BOAT O BRIO. 5 



for inaiiy miles. Here the river turns to the left, 

 and after making a semicircular sweep through 

 the plain of Rothes, approaches " the pass of 

 Surdou," but apparently is compelled hy this pro- 

 montory, which is only 237 feet from the opposite 

 hill, to change its direction more to the north, 

 which it pursues with little deviation during the 

 remainder of its course. 



Soon afterwards the Spey reaches " Boat o' 

 Brig," where, as the name implies, there was for- 

 merly a ferry-boat ; but the water is now spanned, 

 not only by the viaduct of the Aberdeen and 

 Inverness Hail way, 245 feet in length, but by a 

 suspension bridge, a little higher up. This bridge 

 was erected after the memorable floods of 1829, 

 which committed such terrible devastation in this 

 part of Scotland, as to realize one's notions of 

 almost the worst part of the Noachian deluge. 



I have now attempted a hasty sketch of the pro- 

 gress of the river, from its origin in the little 

 mountain tarn in Lochaber to Boat o' Brig. The 

 distance from this to " The Tugnet," near Gar- 

 mouth, where it discharges itself into the sea, is 

 between ten and twelve miles. 



Hitherto the course of the Spey has been through 

 the heart of the Highlands, among strata of primae- 

 val structure, showing the result of central up- 



