224 THE MOOR AND THE LOCH. 



of modern civilisation, which has already transformed many of 

 our most romantic nooks into models of " suburban villas " ? 

 I well recollect offering to show an exquisite specimen of real 

 Highland taste and beauty, with all its wild character pre- 

 served, to a worthy metropolitan : his answer was, " Ah ! 

 thumthing in the Englith thtyle ! I " He had ascended Ben 

 Lomond shortly before. The day was lovely, only a few light 

 clouds flitting over the brown heath or scattered rocks, between 

 long intervals of brilliant sunshine : the lights and shadows 

 upon the opposite mountains seemed formed to call up feelings 

 and recollections of days long gone by. Our citizen, however, 

 returned vastly delighted at having rather called up so good an 

 appetite for dinner. After having satisfied his craving, he 

 abruptly broke out, " Would it be pothible to fill up Loch 

 Lomond ? " His own genius anticipated the reply " Ah ! by 

 tumbling Ben Lomond into it, I thuppothe ! Now, how many 

 acres of good land would you gain ? " " Well," thought I, " this 

 is improvement with a vengeance ; " and I should, with great 

 pleasure, have pitched in his little fat body, by way of a sleep- 

 ing partner to the doomed mountain ! However, upon thinking 

 over his strange proposal, it struck me that it was a plain, 

 matter-of-fact, pounds-shillings-and-pence view of the subject ; 

 and if I was fairly attacked upon that point, I should not 

 stand half a chance in the argument. JSTo doubt the country 

 will be richer the more it is cultivated ; but few Highlanders, 

 with any touch of imagination, would barter, even for this, its 

 former lonely and desolate grandeur, with its accompaniments 

 of wild birds and animals ; or would, without a pang, change 

 the bold heart and ready hand of the natives into those of 

 passive and obedient serfs. If driven to make a choice, I 

 must shelter myself under the shrewd logic of a fellow-country- 

 man, who, having affirmed that the grapes of Scotland were 

 better than those of England, and being asked to prove it, 

 coolly answered, " I maun premeese, I like them soor ! " Like 

 him, I must also premise, that I would not give the frowning 



