A voyage to the Hebrides, or western isles of Scotland; : with observations on the manners and customs of the Highlanders.

BANCROFT
LIBRARY

THE LIBRARY

OF

THE UNIVERSITY

OF CALIFORNIA

VOYAGE TO THE HEBRIDES,

OR

WESTERN ISLES OF SCOTLAND;

WITH

OBSERVATIONS

ON THE

MANNERS AND CUSTOMS OF THE HIGHLANDERS.

BY L. A. NECKER DE SAUSSURE,

HONORA R V PROFESSOR OF MINERALOGY AND GEOLOGY IN THE ACADEMY OF GENEVA J

MEMBER OP THE SOCIETY OF PHYSIC AND NATURAL HISTORY OF GETUEVA ',

HONORARY MEMBER OF THE GEOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF LONDON,

AND OF THE WERNERIAN SOCIETY OF EDINBURGH, &C.

LONDON :
PRINTED FOR SIR RICHARD PHILLIPS & CO.

1822.
\ Price 3,v. 6d. sewed, or 4s. in boards.)

LONDOff:

BHACKF.LL AND AUROWSMITH, JOHNSON'sCOIRT .

CONTENTS.

CHAPTER I.

Pago

Castle of Linlithgow. — Falkirk : celebrated for two famous Battles. —
Bannockburn. — Stirling Castle. — Callender. — Roman Camp. —
Trosaclis. — Comparison between the Mountains of Scotland and
Switzerland. — Ben Lomond. — Dreadful Massacre of the Colqu-
houns at Glen-Fruin. — Inverary. — Castle and fine Estate of the
Duke of Argyle. — Church of Glen-Orchy, and ancient Tombs. —
Oban. ------ 1 21

CHAPTER II.

FROM OBAN TO STAFFA.

The Lady's Rock. — Castle of Aros. — The Macdonalds, Kings of the
Isles-. — Flora Macdonald and Prince Charles Stuart. — Ulva-House.
— -Staffa.— Cave of Fingal - 22—32

CHAPTER III.

ISLE OF IONA, AND RETURN TO STAFFA.

Monastery of I-Colm Kill. — Interesting Antiquities in Iona

Ridiculous Story related by Pennant. — " World's End Stones."

Highland Dance. - 32 — 14

CHAPTER IV.

FROM ULVA TO COLL AND TIREE.

Port of Tobermory. — Proofs of the Existence of the great Current
from the Shores of America to the Hebrides, &c. - - 44 — 49

CHAPTER V.

FROM COLL TO CANNA.

Scour Eigg. — Horrid Cruelty exercised by the Macleods against the
Macdonalds. — Portrait of an ancient Highlander. — Isle of Rum. —
Compass Hill. — Protestants of the Golden-headed Cane. - 40— 56

CONTENTS.

CHAPTER VI.

FROM CANNA TO SKY.

Page

Kilbride House. — Benbecula. — Reception of a Clanronald. — St.
Hilda. — Isle of Sky. — Talisker House. — Cullen Mountains. — De-
parture from the Hebrides. — Isle of Eriskay ; famous for being the
Landing-place of Prince Charles Stuart. - 57 — 64

CHAPTER VII.

The Author's Observations on the Manners and Customs of the Scot-
tish Highlanders. ----- 65 — 94

CHAPTER VIII.

Remarkable Changes in the Manners and Customs of the High-
landers ------ 95—115

Conclusion - - - - - -116

LIST OF ENGRAVINGS.

■

Finp-al's Cave ----- Frontispiece

Stirling Castle - - - - 4

Inverary - - - - - -18

The Scour of Eigg from the East - - - 50
from the South-East - - - 54

JOURNEY TO THE HEBRIDES.

CHAPTER I.

Castle of Linlithgow. — FalJcirk: celebrated for two famous
Battles. — Bannockburn. — Stirling Castle. — Cullender. —
Roman Camp. — Trosachs. — Comparison between the Moun-
tains of Scotland and Switzerland. — Ben Lomond. --Dread-
ful Massacre of the Colquhouns at Glen-Fruin. — Inverary.
— Castle and fine Estate of the Duke of Argyle. — Church
of Glen-Orchy, and ancient Tombs. — Oban.

I had long contemplated a visit to the Isle of Staffa, the far-
famed Cave of Fingal,and the other islands ; which, being but
little known, would furnish a rich store of curious observation.
The peculiar aspect of nature in these northern regions, and
the original and engaging manners of their inhabitants, com-
bined to promise me a journey replete with the most interesting
subject-matter. As soon as my arrangements would allow, I
set out alone, with no settled plan : but in order to lose no time,
and profit by the remaining fine weather, I made towards the
port of Oban, where I was to embark.

On the 6th of August I left Edinburgh for Stirling. The
route lies through Linlithgow, a small, ancient, and indifferently
built town. The ruins of the ancient castle of Linlithgow, situate
a short distance from the town, hers- appear in a picturesque
point of view ; they command the summit of a little hill
covered with groups of fine trees, whilst a large pool of clear
and limpid water bathes the foot of the hill, reflecting in its
waters all the traits of this captivating picture. An. ancient
gothic church is built at the side of the castle, formerly the
residence of the kings of Scotland : a crowd of interesting
recollections rush upon the mind on beholding these ruins.
It was here that Mary Stuart was born ; it was here, at a
more remote period, her ancestor, James IV. on going to the

Voyages and Travels, Vol. VIII. b

2 Journey to the Hebrides.

church to perform his devotions before joining his army, saw
an old man clothed in a blue robe, who, approaching him,
strongly exhorted him to renounce his projects, and threatened
him with evil and calamity if he persisted in his intention of
fighting against the English. This man suddenly disappeared,
leaving the king in the firm persuasion that he had witnessed a
supernatural apparition, and that God himself had sent St.
Andrew or St. John to dissuade him from a battle which might
become so fatal to Scotland. James, notwithstanding these
warnings, persisted in his intention of penetrating into England
at the head of his armies; but having encountered the English
at Flodden Field, on the 4th of September, 1513, he lost his life
on that fatal day, in which perished the greatest part of the
Scottish nobility.

Six miles further I passed through Falkirk, another small
ancient town, which now presents an animated scene of com-
mercial industry : there was here at this time a great cattle fair,
to which the people Hock from all parts of Scotland. This
town has been the scene of two battles recorded in history.
The first took place on the 22d of July, 1296. Edward 1.
King of England, commanded the English army ; he came
with the intention of conquering Scotland, after this country
had, by the talent and bravery of William Wallace, the Scot-
tish hero, shaken off the yoke of England. The Scottish
nobles, having at their head Gumming of Badenoch, were
entrenched before Falkirk, and, although very inferior in
numbers to the English, they depended on their courage in
defending that independence which they had just obtained,
and awaited the attack. Unfortunately for them, Wallace,
who alone would have been able to lead them on to victory,
fatigued with the jealousy of more powerful nobles, resigned
the command of the army, and had only under his orders a
small body of troops devoted to their ancient chief. Valour
could not resist numbers, and the English obtained a decisive
victory. The Scots, driven from the field of battle, were
pursued with great slaughter. " Never," says Hume, " did
t he Scots suffer so severe a loss; never, in any battle, was their
country so near its ruin." Wallace, by Lis military talents,
and his presence of mind, succeeded in saving his small body
of men, and retired in good older behind the river Carron,
Thus a feeble remnant was preserved, around which new
defenders of the liberties of Scotland wciv afterwards destined
to unite.

The second battle was that of Falkirk, which proved a more
glorious result for the Scottish jarmies. On the 1 7 tb of January,
1740, this battle was gained by the Pretender over the English

Journey to the Hebrides. 3

array, commanded by General Hawley ; the action took place
on a waste plain, a mile from the town. Prince Charles Ed-
ward, after the victory of Prestonpans, wishing to profit by the
surprise which his first success had caused among his enemies,
and by the ardour which he had inspired among his soldiers,
entered England, seized upon Carlisle, and, meeting with no
resistance, advanced as far as Manchester. A profound con-
sternation reigned in England, the partisans of the King were
afraid that the Pretender would enter London before the army,
collected in great haste in the southern provinces, would be
ready to act. However, Prince Charles was not without
doubts; the succour promised by France did not arrive; the
expectations he had formed of reinforcements from the English
jacobins proved fallacious, the partisans of the Stuarts in Eng-
land were very few, and these dared not declare themselves.
His own troops, deceived in their prospects, began to murmur.
The English army, on the contrary, was reinforced daily, and
the Duke of Cumberland had returned with the troops which
he had commanded in Flanders. In these alarming circum-
stances, the Prince, after holding a council of war, decided
instantly to regain Scotland as promptly as possible, and to
retreat without risking the hazard of an engagement in England.
He displayed in this retreat still more ability than in his former
victory. Pursued by a numerous army, harassed on his flanks
by bodies of cavalry, he preserved the strictest discipline
in his small troop, and retreated in good order through
the enemy's territories as far as the frontiers of Scotland.
He was there joined by fresh supplies of Scottish troops,
which Lord Lewis Gordon had raised in the mountains.
The Duke of Cumberland, after taking Carlisle, returned
to London, leaving the command of the English army to
general Hawley. The young Prince Charles having collected
all his forces, seized upon the tower of Stirling, and besieged
the castle where the English garrison had retired. General
Hawley, with the intention of assisting so important a place,
advanced from Edinburgh towards Stirling : Prince Charles
also seemed disposed to march to encounter the English. He
did not wait to be attacked, but marched onward, and sur-
prised the English before they had time to take up their
position. The attack began on the part of the Scots by a
sharp fire, which threw the English line into disorder ; but the
victory was not complete until the Highlanders, throwing
away their guns, took sword in hand, and with loud shouts
rushed into the midst of the enemy, who immediately gave
w-ay. The loss of the royal army was very considerable :
their whole artillery, colours, and extensive ammunition.

4 Journey to the Hebrides.

were left on the field of battle. Night having arrived, Hawley
set fire to his camp, retreated to Linlithgow, and from thence
10 P^dinbnrgh, having to deplore the loss of several brave
officer-. In this battle the Highlanders proved themselves, as
formerly, terrible in the attack, and intrepid during the action;
and on this occasion their triumph was not sullied by any
excess.

After passing through Falkirk, the road continues under an
aqueduct bridge belonging to the canal which joins the gulph
of the Forth with that of the Clyde. Whilst our coach pro-
ceeded under the arch of the bridge, a small sloop was sailing
in the canal over our head. A thousand fine points of view
present themselves over the whole of this route, through a cul-
tivated and woody country. At some distance on the right
are the numerous buildings of the Carron foundry, which have
the appearance of a small town, and rise in the midst of a
plain surrounded by woods of fir, and watered by the beautiful
river Carron. This foundry is celebrated for its short cannons
employed in the navy, which have taken the name of Car-
ronades, from the place where they have been manufactured.

Some miles further, we arrived at the small hamlet of Ban-
nockburn, celebrated in history for the memorable victory
which Robert Bruce, with 30,000 brave Scots, gained in 1304,
over Edward II., of England, who came with the ambition of
conquering Scotland, at the head of an army of 100,000 men,
composed of English, Flemish, and Gascons. This battle, in
which the English army was completely destroyed, secured
Scotland its independence, and Bruce, the sovereignty of
the kingdom which he had just delivered. These places are
classic ground for the Scots. The fields of Bannockburn, of
Loucarty,* and of Largs, are, to them, what the celebrated
fields of Morgarten, Sempach, and Morat, are to the Swiss.
As the Swiss have had their William Tell, and their Winkel-
reid, the Scots have had their Wallace and their Bruce ; these
heroic names — these places in which the mind retraces the tamed
deeds of the ancient d< fenders of their liberty, are still dear to
them. Such glorious recollections keep alive the national
spirit among them ; the historians, poets, and novelists even,

* Thi battle of Loncarty, ;t small village near Terth, took place at the
mmei t of the eleventh century, between the Scots anil tin- Dane*.

The lattei i ul already obtained the victory, ^lnn the peasant, Hay, who
worked in a neighbouring field, seizing the y< ke <>t his oxen for his weapon,
presented himself i . i his sons before the flyii S ts, and having rallied
them, he c< oducted them to victory. The King of Scotland, in recompence
for his valour, created Hay Earl oi land, winch noble family exists still in
r day.

t?3

Journey to the Hebrides. 5

have seized upon these scenes, and have animated their works
by the transports of their patriotism.

Stirling (where I stopped a day), is situated on an eminence
surmounted by a strong castle, built like that of Edinburgh,
on the summit of a perpendicular rock of black basalt. From
the exterior, the aspect of this town is picturesque, but it is
old, and the interior is irregularly built ; the streets are narrow,
have no pavement, and the houses are very lofty. The town
of Stirling presents nothing remarkable, with the exception of
its ancient gothic cathedral. The castle is very large, and
encloses within its walls a palace, formerly inhabited by the
Scottish Kings. The architecture of this palace is by no means
tasteful ; the exterior is loaded with several grotesque and
ridiculous statues. The fortress is kept in good order, and
guarded by a company of veterans. It is one of the four
castles which, by the treaty of Union, have been preserved.
Its batteries are supplied with several pieces of heavy ar-
tillery.

The view from the summit of the rock, is as remarkable for
its extent, as for the variety of objects which it embraces. On
the east extends a fertile plain, well cultivated, and here and
there covered with woods, country seats, and farm houses.
The river Forth forms a serpentine, of innumerable windings,
in this beautiful country. The picturesque ruins of the abbey of
Cambus Kenneth rise in one of the peninsulas which surround
the river. The plain is still prolonged to the west of Stirling,
and from all sides, small hills, adorned with woods, agreeably
diversify the scene. To the north, the view is intercepted by
the chain of elevated Ochiel Hills, at the foot of which is a
rock very similar to the Salisbury Craigs ; but here thickets
of small trees, of beautiful verdure, crowning its summit and
adorning its base, give it a very picturesque aspect. In fine,
to the north-west, the mountains of Ben Ledi and Ben Lo-
mond, form the groundwork of this superb picture.

August 7. — At an early hour this morning I arrived at
Callender, a village situated at the entrance of the Highlands,
and about nine miles from Stirling, after having traversed a
country of a very varied aspect, on the banks of the Teith.

Callender is built at the foot of Ben Ledi, a steep and barren
mountain, about 3000 feet above the level of the sea. We
here easily perceive by the aspect of the country, which be-
comes wilder, by the height of the mountains, and by the cos-
tume of the inhabitants, all clothed in the ancient Scottish
costume, that we had passed the boundary which separates the
High from the Lowlands.

Before leaving Callender, I went to see a spot which is

6 Journey lo ike Hebrides.

shown to strangers as a Roman camp, on (be banks of the
Teith. Although this kind of bank or dyke may have regu-
larity sufficiently rare in the works of nature, I cannot help
thinking, that the river alone has been at all the expence of
this construction. At Callender 1 quitted the coach which
brought me from Stirling, and I set out on foot conducted
by a guide, dressed in a Highland kiU, and wrapped in a large
plaid, which he used as a knapsack to carry my luggage. My
intention was to visit Loch Kathrin, to pass from thence to
Loch Lomond, and after ascending to the top of Ben Lomond,
to take the great route which leads to Oban.

After crossing the Teith over a fine bridge, I followed a
narrow road, between the small lake Venachar on one side,
and the mountain of Ben Ledi on the other. Loch-Venachar
is nearly six miles in length, by one and a half in breadth ; its
banks are marshy, and the lake not being surrounded with
trees, has a monotonous and unpleasing appearance; a narrow
isthmus of land separates it from that of Auchray, which, al-
though still smaller, is much more picturesque. It is only
two miles in diameter ; its banks are entirely covered with
shrubs of the most delightful verdure ; and two little islands,
adorned with small trees, rise in the bosom of its calm and
pure waters. The hills called Trosachs, seem to close up the
valley at the western extremity of the lake ; and behind these
small hills, in the midst of which spring up thickets of trees,
we perceive, rising to a great height, the imposing mass of
Benivenow, a steep and barren mountain, which terminates
this brilliant perspective.

After having coasted along Loch Auchray, we arrived at
the foot of the Trosachs, where it was difficult to foresee how
we were to continue our route; since this chain of hills com-
pletely closes the valley comprised between Benivenow and
Benneon. Formerly, travellers could only pass the Trosachs
by scaling the rocks by means of long ladders ; at present a
carriage road leads over the hills and the woods as far as
the banks of Loch Kathrin. We amused ourselves, in wan-
dering through these solitary retrials, where trees of all kinds
grouped together in a thousand forms, issue from the cre-
vices of the banks ; the rugged and sharp surfaces of the rocks
are adorned with a multitude of plants of moss and fern ; the
weeping birch trees, here and (Ik re, raise their ivory trunks
above (he others, and gracefully droop their slender branches,

clothed with leaves of fine green, which the least breath of

wind puts in inolion; whilst the beech, varnish, and sorb trees,

form thick groves, which afford a reheat to a multitude of

singing birds. Among this concert, we did not hear the sweet

Journey to the Hebrides. 7

voice of the songster of our woods ; the nightingale, inhabit
ing mild countries, dreads the cold of the northern regions,
and does not visit Scotland. The thrush replaces it ; and this
bird, which is not heard in spring, nor in summer, in the south
of Europe, animates the forests of the north, by its melo-
dious and varied warbling. Thus Linnaeus has, with reason,
called it Turdus Musicus.

If the unlooked-for spectacle of such fine vegetation, in a
country where nature appears to have raised so many obstacles
to the growth of trees, causes an agreeable surprise ; how
much more additional pleasure will the traveller feel, when,
after having cleared the narrow defile of the Trosachs, he
arrives on the banks of Loch Kathrin ; which justly passes
for being the most picturesque of all the lakes in Scotland.
I shall not attempt here to describe this lake, — so pure, so
tranquil, and so solitary, — the outlines of which, gracefully
designed, are cut into long promontories, flying one behind
the other, and dividing the lake into small basins of multi-
plied forms. No language can describe these small islands,
nor that assemblage of trees and rocks, whose image is re-
flected in the mirror of the waters, and those perspectives are
so varied that they appear changing in proportion as we ad-
vance; whilst the wild mountain of Benivenow constantly
presents its barren sides, and its summit crowned with rocks,
as an invariable ground-work to these enchanting panoramas.'-'?

I followed the northern bank of the lake for the space of
three miles ; beyond that, the prospect takes the appearance
of an immense sheet of water in the midst of a narrow and
barren valley. I returned by the same road. A party
of English travellers had just arrived on the banks of the
lake ; their carriage was waiting their return from the Tro-
sachs ; some scaled the rocks ; some sketched the remarkable
points of view, while others again threw their lines into the
lake to catch small salmon trout. Jn the midst of these
mountains, lakes, and alpine torrents, I, for a moment, ima-
gined myself in Switzerland. In travelling, we amuse our-
selves in comparing the most attractive objects, with those
which resemble them in our native country. Thus, Loch
Kathrin appeared to me, the portrait in miniature of the Lake

* Sir Walter Scott, in his elegant Poem of The Ladi) of the Lake, has
placed the scene of his romance on the banks of Loch Kathrin, and he has
described in his verses the charm of this fine country, with such truth and
originalty of colouring, that in reading that work after having quitted Scot-
land, I experienced with renewed vigour the sensations I felt on beholding
these beautiful scenes.

8 Jour /try to the Hebrides.

of Lucerne, with its gulpbs, its bays, and its assemblage of
rocks, woods, and lengthened promontories.

It may probably be supposed, that the great difference be-
tween the height of the mountains of Scotland and those of
Switzerland would prevent all comparison as to the aspect of
these two countries ; however, it is not so. I have already
said how much we may be deceived as to the height of moun-
tains, above all, when they are bare, and cut into bold forms.
It is also worthy of remark, that the highest mountain seen
from its base, does not hold a place in a vertical line, pro-
portionate to its real elevation ; consequently, notwithstanding
the difference of height, the mountains of Scotland, seen from
the valleys open at their feet, produce as much effect as the
highest in Switzerland. In fine, although the Scottish moun-
tains are less elevated above the level of the sea, than the
highest mountains of the Alps, yet as the latter rise above
an elevated ground, whilst the former have their bases at the
very level of the sea, there is in reality less difference in their
height, to the eye of the observer, than might be imagined.
Another source of illusion which induces a comparison be-
tween the views of the Highlands and those of the Alps of
Switzerland, is the relative proportion of the ol j cts compos-
ing the landscape, being pretty much the same in both coun-
tries. Thus, in the alps where the mountains are very lofty,
the valleys are very wide, and the lakes very extensive. In
Scotland the narrow vallies, and the small lakes, are propor-
tionate to the height of the mountains ; the enormous forests,
seen in Switzerland, commanding at great elevations, the inac-
cessible summits of the rocks, are represented in Scotland by .
mass?s of small trees or shrubs, which produce an analogous
effect in the landscape. Consequently, if our views in Swit-
zerland present an ensemble more stupendou i and striking, in
grandeur and majesty, no where to be equalled, the views of
Scotland are, perhaps, mere picturesque, taking this word in
its true sense ; viz. that they offer subjects for a picture more
agreeable to the painter, and more varied and graceful in
their features. Scotland bas not, like Switzerland, the
mountains covered with eternal snow; those peaks of bold
and light granite, which, by the beauty of their outline, and
the contrast which they produce, with the brilliant verdure of
the valleys, give to all the distant places so striking au effect :
but it has in compensation, lakes abounding with islands oi
all forms and dimensions; it has the Atlantic Ocean, its isles,
and interior gulphs, which give a peculiar beauty to the first

round-vi ork of the landscape .
I reluctantly left the banks of Ihe charming Loch-Kathrin,

Journey to the Hebrides. 9

and directing my steps towards the south, I passed the hills of
Atichray, which form the continuation of the mountain of
Benivenow ; during all this route, which is nearly six miles,
we travelled in the midst of a high and thick heath. Nothing
can be more solitary and more deserted than these hills. The
lofty pyramid of Benivenow rises alone above the thickets of
dark heath which extend as far as the eye can reach. Having
descended the length of a hollow road, dug by a torrent, I lis-
tened with pleasure to the conversation of my guide, a sensible
man, who appeared to me better informed as to the state
of the country, its policy, and the war, than persons generally
to be met with among men of the same class. At last the open
country presented itself, the heath disappeared, and we entered
into the valley of Aberfoyle, a beautiful open tract of country,
fertile, wrell cultivated and watered with limpid streams. The
handsome village of Aberfoyle is surrounded with trees, fields
and meadows, and I here found a very passable inn for so re-
tired a place.

8tfi August. Leaving Aberfoyle at an early hour, I di-
rected my steps towards the west, by ascending the valley in-
to which the Forth runs, which is here only a shallow brook.
I passed by the banks of the two charming lakes called Loch-
Ards, in the waters of which the surrounding mountains are
reflected as in a mirror. Upper Loch-Ard is one of the hand*
somest basins I ever saw, surrounded on all sides by green
meadows, groves, and picturesque rocks ; it is bounded at the
extremity by the lofty mountain of Ben-Lomond, the bases of
which it waters. The district of Monteith, in which I travelled
from Callender, is, perhaps, the most romantic portion of
Scotland ; a multitude of small lakes of varied aspects occupy
the bottom of the vallies, and the sides of the mountains are
covered with flourishing vegetation. After passing the Loch-
Ards, we entered into a wild glen, without verdure or trees,
which terminates at the foot of Ben-Lomond. Here I found
a small farm-house, similar to a chalet of the Alps ; the pea-
sants inhabiting it, hastened, in the most obliging manner, to
offer me cheese and milk. i\fter resting some minutes in the
hut, I began to ascend Ben-Lomond, following up a steep hoi]
low road, of difficult access, along a torrent. The slope
of the hill is very rapid, and is entirely covered with a woodv
heath,, forming a thick mass, through which we made
our way. The ascent of this long mountain is thus rendered
very fatiguing; but on arriving at the summit, the traveller is
amply repaid for his trouble, by the beauty of the scenery which
suddenly bursts forth on his view.
The position of Ben-Lomond is particularly favourable for the

Voyages and Travels. No. XL1V. Vol. VIII. c

10 Journey io the Hebrides.

extent of rtre prospect, being placed on the first line of the chain
of the Grampians ; it rises perpendicularly 3, 000 feet above
the plains of the Lowlands, and commands the surrounding
mountains on the north and on the west. A circle of nearly
one hundred and fifty miles in diameter is at once presented to
the view of the spectator, who, placed on this point, embraces
at a single glance nearly the half of Scotland ; at this height,
and in so immense an horizon, minute objects disappear, but
the whole scene is as remarkable for its variety as for its
grandeur. In the south and in the east, a vast plain, fertile,
cultivated and studded with innumerable towns and villages,
extends to a great distance, and terminates at the horizon by the
blueish chain of the hills of Galloway. The eye follows the
course of the Clyde in all its extent; the Forth, the Teith, and
a thousand other less remarkable rivers water this fine country,
in the midst of which are seen the basaltic masses, commanded
by the Castles of Dumbarton, Stirling, and Edinburgh. The
hills, which surround the latter city and the rock of its castle,
are lost in the distance, and appear only as small prominences
on an even surface. The light clouds of smoke which rise
above Glasgow alone indicate the site of that great city.
Greenock is nearer; we see the Clyde enlarging, opening and
then mixing itself with the unlimited ocean, in the large bay
which bears its name. In the midst of this fine gulph I again
saw the Islands of Arran and Bute, which I had visited some
months before ; at a still greater distance appeared the conical
rock of Ailsa as a point at the extremity of the liquid plain,
and the long peninsula of Cantyre, between the gulph of Clyde
and the Atlantic Ocean. If we turn towards the north and
the west, we behold a very different prospect; long chains of
wild, dark and dreary mountains are displayed in successive
lines. I counted towards the north ten ranges of these moun-
tains, and only seven towards the west ; the nearest of them,
which already darkened the brown colour of the heath which
covered them, are separated by vallies equally as dark and un-
cultivated : further on, the rows lie closer, and are at length
lost in a blueish vapour. A multitude of small lakes are scat-
tered in the vallies, and even as far as the tops of the moun-
tains.

Some mountains more elevated and barren still attract at-
tention ; these are the heights of Ben-Lodi, Beniwnow, Ben-
Law< rs, and at the north, Ben Nevis, the highest mountain in
Great Britain, at an elevation of nearly 1000 feet above the
level of the sea. Behind the western chains, we still see the
Atlantic Ocean extending to a distance, from which issue the
hies of Mull, lsla, and that of Jura, all covered with moan-

Journey io the Hebrides. 1 1

tains. If we are desirous of resting our eyes, fatigued with
wandering over such an immense field, we must look at our
feet, and we shall see nearer, on one side, the verdant vallies of
Monteith and their charming lakes, Loch-Ards, Lock-Mon-
teith and Loch-Kathrin ; and on another side, the beautiful
Loch-Lomond, whose calm and limpid streams bathe the foot
of Ben-Lomond. Here we command a view of this lake to its
full extent, the several islands which adorn it, and its banks
covered with rich vegetation.

In approaching the precipice, I saw a large brown eagle (Falco
FuLvus) fly off at a little distance. This fine bird had probably
built its nest in the midst of these inaccessible rocks. It came
hovering round me, by which I could examine it completely at
my ease. I spent a great part of the day on the summit ; and in
contemplating the prospect from this magnificent point, I felt an
interest in surveying the sites with which I was already ac-
quainted, and which gave rise to a thousand interesting recol-
lections ; I amused myself also in observing those I was about
to visit; and the sight of the Hebrides, whither I was going,
gave me fresh zeal, and made me anticipate further pleasure.

The weather was delightful, and the sky was perfectly
serene, during the whole of the morning; but in the afternoon,
1 observed at a distance light clouds rising towards the west.
I saw them gradually advancing, and form into columns of
rain, concealing first the Isles of Mull and Jura, and after-
wards the remotest hills of the main land ; in drawing nearer
to the place where I stood, this curtain became still darker,
and the sky still more portentous ; the storm approached us
with incredible rapidity, it soon reached the mountains which
bounded Loch-Lomond to the west; in a few moments it
cleared the valley, and we in our turn were enveloped in the
stormy cloud, which poured down torrents of rain.

The brilliant spectacle with which I had been enraptured
but a few minutes before had now vanished. The rich plains,
the lakes interspersed with little islands, the innumerable moun-
tains, the sea, with its gulphs and islands, had all disappeared :
immersed in a thick mist, I scarcely saw the distance of a few
feet around me. I then quitted this elevated station to descend
the length of the western declivity of the mountain, and after a
long and tedious route through heaths and marshes, I arrived
on the banks of Loch-Lomond at the small hamlet of Rouer-
denan. Here I quitted the guide who had conducted me from
Callender, and crossed the lake in a small boat. The rain
ceased as suddenly as it came on, and the sun was just setting
when I embarked. After a short but charming sail, and a walk

J 2 Jourmij to the Hebrides.

of nearly three miles on the enchanting banks of this fine lake7
I arrived at Luss.

I had a letter for the pastor of Luss, Dr. Stuart, a distin-
guished naturalist and fellow-traveller of Pennant, and of
Lightfoot, author of the " Flora Scotica :" he had many years
ago, with these two learned individuals, travelled over a great
part of the Hebrides. Wishing to enjoy the conversation of
this intelligent gentleman, and the hope of receiving useful
directions from him for my journey ; — in short, the curiosity I
had to visit the environs of Luss and the banks of Loch-Lo-
mond, induced me to accept the obliging solicitations of Dr.
Stuart to pass the Sunday (9th of August) with him. I had
no reason to regret my resolution in any respect ; I learned in
his company many curious details on the natural history of the
mountains and islands of Scotland, and on the manners and lan-
guage of their inhabitants.

The parsonage is a small house en the banks of the lake,
surrounded with fine orchards and beautiful gardens. Dr.
Stuart showed me his botanical garden, where be has collected
a great number of plants from Scotland and the northern
countries of Europe. As the weather was very fine, I took a
boat to visit the largest of the isles of the lake, Inch Sta-
vannach, or Monk Island. It is a small rock, and partly
covered with trees. From thence we have two views very
different in character, and equally remarkable. To the south,
Loch-Lomond extends like a large sheet of water, surrounded
by small hills, covered with abundant vegetation, and in the
midst of this liquid plain a multitude of islands appeared here
and there as if floating on the surface. This landscape is cheer-
ful and agreeable. To the north, nature presents a more rigid
aspect ; the lake becomes narrower and confined by high
mountains, having at a distance the appearance of a river;
one or two small islands are only seen on the plane. The banks
of the lake are also covered with woods and meadows, but the
trees and verdure no longer flourish on the sides of the naked
and barren mountains which surround it.

My boatmen did not fail to point out to me the curiosities of
the country. Here, on a small steep island, are the ruins of a
tower formerly inhabited by a robber, who made frequent in-
cursions into the neighbouring domains of the lake, and into
the fine estate of Koesdue, belonging to the Chief <>t' the ( 'olqu-
houns, pillaging and laying lords anil vassals under contribution.
In another island was formerly a convent of religious nuns,
which has given it the name it now bears. Inch ( Yaillaeh, or the
Isle of Old Womeu. Jn a third there exists an establishment

Journey to the Hebrides. 13

destined as a retreat for insane persons belonging to rich families.
In short, they detailed to me the war between the two clans of
Colquhoun and Macgregor, showing me all the places where
the principal events of the contest took place. The account of
so many battles, marked by traits of unheard-of cruelty and
ferocity, is found consigned in the private histories of the
families and of the Scottish tribes. From such authorities,
more authentic than those of the boatmen of Luss, I will re-
late in a few words the most striking circumstances of those
feudal expeditions, which are characteristic of the times and
manners of that warlike people.

In the year 1602, after a protracted quarrel between Allastor
Macgregor, chief of the powerful tribe of that name, and the
Laird of Luss, Sir Humphrey Colquhoun, they were anxious
to treat for peace, and agreed to meet for that purpose in the
valley of Glen Fruin, on the banks of Loch-Lomond. The
two chiefs arrived at the place of rendezvous, each escorted
by a considerable troop of his vassals, well armed, and ready
to terminate the difference by combat, should they not agree on
the conditions of peace. They disputed, and a terrible combat
ensued ; the Macgregors were victorious, two hundred of the
Colquhouns were killed, and a still greater number fell into the
hands of their enemies ; the Laird of Luss took refuge in one
of his castles ; whither he was pursued by the Macgregors, taken
and massacred. Many youths of the first families in Scotland,
who were receiving their education at the College of Dum-
barton, went to Glen Fruin to witness the battle. The Col-
quhouns, in order to protect them, shut them up in a barn ; but,
after the victory, the Macgregors broke open the doors, and
massacred the whole of these unfortunate young men.

The King of Scotland being apprized of this act of atrocious
cruelty, and being much irritated against the clan Gregor, the
most turbulent of all the tribes of the mountains, decreed the
total destruction of the clan, proscribed even the very name of
Macgregor, spread fire and slaughter throughout all the coun-
try which these rebellious vassals inhabited, and chased like
ferocious beasts, with dogs, all those who were concealed in the
mountains. Macgregor was taken, conducted to Edinburgh,
and decapitated, with eighteen of his comrades. Those of the
Macgregors, who were enabled to escape punishment, changed
their name and fled to the Continent. Notwithstanding all the
severity of this decree, and although it was renewed by the
Parliament of Scotland under the reign of William III., the
tribe of Macgregors re-appeared as powerful as ever in the re-
bellions of 1715 and 1745, and has continued from that time to
form part of the Scottish clans.

14 Journey to the Hebrides.

The Macgregors always denied the participation of their
clan in the murder of the Chief of the Colquhouns, as well
as in the still more horrible one of the }roung students of
Dumbarton : they accused the Laird of Luss with having
treacherously conspired against the lives of those of their
tribe who were negociating for peace at Glen Fruin ; they
also pretended, that the proscription of the tribe, and of their
name, was less owing to the excesses by which they had
rendered themselves culpable, than to the pity which the
widows of the Colquhouns killed at the battle of Glen Fruin
inspired in the breast of King James VI. These widows, it is
said, sallied forth to the number of sixty, to demand an
audience of the King at Stirling, each mounted on a white
horse, and carrying at the point of a lance the bloody clothes
of her husband ; a spectacle well calculated to excite the
indignation and vengeance of the monarch.

The environs of Luss are considered very salubrious ; the
inhabitants live to an advanced age, and are but seldom visited
with sickness. Pennant, in his work, gives striking examples
of their longevity ; he mentions the ages of six old men at
the time when he visited Luss, the youngest of whom was
eighty-six years, and the oldest ninety-four.

August 10. — I quitted Luss, and the hospitable roof
of Dr. Stuart, with regret, to take the route for Inverary.
I wandered along the shores of the lake, enlivened with the
morning sun. Its banks are covered with groves, whilst bold
and picturesque mountains rise in the back-ground ; but it is a
gloomy picture to see such beautiful foliage about to fall under
the pitiless hatchet of avaricious proprietors, who have already
stripped the greater part of these banks of their finest ornament.

1 regretted passing the charming village of Tarbet, placed
on a small promontory, and in the most agreeable situation: the
houses are clean, well constructed, and separated from each
other by small orchards of line trees. I quitted at this place
the banks of Loch-Lomond, and entered a small valiey, planted
with trees, well cultivated, and a mile and a half in length. At
the extremity of the valley is Arroquhar, a house sur-
rounded with gardens and lofty trees; at first sight it may
be perceived, that Arroquhar has not always been an inn, as at
present; it was, in fact, a few years ago, the residence of the
Chief of the Macfarlanes. Loch-Long, which environs it, is
not like Loch-Lomond, a lake of cheerful and peaceable water,
surrounded with venlan( and woody banks, since we no
longer see here the shrubs dipping in the calm and pure waters.
Loch-Long consists of salt water, being a narrow and Long arm
of the sea, stretching among barren and naked mountains; no

Journey to the Hebrides. 15

tree grows near its banks ; the steep rocks, which the ebbing of
the tide leaves exposed, are here and there supplied with ulva
and fucus, which spread a sea odour to a great distance.
Among these primitive mountains, which bound the arm to the
north and to the west, I remarked that which bears the name
of Arthur's Seat, or Cobler's. The top of the mountain is at
present terminated by a crest, fantastically notched. The lake
of Arroquhar is little more than a mile and a half in width ; I
crossed it in a long boat, and was much amused by seeing a
troop of porpoises pursuing the herrings. These fish seemed
to roll on a level with the water, sometimes disappearing
altogether, at others elevating their backs and thick fins above
the surface.

I rejoined the great route on the other side of the lake, but
was not able to find a guide at Arroquhar, as all the men were
at the herring fishery : having met some waggoners at the small
inn near which I disembarked, who were going to Cairndow,
I put my luggage into the waggon, and journeyed with them.

The valley of Glen-Coe, by its severe and desart aspect,
recals to the mind the most elevated defiles of the Alps, and if
we saw it covered with snow, we might imagine ourselves
passing St. Bernard. In this narrow passage we did not see a
single tree ; on all sides nothing is to be seen but masses of
rocks in immense heaps. The declivities are not covered with
heath (a rare thing in Scotland), but with a short and shaggy
turf, furnishing another resemblance between Glen-Coe and
our Alpine passages.

Before the memorable year 1745, it was scarcely possible for
a traveller to find a path to penetrate into the valley ; at present
there is a line road, forming part of the great line of military
routes, commenced after the rebellion, by General Wade. The
object of the English government, in facilitating the entrance
into the mountains and valleys, until that period inaccessible,
wras more securely to render itself master of the enterprising
and formidable people who inhabited them. At the most
elevated point of the road is a place so arranged as to afford a
convenient seat for the traveller ; an inscription invites him to
rest himself, and to acknowledge his gratitude— " Rest, and be
thankful." A little further we pass near a small solitary lake,
commanded from all parts by barren rocks. There Glen Kin-
glas commences, a valley equally as wild as Glen-Coe. We
afterwards arrived at Ardinglass, the fine estate of Sir Archibald
Campbell. It is the entrance to the country of the Campbells :
this clan has the Duke of Argyle for its chief, who has always
been celebrated for his attachment to the House of Hanover.
The family of Argyle has always embraced the Whig party ;

16 Journal) to the Hebrides.

thus, we find, that in 1715 and 1745 the Campbells were
fighting with the English army, against the other Highlanders,
attached to Prince Charles Edward.

I stayed the night at St. Catherine's, a small inn, situated on
the banks of Loch-Fine, another salt water lake, parallel to
Loch-Long. Like the latter, it penetrates much in advance
into the land, under the form of a long and narrow gulf. Its
banks are not so wild, nor its mountains so high, and their
forms are less rugged. From St. Catherine's we see Inverary
on the opposite side of the lake. This small burgh, with the
castle of the Duke of Argyle, which rises in the middle of a
fine park — the plantations of lofty trees — and the neighbouring
mountains surrounded to their summit with thick forests of fir,
— the whole together forms an enchanting scene. The weather
was very favourable for the enjoyment of so agreeable a pros-
pect, and the calm surface of the sea, reflecting the rich hues of
the sky on a fine summer's evening, presented a fascinating
groundwork to the beauty of the picture.

The sun had scarcely set, when the lake was covered with
an innumerable multitude of small boats, which directed their
progress towards the end of the gulph, for the herring fishery
during the night. It was an animated spectacle to see so
many boats covered with nets and tents, lashing with rapidity,
some with their small sails hoisted, others aided by a great
number of rowers, who made the air resound with their
songs.

August 11. — I was awoke at break of day by the bagpipe
of the fishermen, who after passing the night on the gulph,
came to take their morning repast at St. Catherine's. I crossed
Loch- Fine, and landed at Inverary. This burgh presents a
scene worthy of the pencil of Vernet; its port was filled with
small vessels and fishing boats, and others were arriving every
moment : the pier was covered with fishermen, who brought
the fish caught during the preceding night to the fishmongers
and inhabitants of the burgh, who came to purchase. Inverary,
although inconsiderable! is, notwithstanding, the capital of
Argyleshire, one of the most extensive counties of Scotland,
but very thinly populated. One of the finest ornaments of this
place is the estate and castle of the Duke of Argyle. The
avenues leading to the castle are equally remarkable for their
magnificence: a large causeway, in form of a quay, and sup-
ported on the sea side by a wall of porphyn , l< ads to an
elegant bridges built also of porphyre, taken from the open
quarries in the park itself. From thence we see the imposing
mass of the castle rising above a bill, blooming with verdure.
Tins edifice, when seen at a distance, produces a fine effect

Journey to the Hebrides. 17

above this beautiful grass-plot, but appeared heavy and massive
when we approached nearer to it: we could riot determine to
what kind of architecture it belongs. The foJt'r huge towers,
the angles of which are flanked, the turret .armounting the
castle, and the battlements, are of a golhi'c style, whilst the
windows are rather Moorish. The stone with which the castle
is built contributes also to give it a ludicrous appearance ; it
is a species of the talc genus, or pot-stone, of a clear green.
With the exception of a grand vestibule, with two flights of
stairs, the interior of the building appeared to me no way in
harmony with the exterior. It is true, the furnishing of it was
not yet finished. In the vestibule, or hall of entrance, I re-
marked two charming groups of statues from Italy ; but I
was astonished not to find, in the castle of one of the
greatest noblemen of Scotland, a single picture worthy of
remark. I could not, however, sufficiently admire the beauty
of the gardens and the park, as well as the situation of the
castle : trees of the finest shape forming groups on the green
turf; groves surrounding the grass-plot, and plantations ex-
tending to a considerable distance on the hills. A beautiful
winding brook crosses the whole extent of the park, and flows
among the thickets of trees and shrubs, whose branches bathe
in its limpid waters.

The Duke of Argyle has not excluded strangers from seeing
his fine estate. Every individual may, without permission —
without being watched by gate-keepers or avaricious Ciceronis^
perambulate at leisure every part of his domain, and take up
his abode there, without any one offering him the least inter-
ruption. This privilege gives the humble individual an idea
of independence, that adds much to his enjoyment. The
stranger, in wandering through this place, may imagine him-
self the master of these extensive woods, green turfs, and beau-
tiful lake ; and no importunate object tends to dispel such
illusions. Thanks to the liberal proprietor of this enchanting
paradise : this is a noble instance of liberality, which well
merits the imitation of all country gentlemen.

I much wished to see the herring fishery, and waited with
impatience till the evening, especially, as I was informed that
a whale of a considerable size had entered Loch-Fine, and was
pursuing the innumerable shoals of herrings. A storm came
on in the evening, which obliged me to relinquish my project.

August 12. — Wishing to reach Oban with all possible
speed, I endeavoured to procure a coach to Inverary, but it
was impossible to find one ; neither cart nor horse, nor vehicle
of any kind. An English gentleman, travelling over the moun-
tains, seeing my embarrassment, obligingly offered me a seat

Voyages and Travels, No. XLIV. Vol. VIII. d

18 Journey to the Hebrides.

in his carriage, as far as Bunawe; this circumstance procured
me the society aT intelligent persons and the pleasure of their

conversation. ;,,.

We left lir. i"V;y at an early hour, and travelled through a
barren and deserted valley ; the weather was dull and rainy,
and the route extremely monotonous. After proceeding several
miles, the aspect of the country changes, and another lake pre-
S( nts itself, viz. Loch-Awe. This lake, like the preceding ones, is
long, narrow, and surrounded with high mountains. Its direc-
tion is also the same, from south-west to north-east ; but it only
communicates with the sea by the river which runs out of it.

On seeing this succession of lakes similar and parallel to
each other, some of salt water and others of fresh, the idea is
irresistible, that the latter have themselves been, at a compara-
tively recent period, gulphs of the ocean ; a few fathoms only
from the level of the sea, has sufficed to break up the commu-
nication between these waters and those of the gulph. The
latter, shut up in an isolated basin, would, by the lapse of
time, have lost their saltness, when the salt had been drawn
towards the sea by the rivers. It is thus tha' I account for
the lakes of Lomond and Awe becoming reservoirs of fresh
water, instead of being arms of the sea, as formerly. Perhaps
a small retreat of the ocean would also suffice to change into
lakes the salt gulphs of Loch-Long and Loch-Fine.

Loch Awe, towards its northern extremity, encloses a group
of small islands ; one of them, more woody than the others,
is surmounted by the picturesque ruins of the castle of Awe.
On the bank opposite to the one we were travelling on, rise
the high and majestic mountains called Kruachan Bens. The
storm, which beclouded the landscape with a black and
sombre tinge, gave an imposing and sublime appearance to the
whole of these ruins, as well as to the barren and deserted
mountains, and this dreary lake.

We soon arrived at the extremity of the lake, where stand
the gothic ruins of the great castle of Kikhurn: Sir Colin
Campbell, one of the Scottish knights who sallied forth to
attack the infidels, built this vast edifice on his return, in 1480.
This brave knight, one of the ancestors of the Earl of Breadal-
bane, belonged to the order of St. John of Jerusalem ; his ex-
ploits entitled him to the surname of Great, and the High-
landers still call the Dukes of Argyle " the sons of the (Jreat

Colin," Mhie Caillan Mhor. Further on, the fertile valley of
Glen Orchy bursts in view. This narrow anil well cultivated
defile, abounding with vill and watered bv a fine rivulet,

is an a '/ret able contrast with the sharp rocks which surround it
on all sides. The Church of Glen ( Irchy, built on an eminence,

Journey to the Hebrides. 19

is itself a picturesque object at a distance. The eldest son of
the family of Breadalbane derives his name from this district.
We stopped at the little village of Dalmaly, situated at the en-
trance of the valley.

The ancient tombs which surround the church engaged our
attention for some tiuie : the figures which cover them, al-
though very rudely sculptured, are not without interest, being
strongly characteristic of the costumes of the country in the
middle ages. Many warriors, celebrated in olden time, lie
buried under these stones ; they are represented by rude sculp-
tures, some on foot, others on horseback, all armed with
large swords and shields, and wearing the philibeg, the ancient
Scottish tunic. Their descendants still live in these mountains ;
they carefully preserve the tombs of their forefathers, and
proudly point out to strangers the places where their warlike
ancestors repose, and where the tradition of their exploits is
transmitted from generation to generation.

Curiosity led me to pay a visit to the blacksmith Macnab,
to see the MSS. of the poems of Ossian, which, according to
report, were long possessed by his family. I saw the old man,
but not the manuscripts ; they had long ago been sent to Edin-
burgh, for the use of the members of the Highland Society. He
showed me the ancient armour of his ancestors, for he gloried in
a long succession of them, all blacksmiths like himself. This
family inhabited the same cottage upwards of four hundred
years. In the ages of feudalism, they handled successively
the hammer and the sword.

One of the ancestors of Macnab had been employed in build-
ing the castle of Kilchurn, and many of them, no doubt, contri-
buted to defend it against the attacks of the enemy's clans.
What appalling vicissitudes in human affairs ! The castle of that
powerful lord , of that once formidable chief, is now deserted and
in ruins ; whilst the hut of the humble vassal still exists, and
has never changed its masters. This long succession from
father to son, who have followed without interruption the
same profession, and in the same place, is considered as a high
mark of respectability. If they cannot boast, as other men in a
more exalted sphere, of famous names,and of illustrious warriors
among their ancestors, it is to be presumed that integrity,
irreproachable conduct, and hereditary adherence to the vir-
tues and duties of an obscure state, have insured to subsequent
generations the protection of their chiefs and the laws.

These examples of ancient families in an inferior rank of life,
are by no means rare among the Highlanders. Whilst I was
walking in the park of Inverary, I met a Highlander, who,

20 Journey to the Hebrides.

with the natural cariosity of these people, came to ask me
what country I belonged to, and whither I was going? After
satisfying him, I put the same questions to him ; he replied,
" I am going to that cottage which you see there between
those trees high above, on the hill : we have lived in it
during the three hundred years that we have been vassals of
the Duke of Argyle."

We pursued our route, with fine weather, near Kilchuru castle,
and having again reached the banks of Loch-Awe; we fol-
lowed the northern bank of this lake, by a charming route, in
the form of a cornice on the slope of Kruachan-Bens. Here the
mountains raise their cragged summits ; below us we saw the
lake, and its fine woody and verdant isles reflected in its tran-
quil waters ; by degrees the basin grows narrower, the moun-
tains on both its banks contract, they soon appeared to unite,
and a rapid current indicates that the lake is become a river.
We soon found another lake, viz. Loch-Etive, a gulph of the
Atlantic Ocean, confined between two mountains, whose forms
are altogether Alpine and picturesque. It was late when we
arrived at Bunawe, where we were obliged to sleep.

August 13.— I reluctantly quitted my amiable fellow-tra-
vellers, who continued their route in the mountains, and I hired
a carriage to conduct me to Oban. The weather was rainy,
the country barren and deserted ; the road winds on the banks
of Loch-Etive, and the appearance of the soil changes ; there
are no more high mountains, but little hills, which, by their
number and forms, do not ill resemble the waves of the sea.

I passed near the Connal Ferry ; this short and narrow ca-
nal, by which Loch-Etive communicates with the sea, presents
a singular phenomena in the ebbing and flowing of the tide.
When the tide flows, it rises rapidly to a great height, and
runs with violence into this canal where it forms a rapid tor-
rent. The surface of the waters of Loch-Etive being still
much under that of the sea, as the motion ascending has only
been able to communicate with it through this narrow pas-
sage, the waters of the canal rush down in the form of a cas-
cade into the lake, till the moment when the lake and the sea
become of the same level, which takes place a little after
high water. The contrary effect happens when the tide ebbs,
the sea retiring very rapidly, the level of the hike is then
above that of the ocean, and it takes a certain time to
empty itself by the narrow canal ; a strong current settles
from the lake to the sea, and forms into a cascade in an op-
posite direction to that which took place six hours before.
A passage boat, however, has beeD e>lablisliL'd in a place

Journey to the Hebrides. 21

which appears very dangerous, but it only plies in the hours
when the sea has reached its greatest height, or has retreated
to its lowest level.

Some miles farther, on the right, we passed the ruins of the
castle and chapel of Dunstaffnage, an ancient royal residence,
built on a peninsula; tradition attributes the foundation of
this fort to a Caledonian King, contemporary with Julius
Caesar. These gothic masses produce a fine effect in the midst
of so wild a country. From thence I began to perceive the
Atlantic Ocean, and the long island of Lismore, whose form
is like that of a small hill ; it appeared to me covered with
woods, but this was an illusion ; for although it is pretty fer-
tile in rye and pasturage, yet no trees grow there.

I arrived at Oban, where I met some young Scotsmen of
my acquaintance, who were going to visit the Isle of Staffa ;
they had been waiting two days for a favourable wind to em-
bark ; we instantly agreed to travel together.

Oban is a fishing village, situated on the sea-coast, it has
a pleasing appearance of cleanliness and comfort ; the trade of
the Hebrides with the mother country, which is almost entirely
transacted at this port, keeps the inhabitants employed. The
sea here forms a vast bay, protected against every wind by a
multitude of small and large islands, and calculated to receive a
fleet of a hundred ships of the line ; thus, those vessels which
make the voyage of the north, when overtaken by a tempest,
lay at anchor in great security in the Bay of Oban.

I was struck with the beauty of the view which this bay pre-
sented. Opposite is the little Island of Kerrera, covered with
basaltic rocks, and heath, cut into the form of benches ; and
behind this island rise the conical summits of the mountains of
Mull. Lismore appears to the north-west, and over an adja-
cent plain rise the ruins of the tower of Dunolin. The sun
was setting behind the Isle of Mull, fringing the clouds with
purple and gold, and colouring all the islands with a thousand
varied and brilliant hues. The sea, as smooth as glass, was
tinged with the same rich colours, and reflected the small
vessels lying at anchor in the bay, whilst the tranquillity of the
waves formed a pleasing and agreeable picture, presenting a
very different aspect from the idea I had formed of the Atlan-
tic Ocean in these latitudes.

22 Journey to the Hebrides.

CHAPTER II.

FROM OBAN TO STAFFS.

Adventure of the Lady1 s Rock. — Castle of Aros. — The Mac-
donalds, Kings of the Isles. — Flora Macdonald and Prince
Charles Stuart. — Ulva-House. — Staffa. — Cave of Fingal.

August 14. — The weather being very fine, we took a large
open boat at Oban, provided with rowers; the wind although
favorable was slight, and we advanced but slowly. Leaving
on our left the uncultivated and rocky Island of Kerrera, and
on our right, first, the venerable castle of Dunolin, and, after-
wards, the fertile Lismore, (the name of which, in Gaelic,
signifies a large garden,) we arrived in the sound or strait of
Mull ; it is a long and narrow canal, which separates the
mountains of the Isle of Mull from those of the main land ; and
the navigation in so confined a place, and so sandy, is often
dangerous. Having entered the sound, we saw nothing but
the barren, uncultivated, and rocky mountains of the Island
of Mull: these mountains are entirely covered with heath, and
not even the smallest bush is to be seen ; during the space of
three hours, we scarcely saw a miserable hut on this barren
and deserted coast ; the other side did not present a more agree-
able perspective, in the hills and the rocks of Morvern, the
ancient domain of Fingal. This country, celebrated by Os-
sian for the grandeur of its forests, and to which he has given
the epithet of " the woody Morvern," has lost all its beauty.
At this day, there are scarcely a few young trees to be seen
— the descendants of those noble oaks — of those venerable firs
represented by the Caledonian Bard, as displaying their light
foliage amidst these masses and piles of rocks.

The breeze which impelled us now ceased to blow, the
boatmen took to their oars, but we advanced with difficulty,
having a strong tide against us, which descends the canal with
such violence, as to give to the sea the appearance of a rapid
river ; it strikes with great force against the breakers along
the coast, against the sandy banks of the strait, and covers
them with foam and spray. We passed by the foot of the
hills of Mull, on which stands the old castle of Duart. It is
the abode of one of the tribe of Maclean, still numerous
in the Isle of Mull, and its heavy gothie turret well ac-
corda with the gloomy aspect of nature, in this district.
Near the castle rises on a level \>ith the water the small island

Journey to the Hebrides. 23

or rock, called Lady's Rock ; tbe following, according to tra-
dition, is the adventure which has given it this name. Maclean,
Lord of Duart, having married a sister of the Earl of Argyle,
and, suspecting his wife of infidelity, he exposed her on
this rock to be devoured by the monsters of the ocean, or en-
gulphed by the tide. This lovely and unfortunate victim of
the jealousy of Maclean, saw the waves approaching, which
were about to bury her in the deep, the sea having already
reached the summit of the rock ; when a fortunate chance
brought a boat into the strait, in which was Argyle himself.
The cries of a female led him towards the rock ; he recog-
nized his sister, saw her about to perish, and having rescued
her, he conducted her to his castle. He did more ; he avenged
her wrongs by killing her persecutor in a desperate combat,
fought in the presence of the King of Scotland.

A great quantity of sea birds were swimming in numerous
groups in the strait, and resting themselves on the Lady's Rock,
and on the small rocks adjoining ; these groups were princi-
pally composed of penguins, turtle-doves, and sea-gulls.

Along the coast for some distance is a narrow pathway at the
foot of the mountains, on which we saw, from our boat, some
inhabitants of the Isle passing from time to time.

After sailing ten hours we entered into the little bay of
Aros, where two Norwegian vessels were then lying at an-
chor, and we disembarked in the Isle of Mull en rocks of
a fine black basalt, covered by a meadow of sea plants of
various species. I felt much pleasure on finding myself at last
in the Hebrides, and reflecting that I should shortly behold
the famous Isle of Staffa.

On whatever side we turned our eyes, we saw nothing but
rocks and heath without a single tree. Aros is only a misera-
ble hamlet consisting of three or four houses, constructed in the
same way as all those of the Highlands. A house of better ap-
pearance is occupied by the steward of the Duke of Argyle,
to whom Aros and its environs belong.

We saw on a rock of basalt in a heap, situated on the banks
of the sea, the remains of the Castle of Aros, formerly inha-
bited by the Macdonalds, kings of the isles. Somerled, ances-
tor of these insular princes, was, in the twelfth century, the first
of that family who possessed the sovereignty of the Hebrides.
Before him these Isles, first subjected to the kings of Scotland,
were governed by a Norwegian viceroy. One of these vice-
roys profiting by his distance from the metropolis, declared
himself independent, and fixed himself in the Isle of Man.
Somerled, already powerful in the province of Cantyre, and be-
come still stronger by his marriage with the daughter of Olave,

24 Jouryiey to the Hebrides.

king of Man, seized upon the Hebrides and a part of the
county of Argyle, there established his dominion, and styled
himself king of the Isles. His successors had to struggle
against the pretensions of the kings of Scotland, England, and
Norway ; sometimes happy and independent, and at other
times subjected and tributary to one of these great monarchs ;
the kings of the Isles nevertheless preserved the sovereignty
of the Hebrides, and there maintained their sway.

In the fourteenth century the Macdonalds, descendants of
Somerled, made a successful effort to gain the independence
of the kingdom of the Hebrides. Having acquired considerable
possessions in the mother country, these powerful chiefs, at the
head of their warlike bands, often alarmed the king of Scot-
land, with whom they considered themselves upon an equality.
The Stuarts, when seated on the throne of England, still paid
every respect to these formidable vassals of the crown, which
shews what power the Macdonalds exercised at that time in the
mountains and Isles; but the revolution of England, and the
increasing strength of the monarchy, considerably reduced
their strength.

The descendants of the kings of the Isles, although deprived
of their feudal power, still possess very extensive property
and considerable influence in this part of Great Britain.
The Clan-Donald, divided into three branches, has no longer a
single chief like the other tribes. One of the branches acknow-
ledges Lord Macdonald for its chief, wrho possesses a great
part of the Isle of Sky ; another, Macdonald of Clanronald, to
whom several isles belong, besides a considerable district in
the main land; the third, Macdonald of Glengarry, wrhose
very extensive domains are situated in the centre of the
county of Inverness.

In the wars of 1715 and 1745, the Macdonalds proved them-
selves zealous defenders of the Stuarts. They were seen to the
number of 1500 following the standard of their ancient kings. The
family of Clanronald rendered the most eminent services to the
young pretender, after his defeat at Culloden, when he wandered
as an outlaw in the isles of the Hebrides. A young and beautiful
lady of this family, made herself particularly remarkable for
her romantic attachment to that unfortunate prince. In the sum-
mer of 1746, Flora Macdonald, aged 24 years, learning that
prince Charles had lied into the Hebrides pursued by a troop of
English soldiers, she hastened full of enthusiasm towards him,
and fearless of the rigour of the laws which condemned to
death whoever should receive or protect the royal outlaw, she

Bhared his dangers, and accompanied him when he braved the

fury of the ocean in an open boat; she then followed him into

Journey to the Hebrides. 25

the wild glens, where be retired to conceal himself from the
pursuit of his enemies. She conducted him across the moun-
tains by almost impervious paths, and braved the fatigues and
the inclemencies of the severest climate; she frequently went
alone undisguised, in order to ascertaiu the march of the Eng-
lish, and flew towards those whom she knew were attached to
the cause of the Stuarts, hazardously to solicit assistance,
which was never once refused. The Prince, under the disguise
of a female servant, accompanied Flora, and passed, in the
midst of those who pursued him, as a domestic attached to the
service of this young lady. The latter twice succeeded by her
presence of mind in saving his life, and rescuing him from im-
minent danger. After having been twice taken, she succeeded in
joining the prince and placing him in safe hands ; but soon after,
victim of her generous devotion, she was taken by the English
and conducted as a prisoner to London, where she was de-
tained for a year. At last, delivered from her captivity, she
returned to Scotland, where she remained during her life, and is
to this day the object of the admiration and respect of the whole
Scottish nation.

We did not stop at Aros, intending that evening to reach the
Isle of Ulva, and stay at the house of Mr. Macdonald, pro-
prietor of the Isle of Staffa. I had the pleasure of his ac-
quaintance at Edinburgh, where he politely invited me to visit
him in his Island. We were told, at Aros, that we had only six
miles to go in order to cross the Isle of Mull, and reach the
narrow passage which separates that land from Ulva; but the
miles here are double the length of the English miles, as I
found to .my sorrow, so that we had full twelve miles to
walk. The part of Mull which we passed through is a nar-
row, uncultivated, and almost deserted valley, between high
and steep mountains ; and during the whole of this journey we
only discovered three or four scattered hats. After a march of
six miles we arrived at an eminence, from whence we perceived
at our feet a large lake, surrounded by lofty and pictu-
resque mountains, called Loch-Nagheal, an arm of the sea,
which penetrates very far into the Isie \ on the opposite shore,
the imposing mass of the hill of Benmore particularly attracted
our attention, being the highest summit of Mull, terminating in
a pointed cone. The route we followed was only a narrow
stony path, and very fatiguing. We passed a hut, and being
thirsty, we halted for refreshment. It was eleven o'clock at
night, the door was open, and the whole family were asleep in
the kitchen. A peat fire was burning in the middle of the
room, which was so filled with smoke, that it was a long
time before we could distinguish any object. At last we per-
Voyages and Travels. No. XLIV. Vol. Will, e

26 Journey to the Hebrides.

ceived a bed, in which was an old man and his wife; their
children were scattered from one side of the room to the other,
and slept on piles of peats, mats, nets, or sheep-skins. As
soon as they perceived us, they rose, and eagerly came to-
wards us; we explained to them the motive for so late a visit.
by asking for a glass of milk or water. Two large wooden
bowls of milk were speedily brought, but it was v. ith great diffi-
culty that we prevailed upon these poor people to accept some
remuneration.

Continuing our journey on the eminence we soon saw in the
ocean the Isle of Ulva, beneath us. We had to descend a sharp
high hill, before reaching the banks of the sea. Owing !<> the
darkness of the night we lost our path, and severally wandered
groping along, some descending from one side, and some from
the other, without well knowing where we were going, through
rocks and briers, at the risk of every moment breaking our
necks, or rolling into the sea beneath us. However, we sur-
mounted these difficulties, and safely arrived ou the shore.
But this was not all; it was still necessary to cross the small
strait, about the distance of a gun-shot, which separates Ulva
from Mull. There was no boat on our side, the passage-boat
being in the Isle of Ulva. After calling very loudly, we suc-
ceeded in waking a boatman, who came towards us in a small
skiff. It was midnight when we crossed, and I observed, for
the first time during this passage, that the sea was covered
with a multitude of brilliant sparks, resembling stars.

We were conducted to Ulva-House, belonging to Mr. Mac-
donald ; all was closed, as at such an unseasonable hour
no visitors were expected. At that time we were not aware
of there being an inn in the Isle of Ulva.

157/i August. On going to salute our hosts, we were not
a little confused at the trouble which our arrival the evening
before had occasioned; but the most cordial welcome, and the
politeness with which we were received, soon put us at east'.
Many travellers, abusing the hospitality which they receive,
have thought proper to publish their observations on the in-
mates of the families in which they have had the good fortune
to be admitted. The greater part, warmed by gratitude to their
hosts, have thought it worth while to enrich their books
with interesting portraits, and with the recital of little incidents
which the society furnishes. These details and peculiarities
certainly render a work more piquant and more amusing; but
is it not. to be frared that tin- most merited eulogiums wound
the modesty and delicacy of those who are the objects iA'
them, when they are exposed, against their will, to the notice
of the public.

Journey to the Hebrides. 27

The situation of Mr. M acdonalcTs house is so remarkable that
I was astonished at first sight of it; the edifice is built in a
handsome style, and presents a singular contrast with the as-
pect of the surrounding country. Firs have been planted on
the barren rocks which environ the house ; and notwithstand-
ing all the obstacles of this climate to the growth of trees, the
latter appear to succeed very well. A beautiful cascade preci-
pitates itself from the top of these rocks, and falls on the bank
of the sea, forming a fine object in the landscape. From the
windows of the house we could plainly perceive the mouth of
Loch-Nagheal, opposite to which Ulva is situated. This
gulph, interspersed with islands, washes the foot of lofty
and barren mountains, the most remarkable of which is Ben-
more. This enormous mass raises its pyramidal summit to
the height of nearly 2700 feet above the level of the sea;
and its steep declivity is every where covered with heath and
marshes. '1 he top of Benmore is almost always enveloped
with clouds, which the winds bring from the sea. 1 have
often seen also, in a fine evening, the setting sun colouring the
heath-covered summits of the mountains with the richest tints
of violet and purple; nothing is then more magnificent than
the contrast of the brilliant colours of the mountains with the
dark grey of the basaltic hills and the deep green of the ocean.

The want of trees in all these grand prospects, instead of
having an unpleasing effect, rather give these rocks a charac-
ter of grandeur well according with the majesty of nature in
these regions. We must not expect to find smiling land-
scapes in these deserted districts, nor the richly adorned banks
of the lakes of Switzerland ; — no groves of olives, flourishing
oaks, citrons, or palm trees, embellish the declivities, bathed by
the peaceful waves of the Mediterranean Sea, under an always
clear and serene sky. It was feasible enough to endeavour to
plant trees in the places which immediately environ Ulva-
House, but there were many obstacles to contend with; not
only the violence of the winds and the humidity of the climate,
in a country where it rains more than three quarters of the
year, oppose the success of plantations, but it likewise ap-
pears, that the sea air is liable to check the growTth of trees.
When a rock or wall shelters the young trees, they flourish for
a time; but as soon as their upper branches grow above the
shelter they begin to fade, and the tree decays. Mr. Mac-
donald has planted a great number of firs and larch, at the
foot of the high rocks which protect his house from the west-
erly and southerly winds ; the trees being still young, and con-
sequently not lofty, they have, as yet, succeeded admirably ; and
if these trees can resist the sea air and impetuous winds, they

28 Journey to the Hebrides.

will one day form a charming amphitheatre round the habita-
tion ; thus, a dreary and barren bill, which now presents bold
lines of rocks and heath, will be changed into a well-wooded
hill. Fine grass-plots, and a large garden containing fruit and
vegetables of every kind, immediately surround the house.

August 17. — The sky being serene, I considered myself for-
tunate in being able, so soon alter my arrival at Ulva, to set
out for Staffa, with favourable weather: many travellers, con-
stantly thwarted by rains, the winds, and the sea, find them-
selves obliged, after waiting several days, to quit Scotland
without reaching that island, even after having approached so
near. We embarked at an early hour in the boat which had
been prepared for us; the piper accompanied us with his bag-
pipe, and the echoes of the neighbouring rocks resounded with
the noisy sounds of the pibroch, or the March of Clanronald.
Every laird in the Hebridej his piper, who accompanies

him in his sea excursions, or plays the marches of his tribe
during his repasts, while he remains in his castle. We were
regaled with this music at Ulva Mouse every day during dinner,
and although the piper was placed outside of the house, it was
almost impossible to hear the conversation.

After a passage of fifteen miles in* wo hours we arrived at
Staffa, the place I had so long wished to behold. We de-
scended from the boat on high basaltic rocks, in round masses.
The loose stones and blocks of basalt on which we marched,
by their number, immense size, and spherical form, indicate
the force of the ocean, which continually besieges this isle, and
breaks in pieces the hardest rocks. On this shore are embarked
and disembarked the herds which are brought every spring into
the isle, and taken away at the commencement of autumn ;
this operation is attended with considerable dauger and dif-
ficulty.

We ascended at first by a gentle acclivity to the summit of
the isle: its surface does not form a plain, as it appears at a
distance; but the ground is disposed into small risings, which
present varied undulations. A fine meadow covers the whole
summit, where sheep find an excellent pasturage. The view
of the ocean and of the neighbouring isles from this spot, is at
once grand and imposing.

However, we had not yet seen any basaltic pillars, and
wen anxiously looking for the Cave of Fingal; but our boat-
niiii reserved us this pleasure for the last, knowing that after
having seen that fine cavern every thing in the isle would, in
comparison, possess very feeble interest. They showed us the
vestiges of a hut, in which a family formerly lived during

h 1 1 ars, lor the purpose of watching the Qocks; they were

Journey to the Hebrides. 29

the oDly inhabitants of this isle. Sir Joseph Banks and M.
Faujas speak with horror of the wretchedness of this miserable
abode. At present the hut is destroyed, and the island is com-
pletely deserted.

One of the boatmen who conducted us passed a part of his
youth in this solitary habitation, and the account he gave of
the life of inquietude and anguish which he led there deeply
affected us. He recollected with terror those sad moments in
which his companions and himself heard nothing around them
but the howling of winds and agitated billows.

When the tempest began to rage on the sea, which is the
case for more than three-quarters of the year, the wind then blew
with such violence, that every moment they were afraid of
seeing the house carried away like the leaf oil a tree. The sea
rolled its immense waves with such intense furv, that in break-
ing against the shore, floods of foam gushed out upon the enor-
mous rocks which surrounded the isle, and entirely inundated
it. The waves, forcing a passage into the Cave of Fingal, and
the other caverns of the isle, struck against the walls with a
noise resembling thunder. Staffa was shaken by the shocks of
the furious sea, as by an earthquake. In the evening, whilst
these poor men, seated in their miserable hut, have been lis-
tening with alarm to the terrible commotion of the elements,
they have often seen the very rock on which their peat fire was
burning move with the ground which trembled under their
feet at every shock of these mountains of water, which seemed
as if they would have reduced the whole isle to atoms. We
might wish to have for a moment witnessed such a scene, to
judge of the entire power of the ocean ; but the bare idea of
men living there for eight years filled us with horror.

We again descended to the sea-shore near the place where we
had disembarked, and we arrived on a small promontory entirely
• composed of basalt, the long and very irregular prisms of
which are disposed nearly horizontally, or at least are only
straight at their two extremities, on one side towards the sea, and
the other towards the interior of the isle. We ascended along
these pillars as on a staircase, and on reaching the summit of the
rock, an astonishing spectacle presented itself to our eyes. We
saw from every part nothing but basaltic prisms displayed in
every possible form ; some vertical, others horizontal, or
inclined in every direction, and under an infinity of angles.
However, this mixture of so many directions and different
inclinations does not produce the effect of a confused mass.
The prisms are formed in distinct groups, in which each pillar
has a parallel direction to those which accompany it. Each
group, thus composed of pillars perfectly regular, having

80 Journey to the Hebrides,

all an uniform position, presents a very regular ensemble ; but
each has its particular forms, and does not resemble those which
environ it.

Marching from pillar to pillar, we descended towards a small
cavern, called Clamshell Cave, near which we perceived the
Isle of Booschalla, which a narrow canal of no great depth se-
parates from Staffa. At length, we arrived at the entrance of the
Cave of Fingal. I shall not repeat here the circumstantial details
which preceding travellers have given, on the form, the height,
and the diameter of the pillars. The descriptions of Sir Joseph
Banks and of M. Faujas have appeared to me generally exact,
and those to whom the short sketch which I am about to give
of this wonderful cavern does not appear sufficient, I refer to
the works of the celebrated naturalists, above-mentioned.

Figure to yourself a vault of 250 feet in depth, and 117 in
height ; supported on each side by close groups of prisms,
some with six faces, others with seven or eight sides, rising
vertically to a height of more than 50 feet, preserving always
the most perfect regularity. On entering the Cave of Fingal,
we felt an indescribable impulse of admiration. The grandeur
and majestic simplicity of this vast hall, the obscurity which
reigns there, and which increases still more the solemnity of
the basaltic pillars, the rolling waves striking against the walls,
and which in breaking against the bottom of the cavern pro-
duce a noise at times similar to the rolling of distant thunder,
the echoes resounding from the vault repeating and prolonging
all the sounds with a kind of harmony ; — all these features united
produce in the mind a sensation which invited us to meditation
and to religious awe.

The greatest silence reigned amongst us, each fixed on some
piece of pillar; absorbed by the imposing view which we
enjoyed, we could hardly cease contemplating the black walls
of the cavern, the vast ocean, the mosaic pavement, and the
ocean, which is seen prolonging at a distance across the gothic
arch which forms the entrance of the vault. If all these united
objects excited a lively interest in us, although previously pre-
pared by the descriptions of former travellers, and the fame which
it has acquired, what must have been the surprize and rapture of
Sir Joseph Banks, when, on the simple report of an English
gentleman, whom he met in the Isle of Mull, he discovered, we
may say, Staifa and its cavern ! Travelling through the He-
brides on his way to Iceland, Sir Joseph, (accompauied by the
Bishop of Linkoppinck, the learned Troil), was induced to
turn aside a little from his route to view this remmkable island,
which was then only known by very few persons; he went to
it, by daybreak, and finding himself at the foot of those

Journey to the Hebrides. 3 1

superb natural colonnades, he saw the Cave of Fingal, illumed
by the first rays of the sun. So unexpected a sight naturally
excited the greatest enthusiasm in the illustrious travellers.
How were they to announce to the world this original dis-
covery ; in what terms were they to paint their impressions, and
describe this wonder, in a manner so as to give a just idea of it.
The remembrance of the finest antique temples, of the most
majestic gothic cathedrals, presented itself to their mind ; they
compared the master-pieces issued from the hand of man with
the fantastic works of nature, and both, in contemplating this
simple and noble architecture, the outlines of which have been
traced by no human hand, turned with contempt on those
baubles (for that is their expression) which the most exquisite
art has been able to produce. Notwithstanding I perfectly
comprehend the sentiment which called forth such a com-
parison, I cannot entirely concur with their opinion. The
perfect regularity of each basaltic pillar of which these rocks
are composed, may, it is true, recal in the first instance the idea
of architecture; but this simile must not be carried too far, as
it cannot be supported by profound examination.

The great natural monuments may, like this, present regu-
larity in their details, but there is never symmetry in the
whole ; there always reigns an infinite variety, a certain pic-
turesque disorder, which is like the seal of nature ; to wish to
compare them with the works of men, is, if I may so express
myself, to mar the object of our enthusiasm, since it is to invite
us to judge of it by the rules of art. The two kinds are so dif-
ferent, that I cannot see how the admiration for the one could
prevent the enjoyment of the other; and I am not of the opinion
of Troil, who says, that when we have seen Staffa, we can no
longer admire the colonnades of the Louvre, of St. Peter's at
Rome, or of Palmyra.

In addition to the pleasure I experienced from the beauty of
the cave, were several impressions which added still more to its
charm. Among these are the sentiments excited by its situ-
ation in the midst of a tempestuous sea, and sheltered from the
destroying hand of man in a small isle, for a long period un-
known, and continually beaten by floods and tempests : the idea
of the possibility that subterraneous fires might formerly have
contributed to its formation : the distant view of the isle of
lona: but, above all, the idea recalled to the mind by the name
of Fingal ! Fingal, Ossian, and his bards assembled perhaps
in former times under these vaults ; the heavenly music of their
harps accompanied the sound of their voices, and mixing with
the hoarse winds and waves, it has perhaps more than once re-
echoed through these cavities. Here they sung their wars and

32 Journey to the Hebrides.

their victories ; here they commemorated the deeds of those
heroes whose shades their imagination depicted to them by the
pale light of the moon at the entrance of this solitary cavern!
Whilst we were indulging in theser efiections, the pipet, who
entered the cave with us, made it resound with the wild and
powerful notes of his bagpipe; this instrument well accorded
with the character of the scene, and the notes prolonged by
the echoes, produced an effect altogether analogous to that of
an organ in pealing through the vaulted aisles of a vast cathedral.

CHAPTER III.

ISLE OF IONA, AND RETURN TO STAFFA.

Monastery of I-Colm-Kill. — Interesting Antiquities in lona.
• — Ridiculous Story related by Pennant. — " Worlds End
Stones." — Highland Dance.

On quitting Staffa, we directed our course towards the
Isle of lona, which lies about fifteen miles to the south. We
enjoyed first, an extensive prospect along the basaltic range,
extending from the Isle of Booschalla as far as the Cave of the
Cornwrants, situated to the west of the Cave of Fingal.

The wind having fallen, our boatmen took to their oars.
Joyous and animated by their Gaelic songs, and by the
whiskey, which we poured out to them in bumpers, they ran
over a space of fifteen miles in two hours. We entered into
the Sound of lona, an arm of the sea, scarcely a mile and
a-half wide, and three miles long ; it separates the Jsle of
Mull on the east, from the small Isle of lona or I-Colm-Kili
on the west. We soon perceived on our right, the ruins of
the ancient cathedral of I-Colm-Kill, and afterwards the vil-
lage, or collection of huts, in which all the inhabitants of this
small isle reside ; this place, seen from the sea, appears in the
form of an amphitheatre.

A little before we arrived, the piper, according to custom,
played one of the marches of the Macdonalds, and soon a
number of the inhabitants, men, women, and children, sallied
forth ; while some remained at the door of their huts, and
others advanced to the shore to see us Land. We leaped on the
shore, and were presently surrounded by a multitude of chil-

nr./i'jld. SruJp!

Saussures Voyage to the Hebrides. S3

dren, presenting us small pebbles of a yellow serpentine, hard
and transparent, which they gather on the sea shore.

These stones, known by the name of lona Pebbles, are
much sought after by lapidaries, who cut them for ornamental
jewellery. The schoolmaster, who is at the same time steward
of the Duke of Argyle, the proprietor of lona, and to whom
these two offices give the first rank in the island, offered him-
self as our Cicerone; but, before proceeding further, it may
be proper to give a sketch of the history of this interesting
island.

It appears, from the most ancient chronicles, that before
the establishment of Christianity in that portion of Great Bri-
tain, the Isle of lona was the abode of a College of Druids,
and that it bore the name of Irtish Druinish, the Druids1 Isle.
It may also be conjectured, that the Ithona of Ossian, a name
signifying, Isle of Waves, was the isle known at present un-
der the same name ; for in the Gaelic language, the th not
being sounded, Ithona is pronounced lona. After the arrival
of St. Columban, and his pious disciples, had conferred a great
celebrity on this isle, among the northern christians, it took
the name of I-Colm-Kill, or isle of the burying ground of
St. Columban. At present, it is called indifferently I. lona,
or I-Colm-Kill.

We must not confound St. Columban, the founder of the
Abbey of lona, and the first christian preacher among the
wild Caledonians, with a saint of the same name and coun-
try, who, in the commencement of the seventh century,
founded the celebrated Abbey of Luxen in Franche Comtpe.
It is very probable that the latter, who lived half a century later,
was one of the disciples of the religious order of I-Colm-Kill.
However this might be, the elder St. Columban was born in
Ireland, and having embraced Christianity, he was remarkable
for the austerity of his manners. Irritated by the persecu-
tions which he experienced, or urged on by an ardent zeal for
the propagation of Christianity, he quitted Ireland, his native
country, vowing not only that he would never return, but
even that he would never establish himself within sight of that
island. Having entered into a large boat, with some new con-
verts, who partook of his zeal and his projects, he abandoned
himself to the winds, which drove him towards the Hebrides ;
he landed at first on the Island of Otransay, but having re-
marked, that from the top of the hills of this isle the Irish
shore was still perceptible at a distance, he hastened to re-em-
bark, and at last arrived at lona, where, according to the
Saxon historian, Beda, he fixed himself in the year 565. Bri-
dius, who reigned at that time over the Picts, being converted

Voyages and Travels, No. XLIV. Vol. VIII. F

34 Saussure\ Voyage to the Hebrides.

by him to Christianity, gave him this island for the establish-
ment of a convent; here Columban founded an abbey of regu-
lar canons, of whom he was the first abbot. Respected and
venerated throughout Scotland for his piety and learning, he
raised Aydanus to the throne, and placed the crown on his
head with his own hauds. " The authority of this man," says
Buchanan, " was at that time so great, that neither the kings
nor the people would enter upon any affair, without having
first taken his advice." Having left Iona, in order to crown
Aydanus, he profited by the occasion to address exhortations
to the king and the nation, prescribing to them their mutual
duties; and after having conjured them to remain faithful to
the worship of the true God, he returned to his monastery.
He again quitted it, a few years after,, to appease a terrible
war which was then raging between the Scots and the Picts ;
the sway which his virtues and talents gave him, even over
the ferocious minds of these northern barbarians, displayed
itself in this manner on all important occasions. After having
crowned Aydanus, he instructed Eugenius, the son of this
king, who was to succeed him, and endeavoured to inspire
him with a taste for letters — the love of peace and religion.
He died in the beginning of the seventh century ; his death
was to the King Aydanus, already oppressed with years and
sorrow, a loss which he did not survive.

Notwithstanding this event, the kings of Scotland endowed
this abbey more richly than ever ; a female convent was esta-
blished ; a number of small isles were given to these monaste-
ries, and 1-Colm-KilL became the sepulchre for sovereigns,
and the most powerful nobles of the mother-country and the
isles. Faithful to the doctrine and precepts of their founder,
the monks of Iona, at the same time that they preached to
these uncivilized tribes the dogmas of -the christian religion, dis-
sipated by their learned labours the thick mist of ignorance
and error which, at that epoch, reigned over all the north of
Europe. In this state of obscurity, one of the smallest isles
of the wild Hebrides shone alone with a brilliancy, which it
was one day destined to spread to a distance, and afterwards
to see extinguished in its own bosom.

Numerous missionaries set out from this interesting commu-
nity, for the purpose of diffusing the light of the gospel and
the knowledge of letters among the remotest, aud at that
time the most barbarous regions. Many of these missiona-
ries penetrated into Gaul, juto the countries of Germany,
bordering on the Rhine, and even into the Alps of Switzerland ;
there founded monasteries, Subject to the laws and discipline
of I-Colm-Kill, and under the jurisdiction of its abbot, as far

Sauesure's Voyage to the Hebrides. 35

as regarded spiritual matters. Among the holy missionaries
of Iona, I shall o«aly mention St. Gallus, who, in 614, esta-
blished a monastery, in the place where the abbey and the
town of St. Gall, in Switzerland, now stand ; and St. Colum-
ban, the second of that name, founder of several convents in
France, and in particular of the fine Abbey of Luxen, in
Franche-Compte. All the ecclesiastical historians agree in
rendering homage to his courage, learning, and piety.

During this time, those of the monks who remained in the
Abbey of Iona divided their time between prayer, study,
and the cultivation of the land ; accustoming the wild islanders
to derive their subsistence rather from the culture of the soil
than from the wearisome and precarious occupation of the
chase. The labours of the mind also occupied these laborious
cenobites ; a rich library was formed in the convent, where
were found collected, besides the works of the monks them-
selves, the archives and registers of the Kingdom of Scotland,
and many important manuscripts. It also appeared, from
what Boethe says, that this library received from the Scottish
sovereign, a considerable chest of manuscripts, which Fer-
gus II., who accompanied Alaric and his Goths to the plunder
of Rome, had taken in that capital of the world. Such
learning and virtue, in so barbarous an age and country, in-
spired the people with veneration for the monastery of Iona,
and those who inhabited it ; many of the monks wTere placed
in the rank of saints, and their names figure in legends at this
day ; but what will be believed with more difficulty, is, that
the isle itself has been canonized, and adored under the name
of St.-Columb-Killa : of this, however, we are assured by
the judicious Pennant. Is ;t not more probable, that the name
of the isle has been confounded with that of St. Columban,
and that this holy man has been at once adored under these
two denominations?

All these titles to the homage and admiration of the faith-
ful, did not prevent the Court of Rome from pronouncing
strong censures against the canons of Iona, who, observing that
the laws of the monks of the west differed from those of the
Roman church as to the tonsure and the celebration of Easter,
Pope Gregory sent into Scotland, an ignorant and fanatical
Augustine friar, as legate, in order to reclaim the Christians of
Caledonia to the obedience of the Holy See. Buchanan justly
deplores the fatal effects of this mission, which, on account of
some slight differences in the ceremonial, changed a pure and
enlightened religion for a multitude of. superstitious and useless
practices.

An invasion of the Danes in 807, was still more fatal to the

36 Saus8ureys Voyage to the Hebrides.

Abbey of I-Colm-Kill ; many of the monks were massacred,
the rest took to flight, and the monastery remained several
years abandoned and deserted. After the expulsion of these
devastating hordes, it was restored to its ancient destination;
benedictines of the Order of Clugny replaced the canons, and
lived in possession of I-Colm-Kill until the Reformation. At
a later period, the Bishop of Sodor and Man established his
residence at Iona,and contrary to the ecclesiastical usages, then
in vogue, this prelate subjected himself to the supremacy of
the abbot of I-Colm-Kill. In short, the Reformation put an end
to the ancient splendour of this small isle, as the monks were
not only expelled, but the religious edifices were devastated
and left in ruins. The tombs of so many monarchs, prelates,
and chiefs of Hebridean tribes, abandoned to the destructive
nature of the elements; the churches and chapels, in part
destroyed, still attest the fanatic zeal of the sectaries of Knox ;
and the Isle of Iona, formerly so celebrated and enlightened,
but now ignorant and semi-barbarian, presents a sad monu-
ment of human vicissitudes. The library, in which so many
documents on northern history were found collected, has nut,
if we may credit some authors, been totally destroyed ; a
considerable portion was transported to the Scottish College of
Douay in France, and another to the Scottish College at
Rome. Should these ancient works have again escaped the
revolutionary vandalism of our era, we may justly expect
some interesting discoveries on many important and obscure
points of the history of the middle ages.

The family of Argyle, at the epoch of the Reformation, or
rather that of the abolition of episcopal dioceses, entered into
possession of several domains which had belonged to the
clergy in that portion of Scotland, and loua now forms part
of the vast domains of the Duke of Argyle.

This isle is three miles long, and its greatest breadth does
not exceed a mile and a half: it is divided into small farms,
which the inhabitants hold from the Duke of Argyle. The
population of Iona amounts to 350 souls. • The houses, in-
stead of being placed on the farm grounds, are all built in the
form of a village, in the eastern part of the isle. Thus the in-
habitants live very near each other, and often at a consi-
derable distance from the place they cultivate: this custom is
justly considered as disadvantageous to themselves, and to the
prosperity of the isle in general. It fosters idleness, and con*
sequently misery, and I was painfully struck, on arriving at
Iona, to see the indolent maimers of its inhabitants; some
among them, it is true, ,-ire attached to fishing, the environs
furnish a prodigious quantity of fish. < )n all sides there are

Sauseure's Voyage to the Hebrides. 37

shelves, in which swarm various kinds of the cod fish, flounder,
&c. These fish are, in general, of an excellent quality, and
attain a considerable size ; but if the fisheries are not more en-
couraged than they are at present in the isles of Scotland,
fishing will only, at the most, be able to support the bare ex-
istence of the inhabitants, instead of being the means of fur-
nishing an abundance of provision.

We now pursued our ramble towards the monuments of
antiquity in this small isle. We particularly remarked, in the
middle of the village, a cross placed upright, such as is generally
seen in catholic countries. It is called St. John's Cross ; it is
composed of thin stone, of an elegant form, and there are still
to be seen the remains of sculptures, in bas-relief, with which it
was covered, but which time has partly destroyed. If we are
to believe tradition, 360 similar crosses were formerly raised
round the cathedral of I-Colm-Kill ; there exist, at this day,
only two, all the rest having been destroyed at the epoch of the
Reformation. What appears to me surprising, is, that the two
which remain were spared : I cannot conceive the cause, and
no reason is given for that preference.

On leaving the village, we arrived at the ruins of a chapel
consecrated to St. Oran, a disciple of St. Columban: the walls
are still entire, but there is no roof. Near this chapel is to be
seen the famous burying-ground which encloses the bones of
so many illustrious dead. In this little spot, surrounded by
walls, and in a great part covered with grass, are the tombs of
forty-eight Scottish kings, from Fergus II. to Macbeth, four
kings of Ireland, and eight kings of Norway, or, which is
more probable, vice-roys, who governed the Hebrides during
the time these islands belonged to Norway. No inscription or
exterior decoration indicates the tomb of any of these mo-
narchs. Donald Monro, Dean of the isles, who travelled over
the Hebrides in 1549, says, at that time, in the midst of the
burying-ground, where are interred the chiefs of the Hebridean
nobility, three mausoleums were elevated at no great distance
from each other ; on the western face of each was a stone,
bearing an inscription, which indicated its destination. That
of the middle was entitled Tumulus Regum Scotice, another
Tumulus Regum Hibernice, and the third, Tumulus Regum
Norvegice.

But not even the trace of these monuments now exists, and
in the multitude of tombs with which the ground is covered,
we sought in vain for those of the kings. It is probable, how-
ever, that their coffins still exist, but they are, perhaps, de-
posited in subterraneous vaults, the entrance to which is un-
known, but which may be one day discovered. The school-

38 Saussures Voyage to the Hebrides.

master, who accompanied us, pointed out to us a stone of red
granite, on which a large cross is sculpkired, without any in-
scription. This tomb is of granite (all the others are of a grey-
free stone), and it is said that a king of France was interred
there. Several modern travellers have spoken of this king
without once mentioning his name ; this circumstance ap-
pears to me very doubtful, and the more so, as neither the
Dean of the isles, nor Buchanan, who has copied him, make
any mention of it in their descriptions of the burying-ground
of Iona.

If the tombs of the kings are no longer to be found, those of
the Hebridean chiefs are there in great number, and many more
might be seen if care was taken to pluck up the grass which
covers a great part of these tomb-stones. It is much to be re-
gretted that more attention is not paid to keeping in repair, and
preserving the interesting antiquities, which are contained
in Iona.

The greater part of these stones are ornamented with sculp-
tures, either in alto or bas relief; some are entirely covered
with arabesques, or fantastic ornaments in the gothic style;
others are engraven with armories : in short, there are some in
which are seen represented warriors on foot and horseback,
players on the harp, dogs, stags, and other animals ; nearly all
of them have Latin inscriptions, written in gothic characters.
Among these rudely constructed monuments, by which we
may judge of the state of the arts at so remote an epoch, and
in countries which are yet in a state of barbarism, we particu-
larly remarked three tombs contiguous to each other ; on each
lies a full sized figure, in a sleeping posture, representing a
warrior in complete armour, and clothed in the antique cos-
tume of the Gaels.

Pennant mentions these warlike statues, and attributes them
to three chiefs of the tribe of Maclean ; viz., Maclean of Loch
Boay, Maclean of Durat, and Maclean of Coll. These three
figures, although rudely sculptured, may be considered worthy
of notice, as they give a perfect idea of the costume of the
ancient Hebridean chiefs.

We entered the chapel of St. Oran by a small gothic door,
by the side of which the holy basin may still be seen : the
interior of this small building is filled with tablets, covered
with ornaments and inscriptions in gothic characters. Here
lie several of the chiefs of the divers clans or tribes who inha-
bited these islands. We noticed a stone which forms the tomb
of a Clanronald, chief of the Macdonalds, and that of a Mac-
kinnon, chief of the Clan Alpin, a tribe renowned for its an-
tiquity, and from its reckoning among its chiefs many of the

SauBSure's Voyage to. the Hebrides. 39

most ancient Scottish kings. On these stones are sculptured
the claymore^ or long two-handled sword, which the Gaels
formerly used, as well as the ancient Swiss ; also the shield,
emblazoned with the arms of the warrior. In short, in the
middle of the chapel, the stone was shown us which covers the
grave of St. Oran : it is entire, and without any inscription.
In speaking of the chapel of St. Oran, Pennant relates the fol-
lowing story : —

" The legend,11 says he, " informs us, that this edifice was
the first which St. Columban endeavoured to build, but a ma-
lignant spirit caused the walls to fall down according as they
were built. After a consultation among the monks, it was de-
cided, that the wails would not be solid until a human victim
was interred under them. Oran, a companion of the saint,
generously devoted himself, and was interred. At the end of
three days St. Columban had the curiosity to cast a last look
upon his ancient friend, and caused the earth which covered him
to be removed, when, to the great surprise of all the assistants,
Oran arose, and began to reveal the secrets of his prison ; he
declared, that every thing which had been said of hell was
only a pleasantry ; but Columban was so shocked with his
impiety, that he very prudently ordained him to be again com-
mitted to the earth. Poor Oran was engulphed, and thus for
ever ended his gossipping."

Pennant has gone laboriously out of his way to relate a
story so absurd, and so contrary to the character of St. Co-
lumban. It is clear that this tale is of modern invention ; for
Buchanan, who detested the monks, would not, had he known
it, have spoken in such honourable terms of St. Columban, and
of the pious and learned monks of I-Colm-Kill.

The ruins of the cathedral have nothing remarkable in them ;
they, however, serve as a contrast, by recalling the splendour
of this edifice with the dreary and barren aspect of the isles
and rocks which surround it. This church, as well as other
■gothic cathedrals, is built in the form of a cross, in the middle
of which rises a square massive tower, and without ornament.
The whole of this edifice, and those which surround it, are
built of red granite from the neighbouring bank of the Isle of
Mull. I cannot conceive where Dr. Johnson was able to find
traces of Roman workmanship in a building evidently gothic,
and above all, in an island into which the Romans have never
penetrated. The architecture of the Cathedral, if we except
the great window towards the east, does not display, however,
those light and varied forms, those innumerable and often
elegant details, which the great gothic monuments present in
other parts of Great Britain : here, all is heavy and massive.

40 Sauss lire's Voyage to the Hebrides.

The interior of the church is, however, more carefully worked
than the exterior ; we still see there the colonnades terminating
by arches, which separate the lateral chapels from the body
of the church ; the chapiters of the pillars are short and thick,
and contain rude representations, in bas relief, from some pas-
sages of the holy scriptures, such as the expulsion of our first
parents from paradise, as well as fantastic arabesques and im-
perfect designs. There are also to be seen in the church, the
tombs of two abbots of Iona, of the names of Mackinnon and
Mackenzie, or Mackenneth ; both are represented in a sleep-
ing position on their tombs, and attired in their pontifical
robes, with mitres on their heads and crosses in their hands.
The statue of the first of these prelates is in a remarkable state
of preservation ; and although the epitaph, which is engraven
in gothic characters round the grave-stone, bears the date of
the year 1500, this figure appears recently sculptured.

At the foot of the walls of the abbey we were shown the
stone which covers the grave of St. Columban, but it bears no
inscription nor sculpture. Near it is a statue of black marble,
in a mutilated state, which is called the Black Rock. The
chiefs of the Hebridean [tribes laid their hands on this block
when pronouncing the oath of allegiance to the sovereign of
Scotland. We also remarked the beautiful cross, named the
Cross of St. Martin, or Maclean. It still stands before the
entrance of the church, its form is elegant, and it is sculptured
on both sides; one bearing fantastical ornaments, the other
representing the serpent and Adam and Eve receiving the
apple.

Our guides would not allow us to quit these ruins without
showing us the dacha brath, or " world's end stones," which
are deposited in a part of the wall between the cathedral and
the burying-ground of St. Oran; these are three stone balls,
contained in a basin of the same material. The tradition is,
that the end of the world will arrive when the basin shall have
been completely worn by the friction of the balls ; and it is
in order to hasten that solemn moment, that all who come to
Iona believe themselves obliged to whirl round the ball three
times in the direction of the sun's course.

We cannot be astonished, that a people naturally super-
stitious, should attach ideas of fatality to these ruins and
tombs, and to so many monuments which recal the vanity of
all human grandeur : thus, we find that the inhabitants of Iona
greatly surpass in credulity those of the Hebrides. The idea
of the " world's end stones1"' is ancient, and appears to have
prevailed at the time that the monks inhabited the abbey. Ac-
cording to Mr. Sacheveral, governor of the Isle of Man, who

Saussure's Voyage to the Hebrides. 41

visited Iona in 1G88, there were, within the abbey, three fine
globes of white marble placed in three stone basins, which
wrere the objects of the same belief as the dacha brath of the
present day, and were destroyed by order of the protestant
synod of Argyie. An ancient Gaelic prophecy, which is still
repeated, shows the idea of the Hebrideans as to the superiority
of the small isle of Iona over all the neighbouring countries,
and of the part it was to act in that terrible moment, when a
new deluge would inundate the earth. According to this
prediction, when all the surrounding isles, when Ireland itself
shall have disappeared under the waters, the holy I-Colm-Kill
will still proudly raise its head, during the period of seven
years, above the liquid plain.

Beyond the village are to be seen the ruins of two convents
of canons and canonesses, the bare walls of which still remain ;
we were shown the chapel of one of these convents, and some
tombs of abbesses, monks, and priests. The stones, half co-
vered with earth and turf, are loaded with sculptures and in-
scriptions in gothic characters. If the view of these mauso-
lea of the middle ages, in the dreary churches of remote
centuries ; if these great figures, extended on their tombs with
clasped hands, their countenances turned towards heaven, and
their prostrate bodies, produce a strong and solemn impression
on the mind of the traveller, who surveys the gothic vaults of
edifices still consecrated to worship and to prayer, how much
more will he experience, when he contemplates these rude mo-
numents amidst a mass of ruins, in a wild and barren country,
and on the banks of a boundless sea ; — when he sees the ground
strewed with grave-stones, exposed to the atmosphere from the
time the vaults which enclosed them have ceased to exist; —
when, in fine, the sea winds, by agitating the stalks of the
nettles and wild grass, discover, at times, the great figure of
an old warrior, or the immoveable statue of a venerable
prelate !

On viewing the ancient I-Colm-Kill, so changed and so
fallen, I was overcome with melancholy reflection ; thus we
involuntarily look back to the past ; — we seek to efface, by re-
flection, the ravages of time; — to re-establish those ruined
edifices, and wish to see them again, such as they were
formerly with their pious inhabitants. In these churches and
convents, formerly enriched by the gifts of sovereigns, where
precious metals and rich stuffs once decorated the altars, and
vaulted roofs re-echoed with the sacred melody of organs, we
no longer hear any sounds but the rolling of the floods, and the
howling of the winds, through ruins and deserted cloisters.
Formerly, at every hour of the day, and even night, the Eternal

Voyages and Travels, No. XLIV. Vol. VIII. g

42 Saussures Voyage to the Hebrides.

was adored in Tona ; but, at this day, worship is no longer
celebrated, and the inhabitants are obliged to go to the church in
the Isle of Mull, at a distance of several miles. Ignorance and
idleness have succeeded labour and study, and the gardens,
which were formerly cultivated by the friars, are now become
waste. Formerly, a vessel, when navigating by night in the
canal of Iona, was guided by the sound of the bells of the
abbey ; whilst the glimmering lamp which burned in the cell
of a monk, — laboriously occupied in copying an ancient manu-
script, served as a beacon to the pilot to direct him in these
dangerous latitudes. Overtaken by the tempest, or wrecked
upon the rocky shore, he was sure to find an hospitable asylum
and consolation amongst these good fathers, — remedies for all
his misfortunes. At present, the poor inhabitants of Iona would
willingly share all they have with a straDger in distress, but
they have scarcely sufficient for their own wants.

Strangers have often testified their regret on seeing the in-
habitants of this place, so well known for their religious habits
in former times, compelled to go out of their isle to a place of
worship. Pennant, Johnson, and Knox, have strongly ex-
pressed their surprise at this striking contrast; and they have
also deplored the want of the means of instruction for youth.
This latter circumstance, at least, has been taken into conside-
ration, and at present I-Colm-Kill possesses a school ; the
master who directs it appears to be a well-informed man. I
was agreeably surprised to hear him speak of Mont-Blanc, in
Switzerland, of its ice and perpetual snows, and address to
me some very sensible questions on objects so remote from these
districts.

We promised to reward our boatmen for their past zeal, by
treating them with a dance at Iona, in the evening, as dancing
is the favorite amusement of the Hebrideans of all ages. They
brought us a fiddler, and we invited the inhabitants of the
village to a dance in our hut. We much admired the gaiety,
the liveliness of their national dances, and the address with
which they avoided the deep holes of the ground on which
they leaped. The luxury of floors is unknown here, and in the
interior of the houses the inhabitants still tread on a damp and
rough soil. We plied the dancers with toddy, and in the in-
tervals between the reels tin y sung several Gaelic songs in full
chorus. Although these songs, as well as those we heard
on the sea, consisted of a solo and chorus, they differed little
in the rhyme, but the words were different ; (he airs composed
to be sung on the water, and accompanied by the noise of the
oars, are called jorrams, the others bear the name of Oran
luathdidk, and are only SUDg on land to amuse the workmen

Saussure's Voyage to the Hebrides. 43

in their labours ; they are a soecies of ballads, or recitations of
adventures, sometimes heroic or tragical, and at other times of
a comic and burlesque character.

The men and women seated themselves in a circle and
joined hands, or held, in couples, the end of a handkerchief,
with which they kept time during the chorus. Two of our
boatmen, who were the leaders, made all kinds of grimaces and
apish tricks whilst singing, striking themselves on the head
one against the other with all the dexterity of Italian buffoons,
while the rest of the company were convulsed with laughter.
This scene greatly amused us, and we were astonished to see,
under so foggy an atmosphere, in so dreary a climate, a people
animated by that gaiety and cheerfulness, which we are apt to
attribute exclusively to those nations who inhabit the deligl £ful
countries of the south of Europe.

It required all the fatigue of a long journey, replete
with a thousand interesting scenes, to enable us to pass the
night in our miserable abode ; some of our party were glad
to find a wretched bed, without either mattrass or sheets ;
others were obliged to content themselves with a bed of straw7,
spread on the cold damp ground.

August 18. At an early hour we quitted our miserable bed,
and again embarked on our return to Ulva. The waves threw
upon the coast the wrecks of several ships. These wrecks
belong by right to the Duke of Argyle, as grand admiral of
Scotland, but he generally yields them up to the proprietors of
the isles on which they have been found, which at times pro-
duces a considerable revenue to the latter ; since, by these
means, they not only acquire a great quantity of wrood and
iron-work, which are valuable in the Hebrides, but frequently
some casks of wine, forming part of the cargo of vessels lost in
the Atlantic. The sea brings also, we were told extraordinary
foreign seeds and fruits. From what they said, I suppose they
meant the American fruits, of which several travellers have
spoken, and the arrival of which, on the coasts of the Hebrides
and Norway, has been often mentioned, as a proof of the
existence of a great current which crosses the Atlantic, from
the eastern coasts of America to the shores of the northern
countries of Europe.

After passing near the rocks of Inch-Kenneth, we returned
to Ulva, where we had the pleasure of engaging Mr. Mac-
donald, the brother of Clanronald, who was at Ulva-House, to
accompany us in our visit to the isles, which belonged to his
brother. During the last three days of my residence at Ulva-
House, English travellers wTere continually arriving. They all

44 Saussures Voyage to the Hebrides.

wished to see Staffa, which is generally the term of their
maritime excursions, and passed by Ulva, most of them alight-
ing at Ulva-House.

CHAPTER IV.

FROM ULVA TO COLL AND TIREE.

Port of Tobermory. — Proofs of the Existence of tlie grct
Current from the /Shores of America to the Hebrides, i\c.

j&jkgust 28th. It was with much regret I quitted Ulva-
House, and took leave of its amiable inmates. Mr. Mac-
donald gave me letters of recommendation to all the proprie-
tors of the isles which we were about to visit ; he also took
care to procure^ us excellent horses and a guide to conduct us
to Tobermory, across the mountains to the north of Mull.
We set out pretty late in the morning, and witnessed the
manner by which horses are conveyed across the strait of Ulva ;
they are fastened by the head to the boat, which they are also
compelled to follow by swimming. Having arrived in the
Isle of Mull, we mounted on horseback, and first passed
through the fine farm of Laggan-Ulva ; by following a narrow
path along the shore, we passed near the cascade seen from
Ulva-House. This cascade, already rendered exceedingly terrific
by the height of the basaltic rock from which it rushes, had been
much swollen by the late rains. A few miles further we
passed the beautiful estate of Torloi«k, on our right, belonging
to Mrs. Clephan-Maclean. The house is a handsome structure,
and stands on a line eminence clothed with verdure, and
covered with trees and shrubs. Having reached Balachroi, a
small village belonging to Mr. Maclean of Coll, we next
passed over a chain of hills covered with heath, and arrived at
a narrow and dreary lake, designated in the map by the name
of Loch-Friza, surrounded by barren and deserted mountains.
After climbing up a second chain of hills, and discovering
other lakes as dreary as the former, tin: fine Port of Tobermory
suddenly burst upon our view, and it was not without an
agreeable surprise that we saw the charming village of that
name, which, by the beauty of its situation, the cleanliness and
even elegance of the bouses, strongly contrasted with the uncul-
tivated regions we had jusl quitted. Tobermory signifies in
Gaelic, Mary> Will, and was formerly celebrated lor a foun-

Saussure's Voyage to the Hebrides. 45

tain consecrated to the virgin. It is a small town situate at
the northern extremity of the Isle of Mull, and owes its ex-
istence to the efforts (unfortunately too feebly supported,) of
the Society for the Encouragement of Sea Fishing in the He-
brides. When Pennant and Knox visited these isles, the Port
of Tobermory was not in existence ; for both travellers, who
speak with admiration of the beauty of the bay, take no notice
of the village. It is probable that what is at present a small
town, then much resembled those poor hamlets which are
every where seen in the Isle of Mull, and was too insignificant
to attract the attention of travellers. At the present day a line of
elegant stone houses, of two stories, and covered with slate, rises
between a hill and the bay. A handsome quay, of hewn stone,
separates them from the sea, and allows trading vessels to ap-
proach the shore, so as to load and unload their cargoes. At To-
bermory we found a good inn and shops, seldom to be met with
in these districts ; there is altogether an air of comfort and
cleanliness in this place, which is very rare in the Hebrides.
The prohibitory laws which exist in Scotland, particularly
those relative to commerce and to the manufactory of salt, are
the principal and notorious causes of the deplorable state of
the fishery in the Hebrides, and why this sea port, which was
intended to develope the industry of the inhabitants and dif-
fuse abundance in this part of Mull, has not produced such
effects, is rather irreconcileable. The united efforts of the He-
bridean proprietors, and of the Society for the Encouragement
of Fishery, have not yet succeeded in obtaining from the legis-
lative powers the revocation of those laws so strongly called
for by all the islanders.

The bay of Tobermory has acquired some celebrity in his-
tory, by the shipwreck of the Spanish frigate, the Florida,
wrhich belonged to the famous Armada. It is said that the
body of the vessel still remains at the bottom of the water ;
several persons have been often employed to draw up the
effects which it contains, and many precious articles have been
discovered. I saw in the house of Colonel Maclean, in
the Isle of Coll, some specimens of very fine foreign
wood, which has been obtained from this vessel, and con-
verted into chimney ornaments. I was assured also, that at
the time of the shipwreck of the Florida, in 1588, some
Spanish horses, wThich were on board, succeeded in escaping
aud gaining the shore; that they had multiplied in the Isle
of Mull, and that the intermixture of this foreign race, with
that which previously existed in the country, had pro-
duced the beautiful species of small horses which are now
seen in Mull, and which are more esteemed than all others in

46 Xaussure's Voyage to the Hebrides.

the Hebrides ; I cannot, however, vouch for the truth of this
statement.

August 30/ h. We set sail for the Isle of Coll, and after
having sailed six hours, in the finest weather, we cast anchor
in the small bay of Brakalla. Leaving our vessel, we took
the small boat and landed on the rocks, from whence we pro-
ceeded towards the house of Mr. Maclean, the proprietor of
Coll, whom I had the pleasure of knowing in Edinburgh. We
learned with great regret, that he had set out with his family,
the evening before, for the Isle of Sky. Mr. Maclean's
steward, who came out to meet us, hastened to invite us, in
the name of his master, to fix our abode at his house as long
as we staid at Coll. He offered to accompany us wherever
we chose, and was in every way anxious to make himself
agreeable to us.

The house of the Laird of Coll is modern, elegantly
built, and situated at some distance from the bay ; we still per-
ceived, on the banks of the sea, the ruins of the ancient Castle
of Coll, the former residence of the family of Maclean before
the new house was built. The apartments are not spacious,
but they are very convenient, and furnished with much taste
and neatness. There is a good library, which is a valuable
object for a family, who often pass the whole year in a place
bereft of all the pleasures of society.

The Isle of Coll is destitute of those grand scenes which dis-
tinguish the Hebridean landscapes; having no high and pictu-
resque rocks or mountains, the absence of all kinds of trees is
also still more felt. Although the land is in general barren, it
is nevertheless, in many places, covered with fine meadows
and rich pasturage. Mr. Maclean possesses, to the westward
of his house, a vast plain which produces hay of an excel-
lent quality ; I witnessed the harvest which had just com-
menced ; this rural occupation, which every where presents
an animated scene, has a more pleasing effect in the Hebrides,
as it is to be met with there. Agriculture and fishing occupy
the inhabitants, whose number is upwards of a thousand.
In all our walks we had ample reason to congratulate our-
selves with their hospitality. The Gaelic language is more
generally spoken than the English, and many of the inhabi-
tants do not understand the latter. The following may be
considered as a striking instance of the scrupulous attachm< nt
of the inhabitants to the custom of remote ages. When a
Btranger enters the hut of a peasant, and asks for milk, the
man or woman fills a wooden bowl, and after having iirst
tasted it, presents it to the applicant. This is a method of
convincing him that the drink contains nothing pernicious in

Saussure's Voyage to the Hebrides. 47

it; such a precaution might have been necessary when the
armed clans were engaged in interminable and cruel wars, and
when a Highlander, on entering a strange hut, was ignorant
whether it was the dwelling of a friend or an enemy.

Mr. Maclean is not the sole proprietor of Coll ; the Duke of
Argyle possesses a third, in the northern part of it. The
greater part of the inhabitants belong to the tribes of Maclean
and Campbell. The isle is divided into two parishes, each of
which has its church and school.

At Coll we clearly ascertained the existence of the great cur-
rent, which, after sweeping the coasts of America, runs through
the Atlantic, and beats the western coasts of the northern coun-
tries of Europe. Every winter foreign seeds and pieces of
American wood are thrown upon the shore. I saw at Mr.
Maclean's house the entire trunk of a mahogany tree which
had been thrown on the coast by the current; I was also
shown a beautiful tortoise-shell and two or three cocoa-nuts,
which the sea had thrown up, and which are preserved as
curiosities.

September 3d. We set out at an early hour, accompanied by
Mr. Maclean, the steward, in order to visit the Isle of Tiree,
situated to the south of Coll. These two isles are separated
by a strait of five miles in breadth, in the midst of which the
little Isle of Guna is situated. Having reached the southern
extremity of Col!, we took a small boat which two boatmen
drew with great difficulty from the sand in which it was
wedged. The canal between Coll and Guna is very narrow,
and dangerous, from the quantity of sand-banks and shallow
places with which it abounds; and our boatmen were fre-
quently obliged to jump into the water to push the boat from
the sand-banks. Having surveyed the Isle of Guna, consisting
entirely of rocks of gneiss, we were an hour in reaching Tiree,
after sailing with very fine weather and a calm sea.

Tiree presents the most agreeable appearance after passing
a rampart of sands which border the shore. It is, undoubt-
edly, the most fertile and cultivated of all the Hebrides ; its
length is twelve miles, and its greatest breadth, three. This
isle belongs entirely to the Duke of Argyle, and the num-
ber of the inhabitants is upwards of 2,400. The northern
part where we landed is, like the south of Coll, very sandy ;
we passed by the foot of several high banks of sand, formed
by hurricanes, but soon reached a fertile region, covered with
meadows and cultivated lands, where barley, oats, clover,
and potatoes growr to great advantage. One half of the sur-
face of Tiree is worth cultivation. The small villages which
we passed through, appeared to me cleaner and more com-

48 Saussure's Voyage to the Hebrides.

pact, than those of the other isles; the habitations are better
constructed, and the roofs built with more care. The walls
of the houses are extremely thick, and tastefully built with
stones placed together without any cement. A multitude of
plants, of a fine foliage, grow in the interstices of the stones,
and overshadow the entrance into the houses with a canopy of
the finest green. In other respects, the interior of these habi-
tations generally resembles the huts of the Hebrides.

We entered a village situate on the eastern coast, where
a small port, with a fine pier, has been built. The vessels of
Scotland and Ireland engaged in the coasting trade may refit
here, in case of bad weather, and find the necessary articles
to repair their damage. We saw several sloops in the port,
waiting a favourable wind. From thence we entered a plain,
of three square miles in surface, the largest and most level
plain in the Hebrides, and which is every where adorned by
the finest verdure. We passed through a part of it in order to
arrive at the farm of Balaphaitrich, belonging to Mr. Camp-
bell. The house is small, but built in a good style, and
stands on the western side of the isle, on the banks of the
sea, and at the entrance of the great plains on the sea shore.

In the south of the isle, we perceived a rock, on which
an innumerable multitude of sea birds build their nests. No
species of serpents or reptiles is known here. I asked one of
the natives if there were any wild animals. " Yes," he re-
plied, " we have a great quantity of rats, which commit much
damage ; the rat is the largest, and perhaps the only wild
quadruped in Tiree."

In the winter of 1806, a storm cast ashore at Tiree no
less than eighty young whales, the largest of which measured
twenty feet in length; but the inhabitants not being provided
with the necessary articles to collect the oil, could only derive
a very small profit from it.

We passed the rest of the day and night at Balaphaitrich,
where Mr. Campbell received us with all the hospitality of
the ancient Hebrideans. Duriug the repast, which lasted all the
evening, a peasant, successor of the ancient bards, came and
seated himself near a window, and sung, or rather recited, in
a monotonous tone, several Gaelic poems, very different from
the wild Jorrams, as the latter have at least in their discor-
dant harshness, a peculiar expression, which is not altogether
without its attractions.

September 4th. We quitted Balaphaitrich in order to re-
turn to Coll, accompanied by Mr. Campbell and Mr. M'Coll,
pastor of the Isle of Tiree, who accompanied us as far as the
village, where we found a boat ready to cross the strait. Be-

Saussure's Voyage to the Hebrides. 49

fore embarking we stopped a few minutes in a hut. An old
man, who lived there, recited to us the fragment of a Gaelic
poem, which Mr. M'Coll translated to me in English ; I at
once recognized, from the literal translation which he gave
me, that the subject was the death of Oscar, such as has been
published by Macpherson in the First Book of Temora. I
particularly remarked the touching episode of the two dogs,
Bran and Luath, howling at the feet of the heroes who had
just expired.

CHAPTER V.

FROM COLL TO CANNA.

Scour Eigg. — Horrid Cruelty exercised by the MacLeods
against the Macdonalds.— Portrait of an ancient High-
lander.— Isle of Rum. — Compass Hill. — Protestants of the
Golden-headed Cane.

September 8th. We set sail from Coll at 10 o'clock, with
a slight wind from the north-west. The weather was very
fine ; and having cleared the bay, we enjoyed a most en-
chanting prospect. On the north we saw the Isles of Rum
and Eigg, towards which we steered ; and on the east, the
Isle of Mull and its high mountains. Whilst we slowly pro-
ceeded, with a slight wind, along the eastern coast of Coll,
we perceived, at a little distance from us, the back of an
I enormous whale. Our sailors estimated its length from fifty
to sixty feet ; it showed itself two or three times in succes-
sion, and then disappeared altogether. I had never before
seen a whale, and this one did not appear to me of an extra-
! ordinary size ; but having before me such objects for com-
j parison, as the sea, immense mountains, and entire islands, it
is by no means extraordinary that this animal appeared to me
less than it really was.

The night, although fine, was very cold, and we easily

^perceived, by the temperature of the air, that we were sailing

| in a latitude far advanced towards the north ; we had in fact

passed the 57th degree of latitude. Having descended into

our cabin, we found a good peat fire, and after a light repast,

we retired to rest, and slept until the moment the sailors roused

;us to announce that we bad anchored in a small bay of the Isle

of Eigg. It was one o'clock in the morning when we stepped

Voyages and Travels. No. XLIV. Vol. VIII. h

50 Sau8sure\s Voyage to the Hebrides.

into the boat. By the light of the stars, we could distinguish
the bay, surrounded nearly on all sides with rocks; and the
mountain of Scour Eigg, the highest summit of the isle, rising
like an imposing shadow above our heads.

Guided by our sailors, we groped, in the dark, across the
rocks, till we came to two or three huts ; when we knocked
at the door of one of them. An old man rose to admit us ;
and notwithstanding the early hour, he gave us a hearty re-
ception. A large bottle of whiskey, and some bread and cheese,
were immediately set before us ; and during this frugal repast,
a small neat chamber was prepared for us, where we slept.
Clanronald is the proprietor of the Isle of Eigg, and we re-
solved not to inform our host, till the next day, that he had
the good fortune to lodge the brother of his Laird ; fearing
that were this known sooner, we should not have had a mo-
ment's repose. The good old man was a Macdonald, an
ancient soldier ; he had fought at the battle of Quebec, and by
the side of General Wolfe. He also recollected, in his infancy,
following his father at the battle of Culloden, where he served
in the army of Prince Charles Stuart.

September 9th. The secret was already discovered before
we arose, and the good man, who had learned from the sailors,
that the brother of the chief of the Macdonalds was in the
house, hastened, as soon as we were dressed, to pay his respects
to him ; his wife clasped him in her arms, and our breakfast, in
some degree, proved the effects of their joy, for they gave
us all they possessed. These good people never once kept
their eyes off Mr. Macdonald, and more than once blessed
the happy day on which he entered their hut.

Accompanied by our host, we commenced operations by as-
cending the Scour Eigg, which is, as I have said, the name of
the highest summit of the isle. The rocks, of which the Scour
Eigg is formed, rise gradually from the western part of the
Eigg, in the form of an inclined angle, its highest elevation
being towards the east ; this angle is suddenly terminated
by a precipice of many hundred feet. From the base of this
immense rock, the ground descends by a gentle declivity to-
wards the sea. I cannot give a better idea of the figure of
the angle which forms the summit of Scour Eigg, than in
comparing it to the crest 6i an ancient helmet ; and the ground
under the rock to the helmet itself. From the hut of Mac-
donald, which is on the eastern side of the isle, we had, looking
westward, the view of Scour Eigg in the foreground. From
this situation, the mountain presented a most singular appear-
ance, and resembled an mormons tower, rising to a great
height above all the surrounding hills. These hills are

Saussure's Voyage to the Hebrides. 51

every where covered with thick heath, except in the hollow
and steep places, where the rock is here and there bare.
On this rock, are thousands of small regular pillars, form-
ing the long ridge which bound the Scour Eigg, extending
from east to west, to a length of nearly two miles. Having
reached the eastern part of the ridge, on the summit of the
perpendicular rock which terminates it, we suddenly burst
on a most magnificent view. Standing on the top of this
rock, we were surrounded on the north, the east, and the
south, by deep precipices. The wind blew hard, which
would not allow us to remain here long, to enjoy, as much
as we wished, so fine a panorama, which the serenity of the
sky enabled us to discern in its full extent.

Among the numerous caverns on the sea-shore, there is one
which is but too celebrated in the history of this small isle.
The Macleods, a tribe who inhabited the Isle of Sky, having
had a quarrel with the Macdonalds of the Isle of Eigg, re-
solved, according to the custom of those warlike tribes, to
terminate their difference by the force of arms. Having formed
a project of attacking the Macdonalds by surprise, in their isle,
and of attaining the most decisive revenge, they collected all
their boats, and filled them with armed men. Favoured by the
wind, this formidable expedition set sail, and soon appeared
in sight of the Isle of Eigg. The Macdonalds, alarmed at
the approach of an enemy, so superior in numbers, despaired
of being able to resist by force, and began to conceal them-
selves in a cavern of their isle, the entrance to which could
not easily be discovered, being low and overgrown with
briers. The Macleods disembarked in the Isle of Eigg, but
to their great surprise, finding their project defeated, that the
isle was deserted, and all the inhabitants had disappeared,
they re-entered their boats, and again set sail for the Isle of
Sky. In the interval, the Macdonalds judged that it was now
time to leave their retreat : they imagined that the Macleods
wrere entirely gone, and sent one of their party to a neighbouring
rock, in order to watch the progress of the enemy. From an
elevated spot, the spy was soon discovered by the small flotilla,
which instantly turned round. Suspecting that the inhabitants
of Eigg had found some retreat in their isle, the Macleods
again disembarked. The imprudent Macdonaid, seeing them
return, entered into the cavern ; but unfortunately, the trace
of his foot-steps, on a recent fall of snow, indicated to their
enemies the fatal cavern ; they approached towards it, and
being unable to enter it by force, they conceived the horrible
design of suffocating at once the wThole of these unfortunate
people. They kindled an enormous fire at the entrance of the

52 Sautis lire's Voyage to the Hebrides.

cavern, the smoke of which, driven by the wind, soon filled
the interior, and destroyed ail those who were within ! This
atrocious act is well calculated to afford an idea of the hatred
which formerly existed between those island savages.

We could not at first perceive the entrance to the cavern,
which was concealed by briers and thorns ; it is so low, that
we were obliged to crawl on our hands and knees, in order to
penetrate into it; but after advancing a short distance, we
found ourselves in a spacious cavern. Having lit a flam-
beau, we penetrated as far as we could into this long and
narrow cavern. The sight of the walls, still blackened by the
smoke, and, above all, the quantity of human bones and
skulls scattered on the ground, were for us too striking proofs of
the truth of that horrid catastrophe ; and the effect produced
on us by the unexpected discovery of these human skulls,
and the horror which momentarily overcame us, can be easier
imagined than described.

We employed the rest of the day in visiting the farm of
Laig, occupied by one of Clanronald's farmers, named also
Macdonald, to whom we had a strong recommendation, as
being a representative of the ancient Highlanders, &c. pre-
serving all their manners and customs to this day : we soon
perceived this by the cordial reception which the good old
man gave us. He detained us to dinner, but before the cloth
was laid, he made us drink a full glass of whiskey to the
health of each. The dinner was simple, but very good. From
the time we left Ulva we had not tasted bread till now, having
been accustomed to eat oatmeal cakes : thus nothing was
wanting for our comfort. Our host related to us many in-
teresting stories of Prince Charles, respecting whom he could
not speak without visible emotion. He designated the Duke
of Argyle and the Karl of Breadalbane by the simple appel-
lations of Breadalbane and Argyle. It was not, however, with
him a mark of familiarity or of disdain: but he followed the
ancient Scottish custom of designating nobles, proprietors, or
farmers, by the names of their fiefs, their domains, or their
farms, without adding that of their family or any other title.
According to this custom, the boatmen of Mr. Macdonald, of
Staffa, whether in speaking of, or addressing themselves to him,
called him simply Staffa, as the most respectful title.

When the old man mentioned the Campbells, we discovered
in his conversatiou some traces of that animosity which for-
merly existed between the two tribes. But to hear him, all
the peerS of the kingdom wen1 nothing by the side of Clan-
ronald, his chief, whose name was repeated every instant in his
conversation. Upon the whole, nothing was more singular

Saussure's Voyage to the Hebrides. 63

than his whole deportment ; it was the tone, the manners of
an epoch which had long passed away, and of a generation
almost extinct.

After dinner, according to custom, he gave several toasts ;
the first was to the King, the second, in a bumper, to Clan-
ronald. He also diverted us greatly by singing some Gaelic
songs ; and as he was famed for knowing the airs of the bag-
pipe better than any professed piper, we begged him to give
us some specimens. He then sung some pibrochs, with all
their difficult passages, pleasingly imitating with his voice the
sound of the bagpipe.

The greatest curiosity at this good man's house was a Gaelic
manuscript, which, he told us, was written by his grandfather.
It was the only manuscript of this kind which I had yet seen,
and was written in peculiar characters, long since out of use.
I could not ascertain the contents of this manuscript, but at
least I was convinced that the Gaelic, whatever may be said of
it, was formerly a language possessing very peculiar cha-
racters.

On our departure, the good old Laig accompanied us to the
door of his house ; there, filling a glass of whiskey, he first
drank himself, and then pouring out a bumper to each in suc-
cession, we emptied it, at the same time testifying our gratitude
for his hospitality. This little ceremony is a very ancient custom
denominated Door Drink (Deoch an Dorus), and is similar to
the parting cup amongst the natives of Switzerland. After
taking leave of our excellent host, we returned to the pastor of
the Isle of Eigg, who had kindly invited us to accept of his
house during the time that we remained in the isle.

Sunday, September 13. We were conducted to an ancient
ruined chapel, enclosing numerous tombs ; these tombs are
sculptured like those of Iona, and all bear the arms of the
Macdonalds. I returned to the parsonage in order to prepare
for our departure, and to pack up and label the specimens of
minerals which I had collected ; but, to my extreme regret, this
circumstance gave great offence to the inmates of the house, it
being Sunday. But the people were still more shocked when
they learned that Mr. Campbell was gone out to collect some
mineral substances, although to avoid all reproach he had not
taken a hammer with him. Such is the strictness of custom
in this part of Scotland, that every thing having the least ap-
pearance of labour is strictly proscribed on that day.

The Isle of Eigg is about five miles long, and three broad ;
its population is 400 souls. Mr. Macdonald, the proprietor of
Eigg, possesses no house where he can reside. A steward
manages his domain, and levies the annual contributions from
the great farmers, or tacksmen, who here, as iu all parts of the

54 Saussure's Voyage to the Hebrides.

Highlands, hold leases, directly from the proprietor, of the
portions of land which are cultivated by cottagers, to whom
they under-let, together with a hut, and some acres of land for
their own use. The parish in which Eigg is situated consists
of the Isles of Muck and Canna, which renders the pastors
charge equally painful and dangerous. Nothing can be more
satisfactory than the manner in which Mr. Maclean, as well as
other ministers of isles, fulfil this difficult vocation. Although
his residence is at the Isle of Eigg, he does not neglect his
pastoral duties in the other isles belonging to his charge. He
exposes himself to the dangers of storms and perilous seas, in
order to visit his parishioners at Muck and Canna, whenever
the winds permit him ; and this respectable ecclesiastic even
braves the most stormy seas, in an open boat, in order to ad-
minister the consolations of religion to those pious souls com-
mitted to his charge.

I learned with astonishment that nearly one half of the in-
habitants of the Isle of Eigg profess the Catholic religion.
They have a priest of their own persuasion, and a church which
is consecrated to them. This priest is a Scotsman, who has
been educated in France. Although the inhabitants of the
two kinds of worship live on good terms with each other, I
nevertheless heard in this small island several animated dis-
cussions on religious controversy. This is a subject of con-
versation which is treated with much warmth and spirit, but
without bitterness or intolerance. We heard, with surprise, a
repetition of arguments, and a kind of logic, which, in all the
rest of Europe, have for many ages become obsolete.

September 14. Although the wind blew violently from the
north-west, we set sail from the Isle of Eigg. The roaring of
the winds, and the waves striking with fury the sides of our
small vessel, and seeming at every moment ready to dash it in
pieces, the noise of the pump, which was continually working,
and the surges breaking over our heads, did not fail giving us
some uneasiness, and, above all, when we heard the cries of the
sailors, whom the tempest had prevented hearing each other.
However, towards evening, as we approached the Isle of Rum,
the wind abated a little, and the sea being lower, I went upon
deck, and witnessed the North Sea, at the approach of wiuter,
in all its severity.

We had near us, on the west, the high and wild mountains of
the Isle of Hum ; on the north, the fine mountains of the Isle
of Sky, with their tops covered with snow. The sea rolled its
high billows, and broke against Che rocks; whilst innumerable
BigbtB of sea-gulls, penguins, and other birds inhabiting the
icy seas, were swimming, plunging, and Hying, forming groups
similar to swarms of bees, in all directions where shoals of

Sausstire^s Voyage to the Hebrides. 55

herrings, swimming at the surface of the waters, presented an
abundant and easy prey. In the centre of these groups of
noisy birds, we saw from time to time rising above the water,
the enormous back of a whale, which was also in pursuit of
herrings. Our vessel, which passed more than once through
these groups of birds, never alarmed them ; they flew in the
midst of our rigging, uttering plaintive cries, without fear or
suspicion, whilst one or two whales, infinitely larger than our
vessel, rolled from one side to the other, raising their immense
backs, of a brownish colour, and surmounted by a large mass
of flesh, which serves them for fins. The Hebrideans do not
engage in whale-fishing, it being too daugerous in such latitudes.
Whale-fishing can only be practised in large seas, remote from
land and isles. The sun-fish is sometimes pursued in the
Hebrides ; but not having seen this animal, I cannot say to
what species it belongs.

At nine o'clock in the evening we entered the Bay of Kinloch
(Isle of Rum). There we cast anchor, and landed at a small
village, where we intended passing the night.

Colonel Maclean, of Coll, is sole proprietor of the Isle of
Rum. The number of inhabitants is 443, all of whom are
Protestants. It is said, that when the ancestor of Mr. Maclean
took possession of the Isle of Rum, all the inhabitants were
Catholics. The new proprietor, a zealous Protestant, seeing
that the Catholic worship was established in one of his do-
mains, entered the church one Sunday, during mass, and
having driven out all the inhabitants who were assembled
there, he shut the door, put the key into his pocket, and threat-
ened with his golden-headed cane all those who dared to return
to hear mass : from that moment all the inhabitants of Rum
embraced the Protestant religion. The other Hebrideans, when
alluding to this new mode of conversion, have continued ever
since to call them the Protestants of the Golden-headed Cane*.

* It is curious to reflect what trifling circumstances have occasioned the
change or preservation of the established religion in certain places of Europe.
At the time the Reformation penetrated into Switzerland, the government of
the principality of Neufchatel, wishing to leave to the inhabitants an entire
liberty of conscience, voted in each parish for and against the adoption of
the new mode of worship. In all the parishes, except two, the majority of
suffrages declared for the Protestant communion. The inhabitants of the
small village of Creissier also assembled, and finding their votes equal, they
were at a loss how to act. One of the inhabitants being found absent, viz. the
shepherd who guarded the flocks on the mountains, they sent tor him, in order
to decide by his vote this important question ; but he, being no friend to
innovations, gave his voice in favour of the established religion, and thus this
parish remains Catholic to the present day, in the midst of the Protestant
cantons.

66 Saussure^s Voyage to the Hebrides.

The islanders of Rum are reputed the happiest of the He-
brideans ; both on account of the low rent which Mr. Maclean
receives for his farms, and because the isle furnishes a great
number of large and small cattle, which supply them all with
meat. Their principal occupations are the care of cattle,
fishing, and the gathering of sea-weed, which they burn for
the purpose of extracting alkali.

After remaining all night in the village, the next morning we
got into a fishing-boat, in order to pass over the narrow
canal which separates Rum from the Isle of Canna. We
landed near the house of Mr. Macneil, of Carina, who super-
intends the island for the proprietor, Mr. Macdonald, of Clan-
ronald. Mr. Macneil received us with that cordial hospitality
which is every where to be met with in the Hebrides, and we •
found in his house an excellent abode for the night.

What chiefly excited my curiosity in Canna was the Com-
pass Hilly celebrated by all the seamen of the country for its
action on the needle of the compass. We begged Mr. Mac-
donald to conduct us to it, and our sailors brought the compass
from the vessel. After passing from terrace to terrace, and
from rock to rock, as far as the top of Compass Hill, we tried
our compass. In the first moment, and when we laid it on the
ground, the needle turned towards the north ; but on following
along the ridge of the hill we reached a spot where the com-
pass began to deviate, and the needle soon lost all magnetic
power ; we saw it sensitively point to the south, north, east, or
west. Further, it indicated only the south-west; further still,
the south ; and at last we saw it again take its accustomed
position towards the north. This phenomenon is owing to the
quantity of magnetic iron which the basalt of this hill con-
tains, in such a quantity, that a morsel detached from the basalt
is at times sufficient to move the needle: it is also owing to a
vein of magnetic iron in the interior of the rock. This phe-
nomenon, besides, is far from being so remarkable as I was led
to believe from the accounts of the country people, and those
of ancient authors : it was also pretended that the effect of this
hill was felt at a distance, and that mariners, navigating in the
arm of the sea between Sky and Canna, saw the needle of their
compass turning itself against the latter island.

I have nothing particular to say respecting the inhabitants of
Canna, the number of whom amount to ^UO. They are all
Catholics, with the exception of two or three families, among
whom is that of Mr. Macneil, who profess the reformed re-
ligion.

Saussure^s Voyage to the Hebrides. 57

CHAPTER VI.

FROM CANNA TO SKY.

Kilbride House. — Benbecula. — Reception of a Clanronald. —
St. Kiida. — Isle of Sky. — Talisher House. — Cullen Moun-
tains.— Departure from the Hebrides. — Isle of Eriskay ;
famous for being the Landing-place of Prince Charles
Stuart.

September 17. Our sailors came at an early hour in the
morning1 to inform us that the weather was fine, and the wind
slight, but blowing towards Long Island. Curiosity to see
this island, and the pleasure of traversing a country which no
traveller had yet visited, made us forget the distance, the
advanced state of the season, the uncertainty, and perhaps the
danger of returning. We gave orders to ^et all ready, and
immediately embarked. We coasted some time along the
basaltic rocks of the south of Canna, then, after doubling that
island, we steered towards the west, where we perceived the
blue hills of South Uist, like a mist in the horizon. We were
eleven hours at sea, and during this long but agreeable passage
vve saw nothing worthy of attention, with the exception of two
or three vessels, in full sail, coming from Norway or the Baltic,
and destined for the south. We arrived at sun-set on the
banks of Long Island, which is an assemblage of different isles,
Barra, Eriskay, South Uist, &c. all similar in appearance, and.
separated from each other by narrow arms of the sea. We now
reached the small isle of Eriskay, a rock about a mile in
diameter, on which are some houses and pasturage, where
Mr. Macdonald, of Boisdale, proprietor of a part of South
Uist, breeds some cattle.

We there met the proprietor himself, for whom his brother,
Mr. Macdonald, of Staffa, had given me a letter : we met with
the most friendly reception from him ; he offered us places in
his boat to repair with him to his abode at Kilbride-house, in
the Isle of South Uist. He was at first, on seeing us at a
distance, astonished at the appearance of strangers in this
district ; before even knowing who we were, his reception was
at once pofite and hospitable. He conducted us to the shore,
where his boat was waiting to convey us across the dangerous
strait of Eriskay ; but the beauty of the weather, the serenity
of the sky, and the perfect calmness of the sea, removed all
idea of danger.

The Isle of Eriskay has acquired great celebrity among the
Voyages and Travels, No. XL1V. Vol. VIII. i

58 Saussitred J 'oyage to the Hebrides.

classic sites in the history of Scotland. It was there that Prince
Charles disembarked, in June, 1745, when he arrived from
France, in a brig of eighteen guns, and repaired to the western
coast of Scotland, followed only by seven intrepid com-
panions, with some arms and a little money. Like a brave
hero, this prince, with such slender means, began the expedi-
tion which at first was so brilliant, buc ended in so disastrous
a manner. After the battle of Culloden had ruined all his
hopes, he was seen an exile and a fugitive wandering in the
same isles where he had formerly presented himself as a war-
rior thirsting for glory and battle. The inhabitants of these
isles, not less heroic for their noble and generous attachment to
their unfortunate prince, than for the valour with which they
had aided his triumph on the fields of Falkirk and Giadsmuir,
braved the greatest danger in order to rescue their prince from
the troops which pursued him from isle to isle, and from cot-
tage to cottage.

We landed at Kilbride, a handsome country-seat, situate
on the sea-coast, in the southern part of the Isle of Uist. Mr.
Macdonald now introduced us to his family ; no words can
describe the pleasure a traveller feels when, in the midst of
these retired and wild countries, he finds himself, as if by
enchantment, transported into the most amiable and elegant
society, where he might imagine himself at the extremity of the
world, and far from every vestige of civilization. These are
contrasts which particularly strike the stranger who travels
through the Hebrides. For upwards of six weeks the inmates
of Kilbride-Househad received no intelligence from the rest of
the world ; thus we had many public events to relate, of which,
but for our accidental arrival, they would for a time have
remained in ignorance. The want of communication with the
mother-country, is, perhaps, the greatest inconvenience ex-
perienced by the resident proprietors, and in no place is this
inconvenience more felt than in this portion of Long Island,
■where, for want of regular packet-boats, a person may be
{several months in succession without the arrival either of let-
ters or friends. As a proof how far the inhabitants of the He-
brides are in arrear for news, we could not find, during the whole
of our journey, a newspaper of a later date than that which
appeared in Edinburgh, on the evening of my departure from
that city.

The country surrounding Kilbride-] louse is perhaps one of
the most barren and uninteresting to be met with; there are no
trees, and hardly any verdure; scarcely any thin-;- is to be
seen but rocks and Bands; yet, notwithstanding, thanks to (he
sea, we there enjoyed an interesting prospect. At the west, we

Saussure^s Voyage to the Hebrides. 59

"O

saw the unbounded ocean, as no land rises between this island
and the continent of America. At the south, the strait of
Eriskay appears like a large river strewed with rocks and
isles; beyond this rises the Isle of Barra, and several other
small islands of sand, among which, that surmounted by the
venerable ruins of the ancient Castle of Weavers, is particularly
to be remarked. In fine, at a short distance from the house,
we could see, at the east and at a distance, the Isle of Canua,
and those of Rum and Sky, with their bold and picturesque
mountains. Thus a residence in these wild places still pre-
sents to the lover of nature many sites capable of inspiring his
rapture and admiration.

September 19th. We travelled through the Isle of Uist, in
order to reach Benbecula, and during a route of nearly twenty-
one miles, we scarcely saw more than three or four villages, or
rather assemblages of poor huts, so thinly is this large island
peopled. In fact, a surface of twenty-one miles in length, and
nine in breadth, contains only 2500 inhabitants. Of all the
Hebrideans, these islanders are the wildest, and civilization ap-
pears to have made but little progress among them. They
only speak Gaelic, and do not understand a word of English.
They still preserve all the customs, manners, and superstitions
of the ancient Highlanders. The women wear the ancient cos-
tume, which I did not meet with elsewhere. It consists of a
short petticoat of grey woollen, similar in shape to the High-
land kilt, or to the short petticoat of the female peasants of
Gougisberg, in Switzerland. Their feet and knees are naked,
and the calves of their legs are covered with pieces of grey
woollen stockings. The upper part of the body is clothed
with a mantle or bodice, and above that they wear a small
cloak of striped stuff of various colours. This dress is not
altogether unbecoming, and would suit handsome women ex-
tremely well. The women of South-Uist have not how-
ever a single fine feature ; their coarse faces appear dis-
coloured by labour, whilst the greater part wrear their flat and
greasy hair hanging in long bunches over their foreheads and
shoulders.*

* The lower class of Highlanders are generally ugly, the characteristic traits
of their figure are projecting cheek-bones, and clearness of the eyes and hair ;
their physiognomy is in general fine and intelligent. With the exception of
the inhabitants of certain vallies, famed for the beauty of their figure, the
Highlanders are of small stature, but they are well proportioned, and their
limbs are nervous and vigorous; those of the higher classes, particularly
the females, in the beauty of their figure and complexion present a striking
contrast to the ugliness of the peasants. One might believe that they were
two distinct races. The very different kind of life of the two classes is per-
haps the cause of this contrast in the figure.

60 Saussure's Voyage to the Hebrides.

With this extraordinary plainness, they have, notwith-
standing, an expression of candour and goodness, which is
principally shewn in the hospitable reception they give to
strangers; the reception which our fellow-traveller Mr. Mac-
dobald met with surprised us. The northern portion of South-
Uist, as well as Benbeeula, belong to Clanronald, and the in-
habitants of these isles had never seen either the Laird or his
brother. Their joy on seeing him cannot be described. As
they knew he was in the midst of us, they threw themselves be-
fore him, kissed his hand, surrounded his horse, and those who
Avere not tall enough to reach his hand, embraced his legs with
emotion and respect. The arrival of a Clanronald was for
these, poor people an occasion for a national fete. The pride
of our English fellow-travellers appeared to revolt at these
demonstrations, which, according to them, seemed degrading
to the dignity of man. For my part, 1 only considered them
as a proof of an ardent and natural testimony of sincere at-
tachment to a family, which from time immemorial protected,
and were a blessing to the inhabitants of these districts; con-
sequently, that respect and consideration which the .Scottish
nobles formerly enjoyed in the midst of their vassals, did not
emanate from a servile and interested sentiment, but from that
profound admiration for the chief of their clans, which the
parents took care to inspire in the minds of their children from
their earliest infancy.

We saw several of the inhabitants on the shore occupied in
burning sea weeds, in order to extract alkali. For this pur-
pose, they form in the ground, a square basin, the walls of
which rise three feet above the soil, and in this basin the com-
bustion takes place; when it is finished, they move the basin,
and at the bottom is found a large cake of impure potash,
mixed with ashes and earth. The sea weeds grow in such
abundance on the shores of Long Island that, if we may credit
the country-people, Clanronald derives 20,0001. sterling annu-
ally from his isles of South-Uist and Benbeeula, by the sale of
potash. A ton of impure potash sells at five pounds.

We crossed, in a fishing-boat, the strait which separates South-
Uist from Benbeeula, and repaired to the house of Clanronald,
u fine modern building situate on the banks of the sea, and
then inhabited by the steward. We could perceive from Clan-
ronald's house, and about live miles to the westward of Ben-
beeula, the small Isle of Incb-Na-Monich rising above the
waters. From the top of the hills of Benbeeula, the famous
St. Kilda may be seen, on a clear day, but the sky being covered
wiU) thick foga we made do attempt to discern it. St Kilda,
a small island, or rather a .high and steep rock, lies sixty miles

Saussure's Voyage to the Hebrides. 61

to the west of Benbecula ; it is the westernmost of all the He-
bridean isles, and is inhabited by a small colony of about 150
souls, who live there almost without any communication with
the rest of the globe.

The perilous seas in these stormy latitudes, the innumera-
ble difficulties which await vessels landing at the foot of
those enormous rocks, prevent travellers visiting St. Kilda. I
should have felt much pleasure in going there, but it would
have been rashness to have undertaken in autumn a voyage,
which is even formidable in the finest time of the year. In
addition to this, we should have been several days at sea be-
fore we could have reached this island, and it would have been
necessary to have waited several days more for favourable wea-
ther to embark; we should then have been obliged to quit our
vessel, for there is no port in the Isle of St. Kilda, and conse-
quently we must have trusted ourselves to the waves in an
open boat, at the risk of seeing the ship which brought us
driven, by the south-west winds, from the island where we
should have been detained.

All these circumstances prevented our visiting St. Kilda,
which has till lately belonged to the chief of the tribe of Mac-
leods, who levied there an annual rent, paid in oxen and sea
birds' feathers, as well as in fish and small cattle ; for the
simple inhabitants of that island were not aware of the
use of money. One of these islanders some years ago em-
barked for the East Indies, where, by his labour and industry,
he succeeded in acquiring a considerable fortune ; on his return
to England, his first wish was to re-visit his wild native
country, and to share the wealth he had acquired among his
compatriots ; for this purpose he addressed himself to the
Laird of Macleod, and obtained from him the rock which
contained all the objects of his affection. This interesting in-
dividual, now proprietor of St. Kilda, justly commands respect
and consideration throughout all this part of Scotland, by his
virtues, and the benefits which he is continually bestowing on
the companions of his infancy, now become his tenants.

We quitted the house of Clanronald, to return to Kilbride,
by the same route which we had followed the evening before ;
but how great was our astonishment, when, on arriving at the
southern part of Benbecula, we no longer saw the strait which
we had the preceding day crossed in a boat. The tide was
down, and the isles of Uist and Benbecula, formerly separated
by an arm of the sea, now formed one and the same island.
This remarkable fact may give an idea of the force and height
of the tides in these western regions. The same phenomenon
took place to the north of Benbecula, and the strait which
separates that island from North-Uist remains also dry during

62 Saussure's Voyage to the Hebrides.

{ow water. Thus, twice in twenty hours, South-Uist, Ben-
becula, and North-Uist are united, and form only one long
island ; and twice they are divided into three distinct islands.

September 23rd. Having passed two days very agreeably
at Kilbride, we reluctantly quitted the amiable family from
whom we had experienced such hospitable treatment. The
weather was foggy, and a violent south-west wind blew in
squalls : this wind was very favourable to our reaching the
Isle of Sky, where we intended going in the course of the
day. At noon we set sail, proceeding at the rate of nine
miles an hour, and at half-past five we arrived at the foot of
the enormous rocks which surround the bay called Loch
Brakadale. This bay is distant sixty miles from the strait of
Eriskay. It advances some distance into the Isle of Sky, in
the direction S.SW. and N.NE.; and its breadth, at its en-
trance, is five miles. The isle to which we were going is
classic ground ; the name of each rock, mountain, and lake,
being connected with some fact related in the traditions of
which the poems of Ossian form a part. Whilst we were
entangled in this bay, the wind blew with increased violence,
and we were in danger of running against a small vessel which
was steering the same course. The master of this vessel
told us that he came from Balachroi, in the Isle of Mull,
in search of Mr. Maclean and his family, who were at Ta-
lisker, and to bring them back to the Isle of Coll. We con-
gratulated ourselves, on learning that we should still find Mr.
Maclean at Talisker, and acquaint him wrlh the amiable re-
ception which we received in his house during his absence.

On our arrival at a lone house in Talisker, we sent our
guide before us to solicit hospitality for strangers overtaken
by the night, and wandering in an unknown country. We antici-
pated the reply : in fact, we were invited in the politest manner
into a small neat parlour, where three aged persons, and a youn^
man, were seated round a good fire. They hastened to offer us
seats ; they next brought in tea, wine, and liquors ; and, iu
truth, supplied us with every thing necessary for our comfort.
At supper, we had the pleasure of hearing some very interesting
conversation ; they gave us all the information requisite for
our journey, entertained us with an account of the Isle of Sky,
the antiquities and natural curiosities contained in this wild
and poetic country, and the traditionary poems recited by
the inhabitants ; they likewise entertained us with some
amusing anecdotes respecting Dr. .Johnson, whom they very
well recollected to have seen at the time of his Travels in the
Hebrides. The anecdotes which we heard, fully justified the
reputation for rusticity which that great lexicographer had
acquired. Thus we separated for the night, without their

11

Saussure's Voyage to the Hebrides. 63

knowing who were the strangers whom they lodged under
their roof, and without our having once thought of telling
them. We found excellent beds, and after blessing our ge-
nerous hosts, we retired to rest.

September 24//*. At breakfast this morning, we hastened
to repair our omission of the preceding evening, and to intro-
duce ourselves to our hosts. The moment I said that I came
from Switzerland, Mrs. Macleod (our hostess) testified the
joy which she felt on seeing a native of that country. " For,
said she to me, " I lived for a long time in Holland with
my husband, who was colonel of a Scottish regiment in the
service of that Republic ; and I knew many officers of Swiss
regiments, with whom those of our regiment were always so
intimate, that they used to call each other brother moun-
taineers.*

September 26th. Mr. Macleod, of Talisker, being informed
of our arrival in the Isle of Sky, sent horses and a guide to
conduct us to his house, and after two hours route on wretched
roads, we arrived at Talisker- House, where we were received,
(thanks to Mr. Maclean, of Coll, and thanks, above all, to
Scottish hospitality,) as ancient friends. This fine house, sur-
rounded with trees, is situated at the bottom of a little valley,
which opens on the south upon the sea ; the environs are fer-
tile, and well cultivated ; a small rivulet, which takes its
rise in the rocky and basaltic hills in the neighbourhood,
runs, winding around the house, after forming a beautiful cas-
cade, at the foot of which the road passes.

During dinner, the piper played, in the hall, on the bag-
pipes, the Pibrochs, or marches of the tribe of Macleods ; and
these romantic airs, for. a long time resounded in the vaults of
the castle of Talisker.

After taking leave of the amiable family of Talisker, and my
fellow-travellers, I proceeded as far as the Cullen mountains,
a name which is derived from the King Cuchullin, sung by
Ossian, who reigned over the inhabitants of the Isle of Sky.
I amused myself in the association of these sites with the
ancient heroes who had once inhabited them, and of the
bards who sung their exploits. I figured to myself, these in-
spired poets, walking through the obscure and deep vallies,

* I have here departed from the ruL», which I laid down, never to introduce
the public into the domestic concerns of those families who received me into
their houses; but the pleasure which I feel in making my countrymen par-
take of the emotion which was excited in my breast by this amiable reception,
given to a Swiss, will, I hope, serve as an apology ; it was besides, an occasion
tor showing the true Scottish hospitality in all its perfection.

64 Saussure*s Voyage to the Hebrides.

their imagination revelling amidst these imposing scenes, and
thinking they saw in the mists and light clouds which fly
around these high mountains, the departed spirits of their
forefathers and. heroes, still wandering near the places where
they had long dwelt. It was an interesting task for me, to
trace, in a country which presents such striking and sublime
traits, the germs of poetry so strongly characteristic of its
finest features.

I continued my route, reflecting with regret that I was the
next day to quit the interesting ground of the Hebrides : those
islands which had afforded me so many hours of real enjoy-
ment, and where I had found in all subjects, and above all,
in objects of natural history, food more than sufficient for
my curiosity. I regretted the more leaving those honest
islanders who had received me so well, all of whom obliged
me according to their means, constantly anxious to anticipate
my wishes, and who, by their hospitality, succeeded in
smoothing all the difficulties incident to foreigners in such
wild, districts. I reflected with much satisfaction on what I
had seen, and on what I had accomplished; I also felt, that
had time and the season allowed me, I should have been
able to have seen much more, and to have rendered these
travels much more complete ; I lamented having been de-
tained by the wind eight days, in the Isle of Coll, and five in
the Isle of Eigg, whilst I could not stop in the Isle of Sky,
which presents so many interesting objects hitherto undescribed.
But the fine season was over, the continual rains of autumn,
and the tempests, would have rendered my return dangerous,
if not impracticable. The family of Mr. Maclean, of Coll,
acknowledged to me the prudence of my departure, and only
those remained in the isle who intended to pass the winter.

Plunged in these reflections, I arrived, on a very dark
night, at a lone house on the banks of the sea, which was
called " Sconser Inn." Here I found a good fire, a neat
chamber, an obliging host, and a good supper.

September 21. My host, being informed by my guide of
my intention of returning to the mother country, prepared a
small fishing-boat, provided with two boatmen. The weather
being calm, we set sail, and coasted along the northern shores
of the Isle of .Sky. The sun was advancing towards the
horizon, and with no small degree of sorrow, I saw the moment
which was about to terminate my last navigation in the At-
lantic Ocean. With painful emotion I bade a last adieu to the
Hebrides, from which I was removing, probably, for ever;
and, on quitting them, I implored heaven, with my most sin-
cere prayers, for the happiness and prosperity of their worthy
inhabitants.

Saitssure's Voyage to the Hebrides. 6§

CHAPTER VII.

The Author's Observations on the Manners and Customs of

the Scottish Highlanders.

The isolated state in which the Highlanders of Scotland
have lived until the middle of the last century, — the little con-
nexion which they have kept up with the rest of Europe, and
even with the other parts of Great Britain, — their position in
the midst of mountains, and in islands separated from the
rest of the world by stormy seas, — are all circumstances pe-
culiar to this nation, which have prevented it following the
various gradations of civilization through which every country
in Europe has successively passed. — In a region almost un-
known, or at least forgotten by the rest of the world ; — in a.
country which had never been subjected to the conquests, nor
convulsed by the revolutions which have at various times
changed the face of other countries, we should not be surprised
to find that the manners, the customs, their ancient language,
should have been preserved almost without any alteration, and
transmitted from generation to generation, for ages, until the
present day.

The origin of the state of things in the Highlands at thai
epoch, when by the suppression of a general rebellion the
English power was definitively established in this country, is
lost in the womb of time. In comparing the most ancient
writers on this people, with the state of civilization, manners,
and customs of these Highlanders at the beginning of the
eighteenth century, we are struck with the few changes which
a lapse of many centuries has produced in their social economy.
Whilst events, as general as they were striking, by their con-
sequences, have divided the history of every country in Europe
into three precise periods, known under the names of Ancient
and Modern History, and that of the Middle Ages ; the people
who inhabit the northern extremity of Great Britain reckon no
more than two distinct periods, viz. their Ancient History, the
beginning of which is lost in antiquity, and terminates at the
gFeat revolution which that country experienced in 1745 ; and
their Modern History, which is only begun, and which has,
before the lapse even of a century, already presented the
picture of changes, as astonishing as they are rapid, in the
political and moral constitution of the country-
It may be supposed, however, that the introduction of Chris-
tianity in the sixth century of our era, and the Reformation
adopted in the sixteenth century, must have been events oi
Voyages and Travels. No. XLIV. Vol. VIII. k

66 Salts sure' s Voyage to the Hebrides.

sufficient importance to have considerably influenced the
destiny and social state of these warlike people. We find,
nevertheless, that the Reformation changed nothing in their
civil and political organization, nor in the reciprocal relations
of the chiefs and vassals. The domains belonging to the
churches and convents experienced no more from that great
revolution than a change of masters, without any thing new
being introduced into their administration. From such an ex-
ample, it is very probable, that the transition from Paganism,
or the religion of the Druids, to Christianity, did not modify
in a more marked manner the political state of the people ; we
are besides ignorant of what they were before receiving the
light of the gcspel, and consequently we cannot form an idea
of the effect which the introduction of the Christian religion
produced among them. The most ancient historical documents
do not go farther back than that epoch ; and the times which
preceded it may be regarded as the heroic and fabulous ages
of Caledonian history.

One single remarkable event appears distinctly in the
obscurity of these remote ages ; viz. the vigorous and suc-
cessful resistance which these warlike and savage tribes op-
posed to the formidable armies of the Roman emperors.
But Tacitus, who has transmitted to us the history of these
wars, does not throw much light on the government, manners,
and language of those hordes of barbarians, of whom he
appears to have had but a very imperfect knowledge ; — hordes,
which always resisting every conquest and invasion until the
year 1745, preserved their independence and national character.
We cannot, in fact, consider as a conquest the kind of homage
which the Hebrides for some time rendered to the crown of
Norway, as the interior state of the country does not appear to
have experienced any revolution on that occasion, and as the
Norwegian viceroy was generally some powerful Hebridean
chief. The Danes, during their frequent incursions into the
Lowlands of Scotland, sometimes passed the limits of the dis-
trict of mountains; but they did not establish themselves, nor
were they able to penetrate into the centre of these regions, at
that time almost inaccessible.

The uniform accordance between the earliest historians,
until the middle of the last century, proves the unchanged man-
ners and character of the Highlanders during a long succession
of ages. Solinus and Isodorus, writers of the Lower Empire,
represent the Scots as a warlike nation, frugal, inured to fatigue
and privations, passionately fond of warlike games and the
chace, and unceasingly taking up arms against their neighbours
of the plain and the southern countries. Jean de Forduu, who

Saussure's Voyage to the Hebrides. 67

wrote in the fourteenth century, has, as we have already said,
judiciously distinguished the two different races who inhabit the
High and the Low Lands of Scotland, and he has characterized
that of the Highlanders by striking traits, which are also to be
found in the description given by Buchanan in the sixteenth
century, and in that of Pennant and more recent authors. The
greater part of these traits are evident to the traveller even at
this day, notwithstanding the great changes which have taken
place at the epoch of the last rebellion.

Wishing to give an idea of the social and political existence,
and of the customs of this remarkable people, which until
lately were but very imperfectly known, I have consulted
Buchanan, Pennant, and an English Engineer, who in " Let-
ters written from the North of Scotland towards the year
1730," has given the most circumstantial details on the manners
of the Highlanders. To these historical documents I have
joined all the information which I have collected on this sub-
ject, and my own observations on the mountains and islands,
where the inhabitants still religiously preserve the habits of
their forefathers. We shall, therefore, designate this people by
the name of Gael, by which they are styled in their own lan-
guage: they were called by the Romans, Caledonians ; by the
historians of the middle ages, Scots; and by the English,
Highlanders.

Much dispute has already arisen on the origin of this people,
but the most ancient historians agree that the Highlands were
first peopled by a colony from a foreign country. Still, on this
important question, a variety of opinions have been raised, at-
tacked and defended with so much the more ardour, on the
one side and the other, as the subject was obscure, and as no
certain document could guide the historian through the dark-
ness which envelopes these ancient times. For want of monu-
ments, annals, or medals, some have had recourse to traditions,
others have employed their own imaginations, and have formed
the most absurd hypotheses, of which the following may be
considered a specimen. It is said, that a certain Dioclesian,
King of Syria, had thirty-three daughters, and that these
daughters having killed their husbands on the day of their
nuptials, were put by their father into a boat, and driven by
the winds as far as the coast of Great Britain, an island at that
time deserted, or inhabited only by evil spirits. From the
union of these women with the demons was born a race of
giants, who also 'inhabited the whole island, until the time
when a certain man named Brutus, a descendant of ^Eneas,
arrived there. This Brutus had involuntarily killed his father
with a spade, and being obliged to quit his native country, he

68 Sausxurv's royage to the Hebrides.

was, by the advice of the oracle of Diana, confided to the sea
and the winds, in order to find a near country. Having arrived
in Britain after a voyage of ten years, and followed by a host
of companions, he drove away the giants, and portioned out
the island among his three sons, giving to Albanactus, Scotland ;
to Cambrus, Wales; and to Locrinus the rest of the island, or
England. It is impossible, on reading this tissue of absurdities,
to conceive that au historian of good sense could seriously give
to the world and defend such an opinion.

Some. authors, abandoning the mythological and marvellous
part, have lessened the absurdity of the tale. They have sup-
posed that a colony of Egyptians, conducted by a chief named
Gathel or Galyel, husband of Scota, daughter of the King of
P^gypt, alter having embarked on the Mediterranean, visited
the coast of Africa and the great islands of Italy ; and having
passed the straits of Gibraltar, were established in Portugal, at
that time a desart, the name of which, according to them, sig-
nifies the Port of Galyel ; that Iber Scota, son of Galyel an !
Scota, disdaining a state of idleness, obtained permission from
his father to take with him part of the colony, and arrived in
Ireland ; and that, from thence, after a certain lapse of time, a
part of the new inhabitants spread by the north of the island
into the Hebrides and the western mountains of Scotland, which
were not yet peopled, but were not long in being so, owing to
new emigrations from the north of Ireland.

Buchanan, Camden, and in fine, Gibbon, have supposed that
the Gaels, as well as the other inhabitants of Great Britain,
came originally from the Gauls; they are supported in this
opinion by the connexion of manners and Language which
exists between the Gaels and the ancient Gauls or Celtes.
Allowing this idea to be probable, still in so difficult a matter
we ought neither to be too hasty in forming an opinion, nor
decide too peremptorily. The examination which we are about
to make of the manners of the Gaels will furnish us^ith sonic
interesting peculiarities of their connexion with certain cus-
toms of the ancient people of the East; without pretending
that such coincidences are sufficiently multiplied to authorize
us to consider them as proofs, these resemblances are striking
enough to d< s«rve consideration by those who, from Ik no forth,
undertake the laborious and difficult task of elucidating the

origin of the Gaels. Considering then the ancient tradition
of the first inhabitants of this country having arrived from the
East, and of the analogy of the Gaelic language to the Hebrew
and other Eastern Languages, the opinion of those n ho consider
Scotland to have been originally peopled by colonies of Gauls,
still merits notice, in estimating the history of the pretended

Saussure's Voyage to the Hebrides. 69

Gathel and Scota, as an allegory, destined to transmit by tra-
dition the remembrance of the successive emigrations of the
great nation of the Celtes, originally from the East, and to
which the Gauls and the Gaels equally belonged.

1 shall not pretend to engage in this labyrinth of discussion,
nor shall I endeavour to decide which of the populations
of Scotland and Ireland owes its origin to the other, a question
some time debated between the antiquaries of both countries,
and to which a national selfishness has attached much exag-
geration and importance.

Assimilated as they are by their geographical position, as
well as by their manners and their language, the latter cf which
can scarcely be considered a different dialect from the other,
these two nations were for some time considered as compatriots,
and equally belonging to the race of the Gaels : they are still
distinguished in the Gaelic language as Gaels Albmich, or
Gaels of Scotland, and Gaels Eirinich, or Gaels of Ireland.
The name of Scotland was even in the middle ages given
equally to the two countries; Ireland was called Great Scot-
land to distinguish it from Little Scotland, which still preserves
its name.

This question appears to me so much the more idle, as in all
times communications have existed between the north of Ire-
land and the west of Scotland, by that chain of islands so near
each other which extend between the two countries ; and as no
monument nor any historical document can ever throw light on
the successive emigrations which might have taken place from
one coast to the other, we may interminably discuss this point
of history. One of the principal characteristic traits which
distinguishes the Gaels from all the people of Europe, is the
interior and political regime which reigned among them.
They were divided into a certain number of clans or tribes,
each of which had its chief, and which were considered as
forming communities, and almost small independent states.

The name of clan in Gaelic signifies family or children. In
short, all the members of the same clan bear the same name, and
these names, ordinarily preceded by the word Mac, signifying
son, seem to indicate still better that they all descended from one
common stock : thus the Macdonalds were the sons of Donald ;
the Macgregors the sons of Gregor, &c. The chiefs of these
tribes or families were considered as descending in a direct Jine
from the common stock, and representing the elder branch ;
and the poorest, the lowest of the clan, boast of belonging to
the chief by a degree of parentage more or less remote. This
form of government, which may be called patriarchal, h?3
given the people character, habits, and a manner of living
altogether peculiar.

70 Saussure's Voyage to the Hebrides.

The relations which existed between the chiefs and the mem-
bers of the same clan imposed upon them reciprocal duties and
obligations. To honour and love their chief, as their common
father, as the representative of the gr*:at family, as the most
ancient and the greatest of the name, was the first precept given
by the parents to their children. In exalting the chief they
knew it was raising the lustre of the family ; and as one of the
greatest titles of glory for the poorer tribes was to be allied by
blood to the powerful lord who marched at their head, they
felt that the more they surrounded with honour and respect him
who governed them by right of primogeniture, the more it
would reflect eclat on the whole family, and on every indi-
vidual composing it. The same sentiments induced them to
show consideration and respect for the subaltern chiefs of the
various branches which composed the clan.

Thus their attachment was cemented : each man was always
ready to shed his blood, to give his life, for the sake of his
chief, for the honour of his tribe, and for the defence of each
of its members. The most perfect obedience and confidence in
their lord, was regarded as one of the most sacred and one of
the greatest duties. The chief consequently possessed an un-
limited authority over his tribe ; and if any one refused follow-
ing him to battle, or to pay him the rent and taxes which he
imposed at will in certain circumstances, that man dearly ex-
piated his disobedience, being exposed to the severest treatment,
and sometimes even scouted from the clan by common consent.
To swear by the chief of the clan was one of the most so-
lemn oaths among the Gaels, and the meanest individual of the
tribe considered himself as personally insulted, if he heard any
epithet in the least injurious to his chief: such an offence could
only be effaced by blood. Similar provocations caused in-
cessant quarrels among the neighbouring tribes. To demand of
a Highlander the name of his chief, and thus to intimate to
him that he had none, was the most pointed affront, and the
anger caused by such an injury could only be atoned for by
the life of the aggressor. On the other hand, the chief in some
measure depended on the members of his clan for protection
against every foreign aggression ; an insult given to the mean-
est individual of the tribe wras resented by the whole, as an
outrage on the honour of the name and family : thus, the chief
espoused all the quarrels of his subordinates, whatever was the
justice of the cause. For the same reason, he would never
sutler any foreign jurisdiction to pursue an individual of his
clan. Powerful chiefs have often been known not only to re-
fuse Scotlish officers of justice permission to seize those of

(heir comrades who had manifestly hern guilty of some of-
fence, but to make part and cause for them, and afford every

Saussure's Voyage to the Hebrides. 71

defence in their power, without considering the nature of the
offence of which they were accused.

When one of his vassals was reduced to misery (which fre-
quently took place in a country where the soil could not sup-
port one half of the inhabitants, who were likewise unac-
customed to labour) the chief was bound to provide for his
subsistence; also, when expedient, he frequently remitted his
poor farmers the rent of their farms, and their arrears.

Liberality and hospitality towards the members of his
tribe were indispensable qualities to the chief of a clan. In
his ancient castle he had always a spacious hall, where several
times in the course of the year he assembled all the men
capable of bearing arms, and invited them to a grand festival.
On such an occasion, when seated at the head of a long table,
covered with rich viands, and surrounded by his nearest re-
latives and inferior chiefs, he presided with becoming dignity
at the banquet, at once patriarchal and military, where all the
guests were armed and clad in the national costume, the colour
of which being uniform among all those of the same name, in-
dicated the tribe. Those of an inferior rank, who could find
no place at the table of the chief, were equally well provided
for at other tables; in fine, the poorest classes were admitted
into the courts of the castle, and received a distribution of
victuals. The whiskey flowed in great abundance, and the
noisy sounds of the bagpipe re-echoed the warlike marches of
the clan. The bards sung in extempore verses the exploits of
their ancestors, the famed deeds of their tribe, and the praise of
their lord and master. Such fetes contributed not a little to
strengthen the attachment between the chief and his vassals,
and to maintain the ardour which was excited for the honour
and glory of the clan.

With the view of inspiring still more consideration in their
subordinates, and of maintaining their rank around the chiefs
of other clans, as w^ell as of exalting their pride, already flat-
tered by the testimonies of respect and admiration which they
received, these petty princes were fond of being surrounded by
a certain kind of court or suite. Each of them had his staff
or body guards, Luichtach, which he chose from among the
most robust and the most devoted of his clan.

When he undertook an excursion to the mountains, or paid
a visit to some chief of equal rank, he was followed by a cor-
tege of officers, attached to his person, and charged with vari-
ous duties; this suit was composed as follows:

1st. The Henchman, or Squire.
2d. The Bard, or Poet.

12 Saussvre's Voyage to the Hebrides.

3d. The Piper, or Player oa the Eagpipe.

4th. The Bladier, or Orator.

6th. The Gilliemore, who carried bis Sword.

6th. The Gi/lie-Casflue, who bore the Chief on his shoulders

when he had to ford the rivers.
7th. The Gillie- Co mstraine, who conducted his horse in

dangerous roads.
8th. The Gillie- Trushanamich, who carried the baggage.
9th. Lastly, the Pipers-Gillie, a boy who carried the bagpipe.

The Henchman was the confidential officer; he was ordi-
narily the foster-brother of the Chief, and filled this honourable
place in consideration of the services of his mother, and on
account of his education, which had been more carefully at-
tended to, the foster-brother being generally educated with the
young Laird. The Henchman was at the same time ft kind of
secretary, and superintended over the personal safety of his
master, whom he never quitted during the repast, but was
ready to risk his life, in case of attack or insult.

An English engineer, who first published these interesting
details on the private life of the Highland Chiefs, relates the
following trait, as an instance of the attachment of these
Squires to their masters. An English officer dined one day
with a Chief, and some other Highland gentlemen: after
drinking freely of whiskey, the conversation grew warm ; the
young Henchman, who stood behind the chair of the Chief,
not understanding English, and imagining that the officer in-
sulted his master, seized his pistol, and presented it at the
head of the stranger, who owed his life entirely to chance,
the pistol having missed fire.

The Bard, or Poet, was generally charged with the instruction
of the young Laird. He was also required to amuse the Chief
while he was at table, by singing or reciting poems composed
often extempore in honour of the Chief; he also repeated
poems which were composed by his predecessors to celebrate
the ancestors of his master, or preserve the recollection of
memorable epochs in the history of his tribe. The poets also
sang ancient verses to perpetuate the memory of the exploits
of Fingal and his heroes. — Those fine poems collected by Mac-
pherson have been justly admired throughout Europe; they
were transmitted also from Hard to Bard, during a long suc-
cession of generations, and served to give, or maintain a taste
for fine poetry, which harmonized with the features of this
mountainous country, and to the lively spirit of this chivalrous
race. The exploits of the ancient Caledonian heroes, com-
memorated in verses full of poetic fire, were associated with

Saussure's Voyage to fhe Hebrides. 73

the names of Fingal, Ossian, and Oscar, in the meanest cabins,
and such recollections inspired the descendants of these for-
midable warriors with a love of glory, and language full of
imagination and poetry ; all which distinguished them from
the rest of the vassals and peasantry throughout Europe.

The Piper was also one of the great officers of the Chief,
and he paid no rent for his farm : this office was often heredi-
tary in the same family. There were, in the Isle of Sky, two
famous schools where the candidates for this place learned to
play on the bagpipe. — One of the privileges attached to the
office of Piper was to accompany the eldest son of the Laird
in his travels. The Piper was required to know all appro-
priate airs ; to play when the Chief was at table, and when he
sailed in a boat on tke sea, or on the lakes; he accompanied
him also to battle, and his music was heard at the funerals;
for the bagpipe, the national instrument among the Gaels, was
heard in all the principal scenes of life, whether in rousing
the courage of the warriors, or enlivening the festivals, or lastly,
in honouring the memory of the dead, and mingling its plain-
tive sounds in the funeral ceremonies with the mournful airs of
the Coronach.

Besides this cortege of officers particularly attached to the
person of the Chief, a numerous suite of gentlemen of his
tribe, his nearest relations, as well as a host of persons of in-
ferior rank, generally accompanied him in his travels. He
was much pleased with this parade, which tended to raise his
rank and importance in the eyes of his dependents.

Vanity was not however the only, nor even the principal
motive which induced the Scottish Chiefs to place the greatest
value in having so great a number of vassals ; the frequent
feuds among the neighbouring clans, the repeated rebellions
against the sovereign authority of the kingdom, in which the
greater part of the Chiefs were involved, an ancient passion
for arms, — all obliged them constantly to be in warfare, and to
be surrounded by a trained force. The value of a domain in
the mountains was estimated less at that time, from fhe pecu-
niary revenue which could be derived from if, than from the
number of men capable of bearing arms, whom the proprietor
could maintain with their families.

Every thing was disposed and calculated in advance for a
state of war. The Chiefs inhabited castles flanked with towers
surmounted with battlements, and capable of resisting a long
siege. They kept a guard there, and men were posted on the
summit of the towers, to watch night and day, in case of an
attack. They could thus in a few hours collect all the war-
Voyages and Travels, No. XLIV. Vol. VIII. l

74 Saussure's Voyage to the Hebrides.

riors of their clan, to oppose Ihem to the enemy, or conduct
them on an expedition.

When there was occasion for putting all the men under
arms, the Chief caused the fire-cross, (crois taradJi) to be dis-
played, an appropriate signal on such an occasion: it was a
cross of wood, the extremities of which had been burnt, and
afterwards extinguished in the blood of a goat sacrificed for
the purpose. A faithful and diligent messenger was charged
to carry this signal of alarm in all haste to the neighbouring
hamlets; he remitted it to the most considerable person of the
place, and also acquainted him with the place of rendezvous:
the latter lost not an instant in transmitting, by another mes-
senger, the cross and the watchword to a more distant hamlet ;
thus the notice of general danger was sent from village to
village, and from cottage to cottage, and the command of the
Chief circulated with incredible rapidity throughout his terri-
tory, and even among the neighbouring and allied clans, when
the same dangers menaced them, or when the expedition was
made in concert with them. This method, by its great promp-
titude, had the advantage of mystery, so necessary among a
people where the great art of war consisted principally in sur-
prises and sudden attacks. The moment the fire-cross ap-
peared in a hamlet, the inhabitants ran to arms, and ranged
themselves under the orders of their subaltern chiefs ; they then
repaired by the shortest road to Carn-an-Mhuinn, the general
place of arms for all the warriors of the tribe.

bivery man, from the age of sixteen to sixty years, was
obliged to obey this summons; the signal which called them
indicated the fate that awaited them in case of refusal. The
designation of the "cross of shame" threatened them with being
abandoned to infamy, and that of the cross of fire, with being
exposed to see the enemy carry fire and sword into their country,
if they preferred disgraceful inactivity to the honour of follow-
ing their Chief and their clan to battle. But among a people of
such warlike habits, such threats were unnecessary to excite
their ardour and courage; since the invitation to arm and to
march was always received by the brave Gaels with transport.
The last time the fire-cross appeared on the mountains of
Scotland was in 1745: in this manner the clans assembled
which were to be conducted by Prince Charles Stuart to re-
place James III. on the throne of his ancestors. This signal
in three hours passed through all the district of Breadalbane,
the extent of which is thirty-three miles. The celebrated Sir
Walter Scott assures us, that Mr. Stuart of Invernahyle, has
been heard to say, that at the epoch of this rebellion he had

Saussure^s Voyage to the Hebrides. 75

passed the fire-cross in the district of Appin, the coasts of
which were at that time menaced by two English frigates, and
that notwithstanding the absence of the flower of his clan, then in
England with the army of Prince Charles Edward, the old men
and children ran in such numbers, and were animated by such
enthusiasm, that the English were obliged to renounce their
project of disembarking.

I have already alluded to the picturesque effect produced
by a Gaelic army, with its ancient costume, and the lively and
brilliant colours which distinguish the clans. I ought now to
give some details on the dress of the Gaels, and their various
arms. It appears that in the most ancient times the High-
landers had ouly for their whole clothing a large plaid or
breach-dan^ viz. a piece of woollen stuff, eight or nine ells
long, which covered their whole body, descending down to
the knees, and was tied round the waist by a leathern belt ;
this clothing, which they named feile mhor, resembled the
Roman tunic, or the dress of certain oriental nations ; they
found it, however, more convenient to divide it into distinct
pieces, and from thence is derived the actual costume of the
Scottish Highlanders. It consists of a kilt or feile bheag,
which comes from the waist to the top of the knee, a waist-
coat and a jacket, all made of tartan, a light woollen stuff
similar to the camlet. This stuff is of various colours, ac-
cording to their tribes. The upper parts of the legs are naked;
they wear half stockings of a red and white stripe, and cuaran,
or brogues, coarsely made of cow leather, with the hair on the
outside. At present they wear shoes. The sporan is a purse
made of goat's, or sea-calf's skin, with the hair outside, and or-
namented with tassels. This purse is worn before the kilt, and
is tied by a leathern strap round the waist.

The breach dan , or plaid, wsa preserved to use as a man-
tle; they wrapped themselves up in it to screen them from the
cold, or rain, and during fine weather they threw it over the
shoulder. The head was covered with a small bonnet of blue
cloth, of a cylindrical form. The Chiefs were distinguished
by a single feather from an eagle's wing, with which they
adorned their bonnets. They have since substituted a black
ostrich feather.

The arms of the Gaels formed part of their costume, as they
always wore them: these arms were offensive and defensive.
To judge of them by the figures of warriors, sculptured on the
tombs of Dalmally and lona, the iron helmet was in use
among these people, and Buchanan tells us, that they also
wore cuirasses ; but these means of defence were abandoned
soon after the invention of fire arms, and they have only pre-

16 Saussiires Voyage to the Hebrides,

served the target id, (target) a little round buckler, made of
light wood covered with leather, and generally bordered with
a band of brass or iron. They often placed a point in the
centre of it, and the leather was covered with heads of gilt
nails. The buckler was worn during the march, suspended
behind the left shoulder, and during action it served to cover
the front of the left arm. They made use of it in 1745. The
Gaels employed also, until the end of the seventeenth century,
the bow and arrows with bearded points, (very dangerous
arms, by the deep wounds which they made) as well as the
formidable battle-axe, named tockaber.

The claymore, (claidh-more) a large two-handled sword,
similar to that worn by the ancient Swiss, was particularly
formidable in the hands of the robust and warlike Gaels: it is
often mentioned in their poetry, and in the description of their
battles.

They attach to their waists a long poignard, or dirk, which
they hold in one hand to parry the blows of their adversaries'
swords, whilst with the other they attack with the broad sword.
This sword, smaller than the claymore, was in use a consider-
able time; the Scottish regiments in the service of England
are still armed with it at this day. A steel or brass guard, of
beautiful workmanship, encircled the handles, and protected
the hand from the blows of the enemy. The Highlanders
wielded their arms with remarkable adroitness; and besides the
dirk, a steel pistol was usually suspended from the waist.*

Every time I have seen a Highlander thus armed and
clothed, 1 have been struck with the fine air, military gait,
and picturesque appearance of such a costume ; but a similar
spectacle becomes every day more rare at present. The
country people, who alone habitually wear this ancient dress,
have rarely the costume complete ; they are often seen clad with
the tartan kilt, the colour of their clan, with a waistcoat and
jacket of the same colour. They frequently exchange the bon-
net for a hat, and, besides, carry no arms. The Scottish sol-
diers have also altered their original costume; they have
changed the dress of their tribe for the English red uniform,
and have covered their bonnets with a mass of black feathers,
which resemble those of the grenadiers.

The Chiefs of the clans, now reduced to the rank of manor
proprietors, have altogether thrown aside the Scottish costume:
a few still wear it in the country, being more convenient for
hunting. They formerly knew how to derive advantage from

* It is curious to remark, that the Albanians, the Egyptians* and other
eastern nations, carry at this day the same arms.

Saussure's Voyage to the Hebrides. 77

this imposing costume, by displaying in their clothing both
taste and richness, which made them advantageously dis-
tinguished. They ornamented their sporans, dirks, and pistols,
with gold, silver, and precious stones, fastened their plaids
with rich clasps, and used silk stuffs for their colours instead of
woollen, wTorn by their inferiors. In this manner they ap-
peared at the court of Holyrood, and even at St. James's,
when their country was united to England. Sometimes in
place of the kilt they wore large tartan trowsers, called trews.

When the clans were led on to battle, the bagpipes at their
head animated the soldiers, by playing the ancient marches
which had conducted their forefathers to victory ; — the attack
was then terrible. After a discharge of fire-arms, the High-
landers threw away their pistols ; then unloosing their plaids,
they attacked sword in hand, and rushed upon the enemy like
a furious torrent. Each Chief had his watch-word, which was
repeated by the wThole clan, and mixed with inarticulate
clamours. The watch-wTord of the Grants was Craig- Alachie,
the name of a high mountain, which rose in the middle of their
district; that of the Mackenzies, w^as Tulachard, the name also
of an eminence in the county of Ross ; and the watch-word of the
Macdonalds was Fraoch, signifying a heath, and likewise rage
and fury. The chiefs had also their particular banners, on
which were represented the arms of the family.

The clans were almost always at war against each other :
ancient feuds between the tribes, the rivalry of different
chiefs, depredations committed by some clan on the terri-
tory of another, were motives for taking up arms ; but a sin-
gle combat did not terminate these quarrels, as the hatred was
handed down from generation to generation, and the cause of
the chiefs wTas warmly defended by their meanest vassals ;
from thence arose not only general wars among the clans,
but quarrels not less bloody and sanguinary among individuals.
Hereditary resentment became matured in the tribes ; the
Macdonalds were enemies of the Campbells ; the Macintoshes
of the Mackays, &c. ; and the different parties which the
chiefs of the various Scottish clans embraced in the long
struggle of the Stuarts, if they were not the eSect of previous
animosities, served at least still to envenom the ancient ani-
mosity. The history of all these petty wars, of those victo-
ries so warmly claimed even at this day by the divers tribes,
must be familiar to those wrho know the places and the Gaelic
people ; but this history would not attract general attention
so much as it shows the spirit of the people and of those times.

The reader has been able to judge, by the traits which
I have quoted in another part of this work, such as the mas-

78 Saussures Foyage to the Hebrides.

sacreof the Scholars of Dumbarton by the Macgregors, and
the horrible destruction which the Macleods committed on
the unfortunate inhabitants of the Isle of Eigg, to what a
point of ferocity and barbarity these savage people some-
times carried their hatred and vengeance. Among such
excesses, I was astonished to meet with traits of generosity,
disinterestedness, and grandeur of soul, which would do ho-
nour to the most civilized nations. There existed among the
various clans a kind of national law, which, however im-
perfect, was not less an efficacious barrier to that devastation,
which would have been committed by a mass of men who
recognized no other right than that of the strongest, and
no other law than their caprice and their passions. This
common law, which was neither recorded, nor ratified by the
parties interested, was however very scrupulously observed.

The Scottish chiefs, like the European princes, had no
right to invade the territory of the neighbouring tribes, with-
out preceding their hostilities by a declaration of war. They
even, rather than disturb the harmony among the tribes,
treated at first in an amicable manner; similar negociations
are still preserved, as well as treaties of peace made between
the chiefs of the clans, which have altogether the form and
the style of those of sovereign princes.

Whilst, by these contracts, the Gaels showed the good
sense, peace, and brotherhood, which reigned among them,
they did not in return extend the benefits of similar institu-
tions to their neighbours and countrymen, the Scots of the
plain, or Lowlanders, whom they always considered as
strangers, new comers, and consequently enemies of their
country.

The latter, more industrious, and more civilized, presented
to their cupidity irresistible attractions in the productions of
their commerce, their labour, and their fertile soil. The name
of Sassenach, or Saxons, by which in the Gaelic language
the Highlanders style those of the Lowlands, recalled always
to this warlike race, proud of their antiquity, the comparatively
modern origin of their southern neighbours : which, joined to
the difference of the language, was in the eyes of these semi-
barbarian tribes a sufficient motive for indifference, and even
disdain. The Lowlanders, among whom the cultivation oi'
the arts of peace had taken the lead of the study of arms,
appeared to them degenerate effeminate beings, and of a race
very interior to themselves.

The Gaels, besides, had not forgotten that their ancestors
once possessed a great part <>l those fertile plains from which
they were then removed. These recollections were preserved

Saussure's Voyage to the Hebrides, 79

among them by an ancient tradition, and the names, derived
from the Gaelic, which many rivers, hills, and even villages,
in the Lowlands bore, were identifying proofs. In attacking
the Scots of the plains, in devastating their crops, and seizing
their cattle, they thought they were but using reprisals, and
imagined they were only recovering the property which legi-
timately belonged to them. In this persuasion the creach, a
name given by the Highlanders to expeditions, the object of
which was the pillage of the property of the Lowlanders, ap-
peared to them not only excusable, but was even regarded by
them as an honourable exploit, and as a mode of displaying
their bravery and military talents. The young chiefs frequently
undertook a creach, at the head of their clans, in honour of
their belies, and on their return laid at their feet the spoils of
the unfortunate Lowland husbandmen. Such chivalrous mo-
tives did not always actuate the Highland chiefs ; these en-
terprises were influenced more frequently by the love of plun-
der, which animated their savage dependants, destitute of all
the comforts of life, and which the chief was obliged to satisfy
in order to conciliate the good-will of his tribe. Necessity
sometimes constrained the chief himself to have recourse to
such means, as he was obliged to provide for the subsistence
of his numerous vassals. By this obligatory hospitality to-
wards his clan, he supplied the expences incurred by the suite
which was necessary to the high rank which he occupied.

These neighbours were very formidable to the peaceable
inhabitants of the plains, at the foot of the mountains. In
the long nights of autumn, famished hordes would rush from the
high hills into the flat country, carry away the cattle, harvest
crops, money, and valuables ; and as they were as superior
in audacity and agility to their neighbours as the latter sur-
passed them in civilization, these Highlanders, loaded with
their plunder, disappear before the break of day, and would
reach their wild glens and inaccessible rocks before the
Lowlanders even thought of pursuing them.

The great and rich proprietors were always obliged to have
a troop of men armed, to defend their domains ; but such
was the boldness of the Highlanders, that they often amused
themselves in attacking and pursuing these guards even to
the walls of their castles. The farmers and small proprietors,
who had not the means of guarding their lands, were conti-
nually exposed to these destructive incursions. They could
not escape, except by consenting to pay an annual tribute to
the chiefs of the neighbouring clans. This tribute was known
by the name of Black Mail. The chiefs who received it en-

80 Saussure^s Voyage to the Hebrides.

gaged to protect the property of the Lowlanders who paid it
against all aggression, not only from their clans, but from all
others. These engagements were always scrupulously adhered
to : and the effects stolen were restored to the proprietors in
some distant place, where they could be easily concealed.
Those, who from pride, or any other motive, refused the
tribute, were sure to have their domains invaded and pillaged
by troops of savage Highlanders.

In modern times, when the daily increasing wealth of the
Lowlands became an object of still greater inducement to
the poor Highlanders, they formed themselves into bands of
foragers, who, under the direction of a subaltern chief,
adopted the form and discipline of clans, although composed
of individuals belonging to different tribes. These Catherans*
or robbers, living only by pillage, wrere determined and daring
men ; they braved every peril, and were the terror of the peace-
ful proprietors of the Lowlands; inhabiting caverns and
places, rendered nearly inaccessible by high mountains, steep
rocks, and furious torrents, in a country where there were
neither roads nor bridges, they thus bade defiance to the inef-
fectual revenge of the unfortunate Lowlanders, whom they
had plundered. The great chiefs of the tribes, in the territory
where they were established, might easily have put an end to
them, but far from endeavouring to oppose the formation of
bands of Caiherans, they seemed rather to favour them, and
there were few Chiefs who had not similar troops, to whom
they assigned the deserted vallies and bye places in their
vast domains for their abode. When they harboured any
animosity against a clan or neighbouring chief, and when
they wished neither to declare war nor openly to commence
hostilities, they sent the Catherans to pillage their territory.
They also made use of them to compel the Lowlanders to
pay them the Black Mail; as on receiving this tribute, they
engaged to prevent the Catherans from committing further
depredations on lands which were under their protection.

One of the most famous chiefs of the Catherans mentioned
in history, was Jloo Roy Macgregor, who every year saved
the Duke of Montrose the trouble of collecting the revenue
of his domains. Notwithstanding the credit of that great no-
bleman, and although in consequence of the frequent rebel-
lions of Rob Roy against the sovereign authority, the tribu-
nals of the country outlawed him, and set a price on his
head, he succeeded, owing to the protection of many power-
ful Highland chiefs, in escaping from every pursuit, and died
in peace at a very advanced age.

Saussure's Voyage to the Hebrides. S I

Ludovick Cameron, grandson of the celebrated Sir Evan
Cameron of Lochiel, did not lead his bands in person to
plunder, but authorized them to pillage on his own account,
and largely recompensed those whom he placed at the head
of similar expeditions ; he amassed great wealth, but the termi-
nation of the Rebellion in 1745 ruined him. Macdonald of
Barrisdale, went still further in deriving advantage from the
Catherans, of whom he maintained a troop. He levied the
black mail on the proprietors, engaging to deliver them from
the brigands, whom he himself paid. By means of these tri-
butes, he enjoyed a revenue of £500 sterling : he always
fulfilled his engagements with great exactness, and frequently
restored flocks of cattle, which his men had carried away
by mistake, to those proprietors who paid him the tribute.

The government could not, without pain, see the turbulent
clans of the Highlands fall with impunity on the peace-
able possessions of the fertile regions of the south, and of
the east, continually fomenting new rebellions, and making
their mountains perpetually resound with warfare and strife.
Thus we find the kings and parliaments frequently issuing
forth thundering decrees against these undisciplined and rebel-
lious subjects. We find them also, but nearly always in vain,
endeavouring to restore order among these savage tribes, who
would recognise no masters, except their chiefs, and no
laws, except their ancient customs. Protected by the nature
of the country where they dwelt, by their habits of warfare,
and their military manoeuvres, the clans even braved with im-
punity the threats of the sovereigns of the United Kingdom of
England and Scotland. To judge of the nature of the decrees
issued from the throne, we must consult the Writ of Fire and
Sword of King Charles II. against the tribe of the Macleans,
(who had seized by main force upon some possessions belong-
ing to the Campbells), a decree given at length in Pennant's
Travels, Part II., Appendix, p. 443. We find there a direct
injunction on the clans of Campbell, Macalister, Macdonald,
and Macleod, to arm and march against the chief of the
Macleans ; the orders were to take him dead or alive, to pur-
sue him to the utmost ; for this purpose granting them every
authority in their power — freeing them of all obligations from
the existing laws which might enthral them ; in short, declaring
them safe from all the consequences of violation of property,
destruction of crops, houses, &c. committed during such ex-
peditions. These violent measures intimidated, perhaps, for a
time, the insurgent clans, but the effect was of short duration.
We have seen that, the terrible proscription decreed by James
VI. (James I. of England) against the tribe of the Magregors,
Voyages and Travels, No. XLIV. Vol. VIII. M

82 Saussitre's Voyage to the Hebrides.

did not prevent this clan from proving themselves stronger
than ever in subsequent revolts. The numerous decrees of
William and Mary to repress the incursions of the Highlanders
into the Lowlands, produced no change in the situation of the
unfortunate inhabitants in the vicinity of the mountains, but
only served the more to prepare the minds of the Highlanders
for the rebellion which burst forth in 1745.

The chiefs exercised the most absolute authority as to the
administration of justice over all their clans; an ancient Scot-
tish law had even recognised this great stretch of power, by
rendering the chiefs personally responsible for depredations
committed by their tribe, and by obliging them, in extra-
ordinary cases, to give one of their sons or nearest relatives
as an hostage.

When a Highlander was accused of a crime, he was con-
ducted before his chief, who was assisted by a council, com-
posed of the principal members of his tribe: he judged ac-
cording to his conscience and the laws of equity, and it is
asserted, that the sentences rendered by so arbitrary a tribunal
were rarely unjust. Although for some time no written law-
had existed, there was, however, a penal code founded on cus-
tom, and recorded by tradition ; it was committed to writing
in the Isle of Sky about the middle of the seventeenth century,
and every year it was read to the people assembled before the
doors of the church. These laws were as severe and cruel as
are those of the first legislators of all savage nations ; but the
necessity which obliged the chief to render himself popular
among his tribe, the influence of that relationship, and innu-
merable ties which existed among every individual of the
same clan, greatly soothed the rigour of the laws.

The patriarchal regime, established from the most ancient
periods in the mountains and isles of Scotland, has been, it ap-
pears to me, too often confounded with the feudal system, which
existed in the Lowlands, in England, and in the greater part of
the countries of Europe. Although these two modes of govern-
ment possessed some similar forms, nevertheless the essentially
different nature of their origin rendered the connexion be-
tween the governors and the governed altogether dissimilar, and
the condition of those under the jurisdiction of the chief of a
clan was certainly much less oppressive than that of the vassals
of a feudal lord. Whilst the latter derived his power from the
right of conquest, and regarded his vassals as his property — as
slaves which belonged to him by the laws of war, the Scottish
chief knew that he was indebted for all the advantages he en-
joyed to the ancient right of primogeniture ; that the members
of his clan were also those of his family, aud that they were

Saussure's Voyage to the Hebrides. 83

not slaves, because they had never been conquered. No dis-
tinction existed among the nobles, the commoners, and peasants
of the Gaels. All the members of the same clan, regarding
themselves as descendants from one common stock, thought
themselves on a par with their chief, and consequently ex-
pected to be treated in an appropriate manner : they recog-
nised no other distinction than the greater or less proximity
of their degree of parentage to their common ancestor. There
was, in short, this difference between the feudal system and the
regime of the clans ; that whilst a noble was obliged to render
homage to his sovereign, and to receive from him the invest-
ment of his fiefs, the laird enjoyed his power by personal title
derived from natural right, without any superior being able to
deprive him of it, and without being subject to any kind of
contribution whatever.

We find, it is true, at more recent periods, the chiefs of clans
demanding feudal charters of the crown, in order to increase
their power ; but so little could they be constrained, that many
lairds refused with disdain to accept such titles, saying, that
they never wished to hold their right by a miserable sheep's
skin, for thus they called the parchments delivered by the
king. In addition to this, families to whom the king had
granted certain domains, to the prejudice of the chiefs of clans
who possessed them, were for many ages unable to make good
these titles, and probably they never would have participated
in the enjoyment of their property, if the ancient lords of these
lands had not been dispossessed of them in consequence of a
rebellion.

Those individuals are much deceived who, in assimilating the
government of clans to the feudal system, attribute to the
former the inconveniences and abuses of the latter. Not only
was it the strict duty of the laird, as chief of the great family,
to treat with kindness and esteem those whom birthright
had placed under his command, but he had a particular in-
terest in making himself popular. As the right which placed
him at the head of his clan was, to a certain extent, founded
upon the good opinion of his subordinates, it was necessary,
in order to maintain the distinction, that he should at once sup-
port the dignity and character of a paternal guardian, by
scrupulously promoting the common interests of those over
whom he claimed so distinguished a pre-eminence. Thus he
sought by every possible means to conciliate their good-will ;
he assisted the poor, and treated all with unbounded hospitality.
So far from repulsing them by hauteur or reserve, he assumed
affability and habitual familiarity with all the members of
bis tribe. He never met one of them without taking him

84 tiausaures Voyage to ike Hebrides.

by the hand, and without interesting himself in all his concern^,
being always anxious of concealing the master, under the ex-
terior deportment of the friend and relation. Notwithstanding
the changes which have taken place, this interesting custom is
observed to this day in many parts of the Highlands and in
the Hebrides. I have seen great and rich proprietors amicably
touching the hands of the poorest of their peasants every time
they met them ; and it is thus, indeed, they still preserve in
substance that influence and superiority which the Jaw at pre-
sent refuses them.

It cannot then be said that the Gaels were unhappy ; for the
deep regret testified by them on the dissolution of the clans,
after the rebellion of 1745, proves that this regime was neither
so oppressive nor insupportable as some modern authors re-
present.

Each family possessing a farm, which had been transmitted
by inheritance from father to son, enjoyed the property ; a
kind of heritage which is possessed by few English peasants,
and which forms one of the greatest emblems of prosperity,
and even of morality, among the inhabitants of Switzerland.
The rents which the Gaelic farmers paid to their chief were
but trifling, and if they ever became reduced by misfortune so
as not to be able to meet their obligations, he generally can-
celled their debts. An active and military life, divided between
the precarious toils of sea-fishing and the perils of war, gave
great animation to their existence; and the repose which
succeeded these days of toil was not troubled with the painful
reflection of any further care. Although little accustomed to la-
bour and to the sedentary occupations of an industrious people,
the Gaels were not a prey to ennui, which, among other nations,
proceeds from idleness, and gives rise to so many disorders.
Constantly interested for the honour and safety of the tribe,
they felt animated with that public spirit and ardent patriotism
which elevates the soul into its highest sphere. Passing from
a calm to a tempest, and from a profound repose to the tumult
of a battle, they united all the mildness of family ties, with
the interesting habits of maritime life — which latter can scarcely
be thrown off when once adopted.

There is, however, a great error in supposing these people
enslaved and brutalised by obedience to an absolute power,
and assimilating that state to a nation groaning under feudal
despotism. If education had not developed the strength of the
mental faculties; if industry and commerce had not yet en-
livened those uncultivated valleys; and if the people had not
strove for those luxuries of life, which ultimately become
real wants among nations more advanced in civilization ; if, in

Saussure's Voyage to the Hebrides. 85

short, they had only miserable habitations, poor clothing, and
mean and insufficient food, still, every feature which could
excite their vivid imagination was strikingly exhibited among
them, while those comforts which partake more of the nature
of luxuries seemed to be of secondary consideration. They
listened with transport to the recital of the exploits of their
ancestors, and were passionately fond of poetry and music.
The heroic songs of their bards, from time to time repeated in
their wretched cottages, always transported their souls and
inflamed their enthusiasm. Proud of their ancient origin, and
of their military exploits, they boasted their descent from those
Caledonian heroes who had vanquished the conquerors of the
world, and they delighted in recalling such glorious recol-
lections. An ardent love of military glory, their attachment
to their clan, and a lively sentiment of honour, all tended to
keep up a moral dignity among them ; a species of national
pride, which raises them in their own estimation, and induces
them to regard with disdain the more polished nations of
Europe.

If this spirit was manifested among men of inferior rank,
the character of the chiefs, who received homage from so
many devoted subjects, may be easily conceived, and thus a
Scottish pride, which has become proverbial, may be rea-
sonably accounted for. One of these petty Highland princes,
said one day, that if he had his choice, between the domains
of the Duke of Newcastle, which produced £30,000 sterling
a year, and his wild possessions, which were not worth £500,
he would not hesitate to take the latter, provided that he at
all times preserved the suite or little court, which is one of
the appendages of a chief or great Highland proprietor.

I shall give a few more instances, to shew to what extent
the Gaelic chiefs preserved the prerogatives of their rank.

The first Marquis of Huntley, chief of the clan of Gordon,
on being presented at the court of James VI., King of Scot-
land, did not bend the knee before his sovereign; when he
was demanded the reason of this neglect of the customary
form, he replied, he had no intention of shewing a want of
respect for the king, but he desired to be excused, as he came
from a country where every one bent before himself. — The
King of Great Britain having offered the title of nobility to
the chief of the Grants, the latter refused it by saying, " And
wha would be the Laird, of Grant?'' In general, many
Scottish chiefs would have thought it derogatory to accept a
foreign dignity ; and even at this day, many Hebrideans have
been displeased with one of the most powerful chiefs of the
isles, for having accepted an Irish peerage.

86 Saussure's Voyage to ike Hebrides.

Among the good qualities which eminently distinguished the
Gaelic people, one of the first, and that at the present day, is
hospitality. This virtue was so generally diffused in the High-
lands, that every where the doors of the houses were left open,
at all hours, as a general invitation to strangers*.

They never demanded the name of him who claimed their
hospitality, without having previously offered him refreshment.
Without this precaution, the stranger would always have
found some reason for refusing assistance in a country where
revenge among the clans is so frequent, and carried to such
atrocious excesses. So long as a stranger remained in the
house they protected and defended him from all assault, as if
he had been a member of their family. Bravery, love of glory,
attachment to their Chiefs, the strictest fidelity in fulfilling
their engagements and protecting those who confided in them,
were qualities peculiar to all the Gaels. I shall quote some
further instances which will serve to exhibit the characteristics
of this people.

Under the reign of James V. the clan Chattan was in a
state of revolt, and the Earl of Moray, at the head of his vas-
sals, having beaten the insurgents, made 200 prisoners, whom
he condemned to death in order to intimidate the rebels. As
they were conducting them to the scaffold, the Earl offered
them pardon, on condition that they should discover the place
where their Chief was concealed ; but these brave men unani-
mously replied, that even were they acquainted with it, no tor-
ture could force them to betray the confidence reposed in
them.

Towards the beginning of the last century, the county of

• Hospitality was one of the first virtues of the Hebrews, as it is still of the
Arabs, and of some eastern nations. It has been said, but erroneously, that
hospitality is the virtue of all savages; how many colonies have been found, in
newly discovered islands in the South Seas, who are cruel, distrustful, and
inhospitable ; whilst among certain nations who have attained a high degree
of civilization, this quality has constantly remained an honour. The charac-
ters of nations differ in this respect as in many others, without it being possible
to assign a plausible reason for such differences. Those who seek to depre-
ciate this interesting and benevolent disposition, repeat with exultation, that
in isolated and savage places, hospitality turns more to the profit of him who
exercises, than of those who are the objects of it, since it gives him an oppor-
tunity of diverting himself from the ennui which he must feel, and of satisfy-
ing his curiosity in the society of strangers. If this assertion were true — if
hospitality were only a calculation of egotism, the Scots would not be seen
sacrificing their comfort, their repose, and even their fortunes, to fulfil that
which they regard as a duty — the reception of strangers. There is In this re-
spect, such a sentiment of duty, that the Highlander receives even his enemy,
when the latter claims his succour, and is obliged to entertain him and lu^
suite during the whole time of his residence.

Saussare's Voyage to the Hebrides. 87

Inverness was infested with a band of Catherans, or robbers,
commanded by one John Gunn, who levied contributions in
every quarter, and came under the walls of the city, to bid de-
fiance to an English garrison which defended the castle. An
officer who went to Inverness, bearing the pay of the troop, and
escorted by a feeble detachment, was obliged to pass the night
at an inn, thirty miles from the city. In the evening he saw a
man of a good figure enter, wearing the Scottish costume, and
as there was only one room in the inn, the Englishman invited
the stranger to partake of his supper, which the latter re-
luctantly accepted. The officer judging by his conversation
that the stranger was perfectly acquainted with the defiles and
bye-paths throughout the country, begged him to accompany
him the next morning, made him acquainted with the purport
of his journey, and his fears of falling, together with the depot
which was confided to him, into the hands of the celebrated
John Gunn. The Highlander, after a little hesitation, pro-
mised to be his guide ; they, in fact, departed on the following
day, and in crossing a solitary and barren glen, the conversa-
tion again turned on the robberies of John Gunn. " Would
" you like to see him ?" said the guide, and immediately gave
a whistle, which was re-echoed by the rocks ; in a few moments
the officer and his detachment were surrounded by a body of
Highlanders, armed from head to foot, and sufficiently nume-
rous to render every effort of resistance fruitless. " Stranger,"
said the guide, " I am that same John GuDn whom you are
" afraid of, and not without reason, for I came yesterday even-
" ing into your inn to discover the route you meant to take, in
" order to carry away your military chest ; but 1 am incapa-
*' ble of betraying the confidence which you have put in me,
" and having now proved to you, that you are in my power,
" I shall send you on your way without loss or damage."
After giving him the necessary directions for the journey, John
Gunn disappeared with his troop as suddenly as they had
arrived.

Prince Charles Edward, when pursued in the mountains of
Scotland, found among all the inhabitants, even from those who
had not joined his party, an asylum, assistance, and the most
inviolable secrecy ; and that frequently among men, who were
poor and accustomed to pillage, even at a time when the enor-
mous sum of £30,000 sterling was promised by the English go-
vernment, to whoever should deliver up the young Prince, dead
or alive. Among the innumerable and admirable traits of
devotion which distinguished that memorable epoch, the follow-
ing fact is worthy of notice. A youth named Roderick
Mackenzie, concealed in the mountains after the defeat of

88 Saussure's Voyage to the Hebrides.

Culloden, was discovered by the soldiers sent in pursuit of the
Prince. His age, his shape, even his figure, deceived the sol-
diers, who believed they had found Charles Edward ; they
were about to seize him, when Mackenzie, who perceived their
mistake, resolved to render himself useful to his Prince. He
drew his sword, and the courage with which he defended him-
self, convinced the English that he must be the Pretender.
One of them fired ; the young man fell, and while expiring,
cried out "You have killed your Prince!" This generous
sacrifice, in suspending for a moment all pursuit, gave time to
Charles Edward to escape from his pursuers.

The life pursued by the Highlanders rendered abstemiousness
and frugality necessary. They set out for a long journey, across
high mountains and uncultivated vallies, with no other provi-
sions than a small bag of oatmeal, which, mixed with the
water of the brooks, formed their only nourishment ; in this
manner the Arabs and the Moors of the desert take with them
some handfuls of their couscout, when they prepare for a
journey of several days across their immense plains of sand.

Thus, few people have carried their detestation of effemi-
nacy and luxurious living to a greater point. Cameron, of
Lochiel, surprised by the darkness of the night, on the return
of an expedition, was, together with the men of his suite, en-
veloped in tbeir cloaks, and extended on the snow, at that time
on the ground. He soon perceived that one of his grandsons
had made a ball of snow, to support his head during sleep :
the old chieftain, irritated by what he considered an in-
dulgence, rose up, and with his foot driving away the ball,
" For shame," said he to the youth, " are you so effeminate as
" to have occasion for such a pillow V

If the active and military life of the Gaels developed that
energetic character which distinguishes a warlike people — in-
tellectual improvement, industry, and respect for property,
qualities so essential in a period of more advanced civilization
were but as then in embryo. It would be, however, unjust to
judge them with too much severity on this head ; we ought to
take into consideration their particular position relative to the
existing mode of government, the nature of the soil, and the
geographical situation of the country.

If, in fact, they hesitated in applying themselves to manual
labour, and if they only cultivated such a portion of land as
would serve to support their families, it was owing to the
habits which the Chiefs had acquired of assisting the indigent
of their tribe, and of liberating them from the payment of
their rents; assuring them, that they should never entirely
want the means of subsistence. They consequently found

Sau8sure%s Voyage to the Hebrides. 89

more satisfaction in following their Chiefs to battle, than labour-
ing in cultivating a barren and unproductive soil. In addi-
tion to this, it was not reasonable that they should employ the
whole of their time in cultivating the soil, when the probable
attack of an enemy's clan might carry away the fruits of
many years labour. In short, the Highlanders had no market
in the mountains, where the labourers and agriculturists could
dispose of their commodities; they had neither high roads nor
bridges to communicate with the Lowland towns, from which
they were separated by high mountains and deep rivers.

If we may judge of the character of the Gaels from their
continual depredations among the Lowlanders and the tribes of
their enemies, we shall be apt to consider them as lawless
bands, regardless of all respect for the right of property. This
was not, however, the case: a theft committed by an individual
01 the same clan, or of an ally, was punished with the greatest
severity. But it must not be forgotten, that each tribe con-
stituted a distinct and independent state; and in time of war
a Highlander made no more scruple in carrying off the cattle
of an enemy's tribe, or those of a cultivator of the LowTlands,
(who was always regarded as an inferior), than a general com-
manding an army would in levying contributions in an enemy's
country, or a captain of an English vessel seizing a Spanish
galleon in time of war. When Prince Charles was pursued in
the mountains, a man named Mac Ian, or Kennedy, who had
several times exposed his life for his prince, and who, notwith-
standing the greatest misery, and the reward of i?o0,000
sterling, had not been induced to betray him, was executed at
Inverness for stealing a cow ! A little before the execution he
took off his bonnet, and returned thanks to God, that he had
never failed in his engagements, nor done any injury to the
poor, nor had ever refused to share all that he had with the in-
digent and the stranger.

The ignorance of this people was not the result of idleness
and inactivity; they displayed great avidity to learn and to
enlarge their ideas, which induced them to question with in-
quisitiveness every stranger whom they met: they, however,
wanted instruction, as at that time the institution of parochial
schools was but just commenced in the Highlands.

It was found very difficult to reconcile the military manners
of the Highlanders with the patience and tranquillity necessary
for study. Besides, at that time, the Gaelic language was merely
in manuscript, the Bible having only been circulated in that
tongue within the last fifty years. The singular orthography
used in this language renders the reading it very difficult ;
and I have known many Scotsmen who spoke and understood

Voyages and Travels, No. XLIV. Vol. VIII. N

90 Saussure's Voyage to the Hebrides.

it, but could never learn to read it. Since the change which
have taken place in the administration of the Highlands, the
zeal of the Highland Society, and, above all, the one which
has for its object the diffusion of Christianity, as well as the
care of an enlightened clergy, have succeeded in vanquishing
those obstacles, which could not previously be surmounted,
owing to the political and inland state of the country. At this
time there is scarcely a village in the Highlands where the
children do not learn to read and write in Gaelic, and the Holy
Scriptures are in the hands of every Highlander.

Ignorance, which is the parent of credulity, and a vivacity
of imagination, unceasingly kept up by the imposing pheno-
mena presented by nature in a mountainous country, and on
the banks of a dangerous sea, have produced among the Gaelic
people a multitude of superstitions, each of which is considered
very singular. Among the number of superstitious practices
of this people, some appear to be the remains of the Catholic
faith, and many are evidently derived from paganism and the
religion of the Druids, which prevailed in Scotland before the
introduction of Christianity ; there are some, in short, which
are analogous to certain religious customs of the Jews. In
addition to the superstitions spread among the lower classes of
every nation in Europe, the Scottish Highlanders have also
many which are peculiar to their own country.

They have inherited from the Catholic religion a sort of
veneration for places formerly consecrated to that worship, and
they go in pilgrimage to certain springs and caverns, which
still bear the names of saints, in order to be cured of their dis-
eases. Thus there is at Strath Fillan a well called St. Fillan,
which, it is said, possesses the virtue of curing several maladies
in those who plunge into it: there they conduct lunatics; the
latter deposit their clothes on a heap of stones, round which
they make a procession in the direction of the sun's course,
after which the invalid is plunged three times in the well ; he is
afterwards bound in a chapel, where he is left all night. If
they find the next morning that he is loosened from his bonds,
the saint is said to be propitious to him, if not, his cure re-
mains doubtful ; but it more frequently happens that death ter-
minates his sufferings, in consequence of so dangerous a treat-
ment.

Among the Gaels, as among the Hebrews, a woman, after
being delivered of a child, was considered as impure until she
had made the tour of the church three times in ceremony.
The Highlanders also caused tbe new-born child to pass three
times through the fire in the chimney, after the manner ol the
Israelites, who, in order to purify their children, made them

Sau8surt?s Voyage to the Hebrides. 91

pass through the fire on the altar of Moloch. They believed
in evil spirits, and to deliver themselves from their power, they
employed all kinds of charms and talismans. One of the most
efficacious, according to them, was a circle formed by a switch
of oak, with which they girt their bodies. It was evidently,
as Pennant observes, a remnant of the religion of the Druids,
and of the veneration which these priests had for the oak,
which they regarded as a sacred tree. They also used a circle
of mistletoe to preserve them from accidents and disorders.
Analogous practices still exist in Lower Brittany, and some
other provinces of France, which were formerly inhabited by
the Druids.

The Gaels believed also in ghosts and apparitions, imagining
likewise that they saw and conversed with them ; indeed, the
mists and clouds, which in these mountainous regions take a
thousand fantastic forms, might often appear like shadows and
human figures in the eyes of heated imaginations. The im-
posing spectacle of nature, in her rudest forms of high deserted
mountains, furious torrents, howling winds, and vast solitudes,
must have inspired a sentiment of fear and respect in the weak
minds which daily contemplated them. They attributed to
supernatural causes a variety of phenomena which astonish, and
often alarm, the inhabitants of mountainous countries. Thus
they imagined their deserts were inhabited by a host of malig-
nant spirits, and divinities of an inferior order. Each solitary
and dreary valley, every high and lofty mountain, and every re-
markable spot, had its evil genius, the figure of which was re-
presented as ludicrous and frightful in the extreme— the cha-
racter wicked and cruel. The lakes and torrents were inhabited
by the demons of the river, similar to the kelpy of the Low-
landers.

Among those fantastic beings who act so great a part in the
imagination of the Highlanders, we must not omit the Daoine
shi, or Men of Peace. They are regarded as small ghosts,
living under ground, and under small mountains covered with
verdure. During the night, and by the light of the moon, they
imagined they saw them dancing and celebrating their orgies
on the horizon of the hills; and without being wicked, they
were jealous and envious of the happiness of mortals.

Some vestiges of the religion of the Druids, or Paganism,
are still recognized in the ceremony annually celebrated by the
Highland shepherds on the first of May. This sacrifice chain-
petre is known under the name of Bealtuinn. The shepherds
assemble, kindle a large fire, and after dancing round it, they
cook a mixture of eggs, butter, milk, and oatmeal ; before
tasting of this dish they pour out libations on the ground, they

§2 Saussure's Voyage to the Hebrides.

then take oatmeal cakes, break them, and turning their faces
towards the tire, they throw morsels behind them over their
shoulders, saying, " This is for thee, preserve my horses; and
this for thee, preserve my sheep," addressing themselves to the
spirits who watch over their flocks. They, in like manner,
invoke noxious animals: " This is for thee, O Renard ! deign
to spare my lambs; and for thee, O Hawk! and for thee, O
Eagle!"" The divinity Bel, whom they originally worshipped,
was the spirit of the sun ; perhaps the god Baal of the
Israelites. Gruagach, or the young man with fair hair, was
also, among the Gaels, one of the names of the gods of the
sun, the Apollo Chrysocomes of the Greeks. On those huge
blocks, called Gruagach Stones, which the Druids raised
on places where they celebrated their religion, tradition informs
us that they poured forth libations of milk.

Every great family in the Highlands had its tutelary genius,
who watched over the destiny of each of its members. When
one was at the point of death, the genius appeared, or uttered
his mournful lamentations. The familiar spirit of the chief of
the Grants was a fairy named May Moulach, " the Daughter
with hairy arms;" she always announced by her presence or
her cries the death of the laird of Grant, or some great dis-
aster which menaced his family. It was the same with
Bod 'a ch an dun, " the Spirit of the Mountain," for the Grants
of Rothiemurchus. Other families had Benskie, old fairies
with floating hair, and covered with blue mantles ; they pre-
dicted by their tears, sighs, and groans, the approaching death
of some one of the members of these families. Resides, a train
of light, variously coloured, when seen at night, was the sign
of a similar event, and its direction indicated the place of the
funeral. The death of a Maclean, of Loch Buy, was an-
nounced to his parents by an apparition of the spectre of one
of his ancestors killed in battle.

When they set out on a journey, they were very attentive to
the presages, which they formed from the first objects they met
with. If these augured unfavourable, they returned home, and
postponed their journey till another day. They had many modes
of consulting their destiny. The most remarkable method was
the Taeghairm, They enveloped a man in the skin of a bull,
fresh killed, and placed hi in i:« ar a cataract, at the bottom of a
precipice or wild place ; having left him there all night, the next
day they went to interrogate him, and his answers were re-
ceived as inspired by the spirit of the place.

The most known and the most general superstition of the
Gaels is that which they call Taishitaraugh, and the English,
Second Sight. It is the faculty of discerning objects invisible

Sauss lire's Voyage to the Hebrides. 93

to other persons. Those who were gifted with it were called
Seers, and in Gaelic Taishatrim. On this subject Martin,
who travelled through the Hebrides in the beginning of the
last century, at the time when the belief in second sight was
much more general than at present, gives us the following in-
formation : —

The vision made such an impression on the Seer, that he
was at the instant entirely absorbed by it. He stood with his
eyes fixed on the shadow, which he pursued, and could not
turn his attention from it. Every one is not endowed with the
power of contemplating these supernatural apparitions, and
those who possess it cannot transmit it to others; nor can it
descend from a father to his children.

These apparitions, or visions, are of various natures; they
have always some signification relative to him who sees them,
or to those who accompany him. The Seer, after the nature of
his vision, predicts events fatal or encouraging, and the hour,
more or less advanced of the day in which the apparition
presents itself, serves him to fix the epoch when his prediction
will be accomplished. If he sees a sheet round the body of a
living man, he announces his approaching death, and this pre-
diction, the believers say, never fails of being accomplished.
If a chair which is occupied, appears to him empty, it indi-
cates the death of him who is seated in it. He can see absent
friends appear, and also those who have just died in a distant
country. He foretels the persons who are to arrive in the
village, or enter the house where he is ; and although they are
entire strangers to him, he describes their figure, shape, form,
and the colour of their clothes. It has been said also, that
Seers have seen in caverns and deserted places, houses covered
with tiles ; also, villages, and verdant meadows, and have fore-
told several years, that these places would be peopled and
cultivated.

Martin (who places implicit faith in these superstitions),
pretends having seen the prophecies of the Seers accom-
plished several times. Dr. Johnson, who has shown so much
scepticism relative to the authenticity of Ossian, was not
averse to believing in second sight. Bos well, his biographer,
says, that he sought palpable proofs of the existence of spirits,
in order to combat the progress of the doctrine of materialism
with more effect.

I have several times heard very respectable men in the High-
lands of Scotland, mention examples of second sight, of which
they asserted themselves to have been witnesses ; and they
gave these narratives with the utmost assurance and the best
faith. Among an infinite number of fantastical pictures which

94 Sau8sure8 Voyage to the Hebrides.

were presented to an inflamed imagination, it was sufficient if
one had some relation with a real event, with men fond of the
marvellous, who forgot the quantity of dreams which had no
relation nor connexion with the future. They placed re-
liance on a single trait which appeared to be realized, and
the person whose predictions were verified, was proclaimed
a prophet.

History has recorded two remarkable instances of second
sight, the most ancient of which is mentioned in the history of
St. Columban. It is affirmed, that this abbot announced to his
monks of I-Coim-Kill, a victory of the Pictish king on the
very day the battle took place, although the field of battle
was in the south of Scotland, upwards of 180 miles from the
convent of lona, where St. Columban then resided.

The second is of a much more recent date, and, according
to Pennant, excited a great interest in Scotland at the time.
Shortly after the battle of Prestonpans, in 1745, the Lord Pre-
sident Forbes being at his residence in Culloden, with a Scottish
nobleman, the conversation turned on that battle, and its pro-
bable consequences ; after having a long time discoursed on
the subject, and exhausted every conjecture, the President,
turning himself towards a window, cried out, " All that may
happen, but rest assured, these troubles will be terminated on
the very spot where we now are." This prediction of the
battle of Culloden, several months before it took place, and
when the victorious army of the Pretender was marching into
Englaud, produced a prodigious effect, and confirmed many
Scots in their superstitious belief.

Before terminating this exposition of the ancient state of the
Gaels, it only remains for me to speak of their funeral cere-
monies ; and in these we again find some additional resem-
blances to those of the ancient Oriental nations.

On the evening after the death of a Highlander, the parents,
relations, and friends of the deceased, come into his house,
followed by a bagpipe or violin ; then the nearest relative of
the deceased opens a funeral ball, known by the name of late-
wake. Nothing is more singular than this mixture of dancing
and weeping, music and doleful cries, which continues till
break of day, and is renewed every night while the body re-
mains uninterred. When the coffin is carried to the earth,
it is followed by a numerous group of relatives and friends of
both sexes. The women pour forth the most frightful cries,
tear their hair, and sitting round the tomb, sing with loud
voice the mournful Coronach.

This funeral lamentation, which is the same as the llullulu
of the Irish, consists only in cries and inarticulate groans, but

Saussure's Voyage to the Hebrides. 95

generally it is a mournful and wild air, to which the bards
have composed poems in honour of the deceased. His virtues,
exploits, hospitality, and noble origin, are recalled ; and the
grief of his family and his clan are expressed in a touching
and poetical manner. After the ceremony is finished, the re-
lations invite all the persons who have assisted in it to an
abundant repast. Whiskey flows in great abundance, and the
days consecrated to mourning generally terminate as a festival,
by revelry and intoxication.

CHAPTER VIII.

Remarkable Changes operated in the Manners and Customs

of the Highlanders.

It appeared to me almost incredible, that such a state of
things as I have described in the preceding chapter; that manners
so different from our own should have existed little more than
half a century ago, at a distance of 450 miles from London
— the capital of one of the most civilized and enlightened
nations of Europe : — had it not been attested by accredited
historians, and had I not recognized in the manners, cus-
toms, and mode of life, of the inhabitants of the Hebrides
and western coasts of Scotland, numerous and unequivocal
traces of the same constitution. Such a state was so incom-
patible with the progress of learning, mode of government,
and manners of the British nation, that we cannot believe it
could still be preserved for a long time, when even such great
events had not hastened its close.

These tribes resembled so many small independent states, in
a single monarchy, and would not submit to laws emanating
from the government ; thus, the interminable wars among the
clans, and the audacious depredations among the peaceful and
industrious inhabitants of the plains, were sure, sooner or
later, to awaken the attention of the legislative power.

But the still more alarming rebellions which were mani-
fested in the mountains, made the government feel the urgent
necessity of extinguishing that focus of discord and civil war,
which the enemies of England and the partisans of the Stuarts,
ceased not to foment.

Already since the rebellion of 1745, many powerful chiefs had
paid, even with their property and their lives, their chivalrous
devotion to their ancient and unfortunate sovereigns. Those
confiscations and executions for a moment, restrained and in-

96 Saussureys Voyage to the Hebrides.

timidated a turbulent population ; but as nothing was changed
in the system of the clans, the chiefs still preserved all their
power. Defended by the inaccessible barriers of their moun-
tains and torrents, they were still able, when the time arrived,
to prepare for new incursions at the head of their formidable
bands, which had been vanquished, but not entirely subdued.
This happened effectually, in the famous expedition of Prince
Charles Edward. In the twinkling of an eye, the whole po-
pulation of the mountains were under arms ; they inundated
the southern part of Scotland like a torrent, destroyed the
troops of the line which were opposed to them, and penetrated
into the heart of England. The capital was in consternation,
and expecting at every instant to see a formidable and savage
army enter within its walls.

The imminent danger in wrhich the government found itself
at this period, proved the necessity of adopting prompt and
vigorous measures to prevent the repetition of similar events,
and radically to destroy even the cause of those frequent insur-
rections : viz. the patriarchal and military government of the
clans.

For this purpose, new executions and confiscations took
place in greater number than ever ; and a general disarming
of all the Highlanders was proclaimed and executed by force.

Military roads were opened from all parts across the defiles
and (at that time) inaccessible vallies, to enable the troops
and artillery to penetrate easily into the very heart of the de-
serts. Ancient forts were repaired, and new fortresses were
constructed, and guarded by strong garrisons, to restrain the
still formidable, although disarmed, population. In short, the
power of the chiefs was abolished ; the chain of clans was
broken, and all jurisdiction was taken away from the chiefs.
Justices of the peace, sheriffs, and other judicial officers, simi-
lar to those which were for a long time established in the
Lowlands, were charged with maintaining order and executing
justice in the Highlands after the laws of the kingdom. The
chiefs were no longer considered otherwise than proprietors of
land, and the vassals as their farmers. It required much
firmness and vigilance to introduce among the Gaels a system
so different from that to which they had been habituated from
time immemorial; but the conquerors overstrained the means
for attaining that object. The soldiers committed great ex-
cesses, and displayed a rigour which often bordered on
cruelty ; and many unwarrantabh abuses were committed on
the conquered, now a prey to hatred and revenge.

The government were likewise guilty of a gross fault : — too
much influenced by the recent alarm which they had experienced,

Saussure's Voyage to the Hebrides. 97

they made laws in. order to destroy the natural character of
this people, and not content with having deprived them of
their arras, they prohibited their particular costume. They
even forbade the use of their vernacular tongue, and abso-
lutely wished to create momentarily an English colony, as if it
were possible to deprive high-minded and brave people of their
whole inheritance of glorious recollections. Every method, in
short, was employed in the Highlands, which the most abso-
lute despotism could suggest, that the power of the chiefs of
the clans might be superseded by the power of the law. The
latter,- without means of defence, and opposed by immense
forces, were not in a state to resist, but their pride disdained
a yoke which they were unable to shake off. They sought
every means of eiuding the laws which appeared to them
humiliating, and in defiance of their oppressors, they pre-
served their ancient customs as much as they were able ; these
were become much dearer, from the endeavours which had
been made to efface the memory of them.

Removed from public employment and military command,
and treated as rebels, the Highlanders were, for a long time,
neglected in their dreary mountains, by the British court and
parliament. The celebrated Lord Chatham having succeeded
to the ministry, quickly felt that such oppression was very un-
fit to reconcile them with the new order of things, and attach
them to one common country ; and he foresaw all the ad-
vantages which the English government might derive from that
race of heroes, as he styled them, if once he could gain their
affections. For this purpose he employed mild and concilia-
tory measures as being the most probable means of restoring
tranquillity. All the rigorous laws were revoked, the High-
landers were allowed the free use of their national dress, and the
minister restored them their arms to use in the service of Eng-
land. Thus, this great Statesman knew how to profit by these
warlike people, to serve the cause of his country ; and by
degrees, succeeded in attaching them to the House of Bruns-
wick, by the bonds of gratitude and affection. Restored also
to their customs, and to their national manners, and at the
same time, to peace and repose, deprived of the means of plun-
dering their neighbours, and of fighting among themselves, the
Highlanders displayed a new character, still more icteresting,
than that which had distinguished them in their ancient state.
They preserved the virtues of a savage people, and threw aside
the vices and ignorance by which they are generally accom-
panied.

Patriotism, loyalty, hospitality, and religion, continued to
flourish amongst them ; respect for property was no longer, as

Voyages and Travels, No. XLIV. Vol. VIII. o

98 Saussurts Voyage to the Hebrides.

formerly, confined to the possessions of the same clan ; they
accustomed themselves to respect all Scotsmen, to what-
ever tribe or district they might belong, as countrymen and
brothers. 'J hus the same men, who sixty years ago lived al-
most entirely on pillage, are now proverbial for their mora-
lity; ami of all the inhabitants of Great Britain, they give the
least occupation to the courts of assize. Faithful to their
sovereign, they know also how to display in regular armies
that attachment and heroic courage which animated them in
their petty intestine wars. Rigorous observers of their reli-
gious duties, they afford this day an example to all Christians
of that active piety which induces them, in order to assist in
divine service, to brave the tempestuous climate, and under-
take long journeys in a country beset with rocks, across dan-
gerous precipices and boisterous seas. The ministers second
their zeal by astonishing efforts and the warmest attachment ; for
they are to be seen braving the fury of the ocean in small boats
to carry the consolation of religion into the most distant parts
of their parishes.

The number of parishes too limited in proportion to their
extent, is the cause why the pastors, notwithstanding their
zeal, cannot discharge all the functions required by their min-
istry. In order to remedy this inconvenience, members of the
church have been delegated under the title of missionaries, to
aid the pastors in preaching the gospel. They go at certain
periods to celebrate divine service in the vallies, and the most
remote districts ; but the salaries of these respectable ministers
are far from being proportioned to their utility and devotion.

Not only has the succour of religion been augmented, but
a Society for the propagation of Christianity has founded
establishments for the education of children. Every village in
the mountains and isles, however small, possesses at present a
school where reading and writing are taught, in Gaelic and
English. Thus that ignorance into which a military life had
for a long period plunged this people, is dying away, and with
it those superstitious practices and creeds which have long
been prevalent in the mountainous districts of Scotland.

Notwithstanding the Chiefs baye lost much of their power
by the abolition of the patriarchal regime, they have, however,
in general preserved a great influence over their farmers, vt ho
were formerly their vassals; this influence is due to the pro-
perty of extensive domains. They let the farms at low prices
to those whom they protect; and as they can withdraw thesd
benefits at pleasure, their farmers are thus entirely dependent
on them. Although the law deprived the Chiefs of that heri-
ditary jurisdiction which they formerly exercised, yet, as the

Saussure>s Voyage to the Hebrides. 99

offices of " Justice of the Peace"* are always confided to great
proprietors, and as the distance of the mountains and isles
from the centre of government renders arbitrary measures more
easily carried into execution, than in England and the south of
Scotland, the lairds thus preserve a much more extensive
power over their tenantry than that of other proprietors in
Great Britain. When the laird makes use of his prerogative
only for the good of his subordinates ; when he applies him-
self, like his ancestors, to conciliate their respect by offers of
services and kindness ; when, in short, hejendeavours to keep up
among them that spirit of clanship, or family love, so power-
ful in former times, he again finds among the farmers the same
attachment — the same devotion which they formerly enter-
tained for their chiefs. But, in this respect, all the Highland
proprietors have not followed the same course, and hence have
resulted very different effects in the prosperity and happiness of
those Highlanders who are not proprietors. This is what I
shall endeavour to describe ; for in this particular are included
the most striking results which the transition from a military
regime to a commercial system has occasioned.

It should be recollected, that before the abolition of the
regime of clans, the interest of the landed proprietor was to
concentrate in his domain the greatest possible number of men
capable of bearing arms ; hence it followed, that the popu-
lation was no longer identified with the produce of the soil,
and that the land was divided into a very considerable number
of small farms, on each of which a whole family resided. In
general, the proprietor reserved for himself a part of his do-
main, where he placed the men of his suite, his servants, and
all those who were more particularly attached to his person.
Some vassals paid no rent for their farms, others paid their
leases partly in money, and partly in personal or particular
services to the profit of the proprietor. The portions of his
domain which the chief did not use himself were let to a few of
the principal members of his tribe, his nearest relations, desig-
nated under the name of tacksmen ; the latter divided the lands
again among the small tenants, and the cotters, or labouring
people. The farms which these last occupied were not con-
siderable : they paid no rent in money, but they worked for
the tacksmen, and were their servants.

When the chiefs were deprived of their authority over their
tribes, and being no longer petty independent princes, so great
an armed population was become useless to them, and no
longer procured them, as formerly, that consideration and
power which were the objects of their ambition ; they, there-
fore, felt the necessity of maintaining their rank and credit by

100 Sau8sure*s Voyage to the Hebrides.

differeDt means, and those which were most obvious were the
employment of their lands in augmenting their fortunes. It
was necessary for this purpose to increase the revenue, and to
make the soil yield a greater pecuniary profit. The system of
administration of domains pursued until then in the Highlands
was the least likely of all to procure these advantages. The
rent of the farms had been invariably held extremely low, and
the entire produce of the soil was consumed in supporting that
population which was of so little service to agriculture. There
remained no surplus for disposal in a market; consequently
there were no markets, and the farmers exported no kind of
provisions from their domains which could be sold. The pro-
prietors, therefore, having no longer any thing in view but their
pecuniary interests, must consequently have felt the necessity of
augmenting the extent of their farms, by the diminution of
their number. By that, the same labour, which formerly em-
ployed a multitude of hands, was now easily executed by a
single farmer ; the space of ground which at that time main-
tained all these small farmers being now cultivated by one in-
dividual, there remarked for him a certain surplus which he
could realise by carrying it to market.

Those who had until then held small farms were dispossessed
in great numbers, in proportion as the proprietors, always more
anxious for large revenues, were convinced that to convert
their mountains and valleys into pasture for sheep, was much
more profitable than the cultivation of land. Farmers from
the south of Scotland, and from England, whose chief occu-
pation was the propagation of sheep, having discovered that
the mountains of Scotland supplied pasturage of as good a
quality as those of the Cheviot Hills and of England, and
that they could farm them out at a higher price, made
the Highland proprietors better offers than they had re-
ceived from their ancient vassals, and consequently they ob-
tained the preference. The great farmers of the mountains, or
tacksmen, witnessed the enormous profits which these new-
comers made at the fairs of the south, by the exportation of
their sheep reared in the Highlands, which were more consider-
able, as tbey had neither the expense of labour nor of imple-
ments that the agriculturist had, and a single shepherd was suffi-
cient to guard the largest Hocks in the most extensive district.

This success awakened the attention of the large farmers,
and they likewise resolved to undertake the breeding of sheep;
they dispossessed their small tenants and their CottetB, and by
the profits which tbey made, w< pe able to pay the proprietors
a higher rent for their farms, which llwy could thus preserve.
The system of sheep pasturage became more established every

Saussure's Voyage to the Hebrides. 101

year; the competition which was established between the
English farmers or Lowlanders, and the tacksmen of the
Highlands, prodigiously augmented the revenue of land in the
latter couutry. The proprietors attained the object they had
in view : they enriched themselves by the progressive and ra-
pid iucrease of their rents, and many of them quitted their
mountains and their now deserted vallies, to expend their
newly acquired fortunes in Edinburgh, and in London ; seek-
ing to gratify their vanity by a display of luxury, as they
formerly did, by exhibiting the savage pomp of a numerous
suite of devoted vassals.

What then became of the tenantry and labourers, who by
these measures were deprived of farms, which a long heredi-
tary possession had accustomed them to consider as their pro-
perty ? Filled with despair, and burning with resentment
against their chiefs, who ought to have protected them, and
whom they accused of ingratitude ; being unable to remain in
a country, where, in order to procure the necessaries of life
it was indispensable to possess a small portion of land ; and
destitute of all resources, they were finally obliged to quit
those vallies and mountains which their forefathers had in-
habited, and which recalled to their minds so manv interest-
ing and glorious associations. Those of the tenantry who
possessed cattle and agricultural implements hastened to sell
them, and with their produce they paid their passage from
England to America, where they emigrated in vast numbers
with their families. The working people, who had no other
resource than their own labour, flocked to the manufacturing
cities of the Lowlands, wTith the firm determination of la-
bouring incessantly in the factories, in order to obtain funds
adequate to the cost of their voyage to America; and the mo-
ment this was done, they eagerly set off to join their coun-
trymen in a foreign land.

In addition to the number who had already been turned out
of their farms, was the emigration of those who felt that a si-
milar fate awaited them ; depending no longer on the attach-
ment of their ancient chiefs, and subjected, while the latter
were amusing themselves in great cities, to all the vexations
and severity of overseers, who were frequently strangers, sent
to manage the estates during the absence of the proprietors,
they preferred throwing up their farms, before the leases were
expired, and profited by the first favourable opportunity to
undertake the voyage.

Thus, a great emigration took place, by which the English
government saw thousands of faithful subjects removing into

102 Saussure's Voyage to the Hebrides.

foreign countries — honest and brave men, who were formerly
considered a nursery of intrepid soldiers.

A general cry of disapprobation was raised in Scotland
against those proprietors who, deaf to the voice of nature and
of pity, and looking only to their personal interests, sacrificed
to their cupidity a host of men who had exposed their lives for
them, and whose fathers had more than once generously de-
voted themselves to their ancestors. " What are become," said
these unfortunate people in their distress, without asylum and
without protectors — " what are become of the family ties, which
our chief formerly delighted to preserve among us, when he had
occasion for our arms? Are we no longer his tribe? Are we
no longer the children of one common father— now that we
claim his protection ?" Happily for the tranquillity of the
kingdom, these melancholy scenes were by no means general
in the Highlands; for if the fermentation which followed, and
which on some occasions manifested itself otherwise than by
complaints — if this discontent had burst forth in all the. dis-
tricts at the same time, the public safety would have been
grievously compromised. But more fortunate for humanity,
there were found many proprietors, who preferred the hap-
piness of diffusing benefits around them, to the allurements of
gain ; and instead of augmenting their revenues, sought to
ameliorate the condition of their subordinates. There were
also some who were far from desiring to disinherit their ancient
vassals, yet, nevertheless, could not resist the temptation of the
high prices offered them for their farms ; these last, therefore,
endeavoured, without making corresponding sacrifices, to re-
tain them in their service.

Efforts were now making throughout Scotland to procure
resources for those who had been sent away by their hard-
hearted proprietors ; but these efforts were not sufficiently fol-
lowed up ; they were rarely complete, and often the plans
adopted in order to procure them the means of subsistence
entirely failed. Thus, when war presented no obstacles,
emigration continued, and went on increasing from year to
year. These symptoms of depopulation at length be.<;an to
spread alarm among those who felt interested in the mountains
of Scotland.

Many authors have written on this subject. A respectable
association, The Highland Society, took these circumstances
into their serious consideration, and were actively occupied in
seeking resources, even in the Highlands, in order to retain
those who were disposed to emigrate.

They, in consequence, claimed the interference of the legis-

Saussures Voyage to the Hebrides. 105

iature, to oppose the emigration ; and what is most remarkable,
the proprietors who were the cause of the evils, and who alone
could provide an efficacious remedy, were those who most
anxiously demanded authority from government to restrain
the emigrants from embarking. They were doubtless per-
suaded, that such an emigration was injurious to the country,
and perhaps also, they were conscious, that to them would rea-
sonably be imputed the expatriation of so many brave men.
But what could the legislature do? They could not compel
the proprietors to dispose of their domains against their own
will, nor could they infringe on the right of every inhabitant of
a free country, to transport himself to the place which ap-
peared to him the most suitable for the developement of his
industry. They tried, therefore, by persuasion, to retain those
who wished to emigrate, by offering them lucrative resources
in their own country, and it was in a great measure for this
purpose, that the Caledonian canal was undertaken, and
which, in fact, has employed a great number of workmen.
The parliament also ordered the opening of new roads ; but
these labours, although considerable, were not sufficient for
the great number of men who were out of employment ; be-
sides, there were many, wTho feeling that these resources were
only temporary, and excited by examples, as well as by the
hope of making their fortunes, and by the attraction of pos-
sessing lands of their own, persisted in emigrating to America.

Thus emigration continued, and at the termination of every
war, numerous groups of men, women, and children, em-
barked for the new world. Those who have witnessed the
departure of these unfortunate people, have painted in lively
colours the distressing scenes which were unceasingly renewed
when so many poor Highlanders bade an eternal adieu to
the huts and vallies of tfieir native country.

Among the numerous works which have been written on the
emigration of the Highlanders, the most remarkable is that of
Lord Selkirk, who, in truth, is the only author who has ap-
proved of the expulsion of small farmers, and who has consi-
dered emigration as favourable to the developement of industry
in Great Britain. He has treated this subject entirely as a
question of political economy, and enforced his arguments with
great acumen. This work, it appears to me, was so much the
more dangerous, as its tendency was to abandon all attempts to
ameliorate the situation of the unhappy Highlanders, as being
unprofitable and even injurious ; thus encouraging the proprie-
tors to study their own self-interest, in driving from their
homes an intelligent people, who were warmly attached to
their duties, to their laws, and to their sovereign, — for the pur-

104 Saussure's Voyage to the Hebrides.

pose of supplying their places by flocks of sheep! I trust I
shall oe excused endeavouring to oppose some reflections to
the arguments by which Lord Selkirk has justified such con-
duct, and explained his opinions.

Are we only, I' ask, in the first place, to consider this im-
portant subject, as the noble author has done, with respect to
the pecuniary interests of the proprietors, and of those of the
industrious and commercial interests of the nation? Is there
not also a much greater question, and one of much higher im-
portance? Ought we not first of all to ascertain whether a
man has a right, in defiance of the laws of religion, the rules
of morality, and the dictates of his own conscience, to sacri-
fice to personal advantages the happiness, and even the ex-
istence of a number of human beings, who have a just claim
on him for protection, and who are entirely under his de-
pendence? Thus, if the real cause of emigration be found in
the means employed by proprietors to increase their revenues;
and if these means are manifestly contrary to morality, what-
ever may be their good effects in political eeonony — whatever
brilliant results they may offer in perspective — all the parti-
cular and general benefits which might have been derived from
it, ought not to have been sought after, as they were evidently
founded on an unjust principle. — Lord Selkirk does not appear
to have felt this, when he so strongly advocated the utility and
the advantages of emigration.

By stripping this subject of the moral question, which indeed
is inseparable from it, and by reducing it to a simple calculation
of interest, he has collected a number of arguments sufficiently
specious, in order to support his conclusion : viz. that, to en-
courage the system adopted by the proprietors, the emi-
gration which is the consequence of it, is necessary for the
public prosperity. But if he has contrived to dazzle the
imagination for a time, he has not succeeded in convincing
public opinion, nor in persuading those who still consider him
as their guide.

It happens here, as on all occasions when systems of politi-
cal economy are found in contradiction with the laws of ethics,
that many persons who are incapable of refuting the argu-
ments employed to support them, reject them from the sole
motive that they are repugnant to their own intimate1 opinions.

Such are the dispositions which Lord Selkirk and other
economists tax with prejudice, and which they endeavour to
destroy among those whom thev address, by always showing
them, that the improvement of their fortunes, from whence
public wealth is derived, ought to be the sole object of their
efforts, as individuals and members of the body politic; every

Saussure's Voyage to the Hebrides. 105

other consideration being yielded to that point. Those who
have till now refused to embrace this system, are only, in their
eyes, as superficial observers, who do not consider that these par-
tial evils ought to have the public good as a final consequence.

But, has not the simple and conclusive reasoning which, un-
known to them, influences those ignorant and prejudiced pre-
tenders, much more force than tbat which they are inclined
to oppose to them? " You prove to us admirably well," they
may say, " what would be the surest and most expeditious
means of enriching ourselves, and, on this point, we agree with
you : however, in order to attain this object, we must be guilty
of injustice, for we regard as such the abandonment of men
who have a claim on our protection, and consequently this act
is repugnant to our conscience." But the laws of morality,
even when they are not dictated by religion, are, from the
avowal of every philosopher, founded on the immutable basis
of reason. Here is on one side political economy, such as it is
considered to be in the present day, which says to us: Follow
only your pecuniary interest, it will conduct you to your
greatest happiness, to that of your country. However, the
voice of morality cries out ; Do not unto others that which you
would not wish should be done unto you. Do not extinguish
in your heart that sentiment of commiseration for your fellow
creatures in distress, which is the principal of every social
virtue.

From these two modes of reasoning which, on the same
subject, lead to results so diametrically opposite, one of
them must evidently be false ; which then are we to choose ?
We should not hesitate, as we know from the earliest expe-
rience, from the testimony of all philosophers, and, in short,
from the light of revelation, that morality is intimately con-
nected with human nature, and forms part of its very essence.
We are not so certain with respect to any system of political
economy. In this uncertainty we adopt then the conclusions
of morality. How much more reason have we on our side
than you, who tell us, in the name of political economy, that
we ought not to stop at a transient and partial evil, in order
to attain a general and permanent blessing,* when we oppose
to this specious and dangerous doctrine so just and true a pre-
cept of morality : Never do an evil that good may result from
it! What a state then would society be in, if an evident injus-
tice were permitted with the mere uncertainty of obtaining
some advantage ?

With what irresistible force may we apply the answer of a

* See Lord Selkirk on Emigration, pp. 133 and 134.

Voyages and Travels, No. XLIV. Vol. VIII.

106 Saussure's Voyage to the Hebrides.

Highland chief, when he was advised to send away his ancient
vassals in order to replace them with flocks of sheep — " Their
forefathers," said he, " have, at the price of their blood and
their lives, conquered and defended the domain which I pos-
sess, and I think their children have a natural right to par-
ticipate in the produce of it."

I have hitherto expressly treated this important question
under a dogmatical form, and I have appealed to the laws of
morality, which, by common consent, are also those of reason.
The partisans who calculate only their own interest, and apply
it to all the circumstances of life, repel every argument; — they
pretend to regard those with pity, as being weak and in-
fatuated, who throw obstacles in the way of their vast pro-
jects for the perfection of the social fabric. But, what would
they have said, had I addressed myself to those who yet feel a
lively emotion at the recital of the sufferings of their fellow-
creatures; had I presented to them these men, whom the eco-
nomists consider as so many abstract quantifies, and of whom
they would dispose as the calculator does his figures, but
whom I would have shown to have been animated by all
the affections and recollections, and a prey to all the impres-
sions of happiness or misery which the Creator has imparted
to the human species ; had I, in short, opposed to the specious
arguments of these bold theorists, the simple and affecting
picture presented by a multitude of fathers, aged men, and
children, driven by hundreds from their native soil, in order to
satisfy the rapacious cupidity and vanity of a single man;
who would dare to set his heart against the sympathy which
such a spectacle would have excited in a generous breast?
These unfortunate beings, driven from their country, without
assistance, abandoned by the man whom they had cherished as
a father, and on whom they founded all their hopes, and con-
fided themselves to the first adventurer they met with, crowd-
ed promiscuously into vessels too small for the number of
passengers, and without adequate means of subsistence during
the voyage, arrive at last in the new world, — they touch
the soil of that promised land ; but here again other misfor-
tunes await them. Strangers, destitute of every thing, in an
unknown country, the greater part of an age at which it is
difficult to serve an apprenticeship to a new kind of occu-
pation, and in which strength is wanting for the laborious ex-
ertions which await them, — in this state are exposed to
the merry of rapacious speculators. \iO*\, in short, in those im-
mense forests, where they must seek their <>\\ n subsistence, the
isolated state in which they find themselves, the depth of those
impenetrable woods, and the frightful aspect of the deserts,

Saussure's Voyage to the Hebrides, 107

seize them with horror; despair takes possession of their souls,
and it is only with difficulty that, without a guide, without
any direction, they perhaps ultimately succeed in cultivating
a piece of ground sufficient for the maintenance of their fami-
lies. Next their affections are turned towards that country
which has abandoned them, but which they still love : they
wish to perpetuate, even in a new hemisphere, the remem-
brance of the places where they have passed their childhood ;
they designate their little fields, and their cottages formed
with branches of trees, by the names of those farms
which their ancestors possessed, and which they quitted with
so much regret ; and the foreigner, wandering in the vast de-
serts of America, hears at times the echoes of the banks of the
Sussequhana and Ontario re-echoing those plaintive airs which
formerly resounded in the mountains of Scotland.

But, it will be said, can this emigration be prevented ? The
legislature cannot oppose it ; and must the proprietors abandon
their interests altogether, and consent to charge themselves, as
formerly, with the burden of a population unused to labour,
and disproportioned to the extent of the soil? Is there not
then, I would ask, in my turn — is there no intermediate method
for a chief between the preservation of his small farmers, and
their general expulsion ? Lord Selkirk does not seem to
believe in the possibility of a medium conduct, as such always
opposes the system of sheep pasturage (which, according to
him, must one day extend throughout the Highlands), to the
maintenance of small farmers and ancient rents, without ap-
pearing to discover any other practicable means. He would
have reason indeed, if all the resources of the Highlands had
been exhausted, and if it were proved that they could not be
rendered more productive. But this is not the case : if the
population is too large for the actual state of agriculture, it is
because the lands capable of cultivation are very far from being
all cleared, and because they do not produce all that judicious
management might obtain from them ; because the sea, that im-
mense reservoir of subsistence, is altogether neglected ; whilst it
is acknowledged, that the fishery of the Hebrides, on the coasts
and in the gulphs of the western isles of Scotland, would alone
suffice, were it encouraged, not only to maintain all the actual
population of Scotland, but even to enrich it. Thus, it is futile
to talk of Scotland being over-peopled, in relation to its pro-
duce ; it is more likely, that political economists do not know
how to draw from it what is necessary in order to support the
population.

There are many abuses in agriculture still to be remedied,
and these abuses, extending nearly throughout Scotland, pre-

108 Saussurt's Voyage to the Hebrides,

vent the full appreciation of all that its soil is capable of pro-
ducing. A great extent of arable land is still uncultivated ;
and, in addition to this, the system of sheep farms has suc-
ceeded in laying waste many lands which the persevering in-
dustry of certain small farmers had fertilized ; because, at the
price now offered for pasturage, the proprietor has no interest
in cultivating his land.

If then, as Lord Selkirk announces, this system shall end in
covering all the mountainous districts in this great extent of
country with sheep, we shall soon see not a single field cul-
tivated ; the lands even, which at present maintain a multi-
tude of families, will have then returned to their original state.
Nevertheless, there are many valleys capable of cultivation.
As a proof of this, we may quote the instance of an intelligent
farmer near Inverness having transformed, as if by magic, a
barren track into a delightful garden.

The system of sheep pasturage, so far from leading to the per-
fection of agriculture and the amelioration of the soil, has a
contrary effect. This branch of revenue, however productive
it may appear at the present day, is, notwithstanding, very
precarious, since the high price now offered for pasturage pro-
ceeds from the great consumption of salt meat which takes
place among the number of troops in the army and navy at
present in the pay of England, and above all, from the neces-
sity of supplying the British colonies of the two hemispheres
with this kind of provision. A considerable reduction in the
English forces, and the emancipation of some of her colonies,
wrill not fail, in the course of a short time, to diminish the value
of sheep pasturage: what then will become of the Scottish
proprietor with his uncultivated lands ? He will be obliged
to employ farmers from another country, who would not fail
to exact onerous conditions, as no other inducement but that
of gain will tempt them to establish themselves in a country,
the soil of which is unproductive, and the climate severe.
How much, then, will the proprietors regret having expelled
the natural inhabitants of these mountains, whom some con-
cession would have retained in the country which was the ob-
ject of all their affections ! Accustomed to the severity of their
native climate, and inured to fatigue and privations, they
would not have required conditions near so rigorous as the
farmers of the south of Scotland or England, and would have,
at less expence, fertilized land of an equal extent.

Lord Selkirk, it is true, reproaches the Highlanders with the
want of that activity and energy Decenary for agricultural la-
bour, and with having still harboured that disposition for idle-
ness and indolence which prevailed among them when they were

tSaussure's Voyage to the Hebrides. 109

entirely under the dependence of their chiefs. He reproaches the
proprietors also, who have endeavoured to retain their ancient
farmers by granting them lands to cultivate, with having by an
unfair mode of concession injured themselves in the success
of their enterprise. Thus, says he, the leases granted were too
short; the farmer not being protected, and receiving no pe-
cuniary assistance, can only profitably cultivate a very small
extent of ground, and the prospect of profit presented to him
is not then sufficiently encouraging to determine him to invest
his small capital in this manner.

These observations, in fact, prove, that the proprietor who
wishes to retain his ancient vassals on his domain, by employing
them in clearing the land, must for a time submit to some
pecuniary sacrifices ; but these prove comparatively trifling
with the possibility of rendering agriculture a resource for the
inhabitants of the mountains. Moreover, experience has shown,
that every time the lairds wished, in reality, to offer their far-
mers advantageous terms, or to put them in a state, either
by advances or by granting them extraordinary privileges,
in order to provide for the expence of the first establishment,
the Highlanders have displayed an activity and disposition for
labour of which they could hardly have been thought capable,
and the success of similar enterprises has surpassed all ex-
pectation. It would be easy to mention many other ex-
amples ; but I shall content myself with one, which will best
prove what a Highland proprietor can do for the good of his
country when he does not merely look to his immediate in-
terest.

The Marquis of Stafford acquired, by his marriage with the
Countess of Sutherland, the estate of Sutherland, situate at the
northern extremity of Scotland. No district at that time ap-
peared less fit for cultivation, either from the nature of the soil,
which was covered with rocks, and presented only barren and
uncultivated mountains, or from the wild and uncivilized cha-
racter of its inhabitants, or, lastly, from the severity and
variableness of the climate. However, there was a track of
land capable of being cultivated in this district ; but the in-
dolent Highlanders had scarcely cleared any portion of it, in
order to reap the precarious crops of rye and potatoes.

The ancient tenures were just abolished, and the proprietors
already began to dispossess their vassals, in order to establish
sheep pasturage on their farms. The Marquis of Stafford, un-
willing that the ancient tenants of the house of Sutherland
should suffer by the change of circumstances which time had
brought about, allotted only for the sheep the mountains de-
cidedly sterile, and endeavoured to draw all the population

I JO Saussure's Voyage to the Hebrides.

into the valleys, and to the sea coast, in order to employ them
in cultivating the soil and carrying on the fishery.

To attain this object, he allowed each family a cottage, and
a piece of ground sufficient to keep a cow. Each man re-
ceived also three Scottish acres to cultivate, and a propor-
tionate extent for pasturage in the mountains. From that time
a spirit of industry was excited among them to an astonishing
degree : their thatched huts were changed into buildings
of dry stone, and the latter were afterwards replaced by
well constructed houses, which the master no longer inhabited,
as he formerly did, promiscuously with his cows and horses.
It was the same with the fishery as with agriculture: Lord
Seikirk rather appears to have sought to depreciate this branch
of industry, and to have concluded from the failure of some
experiments, that the fishery on the coasts and in the isles
would never be a sufficient resource to maintain the High-
landers, when they were dispossessed of their farms. The
errors with which Lord Selkirk reproaches the Society for the
Encouragement of the Fisheries, and the proprietors who have
tried some establishments for sea fishery, prove nothing against
the final success of a similar enterprise, when the fishermen
know how to avoid the errors which he points out with
so much justice. It cannot, however, be denied, that the
fishery in the Hebrides, and in the western bays of Scotland, is
capable of considerable augmentation. All travellers agree on
this point: the inhabitants of the coasts unanimously bear wit-
ness to the incredible multitudes of fish which inhabit these
seas, and if palpable proofs were necessary, the extraordinary
low value of fish in the Hebrides (although that is the princi-
pal support of the whole population) would prove the truth of
this assertion ; whilst the innumerable swarms of sea birds, on
all sides in these seas, indicate immense shoals of herrings. In
truth, it is well known that formerly the Dutch frequented the
Hebrides, and regarded the fishery as the great source of their
wealth ; they then bought the fish from the Hebrideaus in such
quantities as to load whole fleets. This traffic formed a graud
resource for these poor islanders, but we are ignorant of the
cause of parliament prohibiting so advantageous a traffic.
From that time, and until the late war, the Dutch, alone, pos-
sessed the advantage of fishing in the Hebrides, the Orkneys,
and the Shetland Isles.

These considerations, which were of such a nature as seri-
ously to awaken attention, and that above all at a moment
when the Highlanders were emigrating in thousands for want
of employment and the means of subsistence, engaged many
individuals, devoted to the welfare of their country, to form

Saussure's Voyage to the Hebrides. 1 1 1

themselves into a society, for the purpose of giving activity to
the fisheries by every possible means; with this view Knox
undertook his journey to the Hebrides and western coast of
Scotland. He went to survey the fittest places for the esta-
blishment of fishing villages, and on his report, the society,
with the aid of'liberai funds which they had raised in Scot-
land and England, built several villages along the coasts and
in the Isle of Mull. Every man received a dwelling, and im-
plements necessary for fishing. Unfortunately, a circumstance
prevented this undertaking having the desired success. In-
stead of merely allowing the settlers the requisites for fishing,
the society thought fit to add to each dwelling a portion of
land for cultivation; they were then ignorant of what Lord
Selkirk has very ably proved, that agriculture and the fishery
are incompatible, as the season which requires agricultural
labour is that in which the fisherman ought to be at sea. It is
to be regretted that this overstrained precaution should have
frustrated the success of a plan which otherwise was calcu-
lated to produce the most beneficial results. The establishment
of a village of fishermen would naturally have created a new
kind of employment ; we should have seen them spontaneously
building workshops for the construction of boats, manufac-
tories for nets, ropes, and sails, without considering many
other less important branches of commerce which must neces-
sarily be favourable to the happiness of a certain number of
men, all occupied with the same pursuit.

The cultivator of the soil would have found, in such a vil-
lage, a sure market for his provisions ; in short, these establish-
ments must, according to all probability, have given these
districts a new impulse and aspect. Those proprietors who
have succeeded in entirely separating the fishery from agricul-
ture, have had their labours crowned with more complete suc-
cess, as the ardent and enterprising spirit of the Highlanders
entirely agrees with the dangerous trade of sea fishing.

The Marquis of Stafford, whom I have already quoted, in
1814, erected a house on his estate of Sutherland, on the sea
coast, for the curing of fish ; he also built sloops, which
he granted to some of his ancient dispossessed vassals. Al-
though totally inexperienced in the fishery, these Highlanders
found, at the end of the first six weeks, that each man had
already acquired a profit of twenty-seven pounds sterling.
Such unexpected success awakened the attention of ail the
Highlanders of that part of the country, and in the following
year, 1815, the number of sloops employed in the fishery
already amounted to fifty. Upwards of four thousand barrels
of herrings were dispatched, and vessels were loaded for Riga,

1 1 2 Saussure's Voyage to the Hebrides,

and the other ports of the Baltic, and even for the West Indies.
Thus, it appears, that in these latitudes the sea presents a rich
source of profit to such as are desirous of availing themselves of it.

The principal obstacles to the success of these establishments
are the prohibitory laws, and the enormous duties on salt, an
article of the first necessity in curing fish. It is to be hoped
the legislature will not delay repealing these severe restrictions,
and that the English government will at last feel the necessity
of extensively encouraging the fishery of the Hebrides. It is
really astonishing to see the English neglecting the benefits
which nature has put into their own hands, whilst they un-
ceasingly encourage the distant colony of Newfoundland, which
has often cost the state much more than it produces.

It was now thought that the manufactures might offer re-
sources to the Highlanders dispossessed of their farms, and be
the means of detaining them in the country; but the seden-
tary and mechanical labour which this occupation requires
was not in unison with the spirit and character of this people,
and the situation of a workman in a manufactory is regarded
with a certain degree of contempt by the Highlanders. Hence
it follows, that all the endeavours to establish cotton manufac-
tories in the Highlands have failed ; and it is only when under
the most pressing necessity, that the Highlanders have engaged
as workmen in the manufacturing towns of the South of Scot-
land. Although there is no doubt that manufactures might be
the great means of employing and supporting a part of the
redundant population of the Highlands; yet it appears, that
nothing would so much prove the want of policy on the part of
the proprietors, or the government, so much as their encou-
ragement ; and that it would be equally unwise to endeavour
to extinguish the feeling which, in this respect, prevails among
the Highlanders.

But if the establishment of large manufactories in the moun-
tains does not appear desirable, there are certain works of less
extent, and certain occupations which do not require the as-
sembling of so great a body of men, and which occupations
may even be combined with agriculture. The encouragement of
such pursuits would be attended with the greatest advantage,
and might, in being joined to the resources which have already
been indicated, enable the proprietors of the Highlands to re-
tain among them their ancient vassals. Thus the Laird of
Grant, by granting very advantageous conditions to many of
his vassals, has seen rise up a brewery, a multitude of small
shops, manufactories of woollen stuffs, linens, and stockings;
bleach-fields for wool, as well as workshops for taylors, shoe-
makers, carpenters, and masons, who all labour for the nume*

Saussure^s Voyage to the Hebrides. 113

rous agricultural population occupying the neighbouring val-
leys. It is evident, from what I have just said, that the High-
lands might furnish means 'of subsistence to all their inhabi-
tants, and that, by means different from those which supported
them when the regime of the clans was in full vigour.

But in order to attain this happy result, it is necessary that
every proprietor should consent to suffer some temporary
sacrifices.

First, a pecuniary sacrifice, by renouncing a portion of the
profit which he had derived from sheep farms, and even in
making advances for the first expences of the establishment.

Secondly, to give up all inclinations which prompted him to
abandon his wild and solitary residence to spend his fortune
at Edinburgh or in London. The presence of the Laird on his
estates appears to be a sine qua non condition of the success
of all attempts at amelioration; first, by his residing in the
Highlands, he is enabled to save a certain portion of his reve-
nue, which he might apply to improve the situation of his
farmers ; afterwards, because of the personal influence which
he exercises over those who surround him, he may over-
come their repugnance, and other difficulties which generally
present themselves in the accomplishment of similar projects.

Without going so far as to pretend, like Lord Selkirk, that
a Highlander, once dispossessed of the farm of his ancestors,
would still prefer embarking for America to establishing him-
self on another portion of the domains of his Chief, it must be
agreed that there exists, in fact, among the Highlanders, a
strong repugnance to changing the place of their abode; but
this repugnance is not insurmountable, and must yield to the
prospect of an advantageous establishment. Thus we see the
domains abandoned by the proprietor to the management of a
cruel and avaricious superintendent, who is unceasingly occu-
pied in oppressing the farmers in order to provide for the ex-
pences of the luxury and ostentation of his master; in similar
domains we see tenants prefer expatriating themselves to the
endurance of such exactions, and murmur loudly against a
Chief from whom they ought to have experienced quite
another kind of treatment.

But we must be very ignorant of the character of the High-
landers, to believe that they would be insensible to the benevo-
lence of their Chiefs, and that they would not feel that those
who make real sacrifices in their favour have a right to require,
on their part, all the services in their power. But if, notwith-
standing the advantages which would be offered to them by
their Laird, in order to retain them in his lands, he would still
find some men who would regret the ancient state of things, or

Voyages and Travels, No. XLIV. Vol. VIII. q

114 Saussures Voyage to the, Hebrides.

who, allured by the ambition of becoming proprietors in their
turn, and seduced by the promises of America, would persist
in emigrating : in this case, the Chief would no longer be re-
prehensible for the conduct of those restless and unreasonable
men in abandoning their country.

Still attached to his system, that emigration is a beneficial
measure, Lord Selkirk, after having invited the proprietors to
consult their personal and pecuniary interest, addresses himself
to the government, to prove that emigration is not only an ad-
mirable measure for the country in general, as it has always
been asserted, but that it is decidedly advantageous, and even
necessary. I shall not enter into a detail of the arguments
which he alleges in support of his opinions; it is sufficient
to observe, that in admitting only two possible cases, that
of the proprietors persisting in the ancient mode of tene-
ment, and that of the general introduction of the system of
sheep farms, Lord Selkirk does not consider the question in all
its views, since he does not discuss a third case; viz. that
where the proprietor, by making the requisite sacrifices, would
seek to retain his ancient vassals by agriculture or fishery ;
this possibility has never entered into his calculations, and yet,
had it been taken into consideration, it would naturally have
led him to very different conclusions. In no case would the
legislature have been able to compel those to live in Scotland
who were determined to emigrate; but it appears to me they
ought seriously to have united their efforts with those of the
proprietors, in order to retain those individuals who lost their
ancient farms by the changes operated in the political ad-
ministration of the country.

The undertaking of the Caledonian Canal, and the opening
of many new roads in the mountains, have, with this view, been
decreed by the British parliament : these no doubt were great
benefits ; but the good effected by them was only temporary, as
such enterprises were limited in their duration. An act of much
greater importance, would have been the repeal of the prohibi-
tion laws, as such a benefit would have caused not only the
present, but even future generations to explore with advantage
the inexhaustible seas : at the same time perhaps, by premiums
of encouragement for the better cultivation of the lands, they
might have been able to awaken among the proprietors the
desire of retaining their ancient vassals.

It will be seen from all that has been said, that the true cause
of the emigration of the Highlanders is the conduct of their
Chiefs; instead of misleading the opinion of ihe proprietors,
by holding forth to them emigration as the natural consequence
of the rebellion of 1745, and instead of extinguishing among

Saiissure's Voyage lo the Hebrides. 115

them the voice of conscience, by encouraging them to be
guided only by their pecuniary interest, it would have been
more desirable had they considered this important question in
the moral point of view which is the most essential, and had
they invited them to reconcile their fortunes with the duties
which they had contracted towards their ancient vassals.

As the sole object of the proprietors of the mountainous
districts was to increase their fortunes, and as they sought only
an -augmentation of revenue to gratify their vanity by a display
of luxury and wealth, being no longer willing to content them-
selves, as formerly, by that of a feudal suite of numerous
warriors, it would have been necessary to appeal to the tri-
bunal of public opinion, to account for that motive which re-
duced so great a number of men to despair. This opinion
would have reached the point where the legislature could no
longer act. They would have marked with disapprobation
those who sacrificed the members of their tribe to the con-
temptible ambition of appearing with eclat in the English me-
tropolis, since it would have been much more honourable had
they deprived themselves of a portion of their possessions to
contribute to the happiness of their inferiors.

It is, however, here necessary to observe, in justice to the
pure and liberal intentions of Lord Selkirk, that having once
admitted emigration to be necessary, and even indispensable,
and this emigration existing in fact, he has performed a great
service in seeking to regulate it, and to give it a new course,
by directing it from the United States, where it had until then
been directed, towards the English colonies of North America,
which has tended still to preserve to the British government a
number of brave and loyal subjects. He himself accompanied
a body of emigrant Highlanders, whom he destined to occupy
lands purchased by his lordship for this object in the Isle of
St. John, or Prince Edward's Island, in the Gulph of St. Law-
rence, near the coasts of Nova Scotia. He has let out to each
family, on advantageous terms, a portion of his territory, to
clear and cultivate ; and has neglected no means, nor spared
any expence, for the success of his enterprise. Thus success
has crowned his expectations ; and the very interesting details
which he has given of the establishment, and the labours of this
little colony, are, according to our view of the subject, the most
useful and important part of his work.

116 tia assurers Voyage to the Hebrides,

Conclusion.

Having now terminated ray remarks on the Scottish High-
landers, the reader will perceive that every thing among them, —
their manners, customs, language, poetry, and even music, pos-
sesses a truly original character. Such are the traits which the
lapse of many centuries has strongly imprinted on the soul of
every Highlander ; and which, uniting an invincible love for
his wild native country to long and glorious historical recol-
lections, have given this small nation, confined to one of the
least frequented extremities in Europe, a peculiar physiognomy,
and, at the same time, a lively sentiment of national dignity.
These are the traits, however, so profoundly engraven by the
hand of time itself, which a mistaken policy, aided by a par-
liamentary decree issued at the termination of the last rebellion,
imagined could be effaced by a single blow. The illus-
trious father of the great Pitt felt the cruelty, and, at the-same
time, the folly of such measures ; he hastened to restore the
Highlands of Scotland the full liberty of preserving all the
ancient usages which were compatible with the state of things
recently established in that country. Thus, at the present
day, the King of England has not in his dominions more
faithful subjects, nor the British Government more intrepid de-
fenders, than the descendants of the ancient Gaels. A new era
has commenced among them ; they now proceed with rapid
strides in the career which has been opened : may they enjoy
that happiness which the prospect seems to promise ! The love
of liberty among them is engrafted upon the ancient and memo-
rable attachment to their sovereigns and their superiors ; edu-
cation, supported by religion, and wisely directed by its
ministers, is diffused amongst them, and must be pro-
ductive of excellent results ; in -fine, comfort, and perhaps
wealth, will succeed an hereditary poverty ; but the very nature
of their country, its severe climate, its mountains, its barren
valleys, and its seas, will avert luxury and corruption from
them. May this estimable people know, like their southern
neighbours, how to prolong to a distant period the space of
time (frequently so short among other nations) in which learn-
ing and the arts of civilization go hand in hand with the sen-
timents and the energetic virtues of another age!

THE KND.

LONDON :
iBACKKbL AND ARH0WSM1TH, JOHNSON'S-COURT, PLEBT-ST1