G6 Scenery of the Head of Strathspey 



from the gutters to the sewer. The pathway will be covered 

 with lead or zinc, and have several ventilators in the roof. The 

 rafters of all the houses will be of iron, and all the sashes of 

 wood, with every lap of glass made air-tight. Every house shall 

 contain a water-tank, built of bricks and cement, below the level 

 of the floor, and be supplied from a leaden pipe, with a ball- 

 cock. 



Let no one imagine, by this arrangement, that I prefer having 

 flowers in the kitchen-garden ; on the contrary, I think the de- 

 partments should always be separated where there is sufficient 

 extent : but in the villa gardens near London, for which this 

 paper is designed, structures for exotic plants are not unfre- 

 quendy strewn about like the tents of a Turkish camp : here a 

 vinery propping up the walls of a mansion, and there a house of 

 flowering plants, in an obscure nook of the culinary department, 

 with a border of lettuce in front. 



Isle'isoorth, Aug. 18. 1836. 



Art. VII. Notice of a remarkable Woodland District in Scotland, 

 still in its natural Slate ; comprising the Head of Strathspey, in 

 Badenoch, and the Forest of Braemar. By H. B. 



Having read with much pleasure several of the articles in 

 your late Numbers headed " Scottish Arboricultural Notices," I 

 think it may not be unacceptable to your readers to send you a 

 few particulars regarding a forest district, the only one of the 

 kind now remaining of those impenetrable woods, which, in 

 former days, proved such an impassable barrier to the Romans 

 under Agricola ; but which, I regret to say, have suffered so 

 much, during these late years, from the axe, that in a very short 

 period they will probably only form matter for history. 



The district I allude to comprises the Head of Strathspey, in 

 Badenoch, and that part of Deeside known as Braemar Forest. 

 About three weeks ago, I determined to visit this district ; and, 

 having accompanied a friend up Athol to his shooting lodge, 

 after remaining a few days there, visiting the noble larches at 

 Dunkeld and Blair, and the Pass of Killiecrankie, and being 

 charmed with the romantic scenery of Strathtay, we crossed over 

 through Gaick Forest to Pitmain, in Strathspey, by Glentromie. 

 Here nothing can equal the solemn still grandeur of the scenery, 

 with the majestic red deer stalking solitarily through the glens. 

 We at last approached the Spey at the Ford of Pitmain. The 

 Spey is a very dark-coloured rapid river; and we made our hench- 

 man, or guide, go first, he being mounted on a taller pony than 

 ours. He was presently afloat ; and my friend got so much 

 alarmed, that we drew up ; and it was then only we became 

 aware of the force of the water, as the ponies could not stand ; 



