THE 



GARDENER'S MAGAZINE, 



NOVEMBER, 1835. 

 ORIGINAL COMMUNICATIONS. 



Art. I. Notes on Gardens in Inverness-shire. By Mr. Elliot, 

 Gardener to Sir George Stewart Mackenzie of Coul, Ross-shire. 



IVIr. Duff as, gardener at Brahan Castle, and I, having last week 

 visited some gardens in Inverness-shire, I send you the few obser- 

 vations we made ; that, should you think them worth insertion, 

 you may give them a place in your Magazine. 



The first five or six miles of our journey lay across a bare 

 moor, consisting almost entirely of gravel, part of which has 

 been enclosed and planted with larches; another part is appro- 

 priated, during summer, to the great fairs, or cattle markets, 

 called Muir of Ord. We noticed a few larches on the moor, 

 of five or six years' growth, completely killed by the dry weather. 

 Near Beauly the land becomes very good ; and large fields of ex- 

 cellent barley and oats, with wheat equal to any in Scotland, 

 bore ample testimony to the skill and industry of the cultivators. 

 Beauly is a thriving village, on the banks of the river Beauly, 

 having the ruins of an ancient cathedral, now chiefly used as a 

 place of interment for some of the ancient families in the neigh- 

 bourhood. The morning being very foggy, we could not 

 enjoy the interesting and varied prospect of hill and dale, culti- 

 vated and wild, with which this place, and all the neighbourhood, 

 abound. A little way above the village, we crossed the river 

 by a handsome stone bridge, and, after leaving the principal road 

 to the right for a couple of miles, we arrived at Beaufort Gate, 

 by which we entered the park. The approach road is flat ; and, 

 by way of variety, a number of irregular clumps of trees have 

 lately been planted : we much disliked the appearance of a farm 

 steading, near which we passed ; but we observed trees planted, 

 which, when sufficiently grown, will exclude it from the view. 

 We left the principal approach on the right, and rode on to the 

 gardener's house, which stands on an eminence overlooking 

 the greater part of the garden, and commanding a most de- 

 lightful view of the surrounding country. Having found Mr^ 



Vol. XI.— No. 68. ss 



