22 TOUR IN SUTHERLANDSHIRE. 



CHAPTER II. 



Inn at Inchnadamph Liberal System of the Duke of Sutherland Facility 

 of Travelling Beauty of Country Loch Assynt Nest of Osprey 

 Large Spring of Water Water Ousel Dense Mist Wild Country near 

 Kylcsku Country between Kylesku and Seowric Nest of Osprey ; 

 curious position of Eagle. 



BEING under a good and liberal landlord is like being under 

 a good and liberal government ; and this we found to be the 

 case at Inchnadamph, which is held under the Duke of 

 Sutherland, or (as he is equally well known here) the " good 

 Duke" a title, by the way, his Grace may be prouder of 

 than any other that could be invented. Throughout the 

 .Duke's property here the innkeepers hold their houses (and 

 capital ones they are) rent free, and have certain other 

 advantages in hiring their land, and in having every 

 encouragement that the most kind and judicious liberality 

 of the proprietor can give them, on (I believe) the express 

 condition that their inns should be decently kept, and the 

 charges moderate. The consequence of which arrangement 

 is, that strangers can travel through this otherwise wild and 

 lonely country with every facility and comfort, and without 

 the disagreeable feeling of being doubly overcharged because 

 they are strangers. Nevertheless, with all this facility and 

 comfort, but very few strangers do come to see this magnifi- 

 cent scenery, simply, I fancy, because it is little known, and 

 not yet the fashion. Most visitors to the Highlands drive 

 straight from their home in England, or elsewhere, to the 

 ground which they have hired for grouse-shooting, or other 

 sporting, and after a certain number of weeks drive straight 

 back again. Very few travel here for the sake of seeing the 

 wild scenery of the north and north-west part of the island, 

 where there is little in the way of game to tempt sportsmen. 

 To me, however, it is the most attractive part of Scotland ; 

 and the season I delight in most is during the months of 

 June and July, when the sun scarcely dips below the horizon, 

 and it is light during the whole night light enough, indeed, 

 to read small print with ease without the aid of candles, or 

 even of the moon. Backed by that fine old-looking mountain 

 Benmore of Assynt, the inn at Inchnadamph has for its front 

 view the beautiful and extensive loch of Assynt, and one of 

 the finest mountains in the North, called by a name that 

 sounds like Ouvinnaighin. To my English ears, however, 

 the name was quite unattainable. This mountain towards 



