APPENDICES. 605 



the Wills of their Superiours. Lady Margaret McDonald hath established a 

 Linnen Manufactory, which thrives mightily, and is of infinite use in em- 

 ploying numbers of poor Children. All the principal Farmers of the Country 

 are likeways keen Adventurers in this Undertaking. 



From North Uist, I cross'd the Strand at low water from Carinish to 

 Benbicula. This is a very pleasant Fruitfull Island, and is about Seven 

 Miles in length and five broad. In this Island lives Clanronald, who is the 

 sole Proprietor of it. The Inhabitants are all bigotted Papists, and frequently 

 made their Boasts to the Soldiers when quartered there, of what execution 

 they did against the King's Troops at the Battle of Prestonpans. There is 

 a Presbyterian Missionary resides in this Island but he has a miserable time 

 of it. He set some Men to work with an Intention to build himself a House, 

 but he has never been able to compleat it, for what was built in the Day, 

 was almost demolished in the Night by People unknown, and the poor man 

 durst not complain for fear a worse Treatment should ensue. 



From Benbicula I cross'd the South Strand to South Uist. This Country 

 also belongs to Clanronald, and is Twenty four Miles in length and five in 

 breadth. All the West side of the Country is one continued flatt, and pro- 

 duces great quantities of Corn. The East side is not Inhabited, it being 

 very mountainous, full of Rocks and Bogg. There are in this Island and 

 Benbicula, about Two Thousand five hundred Souls (all Papists) and very 

 few Protestants. They are such Papists, that when Priests travel through 

 any part of the Country, it is very common for these poor wretches to fall 

 flatt upon their Faces before them, paying a sort of Adoration, for they are 

 taught to believe that they cannot be saved but by their means, which 

 occasions this extraordinary Reverence. From whence, it may easily be 

 conceiv'd, what Influence they have over these poor deluded Mortals, and 

 how far they have it in their power to push them on to any desperate Attempt 

 against the Goverment. 



From South Uist I cross'd a ferry of nine Miles to Barra. This Island 

 belongs to McNeil, and is about Five Miles in length and three in Breadth ; 

 at the North end of the Island is Fluda Bey. Some part of this Country is 

 very pleasant, and capable of great Improvements, but the greatest part of 

 it is mountainous and Rocky. Watersay is another small Island ; it belongs 

 to, and is properly speaking a part of Barra, tho' there is a Ferry of about 

 half a mile between the two Islands. It is two Miles in length and half a 

 Mile in breadth. There are other small Islands South of this, but not worth 

 notice. In the Islands of Barra and Watersay, are about Eighteen hundred 

 Souls, all Papists except about Fifty who are Protestants. The young Laird 

 is a Protestant, and the only one of that family that hath been so for many 

 Generations. If he was an active man he might soon make Proselites of the 

 whole Island. But I am informed he does not concern himself much about 

 Religious matters. There are great numbers of fine commodious harbours 

 all along the East side of the whole Long Island, but none on the West, which 

 is the only fertile part of the Country 



NOTE. It was intended to publish, as an Appendix, Dr. Walker's 

 valuable manuscript (No. 105, King's, Brit. Mus.) descriptive of the Outer 

 Hebrides about the middle of the eighteenth century, but a copy is to appear 

 in Vol. XXIV. of the Transactions of the Gaelic Society of Inverness. 

 Free use of the MS., however, has been made in the text. 



S S 



