140 RAY. 



beer-barley, or bigge, and oats, but rarely wheat 

 and rye. We observed little or no fallow-grounds 

 in Scotland ; some layed ground we saw, which 

 they manured with sea- wreck. The people seem 

 to be very lazy, at least the men, and may be fre- 

 quently observed to plow in their cloaks. It is the 

 fashion for them to wear cloaks when they go abroad, 

 but especially on Sundays. They lay out most 

 they are worth in cloaths, and a fellow that hatli 

 scarce ten groats besides to help himself with, you 

 shall see come out of his smoaky cottage clad like a 

 gentleman." 



That this is a true character of the people of the 

 southern division of Scotland in those days is very 

 probable ; — it is needless to say that things are much 

 altered now. Still the picture applies in almost 

 every particular to the inhabitants of several dis- 

 tricts at the present day, although the men seldom 

 plough in their plaids ; but as the Scots cannot (any 

 more than the English) endure to hear their country 

 spoken against, we desist from making any reflections, 

 merely wishing that they would strive to render it 

 such as to merit the utmost praise. 



The next extract which we shall present, has a re- 

 ference to the Bass Rock, in the estuary of the Forth : 



''August the 19th, we went to Leith, keeping all 

 along on the side of the Fryth. By the way we 

 viewed Tantallon Castle, and passed over to the 

 Basse Island ; where we saw, on the rocks, innu- 

 merable of the soland geese. The old ones are all 

 over white, excepting the pinion or hard feathers of 

 their wings, which are black. Tiie upper part of 

 the head and neck, in those that are old, is of a 

 yellowish dun colour. They lay but one egg a-piece, 



