288 SCOTLAND. 



and antiquity. Long rows of venerable trees, inclosing the adjoin- 

 ing garden, add to the effect of the decayed buildings. Near the 

 town of Huntley are the ruins of Huntley castle. On the avenue 

 that leads to it, are two large square towers, which had defended the 

 gateway. The castle seems to be very old, and a great part of it is 

 demolished : but there is a massy building of a more modern date, in 

 which some of the apartments, and in particular, their curious ceil- 

 ings, are still in tolerable preservation They are painted with a great 

 variety of subjects, in small divisions, in which are contained many 

 emblematical figures. 



Besides these remains of Roman, Pictish, Danish, and Scottish an- 

 tiquities, many Druidical monuments and temples are discernible 

 in the northern parts of Scotland, as well as in the isles, where we 

 may suppose their paganism took its last refuge. They are easily- 

 perceived by their circular forms ; but though they are equally regu- 

 lar, yet none of them are on so large a scale as the Druidical erec- 

 tions in South Britain. There is in Perthshire a barrow, which seems 

 to be a British erection, and the most beautiful of the kind, perhaps, in 

 the world. It exactly resembles the figure of a ship, with the keel 

 uppermost. The common people call it Ternay, which some inter- 

 pret to be terra navis, the ship of earth. It seems to be of the most 

 remote antiquity, and, perhaps, was erected to the memory of some 

 British prince, who acted as auxiliary to the Romans ; for it is situate 

 near Auchterarder, not many miles distant from the great scene of 

 Agricola's operations. 



History... .Though the writers of ancient Scottish history are too 

 fond of fable, yet it is easy to collect from the Roman authors, and 

 other evidences, that Scotland was formerly inhabited by different 

 people. The Caledonians appear to have been the first inhabitants ; 

 the Picts probably were the Britons, who were forced northwards by 

 the Belgic Gauls, about fourscore years before the descent of Julius 

 Caesar, and who settling in Scotland, were joined by great numbers 

 of their countrymen, that were driven northwards by the Romans. 

 The tract lying southward of the Forth appears to have been innabit- 

 ed by the Saxons, and by the Britons, who formed the kingdom of 

 Alcuith, the capital of which was Dumbarton : but all these people, 

 in process of time, were subdued by the Scots. 



It does not appear that the Caledonians, the ancient Celtic- inhabi- 

 tants of Scotland, were attacked by any of the Roman generals before 

 Agricola, anno 79. The name of the prince he fought with was Gal- 

 dus, by Tacitus, named Galgacus ; and the history of that war is not 

 only transmitted with great precision, but corroborated by the remains 

 of the Roman encampments and forts, raised by Agricola, in his march 

 toward Dunkeld, the capital of the Caledonians. The brave stand 

 made by Galdus against that great general, does honour to the valour 

 of both people ; and the sentiments of the Caledonian, concerning 

 the freedom and independency of his country, appear to have warmed 

 the noble historian with the same generous passion. It is evident, 

 however, that Tacitus thought it for the honor of Agricola to conceal 

 some parts of this war; for though he makes his countrymen victori- 

 ous, yet they certainly returned southward to the provinces of Ho- 

 resti," which was the county of Fife, without improving their ad- 

 vantage. 



