 to his arms. This happened in 1411. 
 
 T t "of 
 
522 PERTH. 
 
 " of the kingdom, preached a fermoii in the parilli church af 
 "Perth, againft idolatry, Thurfday nth May 1559. After 
 " the fermon, one of the priefts having given a trifling prova- 
 " cation, a number of the people broke down all the altars 
 " and images in the parifli church, and then proceeded to de- 
 ** molifh all the monafteries. No veftiges of the monafteries 
 " and chapels are now to be feen. Ever fince that remarkable 
 " sera, a weekly fermon has been preached at Perth, on the 
 " Thurfday afternoon*.'* Thus the aufpicious dawn of the 
 reformation of religion is commemorated, with a pious regard 
 to the memory of the firft reformers, who dared boldly, in the 
 open face of day, and in defiance of the ufurped authority of 
 churchmen, to overturn the emblems of Deity and the facred 
 altars of the living God. But, if aught that favours of the 
 ruthlefs rage of licentioufnefs is to be attributed to the zealous 
 citizens of Perth, it muft be confefled that they were, for a con- 
 fiderable length of time, in a fmgular manner fufFerers in the 
 caufe which they fo eagerly abetted : for we find, that during 
 the coercive meafures purfued for nipping in the bud the 
 germ of religious liberty, by the Queen Regent, her adive 
 minifter Cardinal Beaton, and the Earl of Arran, then Regent, 
 the citizens of Perth were among the firft to feel the effeds. 
 In the year 1544, the Regent, accompanied by the Cardinal, 
 came to Perth, and condemned to death feveral perfons, among 
 whom was a woman of uncommon courage, whofe child was 
 taken from her breaft as flie was led to execution. This un- 
 happy vidim was drowned in a pool of water hard by, and 
 
 * Stat. Ace. vol. xviii. p. 537. 
 
 died 
 
PERTH, 323 
 
 died exulting in her martyrdom ^. Some years after, the Car- 
 dinal feafted his eyes on the burning of that Arch-reformer 
 George Wifhart. For this gratification he forfeited his life : it 
 is needlefs to add, that the celebrated Norman Leflie, fon to 
 -the Earl of Rothes, with his own hand flew the Cardinal j and 
 thus the caufe of the reformed religion was fomewhat accele- 
 rated in its flow though fure progrefs. 
 
 The citizens of Perth feem to have been deftined to bear wit- 
 nefs to the caufe of religion. When James VL made his tour 
 at the requeft of his iiicred counfellors the Bifhops, in order to 
 reconcile the people to Epifcopal government, on coming to 
 Perth, he found the minilters, to the number of fifty, protefting 
 againft the meafures that he endeavoured to enforce by perfonal 
 influence ; and thus was manifefl;ed their firm adherence to the 
 dodrines of the Conventicle ; afterv/ards displayed in \htfokmn 
 League and Covenant^ which the politic Charles II. fwore 
 to, and folemnly fubfcribed, when crowned by the Coven- 
 anters at Scone. In teflimony of their zeal in the caufe of 
 religion, as well as of their loyalty to their newly-covenanted 
 King, the citizens of Perth, on the 6th of July 1651, marched 
 to the fouth Inch, and one hundred of their number volunteered 
 to fight for their king and holy religion againfl the ufurper 
 Cromwell, who had landed his army on the coaft of Fife, and 
 foon after put the royalifls completely to the rout, leaving fix- 
 teen hundred royalifls dead on the field of battle, befides taking 
 
 * See Fox's Martyrology. -Among others that fuffered at Perth, were James 
 FInlayfon, William Anderfon, and James Ronald, accufcd of nailing two rams horns 
 to St. Francis's head, putting a cow's rump to his tail, and eating a goole on All- 
 hallow even. Helen Stack, the woman above-mentioned, was condemned becaufe fhe 
 refufed to call the Virgin Mary to her aid when in child bed. See Buchanan, book xv. 
 
 T t 2 twelve 
 
324 PERTH. 
 
 twelve hundred prifoners. Cromwell, following up his ruccer& 
 with his ufual alacrity, marched diredly to Perth, laid fiege to 
 the town, and, honourable terms of capitulation being offered 
 and accepted, entered it triumphantly, while the fugitive 
 Charles withdrew from Stirling to England, where in the me- 
 morable battle of Worcefter he narrowly efcaped being llain. 
 In the mean while, the Covenanters of Perth enjoyed, during 
 the Commonwealth, liberty of confcience, and fome fhare of 
 civil liberty before unknown to the greater number. But, on 
 the glorious event of the Reftoration, the Royalifts triumphed, 
 and the pious Covenanters of Perth once more fuffered perfe- 
 cution. Sir George Mackenzie, king's advocate, went through 
 the painful duty required by his office with that humanity 
 peculiar to thofe intrufted with fo important and trying a fta- 
 tion. The hiftory of the times exhibits ftriking traits of his 
 moderation. 
 
 In the fhort but turbulent reign of James VII. the magiftracy 
 of Perth was formed by the privy council ; the confequence 
 was, that all fufpeded perfons, and fuch as would not conform 
 to the Teft^ were hunted down, and punifhed by the civil ma- 
 giftrate for recufancy ; among whom " the honourable women 
 (of Perth) were not a few *." Matters remained in this pof- 
 ture till the eventful aera when William Prince of Orange 
 guaranteed the Prefbyterian eftablilhment north of the Tweed j 
 fmce which period, Perth, has enjoyed all the benefits of civil 
 and religious liberty. But to return to the leading features of 
 the civil tranfadions in which this town makes a diftinguifhed 
 figure. 
 
 * See the Kirk Seffion Rcgifter of Perth for i6th Oaober 1684. 
 
 Among 
 
PERTH. 3»j 
 
 Among fuch records as flill exift, Perth is not unfrequently 
 mentioned as the feat of national councils. So early as the 
 year 906, according to Innes *, in the lixth yfear of Conftantine 
 III., fon of Ethus, a national council was held at Scone ; at 
 which Conftantine, who afterwards became a monk, and Kelle- 
 ehus Bifhop of the Scots, entered into folemn engagements to 
 obferve the difcipline and dogmas of the Chriftian church* 
 Thirteen national councils are recorded to have been holden in 
 Perth befides that already noticed : fo that manifeft proofs re- 
 main of what importance that city was held with regard ta 
 matters of the higheft confideration "f . 
 
 Perth, too, was always deemed a centrical fituation for the 
 diftribution of juftice ; *' being (fays James VI. in his charter 
 " of Confirmation) in the midft of our native country and king- 
 " dom, conjoining the one half thereof to the other, and keep- 
 •* ing them in obedience and fubjedtion, and following of their 
 " kings and their commands. And alfo confidering our faid 
 " burgh of Perth to be the moft apt and commodious, and 
 " capable both in time of peace and war for keeping and hold- 
 " ing of public meetings of our eftates, fubjedls, and people j 
 " and in which town our moft illiiftrious predeceflors, nobles, 
 " famous counfellors, and other people have lived ; and alfo the 
 " court and counfellors of our kingdom for determining the af- 
 ** fairs thereof, have moft often convened of moft long time fince,. 
 " and found the fame moft commodious for them ; as alfo in the 
 " time of war, both citizens and foldiers might convene there.'* 
 
 * Innes's Appendix, apud Guthrie, vol. x. p. 416, and Lord Hailes' Papers.- 
 f See Cant's Introdu6tion to his hiftorical notes to Adamfon's Metrical Hift. of 
 Perth, where he quotes his authorities. 
 
 15 Thus^ 
 
32.6 PERTH. 
 
 Thus, we fee illuftrated the antiquity and importance of Perth 
 as the feat of Government and Jurifpriidence. Still it retains 
 feme fmall degree of its former confequence. The Lords of 
 Judiciary hold courts here in the fpring and autumn in the 
 courfe of their northern circuits. By the original conftitution 
 of Perth, the Lord Provofts (mayors) were fheriffs within the 
 liberties of the town ; and alfo were .coroners ; which laft office 
 is now difufed in Scotland. 
 
 With regard to the military tranfadions in which Perth makes 
 a diflinguifhed figure, it may not be deemed uninterefting to 
 enumerate a few of the moft remarkable ; that fome notion 
 may be formed, how far in former, as well as in latter periods, 
 this ftation was confidered as important in a warlike point ofview. 
 
 The battle of Luncarty, fought in the reign of our third Ken- 
 neth, towards the latter end of the tenth century, has already 
 been noticed. Perth and its immediate neighbourhood was the 
 fcene of adion of many of the exploits of Wallace and his heroic 
 compatriots ^, 
 
 Soon after the vidory obtained by Edward Long/hanks over 
 Wallace at Falkirk (A"D. 1298,) the former rebuilt the walls of 
 Perth, and put it in a proper ftate of defence, making it his 
 head-quarters. In the year 13 12 Robert de Bruce laid fiege to 
 this town, took it, and levelled its walls with the ground. Thus 
 laid open, it fell an eafy prey to Baliol and hie party after the 
 battle of Dupline, fought 3d Auguft 1332, about four miles 
 weft of the town, fo fatal for a time to the Scotifli nobility and 
 the independence of the Scoti{h crown. The treacherous Baliol 
 remained not long the tool of Edward f to enllave Scotland ; as, 
 
 * See Blind Harry's Metrical Life of Wallace. f Edward of Windfor. 
 
 on 
 
PERTH, 
 
 on Edward's hearing of the alarming leditlons that arofe in the 
 north, he haftened down with a powerful army, laid wafte the 
 country, and led Baliol captive to England*; leaving the 
 burthen of re-building the walls and fortifacations around Perth 
 to the Ahbies of " Couper, Landores, Balmerinoch, Dunfermling, 
 " Saint Andrew's, and Aberbrothickf," among the richeft of 
 the religious houfes of that period, the fuperiors of which com- 
 plied with the mandate, but curfed the ruthlefs invader in their 
 hearts. In the year 1339, on the death of the Regent Murray, 
 the Lord High Steward, afterwards i^o^^r/, {{urna.med Bkar-eye^) 
 the firft of the royal hoiife of Stuart^ was appointed to the Re- 
 gency, and foon after laid fiege to Perth. The redudion of 
 this city, which had" but lately been put in the beft poflible ftatc 
 of defence, was garrifoned, by an Englifh foldiery, and com^ 
 manded by governor Sir Thomas Ochtred^ a man of known 
 abilities and tried courage, was not of fo eafy a nature as at firfl 
 expeded. After an obftinate and able defence, oppofed to the 
 united force of the Scotifli and French aflailants, the Englifh 
 governor found it expedient to capitulate ; and obtained fuch 
 honourable and liberal terms as fecured the lives and eftates of 
 his brave garrifon, as well as a fafe retreat J. 
 
 Thenceforward, the town of Perth, whofe citizens were 
 foldiers, maintained its independence ; and it not unfrequently 
 happened, that the citizens fallied forth and took vengeance on 
 thofc proud Barons whofe caftles lay in the neighbourhood, 
 and whofe caprice or malice led them to commit depre^ 
 
 * A. D- 1333. f See the Mufes Threnodie, Mufe fourth, p. 104. 
 
 \ See Buchanan, Home of Godfcroft, and othei-s. 
 
 (Jationsi 
 
328 PERTH. 
 
 Nations and murders charaderiftic of the barbarity of the 
 
 times*. 
 
 The next fcene of blood exhibited in Perth, that appears on 
 record, was about fixteen years previous to the dawn of the 
 Reformation. The family of Ruthven had for many years 
 fupplied the town with its chief magiftrate ; and Cardinal Bea^ 
 ton^ who had caufed feveral of its citizens to be banifhed, and 
 others to be hanged, for herefy and fedition, dreading the in- 
 fluence and refentment of Lord Ruthven, pointed out to the 
 Earl of Arran^ then Regent, the propriety of appointing Char-^ 
 teris of Kinfaunes to the magiftracy, inftead of Ruthven, left an 
 infurreftion headed by fo popular and powerful a chief fhould 
 involve in its confequences the ruin of the church, as well as 
 convulfe to the centre the foundations of the ftate. Ruthven 
 ■was fuperfeded, but Charteris was rejeded by the citizens, who 
 flew to arms in defence of their conftitution and privileges ; and 
 they were aflailed by the oppofite party, who, in attempting 
 to take pofleflion of the town, fuffered feverely. Thus the citi- 
 zens of Perth refifted with fpirit and effed the bold attempt 
 made to bend them under the yoke of power and oppreffion. 
 This Ikirmifh happened on the 2 2d of June 1544. The con- 
 fequences of this bloody fray, and of the barbarous tranfadion 
 that led to it, afterwards made their appearance, in a rooted 
 averfion to priefts and creatures of ftate, as well as to civil and 
 religious tyranny. 
 
 In the year 1559, when the inhabitants of Perth, in their 
 zeal againft idolatry, demoiifiied the religious houfes of that 
 
 * The caftles of Aberdalgle, Dupplin, Craigle, Fingalk, Gafconhall, Ruthven, now 
 Jluntingtower, Elcho, and others, are all in the neighbourhood of Perth. 
 
 city, 
 
PERTH. 329 
 
 City, they once more beheld their flreets ftained with human 
 gore. The ^leen Regent^ whofe fangulnary meafures, in a vain 
 endeavour to roll back the tide of reformation, had given jufl 
 caufe of revolt to the Lords of the Congregation, felt herfelf 
 ftrangely befet with difficulties that increafed daily. At a lofs 
 whether to purfue coercion with promptitude and efFedt, or to 
 yield many points of importance to thofe for whom jullice 
 loudly claimed redrefs of grievances, (he was induced by evil 
 counfellors to adopt a courfe which eventually led to the utter 
 ruin of the caufe which fhe purpofed to fupport, and firmly re- 
 eftablifh. Hearing of the exceffes committed at Perth, the Queen 
 haftened in her w^ath from Stirling, at the head of her combined 
 French and Scotifh foldiery, to take fudden and ample venge- 
 ance on the infurgents ; but the chiefs of the Congregation 
 apprized of her movements, had colleded a formidable force, 
 principally from the weft, and by fecret marches had eluded 
 the utmoft vigilance of the Queen, till fhe perceived her revolted 
 fubjeds encamped on the heights of Auchterardour *, refolved 
 to reft their caufe on the ifTue of a battle. On this occafion, 
 prudence prefided in the councils of both parties. A treaty 
 was eagerly entered on, and fpeedily concluded ; the chief 
 ftipulation of which was,*that each army fhould be difbanded, 
 and the gates of Perth be fet open to receive the Queen, who 
 entered that city on the 29th of May 1559, accompanied by 
 the French General D^Oyfel, the Duke of Hamilton^ and other 
 powerful leaders of the party. Among the inhabitants who 
 crouded to their balconies and windows to behold the Queen's 
 entry with her French troops into Perth, w^as the family of Pa- 
 
 * Within ten miles of Perth, in Strathern, 
 
 U u trick 
 
330 PERTH. 
 
 tricJi Murray^ a noted reformer,; and, being particularly pointed 
 out, feveral of the foldiers levelled their mufquets, and killed a 
 boy of twelve years old by the fide of this devoted citizen, 
 v/hofe imprudent conduct had marked him the vidlm of opinion, 
 malice, and hatred. A motly fwarm of monks, and French and 
 Scotifh rabble, buzzed about Penh for many days; and the Queen, 
 little mindful of the treaty, retiring to Stirling, left behind her 
 a garrifon of fix hundred men. With, orders to keep the citizens 
 in fubjecStion, and to allow no exercife of religious worfhip, but 
 that of the Holy Catholic Church. Thus princes maintain cove- 
 nant with rebel fubjed:s, as Catholics keep faith with heretics \ 
 In a fhort time after, the Proteftant caufe gaining converts daily, 
 and confequent {lability and power, the Lords of the Congre- 
 gation threw off all reftraint, and, no longer overawed, afferted 
 their rights in the field. The Queen had once more recourfe ta 
 negociation, but in vain. Weakened in her refources, aflailed 
 on all fides, deferted by many of her leaders, who had com- 
 bined againft her; fhe faw, in the bitternefs of difappointed 
 ambition, the whole region between the Forth and the Tay, 
 Perth alone excepted, fall into the hands of the rebels. But 
 Perth was a place of too much importance to be overlooked in 
 this train of conqueft : Accordingly, Argyle^ Lord Rtithve?i^ 
 and the Prior of St. Andreivs laid fiege to that city ; which 
 capitulated to the Lords of the Congregation on the 26th of 
 June 1559. 
 
 In the year 1644, after the battle of Tibbermuir^^ gained by 
 the gallant Montrofe over the Covenanters^ Perth, of confe- 
 quence, fell into the hands of the vi(aorious Highlanders : But 
 
 * A few miles to the weft of Perth. 
 
 in 
 
PERTH. 331 
 
 in the fummer of the year 1651, Cromwell laid fiege to this 
 city, reduced it, and caufed his army to raife a citadel on the 
 South Inch. Shortly after the Reftoration this citadel was de- 
 molifhed ; and very foon, in all probability, its remains will 
 totally difappear *. 
 
 In the year 1 7 1 5, Perth and its environs were the head-quarters 
 of the Pretender's army under the command of Erjkine of Mar \ 
 and again, in the year 1745, after the fuccefs of the young Adven- 
 turer Charles Edward Stuart^ the laft but one of that ill-fated fa- 
 mily, our native race of princes, this town fell into the hands of 
 the rebels. William Duke of Cumberland^ having returned after 
 his fanguinary operations north of the Spey, to Perth, where he 
 fixed for a time his head-quarters ; the magiftrates of the city, 
 in teftimony of gratitude and high confideration, gave to the 
 conqueror the Earl of Cowrie's houfe, which he foon after-, 
 wards fold to Government for the purpofe of converting it into 
 barracks for a company of artillery. In addition to this ftation, 
 an elegant fuite of barracks, on the plan lately adopted by minif- 
 try, is erected about a quarter of a mile to the weftward of Perth, 
 
 * Cromwell's citadel (the fite of which ftill retains the name of Cromwell's Mount) 
 cod the town of Perth much trouble and expence. One hundred and forty families, 
 it is faid, were turned out of the houfes which occupied the ground on which the 
 fortification wa/ creeled. The furface of the beautiful meadow called the South and 
 North Inches, was laid bare for turf to cover the glacis. The remaining walls of the 
 convent of Gray Friars ; tomb- (tones ; the ftones of the dwelling-houfcs, and garden- 
 walls of the didreffed families ; the (lone pillars and abutments of the bridge, then in 
 rnins ; the fchool-houfe, which contained apartments for the reflor, do6lors, and 
 mufic matter, befides 360 fcholars ; the town crofs, and Mary Magdalen's chapel ; in 
 fliort, every thing that could be laid hands on, were fcized for the purpofe of building 
 the citadel : which confided of a fquare with baftions at each angle ; the whole ftrong. 
 ly built, and furroundcd by a deep ditch full of water. Sec Cant'3 Hiftory of Perth, 
 vol. ii. p. 129. 
 
 U u 2 which 
 
332 PERTH. 
 
 which contain a regular force, fit for the purpofes intended* 
 Such, then, are the memorable tranfadioos refpeding Perth as 
 a military ftation, from the earlieft accounts to the prefent times* 
 
 Among the very few relics of antiquity in Perth, is the Earl of 
 Cowrie's manfion before noticed. It was built in the year 1520, 
 by the Countefs of Htititley^. This edifice is the fame in which 
 our fixth James is faid to have felt the fearful apprehenfions of 
 fudden difTolution, when he fuppofed the laws of hofpitality 
 violated, and the hand of the affaffin raifed againft the facred 
 life of " the Lord's anointed." Much myftery feems ftill to re- 
 main on this paffage of our hiftory. 
 
 In the reign of our fixth James there exifted three adverfe 
 factions, viz. the Catholics, the Epifcopal Reformers, and the 
 Turitans of the Reformed religion. The two former, with views 
 diflimilar, yet alike favourers of monarchial government, faw 
 nothing in the confpiracy of the houfe of Ruthveii againft the 
 houfe of Stuart, but foul treafon and premeditated murder : 
 while the latter, on principle leaning to the fide of antimo- 
 narchial meafures, beheld matters in a different point of view ; 
 and whifpering their doubts in fecret, and fneering at the fup- 
 pofitious fads and circumftances as feebly drawn up by the 
 King and his minifters, threw out hints tending to exonerate 
 thofe on whom fufpicions had fallen, and to fix odium on the 
 King and his friends, to whom, it was alleged, the plot of this 
 myfterious tragedy was imputable. Hence the contradidory 
 accounts of " the Gowrye Confpiracie," as it is generally called 
 by Scotifh hiftorians f. 
 
 * See Stat. Ace. vol. xvIiJ. p. 529. 
 
 + See Robertfoft's Hiftory of Scotland, Arnot's Criminal Cafes, and others. 
 
 If 
 
PERTH. ' 333 
 
 If, in tracing the outlines of this famous flory, a judgment can 
 be formed by an impartial inquirer at the diftance of two cen- 
 turies from the memorable event'*, the following imperfed: 
 fketch may ferve to direct his further inveftlgations. 
 
 It is unneceflary to dwell long on the perfon, manners, and 
 habits of the imbecile heir prefumptive and fucceflbr of the ac- 
 plifhed Elizabeth. A contemporary author draws his portrait 
 thus : " He was of a middle ftature, more corpulent throghe his 
 " clothes than in his body, zet fatt enouch, his clothes ever 
 " being made large and eafie, ye doubletts quilted for ftelletts 
 *' proofe, his breeches in grate pleits and full fluffed. He was 
 •* naturalie of a timorous difpofitione, wich was ye grateft rea- 
 " fone of his quilted doubletts. His eyes large, and ever roulling 
 " after any flranger cam in his prefence : in fo much as many, 
 " for fhame, have left the roome as being out of countenance. 
 •* His beard was very thin ; his toung too large for his mouthe, 
 " vich ever made him drinke very uncomlie, as if eating hig 
 ** drinke, wich cam out into ye cup in each fyde of his mouthe. 
 " His fkin vas als foft as tafta farfnet, wich felt fo, becaufe he 
 " never waflit his hands, onlie rubb'd his fingers ends flightly vith 
 " the vett end of a napkin. His legs wer verey weake, having 
 " had (as was thoght) fome foul play in his youthe, or rather 
 *' befor he was borne f, yet he was not able to fland at feuen 
 ** zeires of age : that weaknefs made him euir leaning one other 
 
 * The Earl of Gowric and his brother were killed in prefence of the King on the 
 jthof Auguft 1600. 
 
 f Alluding to the terror his mother, Mary Queen of Scots, experienced when Da- 
 vid Rizzio was murdered in her prefence. The King mentions this in his BafiUcotic 
 J)oron : *' I that was perfecuted by the Puritans there, not from my birth only, but 
 even fince four months before my birth," King J^me^'j Works, folio, p. x6o. 305. 
 
 " men*iS 
 
53f PERTH. 
 
 " men's fhoulders.*' — " He was werey witty, and had als maney 
 " redey vitty jefts as aney man liuinge, at vlch he wold not 
 *' fmyle himfelffe, bot deliuer them in a grave and ferious man- 
 '' ner." — " He was werey crafty and cunning, in pettey thinges, 
 " as the circumveninge any grate man, the change of a favourite, 
 '* &c. in fo much as a werey wife man was wount to fay, he 
 " beleeued him ye wifeft foole in Chriftendome, meaning him 
 " wife in fmall things, bot a foole in weighty affaires — He was 
 " infinitly inclined to peace, bot more out of feare than con- 
 *' fcience ;" — "In a word, he was, take him altogether, and not 
 *' in pieces, fuche a King, I wifhe this kingdome have neuer 
 " any worffe, one ye conditione not aney better : for he liued 
 ** in peace, dyed in peace, and lefte all his kingdome in a peac- 
 ** able conditione, with hes awen motto " Beati Pacifici *." 
 To this may be added, that James was a believer in aftrology, 
 magic, and witchcraft: on the latter fubjedt he wrote a book; and 
 not unfrequently was prefent on the trial of witches f. But when 
 the accomplifhed Earl of Gowrie is brought on the fame canvas 
 with the King thus pourtrayed, the contraft is ftriking indeed. 
 John Riithven Earl of Gowrie, the perfonage alluded to, fuc- 
 ceeded his father, who was beheaded at Stirling on the 4th of 
 May 1584, in his eftates and dignities, and was foon after 
 (A. D. 1589) eleded Provoft of Perth, an office long heredi- 
 
 • Dalzell's "Fragments of Scotifh Hillory," Appendix, No. xiv. p. 84. 
 
 \ See Arnot's Criminal Trials. — The annals of Scotland were not difgraced with 
 the profecutions againft unfortunate and deftitute old women till tlie year 1479, when, 
 it is faid, the firft capital puniHiment for witchcraft took place (See Pinkerton's Hilt, 
 of Scot. vol. i. p. 295.) ; and the laft on record (See Arnot's Criminal Trials) hap- 
 pened fo late as the year 1722. This is truly a humiliating confideration. — The law« 
 againft witchcraft are ftlll unrepealed ! 
 
 14 tary 
 
PERTH. 3;3j 
 
 tary in the family of Gowrie : but, being a youth pofTefTed of an 
 ar<lent defire of knowledge, he told the council that he had 
 determined ta purfue his ftudies abroad, and obtained leave for 
 that purpofe. Accordingly, on the 6th of Auguft 1594, he took 
 his departure, and, travelling through France, arrived at Padua ; 
 where he fb much diftinguiihed himfelf that he was honoured 
 by the Univerfity of that place with the Red:or's chair, which^ 
 it is faid, he filled with fingular approbation. It was not to be 
 wondered at, that fo enlightened a mind eagerly embraced the 
 new fpread doctrines of the Reformation. From Padua, he re- 
 moved to the hot-bed of herefy, Geneva, where the celebrated 
 Theodore Beza received him with open arms. With Beza our 
 young theologian remained, and was hofpitably entertained 
 for three months; Leaving Geneva, he fet out for Paris^ on 
 his return to his native country. At Paris he was introduced 
 to the Englifh Ambaflador, from whom he obtained letters of 
 recommendation to Queeti Elizabeth, who, fenfible of his en- 
 lightened underflanding and elegance of manners, honoured 
 him with marks of high confideration. Thefe circumftances, to- 
 gether with the zeal which the houfe of Ruthven openly manifeft- 
 ed, from the earlieft dawn of the Reformation, in accelerating its 
 advancement and eventual fuccefs, rendered the young Earl an 
 objed of fufpicion in the eyes of the King and his miniftry. 
 Such then was the pofture of affairs on the return of Gowrie, 
 after a feven years abfence, on the 20th of May 1600. On the 
 5th of Auguft following, early in the morning, while the King 
 was about to hunt the ftag in the foreft of Faukland^^ where 
 
 • Within a ihort diftance of Perth, 
 
 hfij 
 
S3<5 PERTH. 
 
 he chiefly refided, he was accofted by Alexander Ruthven *, the 
 Earl of Cowrie's fecond brother, and earneftly requefted by- 
 Alexander to accompany him to Perth without delay, on pre- 
 tence, as it is faid, of difclofing fome interelling circumftances 
 refpedtlng hidden treafure. After the death of the flag, the 
 King, attended by a few of his fuite, fet out for Perth, and ar- 
 rived there, at an early hour, to dinner. Immediately after 
 dinner, the King wifhing to retire, Alexander Ruthven, who, 
 it was alleged, at times, was not perfectly in his fenfes, w^ent 
 with him to a fmall apartment in the round tower occupied 
 as a ftudy, among the upper chambers of the houfe. Accord- 
 ing to the King's own account, there appeared to him a man 
 in armour, that had been placed in the ftudy with an intention 
 to affaflinate him f . The affrighted monarch, with the rapidity 
 of thought, marfhalled in his mind the danger to w^hich he was 
 thus expofed. The Raid of Ruthven^ as it is called, was an 
 event fo recent, and the fatal confequences of that affair fo 
 frefh in his memory, that he juftly apprehended his liberty, if 
 not his life, to be in the power of the noble perfonage in whofe 
 houfe he found himfelf ; and whofe father had been brought to the 
 block but fixteen years before, for an offence fomewhat fimilar 
 
 • Since this article refpefting the Gowrie confpiracy was written, a new theory has 
 been propofed by John Pinkerton, Efq., in a Differtation on this fubjeft prefixed to 
 the firfl volume of Laing's Hiftory of Scotland ; wherein Mr. P. infinuates, that Anne 
 of Denmark, James the fixth's Queen, was (in plain EngUfhj a wh-re, and Alexander 
 Ruthven afavouritet as well as the fo/e author of a defign to feize the King's perfon, 
 and force him to abdicate the throne in favour of his fon Prince Henry, during whofe 
 minority the Qjueen herfelf was to be Regent : Mr. Pinkerton aiTerts his " firm aver- 
 fion to the Scandalous Chronicle," notwithftanding ! 
 
 j; See the Account publifhed by Authority, Sept. 1600. See alfo Moyes's Memoirs, 
 inferted from p. 263. Ruddiman's edition, 1755. 
 
 to 
 
PERTH. 337 
 
 to the prefent*. Seized with this but too natural idea, in the 
 firft paroxyfm of his agonizing fears, the King called aloud from 
 the window of the ftudy, " Treafon, treafon ! Fy ! Help, help ! 
 they're murdering me ;" which fo alarmed all who heard him, 
 and ran to his affiftance, that, in the uproar and confufion, 
 many wounds were given by each party, and the Earl of 
 Gowrie and his brother Alexander were both flain in the pre- 
 fence of the King. The news of this fad difafter inftantly 
 fpread through Perth : the tumult was prodigious ; the citizens 
 were clamorous, and it was with the utmoft difficulty that the 
 King, favoured by the darknefs of the night, made his efcape, 
 amid the imprecations of an enraged multitude, who threatened 
 vengeance for the lofs of the chief magiftrate of their city, and 
 the untimely fall of his brother. James, defirous that no blame 
 ihould attach on him in this unfortunate affair, infilled ftrenu- 
 oufly that an attempt had been made by the Earl and his brother 
 on his life : and it ferved as a fubjed: for public declamation 
 and private converfation during the remainder of his reign, 
 as a fingular inflance of the immediate interpofition of divine 
 power, to referve the " Lord's anointed " for fome glorious 
 end ; which event really was juftified on his afcending the 
 imperial throne of Great Britain and Ireland, when he bore 
 the high-founding title of Defender of the Faith f. In 
 
 order 
 
 * William Earl of Gowrie was beheaded at Stirling, on the 4th of May 1584, for 
 having detained the King's perfon as he returned from Athol on the 23d of Auguft 
 1582. This outrage is called " The Raid of Ruthven." To feize the perfon of the 
 King was no unufual expedient in the rude policy of the Scotlfli nobility : befides the 
 inllance juft mentioned, fimilar attempts had been made on James by Francis Stewart, 
 Earl of Bothwell, at Falkland and Holyroodhoufe. 
 
 + Bifiiop Williams, in his funeral fermon on the death of King James, p. 43, makea 
 the following obfervation : " Not a particular of his life but what was a myftery of the 
 
 X X Divine 
 
3 35 PERTH. 
 
 order to ftrlke clamour dumb, and prevent enquiry refpeding 
 this myfterious bufinefs, an account of it was drawn up under 
 the eye of his Majefty, and publilhed by authority* ; wherein 
 it is made to appear, that the unfortunate Earl and his brother 
 had intentions on the King's liberty, and even his life. Nay, to 
 leave not the fhadow of doubt, that feemed for a time to hover 
 refpe^llng this foul confpiracy in the minds of fome Puritan fcep- 
 tics, James caufed the pulpit to thunder forth its anathemas on 
 thofe who queftioned the fmgular interpofition of the King of 
 Kings in delivering his Scotifh Majefty from foul treafon, " mur- 
 der, and fudden death ;" and, to enforce convidion, he appeared 
 to his loving fubjedls in perfon, feated amidft his nobles, on the 
 market-crofs of Edinburgh ; while his chaplain, with that elo- 
 quence which the awful occafion infpired, developed the whole 
 fa£ts and circumftances to the gazing multitude ; and which 
 his Majefty from his own mouth confirmed, fo that none might 
 pretend ignorance, or doubt in the truth thus folemnly delivered 
 in the prefence of Almighty God and the facred perfonage who, 
 himfelf, had been the chief ador in this tragedy f. Still farther, 
 
 the 
 
 Divine Providence, to keep and preferve thofe admirable parts for the fetth'ng and 
 uniting of fome great empire.** See note on " A Difcourfe of the unnatural and vile 
 Confpiracy, &c." p. 22. 
 
 * See ** A Difcourfe of the unnatural and vile Confpiracie attempted by John Earl 
 of Gowrie and his Brother againft his Majeftie's Perfon, at St. Johnftoun, upon the 
 5th of Auguft 1600." This tradl is alfo publifhed, vv^ith fome additional notes, in 
 Cant's Hiftory of Perth. 
 
 f " The 1 1 of Augufte, being Monday, the King came over the water. The 
 towne (Edin.) with the hail fuburbis, met him upone the fandis of Liethe in armes, 
 wt. grate joy and fchutting of muftettis and (baking of pikes. He went to the kirk 
 cfLictlito Mr, David Lindefaye's orifone. Yt. after the tounc of Edin : having 
 
 convcnelt 
 
PERTH. ,39 
 
 the King caufed the dead bodies of the Earl and his brother to 
 be hung on a gibbet, drawn and quartered, and their heads fet 
 up on the walls of the prifon * ; moreover, their lands to be dif- 
 tributed to his favourites, their titles to be fuppreiled, and the 
 very name of Ruthven to be expunged from the books of arms 
 and nobility, public deeds and records, and extinguiflied for 
 ever. Even fuch of the name of Ruthven as were totally un- 
 conne(fted with the houfe of Gowrie, were ordered to take 
 other names ; and thus fuffered a fimilar fate to the profcribed 
 clan of the Macgregors ; a profcription worthy the worft of 
 times, and a blur, among others, in the annals of Scotifli hiftory, 
 charaderiftic of weaknefs, folly, and flagrant injuftice; at a 
 time too, when the advancement of knowledge fhould have 
 
 convenelt up to Edin : and ftanding at the hel gaitt, his M. paft to the crofle, the croflc 
 being hung wt, tapeftrie, and went up yr, on wt. his nobillis. Mr. Patrick Gallaway 
 being yair, made ane fermone upon the 124 Pfalni ; he declairit the hail circumllances 
 of the treafone propofit by the Earle of Gowrie and his brother, qlk the King teftifiet 
 be hes awen mouth, fitting upon the croffe all the tyme of the fermone." See the 
 ** Diary of Robert Birrell," Conilable's edition, edited by DalzcU, Edin. printed J 798, 
 p. 50, 51. 
 
 * " The 28 Auguft, the hail friendes, tutors, and curators, and bairnis, pretending 
 any right to the Earldom of Gowrie, fummoned to compcir to the Parliament the firft 
 day of November." — " The nynth of Oftober, ane proclamation charging all thame of 
 the name of Ruthven to pafs out of the countrie, in fpeciiU Alex: father's brother to 
 the faid Earle, and the faid Earle and his twa brethers," — *' The 15 November, being 
 the ryding day of the Parliament, the Earle of Gowrie and his brether and his father's 
 
 brether, with twa uthers, and he of thair dependers, all forfaulted (outlawed)." — 
 
 " The J9th November, the Earle of Gowrie and his brother harlet to the gibbet, and 
 hanglt and quarterit ; bot yr. after, yair twa heidis fet upone the heid of the prifonc 
 houfe, yair to Hand quliyll the'wind blaw them away," See Birrel's Diary, p- 5i> S^' 
 
 X X 2 checked 
 
340 PERTH. 
 
 checked fo wanton a ftretch of power in fupport of arbitrary 
 meafures *. 
 
 A horrible tranfadion, fimilar to the preceding, took place 
 in the Convent of Blackfriars in Perth, November 1437. Here, 
 indeed, was caufe of public lamentation. James I. of Scotland, 
 all agree, was a wife, accompli(hed, magnanimous prince. 
 *' Happy had he reigned in a kingdom more civilized ! His love 
 of peace, of juftice, and of elegance, would have rendered his 
 fchemes fuccefsful ; and, inftead of perifhing becaufe he had 
 attempted too much, a grateful people would have applauded 
 and feconded his efforts to reform and to improve them j"." 
 But, alas ! he was cut off in this high career, in the flower of 
 manhood, and in the pride of eflablifhing his claim to that en- 
 dearing title, " Father of his People." 
 
 ■ ♦ Notwithftanding the prompt and coercive meafures adopted to imprefs the nation 
 with a fenfe of the danger to which the King had been expofed, many of the Prefby- 
 terian clergy remained for fome time lukewarm in fupport of a vindication on the part 
 of his Majelty and his minillers. An exception deferving of record was Robert Bruce. 
 Neither hope of reward nor fear of punifhment could move him. He did not believe 
 in the confpiracy. and he declined propagating what he did not credit. He was, in 
 confequence, fufpended from the duties of his office, and driven into banifhment. His 
 brethren ailed more prudently, and were fuffered to remain. To put the matter re- 
 fpedting this confpiracy beyond all doubt, and to hand down to pofterity an idea of the 
 happy deliverance of the jih of Auguit, the King commanded that day to be thence- 
 forth annually obferved as a day of folemn thankfgiving, '* with preiching and prayer." 
 On the 5th of Augull 1614, Bifhop Andrews, in addrcfling himfelf to King James, 
 obfervcs, "And fo you &rt found ; and they (meaning the late Earl of Gowrie and 
 liis brother), as the children of perdition fhould be, are loji. Here are you, and where 
 are they ? Gone to their own place, to Judas their brother ; and, as is moft kindly, the 
 fonnes to tht father of wkkednefsy there to be plagued for ever. The fame way may 
 they all goe, and to the fame place may they all come, that fhall ever after once oiler 
 to do the like." Is this charity ? 
 
 f See Robertfon's Hiftory of Scotland. 
 
 The 
 
PERTH. 54f 
 
 The Scotlfli hiftory exhibits little elfe than one continued 
 ftruggle for power between the king, his nobles, and the clergy. 
 The military tenure by which our Barons held their demefnes, 
 threw into their hands, by means of having at their command 
 a numerous train of villeins, vaiTals, and retainers, a degree of 
 independence but, ill fuited to regal dignity*. The clergy, . 
 ever mindful of their own interefls, threw themfelves into that 
 fcale which weighed moil to their advantage, whether caft on 
 this fide or on that, as the King or the nobles preponderated in 
 the doubtful balance. James equally regarded the welfare of 
 his fubje£ls, whether laity or clergy, and dealt impartial juftice 
 with a fleady hand. He was at particular pains to make him- 
 felf acquainted with the lives and charadters of the clergy, and 
 the learned men of his kingdom ; and failed not to remove thofo 
 whom he deemed diflblute or ignorant f. During his captivity 
 in England, anarchy prevailed in his native dominions ; the 
 powerful, lording it over the feeble, feized their goods by force 
 or fraud, and held them in defiance of the laws of nature and 
 eftablirhed order J. His attempting to call to account tranf- 
 ^dions like thefe, coft the ill-fated James his life. The circum- 
 nances attending his murder, as related by hiftorians, are fhortly 
 thefe. Hearing rumours of a confpiracy againft his life, while 
 be lay encamped on the right bank of the Tweed at Roxburgh,-, 
 he fuddenly difbanded his army, and retired to his capita],, 
 
 * When the Scotifh Barons v/ere defired by King Robert de Bruce to fhew the 
 charters by which they held their lands, they looked at each other for a moment, and 
 then, as if by a fudden impulie, drew their fwords, and fternly replied, " Thefe are our . 
 rights and charters." 
 
 -f- See Guthrie's Hlftory. 
 
 4: See Buchanan, Drummond, Robertfon, and others. 
 
 Perth,. 
 
S42l PERTH. 
 
 Perth, where he lodged in the monadery of Blackfriars, with his 
 Queen and a few attendants, in the moft private manner. A 
 few defperate traitors, among whom was the King's uncle Walter 
 Earl of Athol^ embracing fo favourable an opportunity, con- 
 certed meafures, and with too fatal fuccefs, for compaffing their 
 infernal purpofe. At midnight, the aflaflins found means to 
 enter the gallery, and to place themfelves in fecret and filence 
 at the King's bed-chamber door, the bolt of which fomehow or 
 other had been removed. It happened, that while the King's 
 cup-bearer was pafhng through the gallery, he heard the whif- 
 pers of the aflaflins, and gave the alarm. The Queen, in the 
 firfl: emotions of terror, clung round her confort for protedion. 
 While the ruflSans were attempting to force their way into the 
 chamber, a maid of honour, whh a prefence of mind truly great, 
 mifl[ing the bar that fliould have fecured the door, thruft her 
 arm into the aperture, which fnapped in twain as the blood- 
 thirfl:y monfters ruflied in to perpetrate the deed. In difpatching 
 the King, who fell covered with wounds, his wife received 
 feveral fl:abs from the poniards of the afl!afljns. Having com- 
 pleted their fanguinary purpofe, they haftened away ; but 
 vengeance foon overtook them ; and the punifliment due to 
 their crimes was inflided in a manner too horrible to relate*. 
 The murder of this mofl; worthy prince happened in the 44th 
 year of his age, A. D. 1437 f. Authors, his cotemporaries, 
 
 * See Drummond, Buchanan, Robertfon, and others. 
 
 f His mangled remains were interred in the Carthufian monaflery where he often 
 refided, and which he had founded in the year 1429, immediately on his return from 
 his captivity in England. This was the only religious houfe that the Carthufians had 
 in Scotland. See Spottifwood's Appendix, and Keith's Catalogue,'^as formerly quoted. 
 
 delineate 
 
PERTH. 343 
 
 delineate the perfon of James as fair and comely, under the 
 middle fize, yet well made, athletic, and manly*. He was 
 admirably fkilled in mufic, and was no mean poet, as his 
 " Works " teftify, which are now in every one's hands. But 
 his depth of knowledge as a politician was what diftinguifhes 
 him above the whole race of our Scotifh monarchs. " It was 
 the misfortune of James (fays an elegant author), that his 
 maxims and manners were too refined for the age in which he 
 lived.'* 
 
 It remains now to mention fome particulars refpe£ting an 
 error into which, according to the learned and ingenious foun- 
 der of the Perth Antiquarian Society f, our hiflorians have fallen 
 with regard to a remarkable inundation that is faid to have 
 happened in the year 1210, which defolated Perth and the parts 
 adjacent, by means of its extent and deftrudive courfe, as m.en- 
 tioned by Fordun, Boece, and Buchanan ; and of late by the 
 accurate author of " the Annals of Scotland," Lord Hailes. 
 It fliould feem, by what the author above alluded to has pro- 
 duced in fupport of his opinion f, that Perth is built on the 
 fite of the ancient town of that name. Of courfe, what 
 Buchanan and Boethius relate, concerning the ancient city of 
 Bertha being deferted at the time of the remarkable inundation 
 in 12 10, feems altogether groundlefs. 
 
 * See Fordun's Scotichron., as continued by Walter Bowmaker, Abbot of Inch- 
 Colm, who was hin\felf in Perth the night of the king's murder. 
 
 f Inftituted in the year 1784, it is faid on a plan of the Rev. James Scott, fenior 
 minifler of St. John's Church. 
 
 \ See his account of Perth, vol. xviii. p. 499, of Sinclair's Stat. Ace. 
 
 14 Perth. 
 
344 ' PERTH. 
 
 Perth has more than once experienced the terrible efFe£ts of 
 inundation. In the year 1573*, the bridge over the Tay at 
 Perth had three of its arches fwept away by a great rife of that 
 river. By a fimilar rife of the Tay on the 14th of January 
 158 1, five of the remaining arches fell down: and again, on 
 the 29th of December 1589, the piers were entirely fwept away. 
 Thus the ancient bridge of Perth was demolifhed by thefe over- 
 flowings of the river Tay f . By an order of fecret council^ 
 dated the 7th of February 1599, ftill preferved among the re- 
 cords of the houfe of Pitthevilis, it appears, that the magiftrates 
 of Perth were allowed, on payment of fifty merks Scots yearly, 
 to dig Hones out of Pitthevilis quarry for rebuilding the bridge, 
 which was pretty far advanced in 1603, and but newly finifhed 
 when, in October 162 1, an inundation, which threatened the 
 total deftrudion of the town, entirely demolifhed the bridge, 
 and did other damage to the fhipping, &cj. The laft inunda- 
 tion 
 
 • 20th December. See Cant's Hiftory of Perth, vol. i*. p. $j. f Ibid. 
 
 % It is faid that Agricola caufed a wooden bridge to be thrown acrofs the Tay at 
 the place where he pitched his tent, the fpot where Perth now ftands. After the great 
 inundation in 1210, King William is faid to have given orders for erefting a ftone 
 bridge. There is extant among the records of the abbey of Scone, an order granted 
 by King Robert Bruce, dated 4th July in the year 1329, for digging ftones out of the 
 quarries of Kincarochie and Balcormac, for building the bridge of Tay and Ern, and 
 the church of Perth. See a copy of the original in Cant's notes on Adamfon's Metri- 
 cal Hiftory of Perth, vol. i. p. Si. This bridge was deftroyed, as above mentioned, 
 in the years 1573? S2, and 89, and rebuilt by an order of council in i5(;9, by;John 
 Mylne, mafter mafon to James VI. For want of money, it feems to have been for a 
 confiderablc time Hopped, as it was but newly iiniflied at the time of the great inun- 
 dation in 162 1. The family of the Myhies have preferved a fucceflion of architects in 
 it from the days of James III. to the prefent time. Mr. Robert Mylne, the ingenious 
 architeft of Black-friars bridge, London, is lineally defcended from the famous builder 
 of Perth bridge. This gentleman was educated at Rome, and obtained the higheft 
 
 prize 
 
PERTH. 345 
 
 tioti at Perth was In February 1773, after a fevere froft^ which 
 lafted from the end of December till the middle of February ; 
 when, a thaw coming on, huge fhoals of ice from the mountains 
 accumulating in their courfe fo fwelled the Tay as to caufe the 
 greatefl: alarm and confternation among the inhabitants. The 
 prefent bridge, the ftability of which was put fully to the teft, 
 withftood the force of the ftream, only an inconfiderable portion 
 of the parapet being carried away by the ice. The ftrength 
 and ftability of this elegant edifice, the mafterly defign of the 
 architecSt of Edydone light-houfe^ the immortal Smeaton^ remain» 
 therefore, no longer doubtful. 
 
 From the year 1621 till 1774, an interval of above a hundred 
 and fifty years, there v/as no pafTage but by boat over the Tay at 
 Perth *. The fpiritlefs poverty into w^hich Scotland fell on the 
 removal of the feat of government, together with the fubfe- 
 quent troubles of revolutions and rebellions, and confequent 
 decline of trade, manufadures, and commerce, are fufficient to 
 account for the apparent negled in rebuilding the bridge which 
 now conftitutes the chief ornament of this ancient emporium, the 
 town of Perth f. When internal tranquillity was reftored, and 
 
 civii 
 
 prize In the clafs of architedlure, in the year 1757 ; an honour the more valued, as he 
 was the firll Briton that ever gained the prize. See Scots Magazine for January, 
 J 7 58, vol. xxi. 
 
 * No lefs than thirty ferry boats v^ere employed on the ferry over the Tay at Perth, 
 \prior to the rebuilding of the bridge. '* Some of thefe boats vt^ere employed occafion- 
 ally as lighters for veffels in the riv^r." See Statiftical Account, vol. xvlii. p. 547. 
 par. Kinnoul. 
 
 f Several feeble efforts, which proved but the poverty or inability of thofe vpho 
 made them, to accomplifli this great public benefit, had been made fince the period of 
 
 Yy the 
 
346- PERTH. 
 
 civil commotions were no longer dreaded, induftry and- inge-- 
 nuity, exerimg their powers, created wealth and ahundance ;; 
 hence it happened, that in the year 1 756 a fublcript'on, which waS' 
 opened under the patronage of the late Karl of Kumoul iox build- 
 ing a bridge at Perth over the Tay, was lb on filled ; the funds^ 
 which amounted to 1 1,2981- 17s. 6d. fternilg, were placed in the 
 hands of truftees ; and the foundation Hone was laid on the 
 13th September 1766. The bridge was finifl-ied, and the 
 workmen paid off on the 13th November 1771 : fmce which 
 period this noble edifice has flood firm and unimpaired. Long 
 may it remain, as a lafling monument of genius, experience, 
 wealth, and patriotic exertion ! Thus the bridge of Perth exhibits 
 an admirable fpecimen of art highly honourable to the talents of 
 the ingenious Smeaton, and his able afTiftants Gwyn, Morton, 
 and Jamifon. Simple and unadorned, it commands the atten* 
 tion of the beholder. It confifls of ten arches, through nine 
 of which the Tay fweeps its ample tide, in its pafTage from the 
 Grampians to the German Ocean *. The whole expence of 
 
 the great inundation 1621. Soon after that difafter, a fubfcription was opened for 
 rebuilding the bridge, to which the king (James VI ) fet his name for loo^ooo, and 
 the Prince of Wales (afterwards Charles 1.) for 10 coo, merks Scots ! which example;? 
 were followed by a long lift of the nobility and gentry of the country. This laudable 
 purpofe, however, was thwarted by the troubles which foon afterward enfued, and was 
 not, willv fufficient fpirit, refumed till the time above-mentioned, after a lapfe of a 
 century and a half. See Cant's Notes, Hift. of Perth, vol. ii. p. 123. 
 
 * The total length of the bridge is 906 feet 9 inches. Its breadth is eonfidered by 
 feme perfons as rather too narrow. It is paved on one fide only, for foot paffengers ; 
 and one row of lamps has been thought fufficient to light it during the night. " Thefe 
 latter circumftances (fays an ingenious author) have a one-eared fort of effeft, little to 
 the credit of the bridge, and fuch as its general charafter has by no means deferved." 
 See-Lettice's Tour, p. 454. 
 
 building 
 
PERTH. 
 
 347 
 
 Tbuildlng this bridge was 265446!. 12s. 3d. flerllng, gratuities to 
 architeds and affiftants not included. Of this fum, the deficiency 
 of the private fubfcription was fuppUed from the funds of the 
 annexed eftates, the community of the burgh of Perth, the 
 convention of royal burghs, cafual fums received on various 
 accounts, and tax duties on tolls levied by adt of Parliament, 
 The duties on the tolls were direded by the faid aft to ceafe 
 when the fum of 1500I. fterling as a free capital lliould be ob- 
 tained. The duties colledled were on carriages, carts, cattle of 
 all kinds, and a fmall exaction of one farthing on foot paiTengers, 
 which latter no longer exifts *. 
 
 The falmon fifhery, as conftituting a valuable branch of trade 
 on the river Tay, and particularly at Perth, deferves to be 
 noticed. The fifhing commences on the nth of December, 
 and ends on the 26th of Auguft. This fifhery is very exten- 
 five, and yields between feven and eight thoufand pounds per 
 annum, one thoufand of which the town of Perth draws for its 
 own {hare f. Since the method of preferving falmon in ice was 
 communicated to the fifheries of the Tay, the fifh caught in the 
 fummer months have been packed thus and fent to London ; 
 and to the Mediterranean, &c., and what cannot be difpofed of 
 in this way are pickled for the market. The communication 
 with London is dired, and the pafTage is often performed in 
 fixty hours. Seven fmacks are conftantly employed in the 
 trade; and they ufually return with liquors, groceries, and other 
 goods. The tonnage is from 90 to 100, and fometimes more J. 
 
 * « The tax duties of the tolls gradually increafed from 700I. to 863I. per annum.** 
 .See Stat. Ace. vol. xviii. p. 548, par. Kinnoul. 
 
 f Stat. Ace. vol. xviii. p. 517, par. Perth. % Ibid. 
 
 Y y 3 The 
 
348 ferth: 
 
 The improvement In agriculture along tKe whole courfe off 
 the Tay, but efpecially around Perth, is in a ftile ofalmoft un- 
 rivalled excellence. Within the laft ten years, the value of 
 land has rifen to a degree hitherto unparalleled ; and this rapid- 
 advance is plainly indicative of vigorous exertion and well- 
 directed knowledge with regard to foil, mode of culture, and 
 management. In a word, all around Perth feems one rich and; 
 highly cultivated garden, confifting of the various departments > 
 of nurfery, orchard, kitchen-garden, corn-field, and meadow ; 
 everything meet for rural ornament, as well as for comfort, 
 and convenience*. So that it may with truth be afFerted that 
 improvements in agriculture are as high on the banks of the 
 Tay, as they are on the rich and cultivated banks of the Tweed. 
 The Carfe of Gowrie, from Perth to Dundee, on both fides of 
 the Tay, is, by way of eminence, called the golden granary of 
 Scotland: for the beft crops of corn, barley, wheat, peafe, beans^. 
 turnips, and potatoes^, in refped: to quantity and quality, are 
 raifed in this delightful diftricSl of the north ; and though rents • 
 are high, and, by fome unaccountable fatality, ftill on the rife, . 
 yet the farmer pays his rent, lays fomewhat by, and lives com- 
 fortably. 
 
 Did the limits prefcribed to a :work of fo general a na- 
 ture as the prefent, admit of detail, the natural hiftory of the 
 country round Perth would furnilh an ample range for obfer- 
 vation ; but, as entering at large on the fubjeds comprehended 
 in this department of fcience is inadmiffible ; a few remarks, and 
 but very few, muft fuffice : referring the reader for more par- 
 
 ♦ The foit is partly loam and partly clay. Where fuch a command of dung and 
 Hiue is eafily obtained, as is the cafe of Perth, the crops muft be abundant and early. 
 
 ticular 
 
PERTH. 
 
 $^ 
 
 ticular defcnptions of the minerals in the immediate vicinity of 
 Perth, to an ingenious work, lately publifhed, and now tranflated 
 into Englifh, namely, the " Travels of B. Faujus Saint Fond, . 
 Member of the National Inftitute of France ;'* in which much 
 valuable information refpeding the mineralogy of Scotland is to 
 be found. 
 
 The hills in the neighbourhood of Perth are rich in officinal herbs 
 andminerals; more efpecially the heights of KinnoulandKinfaun's. 
 On the right bank of the Tay, nearly oppofite to thefe, the hills of 
 Moncrief and Mordun pofTefa many rare plants mentioned by- 
 Sir Robert Sibbald *, and by Whitefoot in his Flora Scotica. 
 Kinnoul heights are remarkable for mineralogieal produdions; 
 but there are to be found on the fummits of the hills, and 
 among the craggy crevices, creeping in wild luxuriance, feveral / 
 botanical plants, fome of which are rare, fuch as cat-mint, vine 
 garlick, filver cinquefoil, rock-fpeedwell, &c. ; others lefs rare, 
 fuch as fpleen-wort, lady's-thiftle, agrimony, hore-hound, fox* 
 glove, leffer-centaury, mountain-flax, wild-thyme, wild-carrot, 
 &c. On the Mordun and Moncrief hills are dwarf elder, leffer 
 celandine, and a vaft variety of other herbs and wild flowers,, 
 fufficient to allure and gratify the tafl:e of the botanift to his 
 utmoft wifhes* 
 
 There are few quadrupeds on the hills of Kinnoul worthy- of 
 particular notice. Foxes and weazels, which are in abundance, 
 and pole-cats, ftill continue to commit depredations on the fheep 
 and poultry of the neighbouring farms. Kites, and hawks of 
 various kinds, ravens, and hooded crows, build their nefts in the 
 rugged face of the rocks ; and their airy flights along the gloomy 
 
 * Fide." ProdromI Naturalis Hiftorise Scotise." EdinburgI 17/0. 
 
 precipices - 
 
^^o PERTH. 
 
 precipices give an afpe£t of peculiar wildnefs, while their "harfli 
 notes, mingUng in difcordant cadence, imprefs the imaginatlaa 
 with eorrcfpondent feelings, of fublimity and awe. 
 
 But what chiefly claims rhe attention of the naturalift in the 
 elevated region of Kinnoul, is its volcanic appearance. St. Fond, 
 who made a furvey of Kinnoul, colleded twenty ipecimens 
 of the volcanic produdions of this place, the defcriptions of 
 which are diilin£t and accurate. They eonfift chiefly of bafaltic 
 and porpyhric lava of various form and colour ; and of beautiful 
 fpecimens of calcareous fpar and agates, intermixed with fteatites 
 infinitely varied in rich and delicate hues, and fl^udded with 
 fparkling eryftals in prifmatic and rhomboidal laminae *. The 
 lapidary may find among the hills of Kinnoul a rich and in- 
 exhauftible fund of agate, onyx, and cornelian pebbles fit for 
 ornament and art,. as well as for the cabinet of the curious f , 
 
 * . One obfervatlon which St. Fond makes, when mentioning that beds .of porphyric 
 lava moulder into gravel, deferves particular attention. *' If (fays he) this gravelly 
 lava were pounded in the fame way as lava or trat, by means of ftamping- mills like 
 thofe ufed in Holland in the neighbourhood of Andernach, it would afford an excel- 
 cellent cement for building under water. 
 
 f *' A very extraordinary agate (fays Cant) I faw digged out in 1746, for which 
 a lapidary and feal- cutter offered ten guineas when it was polifhed. It reprefented an 
 , old man's head with a Roman nofe, two finall eyes, and a grizzled beard. I had 
 -in my cullody another (continues he), which reprefented the lively effigies of a fow, 
 which was prefented to an officer of the army." See Cant's Notes on the Mufes 
 ahreiiodie, vol. 1. p. 150. 
 
 A lapidary refident in Kelfo (banks of the Tweed) is in the habit of vifiting the 
 neighbourhood of Kinnoul hill, for the puipofe of procuring pebbles, cornelians, &c. 
 from thofe employed in picking them up after heavy rains, and intenfe frofts. It 
 frequently happens, that one pcrfon, in the courfe of a few moiithsj will accumulate 
 from eight to ten guineas worth of pebbles for the lapidary, who works rhem up for 
 . orders fent from London, Edinburgh, and other great towns through the united 
 Isingdoms. 
 
PERTH. 5^r 
 
 An extenfive forefl of oak- timber, flretching toward the north 
 at the back of the Kinnoul and Kinfaim's hills, is faid to have 
 yielded abundantly for the purpofes of building to the inhabi- 
 tants of Perth. The great beams of St. John's Church (which 
 was eredted about four hundred years ago) were taken from 
 this foreft *. This tra£t is likely once more to become a thriv- 
 ing plantation. The fpirit and induftry of its owners, Sir 
 Stewart Threipland, Lord Grey, and the Earl of Kinnoulj 
 have converted this dreary wafte, by nature predifpofed to the 
 vegetation of fruit-trees, from a. flate of fleriliiy into its prefent 
 vigorous and promifing afped:. 
 
 There are certain proofs that woods extended round Perth in 
 every direction, in which deer and roes were abundant. The 
 natural woods of Methven, Lethendy, and other parts on the 
 Tay and the Almond^ftiH afford their periodical cuttings. The 
 town's muir was planted with firs, birches, &c. in the year 
 I.'7I3, and it now exhibits a. thriving appearance. An order of 
 Council is extant for employing men to difcover coal in the 
 common muir; and another, dated the 14th of May 16H8, 
 ordering the town's treafurer, . Patrick Robertion, "to beftow 
 " upon Alexander Steel a thoufand merks Scots, to defray ex- 
 " pences in finding out coal in the town's muir*!"." 
 
 Having thus touched lightly on the natural hiflory of the 
 country round Perth, we are next led to contemplate with the 
 eye of a painter the fublime, the beautiful, and the pxd:urcfque, 
 from the various ftations which beft command the objedis. But, 
 before leaving the craggy fteeps of Kinnoul, we may take a 
 
 * See Cant*s Notes, &c. 
 
 •j- See Cant's Notes j Adarafon's Met. iUik. of Perth, vol. ii. p. 150. 
 
 furve;^^.. 
 
5^j ' PERTH. 
 
 furvey of a few local objedls that are ufually pointed out to 
 ftrangers. Dragon-hole * is a cave in the rugged face of the 
 deepeft par tof Kinnoul craigs, almoft inacceflible, mentioned by 
 tradition as the place of refort for celebrating the fantaftic rites 
 oi Beltin, or May-day; which, it fhould appear, from the re- 
 cord of the kirk-feflion of Perth, gave fuch offence to the pious 
 reformers, as to induce them to pafs an ad prohibiting, under 
 fevere penalty and church cenfure, anymore meetings in this cave. 
 Tradition mentions it alfo as having been a hiding-place of 
 Wallace: but there is hardly a cave in Scotland that this illuf- 
 trious hero did not occupy in his wanderings, if we believe the 
 fables of old women. In truth, the enthufiaftic language in 
 which the Scottifh poets and hiftorlans have uniformly thought 
 it neceflary to relate the achievements of this extraordinary man^^ 
 has fo mingled the marvellous with the real tranfadions of his 
 life, that an air of the ludicrous hangs over the whole of that 
 portion of our. national hiftory in which he makes a diftin- 
 guifhed figure. 
 
 The W'mdy-gowl\ is alfo pointed out to the ftranger. This 
 is a cleft, or deep hollow, in the face of the rocks, which fepa- 
 
 * Dragon- hohy where, it is recorded, 'Jamie Keddie found ■** A (lone enchanted like 
 - ** to Gyges' ring, which made him difappear ; a wondrous thing." This vulgar tra- 
 dition is noted by Richard Frank, in his " Northern Memoirs calculated for the Meri- 
 *' dian of Scotland," (London printed 1694) in his curious Dialogues of the ** Con' 
 ** templative and praS teal Angler ^^ p» 123. ** Kennule (fays he), a mountainous place, 
 •"that tantalized the taylor with -an invifible ftone ; it is a pleafant ftory (conti- 
 * nues he), but I am unwilling to tell it, left fearing to draw the malefon of tlie natives 
 ** on me." 
 
 -{- Ghoid, in the dialed of the Gaelic language fpoken in Perthfhirc, a cleft in a 
 rock; Cean {CXik&K) head: hence the name C^^«-^^ox//, ox Kinnoul; head cleft ^ or 
 • top. cleft. 
 
 6 rates 
 
PERTH. 355 
 
 rates the lilll of Kinnoul into a double top. When the north 
 wind is up, it pours down this gowle, or cleft, in furious blafts, 
 and howls fiercely in repeated echoes along the face of the 
 mountain. 
 
 The heights of Kinnoul, Kenfauns, and hill of Murray's-hall 
 are a continuation of the fame ridge, ftretching eaftward (and 
 bounding the Cai^fe ofGowrie on the north,) its whole length to 
 Dundee, behind which they rife in graceful fwells verdant and 
 lovely. Thefe heights are highly cultivated, even to their fum- 
 mits ; and in many parts, their very ridges are fruitful in corn and 
 pafture. The culture of thefe hills forms a pleafmg contraft to 
 the rich luxuriance of the extenfive plain below ; the whole 
 extent of which ftretching eaftward from the weft fummit of 
 the hill of Kinnoul called Law-Tay *, to the heights behind 
 Dundee, feems an immenfe garden. Law-Tay commands a 
 line bird^s-eye view of Perth and the furrounding country for 
 many miles. 
 
 Thence to the top of Law Tay did we hyc, 
 
 From whence the countrie round about we fpy. 
 
 And from the arie mountain looking down, 
 
 Beheld the fiance, and figure of our town f. 
 
 Quadrat with longer fides, from eaft to weft, 
 
 Whofe ftreets, wals, fowfis in our eyes did caft 
 
 A prettle fhew. . Mufes' Threnodie, vol. i. p. 152." 
 
 But, to fee Perth to advantage, it is neceflary to furvey the 
 profpe<3:s that prefent on failing down the Tay, 
 
 * The height of this point is faid to be fix hundred and thirty-two feet above the 
 level of the Tay. There is a road up the north fide of the hill that winds in a Terpentine 
 dire£lion, by which a carnage may afcend to the very fummit. This is called Mon- 
 tague's walk. t Perth. 
 
 Z z Then 
 
354 PERTH. 
 
 Then merrille we leanche into the deep, 
 
 Phoebus meanwhile awaken'd rofe from fleep, 
 
 At his appointed houre, the pleafant morning 
 
 With gilded beames the criftall ftreams adorning ; ; 
 
 The pearled dew on tender grafs did hing, 
 
 And heavenly quires of birds did fweetly fing : 
 
 Down by the fweet South Inche we Aiding go, 
 
 Ten thoufand dangling diamonds did (hew 
 
 The radiant repercuflion of Sol's rayes. 
 
 And fpreading flowers did look like Argus' eyes. 
 
 Thus Adamfon * defcribes a fimilar excurfion f . 
 
 As we glide gently down the Tay, we pafs between the South 
 Inch, a fine level lawn, planted with trees that form a fhaded 
 walk, and an Ifland that divides the river Into two branches, 
 called the Willow-gate and the Fair-way : the latter channel is 
 that through which fhips of burthen pafs to and from Perth ; 
 the former is for boats and fmall craft only. As we move 
 along the efFed is truly charming. The fcenery and objeds 
 connected with it feem, as it were, to approach and retire in fuc- 
 ceffion. The fcenes open and clofe as if by enchantment. On ei- 
 therhandjthe hills tower aloft,but chiefly, fupereminent,KinnouI^ 
 with his dark lowering front, hangs over our heads with threaten- 
 ing afped. When we have cleared the promontory formed by 
 the fouth-eaft fhoulder of Kinnoul hill, the country opens in a 
 wide expanfe, through which the river makes a noble appear- 
 ance. We may prolong our voyage, and vifit the ruins of the 
 
 * See mention made of this young poet in Campbell's IntroduAion to the Hillory 
 of Poetry in Scotland. 
 
 \ See Mufes' Threnodie, vol, i. p. 148. 
 
 caflles 
 
g^fti§s pf Kinnpul*, Kinfaun'efj Balthaypek :j:, Eleho f , ?in4 the 
 Nunnery pf glghp ||t Thefe remair}§ of ftnticiuitjr may afford 
 
 # /^iftti9u!f f§ famou4 ii^ th^ days of pjd, 
 
 Q£ greJit antiquity by \3vink of T^Jt 
 
 gcarpejy ^ yeftlge of th*? &npl?Pl^ paftJ? rs??^^fnfj. ffer^j goethiug faySj J^mps I, p?^id % 
 yiflt to a J^ady upwards of an hijndrpd ypars oid, Yfk\\ w^pn^ |ie pncered into ppnyerfsis 
 fior} pij Jbe trS"f?Pt!9n§ Pf Wall??? and Bfueg ^nd ^Yf of tlie feint's predegeiTQrSf S^p 
 ggaf's Ngtesj jbid. 
 
 4- s3-rr- fp fio^t f^gaiji we go, 
 
 ^nd 4PWn t|ig five^- ftnppti}ly ^9 w? fPW» 
 
 |!^|nf{jpr)'^ P^ftie f$ wa8 thg fefi^enre pf *]?{iQmfi§ ^ I^pngi^evlllej wh.9 e^t"? frPW Fr?inc«. 
 ff V^itb V/ttllac?o Th? 4pfceR43n*^ Pf thja pglefepatgd f'p«;oehfnaH sppejip freq^iiently 
 i.« ?j gljief magiftrfites of Pefth." See gaijt's J^ift ({i hf^ fiofgs (vplr iff ^^m) m Mvjfeji* 
 
 i @n th* pthef fid^ yf^ Ipok jntp JS^kkWil^i 
 
 Whf? mw pmi^k GaU HpQH hi? ifiayQQk. Iljl4f 
 jf raye ftrf ngths Jt |? fHpppf?4 tg hpf bflongs^ 19 ihf efdff of liRl|h^§'Tflmplw?«. 
 
 Mkk and Slehe ^^rkj wht-re ff^^l/m hsBRted, 
 A *H<^? refijge» where ERgli(f>mgfl he daunitd. Ibid* 
 ^*h^ ruini pf Slslio eafti? b&v§ & neblis eppsarsoes wh?n km from th« rfvwi on the. 
 ^Piis^h fj4? of whiph they are fHpsted. Th? hi}!? m th? north fide ef the Tsyt and a 
 ff]qf»ii i|l^n4 e^M #^//# //^f*? gomhf"? pharmfngly' In thk prpfpe^i which is termix 
 fla?f4 hy a bold Rwd lofty diiisRi?? fofteng^ hi mrml perfpe^ivet 
 II Art4 ^14^ rmrffi, where thi hply Mm 
 8;)ppl}'e4 w«r? by th^ Fr-ffm in xMv miftif8» Ihidt 
 it ^i,pHpw» or iEi-'ii'How (fftysi ISpptffwppd) in SfMkrn, vipon the water of Tay (a ] 
 i« ctjnvent pf Qiltefoliif? f^m^)} W3£ fpunded upon B fppt ©f grpufld whJeh bflynged 
 i<.|:fi p^nffrmjing, by David i-indfay pf Glenerk mi hk moth§r. M«doch EbH 0^ 
 « gtr^thiern gJive the isnds ef Kinnnlrd in Fyfe %q this nwnnery, which were ftfterwRrdi 
 a fvif4 put tp ivitic?m4er l^filyt by M«gdsl^»» priorefs of this place, At prefent it 
 fi gives thf titk pf ^orpf to tlic eld^ft fpn pf the carl pf Wcmyfs." See Appendix to 
 j^eith'§ Cm\- p. 8B3, 
 
 Z z a £on- 
 
356 PERTH. 
 
 contemplation to the phllofopher, fpeculation to the <intiquary, 
 and interefting fubjeds for the pencil to the painter. 
 
 But in order to enjoy the profpedl, varied and extenfive, in 
 the neighbourhood of Perth, one of the fineft ftations, undoubt- 
 edly, is the fummit of Moredun-bill^ which the traveller ought 
 to afcend when the horizon is unclouded, and the weather 
 is ferene and calm. Here, then, let us take our ftation. Look- 
 ing toward the eaft, the whole Carfe of Gowrie is within eye- 
 range. The conflux of the rivers Erin and 'Tay forms a grand 
 objed ; and thus united, as they approach the German ocean 
 fpread into a grand efluary, on either fide of which, when pro- 
 perly illuminated with a correfpondent breadth of fhade, ham- 
 lets, farm-houfes, family feats, and villages ; together with the 
 town of Dundee in the extreme diftance — an immenfe whole — 
 cannot fail to ftrike the beholder with wonder and delight. 
 Looking toward the weft, the extenfive valley oi Strathern opens 
 to the view : the Ochil hills, and behind them the Grampian 
 mountains towering in fullen grandeur bound the profpecS. 
 Looking toward the north, Strathmore^ ftretching as far as the 
 eye can difcern, prefents an expanfe truly magnificent. Thirty- 
 miles of this vaft plain is feen at one glance ; on either fide of 
 which the Sidlaw hills and the Grampians run parallel, and 
 bound it on the eaft and on the weft. Among the Sidlaw hills, 
 Dunjtnnatiy the proud eminence on which Macbeth bade de- 
 fiance to fate, is diftinclly feen on the right *. In whatever 
 diredion we turn, to vary the profped, all is fo rich, vaft, and 
 
 magni- 
 
 * wliere proud Macbeth, 
 
 Who to the furies did his foul bequealh. 
 His caftle mounted un Dunfiiinan hill, 
 Caufing the mightieil peer obey his will. 
 
 Mufes' Threnodies vol. i. p. i8i. 
 
 The 
 
PERTH. 357 
 
 magnificent, as to imprefs the mind with Ideas of fublimity and 
 beauty, truly fuch, in the fulled fenfe of thofe words, as applied 
 to fcenery on its grandeft fcale. 
 
 The parifhes of St. Martin's and CoIIace, in the near neighbourhood of Perth, con- 
 tain the claflic ground on which this celebrated tyrant afted part of the real drama 
 which the magic pen of our immortal bard, Shakfpeare, has rendered fo interefting. 
 The traditional hiftory refpefting Macbc'th is ftill current i^ this part of the country, 
 and was pretty accurately taken down by Sir John Sinclair, when he vifited Perth- 
 ftiire, in 1772. (See Stat. Ace. vol. xx. p. 242.) The purport of the tradition is, 
 that Macbeth, after he had made his way to the Scottifh throne, lived for many years 
 at a place in the parifh of St. Martin's, a few miles to the north of Perth, called Carn- 
 lethf or Carnbeddle, where the veftiges of his refidence are yet to be feen. Not far 
 from this place lived two women in high reputation as witches, the one in the parifh 
 of CoUace, and the other near Dunfinnan-houfe, at a place called the Cape ; to whom 
 Macbeth applied for knowledge refpedling his condufl and future fortune. The moor 
 (which is now planted by Mr. M'Donald, the proprietor,) is pointed out to the en- 
 quiring ftranger, where the witches, meeting the tyrant, exclaimed, " All hail, Mac- 
 «' beth ! Hall, Thane of Glamis," 5cc. ; and a ftone called The witches Jlone is alfo 
 ftiewn. Macbeth, it is faid, built a fortrefs on the fummit of a neighbouring hill, now 
 known by the name Dunfmnan., (or, as in the Gaelic language, Dun-feangan, i. e. Dun, 
 £on, feangafif ant, or emmet; literally. Fort Emmet,) to which he betook himfelf, 
 fecure, as he thought, from all danger. The fituation of Dunfinnan Is ftrong by na- 
 ture, and he is faid to have rendered it impregnable by art. The hill is infulated, deep 
 on all fides, and dif&cult of accefs. 
 
 *' Up to Dunfinnan's top then did we climb, 
 
 " With panting heart, weak loins, and wearied limme.'* 
 
 JHufet' Threnodiey vol. i. p. 182. 
 The areaf on which Macbeth's caftle flood on this eminence is one hundred and fixty- 
 cight yards in length by one hundred in breadth near the eaftern, and fifty-five near the 
 weftern extremity. Its foundations, fo far as can be difcerned, exhibit two concentric 
 circles, fomewhat elliptical. There feems to have been a foffe facing the north-eatt, 
 joined to the rampart, and an efplanade, facing the fouth-eaft, encompaffed with an outer 
 wall, joined to the rampart likewife. See Stat. Ace. vol. xx. p. 246. par. CoUace. 
 
 The preceding account of Macbeth and the Weird Sifters the claffical reader will find 
 at variance with Buchanan and Boethius, and others who have followed them. 
 
 •f- " Several years ago (fays the author of the Stat. Ace.) feme gentlemen, in digging a pit near the 
 middle of tlic area, difcovered pieces of the bones of animals, brick, and burnt corn. At a remote period 
 this was, no doubt, one of the ftations whence fignals, on any alarm, were made by fire." 
 
 Should 
 
ghpuld the tr?^vel!^P r^raaja ^ f^w ds^ys, al Perth fPF th^ pui*^ 
 -ppfe of ipaj^lng f xcurflpns, tp ^ic^rnine the furrpuq4hl| ftcnei'f ^ 
 ^ncl the re!iQ§ pf ^-iiUquHy ij^ its {ipmadtaie fiei^libpui'hpf>d^ h\ 
 }iln[> f^pt j^egleft vifiting the pleafant b§nk§ ef tl>e Almpiid j pf| 
 ^jiich, gfe a fmail diftai^ce froin the a|iGie?i^ f^^t pf tliQ Oray§ of 
 J^ednpcl), fti^e tjie graves gfB^Jfk 7^^//an4 M^f;)^ ^r(^J^ -^ tWQ oele^ 
 |>rgted bpaiitfeg of \\iq. (u^e^\it\\ ^§x\Uivy^ whpf§ Qh^ffl^^s liye ifv 
 |hf ^^U knpwft Bcpttiffi fpri|^ begi|iniBg 
 
 Tlig 6(^mrAPn iB^lfmi^ Fglpeftipg th^fe odehrBte^ b^j^utles ijj 
 
 .te fpllowing? l^ the yeai? |^66^ Yfhm ^h^ pl^gvi? r^ged vii:^!- 
 wrfally, Ihe ladles ^bpYg jT\f ritjpiied^ miring li^tp fgWmk tQ 
 
 avpid lr*f§4tlpft, hwW^ Qn a fm^^lf ttr^^ml?! irlbvil^Ff tp ihi ^[^ 
 mpntif In a ftpefter§4 gprftir ^'^\M 3i^r-n4rm^ § bew^r, ^rid 
 lived Ift li tPgetfee^i lilUpung m^ wli^m iliiy b§th terxderiy 
 fcvf d ^emmvmle^tgd l§ Ihim th§ hx4 m^Wi\^^ pf whlgh they 
 foen ftfteif dl§d. Tbi ftn§i§n? family ef ydf^oeh hfi§ l^?«5i^ ]m.% 
 e?ftlft(^i mid ih§ fomyy tftm^ by to & g§^fid§raWg timt 
 «§|l§€lfd| till M^^jer t^iPrge ^P|yftu§ Barry, pf th§ pth 
 jregiment pf fpQi, mad§ a pwrchaft pf f^i ^rid |ffa^!f Improved 
 It both In pDlfti pf sgriewHure and rural §f iMmeRl? ** Mp» Barry 
 « (fav^ Cant) hftp df monftmted wjia^ lmpn}vem§ni^ may be m^do 
 " pn \nn xvA\m^ \ bt ha? gjihlhlted tP view many hgiutlfyl m^ 
 ** pi^urefque fceng?, which wer« «evgr thought to he there* 
 «« Inftead of &» Impenetrable fov^ft pf brulh^-woed on the hM\k 
 
 * Beify Bell W89 daughter of Bell of ICinn^lrdf 8n4 Mary Gpfty wm dawgbttr of 
 |l>e LaW of LedDoch.-«See Cant's Hift» ©f Perth, p. 19. 
 
 »<0f 
 
PERTH. 355 
 
 " of the river, in view of Lednoch-houfe^ we fee with pleafure 
 ** that wildernefs adorned with plantations of ufeful and beau- 
 ** tiful trees. Inftead of uncultivated fields covered with heath, 
 " broom, noxious weeds, and ftones, we behold extenfive 
 *' lawns, rich corn fields, and large parks of grafs. Inftead of 
 " a defpicable country kail-yard^ we are prefented with the fight 
 *' of an elegant garden and orchard laid out in true tafte, ftocked 
 ** with variety of ufeful plants and excellent fruit-trees *.'* This 
 fweet fpot, however, unlefs the prefent owner, Mr. Graham of 
 Balgowan, with that fpirited exertion in agriculture and rural 
 economy which diftinguiihed him ere the ploughjfhare and 
 pruning- knife were converted into the carabine and fabre, re- 
 ftore its wonted charms, muft once more become a wildernefs 
 of unprofitable luxuriance and rude nature. 
 
 The next place deferving of a vifit is Ruthven cajllc^ or,^ as it 
 is now called, Huntlngtower^ the refidence of the unfortunate 
 family of Gowrie. All around this ancient edifice has an air of 
 folemn grandeur, fomewhat formal and gloomy. The avenues 
 leading to it are in ftraight lines formed of tall and aged tree9> 
 agreeably to the tafte of the times in which they were planted. 
 Two paflages of hiftory are conne61:ed with Ruthven caftle, the 
 one traditional, and the other well known by a tranfadion- 
 which took place in the year 1582, denominated by our 
 Scottifh hiftorians " ne Raid of Ruthven, The former piece 
 of hiftory carries with it an air of the marvellous ; and is fhortly 
 .is follows : Ruthven houfe confifts of two fquare towers, joined 
 now by lefs elevated buildings. The interval between the towers 
 is called " T^he Maide7is leapy from, as it is faid, a daughter of 
 the firft Earl of Gowrie having, in the fear of difcovery, leaped 
 
 * Cant's Notes on Adarafcn's Met. Hift. of Perth,, vol. i. p. 19* 
 
 frona 
 
36o PERTH. 
 
 from the top of the one tower to the top of the other, a fpace 
 of more than three yards, over a chafm fixty feet in depth. 
 This young lady, according to report, was tenderly beloved by 
 a youth, her inferior in rank and fortune : yet love, that knows 
 no diftindion but the charms it pants after, and is covetous of 
 nothing fave the defigned objedt, induced her to contrive 
 means for entertaining her lover in the full enjoyment of mutual 
 affedion. It happened, however, that our lovers were fufpe6t- 
 ed, and eventually betrayed. Little dreading the embarraflment 
 of an unpropitious difcovery, one night, as they lay fecure, as 
 they thought, in each other's arms, the blufhing maid, hearing 
 her mother's footfteps as fhe afcended the flair, with a prefence 
 of mind and refolution fcarcely credible, fprang from her lover's 
 arms, flew with the fwiftnefs of a dove acrofs the leads of the 
 tower, darted from the battlements of the one tower to thofe of 
 the other, and ftole foftly and unperceived into her owri apart- 
 ment. The furprife, fhame, and agreeable difappointment of 
 the mother when fhe perceived the error into which fhe had 
 been led, can be eafier conceived than defcribed. Haftening to 
 her daughter's bed-chamber, (he found her, to appearance, 
 locked fafl in the arms of fleep ! An experiment of the kind 
 jufl related was not to be repeated by the enamoured fair one, 
 nor could the lovers live feparate. They eloped, and were 
 married : and next night pafTed, free from apprehenfion, in the 
 full confummation of their mutual defires. 
 
 " T^he Raid of Ruthven^^ fo called from the circum fiance of 
 James VI. (on his return from Athol,) being invited by William 
 Earl of Gowrie to enjoy his favourite amufement hunting, 
 makes a diflinguifhed era in the hiftory of the reign of that 
 monarch. James, finding himfelf encompafTed in a manner he 
 
 10 leafl 
 
PERTH. 361 
 
 leaft expected, and alarmed at the number of llrangers that he 
 obferved around him, having in his own train a force inadequate 
 to any fudden emergency, had recourfe to prudence ; and, con- 
 cealing his apprehenfion, with an eafy air of chearfulnefs and 
 gaiety he talked of nothing but hunting and fubjeds connected 
 with the pleafures of the field ; thinking, by thefe means, to 
 elude any defign of feizing his perfon, and to embrace the firft 
 favourable moment for making his efcape. The bufmefs of the 
 next day being agreed on, the King, early in the morning, as 
 he was about to rife, to his amazement found his bed-chamber 
 filled with the nobles who were in the fecret of his detention at 
 ■•Ruthven caftle. The aflonifhed monarch demanded the reafon 
 of this intrudon ; when the nobles in a body prefented a me- 
 morial, wherein w^ere contained remonftrances againft certain 
 alleged illegal and opprefTive adions of the Duke of Lennox 
 and the Earl of Arran, two of the King's intimate friends and 
 known advifers *. The mafk thus thrown off by the confpira- 
 tors, did not induce his majefty to aO: equally open : on the 
 contrary, he feemed to ponder thefe weighty affairs in his mind, 
 and, with well-feigned condefcenfion, expreffed a defire to pro- 
 ceed immediately to Edinburgh ; but, on being rudely flopped 
 by the " Maijlcr of Glamis^ the timid James burft into tears. 
 *' Better children weep *)', than bearded mcn^^ faid Glamis, with 
 a fierce look and audacious tone ; which words thrilled through 
 the heart of the trembling monarch, who felt himfeif humbled 
 in the dull. Without regard to his weaknefs, and intent on 
 theirpurpofe, the rebel lords difmiffed, without further ceremony, 
 fuch of his train as entered not into their views, and by all the 
 
 • See Melvill's Memoirs, p. 240, 241. 
 
 f The King at this time was only a lad of fifteen. 
 
 3 A winning 
 
j62 PERTH. 
 
 winning arts peculiar to courtiers they ftrove to reconcile thfe 
 King to his fplendid captivity ; in this they fucceeded^ fo far a& 
 to procure pardon for themfelves, and James's fandion to the 
 meafures which they vigoroufly adopted in purfuit of the great 
 objed of their enterprize, — the eftablifhment of the Reformed 
 Religion *. 
 
 But the King's captivity was not of long continuance. On 
 his arrival in Edinburgh, " the folemnity of his reception was 
 " charaderiftic of the manners of the times. He was met by 
 " the minifters of Edinburgh. The whole proceffion walked 
 " up the ftreets finging a pfalra expreflive of their critical efcape 
 " from danger, and the great deliverance they had obtained by 
 " the captivity and fubjedtion af the King. The news of James's 
 " confinement fpread all over Europe ; they even pierced the 
 " walls of her prifon, and reached the ears of the unfortunate 
 *' Mary, whofe maternal feelings they extremely agitated -f" 
 Meantime, Lennox, a Frenchman by birth, was banifhed, and 
 foon after retired to his native country, where he died. Arran 
 w\is forbidden to appear at court. However, after being in 
 this ftate of bondage, about ten months, James found means to 
 efcape, and threw himfelf into the hands of his former friends, 
 with whom he aded in concert ; and Gowrie, by the intrigues 
 of Arran, was foon after led to the fcaffold. The latter, in his 
 turn, after a feries of crimes, fell a facrifice to the refentment of 
 James Douglafs of Parkhead, who flew the degraded Arran in 
 revenge of his uncle the Earl of Morton's death. Thus we have 
 exhibited the rude manners of the times, when fadion ruined 
 fadion, and a conftant ftruggle fubfifted between the Popifh 
 
 * Spottifwood's Hift. p. 320. Robertfon's Hifl. vol. ii. p. 95. 
 ■f Arnot's Hift. of Edin. p. 37, 38. 
 
 lords 
 
PERTH, 363 
 
 lords and the Proteftant nobility, betv\' een the Clergy of the Re- 
 formed Church and the Proteftant King ; the crown claiming 
 the fupremacy in all cafes fpiritual as well as temporal ; and the 
 clergy ftrenuoufly aflerting, that King jfefusy and not King 
 yames^ (nor any other earthly prince, confidently with the word 
 of God,) was head of the church in all things fpiritual *, if not 
 temporal. 
 
 The hall is ftill fhewn where James and his nobles were en- 
 tertained during his ftay at Ruthven caftle ; but, " fuch is the 
 " change in the circumftances of the place, concurring with the 
 ** genius of the times, that the fame caftle, in which the proud 
 ■** and powerful baron once confined his King as a prifoner, is 
 '* now quietly occupied by a colony of calico-printers "j".** This 
 colony W2i% eftablifhed here in the year 1792, under the firm of 
 Totmgy Rofsy Richard/on, and Caw, The annual expenditure 
 in workmen's wages is about three thoufand fix hundred pounds. 
 Thirty hands are ufually employed about each table and prefs, 
 the printers being allowed from fifteen fhillings to one guinea 
 per week. The ftaple raanufadure of the country around 
 Perth is well adapted for the purpofe of printing ; and the Lon- 
 don market being always open, and the conveyance thither dired:, 
 regular, fpeedy, and convenient, every encouragement is held 
 out to fpirited exertion, ingenuity, induftry, and enterprife. 
 
 A canal, or mill lead, which interfeds Huntingtower-haugh, 
 a pretty extenfive meadow, was at a remote period branched off 
 
 * Still fo much of the ancient fpirit of independence is kept up in the General Af- 
 fembly of the kirk of Scotland, that, as foon as his Majefty's Commiflloner difToIves 
 the meeting in the King's name, the Moderator rifes and dlfmifTes the affembly in the 
 name of the Lord Jefus Chrilt, fuprfcme head of the Church. 
 
 •J- Stat. Account, voh xvil. p. 647. 
 
 3 A 2 from 
 
3^4 PERTH. 
 
 from the 'river Almond, and exhibits a proof of the induftry 
 and art of the ancient inhabitants of Pertli. This aquedu(ft, 
 which wafhed the walls of Perth, and in time of fieges filled 
 the ditches with water, is formed of wrought ftone. It is fix 
 yards in breadth and three feet in depth. It runs a courfe of 
 four miles and a half, from its fource to the town of Perth, the 
 mills of which it ferves, and likewife fupplies the inhabitants 
 with frefh water. This canal is called in ancient charters 
 'Lowis Vairk or Low's work *. On the eaft bank of Lowis Vairk^ 
 2l hole encircled by an iron ring nearly a foot in diameter, cal- 
 led the Boot, or Boult of Balhoufie^ ferves to fupply the mill of 
 Balhoufie with water f . 
 
 * It is eonjeftured by fome, tKat this aqueduft is a Roman nvorh. In a charter of 
 confirmation granted by David I., A. D. 1 140, to the abbey of Dunfermh'ng, it ap- 
 pears, that the church and its appendages were given by the King to that abbey. In 
 this church the Mercers of Addie had a place of interment, which was granted them 
 by the King for their having refigned in his favour the right which they poffefTed of 
 the corn-mills, and, confequently, of this canal, which fupplied them with water. 
 • iVom the nature and extent of this work, however, it is not to be fuppofed that a 
 private family could haire been at the expence of ereding it ; and, as there is evidence 
 fliown that it exifled before 1 140, a ftrong prefumption arifes of its being a work of a 
 much more remote period, namely, that in which the Romans crecSed and fortified the 
 ancient Bertha, on the fite of which the modern Perth ^s built. See fome ingenious 
 conjedlures on this fubjecl in the Stat. Ace. vol. xvii. p. 643, 644. 
 
 f The defcent of the water (fays Cant) into the Canal of Balhoufie, through the" 
 ring, forms a ftrong cafcade, where people aiflided with rheumatifm and colds, by 
 bathing, are relieved of their complaints. " An indenture (adds this author) maid at 
 " Perth the 19 June 1464. betwixt alderman, baillies, councill, and commontie of Perth, 
 *' and a Richard Eviott of Bklhoufie," diredts, that '♦ thebowt fhall be taen up and new- 
 *' lie maid of threttle twa infhe wydnefs within at baith the endis, bandit with iron 
 " baith within and without at baith endis." This houiy or jet d'eau, was repaired in 
 the year 1773, and the rings fcrupuloufly adjufted in the prefence of commiflioners 
 appointed by the contra Aing parties, viz. the Earl of Kinnoul and the magiftrates of 
 Perth. See Cant's Notes, Muf. Thren. vol. i. p. 29. 
 
 Terth 
 
PERTH. 365 
 
 Perth is not only a commercial city, but is likewlfe cele- 
 brated as a nm'fery of learning. A fchool for the elements of 
 grammar and the Latin language ; an academy for feveral 
 branches of the mathematics, elementary and pra(£lical, geo- 
 graphy, aftronomy, &c. ; alfo a literary antiquarian fociety, 
 and a general library, together with feveral circulating libraries, 
 fufliciently prove that it is by no means deficient in the means 
 of acquiring ufeful and ornamental knowledge. 
 
 The Latin-fchool of Perth is of the firft eminence. How 
 long it exifted prior to the Reformation, does not appear. Since, 
 that period, however, it has been regularly fupplied with a fuc- 
 ceffion of able teachers ; and in it many pupils have been in-^ 
 itiated in the elements of claffical learning, who have made a 
 figure in the great world. The ^adtnirable Crlchton^ and the 
 eloquent Mansfield^ befides a numerous lift of perfons who have 
 fhone in the fenate, at the bar, in the pulpit, in the various de- 
 partments of medicine, and in other branches of fcience, are 
 proofs that the Latin-fchool of Perth* is among the moft emi- 
 nent of the feminaries of this defcription in Scotland. 
 
 The Academy of Perth is a late inftitution. When men began 
 to difcern the folly of polemical wrangling, and mere philologi- 
 cal learning, they foon perceived the utility and beauty of a more 
 enlarged fphere of knowledge. Hence metaphyfical fpeculations 
 and abftradt philofophy gave way to the more grateful purfuits 
 of making fcience the fountain of truth^ whence fhould flow 
 all that might contribute more immediately to the progrefs of 
 
 • This fchool is under the government of a reftor and two ufiiers ; and originally 
 had a mufic-mafter, for teaching church mujie. The magiftrates and town council of 
 Perth are the patrons and managers, and pay the teachers their falaries. Cant's Hift. 
 of Perth, vol. ii, p, 195. 
 
 human 
 
368 PERTH. 
 
 fubjeds of natural hlflory, and other materials fuitable to its 
 original defign, it has not yet been deemed neceflary to pub- 
 lifh any of its tranfadions *. 
 
 The principal taverns, hotels, and cofFee-houfes in Perth arc 
 regularly fupplied with the London and provincial news-papers 
 and literary journals. The fine arts advance apace. Print-lhops, 
 mufic-fhops, and bookfellers fhops, appear in almoft every 
 •ftreet. Of the latter, many carry on trade to a confiderable ex- 
 tent ; and not a few keep circulating libraries. 
 
 Thefe improvements are highly charaderiftic of the times ; 
 -and the inhabitants of Perth are rapidly on the advance in re- 
 finement of manners and the elegant blandifhments of fafhion- 
 able fociety. It may afford matter of curious information to 
 .exhibit a trait of the inhabitants of this city two hundred years 
 ^go, in contrail with the manners of thofe of the prefent day. 
 Soon after the Reformation, when profane dramas were publicly 
 reprefented, it appears from a record, dated June 3d, 1589, that 
 'there were a company of comedians then at Perth, who found 
 it necefTary to apply to the confiftory for a licence to perform 
 plays; as an ad of AfTembly had pafTed in the year 1574-5^ 
 prohibiting the people, under pain of church cenfure, from re- 
 fortlng to fuch profane exhibitions f. The words of the record 
 -are as follow: " Pertb, June 3d, 1589, The minifters and 
 " elders give licence to plai the plai, with conditions that no 
 '*' fwearing, banning, nor onie fcuriiity fall be fpoken, which 
 "** would be a fcandal to our religion which we profefs, and for 
 *' an evil example unto others. Alfwa that nothing fall be 
 
 * Stat. Ace. vol. xviil. p. 538. 
 
 f Campbell's Introdu£lIon tathe Hiilory of Poetry in Scotland, p. 553. 
 
 " added 
 
PERTH. 365 
 
 " added to what Is in the regifter of the plal itfelf. If any one 
 " who plais fal do in the contrarie, he fal be wardit and make 
 *' his pubHc repentance (i. e, be imprifoned, and afterwards 
 " appear in church, to be rebuked in the public place of repent- 
 " ance) *. The clergy of the prefent day, who ftill view the 
 ftage through optics that greatly magnify the danger arifmg 
 from its immoral tendency, are lefs rigid in their conduct to- 
 wards it ; and players occafionally, in their peregrinations 
 through the north, remain in Perth for a confiderable length 
 of time ; a proof of their being kindly entertained, encouraged, 
 and rewarded. 
 
 It is faid, " that the manners of the people, till long after the 
 reformation of religion, were exceedingly licentious 'f " in Perth. 
 Church-difcipline, however, feems to have checked that degree 
 of unreftrained indulgence, imbibed, no doubt, by the laity 
 from the evil example which the clergy of the religious houfes, 
 formerly fo numerous in that city, exhibited in their difTolute 
 and hypocritical lives. " Now I fee that God's judgments are 
 " juft," faid an aged matron when beholding the palace and 
 abbey of Scone on fire, (27th June 1599,) " and that no man is 
 " able to fave, where he will punifli. This place, fince I re- 
 " member, hath been nothing but a den of whoremongers : 'it 
 " is incredible how many wives have been adulterated, and 
 
 * James VI. on the 8th of November 1599, annulled the a£l of aflembly 1974-5 ; 
 and he defired Elizabeth to lend him a company of comedians, to whom he gave 
 licence to a£l : thus the drama was fufFered to proceed, north of the Tweed. Sec 
 Guthrie's Hift. of Scot. vol. viii. p. 358. 
 
 f Stat. Ace. vol. xviii. p. 524.—" From Od. 7th, 1577, to Oftober 15th, 1578, 
 there were fixty-feven perfons puniflied for having children otherwife than by lawful 
 marriage.'* 
 
 3 B " virgins 
 
370 PERTH. 
 
 " virgins deflowered, by the filthy beafts who have been foftered 
 " In this den ; but efpecially by that wicked man called the 
 ** Bi/Jjop, If all men knew as much as I, they would praife 
 " God, and no one would be offended* 1" But the maxim incul- 
 cated on the minds of our Scotifh reformers, " Pull down the 
 " ncji^ and the rooks willforfake it^'' feemed fupreme in all their 
 undertakings, which were as effectual as they were fummary, 
 and which charaderized their abhorrence of a fyftem in itfelf 
 degrading to human nature, and from its imm.oral tendency 
 threatening to fap the finer feelings of the foul. Hence, in 
 the firft paroxyfms of intemperate zeal, the blind enthufiafin 
 which led to the overthrow of idolatrous woriliip, was unable to 
 diftinguifh between the real objeOs of vengeance, and thofe which 
 were (lightly connefted with the fyftem itfelf; and, as an ex- 
 treme generally produces Its oppofite, fo it foon happened that 
 the laity, giving themfelves up to their fpiritual guides in the 
 reformed religion, funk from that bold and daring temperament, 
 to that morofenefs and puritanical air which, till lately, charac- 
 terized the inhabitants of North Britain, and in no fmall degree 
 thofe of Perth. A manifeft alteration, however, and, to their 
 honour be it mentioned, has taken place among the citizens of 
 that town. Within thefefew years, a degree of cleanlinefs and 
 neatnefs in drefs, and an engaging fprightlinefs and vivacity of 
 mien, have been difplayed among the more wealthy, and are 
 rapidly extending to the induftrlous claffes of the inhabitants of 
 this ancient feat of trade and commerce. 
 
 There are no gaming-houfes in Perth, and houfes of bad fame 
 were unknown till barracks were erected In its neighbourhood ; 
 
 * Knox's Hift. as quoted in Cant's Notes. Mufes Threnodic, vol. f. p. 125. 
 
 fmce 
 
PERTH. 37 r 
 
 fmce which period, the change that this neccfldry fyftem has 
 caufe4 over the whole united kingdoms, is but too manifcft in 
 this town and its vicinity. 
 
 In order to form a juft idea of the population of Perth, it 
 may be neceflary to obferve, that in the year 1562 the number 
 of its inhabitants was eflimated at between five and fix thou- 
 fand : in the year i 'jSSi ^he number was reckoned to be nine 
 thoufand and nineteen: and in the year 1796, the number in 
 the town and pariili was computed to be nineteen thoufand 
 eight hundred and feventy-one *. 
 
 Though Perth lies low, it is remarkably healthy, the air hav- 
 ing a free. circulation through every ftreet and lane in all direc- 
 tions. Intermittents are hardly known, and the difeafes inci- 
 dent to people in fimilar fituations make their appearance but 
 feldom in this quarter. 
 
 Perth has more than once difcovered a tenacious fpirit of po- 
 litical as well as religious reformation. When, in the year 
 1784, a borough reform was keenly agitated, the citizens of 
 this town feemed zealous in the caufe f . Again, in the year 
 
 * See Stat. Ace. vol. xviii. p. 524—527. 
 
 ■j- " The borough of Perth (fays an author) is governed by a town-council confilling 
 of fourteen guildry men or merchants ; and twelve craftfmen. The fourteen guild or 
 merchant counfellors zrc /elf- ele^ed ; each puts a guildry man of his own naming in 
 the leet with himfelf ; and the council eleft one of the two. That being the cafe, it 
 is no difficult matter to fay who will be ^lefted. The counfellor has it in his power, 
 even in the cafe of party work or diflikc, to infure his re-ele6lion. He names per- 
 haps a ftreet-raker, or fome low charafter, between whom and himfelf there is no 
 alternative. Or if at any time a man in better llation is put on the leet, it is within 
 that perfon's knowledge ; and is done, becaufe, perhaps, it is known that he would not 
 accept. In no inftance is a council-man, wifliing to keep his feat, difappointed." See 
 Hiftorical Account of the internal Government of the Borough of Perth, fubraitted to 
 the Committee -of Convention. See alfo Edin. Mag. vol. ii. p. 382. 
 
 3B 2 1792, 
 
372 PERTH. 
 
 1792, die fame fpirit, that for a time feemed alleep, awoke, and 
 ihook off its drowfinefs : but rufliing heedlefsly into meafures 
 but ill arranged, and without any determinate objed: in view\ 
 niifcariiage and difgrace were the vexatious fruits of this vain 
 attempt at political reformation. 
 
 The departure from Perth to Edinburgh may be taken by two 
 different routes. The one, leading diredly thither, is by Kin- 
 rofs and the Queen's Ferry ; the other, w^hich is more circuit- 
 ous, is by Dundee, St. Andrew's, and along the eaft coaft of 
 Fife to Kinghorn ; thence acrofs the Frith of Forth to Leith and 
 Edinburgh. 
 
 Should the traveller incline to prolong his excurfion along 
 the left bank of the Tay, to Dundee, St. Andrew/'s, &c. he pro- 
 ceeds, after croffing the river, by turning to the left, through 
 the village of Bridge-end. This village, which may now be 
 confidered as part of Perth, extending its dimenfions on the op- 
 pofite bank of the river, has, fince the prefent bridge was erected, 
 jifen to a degree of opulence and fubftantial elegance corre- 
 fpondent to the improved flate of the agriculture, trade, and 
 commerce of the town and country adjacent. The turnpike 
 roads leading from the diftrids of the Stormont, Strathmore, 
 and the Carfe of Gowrle, meet in this village ; of courfe, 
 a confiderable trade is carried on here, independent of its con- 
 nection with the town oppofite. Hence its rapid advancement 
 in comfortable and elegant buildings, extending in the direc- 
 tion of the roads leading to thofe diftrids, whence, in great 
 meafure, its affluence is derived. 
 
 About a quarter of a mile down the Tay from Bridge-end, 
 on an eminence clofe ia upon the river, to the right, we com- 
 mand 
 
.\^ 
 
 ^r 
 
 ^ 
 
 ^ 
 ^ 
 
 ^ 
 
 I: 
 
 \ 
 
 
 ^ 
 
 .N 
 
 ^ 
 
 
PLAINS OF COWRIE. 373 
 
 mand a fine view of Perth, its bridge, the country beyond, 
 through which the Tay is feen full, clear, fmooth, and ample, 
 fweeping its tide along the pafs into the highlands at Dunkeld, 
 and the mountains of Athol, among which Bengloe appears 
 pre-eminent, and clofes the extreme diftance. This profpedt is 
 finely conneded, and forms a charming fubjed: for compofitlon 
 on canvas. The town, bridge, river, and extent of its banks, 
 and the grand appearance of the Grampians in the diftance, 
 form a whole that is pleafing to the eye as a pIQure ; at the 
 fame time, it ftrikes the mind with objeds which awaken re- 
 flexion, and excite emotions correfpondent to the fublimc and 
 beautiful in nature. 
 
 Pafling diredly under the frowning precipices of Klnnoul, 
 we lofe fight of Perth, and a new fcene opens on us, which, 
 though of a different charader, is not lefs interefting than that 
 juft defcribed. The fertile plains of Gowrie, through which 
 the Tay fpreads wider and wider, till, expanding into a grand 
 eftuary, it mingles its tributary waters with the ocean, are feen 
 extending on either hand. This diftrid may, with ftrid pro- 
 priety, be denominated " The Lowlands of Scotland^'' as, by way 
 of eminence, it is called " The granary of the norths No travel- 
 ler, in pafl[ing through this extenfive and beautiful tra<ft of coun- 
 try, will feel inclined to queftion the juftnefs of this appellation. 
 The level line and ample fweeps of the road ; the fnug cottages, 
 clay-built and thatch-roofed farm-houfes, gentlemen's feats, 
 villages, ruins of caftles, and convents ; corn-fields, plantations, 
 and inclofures ; muft remind the continental tourifts of the 
 banks of the Lower Rhine. 
 
 As the traveller proceeds, one or two views worthy of at- 
 tention will attrad notice. About two miles below Perth, the 
 
 15 ruins 
 
374 ELCHO CASTLE. 
 
 ruins of Elclio caftle come In view, and appear to much advantage 
 when feen, as forming a leading feature in the profpe6t which 
 here prefents. On the left, nearly oppofite to thefe ruins, a 
 hill of a conical form rifes gracefully from the water's edge, and 
 is in fine contrail with the low-lying grounds on the river's 
 banks, a nohle fweep of which encircles a fmall ifland that oc- 
 cupies the middle ground ; and on the right bank, on a beautiful 
 level lawn, finely wooded, and fwelling into an elevated plat, 
 the ancient remains of Elcho cajllc are feen. The termination 
 of the Ochil hills forms a bold feature in the diftance ; and 
 when foftened in aerial tints, that abruptnefs, otherwife harfh 
 and inelegant, produces in the general efl'ed: a degree of eleva- 
 tion and harmony that adds charms to the fcene. 
 
 Somewhat more than a mile farther down the river on our 
 turning round and taking a retrofpe£tive view, a profpedl, the 
 principal features of which appeared in the former, but in a re- 
 verfed order, prefents a fpecimen of pidiurefque beauty rarely to 
 be feen. The middle ground confifts of an ample fheet of the 
 Tay, clear, full, and refluent. On the left the ruins of Elcho 
 caftle form an interefting repofe. The finely flowing lines that 
 play on the eye, and which compofe the fwelling flopes behind 
 the ruins on the left, are in happy contraft with the heights of 
 Kinnoul and Kinfauns on the right. The fmall ifland * in the 
 centre, and a fiflier's hut nearer the eye on the brink of the 
 water, produce a pleafing diverfity, and harmonize fweetly with 
 the bays and promontories, wooded and level, protruding and 
 retiring in alternate variety, as far as the river is vifible, 
 which is feen, as it were, iiTuing from the hills, and fweeping 
 
 Sleeplefs Ifland, in which the town of Perth has a fi/hing Ilation. 
 
 along 
 

 
 r 
 
 
 ^ 
 
ERROL. j7^ 
 
 along their bafes, to the fpot which we have thus feleded for 
 commanding the fcene. 
 
 A few miles farther on, we lofe fight of the Tay, and pafs 
 on the left the feats of Balthayock^ Glendoeg^ Finga/k^ and RoJJie; 
 and on the right, a number of comfortable farm-houfes and a 
 few family refidences ; among others, Inchmartln. The road, 
 till we come within view of Cajile Lyon^ about the fifteenth 
 mile ftone, keeps pretty clofe in to the hilly diftrid, that runs 
 parallel to the Tay, called the Braes of Gowrie^ and we get a 
 peep into feveral dens^ or valleys among the hills, as we proceed, 
 which greatly adds to the pleafmg variety to be met with in our 
 excurfion through the Carfe. 
 
 Between the tvv^elfth and thirteenth mile ftones are the ruins 
 of Kinnaird Cajlle on the left : and on the right, two miles far- 
 ther on, are the remains of Moncur Cajlle. But what will moft 
 arreft the traveller's attention, is Cajlle Lton^ formerly a feat of 
 the Earls of Strathmore. Behind this ancient feat the Frith of 
 Tay, and all the oppofite coaft, forms a noble and extenfive 
 profpedt. On both fides of the Frith, the land is uncommonly 
 fertile, efpecially on the north bank in the parifh of Errol, 
 where the foil is of a flrong clayey confidence, and of a rich 
 black mould. This parifh is, for its extent, remarkably popu- 
 lous* ; a proof that population is always in proportion to the 
 fertility of the foil, and the improvements made in agricul- 
 ture. 
 
 The fouth bank of the Tay feems to have been in former 
 times the chofen feat of religious eftablifliments. The Convent 
 
 * It ftretches along the north bank of the Tay to the right of the twelfth mile 
 ftone, 5|- miles, over almoft the whole breadth of the Carfe. The number of the in- 
 habitants is 2,680. See Stat. Ace. vol. iv. p. 480. 
 
 of 
 
376 ABBEY OF LINDORES. 
 
 cfElcho^ and the Abbies of Lin dor es and Balmerino fufficiently 
 demonftrate the propriety of this remark. The convent of 
 the Ciftertian nuns of Elcho has already been noticed. The 
 abbey of Lindores, " fituated in the foreft of Er?ifide on the 
 " river Tay (fays Spottifvvood) below the town of Newburgh, 
 " in the Shire of Fife, was a rich abbey, founded by David 
 ** Earl of Huntington, brother to William, upon his return 
 " from the Holy Land, about the year 1178." This monaf- 
 tery was inhabited by Syronenfes from the abbey of Kelfo, who 
 followed the rules of St. Bennet. This order of monks had fix 
 monafteries in Scotland ; all of which were fplendid edifices, 
 and largely endowed. Hedtor Boece commends the monks of 
 Lindores as being *' Morum in?zoce?iiia clari^"* Perhaps this 
 compliment was ironical ; as the holy brothers " had tweiity-two 
 parijlo churches belonghig to them^ and wei-e very richT The 
 daughter of Earl David, the founder of Lindores^ was mother of 
 Robert Bruce, competitor with Baliol for the Scotifh crown. 
 The unfortunate Duke of Rothfay, eldeft fon of Robert III., 
 who was cruelly fuffered to ftarve in his dungeon at Falkland, 
 by the intrigues of his mercilefs uncle, was, according to report, 
 buried in the abbey church of Lindores *, which was dedicated 
 to the Virgin Mary and St. Andrew the apoftle. In the year 
 1600, this abbey was ereded into a temporal Lordfhip, "in fa- 
 vour of Patrick Lefley, fon to Andrew Earl of Rothes.'* There 
 hardly remains a veftige of the ancient foreft of Ernfide, on 
 which the abbey of Lindores was fituated. It extended along 
 the river Earn, four miles in length by three in breadth "f. The 
 
 * See Stat. Ace. vol. viii. p. 176. 
 
 f Vide Sibbald's Decaledones & Vedurlones, p. 158. 
 
 Earn 
 
BALMERINO ABBEY, 377 
 
 Earn falls into the Tay, between three and four miles to the 
 weft of Earnfide-wood ; at the mouth of v/hich, tradition re- 
 ports, Wallace can fed a fliip to be funk, in order to prevent the 
 Englifli from failing into the interior of Strathern, which would 
 greatly have annoyed him in his operations. The foreft of 
 Erinfide, Elcho parks, and Birnham wood, were the faftnefles 
 which Wallace and his followers chofe, whenever they were in 
 danger of being overpowered by fuperior numbers. This mode 
 of fighting the late patriot Wafhington feemed to have under- 
 ftood, and pra£tifed with no lefs fuccefs than our illuftrious 
 Wallace. Macduff's Crofs, and the Crofs of Mugdrum, two 
 monuments of ancient eredlion, are ftill to be feen not far from 
 the ruins of the abbey of Lindores *. 
 
 The ruins of the once beautiful abbey of Balmerino, or Bal- 
 merinach f , are ftill extant. Its fituation is truly delightful. 
 This edifice, once inhabited by monks of the Ciftercian order 
 from Melrofs, hardly yielded in elegance of ftrudure to the 
 parent monaftery, the ruins of which fufficiently indicate to 
 what a pitch architecture had arrived in Scotland during the 
 twelfth century. As Melrofs abbey, in its fweet retirement, is 
 fituated on the Tweed, fo the monaftery of Balmerino is feen 
 on the ftielving and verdant banks of the Tay, clofe in upon 
 the fhore. Well did churchmen know how to make a proper 
 
 * A ftone coffin, faid to have contained the bones of fome diflinguiflied peifonage, 
 was formerly fhewn to thofe who vifited the venerable ruins of Lindores ; it is no\T 
 covered with rubbifh. The mouldcring.fragments ftill vifible jof this ancient monaftery, 
 mantled in ivy impending gracefully at top, and their deep-funk bafes, thick matted in 
 thorn, briar, and vild rofe-bufhes, give an air of tendernefs and decay, congenial to a 
 penfive call of difpofulon and habit of thought. 
 
 f Called by Lefly Balmuraum, and by Fordun, Habitaculum ad Marc. 
 
 3 G choice 
 
378 BALMERINO ABBEY. 
 
 choice in point of fituation, abundance, and comfort. Tbe 
 abbey of Balmerino was founded in 12 15 by Emergarda, 
 daughter of the Earl of Beaumont, and mother of King Alex- 
 ander II., who, it is faid, afiifted his mother in building this 
 once beautiful ftrudlure, A. D. 1229*. This pious princefs, 
 who died in February 1233, was buried in the abbey-church, 
 before the great altar. The families of Lindfay^ Kinnear^ and 
 Abernethte made donations to this monaftery, which arofe from 
 the mill of Kirkbuet, Little, or Wcfter Kinnear, and Corbie 
 (Corbeck), or Birkhill. The preceptory of Gadvan in the 
 parifli of Dinhug^ or Dunbog, in Fife, alfo belonged to the 
 revenues of Balmerino ; which altogether amounted to little 
 more than feven hundred pounds Scots per annuvi ; a fum in- 
 credibly fmall, when it is confidered that twelve pounds in 
 Scots money are only equal to one pound Sterling f, " At the 
 *' Reformation (fays Spottifwood) King James VI. ereded Bal- 
 *' merenach into a temporal lordfhip, in favour of Sir James 
 " Elphinfton of Barnton, then principal fecretary of Hate, the 
 «' 20th April 1604$." 
 
 From the conflux of the Earn and the Tay to the fea, 
 the fhores are beautifully fpread with towns, villages, ham- 
 lets, farm-houfes, and family-feats, which, when illuminated 
 with fine floating ftreams of light, have a charming and pidtu- 
 refque appearance. 
 
 * See Spottifwood's Appendix to Hope's MIn. Prac. and Slbbald's Hift. of iFife. 
 
 \ See Pennant's Scotilh Tour, vol. iii. p. 122. He does ii«t mention on what 
 autlioi ity the revenues of Balmerino are Hated. 
 
 \ Spottifwood's Appendix, p. 465. 
 
 Soon 
 
DUNDEE. 379 
 
 Soon after paffing through the village of Rojfie^ the ground 
 becomes more elevated, is of a fine red mould, highly culti- 
 vated, and fertile. Proceeding through the village of Long- 
 forgafi^ we pafs the feat of Mylnfield on the right, and that of 
 Lord Gray on the left ; and foon after, as we approach the 
 village of Invergowrie, near the twentieth mile-ftone, we enter 
 the county of Afigus^ or Forfar^ which is bounded by the Frith 
 of Tay on the fouth ; by the counties of Aberdeen and Kincar- 
 dine on the north and eaft ; and by Perthfhire on the weft. 
 From Invergowrie to Dufidee^ a diftance of three miles nearly, 
 the road keeps clofe in upon the fliore. As we approach Dun- 
 dee feveral villas pleafantly fituated are feen on the left ; among 
 others, Balgay^ Blacktiefs^ Loglc^ and Diddup *, 
 
 Dundee is the moft confiderable town in the county of 
 Angus ; and ranks after Perth, as third of the royal burghs. It 
 is pleafantly fituated on the north fhore of the Frith of Tay; 
 extends in irregular order along the beach, and backwards 
 on the flopes immediately rifmg from the water's edge, the 
 higheft of which is called "ihe Law of Dundee^ whofe fummit 
 is upwards of five hundred feet above the level of the Frith, 
 and ferves as a land-mark to veflels coming up the eftuary of 
 the Tay f . There is little of the pidturefque that can int&reft 
 
 in 
 
 • The caftle of Diddup belonged formerly to the Scrimgeors, conftables of Dundee; 
 afterwards to Vifcount Dundee, the hero of Killicrankie j now to Douglas of 
 Douglas. 
 
 f It was long a fubjedl of difpute between the burghs of Dundee and Perth, which 
 •was beft entitled to preference in point of priority : but the matter was finally adjufted 
 by decreet arbitral obtained by Perth againll Dundee, concerning the liberties and pri- 
 
 3 C 2 vileges 
 
3«o DUNDEE. 
 
 in the appearance of Dundee : and but few objedls in its imme- 
 diate neighbourhood that merit the employment of the pencil*. 
 
 But this town is of fufficient importance in almoft every 
 thing which regards trade, manufa£tures, and commerce, to de- 
 ferve the attention of the traveller. 
 
 There is a confiderable home and foreign trade carried on 
 by the inhabitants of Dundee. The pier is extenfive ; the docks 
 are fpacious and convenient f ; and the warehoufes on the quay 
 are well arranged, and commodious for the reception of the 
 merchants' wares. Although the lliore clofe to the town is 
 rather rocky, yet near Broughty cqflle it falls low and almoft flat, 
 and here vefTels of four or five hundred tons burden may fafely 
 approach the beach. The harbour is capable of receiving 
 veflels of three hundred tons. The rocks which lie off the 
 harbour have buoys or beacons annexed ; and the fand banks 
 
 ■yileges of the river Tay, and priority of place : and, as a proof of this, Perth, in the 
 courfe of trade, is exempted from paying " the fhore iilver at Dundee." See the copy 
 of the decreet, dated December 1602, and granted by James VI. in Cant's Hiftory of 
 Perth, vol. ii. p. 38. 
 
 * The ancient caflle of Dundee, or Duntarif the Taedunum of Buchanan, and the 
 Aleftum of Boethius, was fituated on a rock weft from the movith of a fmall ftream 
 that iflues from the fouth fide of the ridge on which the greater part of the prefcnt 
 town is built. The ancient fite of Dundee was on a low flat a little to the eaft. The 
 valley through which this ftream meanders, particularly about the former feat of the 
 Scrymgeors, Dudhope caftle, the houfe of Logic, Balgay houfe, and Blacknefs, is 
 fweetly verdant and finely wooded, efpccially about the caftle of Dudhope. It is in the 
 detail, notwithftanding, that thefe fituations are fo truly delightful. 
 
 f Ship building is carried on at Dundee with great fpirit and advantage. Ropes, 
 cordage, blocks, &c. are all raanufadured there. 
 
 are 
 
DUNDEE. 381 
 
 are marked to prevent hazard *. But the channel is deepeft on 
 the Fife fhore oppofite, and is that by which fhips of any con- 
 fiderable burden afcend the river. When ftorms arife from the 
 eaft, great danger is to be apprehended to fliipping on the coaft 
 without the bar, about eight miles below Dundee ; but there 
 are lighthoufes kept in excellent order, and pilots of experi- 
 ence faithful in the important duties of their truft. In 1792 
 there were thirty-four {hips belonging to Dundee employ- 
 ed in foreign trade, feventy-eight as coaflers, and four as Green- 
 landmen. Since that period, however, the number has greatly 
 increafed : the exports to foreign parts confift of Ofnaburghs, 
 failcloths, coarfe linens, leather, thread, &c. ; the imports con- 
 fift chiefly of flax, hemp, llntfeed, fir timber, deals, balks, Swed- 
 
 ifh iron, &c. The exports coaftwife are, thread of all forts, 
 failcloths, Ofnaburghs, cotton bagging, barley, wheat, &c. the 
 imports are tea, fugar, porter, coals, &c. f . At the period above 
 alluded to, the whole grofs tonnage was averaged at 8550 f tons. 
 Dundee is celebrated for its manufadure of threads. Its ex- 
 ports and imports confift chiefly, as above, of Ofnaburghs, 
 Silefias, brown linens, &c. ; but, befide the goods manufadured 
 in the town of Dundee and its vicinity, great quantities of 
 
 * As far as Newburgh veffcls of five hundred tons may afcend ; but beyond this 
 feaport town on the fouth (liore of the Frith, veffels of two hundred tons proceed with 
 difficulty. " If you would enter Dundee, (fays D'Anville,) keep the north fide of 
 the church, upon the bar, and on the north-well ilraight over againfl Broughty, be- 
 caufe there is a dangerous -fand called Boumlaiv."" See navigation of James V. round 
 Scotland, p. 80. 
 
 + The ftaple manufafture of Dundee, formerly, was coarfe woollens, cvMcApIaidlngs^ 
 which were exported to Holland and other parts of the continent, for which the ufual 
 exports of thofe countries were exchanged and brought home. 
 
 brown 
 
3'«4 DUNDEE. 
 
 fequence as to trade, manufadures, and commerce. Parlia- 
 ment, in allowing drawbacks on manufadtured linens, has 
 undoubtedly been favourable to the fpirit of enterprize fo ma- 
 nifeft among the inhabitants of this ancient burgh. By fome 
 hypothetical reafoners, it is much doubted, however, whether 
 this induftry, if directed to other purfuits of traffic than hi- 
 therto have been followed here, might not, even without the 
 aid of Parliament, or the bleffings which are faid to have 
 originated in the Revolution, and the fubfequent union of 
 the two kingdoms, have been more fuccefsful than thofe 
 which have been the means of enriching many individuals, 
 and exciting in all a deHre of acquiring independence, eafe, 
 honour, and enjoyment. But, how much foever might be 
 urged on each fide of this queftion, it belongs not to the writer 
 of thefe pages to enter on the fubje6t in this place. 
 
 The population of Dundee, confidered as a parifh, is eftimated 
 by the learned author of its Statiftical Account at 23,900, a 
 number exceeding the population of Perth by 3,629*; but of 
 thefe 23,500 inhabitants of the town of Dundee, few, indeed, 
 enjoy the rights of citizenfhip in the political fenfe of that word. 
 What is called " I'he Set of the Borough^'' or conftitution of 
 Dundee as a free royal burgh, is any thing but a Republican 
 form of government. If it refemble any fpecific form, it is that 
 of an oligarchy f. The old magiftrates very quietly eledt the 
 new, and every thing goes on with the utmoft regularity with- 
 out controul or appeal : the great body of the people have 
 
 * See Stat. Ace. vol. vh'i. and vol. xviil, par. Dundee and Perth. 
 f Vide Stat. Ace. vol. viii. p. 226. 
 
 nothing 
 
DUNDEE. 385 
 
 nothing to do in the bufinefs in any manner whatever. It 
 often happens, that thefe felf- elected magiftrates and counfellors 
 remain in office during the greater part of their lives *. *' The 
 ** people of Dundee (fays the author of its Statiftical Account) 
 " have been for a long time entitled to the reputation of in- 
 " duflry, regularity, and economy ; and, notwithftanding the 
 " increafe of their wealth and numbers, a juft claim to this repu- 
 " tation ftill continues." They are of a fecial, communicative, 
 and chearful difpofition ; liberal and confiderate ; humane and 
 compaffionate ; and poffefs an enthufiaftic attachment to mer- 
 cantile purfuits. They are alfo attached to civil and religious 
 freedom; yet rigid in neither: and their clergy complain, not 
 altogether without reafon, that the marriages on record keep 
 not pace with the population of the parifh. As to politics, it 
 is obfervable, that though the weavers, overnight, while ftimu- 
 lated by copious libations, breathe an ardent flame of liberty ; in 
 the morning, at their looms, it is found to have evaporated with 
 the fumes that efcaped during their hours of flumber ; nor do 
 they, till again infpired by the fame generous liquor, refume 
 the like elevated glow of fentiment. It mull not, however, be 
 underftood, that this mode of fentiment is that which ob- 
 tains moft generally in Dundee. On the contrary, the greater 
 number of the more refpedtable citizens of this fpirited and in- 
 
 * Dundee is not fingular In this refpeft. Dunbarton, and other royal burghs tliat 
 fend members to Parliament, enjoy the fame happy privilege, nay, it fo happened, in 
 i'783, that Nairne, a royal burgh, Ixad at one and the fame time a provoft (mayor) in 
 India, abaillie in a different county (viz. Invernefs,) and a treafurcr and dean of guild, 
 neither of whom refide vi'Ithin many miles of the burgh. See " A Letter from a 
 Member of the General Convention of Delegates of the Royal burghs. Edin. printed 
 in the year 1784." 
 
 3 D tdllgent 
 
j86 DUNDE'E. 
 
 telligent burgh fee the propriety of a wife, well-timed, and 
 rational reform, and wait, with becoming folicitude, till more 
 favourable circumftances Ihall warrant the neceflary fteps for 
 producing this confummation fo devoutly to be wiihed. 
 
 Dundee has furnifhed, in its day, warriors, ftatefmen, and men 
 eminently diftinguifhed in the literary world. Among the 
 warriors, natives of this town, may be reckoned, Alexander 
 Scrym%eoiir^ from whom fprung the hereditary conftables of its 
 caftle ; James Halyhurton^ a zealous reformer in the minority of 
 James V. ; and the hero of Camperdown, Ij}rd Duncan. Of 
 the ftatefmen, Wedderburn Lord Loughborough^ and Georgt 
 Dempjfer Efq. of Dunichen, late M. P. may be clafled among 
 the chief. In the days of Scotland's independence, the patriotic 
 Fletcher of Salton, too, though not a native, yet was defcended 
 from among the families who have had their origin in Dundee." 
 
 But, although Dundee pofleffed not any feminary of con- 
 fequence, fave a fchool for acquiring the elements of the 
 Latin tongue, or, as it is called, a grammar-fchool *, yet, in 
 former as well as in latter times, men of diftinguifhed abili- 
 ties in the republic of letters, natives of this town, might 
 be mentioned to its honour. HeEior Boece f the hiftorian, John 
 
 Mar 
 
 * It is faid, that it was at Dundee that Wallace, his chaplain Blair,, and Campbell 
 ©f Lochow, were educated ; and here, too, began their exploits. In the year 1610,. 
 Mr. James Gleg left his profeflbrfhip in St. Salvador's college, St, Andrews, in order 
 to be chofen re£lor of the grammar-fchool of Dundee, with a yearly falary of not 
 more than i6l. 13s. 4d., and the addition of 6|d. as quarterly payment from each 
 fcholar ! In moil parts of Scotland, even at thia day, is. 6d. per quarter is all that is 
 allowed for each pu'pil ! 
 
 f Hector Boece, or Boethius, as he is ufually denominated, the friend of Erafmus, 
 ^flouriftied in the beginning of the fixteenth century. He was principal of King'*. 
 
 college,. 
 
DUNDEE. j^ 
 
 Mar^ the friend of the ingenlousiV^//Vr, inventor of Logarithms, 
 in former times; and among the moderns Charles Webfter-\y 
 and Thomas Chriftie J, deferve to be fpoken of in terms of the 
 higheft regard. Of natives in the immediate vicinity of Dundee, 
 diftinguiflied in the literary world, Henry Scrymzeor^ claims 
 particular notice. To a profound knowledge of languages, he 
 added an admirable tafte for the belles lettres, together with fuch 
 a degree of fkill in jurifprudence as rendered him eminently 
 qualified to profefs the civil law, which he did w4th the higheft 
 reputation at Geneva. Many of the learned of his time, though 
 his rivals in fame, bore teftimony to his merit as a fcholar, a 
 critic, and a civilian ; among others, were the prefident Thuanus, 
 Cujacius, Cafaubon, and Henry Stephens. Cujacius, it is faid, 
 was wont to fay refpeding him, "I never went from the company 
 " oi Scrym'zeor^ without having learned fomething ||.'' 
 
 college, Aberdeen, with a falary of forty merks Scots, equal to 2I. 4s. 5d. fterlingl 
 Thus in all ages do we fee men eminent in learning poorly rewarded. The indefatiga- 
 ble Walter Ruddiman, the eloquent moralift Samuel Johnfon, and the accompliflied 
 James Beattie of Aberdeen, were each of them in their earlier days inftruftors of youth. 
 Had they to boaft of the emoluments arillng from their labours ? 
 
 * ** To James Mar, another citizen of Dundee, probably the grandfon of the above, 
 we owe a Chart of the foundings of the whole North Sea, fo accurate, that, though 
 laid down about the beginning of the (eighteenth) century, it has received no improve- 
 ments of importance." Stat. Ace. vol. viii. p. 240. 
 
 ^ The late Charles Webfter, M. D. well known as a divine, a phyficiah, and X 
 chcmifl. 
 
 X Known in the literary world as one of Burke's moft fuccefsful opponents. 
 
 ^ Of the family of Dudhope, already noticed. 
 
 }| See Anecdotes of Scotiih Literature. Edin. Mag. vol. i. p. 1 15» 
 
 3 D 2 It 
 
388 DUNDEE. 
 
 It has already been obferved, that the harbour, quay, docks, 
 and warehoufes of Dundee are well conftruded, fpacious, and 
 convenient : to this may be added, that improvements are now 
 making which muft render them more fo. To the honour of 
 the magiftrates and town council, and feveral of the more 
 wealthy and public fpirited citizens, their zeal and fuccefs in 
 removing a vaft rock, opening a new paflage to the fhore, build- 
 ing new piers, paving and lighting the ftreets, and ereding a 
 handfome town-houfe and an elegant church, will remain laft- 
 ing monuments for pofterity to emulate in carrying on the fame 
 fyftem of public benefit and improvement.. 
 
 But few veftiges can be traced of the former grandeur of 
 Dundee. The great tower, which is ftill pretty entire, is de- 
 fervedly noted by every traveller. It is the venerable remains 
 of the magnificent ftrudure built by David earl of Huntington, 
 brother of King William, furnamed the Lion, A. D. 1 178*, on 
 liis return from the Holy Land. Time has not been the only 
 deflroyer of this ancient edifice. According to tradition, it was 
 laid in ruins during the wars of Edward I. and Edward VI. f ; 
 fince which periods, it has received partial repairs, and ftill 
 preferves an appearance of durability rarely to be feen at this 
 day north of the Tweed. Befides the great church built by the 
 Earl of Huntington, the remains of which have been occupied 
 for public worfhip ever fmcc the Reformation, there were feve- 
 ral other religious eftablifhments in Dundee, though hardly a 
 veftige can now be traced, owing to the writings refpeding 
 them being miflaid or loft, and the buildings themfelves having 
 
 * Pennant fays 1189. 
 
 f Boetbnis, lib. xiii. j and Buchanan, lib. vi'i. 
 
 been 
 
DUNDEE. 389 
 
 been long fince either demolifhed or converted into private 
 property *. 
 
 Dundee has frequently experienced the miferies of war, and 
 more than once the horrors, cruekies, and carnage of a fiege, 
 Befides the devaftations committed during the reign of Ed- 
 ward 1., when Wallace drove the Englifh from its neigh- 
 bourhood, and put Alexander Scrymfeour^ his brave compatriot, 
 in pofleffion of the town and caftle, in whofe right the Scrym- 
 zeours of Dudhope afterwards enjoyed the hereditary dignity 
 of conftable, Dundee was taken and reduced to afhes by the 
 troops of Richard II. ; and again by the EngUfh in the reign of 
 Edward VI. ; who were finally driven from it, Broughty caftle, 
 and its neighbourhood. When Adam Gordon (brother of the 
 earl of Huntley) carried fire and fword through the ihire of 
 Angus, in the minority of James VI., the inhabitants of Dundee 
 were greatly alarmed left he fhould vifit them in his progrefs, 
 and called in from the oppofite coaft of Fife fuch troops as they 
 
 * There were three convents and a nunnery in Dundee. The firft was founded m 
 the fecond year of Robert III.*s reign, A. D. 1392, by James Lindfay, vicar-general 
 of Scotland, for monks of the order of Red Friars, or Muflcerincs ; whofe hoiifes were 
 named hofpitals, and a third part of whofe revenues was devoted to the redemption of 
 Chriftian flaves. The fecond was founded by a citizen of Dundee named Andrew 
 Abercromby, for Dominicans, a begging order, whofe " nefts (fays Spottifwood), 
 ■when pulled down, were found too rich for an order of mendicants." The third was 
 founded by Darvorgilla, " daughter of Alan Lord Galloway, and mother of John 
 Baliol, king of Scotland," for the order of the Francifcans, or Gray Friars. This 
 convent had no revenues, but was fupported by alms. " Lady Beatrix Douglas, 
 relift of William earl of Errol, for whofe foul the friars were to celebrate a mafs daily 
 at the hi«h altar, ^ fubmiffa voce, v el not a,'' bellowed a donation of a hundred pounds 
 Scots (equal to 5I. lis. o^d. Sterling!) for fupporting them in their extremities, and 
 for the reparations of the monailery." The fourth religious houfe was a nunnery, the 
 nuns of which followed the rules of St. Francis. See Spottlfwood and Keith. 
 
 could 
 
390 DUNDEE.- 
 
 could colle£l, in order to protect them from the rage of this 
 ferocious hero, who gave no quarter, being in a particular 
 manner (fays Buchanan) true to the caufe of the king *. The 
 Great Montrofe^ another celebrated avenger of the caufe of his 
 king, took Dundee by affault, and gave it up to the pillage of 
 his foldiers. But the laft and moft awful fcene of carnage in 
 this devoted city, was in the year 1651, by Monk, then gene- 
 ral of the Englifh troops under the ufurpation of Cromwell. 
 When the foldiers of the Commonwealth advanced as far as 
 Dundee, the governor, major-general Lumfden, made difpofi- 
 tions for a vigorous defence. General Monk refolved, how- 
 ever, on taking the town by ftorm ; and foon put in execution 
 his fanguinary purpofe. The carnage was dreadful. A fixth 
 part of the inhabitants were buried in its ruins. The governor, 
 it is faid, and a few defpcrate followers, took refuge in the 
 great tower, determined to perifli rather than yield to the en- 
 raged republicans, reeking with the blood of the fallen citizens. 
 At laft, however, he was induced to come down ; and furren- 
 der at difcretion ; when, contrary to the laws of war, this brave 
 foldier and his devoted attendants were treacheroufly murdered 
 on the fpot. It is alfo reported, that around the church, two 
 battalions of Lord Duffus's regiment fuffered the fame fate ; 
 nay, farther, that another body of the befieged were cut to pieces 
 on the fame ground, now occupied as a fifh-market. Tradition 
 fays, that the carnage ceafed not till the third day ; when, among 
 the heaps of the flain, a child was difcovered endeavouring to 
 prefs nouriftiment from the breaft of its murdered mother. 
 Such are the horrors of war ! — In the facking of Dundee, fixty 
 
 * Buchanan, lib. xx. 
 
 fliips 
 
DUNDEE. 591 
 
 ihlps belonging to the merchants, and found in the harbour, 
 were loaded with the booty, confifting chiefly of plate and 
 money, but were wrecked in fight of the town, in attempting 
 to get over the bar at the entrance into the Frith of Tay : 
 and thus the much wifhed-for booty, the main objed: of blood 
 and rapine, for once eluded the grafp of the greedy plun- 
 derer. 
 
 Dundee, as well as Perth, has been long remarkable for the 
 number of its religious fed:aries, Befides the eftablilhed church, 
 there is one Scotijh congregation of the Epifcopal form, and 
 one of the Englifh Epifcopal perfuafion. Of Burghers and 
 'Antiburghers, Independants, Anabaptifts, Bereans, Methodifts, 
 Roman Catholics, and Unitarians, each has a fele<St number,. 
 
 amounting in the whole to a fixth part of the inhabitants of 
 the parifh. But of the diflenters from the eftablifhed form 
 of religion, thofe diflinguifhed by the name of Glajfites (fa 
 denominated from yohn Glafs^ who about the year 1732 
 founded this fed) feem to carry along with them a proper re- 
 gard to population, as the fure guide, if not to heaven, at lead 
 to induftry, and its confequence, wealth and independence* 
 For early marriage is an indlfpenfable law of their community, 
 to take place, in general, as foon after the age of puberty a» 
 poffible : and it has been found moft favourable to population^ 
 induftry, and morals. 
 
 The foil about Dundee is by no means £0 rich as that of the 
 Carfe of Gowrie : but the manure from the town *,. and the 
 culture obferved in raifmg of all kinds of crops, neceflarily ren- 
 ders the foil very prolific. There is nothing peculiar in the 
 
 ♦ Great part of the lime ufcd as manure 19 brought from Sunderland, 
 
 mode 
 
392 DUNDEE, 
 
 mode of management. Threfhing has not yet been introduced. 
 The plough in general ufe is the improved Scotifh one ; though 
 feveral farmers ufe Small's plough, and the chain-plough of 
 other inventors. 
 
 The foffils in the neighbourhood of this town confift chiefly 
 of whin-ftone, porphyry, and fand-ftone of various colours ; 
 but no metallic fubftances nor calcareous rocks have hitherto 
 been difcovered. 
 
 The Frith of Tay at Dundee is from two to three miles 
 broad. The coaft on cither fide is precipitous and rocky ; and 
 the current of the river, efpecially after fpring-floods, is power- 
 ful and rapid. Untoward accidents, however, occur but feldom: 
 
 Seals and porpolfes are numerous, and deftru^llve to the fal- 
 
 mon fiihery in the Tay. Hitherto no method has been adopted 
 for converting this evil into a benefit, by catching them, and 
 procuring their oil, which might prove a fource of confiderable 
 emolument. The falmon fifliing, and indeed every other fifh- 
 ery within the bar, turns to very little account on the fhores ia 
 the immediate vicinity of Dundee : but along the fea-coaft with- 
 out the bar, on both fides of the Frith, fhell-fi(h, haddocks, 
 whitings, cod, ling, flounders, foles, turbot, halibut, flcate, 
 mackarel, and herrings, are to be had in abundance. Fifhing 
 in deep water is feldom pradtifed. This is an immenfe lofs. 
 Were Scotifh fifhers as patient and indefatigable as the Dutch, 
 incalculable wealth might be direded into every corner of our 
 ifland. The patriotic Dempfter, late member of parliament for 
 Dundee, who firft fuggefted the idea of packing falmon in ice, 
 has rendered eflTential fervice to his country by his exertions for 
 cftablifhing the fifh cries along the Scotifh fhores and weftcrn 
 
 5 ifles 
 
DUNDEE. -393 
 
 liles on a permanent and eligible footing. May his plans fuc- 
 ceed ; and may future generations preferve his remembrance 
 embalmed in the public good, to which in many ways he has 
 contributed! and may every honeft individual imitate his ex- 
 ample in promoting the interefts of the community at large ; at 
 the fame time, learn to appreciate the natural advantages in 
 length of coaft, abundance and variety of fifh, and fure, ready, 
 and profitable markets in every part of Europe ; fo that no na- 
 tion whatfoever fhall carry away from us what nature feems fo 
 bountifully to have thrown into our poflefTion, as a means of 
 acquiring wealth as well as fubfiftence. 
 
 When wind and tide are anfwerable, the paflage from Dun- 
 dee to the oppofite fide of the water on the Fife fhore is ufually 
 performed in little more than half an hour. Thence the tra- 
 veller proceeds, and turning to the left he may, if he fo incline, 
 vifit St. Andrews, the ancient feat of learning, and the archiepif-^ 
 copal fee of Scotland. 
 
 From Woodhaven, the fouth fide of the ferry of Dundee, we 
 pafs over a ftretch of about three miles of as bleak country as 
 can be met with on the eaft coaft between the Friths of Forth 
 and Tay : but, notwithftandlng the natural quality of the foil, 
 which appears at firft fight fteril and unpromifing, the hand 
 of culture, which has already manifefted its power amid thefe 
 waftes, will in a few years render them fertile and profitable in 
 no fmall degree ; for every exertion feems making to withdraw 
 the chilling moifture, kill the weeds and latent germs, and me- 
 liorate the ground by fummer fallowing, liming, and due rota- 
 tion of fuch crops as are beft calculated to pulverize it, and 
 bring it fpeedily into heart. 
 
 3 K About 
 
39^ ST. ANDREWS. 
 
 About three miles from Dundee waterfide we pafs by the old 
 caftle of Leuchars^ formerly in the pofleffion of the earls of 
 Southefk, but forfeited in 17 15; afterwards purchafed by the 
 York-buildings Company; and now the property of the Honour- 
 able Robert Lindfay. We foon enter the village of Leuchars* 
 The neat and comfortable appearance that many of the houfes 
 exhibit is truly pleafing, and is a proof of the rifing induftry 
 and civilization of its inhabitants. A little farther on we crofa 
 the river Eden over a bridge of confiderable antiquity, confift- 
 ing of fix arches *. Here the river is feen to fwell into a bay,, 
 which joins the bay of St. Andrews a little to the eaft. About 
 a mile beyond this, the ancient city of St. Andrews comes into 
 the range of the w^ide extended profped; as we approach which, 
 the mind is imprefled with an aflemblage of forrowful ideas, in 
 contemplating the filence and gloom that feem to reign amid 
 the ruins, ftill venerable and vaft, as feen extending along the 
 fea fhore. " The city of St. Andrews, when it had loft its 
 " archiepifcopal pre-eminence, gradually decayed : one of its 
 " ftreets is now loft : in thofe that remain, there is the filence 
 " and folitude of inactive indigence and gloomy depopula- 
 " tion t" 
 
 St. Andrews, in former ages, was no lefs diftinguifhed as the 
 great emporium of the eaft coaft of Scotland, than for its confe- 
 quence in religious eftabliftiments, and its univerfity. Before 
 the reformation of religion, it was deemed the principal refort 
 of merchants and traders from every part of the commercial 
 
 * Built by Henry Wardlaw, blfliop of St. Andretvs. He died in 1440. See 
 Keith's Catalogue, and Martin's State of the See of St. Andrews. 
 •f- Johnfon's Journey to the Weftern Ifles. 
 
 world 
 
ST. ANDREWS. ^(^^ 
 
 world with which Scotland had the leaft Intercourfe. Two or 
 three hundred vefTels, it is faid, were wont to frequent the har- 
 bour : and there was an annual fair held here (fimilar to thofe 
 which ftill exift in Germany, Holland, and other parts of the 
 continent), which lafted for weeks : but fo great is the falling off 
 in this refpe6; fince the Reformation, as appears by the tax-roll 
 of the royal boroughs, that though in the year 1556 the taxes 
 paid by the city of St„ Andrews amounted to 410I., thofe In the 
 year 1695 did not exceed 70 1. From ancient records it ap- 
 pears alfo, that there were a hundred and fifty-three brewers and 
 fifty-three bakers at one time conftantly employed here : at 
 prefent, however, not a third of the number of brewers, nor 
 one fifth part of the bakers are to be found In the town and Its 
 neighbourhood *. 
 
 Much of the wealth and confequence of St. Andrews was 
 owing to the religious eftablifhments which in remote periods 
 were founded and gradually enlarged, multiplied, and endowed 
 in this corner of our ifland. All our hiftorians agree f, that 
 foon after the Scots and Pidts were converted to the Chriftian 
 faith, Mucrofs^ afterwards named Kilrymotit^ or Kilrciile J, now 
 St. Andrews, became a place of confiderable refort, from the 
 fame of its fanctity, and peculiar felicity in being pofleffed of 
 
 * See Stat. Ace. vol. xiil. p. 191. Douglas's Defcn'p. of the Eall Coafl of Scotl. 
 p. 19. 
 
 f He£t. Bocth. lib. vi, fol. 108. Lcflie, lib. iii. Uflicr, Camden, Spottifwood, 
 Sibbald, &c 
 
 J '* The place then was a foreil of wild boars (fays Martine), aiiJ was called in the 
 '* country language Mucrofs, /. e, a Land of Boars ; from mvc^ a fow, and ro/}, a 
 « land or ifland." Vide Marline's Reliquix Divi i^ndrcx'. Morifou's St. Andrews, 
 
 3 E 2 certaia 
 
396 ST. ANDREWS. 
 
 certain relics, fald to have confifted of " the arm-bone, three 
 fingers of the right hand, a tooth, and one of the Hds of the 
 apoflle's (St. Andrew's) knee." Hence the apoftle St. Andrew- 
 became the tutelar faint of the Scots and Pids; the legend refpe<ft- 
 ing which circumftance is much to the following purport. About 
 the year 370, St, Regulus, a monk of Patrae, a city of Achaia, 
 was warned in a vifion to emigrate to " a region towards the 
 weft, fituate in the utmoft parts of the world," and to carry 
 along with him as co-partners in his perilous journey a prieft, 
 two deacons *, eight hermits, and three devout virgins, to- 
 gether with the relics w^hich he had ftolen from the fhrine in 
 which they were kept. And after a voyage of much " toyle 
 *' and hazard they fell into the Germane ocean, where they were 
 " long toft with grievous tempefts, till, at laft, by force of a 
 « ftorme the ftiip was driven into the bay, near the place 
 " where St. Andrews now ftands, and there fpUt afunder on 
 " the rocks ; but Regulus and his companie were all brought 
 " fafe to fhoare, having nothing left them but the relicks, which 
 " they were careful above all things to preferve." Soon after 
 the arrival of this holy man and his companions, Herguftus, 
 king of the Pi<fts, heard of the fame and fandlity of their 
 lives, and, " when he beheld the gravitie and pietie of the 
 " men, and the forme of their fervice, was fo taken therewith 
 ** that he fettled a conftant abode for them on the fame place, 
 
 • Bifhop Keith fays, " Damianus z prejbyter, Gelasius and Cubaculus two dea- 
 cons." Martine calls one of thefe deacons Jubaculus. Perhaps it is an error of tranfcrip- 
 tion. Indeed it is faid the MS. copies of Marline's Reliq. Divi Andr. differ very con- 
 fiderably. This may account for fome feeming inaccuracies in Keith's quotations,. 
 p. I . Introduc. The copy which he ufed is that in the Advocates' Library, Edinburgh. 
 
 " and 
 
ST. ANDREWS. 397 
 
 " and took order for their entertainment." Tiie pious king of 
 the Pi€ts having thus granted an eftablifhment to this colony of 
 Chriflians, a cell and a chapel in honour of their leader were 
 built, and on this occafion the name of this port was changed 
 from Mucrofs to Kilrule or Kilrymont. But after the expul- 
 fion of the Vidis by Kenneth III. the metropolitan church for- 
 merly eftabli{hed at Abernethte^ the capital of the Pidifh 
 dominions, was thence tranflated to Kilrymont, at which 
 time the church thus tranflated was called St. Andrews ; and 
 the city, which on this occafion was newly peopled by a colony 
 of Scots under the protection of Fijfus Duffus^ a diftinguifhed 
 leader, to whom Kenneth affigned the province of Pichlandicty 
 now called Fife, taking its name from the metropolitan church 
 St. Andrews^ retains it to this day *. Hence, from the relicks 
 of St. Andrew the apoflle being brought by St. Regulus to this 
 ancient city, the former became the tutelar Saint of the Scots> 
 who ftiil celebrate his feftival on the 30th November wherever 
 they are difperfed over the habitable globe. 
 
 Among the dignitaries who founded and endowed the re- 
 ligious houfes belonging to the See of St. Andrews, fever al of 
 our Scotifh writers, particularly Fordun, Wintoun, Balfour^ 
 Innis, Spottifwood, Sibbald, Martine, Ruddiman, and Keith,, 
 mention fome archbifliops and other churchmen who make a 
 confiderable figure in the civil as well as ecclefiaftical hiflory of 
 Scotland. 
 
 In the earlier ages of the Scotifli church, the Culdees were: 
 the electors of the bifliops ; but after the order of Culdees was. 
 
 * Martlne's Rellq. Divl Andr. Slbbald's Hift. of Fife ; Keith's Catalogue ; and: 
 Stat. Ace. Tol. xiii. 
 
 a fupprelTed,- 
 
39B ST. ANDREWS. 
 
 fupprefled, A. D. 1298, the chapters confifted of priors, monks, 
 and canons, and the privilege of eledlng belonged to them dc 
 itfu et jure. It continued thus till the fupprelTion of religious 
 houfes at the Reformation, after which the archbifhop of St. 
 Andrews was eleded by eight bifhops of his province (as by 
 KQl of Pari. A. D. 1617.) ; and the election continued in thivS 
 way till the abolition of epifcopacy in Scotland, A. D. 1689*. 
 The bifhops of St. Andrews, prior to the eredion of the fee into an 
 archiepifcopal diocefe, were dignified hy \\\qX\\.\q Epifcopi Scotortim 
 maximi^ but were afterwards created Archiepifcopi^ et ArchipatreSy 
 &c. The archbifhop of York, however, claimed a precedency 
 over the Scotifh church, which, in the year 1471, Pope Sixtus 
 IV. fet afide, when the archbifliop of St. Andrews was created 
 Primate and Metropolitan of all Scotland ; and this was farther 
 confirmed by Pope Innocent VIII. in his bull of eredion f . 
 Butfoon after the eredion of St. Andrews into an archbifliopric, 
 the fee of Glafgow obtained a bull from Pope Alexander VI. 
 in order to be ereded into an archiepifcopal diocefe ; and the 
 king and the eflates of parliament confenting and confirming 
 this meafure (A. D. 1488.), a keen contefl arofe between the 
 archbifhops and the clergy of each diocefe, which terminated in. 
 favour of St. Andrew ; fo far at leafl, that while Glafgow was 
 allowed all the honours of metropolitical dignity, St. Andrews 
 fhould have the adual and full provincial authority, in a man- 
 ner fimilar to the ancient bifliops oi Ntcodemla and Nice^ York 
 and Canterbury. The bifhops of St. Andrews were early invefled 
 with legatine powers ; and the archbifliops were defigned legal'i 
 7iatiy and fometimes legati a latere. All abbies and priories 
 
 * See Martlne, Keith, and others. f Ibid. 
 
 -within 
 
ST. ANDREWS. 39^ 
 
 within the diocefe had their grants and privileges confirmed by 
 the archbifliop, which right was recognized by A£l of Parlia- 
 ment, A. D. 1469. The arch-prelates of St. Andrews were 
 Counts Palatine, and could by their own authority conftitute 
 courts of jurirdi<3:ion, called Weapon-Jhanjoings^ and had likewife 
 the power and privilege to coin money. Among the vaffals 
 of the archbifliop were twenty-feven Scotifh nobles of the high- 
 eft condition, who held lands of the diocefe in different parts 
 of Scotland. The bilhop of St. Andrews crowned the kings 
 of Scotland, and fat in parliament as the firft peer of the realm: 
 befides all which, in the year 1538, David Beatoun, archbifliop 
 of this fee, while he was ambaflador in France, was created 
 Cardinal by Pope Paul III. Such then have been the dignities 
 and immunities annexed to St. Andrews as a bifliopric from its 
 firft eredion to the acme of its grandeur and powen 
 
 Gf the archbifliops of St, Andrews who make a diftinguifhed 
 figure in Scotifti hiftory, a few may be flightly noticed, as 
 deferving farther inquiry from thofe inclined to purfue this fub- 
 jed to a greater length. Of the fifty-two ufually enumerated 
 in the catalogue of the biftiops of this fee, fifteen are varioufly 
 arranged by different authors ; but according to Ruddiman^ 
 whom Keith follows, Kellach*, who went to Rome for con- 
 firmation fome time towards the end of the ninth century, was 
 the firft biftiop of St. Andrews, and Arthur Ross, who died on 
 the 13th June 1704, was the laft, when the total fuppreffion of 
 prelacy in Scotland took- place at the Revolution, anno 1688-9 ; 
 comprehending a period of between feven and eight hundred. 
 
 *■ Kenlaiicht, or Cellach. ^/^(? Martine's Reh'q. Divi Andr. p. 222. 
 
 years 
 
400 ST. ANDREWS. 
 
 years, during which the dignified orders of the church not un- 
 frequently occupied the higheft offices of the Hate. 
 
 In the year 1178, William King of Scotland appointed 
 his coufm Rogge, fon of Robert III. of Leicefter, to be high 
 chancellor of the kingdom, l^he bifliopric of St. Andrews 
 falling vacant, the high chancellor was confecrated and raifed 
 to the fee anno 11 98 *. The caftle of St. Andrews was firft 
 built by this bifhop, about the year 1200 f . Among the arch^ 
 biihops of St. Andrews may be enumerated the following; 
 William Malvoifme, the founder of the hofpitals of Lochleven 
 And Scotland-well, who brought from France Dominicans, 
 Francifcans, and Jacobins, " who by their pretenfions to an 
 " auftere life (fays Martlnc) fupplantcd the credit of the priefts, 
 " and were upheld by the Pope, whofe defigns they upheld 5" 
 — Gamelinj — William Wifcheart; — William Frazer; — William 
 Lamberton, who was the flrenuous oppofer of Edward I. and 
 the patriotic aiTertor of the conflitutional liberties and independ- 
 ence of Scotland ; — Gilbert Geenlaw ; — James Kennedy, the 
 remains of whofe monument are pretty entire (he was founder 
 of St. Salvator's college, a great patron of learning and religion, 
 and was named among the chief of the regency during the mi- 
 nority of James III.) ; — James Stuart, Duke of Rofs, fecond fon 
 of James III. ; — Alexander Stuart, natural fon of James IV., 
 the pupil of Erafmus, who fell with his father and the flower 
 of the Scotifh nobility at the battle of Flouden-field, A.D. 15 13, 
 at the premature age of twenty-one ; — James Beaton, or Be- 
 thune, founder of the Divinity college of St. Andrews. The 
 
 * Crawford's Officers of State, and Keith's Catalogue. 
 
 t See Marline's Rellq. Divl Andr. and Slbbald's Hift. of Fife, p. 132. 
 
 fate 
 
ST. ANDREWS. 401 
 
 fate of this arch-prelate feems fomewhat fingular. In the tur* 
 bulent minority of James V., on the Duke of Albany's going 
 over to France, anito 1517, Beaton and five others, vi%. the earls 
 of Arran, Angus, Argyle, and Huntly, and the archbifhop of 
 Glafgow, were left to manage the affairs of the flate. The earl 
 of Angus, a powerful chief, was marked by the other five 
 nobles for deftrudion. The earls of Huntly and Argyle throw- 
 ing their (hare of power into the hands of Arran and the arch- 
 bifhop of St. Andrews, the latter was made the inftrument t6 
 accomplifh this treacherous bufmefs. A convention of the flates 
 was fummoned to meet at Edinburgh on the 29th of April 
 1520. But previoufly, a private meeting, to which Angus was 
 invited, was held in Beaton's apartments at the foot of Black- 
 friar' s-wynd. Angus, who fufpeded the defign againft him, 
 prevailed with his uncle Gavin Douglas^ bifliOp of Dunkeld 
 (the celebrated Scotifh poet formerly noticed), to wait on the 
 archbifhop, and learn the purport of the meeting ; while he 
 himfelf, with a few faithful attendants, would be in readinefs and 
 at hand fhould any untoward occafion require prompt afTi fiance. 
 The two dignitaries entering warmly on the fubje£t, in which 
 it was alleged that danger was to be apprehended to the nephew 
 of our accomplifhed poet, the archbifhop, who had taken the pre- 
 caution of puting on armour under his facred veflments, in the 
 heat of argument, in attempting to excufe himfelf, and lay 
 the fole blame on the earl of Arran, exclaimed, " There is no re- 
 medy, upon my confcience I cannot help it ;" and, flriking his 
 hand on his breafl, the iron plates of his armour anfwered to 
 the flroke. On w^hich the bifhop of Dunkeld fhrewdly replied, 
 ** How now, my Lord ? Methinks your confcience clatters. 
 
 3 F « We 
 
402 ST. ANDREWS. 
 
 " We are prlefts ; and to put on armour, or to bear arms, is 
 " not confiftent with our charader." Soon after this the con- 
 verfation ended ; and next day Arran's party, among whom the 
 archbiihop of St. Andrews appeared in armour, made a ftrong 
 effort to feize Angus, and facrifice him to their refentment : 
 but the latter haddifpofed of his force, confifting of aboutyo/^r- 
 fcore chofen men, to fuch advantage, that no fooner did Arran's 
 party fally forth from their lurking place, than they were re- 
 pulfed with great flaughter. Meanwhile, the bifhop of Dun- 
 keld retired fecretly to his chamber, and befo light the Lord in 
 prayer. The archbifhop of St. Andrews, who had mingled in 
 the combat, finding his adherents beaten, fled to the Grayfriars 
 church, and hid himfelf behind the great altar, from which he 
 was torn by his enraged enemies, and muft inevitably have 
 perifhed, had not the meek-fpirited bifhop of Dunkeld inter- 
 pofed, and faved his life *. The earl of Angus's party, carry- 
 ing their revenge flill farther, entered the city of St. Andrews, 
 and pillaged the palace; — while the archbiihop, narrowly 
 efcaping the fword of the afTafTins, fled weftward, and took 
 fhelter among the hills of Balgrumo ; where, it is faid, he ex- 
 changed the robes and paftoral crook of his high office, for the 
 humble weeds, fcrip, and ftaffof a Seotifli fhepherd f. 
 
 Three other archbifliops of St. Andrews experienced a no lefa 
 remarkable reverfe of fortune than the lafl mentioned ; two 
 perifhed by'^the hands of murderers, and one fufFered an ignomi- 
 nious death. David Beatoiin {aftQVwaiids Cardinal), the nephew 
 
 * See Drummond's Hift. p. 88. Buchanan, lib. xlv. Keith's Cat. p. 151. Life 
 of Gavin Douglas prefixed to his Virgil, p. 8 - 10. and Arnot's Hift. of iidinburgh.. 
 
 f See Pitfcottie's Hift. of James V. and Marline's R£liq. Divi Andr, 
 
 and 
 
ST. ANDREWS. 403 
 
 and fucceffbr of James, Archblfhop of St. Andrews, confplcu- 
 ous for ambition and a third of power, joined to a malignant 
 fpirit of perfecution, having obtained the higheft dignities in the 
 church and ftate, and having rendered himfelf hateful bv 
 unheard of cruelties to the reformers, when the ordinary courfe 
 of juftice could no longer be purfued, fell a prey to their refent- 
 ment, and periflied by the hands of mercilefs aflaffins. The 
 horrid fcene of this tragedy was laid in his ow^n palace at St. 
 Andrews, where, but a fhort time before, one 0/ the firft vidims 
 to the new opinions, as they were then called, fuffered the punifh- 
 ment due to his crimes! This was George Wifiart^ the great apoftle 
 of the reformed religion. Cardinal Beatoun, it is faid, from 
 his palace windov%^s *, beheld the martyr perifh in the flames. 
 *' The flame that thus confumes my body," faid the dying man, 
 calling a look around on the gazing multitude, " pains not my 
 " broken fpirit. But ere long (pointing to the Cardinal) he 
 " who looks down fo difdainfully upon my miferable condition, 
 *' lolling at his eafe, fhall be ignominioufly cafl: forth from the 
 " place whence he now gluts his eyes f." This prophecy was 
 but too fatally verified. A private quarrel between Cardinal 
 Beatoun^ and Norman Lejly^ eldefl: fon of the Earl of Rothes^ led 
 to the untimely death of the former. Norman, having gained 
 fufficient means to compafs his fanguinary purpofe, came to 
 St. Andrews and lodged in the inn which he ufually frequented, 
 watching in fecret the moment favourable to fuccefs. The Car- 
 dinal, intent on fortifying his cafl:le, and little fufpeding danger 
 
 * The window, of which but a fmall portion now remains, 13 ftiU pointed out to 
 the enquiring ilranger. 
 
 f Buchanan, lib. xv. Pitfcottie. 
 
 3F2 fo 
 
404 ST. ANDREWS. 
 
 fo near at hand, had a great number of workmen employed in 
 that bufmefs. Early in the morning, May 7th 1546, Norman 
 feized the porter at the palace-gate, rulhed into the inner courts 
 with his followers, called out the workmen and fervants, dif- 
 mifled them with horrid imprecations if they dared to open their 
 mouths or make refiftance, entered the CardinaFs chamber, and 
 transfixed him with their fwords. — " Fie ! I am a prieft," ex- 
 claimed the Cardinal, writhing in agonizing convulfions ; ** Fie ! 
 lie ! all is gone !" and then expired*. Some authors add, that 
 the dignified prelate, the high-minded Cardinal, was cafi: out 
 from the window whence he beheld the magnanimous Wifliart 
 confume in the flames, and thus the predidion of the dying 
 martyr was fulfilled. The friends and dependants of the mur- 
 dered Cardinal laid inftant fiege to the cafl:le, in which the aflaffins 
 were flieltered j but it happened, that the Regent's fon, who had 
 been detained by the deceafed as an hoftage, was in their hands : 
 a.vailing themfelves, therefore, of this favourable circumftance, 
 they made it ferve as a check to any attempt to feize the caftle 
 by furprize^ and remaining in pofieffion, in open defiance of 
 law and order, they fallied forth occafionally, and committed 
 depredations on the country around, till the French Admiral 
 Strozy laid fiege to the caftle, and carried off the aflaffins with 
 him to France, after they had held it for fifteen months. 
 
 The fucceflbr of Cardinal Beatoun wasj-o/j/i HamHf on, brother 
 of the Regetit Arran. This archbiihop, at one time a favourer 
 of the reformed religion, had, like his exalted predeceflbr "f, a 
 
 concubine 
 
 • Buchanan, Robertfon. 
 
 f Whcm Pennant calls " An ambitious, cruel, licentious prreft ; fo fuperlor to 
 decency, that he publicly married one of his fix- natural children to the Mafter of 
 
 Craivfordj 
 
ST. ANDREWS. 405 
 
 concubine in keeping, by whom he had many children, and 
 lived in open defiance of the ftricfl rules enjoined by the holy 
 Catholic church ; yet, mindful of its interefts, he judged it ne- 
 cefTary to make another example of a venerable heretic, namely, 
 Walter Mylne, priefl: of Lunan, near Montrofe, who was brought 
 to St. Andrews, condemned, and burnt in April 1558. The 
 death of this innocent man, in extreme old age, for he was 
 above eighty, funk deep into the minds of the reformers ; and 
 by examples like thefe the ?iew opinions gained ground with an 
 acceleration proportioned to the number of victims and the rage 
 of perfecution. When the Lords of the Congregation, favoured 
 by the fuccefs of their caufe, and legal authority, were triumph- 
 ant, the mal-contents, among whom Archbifhop Hamilton was 
 now placed, fufFered in their turn. After Mary's flight into 
 England, the arch-prelate, taking refuge in Dunbarton caftle 
 (foon after the furprife of that fortrefs), was conveyed thence, 
 and publicly hanged at Stirling, in April 157 1*. 
 
 The fate of Archbifiop Sharps whofe untimely death was fo 
 much deplored by the Scotifh epifcopalians, is well known. 
 From the firft dawn of the reformation to the final eftablllhment 
 of the Prefbyterlan church government in Scotland, (a period of 
 fomewhat more than a century and a half,) the contending parties, 
 kept conftantly in a ftate of civil and religious animofity, loft 
 
 Craivford, owned her for his daughter, and gave with her (in thofe days) the vaft for- 
 tune of four thoufand merfcs Scots."— ScoiiA- Tour, vol. iii. p. 245. 
 
 * *' I have feen 'fays Marline} copies of chariers graiited.' by this Ardibi/hop to- 
 William, John, and James Hamiltons, his three natural font;, born of Grizzcll Sempill, 
 (daughter of Robert Lord SempiU} they are deligined her natural fons, but they were 
 forfaulted." Reliq. Divi Andr. p. 244. 
 
 all 
 
456 ST. ANDREWS. 
 
 all fight of the finer feelings of humanity and the duties of focial 
 order, the more delicate traces of civilized manners, the grace- 
 ful elegance of refined urbanity, the bewitching blandifliments 
 of natural fimplicity, unaflFe(fted fincerity, candour, mildnefs of 
 difpofition, and a fcrupulous regard to the comforts of one 
 another ; — while Prefbyterianifm was funk in a blind regard to 
 what the gloomy, morofe, and abftrad puritans called the duiies 
 of religion^ Epifcopacy feemed better adapted, in the eyes of its 
 votaries, to the progrefs of civilization and pious decorum : be- 
 fides, it was deemed fufceptibleof more readily amalgamating with 
 innocent hilarity, fplendid elegance, and refinement of manners. 
 Such was the ftate of opinions among the Scotiili reformers 
 in the days of our fecond Charles, when the Rcfolutioners and 
 RemonJIrators'^ carried their animofities to the extreme of party 
 rage and lawlefs intrigue, yames Sharps formerly a zealous 
 fupporter of the caufe of rigid Prefbyterianifm, was confecrated 
 within the Abbey church of Weftminfter on the I5ch December 
 1 66 1 f, and foon after raifed to the Archiepifcopal fee of St. 
 Andrews, in the univerfity of which city he formerly fat in the 
 chair of Philofophy. The unexpeded exaltation of Sharp, and 
 his cruel and inhuman treatment of the party whofe interefts he 
 had betrayed, drew on him the hatred of the pious and perfecuted 
 of the fuffering Kirk^ whofe caufe refted on the firm bafis of re- 
 . fiftance and unfliaken conftancy. On the 3d of May 1679, this 
 prelate fell a facrifice to the refentment of the vioji holy of the con- 
 venticle. Nothing could exceed the piety with which his barbar- 
 ous murder was perpetrated. HackJiofiofRathilktinFife^2ind.^i^X. 
 
 • A remarkable divifion of the Prefbyterians at the time of the Reftoration, 
 f Keith, p. 25, 
 
 10 more 
 
ST. ANDREWS. 407 
 
 more of the condition of farmers his aflbclates, had by earneft 
 prayer enquired of the Lord anent (concerning) the expediency 
 of executing righteous judgment on the Archbifhop*. The 
 anfwer was, ' Go and profper f.' On the fatal day, he, unheed- 
 ing danger, (while thefe nine aflaflins were lying in wait,) was 
 paying a vidt to the clergyman of a neighbouring parifh (Ceres), 
 and carelelly fmoking a pipe with him, when a boy, who had 
 knowledge of this circumftance, gave notice to Hackfton, and the 
 reft of the aflaflins, who fallied forth to way-lay the devoted 
 vicSlimlj:. Seizing the moment favourable to their hellifli pur- 
 pofe, they exclaimed in maddening rapture, " He is delivered 
 into our hands" and drew their fwords in gloomy fatisfadlion ; 
 and whilft charging their carabines and piftols they muttered 
 thanks to the Supreme Difpofer of all Events, in full afllirance of 
 the uprightnefs and innocence of their intentions ! Meanwhile 
 the Archbifliop's coach came in fight, in which fat himfelf and 
 his daughter in eafy converfation, without the fmallefl: fufplcion 
 of their impending fate ; till, accidentally looking out of the coach 
 window, Sharp delcryed armed men well mounted in purfuit of 
 him. He inftantly gave order to his coachman to drive full 
 fpeed to the palace of St. Andrews; but his murderers rode 
 furioufly after, and difcharged their pieces at the coach without 
 effect. One, who happened to be better mounted than the reft, 
 came boldly up to it, cut the traces, and ftruck the poftilion to 
 the ground with his fword. This was the fignal of death. The 
 
 • On Magus Muir, as he was to pafs homeward. 
 
 -|- The execution of r'tghleoits juclgment hy private meUi was «^fl^AW//o« organized. See 
 Hind lei Loofe, p. 24. 639. 
 
 :|l Lord Hallcs' Remarks on the Hill, of Scot. p. 263. 
 
4o8 ST. ANDREWS. 
 
 reft of the ruffians by this time having furrounded the carriage, 
 tore the Archbiftiop from it, then, dragging him to a fmall dif- 
 tance, they poured their (hot into him, and pierced him with many 
 wounds, leaving him to expire in the arms of his diftradted daugh- 
 ter. He was conveyed to his own palace, and buried with all 
 the pomp due to his exalted ftation*. His mercilefs aflaffins 
 fkulked about the country, the chief of whom was afterwards 
 taken in battle, and, being tried as a traitor and murderer, fuffer- 
 ed the death due to his crimes ; for, notwithftanding his ex- 
 prefsly denying the authority of the King, the court, the judges, 
 and the jury, he was tried, found guilty, condemned, and 
 executed on the fame day ; and his quarters were fent to the 
 chief towns as monuments of divine vengeance "f. On the 
 death of Sharp, Epifcopacy declined apace, and Arthur Rofs, 
 who died on the 13th of January 1704, was the laft dignitary 
 of the ancient fee of St. Andrews f . 
 
 • See the order of lils Grace's funeral, in the Appendix to Arnot's Hiftory of 
 Edinburgh, p. 608. 
 
 The monument of Archbifhop Sharp, in the church of St. Nicholas, is of white 
 marble, executed in a poor ftyle, it is confeffed, yet for the time at which it was er. £led 
 not altogether devoid of merit. The church was lately rebuilt, at an expence of about 
 three thoufand pounds fterling, befides one thoufand thrown away in a law-fuit between 
 the town of St. Andrews and the proprietors of the parifh of St. Nicholas. 
 
 f See Swift's Crichton's Mem. ; Woodrow's Hift. vol ii. p. 142. and Hind let Loofe, 
 p. 197. 
 
 t The Revolution of J 688 deprived him and the reft of the Scotifh Bifliops of their 
 revenues. See Keith, p. 27. 
 
 END OF THE FIRST VOLUME. 
 
 Printed by A. Strahan, 
 Printers-Street, London. 
 
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