224 Tour through the Glens and Isles of Scotland. 
The vernal blackbird warbles his clear note 
Yet varied 5; and the yellow nightingale, 
Responsive, in a sweeter murmur frills 
Her rival minstrelsy.” pe 219. 
On the whole, I think these specimens 
€taken merely ad apertura hbri) must 
be sufficient to convince any unpreju- 
diced person, of the too common error 
in judging of Theocritus as a mere whin- 
mg pastoral poet; whilst, in reality, the 
Idyllia are miscellanies, the predomi- 
nent features of which are Natural Sen- 
timent, and Rural Picture. Criro. 
alee! 
A tour through some of the most unfre- 
quented GLENS and ISLES ae a 
2% 1803. 
Fo the Editor of the Monthly Magazine. 
SIR, 
HE following extracts are selected 
from a great number of letters, 
written to me by a friend, on his re- 
turn from a tour through some of the 
most unfrequented districts and islands 
ef Scotland, in the summer of 1803. 
I presume that the simple and animated 
account which 1s there given of scenery, 
manners, and customs, wiil not fail of 
being acceptable to your readers: of 
mauners and customs, to which the 
greater part of the inhabitants of both 
South and North Bfitain are utter 
strangers; nor could they once suspect 
that such lingered on the shores of their 
own island. The letters are the pro- 
duction of James Hogg, better known to 
the literary world, by the appellation of 
“ The Etirick Shepherd ; ;” author of the 
Mountain Bard, ‘Tine Shepherd’ s Guide, 
&c. I shall begin with him at Loch 
Mari, a romantic Jake in the west of 
Ross-shire; and follow him over moun- 
tains, channels, and isles, and by a track 
en which no tourist has yet ventured. 
I have now conducted you in idea, 
(says he) as far as Letterewe, on the 
hanks of Loch Mari; and given you some 
hints of improvements, commenced there 
by the farmer, which are only rendered 
-remarkable by our refiecting on the situa- 
“tion ofthe place.fti is situated on the north- 
east bank of Loch Mari, by which there 
is‘ access, IN boats s, from ail corners of 
the lake; but it is every where else sur- 
rounded by shaggy cliffs, and bold pro- 
jecting promontories, washed around the 
bottom by the lake, and rising to the 
height of from one to four hundred yards 
m an almost perpendicular direction, It 
is thus rendered inaccessible by the most 
gxpert foot-passenger, without a guide; 
* 
[April i r 
and entirely so by horses, unless some 
passage that I never saw is explored 
over the mountains. I purposed going to 
Ardlair, the next day; but was detained 
by the importunities of Mackintire, until 
the morning of the third day, who showed 
me every thing in the neighbourhood 
worth seeing ; amongst which was a 
quarry, Containing some veius af the 
fairest marble, which he digged and 
burnt for line. The Jime, which he burnt 
with peats and wood, was remarkably 
fine, resembling flour. 
There was another traveller of a dif- 
ferent description, wind-bound here. 
This was a Miss Downie, sister to Mr. 
Downie, of Ardhill, whose house | had- 
lately left; who, from her father’s house 
at the Manse of Urray, in the vicinity of 
Dingwall, was on a journey to the 
island of ea to visit some relations. 
Being daughter to a respectable clergy- 
man, she had received a genteel edu- 
cation, a circumstance to which the 
. greatest attention is paid by all families 
of rank in the north, To this she 
added an. extensive knowledge of the 
world, of which she had seen a consider- 
able proportion for one of her age and 
sex; tor, besides her acquaintance with 
both the Highlands and Lowlands, she 
had visited London, and resided some 
years at St. Petersburgh, with a sister 
who was there distinguished by royal 
favour and protection. It was this young 
lady who first inspired me with the re- 
solution of visiting the remote country of 
Lewis, by describing it to me as the scene 
ofthe most striking original and hereditary 
modes and customs that were any where 
to he met with in the British dominions; 
and I repented a hundred times that [ 
did not keep in company with her 
straight to Sternaway, | 
On Wednesday, the 9th of June, we 
breakfasted early, and set out for Ard~ 
lair, in Mackinure’s boat; who still in- 
sisted on our longer stay, assuring us that 
we should find difficulty in our passage, 
if it were at all practicable, the wind 
blowing so strong ahead. We had nor 
proceeded far, when we found this ve- 
tied: and though our crew rowed 
stoutly for about an hour, in which ume 
we did not advance above a mile, they 
were forced to put the boat to land, and 
declared it impossible to proceed. . 
We were now much worse off than if 
we had set out on foot at first; however, 
taking two men with us for guides, we 
set a stout beart to a straight hill, and: 
explored 
