34 MEMOIR OF DR. WALKER. 



by thirty-seven scholars, who were all making ex- 

 cellent proficiency in reading, writing, and arith- 

 metic, under Donald Campbell, a very capable and 

 diligent teacher. In the island and parish of Barra 

 there are at present thirteen hundred people who 

 are Papists, and only about fifty Protestants. For 

 many years the Popish parents would not send their 

 children to the Protestant school, but they have 

 since got over that scruple, and send them now 

 without reluctance. I was accompanied by Donald 

 M'Neil of Yatersay, Esq., ruling elder in the parish, 

 a man of excellent principles and understanding, and 

 the chief support of the Protestant interest in this 

 and the neighbouring islands. The good character 

 which he and the other Protestants in the island 

 gave of the schoolmaster, I had reason to think, 

 upon examination, to be very just. He is at the 

 greatest pains to make the Popish children mandate 

 those passages of Scripture that are most subversive 

 of Popery, and to ground them in our catechisms 

 and Confession of Faith, and is indeed a very assi- 

 duous and useful master. He complained much that 

 he had great difficulty to live upon his salary, 

 which is nine pounds, and if the society could aug- 

 ment it four or five pounds, it would be no more 

 than what he really deserves, and what the impor- 

 tant station he is placed in requires. 



u On the 31st July, I examined the charity school 

 in South Uist, of which Donald M'Queen is master. 

 He was seven years schoolmaster in the Harris, be- 

 fore the year 1738, when he was removed to South 



