A SUMMER RAMBLE AMOXG THE HEBRIDES. 159 



lay within a few hundred yards of them, and that the Scuir, 

 with the sun shining bright on its summit, rose tall in the 

 back-ground, scarce a mile away. 



On Monday I spent several hours in re-exploring the Lias 

 of Lucy Bay and its neighbourhood, and then walked on to 

 Kyle -Akin, where I parted from my friend Mr Swanson, and 

 took boat for Loch Carron. The greater part of the follow- 

 ing day was spent in crossing the country to the east coast in 

 the mail-gig, through long dreary glens and a fierce storm of 

 wind and rain. In the lower portion of the valley, occupied 

 by the river Carron, I saw at least two fine groupes of mo- 

 raines. One of these, about a mile and a half above the parish 

 manse, marks the place where a glacier, that had once de- 

 scended from a hollow amid the northern range of hills, had 

 furrowed up the gravel and earth before it in long ridges, 

 which we find running nearly parallel to the road ; the other 

 group, which lies higher up the valley, and seems of consi- 

 derably greater extent, indicates where one of those river-like 

 glaciers that fill up long hollows, and impel their irresistible 

 flood downwards, slow as the hour-hand of a time-piece, had 

 terminated towards the sea. I could but glance at the ap- 

 pearances as the gig drove past, and point them out to a fel- 

 low passenger, the Establishment minister of * *, remark- 

 ing, at the same time, how much more dreary the prospect 

 must have seemed than even it did to-day, though the fog 

 was thick and the drizzle disagreeable, when the lateral hol- 

 lows on each side were blocked up with ice, and overhanging 

 glaciers, that ploughed the rock bare in their descent, glis- 

 tened on the bleak hill-sides. I wore a gray maud over a 

 coat of rough russet, with waistcoat and trowsers of plaid ; 

 and the minister, who must have taken me, I suppose, for a 

 southland shepherd looking out for a farm, gave me much 

 information of a kind I might have found valuable had such 

 been my condition and business, regarding the various dis- 



