while to plant what will not produce fomething to be eaten or fold in a very little time. We rested at Foris.

A very great proportion of the people are barefoot; fhoes are not yet confidered as neceffaries of life. It is ftill the custom to send out the fons of Gentlemen without them into the streets and ways. There are more beggars than, I have ever feen in England: they beg if not filently, yet very modeftly.

Next day we came to Nairn, a miserable town, but a royal burgh, of which the chief annual magiftrate is styled Lord Provoft. In the neighbourhood we saw the caftle of the old Thane of Cawdor. There is one ancient tower with its battlements and winding stairs yet remaining; the reft of the house is, though not modern, of later erection.

.

On the 28th we went to Fort George, which is accounted the most regular fortification in the island. The major of artillery walked with us round the walls, and fhewed us the principles upon which every part was conftructed, and the way in which it could be defended. We dined with the governor Sir Eyre Coote and his officers. It was a very pleasant and inftructive day, but nothing puts my honoured mistress out of my mind.

At night we came to Invernefs, the laft confiderable town in the north, where we ftaid all the next day, for it was Sunday, and faw the ruins of what is. called Macbeth's caftle. It never was a large house, but was ftrongly fituated. to travel on horfeback.

From Inverness we were

Auguft 30th, we fet out with four horfes. We had two Highlanders to run by us, who were active,

officious,

officious, civil, and hardy. Our journey was for many miles along a military way made upon the banks of Lough Nefs, a water about eighteen miles long, but not I think half a mile broad. Our horfes were not bad, and the way was very pleafant; the rock out of which the road was cut was covered with birch trees, fern, and heath. The lake below was beating its bank by a gentle wind, and the rocks beyond the water on the right stood fometimes horrid and wild, and fometimes opened into a kind of bay, in which there was a spot of cultivated ground yellow with corn. In one part of the way we had trees on both fides for perhaps half a mile.—Such a length of fhade perhaps Scotland cannot fhew in any other place.

You are not to fuppofe that here are to be any more towns or inns. We came to a cottage which they call the general's hut, where we alighted to dine, and had eggs and bacon, and mutton, with wine, rum, and whiskey. I had water.

At a bridge over the river, which runs into the Nefs, the rocks rife on three fides, with a direction almost perpendicular, to a great height; they are in part covered with trees, and exhibit a kind of dreadful magnificence;-standing like the barriers of nature placed to keep different orders of being in perpetual feparation. Near this bridge is the Fall of Fiers, a famous cataract, of which, by clambering over the rocks, we obtained a view. The water was low, and therefore we had only the pleasure of knowing that rain would make it at once pleafing and formidable; there will then be a mighty flood, foaming along a rocky channel, frequently obftructed by pro

tuberances

tuberances and exafperated by reverberation, at last precipitated with a fudden defcent, and loft in the depth of a gloomy chafm.

We came fomewhat late to Fort Auguftus, where the lieutenant governor met us beyond the gates, and apologised that at that hour he could not, by the rules of a garrifon, admit us otherwise than at a narrow door which only one can enter at a time. We were well entertained and well lodged, and next morning, after having viewed the fort, we purfued our journey.

Our way now lay over the mountains, which are not to be paffed by climbing them directly, but by traverfing, fo that as we went forward we faw our baggage following us below in a direction exactly contrary. There is in these ways much labour but little danger, and perhaps other places of which very terrifick representations are made are not in themfelves more formidable. These roads have all been made by hewing the rock away with pickaxes, or bursting it with gunpowder. The ftones fo feparated are often piled loose as a wall by the way-fide. We faw an inscription importing the year in which one of the regiments made two thousand yards of the road eaftward.

After tedious travel of fome hours we came to what I believe we must call a village, a place where there were three huts built of turf, at one of which we were to have our dinner and our bed, for we could not reach any better place that night. This place is called Enock in Glenmorrifon. The house in which we lodged was distinguished by a chimney, the rest had only a hole for the fmoke. Here we had eggs, and

mutton,

mutton, and a chicken and a faufage, and rum. In the afternoon tea was made by a very decent girl in a printed linen; fhe engaged me fo much, that I made her a prefent of Cocker's arithmetick. I am, &c.

LETTER XXI. To Mrs. THRALE.

DEAREST MADAM,

THE

Skie, Sept. 14, 1773

'HE poft, which comes but once a week into these parts, is fo foon to go that I have not time to go on where I left off in my laft letter. I have been feveral days in the island of Raarfa, and am now again in the isle of Skie, but at the other end of it.

Skie is almost equally divided between the two great families of Macdonald and Macleod, other proprietors having only fmall districts. The two great lords do not know within twenty fquare miles the contents of their own territories.

kept up but ill the reputation of Highland hospitality; we are now with Macleod, quite at the other end of the island, where there is a fine young gentleman and fine ladies. The ladies are ftudying Earfe. I have a cold, and am miferably deaf, and am troublesome to Lady Macleod; I force her to fpeak loud, but she will feldom speak loud enough.

Raarfa is an island about fifteen miles long and two broad, under the dominion of one gentleman who has three fons and ten daughters; the eldest is the beauty of this part of the world, and has been polished at Edinburgh they fing and dance, and without expence have upon their table most of what

fea,

fea, air, or earth can afford. I intended to have written about Raarfa, but the poft will not wait longer than while I fend my compliments to my dear mafter and little miftreffes. I am, &c.

LETTER XXII. To Mrs. THRALE.

DEAREST MADAM,

Skie, Sept. 21, 1773.

IAM fo vexed at the neceffity of fending yesterday fo fhort a letter, that I purpofe to get a long letter beforehand by writing fomething every day, which I may the more easily do, as a cold makes me now too deaf to take the ufual pleasure in converfation. Lady Macleod is very good to me, and the place at which we now are, is equal in ftrength of fituation, in the wildnefs of the adjacent country, and in the plenty and elegance of the domestick entertainment, to a caftle in Gothick romances. The fea with a little ifland is before us; cafcades play within view. Clofe to the house is the formidable skeleton of an old Castle probably Danish, and the whole mass of building stands upon a protuberance of rock, inacceffible till of late but by a pair of stairs on the fea fide, and secure in ancient times against any enemy that was likely to invade the kingdom of Skie.

Macleod has offered me an ifland; if it were not too far off I fhould hardly refuse it: my ifland would be pleasanter than Brighthelmftone, if and my mafter could come to it; but I cannot think it pleafant to live quite alone.

you

Oblitufque meorum, oblivifcendus et illis.

That