570 



Tlic Country Gcntlemaiis Magazine 



lliiinblcs bjj ll0aii, pb^r, anii ^ail 



A TOUR IN THE WEST OF SCOTLAND. 



II. CAMERON HOUSE. 



BY a preconcerted arrangement the village 

 car was in readiness to post on to the 

 Drymen station, so as we might be able to 

 catch the early afternoon train to Balloch. 

 Once there, we learned that we were some 

 two miles distant from Cameron House, 

 Mr Smollett's residence, where the late re- 

 tired M.P. for Dumbartonshire resides. We 

 found, after travelling over a rather circuitous 

 road, that the mansion and pleasure-grounds 

 were nestling at the lower reach of the queen 

 of Scottish lakes, Loch Lomond. The grounds 

 are somewhat limited in extent, but the pic- 

 turesque views at salient spots are particularly 

 beautiful, comprising a comprehensive pano- 

 ramic scene of the waters of the lake and the 

 adjacent hills that flank it in the background 

 like a huge amphitheatre. It is quite an 

 Edenic spot, whether we regard it from that 

 point of view or from its agricultural richness. 

 The fine glossy texture of the pasture, and 

 the density of the " foggage " at once attested 

 this, notwithstanding the contending in- 

 fluences of drought. The house is nicely 

 situated, and modern in its character. The 

 effect of it, however, situated as it is on the 

 margin of the lake, is in no way enhanced by 

 a huge bastion-like retaining wall of no incon- 

 siderable dimensions and varied outline. In 

 this latter respect, indeed, it is somewhat 

 incongruous with the architectural surround- 

 ings, but it doubtless serves the purpose of 

 enlarging the grass and gravel platform, and 

 barring effectually the incursion of the waters. 

 A judicious mixture of trees and shrubs shut 

 out the gardens from the carriage-drive, con- 

 spicuous among which, in addition to com- 

 mon trees, are fine plants of Acacia inermis, 

 purple beeches, rhododendrons, and hollies, 

 which thrive with great luxuriance. 



The little flower garden adjoining the 

 kitchen garden and forcing houses was very 

 gay with ornamental plants, comprising such 

 things as Aurea floribunda. Calceolaria, stella 

 pelargonium, very effective indeed, with its 

 huge conspicuous trusses of crimson ; the fine 

 old, but effective Mangles' variegated, which 

 is a splendid sort for grouping, fronted up 

 with verbenas of scarlet, and purple, and 

 white. In addition to these were the charm- 

 ing tiny dark-leaved Oxalis, the now ubiqui- 

 tous Viola cornuta, nasturtiums of sorts, the 

 dull coloured Heliotrope, which emits so de- 

 lightful a fragrance, and par excellence the 

 violet coloured Clematis viticella, which must 

 have astonished every visitor with the pro- 

 fusion of its blossom, so delightfully refresh- 

 ing in contrast with the primary colours, and 

 seeming to revel in pure wildness in the heat 

 and drought of the past summer. 



But the soil is plastic and alluvial, and 

 seems to have great capacity for feeding the 

 roots of all plants. Witness the crops in 

 the kitchen garden immediately adjoining the 

 parterre of which we are discoursing upon ! 

 The onions, the peas, and the beans, and 

 everything that is under cultivation, are of a 

 size and freshness to delight an epicure, and 

 this, too, in a season remarkable for the 

 generation of mildew, and the consequent 

 short duration of the cropping powers of such 

 a valuable esculent as the pea. Nor were 

 the fruit trees less noteworthy. Small fruits 

 were large and fine in quality, and the apple 

 grafted on the paradise stock had grown quite 

 beyond estimated bounds. All seemed, in 

 fact, to be cultivated to good purpose. 



But the viirahUc dictu of the whole are the 

 vineries. Year after year Mr M'Connachie 

 — who, by the way, is an apt pupil of the 



