A SNOW STORM. 409 



Voluntaryism has eaten the very pith out of Dissent ; 

 like a goodly tree eaten by white ants, it will yield to 

 the first shock of the tempest.' 



The scene now changes again to the North of 

 Scotland. 



' Cromarty, Dec. 15th, 1846. 



' The snow in these northern regions lies very deep, 

 the mail-gig for the last three days has come in at 

 midnight, and at Inverness on Saturday last four-arid- 

 twenty hours passed during which no post, South or 

 North, entered the town. I had a short walk at noon 

 to-day with Mr Stewart ; we attempted going up as far 

 as Newton in the expectation of finding a beaten track 

 along what is usually so well frequented a road, but in 

 some places we found the snow-wreaths lying across 

 from side to side level with the fences, and so, after 

 some wading, were glad to turn back. Bill, like Yorick's 

 starling, "can't get out," but he requires to be well 

 watched, and, despite of his Granny's painful tending, 

 has already made several desperate bolts out into the 

 snow. His history since the storm came on has been 

 wholly barren of incident. He builds houses with 

 boards, and asks when there will be another Martinmas 

 market ? But he merely shares in the general stagna- 

 tion ; the snow-blanket seems to deaden the very 

 surface of society here ; and so I cannot give you one 

 item of Cromarty news. 



' In all likelihood I will pass both my Christmas 

 and New-Year here. My sleeping-closet is by no 

 means so cold and comfortless a place as you seem to 

 think it. The snow, by drifting against the window, 

 has caulked up the chinks, and I get quite snug every 

 night among the blankets. Would that our poor High- 

 landers at this dreary season of cold and starvation 



