1841] JOURNAL -IN THE HEBRIDES. 105 



Aug. 8. Sunday. There is a nice inn at Dunvegan, and the 

 Castle of Macleod of Macleod is highly interesting, and is now under- 

 going a thorough repair. Near the castle Mimulus lideus, Prenanthes- 

 purpurea, and Gnaphalium margaritaceum are quite naturalized, having 

 escaped from the gai-den into the woods. Rumex aquaticus is common, 

 and Petroselinum sativum is on the rock of the castle. Went to the 

 church at 2 p.m., and had an English sermon and a Gaelic prayer. 

 We saw Dr. MacCaskill, a friend of Edward Forbes. The church 

 is a good one. The view of "Macleod's Tables," two flat topped 

 mountains is curious ; below the inn on the road-side we saw Oro- 

 banche rubra and Orobus sylvaticus. 



Aug. 9. Left Dunvegan by the packet for North Uist after 

 breakfast, and were becalmed almost as soon as we had reached 

 Dunvegan Head, where we remained all day, and did not reach 

 Loch Maddy in North Uist until the next morning at 11, being 

 thus twenty-four hours about the voyage of twenty-five miles. We 

 were near being starved, as there were no provisions on board, and 

 we failed in obtaining any from a ship that was near to us. Macnab 

 fortunately had a small supply. We were much amused by the 

 number of fine Medusae that came near to the vessel, many of 

 which we caught, and examined with great interest. 



Aug. 10. Found three large ships in Loch Maddy, for the 

 purpose of conveying emigrants to Cape Breton. The poor inn 

 was quite full of people, either going away or come to see them off, 

 so that we could get no accommodation whatever. We walked to- 

 the western part of the island, and found a sandy district of great 

 fertility and beauty, but did not find any plants of rarity, although 

 many that were interesting from their locality, such as Papaver Arge- 

 mone, Hippuris, Lycopsis arvensis, etc. On our return we ascended a 

 hill called Knockgarre, of no great elevation, and were well repaid 

 by the view over the interior of the island, in which it is difficult 

 to say if the land or the water predominates. The ramifications of 

 the sea and fresh-water lakes are so great, as to present the appearance 

 of an immense number of distinct lakes covering nearly half the 

 surface of the country. Surrounding this wet district is an enclosing 

 boundary of rather elevated bare and dry mountains. Near to 

 the top of the hill we found Salix herbacea. There are good roads 

 in Uist, although MacCullach says that there are none. At night 

 we had to accommodate ourselves as we could upon the floor of the 

 room in which we had been sitting, as all the rest of the house was 

 quite full of people, and we were entertained (?) nearly all night by 

 people dancing in heavy shoes over our heads, so heavily as to make 

 us fear that the floor would be brought down upon us. 



Aug. 11. Started by a boat soon after 5 a.m. for Obb in Harris, 

 which we reached after a pleasant sail ; to breakfast at a small, but 

 neat and comfortable inn. We went up a low hill near to the 

 Point of Kowadill, and had the most splendid view that can be 



