ornia ■ ,^ -.-:_.-%CM-.".c.- S^ ^ THE LTORARY JJWVERSII-Y OF CALIFORN^ LOS ANGELES A • ur:^ey to the Highlands OF ►S C OTLAN D. With Occaiional Remarks on UrJe. J. ' ** Self-love^ and'focialis the fame ^^ We may tranfport our perfons^ I per- ceivCy to the remoteft regions of the earth : From Caledonia we may dire5i cur ramhles into the deferts of Arabia^ hut the mind fiill. remains untravelled^ and clings fondly to that dcar^ and do- mefiic circle zvhom ii^e have left over cur own fire-Jtdes^ and zvhofe prayers and wifhes are for ever on the wing to keep pace with our migrations. As the chaife therefore ran rapidly along^ hearing ( vii ) hearing me every moment farther from the fcene of fny accujlomed converfation^ d'fid the beloved ohjeEls^ by whofe inge- nidty they were fupported^ I refolved to make my journey in fome meafure ccmpenfate the fatigue of undertaking it* This^ firjl fuggefled to rie thofe pleafures which are allowed even to ah- fence^ the pleafures of the pen •, ac- cordingly^ I refolved to travel rather critically than cafually^ rather to ac- commodate my friends with info7'mation than merely to gratify the greedinefs of vacant curicfjy. ^he confequences were^ I did not fuffer the pojiilion to indulge his profejfionalpajfon^ to pafs a 4 brijkly ( viil ) hrijkly through any farts of. cultivated, country^ or rattle rapidly over the pavement of towns ^ that is: ere fertile of remark^ hat ordered hi?n to go fen- timentally , In a 'is^ordy I rode pencil in hand, employing myfelf in drawing a Jketch of the landfcape^ whether of hill or valley^ morafs or mountain^ as it lay before me •, a tafk^ not the lefs agreeable for its abounding in novelties -y or for the various profpe^s which re- warded it. 'To this vanity, indeed^ may be attributed the fpirit which re- fifled the inconvenience of fometimes travelling ^over heaths of ahnofi im- meafurable flerility : Bui to thefc^ u gayer ( ix ) gayer and. fairer CGmpUxion of country dl-ivays fucceededj 'uohich^ feconded by the hofpitality e^jery where fhewn to 7)16 a',:d to 7ny party ^ an hofpitality^ which marks tJje characlerifiic fea- tt'/re of the kingdom^ not only made G'niinds for thofe occafwnal glooms which feemed to breathe the fpirit of melan- choly^ from the furroundi?tg barrennefs^ hit gave to the whole that fort of chequer- work, which ^ inevitably rriixes with every bufinefs^ and every pie a fur e^ in the circumfcribed purntY of Life. On my return to Lcndtcn^ after I had ' reciproially givsn - and received the embraces of welcome^ I was ( X ) was not a little furprifed^ (and I am woman enough to ozvn^ not a little fleafed) to find thofe running papers whi-ch were trufted to the pcft^ very favourably received by thofe to whom they were addrejfed. Nay, how fhall I efcape betraying the fyniptoms of vanity, when I further obferve that Lady * * * had taken the pains, by the clue which the knowledge of my connexions gave her, to obtain copies from every other correfpondent, and to put the little bundle, thus affection- ately colle5fed, into the ha?ids of a li- terary gentkraan ? To ( xi ) ^0 cut Jhort a preface that begim .to threaten froli:- memoration it is fdcr^d. AVhere were the Mufes of a Beattie, a Home, u Richardfon, or an Ogilvie? Had they fo foon forgot, one of the greateil ornaments of their country: Or were they, even afier deat^^ jealous ofthatpoflhumous reputation, which however great, cannot gratify the. object on whom it is bellowed ? Poor D 2- Smollet L 35 3 Smollet lies without a verfe : This negle6t is the more unpardonable, my dear Lady Mary, as the Do6lor, in one of his lateft publications, i peaks very handfomely of this very ipot. That the blufh of omifTion may be deepened in the cheeks of his fellow poets, I lliail tranfcribe his very fentiments on this fubjedlj not only indeed, for the above reafon, but becaufe his fhcrt defcriptioa n^.ay ferve to elucidate mine, v/hich is more cxadl and explicit. " We have fixed our head quarters," fays the Dodlor in the expedition of Humphry Clinker, '^ at Cameron, a very neat country houfe belonging to CommilTary Smollet, vvhere v/e found I 37 ^ found every accommodation \vc could defire. It is fituated like a druid's temple, in a grove of oak, ciofe by the fide of Loch-Lomond, which is a furprifmg body of pure traniparent Vv-ater, unfathomly deep in many places, fix or feven miles broad, four and tv/enty miles in length, difplaying above twenty green i (lands, covered with v/ood ; fome of them cultivated for corn, and miany of them flocked with deer : they belong to different gen- tlemen, v/hofe feats are fcattered along the banks of the lake, which are agreeably romantic, beyond con- ception." But iLii], my dear Lady Mary, although cur poet hath D 3 thus I 33 J thus made Loch-Lomond, " Live in defcription, and look green in fong i" not a bard, I Hiy, hath had the gratitude to beftow a few tributary veries. What a reflecftion then to the bards of Caledonia, to let a brother poet remain unfung j His friend, no doubt, did all he could ^ for, you know, it is in the power of many a man to raife a mcnument that cannot write an epitaph. But peace to his manes ! and may he meet that recompenfmg wreath of bays in the Elyfian lliades, which his countrymen feem not very ready to grant him on earth? Excufe this digrefilon from my de- 6 fcriptioa t 39 ] fcription cf Loch-Lomond, which, you will now confider as fupple- i^ental to Smollct's. This beautiful piece of water, has (for I was v^ery exacl) thirty iOands on it, all finely fertile ; fome have luxuriant trees growing on them-, and one in parti- cular hath the ruin of a.caftle, v/hich being nigh the centre, adds greatly .p the beauty of the profpecl. It I'jckily proved a clear day, and we went all round them in Sir James Cclquhcun's pleafure-boat, the pro- prietor of this pleafanr, I had ahmofl faid paradifiacal fpot. I faw the feating illand mentioned by Smol- leti it is evidently a part of the Irjiky which the r.^p!dity of the torrent lias ^ D^ f 'i v.'^ ' [ 40 ] forced off and carried with it int0 the lake -, it is not large, and often r.ndulates from one fide to the other. Sir James, planted feme little trees on it, but they do not thrive, though the fod has a beautiful verdure. We landed on one of the iflands, v/hich is planted with yew, and flocked with deer: we fav/ a great many of themj and walked up a high hill that pre- fented us with a profped too pleaf- ing to be well defcribed by your correfpondent. Picture in your ima- Pi nation the fun fliinins; with all its fplendour on the Loch, unruffled v;ith the leaft wind, and thefe fairy ides fcattered on the furface in ^^ res;ular confufion :" On one fide the I 41 ] the woods, and corn fields in all their luxuriance grow down the ilopes clofe to the margin of the water ; on the other Ben Lomond rears his lofty head as if he bid de- fiance to thofe clouds, which, I have feen hanging miles 2be]ow its top. This hill, at the end of the Loch, is a wonder in its kind : ks fides appear a fine green -, it is fix miles from the bafe to the top :. I could have liked to have alcended. it, but found no one willing to ac- com.pany me on fo romantic a tour, fo was oblio;ed to content mvfelf with a dUlant view of this m/ig^ni- ficene objed. Sir T — C rold me, there was a young Scotch lady that t 42 ] that walked up in the morning and returned to dinner without appearing tired :. I think I hear feme fine lady amongft my own countrywomen, v/ho aftecl to be tired to death with a couple of turns in the Mall, ex- claim, Oh! what horrid, indelicate creatures mull thole women be that could fcrm fuch a plan, much kfs execute it ! But I know you will join me in deipifing the affec- tation of thofe females who think, becaufs indulgent Fortune has throv/n a coach in their power, they are not to make ufe of the gifts Na- ture has bellowed. At the end of Loch Lomond, as we ftoppea to bait, at a liitle inn, in our way to the [ 43 ] fhe Duke cf Argyle's, I fav/ upon a pane of glafs very legibly cut by a diamond, fome verfes by a poe- tical traveller, containing a very ex- adt defcription of Een Lomond. Though tlie ufuai fcratches upon tavern' windov/s will feldcm bear ven reading, yet thofe v;ere fo agreeable an exception to the rule of general nonlenfe, and indelicacy,. that I thought them v/orrh tran- fcribing-, the trouble of which I undertook at the cod of penciling upon my knees. Eut as they were fcarcely ever made public, they may perhaps pleafe you, and that will be a delightful reccir.pcnce. Yerfes I 44 ] Terfes on Ben Lomon d. Written on a Window. STRANGER, if o'er this pane of glafs perchance. Thy roving eyes fliouldcaft a cafual glance; If tafte for grandeur, and the dread fublime. Prompt thee, Ben Lomond's fearful height to climb; Here Hop attentiv-e, nor with fcorn refufe. The humble rhimings of a tavern mufe : For thee the mufe,, this rude inftrudioii: i plann'd. Prompted for thee, her humble poet's hand. Truft not at firll a quick advent'rous pace. Six miles.its top points gradual from the bafe Up the high rife, with panting hafle I paft. And gain'd the long laborious Heep at lail.. More [ 45 ] 'ore prudent thou, when once you pafs the deep, Vith cautious ileps, and flow, afcend the fleep. Dh, flop awhile, oft taHe the cordial drop, \nd rell, oh reft, long, long upon the top. There hail the breezes, nor with toilfome hade, )ownthe rough flope thy ufeful vigour wafte; Jolhall thy wond'ring light at once furvey, Voods, lakes, and mountains, vallies, rocks and fea ^ iuge hills, that heap'd in crowded order ftand, Uretch'd o'er the Wellcrn, and the Nor- thern land: inormous groupesj while Ben, who cften fhrouds riis lofty fummit in a veil of clouds, "rligh o'er the reil, exulting in his fiate, n proud pre-eminence, fublimely great: t 46 ] One fide all aweful to the aftonifli'd eye, 'Prefents a rife three hundred fathoms higl. : Which fwells tremendous on th' aftonilh'd fenfe, With all the pomp of dread magnificence. A\l this and morefhalt thou with wonder fee, And own a faithful monitor in me. J. R U S S E L. Adieu, my dear Lady Mary: And whiift I cenfure the female fol- lies of the age we live in, may I improve by the virtues that confti- tute your charadler, is the fincerc ^vifh of Your much obliged friend, and obedient fervant, &c; LET^ [ 47 ] LETTER VI. "To the Earl of C Liver ary^ Augujl 14, 1775, Flave been for fome days paft, my Lord, on a pleafant tour throu2;h the Wellern Flig-hiands. This is v/ritten ii'om Inverary, the feat of the prefect Duke of Argyle, but which ' was originally the pro- perty of the Campbel family, and after that, inhabited by the wonder- ful and whimfical Colin, v/ho is reported to have fet fire to his hpufe to gratify his ambition, cf difplay- ing t 4S 3 ing to a friend the grandeur of his equipage in the field. This fuperb modern building was begun by the late Duke, and finiilied by tlie pre- fent\ it flands in a park furrounded by immenfe hills, planted, to their fummit, with firs. Loch-Fine, an arm of the fea, rolls clofe to the tov/n, which is all re-building with ilone by the Duke^ and will, when finiflied, make a handfome appearance. The caflle is genteelly furniihed in the prefent tafle, and from the number of bedchambers, is capable of entertaining a nume- rous train-, which provifion, in- deed, the gloominefs of the fitua- 3tion mufb render very necefiary, for, [ 49 ] for, they tell me, it rains here eleven months out of the twelve, which, I think, may be eafily accounted for, from its near affinity to the fea, and the mountains that fur- round it \ for, as a learned and elaborate traveller, in his ufual pomp of phrafeology with gvc^Ltfcru- pukfity of minute inveftigaticn obferves, where there are many mountains, there v/iil always be much rairr, and the torrents pouring down into the intermediate fpaces, fel- dom find fo ready an outlet, as not to flagnate, till they have broken the texture of the ground ." The philofophy as well as the philology of this pafTage, is, to be E fure, T 50 1 fe*e, very profound, and means, .pretty near as much, as many other parts of this inveftigator's vifionary journey: not that I mean, miy Lord, invidioiifly to rob the gentleman of the praifes due to him for fe- veral real difcoveries which are fcat- tered through his publication : fuch, for inftance, as that, " mountainous countries are not pajfed without di-fficulty \ that, chnhing is not always necejjary \ that, what is not mountain is commonly hog^ through which bogs, the way muft he picked with caution,^'' Thefe ingenious and im- portant informations, have, I per- ceive, already attracted the ridicule «f our acute Englilh critics, and, 3 a5 I 51 "J ^s the fubjeft hath fallen in my \^ay, I could not help joining the chorus of ironical approbation for .he edifying remarks of the great D. J—, of whom, however, I muil take leave at prefent, not without a promife to return again foon, and i>end a keener eye ^ upon his volume cf vacancy. The caille of Inverary is in a bottom, the o;reat fault of all their houfes in this country ; for yau do not know you are near any inhabited place, till you find your chaife at their gates. We have, unfortunately, been favoured with a fpecimen of the weather natural to the place, 'having been unable to walk out, E 2 fi^ [ 52 ] for fome of the heavieft rains I ever faw. I began to tremble— Heaven forgive me! leafl the world was once more deilined to be de- llroyed* by a deluge j even now, my Lord, it is pouring down in tor- rents. We fliall quit it to-morrow, ^' nothing loth,'* v/ithout penetrat- ing any farther into the Highlands, this way^ and return by the fame road we came, which is, to me,, not a difpleafing one, though the major part that travel, are of a contrary opinion : I cannot better defcribe it than by faying, it ilrikes a pleafing gloominefs that I do not diflike, being fo new to me, who have only been ufed to bowl away upon a [ 53 J turnpike road in England. It is called Glencroe : the road has been rendered good by the foldiers; ic lies in a glen between immenfe mountains, that rear their black and naked tops much above the clouds. I faw fome horfes that appeared cropping a niiferabie mouthful, half way to the top, which, from their heighth, did not -appear bigger than fpaniels : My wonder was what the brutes could poflibly find to eat J but a Scotch horfe is not the niceil animal in the world, and will live any where. Perhaps, they have fufficient fagacity of inftind, to imitate the frug-al maxims of their mailers , and the pampered Engliih E 3 horfes, [ 54 1 lioHes, and Engllfh riders, are not far enough Norths and too much ac- cuilomed to the foftening luxuries &f the oouthy to adopt that general. habit of oeconomy, which, from the higheil to the loweft order of men is here the charadberiftic. I mud noC forget to tell you, there is a conti- Duation of natural cafcades falling all the \vay, which gives a grandeur and fparkling fplendour to the fcene, v/hich render it awefully de- lightful. There is fomething ex- quifite to me, even in the cadencr of a cafcade: as I liflened to it in this captivr.-ing fpot, I really felt my imagination expand, and if I had any thing of the bard in my com- [ 55 ] compofition, this would have been the moment of infpiration. Alas! my dear Lord, the Mufe would not come at my bidding, and I was obliged to recur to the defcription of one whom the Mufe more highly favoured. His cafcade is fo 'like mi/te at Glencroe, and fo much better painted than I could have painted it^ that I fcruple net to invite your acceptance of a tran- fcription ; though as I truil wlioliy to memory 5 not having the book, with me, I may perhaps tranfcribe incorredly. Should this be the- cafe, you know what excuie is ta> be made for it. % A, **• Ait 1 5^ 1 «* At firft, an azure flieet It ruflies broad : ** Then whitening by degrees, as prone it falls, ** Dafh'd in a cloud of foam, it fends aloft •* A hoary mift and forms a ceafelefs fhower ; ** Then, falling fall, from gradual ilopc to Dope, *• With wild, infradled courfe, and leiTen'^ roar, ** It gains a fafer bed, and fteals at lall " Along the mazes of the quiet vale." It is now proper to acquaint yon, that, foon after our return to Edinburgh, we fhall purfue our intended journey into Murrayfliire ; and if any thing occurs that I think will be in the leaft pleafing to [ 57 ] -to your Lordfliip, I will continue to fcribble. I am, with the grcateft refped, your moft obliged ferv^int. / X E T- C 5S 3 LETTER VIL fo the Earl of C ■> ■ * Sisrling.JuguJI 22, IJ J SiJ^. I^efume the pen, my Lord, to let you know, we are once more^ in motion, having turned our backs on Edinburgh, and begun our jour- ney into Murray. You defire mo tx) continue writing, and to make- my remarks on things as they ftrike me — ^You fhall be obeyed ; fb wher^- you are tired, do not complain. Wc yefterday dined at Linlithgow, fa» «nous for the remains of the palace,. .wher« f 59 T •w^herc Mary Queen of Scots was born, but which has nothing now remaining except the outer walls. It appears from the roads a fine ruin •, it was burnt in forty- five by the King's army. The next ftage was Falkirk, and from thence to Sterling, where we lodged : We this day took the track of the rebel ar- my, and v/ere I to offer my opinion from the obfervations I have been, enabled to make of the life and manners of this people, it would be, that, their fo eafily gaining fol- lowers, and poiTefTing themfelves of thefe towns, is not at all furprifingj, fjnce thofe, who were well-afFe6led to government, were fo few, ia com- t 60 ] comparifon with that ignorant mul- titude, which run with the ftream, and are one moment ready to join the Pretender's ftandard, and the next, on fight of our troops to difcard their new-acquired friends and throw up their bonnets for King George. ** Some popular Chief More noify than the reft, but cries halloo. And in a trice the bellowing herd come out; And one and all is the word 5 They never afk for whom, or what they fight. But turn 'em out, and Ihew 'em but a foe; Cry liberty, and that's a caufe of quarrels," Is it then matter of wonder that towns fiiould yield, which had it not C 6i ] not in their power to make the leaft refiflance to this- rabble of defpera- does? for fuch^ and not an army^ it might, with juilice, be fliled. But a truce with politics, they ill be- come a woman's pen j and I know not a more ridiculous charadler than a petticoat pedant, or politician. Neverthelefs, being on the fpct, which, at that period, fct all Eng- land in a tremor ; I was led irrcfif- tibly to thefc confequent refi6<5lions ; let this plead my excufe. I this morning took a view of Sterlixg Castle, which flands on a very high rock, fortified impregnably by nature. Within its walls is a iquare building ornamented with pillars [ 62 1 pillars refting on flrangc grotefquc* looking figures. It was once the palace of feveral of txhe Scotch kings. From the ramparts of the caille, you are prefented with one of the mod romantic and beautiful views in Scotland; you fee a vafl plain waving with yellow corn (now in all its beauty) adorned with woods, and watered by the river Forth; which though but four miles of water, by its various mazes and labyrinths, peninfula-like, covers twenty miles of ground, and appears," to a cafual obferver, not as one river, but a number of rivers. I think one of the greateft beauties that Scot- land eminently pofiefles, is, their many I 6.9 3 ifnany noble rivers, which is, a full compenfation for that general want of wood which is complained of by -mifatisjied travellers •, that, are fo far from being contented v/ith the pro- fpeCt before thcm,they ni ufl forfooth, have tov/ns and countries made on purpofe to pleafe them, or clfe they exclaim againft art and nature, even for prefenting them with that very variety, which conilitutes the great- cfl entertainment. Nor do thefc querulous gentlemen feem to refled: that, if the face of the earth was naturally uniform j if deilitute of that diverfity, which it derives from the hill and valley, the barren heath, >and the blooming garden, there would [ 64 ] would neither be any motive to ex- cite the curiofity of the traveller, nor, perhaps, any incentive for one country to connedc itfelf commercially with another. But with refpedl to Scotland it is but in a few places totally denuded, I mean not to infi- nuate, like the pedantic Dr. J , that there are but two trees in one county, and ihty Jiumpy: Dr. J '-^'^'-VV is a gentleman whofe ability and ve- racity as an Historian, I muft beg leave to call in queflion, in fpite of that curious adaptation of high-flown words, which he hath, with great labour, jumbled together for the edification of thofe good people that travel in their clofcts j to fuch only, muft [ es ] muil his tour be addrefled, fince thofe who go the fame road, will foon be convinced^ how falfe an ac- count he has given of a country, to the hofpitality of whofe inhabicants he owns himfelf fo much oblio;ed. As a theorift^ I allow Dr, J— to be a very moral man; but as a pra^ical mcralift^ at leaft while on his tour, I have as great an objedlion to him, as I have to his biographical, fecond- Jtghted efiufions : for, what fnall be faid of a perfon, who, after many printed confefTions of conflant kind- nefs, goes deliberately through an extenfive track of country, drink- ing your drink, eating your bread, repofing on your bed, and then, ^sith premeditated malignity, dip- F ping [ 66 ] ping his goofe-quill in gall, and returning into his own country, merely to fweil her triumph over that, which hath cherillied him ? Is it not, my Lord, (to adopt the nervous language of that Shake- fpeare whom he hath elucidated in-r to obfcurity) * "' As his hand. Should tear the mouth that lifting food tohr I cannot think that, a greater mis- fortune can attend a people, than for thefe fnarlers, (who from the na- ture of their conilitutions and their cloiftered habits of life, ever look on the blacii fide of the profpedl;) to vifit any nation as literary travel- * Alluding to Dr. J — 's edition of Shakefpear. krs, [ 67 ] lers, fince they travel not with in- tent to give the world a fair account of manners and cuiloms, but merely to exaggerate the bad and fink the good. This is the natural confe- quence arifing from the writings of a Dr. J 5 which ought to meet with the contempt that a falfe re- prefentation of a vcrf worthy fet of people deferves. The length of my letter frightens me, there- fore I will not add a word mor« than that I am, my Lord, your much obliged fervant. F i LET- [ 6S ] LETTER VIIL To Lady Mary B Edinburgh^ Auguji i8, 1 7 75* WHEN we returned to Edin- burgh, my dear Lady Mary, we made a party to dine at Ros- LiNE Castle, a place which hath given its name to one of their pretty plaintive tunes, of which you are fuch an admirer. We are apt to confider fuch places as the claffic ground of Scotland ; which hath certainly produced fome pathetic poets, as well as illuilricus hifto- rians ^ [ 69 ] rians •, and we have as much pica- lure in fittino; under the buflies-of Traquair, the birks of Inyerma\% or on the banks of the Tweed, liilening to the fongs of the poets, as In reading the profounder pages of Philofophy, or tracing the bio- graphical annals of the bijlofic Mufe. Rolline Cairle is fituated on a little hillock on the banks of the river Eilc. It appears by the thicknefs of the walls, and the extent of the foun- dation, to have been a ftrong place; and was the feat of a prince of Ork- ney, who an old woman, — the Cicerone of the place — afTured us, was the fecond man in the kingdom, *nd that his v/ife wasdrefled in velvet; F ^ this [ 70 ] this was all the inform ationy^^ could give tiSj and, therefore, all I can give you. — The chapel, which lies about 200 yards from the caftle, is more modern-, and, though our old woman defcanted en its antiqui- ty, by the fiddles and other orna- ments on the roof, cannot be abqve 400 years old. The pillars that fup- port it are all different in form, and one of them, which is thought the handfomefl, though I cannot tell why, is called the Prince's pillar, or the 'prentice's — -our condudtrefs told us a leo:end of the mailer's o having killed his 'prentice through envy, becaufe he had excelled him in the conftrudion of it. I own I faw [ 7« ] law nothing to envy in the beauty of any pillar there ; but then it mud be confidered, that perhaps I under- ftand as little cf the beauties of architecture, as thofe by whom thefe pillars were planned. There ■ is a vaulted chapel underneath the other, which has a holy-water fount, and other remains of the popifn de- corations ^ which makes me wonder how it efcaped the rage of refor- mation with fo little damage. — Near this place is a pretty little inn, where we had moil excellent trout and eels juil taken from the river below lis: — the poultry too v/as fuperior to what we generally meet with, F 4 and [ 7^ J and the civility of the people ren- dered it one of the moil agreeable jaunts I have yet had. — Before I conclude my letter, (tho' I am afraid you are already yavi^ning over it) I muft prefent you with an elegy,. or a fong, or a fomething, which a gentleman has lately wrote on this delightful fpot r it conveys a very good idea both of the ruinous and. fiourifhing beauties of the place. You will, perhaps, not value very highly the produdlion of a Northern Mufe,nor would you Icarcely imagine at times, there was heat enough in the climate to kindle the enthufiafm of the bard : But I doubt not you will be (as / was) of a contrary opinion^ r 73 J opinion, when you have perufed the- following flanzas ; and that I may no longer detain you from them^. I conclude myfelf. Yours, fmcerely. R O S- [ 74 ] ROSLINE CASTLE. T dead of night, the hour, when courts In gay fantalHc pleafures move, And haply Mira joins their fports. And hears fome newer, richer love ; To Rosline's ruin« I repair, A iolitary wretch forlorn ; To mourn, uninterrupted, there, My haplefs love, her haplefs fcorn* No found of joy difiurbs my drain. No hind is vvhillling on the hill; No hunter winding o'er the plain; No maiden finging at the rill. Eik, murm'ring thro' the dufky pines, Refledls the moon's mift-mantled beam j. And fancy chills, where'er it fliines, To fee pale ghofts obfcureJy gleam. Noi [ rs ] ?sot To the night, that in thy halls Once, RosLiNE, danc'd in joy along; Where owls now fcream along thy walls, Refounded mirth-infpiring fong : Where bats now reft their fmutty wings, Th* impurpled feaft was wont to flow ; And Beauty danc*d in graceful rings, And Princes fat, where nettles grow. What now avails, how great, how gay; How fair, how fine, their matchkis dames ! There, lleeps their undiftinguifli'd clay, And even the iiones have loft their names. And yon gay crowds muft foon expire ! Unknown, unprais'd, their Fair-one's name: Not fo the charms that verfe infpire, Encreafing years encreafe her fame. Oh I ( 76 ] Oh Mira! what is ftatc or wealth? The Great can never love like me; Wealth adds not days, nor quickens health ; Then v/ifer thou, come, happy be; Come, and be mine in this fweet fpot. Where Efk rolls clear his little wave, We'll live—and Efk Ihal), in a cot. See joys that Rosline never gave* L E T. [ n J LETTER IX, To Miss ray-Bridge^ Augujl 25, 1775, I Received my dear filler's agree- able favor, juft as I was leav- ing Edinburgh for my northern ex- pedition ; which has, hitherto, been fraught fufiiciently with adventures to entitle us to the honourable or- der of Quixotifm, and to confer upon your correfpondent the dig- nity of a Lady-Errant. But to let you fee I do not complain without reafon, 1 will give you the journal- S of [ 7S ] of the lad four days.— Wednefday:^ we lay at Mr. Seton's, a very pretty Highland place, three miles from Sterling, made doubly agreeable by the hofpitality and politenefs of its owner. — Thurfday, after breakfail, we fet out for Crief, where one of the horfes fell fick, and we were forced to flay. — Friday, proved a day of misfortunes. Indeed, we had fcarce quitted the houfe when the horfe appeared almoft too bad to go on. The road was rather dif- agreeable, laying between immenfe '' cloud-topt" hills, which ftrike with awe and wonder the allonilhed beholder. But it is in vain to at- ..tempt a defcriptiony as none can convey [ 79 ] convey an adequate idea of thafc- ilupendous mountains. They were not like Dr. J 's hiil, perpendicu- larly tubulated^ but they rather an- fwered the delcription of a poet not much lefs laborioufly affected-, Sir Richard Blackmore of rumblins; memory : " Ridges of high contiguous hills arife, ^' Divide the hills, and penetrate the fkies." When we arrived within three miles of our ftage, the horfes would not go any farther \ there was no re- fource, but to unharnefs and bait them, while we took up our abode in a hovel nllcd with hay; which place might, I think, jufbly be itiled, A place (in the language of a coun- I So 3 a country fign) affording Entertain- ment for Man and Beaji, Here wc fat an hour and an half; till, being quite frozen with cold, I was obliged to take the fhelter of a little hut, the inhabitants of which made me a fire, and treated me with un- taught good-nature and hofpitality. The fentiments of poor Goldfmith were perfonified, and I fa%v the very fcene he hath fo pleafingly painted in his Traveller. With involuntary ardour, and to the infi- nite furprife of the good people of the cottage, I broke forth into quotation, and applied the Travel- ler's language. [ Si ] ** Bleft be this fpot, where chearful gucfti retire, To paulc from foil, and trim their erenln'j fire; Blefs'd this abode, where travcUcri rcpaif. And every flranger finds a ready chiir : Bieil be thefe fealls, with fiinple pkfltjr crown'd. Where all the ruddy family around. Laugh at the pranks or jefts that ncref filtj Or figh with pity at foine mournful talt^ Or prefs the bafhful ftrariger to his foo4j And Itarn the laxiury of doing good.** But alas 1 this Arcadian liberality is too feldom found in houfcs of the genteel and poliihcd part of the world', fcr, certainly, benevo- lence is cemented with our beingt, ^tnd wc are delighted io obeying tht G dicliiuss [ 82 ] •didlatcs of nature; till art, that fpoiler of many natural good quali- ties, makes us alTume a look and .behaviour, foreign to our hearts; for who, my dear .fifier, choofes to appear in their own charader, where all around' them are in mafquerade ? Your true men of the world, thofe iiien, my filler, who pique them- felves upon the adoption of fafh ion- able maxims, and who move in the fphere of elevated duplicity, ^* Can fmile, snd fmile, and murder while they fmile. And cry, content to that which grieves the heart; .Can wet the cheek with artificial tears, And frame the face to all cccafions ; ,9 Such I 5.^ ] Sucti can deceive more flyly than JJlyftes, ouch can add colours cvch to the cameleon, •Change {hapes with Proteus for advantages. And fend the murd'rous Machiavel to fchool." But to quit extracls, and proceed— With ail this trouble v/e could get but eleven miles this day, and hj at Hamilrow, a place, where, from its lituation and appearance, it is impofTible to harbour any thing bu: gloomy ideas. And, were an En- glifliman or woman to lodge here in the bleak black month of No- vember, the conlequences might be fatal. Even I, (who you know, have none of the faturnine difpo- fition of my country) could n::c G 2 help I S4 ] help declaring, I would not live there one week to be millrefs of all the lurroiinding hills : for, be it known, tlie eye can dilcover nothing hut thofe hills. This morn- ing, we left the dreary place to meet with worfe miladventures than before. We had not proceeded a mile when the horfes run back, inftead of afcending a hill, and broke the pole, which luckily hindered the chaife from runnino; back. We got out, and walked up ; but neither ill or good ufage could prevail on them to follow : we now found their only difeai^ was being rdlive : With a great deal of trouble they were perfuaded to [ 85 ] go two miles farther ; when, on the appearance of another hiil, they per- formed the fame trick, with feme con fide rable additions \ for they would not niove a foot. What was to be done I there were no horfes at the place we had left, and it was twelve miles to Tay- bridge, where if wt had lent, it was very unlikely we fhould be better fupplied, there being no poft-horfcs kept on the Highland roads. In this terrible dilemma — chance, a goddefs v.'hich is worfhipped by not a few, flood our friend, and fent us help. She did not appear in the form of an Oroondates, mounted on a milk-white palfrey, fnining G 3 ia [ 86; ] in burnlfiied armour, and a helmet waving with feathers, like the toafts of Britain : no, fhe came to us in a much more defirable ihape than all the knights of Chivalry, from AmadJs de Gaul, to the famous knight of La Manca. We beheld her goddefship in the fimilitude of a return pofl-chaife, whofe driver was, by the all- r-tcracling and chemic power of gold, prevailed on to put his horles before ours^ by which means,- v/e got fafe to Tay-bridgc. Till vv-e can:c to Sterling, we had paflcd our journey without any trouble*, but who had a right to ex- pe6b, it Vv'ould continue ? li was emblematic of cur great jour- Bey [ 87 T ney through life, where all muft meet with their blacky as well as *:z'hite days, but we fliould fatisfy oiirfelves with confidering, «* Tis not for fiotking that we life purfue; It pays our hopes with fomething ftiU that's new : Each day's a miftrefs unenjoyM before. Like ira'velkrst we're pleas'd with feeing more." Bravo! Mr. Dryden. Adieu, my dear fider, you lliall foon hear from me again, if I fliould gee fafe over thefe Alps of Cakdojiia^ of which, I have rather my doubts. Believe me, in all event*;. Ever yours, ^jc. G4' LET- LETTER X. 'To Lady Mary B Taymouth, Auguji 18, 1775. \FTER innumerable peril!5 and dangers, here I am,» my dear Lady Mary, once more lodged in fafery in an enchanting catlle. Take notice, I did not fay :i!i enchanted one, though could fairy rales now gain credit, this might well pafs for one of their palaces \ but before I give you a defcription of it, I mull inform you, that, for lonie days paft, I have been travel- ino; [ S9 ] ling through places fo gloomy, that Vv^as I to attempt to defcribe them, ir would give you the vapours for this month to con"^e : But after we came within Ibme miles of this place and began to defcend into the vale, the country wore a mofl pleafmg ap- pearance; the contrail being fo itrik- ingly beautiful, from thofe truly bar- ren rocks, to this cultivated valley, v/hich continues to encreafe in beau- ty till you arrive at Taymouth, the feat of Lord Breadalbane. This place, is faid to carry the prize from ail others in the Highlands, and well does it defervc to do fo. For this favoured fpot feems to enjoy every benefit of the boafled South. [ 90 ] South. Nature having poured out her blelTings with the hand of profu- fion i everything appears to grow v/Ith the greaj:efl luxuriance : And- the taite and fpirit of his Lord- fl-jip cannot be too much admired. - Nature is aiTiRed by art, juft "enough to add to, not rob her of, her beauties; which lait is in general the fault of mofl modern ^ improvers. How few men of pro- perty practife the precepts of Mr. Pope, " To build, to plant, whatever yea intend. To rear the column, or the arch to bend; To fvvell the terrace, or to fmk the grot. In all, let Nature never be forgot : But [ 91 ] S^uf treat the Goddefs like a modeft Fair, Nor over-drefs, nor leave her wholly bare; Let not each beauty ev'ry-where be fpy'd. Where half the Ikill is decently to hide. He gains all points who pleafingly con- founds, Surprizes, vaiie?, and conceals the bounds.'* Taymouth lies in a fertile valley bounded on each fide by mountains planted with trees and cornfields. The policy furrounds the houle, which (lands in the park, and is a very good one, ftocked with fallow deer, v^hich are rarities in Scotland,, their's bein^; the red fort. Here- is a magnificent walk ^compofed of large trees, formino; a gothic arch, which may, from its thick il^ade, bid [ 92 ] bid defiance to Sol's moft refulgent beanis. The walk on the banks of the Tay is fifty feet wide, and two and twenty hundred yards long •, not that I meafured it, but fo laid my informer. It is to be continued as far as the meeting of the two rivers, the Tay and the Lion^ v/hich will make it as long again as it now is ^ and it may then be laid to Hand unrivalled in this country. We will now, if you are not tired, take a tour over the wooden bridge that is thrown acrofs the Tay, and is two hundred feet long, and afcend the oppofite hill to the white feat, where you have a magnificent and cxtenfive view of the rich meadows, th« [ 9.5 1 the various windings of the river, the beginning of the Lough Tay, which has a very pretty iiland upon it, wiih the ruins of a priory, founded by Alexander the .firft, in II22 •, in which were depofited the remains of his Qiieen Sybilla, na- tural daughter to Henry the Firfl. It was founded by Alexander, that the monks might pray for the re- pofe of his foul, and that of his queen. What abfurdity in the Romiili religion, to imagine that any fet of men, fmners like our- felves, could have power to pray us out of purgatory ! — Here is a very pretty edihce called The Tem- ple of Venus, in which is a flatue 6 of "[ 94 1 'X)i the laughter- loving Dame. You •have from it a fine vievv-. There is another to Apollo, and one to Bo- reas, and manv more of the fabii- lous deities, to which his LordfhiD has raifed temples ♦, from all of which you have fine profpedls. The caule is large, and there are many of the pi6i:ures of the famous Jamefon, a fcholar of Rubens, the Vandyk of this country: of whole performance^ they are extremely fond ; the genealogical pidure of this yfamily done hy him ^ is efleemed a curiofity. I think it a very good method to hand down pedigrees by making the firfc of the family i\\c trunk, and all his progeny the branches. [ 95 ] 'branches. I know you love long letters, but by the time you have got to the end of this, you will have little reafon to complain. I have but jinl: room in my paper .to tell my dear Lady Mary, I am, .her much obliged friend, &c; L E '.; - [ 9^5 3 • LETTER XL ^0 the Earl of C — — — E Dunkeld^ Jugujl 30, 1775. VER fince I had the plcafurc of writing to your Lordfhip from Sterling, I met with a feriea of dif- agreeable adventures, till I arrived at Taymouth caftlc, the feat of Lord Breadalbane, which we left Tuefday after dinner ^ and purlued our way for Dunkeld. The road is charming all the way ; but being late when I arrived, hindered me from I 91 1 from enjoying beft part of the prof- pccl it afforded. *' The glimmering landfcape faded on the fight." Wednefday we crofTed the river and landed in the Duke of Athol's garden : it is fituated on the banks of the Tay, and you have from the walks fome fine wild views ; there is a number oi trees that thrive verv well. In the c-ar- den is the ruin of the cathedral, a Roble and ilately edifice, as may be feen from the pillars llill ilanding, round which, the clafping ivy creeps : Thele confecrated ruins al- v/ays fill me with melancholy re- H fieclions. t 9ti ] fledions, for -v^hich that levelling reformer Knox, has given occa- fion enough in this country ; all but one (as obfcrved in a former letter ,)* arc mouldering in ruins. ** Around, you fee, wild rugged heaps csf ftone, '* Where pillars once of Parian marble {hone : •* Yet confcious what, thofe ruins were of old, ** Who dares unmov'd, the mofTy walls bc-» hold ? ** I tremble at the Deity's abode, ** And own the powerful piefence of the God.'* / See Utter the Vllth. One C 59 1 One cax^^not, my Lord, behold iuch venerable reliques without a reli- gious awe •, and poetry is frequently called in to aid contemplation. The ruins of an abby, a cathedral, or a caftle, arc, methinks, mora memento's of our own mortality No wonder, therefore, that our moll emxinent writers have pathetically delcribed thofe univerfai depreda- tions of time and chance, which happen to all men. The aptnefs of the fcllovving verfes, to zh^ fo- lem.nity of my profpeft, ilruck me; and they are too a-prcpos to the cc- caficn, and too admirable in them- kires, to need an excufe for fend- H 2 ii^iT [ 100 ] ing them fo many miles to your Lordfliip. What does not fade ! The Tower that long had Hood The crufii of thunder, and the warring winds, Shook by the flow, but fare dellroyer Time, No'w hangs in doubtful ruins o'er its bafey And flinty pyramids, and walls of brafs, Defcend ; the Babylonian fpires are funk ; Achaia, Rome, and Egypt moulder down. Time fliakes the flable tyranny of thrones. And tottering empires rufh by their own weight. This huge rotundity we tread, grows old. And all thofe worlds that roll around tht fun, The fun himfelf fhall die; and antient night Again involve the defolate abyfs: Till [ 101 ] Till the great Father, through the llfelcf* gloom. Extend his arm to light another world. And bid new planets roll by other laws ; For through the regions of unbounded fpace. Where unconfin'd Omnipotence has rcoin# Being, in various fyflems fluctuates Hill Between creation and abhorred decay : It ever did, perhaps and ever v/iil, New worlds are Hill emerging from the deep, The old defcending, in their turns to rife. But to quit philcfophical reflec- tions, and puriue our remarks on the pleallire grounds of the Duke of AthoL — In the walk tl^at is by the river, is a gro:io ornan^ientcd in an uncommon way , it is bi):!t: H 3 <. I [ 102 1 of* large coarfe ftones, on eacli of which are written verfes on va- rious fubjefls from moil of the Englifli poets. This little retire- tnent may be faid to afford food for the mind -, there are fome by the late Duke hinifelf, one of which 1 tranfcribed with my pencil, and I here fend you a copy : ■' WhilH refting on this rural feat, ** In this one hour of fweet retreat, ** Oh! may my heart with thanks o'e»- flow, ** For all the good Heaven did beftow, ** For every bleffing— Hill pcffefs'd, ** Oh render thanks, my grateful breafl, •* May they, to whom this feat is lent, ** With every good poff^fs content; " Thank- E 103 3 '* Thankful to God for all that's given, *• Tread virtue's path, the path to heaven. D_ A— d." Thefe lines though pafiing well for a nobleman, who writes only for diverfion, are by no means elegant or corredt enough for a profejfed poec. It may feem fomewhat fpiteful there- fore to defire your Lordlhlp will read after them a defcription of a fimi- lar fpot by one of the moil agree- able writers on fubjedts of fimpli- city, that ever adorned the court of Pan or Silvanus. — Yet, I could have wiihed the Duke had found a place for the fubfcquent truly rural, and enchanting llanzas. 11 4 Your [ 104 ] Your Lordfhip will fee, they derive additional beauty by the air of an- tiquity in fpelling the words, ex- clufive of a rufticity perfed:ly ve- nerable in the fentiment. O you that bathe in courtly bliJTe, Or toyle in Fortune's giddy fphere; Do not too rafhly deem amyiTe Of him that bides contented here. Nor yet difdeigne the rulTet floale, Which o'er each carlefs lymb he flings; Nor yet deryde the beechen bowle, In which he quaffs the lympid fprings. Forgive him, if at eve, or dawn Devoide of world lye cafh he flray'; Or all befide fome flovverye lawn. He waHe his inofFenfive daye. On [ 105 3 On the other fide of this rh^r is a pretty romantic walk that leads to the hermitage : on the rock at the end of it is a neat pavillion, whofe windows are formed of paint- ed glafs, through which you fee the river falling from a furprifmg height into the horrid gulph, beneath, with a moft terrifying noife-, and that which adds greatly to the formi- dable grandeur of the fcene is, that by looking through that part of the window which is red, it appears to be fheets of liquid fire rolling down the rock like the lava of mount Etna. My ideas were fo lively in picturing fuch images of horror, that I was obliged to turn fror.! lO indukino [ ic6 ] indulging them, cr from farther contemplating the fcene. — We are juft going to fet out for Blair, and the fummons of the poftilion obliges me abruptly to conclude myfelf. Your Lordfhip's rnoft obliged humble fervant. LET. [ 107 ] LETTER XII. T'o Lady Mary E Dalvey^ September 6^1']']^* BY the date of this, my dear Lady Mary, you v/ill lee I have got to the end of my journey. But I will, as you defire, continue the journal of ih.Q lad four days be- fore I arrived at this place — Wed- nefday, we left Dunkeld and fet out for Blair. The road between thofe two places is one of the mofl agreeable I ever travelled, being all the way along the banks of the river [ loS ] river Tay, which prefents at one view corn fields, woods of natural oaks, plantations of fir trees •, and in the back ground, immenfe rocks, whofe rugged fides form a moll llriking and beautiful contrail to the pleafing vale below. I think nothing in nature can lull our tur- bulent paffions, and give to the mind that fweet ferenity fo truly defireable, and fo feidom found, as fuch a profpe6l in the delici- oudy-pacific calm of a fummer evening. Such v/as the effed: I found froip^'it; for my fentiments always ^i!'ow from my feelings— Thurfday we took a view of Blair, a feat of the Duke of AthoFs : the houfe [ 109 ] houfe is now modernized, but once it was fortified, and held a fiege againil the rebels in 1746. Indeed, I believe, there are few caflles in the Highlands, which before the Union, have not wirhflcod an at- tack, either from their neis^hbours or fom.e more didant invader, as it v/as their g-reat delight to harrafs and diilrers one another. Near the houfe is a fine walk of trees, which enclofes a glen, and a cafcade that falls from a great height ; but 1 do not think it half fo defireable a place to live in as Dunkcld. Vv'e now fet out to purfue our journey, and made the firil flage very v, '^11 ; but it Y/as not deilined, that we fliould C no ] Ihouid reach our wifhed-for haven, without a few of thofe tremendous adventures, that give an air of the wonderful, in the recital of mo- dern travels, in the recounting which, there is a fort of biographi- cal licence allowed, or at lead: taken, of which, however, I promife not to avail myfelf, as I have ii';t a pen for e?rihellift)ing .' I'll content myfelf in recounting fad:s, as they hap- pened. We had got a few miles from our lad flage when, on the appear- ance of a very high hill, oppoiite Loch Geary, the horfes run the chaife clofe to the edge of the pre- cipice. Happily, we were out of k, or 1 think we fliould foon have been [ 211 j been with our anceflors in the fhade.*, below : they broke the pole in this barren place, the very woril fpot it could have happened in. Wc were forced to fit an hour and a half, whilft the carriage was dragged up the hill by the pofl-boy, with the afTifcance of one old man and three old ■■women, they being all the human creatures this difmal place afforded. There were now eio;ht miles to a.o w^ith a broken pole, which took up another hour in the mending, but by nine o'clock at night, we arrived in *fafety — Friday morning we fet out again, when on the fight of a little hill, v/ithin four miles of Pic- main, xhofe villainous horfes per- formed [ 112 ] tormed their accuftomed trick, and broke the pole in a fccond place lb bad, that we were obliged to walk thofe four miles, and have a nev/ pole before we could purfue our ill- fated journey: there was no refourcc but patience — Saturday morning, left Pitrnain, dined at Avely Moor, and arrived at tea at Sir Tames Grant's at Caftle Grant — Left it on •Sunday morning, and concluded all my adventures for the prefent by getting to Dalvey at dinner — Don't you give me joy — for fond as I am of travelling, I feel myfelf very happy in the idea of refting for fome time. Yow muft now write a great deal to me without expeding much ill t 113 1 in return, as the Jlill life I am like- ly to lead for feme time will pro- duce little worth recounting, I am, my dear Lady Mary's Tmcerc friend. LET- 1 114 ] LETTER XIII. ^0 Miss , < — • Dahey^ Sepiemher 1 6, 1775* YOU afk me, my dear Sifler, for a defcription of this place. Inclination and obedience go hand in hand in every requeft you can poffibly make. Take then the fol- lowing general fketches — The houfe has nothing worthy remark but its fituation, which is enchanting, being built on an afcent, which in Eng- land, might well be fliled a hill. The gardens arc much below it ; at % the [ 115 ] the bottom of which runs a beau- tiful little river over a pebbley bed. I call it little at this time, but they tell me, in the winter after sreat rains, it becomes a flood. I am not willing to believe that an ob- jecb at prefent fo inoffenfive, can ever become one of terror and af- fright. Appearances, however, are rot to be trufted; fmce it is but too ufual to fee the moil amiable-look- ing obje6ls, turn upon a nearer view, to the m.ofl alarming and dangerous i " All are not what they feem.'* However, I hope not to remain here late enough in the feafon to fee this tranquil Hream become a I 2 turbid [ n6 ] turbid torrent. At the fame time 1 mufl acquaint you that the ac- count the people of the country give me of it, anfwers precifeiy to that-defcription of an over-bear- ing flood mentioned in Homer— The woman's Homer, you may be fure, is, Mr. Pope's tranflation : ** Thus from high hills , the torrents fvvifc and ftrong, Deluge whole fields, and fwcep the trees along,'** From the windows you have a fine view of the fea, and of the town and the harbour of Findorn : and behind that, the hills of Rofsfhire rife to view in magnificent arrange- ment ; [ 1^7 ] ment ; while around, you are pre-- fented with a fine plain rich in corn, abounding with wood,- and inter- fperled with gentlemen's icats. They tell you this county has fix weeks longer fummer than any other in Scotland : I really believe it, for,, never did 1 experience fuch hne weather : They are bleft with an ho- rizon of the brighteft azure, vvitii- out a cloud. Here are likcwife feme of the prettieil walks, along tlie winding of the Bourn; and the beau- tiful and ferene ftillnefs of the even- ings here, after aHne day, is beyond e^xprelTion delightful : 'tis altoge- ther the Elyfium of Caledonia ^ and, whatever ill-natured pens may iay 1 I to [ ii8 ] to the contrary, is not inferior to the mofl cultivated village in Eng- land. Never were fcenes, or ob- jects, more fuited to ferene contem- plation. " Here let me lie, where infant flow'rets blow, Where fweeteft verdure paints the ground below; Where the fhrill warblers charm the folemn fliade, And zephyrs pant along the cooler glade; Where fnakes the bullrufh by a river-fide. While the gay fun-beams fparkle on the tide. Oh! for fome grot whofe rufcic iides de- clare, Eafe, and not fplendour, was the builder's care : Where happy filence lulls the qaiet foal. And makes it calm as fummer waters roll. Here t 119 ]• iiere let me learn to check each growing ill, And bring to reafon difobedient will; To watch this incoherent bread, and find. What favourite paflions rule the giddy mind. Here no reproaches grate the wounded ear. We fee delighted, and tranfported hear, While the glad warblers wanton round the trees, And the ftill waters catch the dying breeze. Come, every thought which Virtue gave to pleafe ! Come, fmiling Health, with thy companion Eafe : Let thefe, and all that Virtue's fdf attend ; Blef. the ftlll hour of Siller and of Friend. Peace to my foes, if any fuch Lhere be, And graciou? Heaven gi*re kind repofc to r 4, riiu- [ 120 ] Thus, my dear, you fee when I am become bankrupt, and have ex- hauiled my I/ctle ilock of fentiment^ remark, or defcription, I draw upon the poets, for a frefh, and indeed^ a far richer fupply, whenever I re- colled in their writings any paf- fages a-propos to the fubjecfb in hand. In fliort, with refpecl to this fpot, nothing is wanting but an Amintas, to make me ima- gine myfelf in Arcadia. Indeed, I think you fay fomething on that fubjedb in your laft. — Remember,, my dear filler, my province is. to make ranaris not conquefts, 1, E 121 1 am jufl going to take a folitary ramble. Adieu. Ever yours, 3cc, ^c. LET. t 122 ] LETTER Xlir, ^0 the Earl cf C • Dalvey^ September 22, 1 775- I Have at lad croiTed the High- lands in {afcty, and I find my- felf fituated once more in a flat country, with the hills which fur- rounded us before, thrown behind us. Murray, is a rich plain, culti- vated, even to a delicacy of luxu- riance ^ efpecially in point of corn, which may rival the boailed pro- dudioa [ 123 ] du6lion of the Englilli foil, even la the center of Surry. This houfe is venerable from its antiquity, and hath jull that monu- mental mofTinefs, and antedeluvian air about it, v/hich would ftrongly recommend it to our virtuoio's in architecture. It is decorated, or rather fortified with turrets, from whence the original proprietors were accuftomed to fhoot their arrows, and fire their mufquets, in order to annoy their invaders. Indeed, all the caflles of this country are built for defence ; which precaution was but too necefiary in times of civil commotions amongft themfelvcs •, and [ 124 T and it appears that they were al- ways altercating J fo that nothing but arms, and ftrudlures almoil im- pregnable, could render either their perlbns or their property in any degree fecure : efpecially as thofe who maintained the conteft againft them were mor^ powerful. Let it be cbferved too, that their rapacious- neighbours took every poffible ad- vantage of their weaknefs, or want of force ; and, as is the common pra£lice of war, to have the power to diitrefs, and the inclination to life that power, was exadtly one and the fame thing. This, however, will ceafe to furprife, when we con- fider that every chieftain was ab- lblut» X 125 ] Solute monarch, and foverei»n difpoier of his own particular clan; that he ilyled himfclf patron and p'-qprietor of all his tenants, whole wills, purfuits, and pafiion?; he held in -vafTalage. By virtue of this authority, however originally obtained, or with whatever tyranny- carried on, thefe chieftains, could with all the fupremacy of an orien- tal potentate, lead forth their flavcs to battle % and that, without any nice regard to the juftice of the caule, or to the propriety of the bloody engagement. The mandate of the chieftain was the univerfal law as far as his own chieftaincy extended, ^nd he could dirscl the warrior to twang I xt6 ] twang his bow, or difcharge his muf- quet, upon any cccafion, without affigning any equable reafon for fo doing: Hence, it very frequently happened, that, a chieltain would in- volve his llavilli fubjeds in the ca- lamities of public conteft, to grati- fy his private ambition, his envy, or his avarice. Such, in fa6l, was the general pradice all over this country, till the union with Eng- land regulated the power, and put an end to the inhofpitable bicker- ings of thele petty princes, and chieftains : Add to which, the many wife a6ls fmce palled, have given a proper proportion of liberty to the commonalty. Induftry, civiliza- . tion^ [ i^^7 ] ttion, and plenty, are the natural conicquence of fuch political, pub- lic incalures : Notwithflanding this, it was a good while before either the higher or lower degrees of the Scots, could be taught to confider the union of the kingdoms as either - conflitutional or falutary. Time, however, with its reconciling power, hath rubbed off thele prejudices; snd I dare fay there i.e none of cither rank, who do net r^oice at the fri^ndlhip which fubfilh between tac twp countries. Near this place, is Forres in the a^^oor, near which Shakefpeare hath placed the firil interview of Macbetii, and the way- ^^/ard fifters. I .have traverfed over the I 128 3 -the fpot thus folemnized by tlic -monarch of the Britifh drama, pure- jy for the intellcdlual pleafure of treading on clafTic ground ; but fince the Witch A6t has been repealed, I believe the very idea of enchantment and preter- natural appearances, is almofr extin6t, even in this, once fuperilitlous country: at leafl I can aflure your Lordlhip, I met, in my ramWes acrofs this charmed foil, no fine promiles from either male or female conjurors. — You have from this moor a fine view of Rofsfhire, and the noble entrance into the bay of Cromartie, between t\Np lofty hills ; forming a beauti- ful -and pidurefque piec^ of Icenery. On I 129 ] On the north, is Kinloss Abby, a nne rain, and the place where the bones of many of their Scotch kings are mixed with their parent dull. Forres is a very pretty town -y at the weft end of which, are the wretched remains of Macbeth's caftle. If I fiiould meet with any thing while I am here, worth trou- bling you to read, your Lordfhip Ttiall hear again from your moft obedient fervant. IC LET- [ ISO 3 LETTER XIV. 21? Lady Mary B Dalvey^ O^aber 4, 1775. I am to thank my dear Lady- Mary for her very entertaining letter ; and I think, I cannot do io more to the purpofe, than by ful- filling her commands -, and, as well as I am able, give her fome defcrip- tion of the cufroms and manners of this people. The Highland ladies are, as with us, fome very pretty, others not : They have ftrcng paf- fions 3 among which are, pride of ancellry. t 131 ] snceflry, and a fcrupulous care not to degenerate by mixing with plebeian blood. There are many- ladies here, v/ho would rather prefer marrying a Chieftain, and live fecluded fiom the v/orld on fix hundred a year, than join them- felves to a Lowlander, whofe pro- genitors were born a few hundred years later, with treble that fum. I don't think the gentlemen are fuch dupes to this foible ; for, having mod of them travelled, they knov/ the worth of gold, and prize it ac- cordingly •, by confequence, would have no objedlion to a rich citizen's daughter with a plumb. It was noc lonp- fmce a gencleman cf this coun- K 2 try [ 132 ] try married in London, and brought down here a broker's daughter, who gives herfelf more airs than a Duchefs. This family-pride ex- cepted, they are a very agreeable let of people, good-natured, fenfible, and polite : they love dancing to excefs, and are the befl: country- dancers I ever faw, and keep it up (as the phrafe is) for hours together, •with a life, vivacity and fpirit, of which you can have no conception. In many houfes, they ftill retain the ancient cuftom of the pipers play- ing all the time the company are at dinner, on his horrid bagpipes-^ this is to me more dreadful, than the grunting of pigs, the fcreaming of ns s af owls, and the fqualling of cats. All thefe creatures in a conctrc would be to my ears pleafing, com- pared to that difcordant inllrument to which I have a natural antipa- thy. I was laft Sunday, for the firft time, at a Highland kirk, or church ', and luch a ilrange appear- ance as the lower fort of women make would amaze you. The mar- ried ones wear a handkerchief croiTed over their heads^ wirli two ends pinned undt'r their chin, and the third flying behind; the young ones wear nothing; but a ribband on their hair ; the other parts of their drefs are like thofe of the comm.on people with us •, only over all, they K ^ we:i;- [ 134 ] r/car a plaid, which reaches to their feet, and is wrapped over their head, fo that nothing is left to be ken but their nofes — -The pooreft fort of all, who cannot afford a plaid, rather than not be orna- mented, walk forth arrayed in theit blankets; fo that when all are af- fembled in this ftrange faftiion they really have juil the appearance of a kt of lunaticks. All here fing pfalms ; thofe who are fortunate enough to have a voice, and thofs that are not fo fortunate, which founds are very far from exciting the fpirit of devotion. It furprifes me, that I have feldom feen a pret- ty girl among the lower claft, which 5 is I 135 ] ir, (o fi'equent in England : The only reafon in my opinion to be given for it is, that female beauty depends much on delicacy ; and the hard and laborious part which the women take in this country when young, accounts for their being coarfe and difagreeable: fo that there is but little temptation for a youth in this country to forni amours, or indulge his inclination to p-allantry. But there is iLiil a ftronger thing than their plainnefs to deter him, tiic law in this cafcj for if the girl prove with child, both of them are obliged to do ptihlick penance^ and the cler- gyman reads them a le(ll:ure of re- proof before the luhoU congregation, K 4 This [ ?3^ J This mode of chafbifement appears to me very well calculated to keep them honefc, as the fname attend^ ing the punifhment will hinder the committing the crime, by which it is incurred. There is hardly ever fuch a thing heard of, as a High- land highway rc>bber ; their roads are not, like our/s, infefted by thole peds to fociety. Your purfe and, your perfon are here equally fecure ^. nor do their news-papers-, like ours, fhock humanity every month ^with an account of five or fix and twenty poor wretches condemned to an ignominious death, the conie- quence of Englifh voluptuoufnefs. Their laws too are wifely calculated fbr for the good of the community in general, and their church is under moil excellent regulations \ their liv- ings are from forty pounds a year to one hundred and fifty, with a decent houfe and fome land : not, as with us, a vicar, with eight hun- dred or a thoufand a year, will give thirty pounds to a poor curate to do the duty of three pariilies, and maintain a Vv^ife and ten children > but here, the clergy are upon an equality; one man cannot enjoy three or four fine-cures nor arc they allowed a curcUe, but in cafes of real ficknefs. I have now given you all the information I am abic of their laws, and their prophets. I m'i(> r 13S r I mufl own before I came to Scot- land, I had, from wrong reprefcn- tations, conceived a very different character than what they defer ve. I fincerely wifn I had a pen equal to the talk of juftifying them and their country from thofe illiberal afperfions under which they have too long laboured, from a fct of men, whofe prejudices are 'fuch, that they think wifdom and worth confined to one fpot onlyj and that fpot without doubt, they think their own. May my bread never har- bour fuch contracted fentiments, as 1 am convinced, that virtue is the growth of every clime I Go [ 139 ] ** Go fearch it there, where to be born and die. Of rich and poor, make all the hiftory; Enough that virtue fiU'd the fpace between, Prov'd by the ends of being, to have been : Virtus may choofe the high or Io-lo degree, *Tis juft alike to virtue and to me : Dwell in a monk or light upon a king. She's flill the fame belov'd, contented thing." And no country, my dear Lady Mary, has produced men, more ca- pable of making a fhining figure than Scotland y as indeed our Senate, our Army, and our Courts, both of juftice and politenefs can witnefs. My paper being pretty well filled, I am [ 140 T r am compelled to conclude my- lelf, Iboner than I could wifh^., y.our Ladyfhip's mod obliged friend and obedient fervanr. L E 1'- [ 141 ] LETTER XV. To the Earl of C— — — ' Dahey, O^oher 20, 1775. YO U complain, my Lord, ol' my long filence — I • have the beft excufe in the world for not writing; the having nothing enter- ■taining to lay. A few days fmcc, I was on a party to Fort George •, it is a ftrong Fortrels ; and \\.y\ been built fmce Forty-five, as an Ar- fenal for arms : there is always a .regiment of foot in the barracks, -which are very handlbmc and fcr^n feme I 142 ] fome very good ftreets ; the armoury is prettily difpofed, but I never can conceive much pleafure in behold- ing fo many inftrumcnts of dedruc- tion to my fellow-creatures. Ic happened to be rough v/eather^ which gave us a noble and beauti- ful, and I might add, fublime profpecft of the fea, the waves dalli- ing againft the rocks half way the battlements ^ and as I am greatly attached to fuch profpe6ls, I was highly entertained. In our return we took a view of Cawder Caflle, a place well known in hiftory for giving the fecond title to Macbeth ; the old part of the building, is a i^quare tower, in which, they fhew vou [ 143 1 you an old timber bedftead, the fame, they fay, in which Duncan was murdered. Murdered, my Lord, to place a fhort-lived crown on the head of the ambitious thane. But if, as the hiftorians fay, that horrid deed was perpetrated at iVIac- beth's caille at Invernefs, it is very unlikely, the bed fhould be re- moved here. People that travel however, mufl often depend on the ignoran-t for information ; and ^- have need of a plentiful- proportion of faith. I clambered over a quan- tity of tottering ftone fjairs, every frep threatening the downfal of unwary ilrangers •, even to the -top, from whence you have a good view T 144 1 Tiew of the adjacent countrye The Avoods of Cawder have a great many fine large oak trees, broom, alders, &c. &c. and below, you fee a torrent of water roaring over 2, bed of rocky flones, in colour as black as Acheron, and appear- ing to look -as if it was impreg- Tiated v/ith all its deadly quali- ties. The larger part of the build- ing is modern, with a drav/bridge ; but it is, altogether gloomy and tremendous. I Ihall very foon leave this country for England ; and as I ■fliall return the coaft road to Edin- -burgh, if I meet in my v/ay any thing [ 145 ] thing interefting, you may, ns ufur.] exped: to hear from, my Lord, your mod obliged, and very obedient fervant. LE T. [ 14^ ] LETTER XVI. 'To Lady Mary B Bamffy Oeiohr 25, 1775* YOU will find, my dear friend, by this, that, like birds of pafTage, wc are on our flight to our winter habitation ; nor was it before there was cccafion, for we left Dal- vey three days fince, and have had nothing but hail and rain all the way to this place ; which has made the air intenfely cold, and we very defirous to fmell the fmoak of Lon- don, and enjoy the jovial converfc of L 147 ] m my agreeable friends. The firfl: day we dined at Elgin, a good town, but from the ftilinefs of the ftreets, I believe, has bu: little trade. I went to fee the ruins of the Ca- thedral, it has been both a magnifi- cent and beautiful pile of building. There are two towers ftill ftandincr-, but the centre and fpirc arc fallen, and with the monuments of the en- nobled dead, form one undiftin- guiflied heap. Bccthlus fays, that Duncan, murdered by Macbeth, is buried here, 'but there is no monu- ment remaining to gratify the curi- ous. I deplored the enthufiaflic jagre, which levelled fo fine a flruc- ture, We lay at Gordon caft!v\ .^. L 2 larg^ [ 148 ] large houfe, the feat of the Duke of Gordon. It has fome good, well-grown woods round it ; but is far from being built in a defireablc fituation, lying in a low fwampy bottom. We left it early in the morning, and had a difagreeable day's travelling, which afforded nothing worth relating. The next morning wc breakfafted at Cullen, and went to take a view of Cullen- lioufe, the feat of the Earl of Finlater. It is fituated at the edge of a very deep glen, full of large trees, laid out in pretty walks, which, being fl:ieltered from the fea winds, are in a very profperous flate : Over the entrance is a magnificent arch fixty 3 feet [ 149 ] ftet high, and eighty- two in width': The houfe is large but irregularly built. There are fome very good pidures here, but the moll remark- able are, a full length of James the Sixth, by Mytens, redeeincd from the fury of the mob, at the time of the Revolution, by the Earl of Fin'- later, at that time Chancellor; a portrait of James Duke of Hamil- ton beheaded in 1649 ', a Iialf length of his brother, killed at the battle of Worcciler, borh by Vandyk -, William. Duke of Hamilton, Pre- fident of the Revokition Parliament, by Kneller; Lord Bamfl', aged ninety, with a long, whi:e, fjua:e L 3 bu*iJ. [ ^50 *3 beard. His Lordfliip,at that age, m- curred the refentment of the church for his gallantries i they certainly did the poor old gentleman great injuftice, as I think, in this northern climate, Love^ mud have loll its power before that time of life. Kere is a beautiful picture of the unfortunate Mary Stuart, drawn ia a tight black drefs, and about her neck a ruff, part of her hair turned grey, which is a proof to me, of the jullice of the remark, that ccrCy will have that effed without the concurrence of tim.e. We got to. Bamff to dinner, and having fome time on my hands, I fet down to let my [ 151 ] my dear Lady Mary know, that fhe may foon cxpc6l to fee me in London -, 'till which happy period. I am. her moil obliged friend. L 4 LET. E 152 1 LETTER XVII. To the Earl of O Barnff^ O^sher 25, 1775- THIS town, my Lord, is plca- fantly fituated on the fide of a hill, has fome very good ftreets and a handfome town-houfe. The Earl of Finlater has got a very- pretty one, feated on an ^eminence near the town, and around it fome pretty plantations of trees and fhrubs. It commands a fine and pleailint profped. In one of the apart- t 153 1 apartments, is a pidlure of Jamf- fon, done by himfclf, fitting in Lis painting room, dreffed like Rubens, with his hat on, and his pallet in his hand ; on the walls are rcpre- fented the pi6b.ire of Charles the Firft and his Queen, a head of his own wife, two fea views, Perfcus and Andromeda, all the produc- tions of his pencil. You will per- ceive, my Lord, by what I have juft wrote, that, I am not of Dr. J 's opinion, who, v/hen lie pafTed through this place, thought there was nothing worthy remark, though he found fubjcdls for ill- natured fatire, as the following is his account of it, on which I have taken [ 154 ] taken the liberty to make fome flritftures : Speaking of this place (Bamff) after defcribing the houfes as mi- ferable huts, he fays, " that the art of joining fquares of glafs with " lead, is either little ufed or totally *' forgotten here, as the frames of " all their windows are wood-," I would afk, which has the beft efFedt in the appearance of a houfe, wood frames, or thofe cemented with lead ? Undoubtedly the firfl, as it is a more modern invention, and uni- verfally pra6lifed through England, which, furely he had forgot, and had I not myfelf, efcaped without feeling [ 155 ] feeling fuch an effect, I fhould be apt to imagine the Tweed was pof- fefled of the qualities of Lethe^ and that a draught of it had the power to make one forget all that we had leen before. He regrets, that the necefTity of ventilating hu- man habitations had not been found out among our northern neigh- bours, or at leaft not pradifcd, and thinks, a flranger may be forgiv- en, if, he aliov/s himfelf to wifli for freiher air. In anlwcr to which, I muil, in common judice own^ I never found mylelf in any houfe in Scotland, which could, with the leaft rcafon, excufe me for forming fuch a zvi/b. I cannot help think- 6 ing [ 156 ] ing (in which I dare fa/ the mj- jor part of his readers will join me) that, he has raked his remarks from the very loweft dregs of the people, with whom, I fhould be forry, to fuppofe he kept company. Yet I am certain he could meet with none of the inconveniencies of which he complains, in any thing or any where^ a degree above a Highland hut — Nay more, was he to travel through Cornwall, or any of the re- moter parts of England, it would be found, that, if he meant to defcribe poverty and ignorance in the lower clafs of people, there was no necefll- ty to have taken a journey as far as Scotland for that purpofe : but, in- deed. [ HI ] deed, he feems confcious(to fpeak in his own words) that, " the di- minutivenefs of his obfervations will lay him open to cenfure, and take from the dignity of writing." The event of his publication has confirmed his fear, as all who read that ftrange medley regret, that, a man, who has juftly acquired great literary merit by his other produc- tions, fhould fail fo much in this — Pity for that fame, fo dear to au- thors, he had not contented himfelf with writing Ramblers^ inftead of ■taking a ramble \ he either was guid- ed, in his defcriptions by unjuft par- tiality, which ought not to be the cafe with any writer j or he was totally L 158 1 totally unfit for the talk he under* took. Let either, or both be the cafe, he has greatly expofed himfelf in the attempt ; but in truth, where is the need to cenfure a man who condemns himfelf? and this he pal- pably does in the concluding lines of his "Tour^ " having pafTed my "" time almoft wholly in cities," fays he, '' I may have been fur- " prifed by modes of life, and ap- *' pearances of nature, that are fa- *' miliar to men of wider furvey, ^' and more varied converfation : " Novelty and ignorance muft al- *' ways be reciprocal, and I can- *' not but be confcious that my " thouo;hts on national manners " are [ 159 ] are the thoughts of one who hatli " feen but little." I perfcdly agree with him in the truth con- tained in every line of the above quotation -, and I am fenfible, if, on my return to England, I deliver my opinions, as treely as I have written them to your Lordihip, I Ihall lay myfelf open to criticiim ; but I ihall not fear it, as nothing but juilice for the opprell, could have obliged me to have fpoken my fentiments on Dr. J 's hiftorical Rf.)}ible'^ and, for that, I have, though a woman, fortitude enough to lland any attack from the pens of fucb critics, in the defence of cur moun- 4ai/wus 72eighhGurs* I am [ i6o ] I am juil returned from feeing Duff-houfe, the feat of Lord Fife. It is a little way from this town; is a vaft pile of building, with a fquare tower at each end ; the frent is fine, and richly ornamented with carving -, but it looks melancholy, as if regretting its having no wings; I don't mean for the fame reafon the late Earl of C— d did, that it might fly away, for I really do not know where it could find a more pleafant fpot to fix in -, but in its prefent fituation it makes me think of a fine llatue without arms ; the rooms are not fo large as the outfide of the builditig leads you to imagine. In the apartments are [ i6i J arc the pictures of Frances Duchefs of Richmond, a full length, in black, with a little pidlure at her breaft, done in 16:^^ by Vandyk; feme fine heads of Charles the Firll, and of his Queen •, a head of one of the family of DufF, with fhorc grey hair, by Alexander of Corlen- day. I faw here a number of fine green-houfe plants, growing with the greatefl luxuriance, expofed to the open air ; and Ibme myrtles, that appeared to me five feet high, which is, in my opinion, a llrong proof that it is nothing but pre- judice which can make us fuppofc any reafon why, with proper care, the plants of all countries may no: M thrive C l62 ] thrive here as well as in England, The Scotch for fome ages paft have been infenfible of what deo-ree of improvement their country was ca- pable ; but they have now opened their eyes to convi6lionj and I dare fay a hundred years hence, our poflerity ihall behold them with a fpirit of emulation making large fcrides to equal us ; and this once naked country become a towering foreft. Near the houfe is a beau- tiful fhrubbery, with a walk two miles long, the river rolling beneath, and on the oppofite fide, fome very noble rocks m.ake it a fweetly-pleaf- ing fcene. I ^m I 163 ] I am fure you will be frightened 9t the kngth of my letter, but it will afford you fome comfort when I tell you it will be the laft time you will hear from me, as I fhall foon have the pleafure of feeing you in Old England, and tell you in perfon, how much I think myfelf your moil obliged humble fervant. FINIS. University of California SOUTHERN REGIONAL LIBRARY FACILITY 405 Hilgard Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90024-1388 Return this material to the library from which it was borrowed. 1993 mill II II III II! B 000 002 956 ^ -^« ■^1