1810.] Tour through the Glens and Isles of Scot land. 295 
explored a crooked way amonyst the 
‘rocks, Our guides led us over. preci- 
pices, on which, at first, I’thought a 
goat could not have kept-its feet; and if 
the stones had not been of a rough crusty 
nature, we_could not have effected: our 
escape, especially on sucha day. I felt 
much distress on account of the lady; the 
wind, which had grown extremely rough, 
exerted such power on her clothes, 
that I was really appre ehenn it would 
carry her away; and looked back several 
tines with terror, for fear I should have 
seen her flying headlong toward the lake 
like a swan. it was however a-scene 
worthy of these regions: a young lady, of 
a most delicate form, and elegantly 
dressed, in such a situation, climbing 
over the dizzy precipices in a retrograde 
direction; and after fixing one foot, 
holding with both hands till she could 
find a small hold for the other. What 
would most of the ladies about that great 
town of yours have done in such a si- 
tuation, sir? I believe, if the wind had 
not changed, they would have been staying 
with little Mackintire still. Her raiment 
was much torn and abused; and the 
wind carried off her kerchief altoge- 
ther. For upwards of a mile, we were 
obliged to scramble in this direétion, 
making use of all-fours; and in one place 
I was so giddy, that I durst net turn my 
eyes to the loch, so far below my feet. 
We arrived at Ardlair at one o’clock, 
having been five hours on our passage, 
which would not have measured above 
three miles; and were welcomed by the 
Messrs. M‘Kenzies, with great polite- 
ness and attention. The weather grow- 
ing moderate toward the ‘evening, we 
made a mast agreeable excursion round 
several of the principal islands of Loch- 
Mari, ina bandsome boat, with a sail. 
These islands have a much more bare 
~ appearance than they exhibited some 
years since; the ancient woods with 
which they were covered, being either 
entirely cut down and removed, or most 
miserably thinned. We landed on several 
of them, and carried off numbers of eggs 
from the nests of the sea-gulls, thousands 
of which were hovering and screaining 
around us. I was truly delighted with 
the view from these islands, ‘although it 
consisted much more of the sublime 
than the beautiful. The old high house 
of Ardlair faced us, from a romantic 
little elevated plain, bounded on the 
north by a long ridge of perpendicular 
rocks, of a brown colour: and the low 
Montury Mac. No, 197, 
islands on which we stood, were finely 
contrasted with the precipitous shores 
already mentioned,.on the one side, and 
the mountains of sir Hector M‘henzie’s 
forest on the other, which pierced the 
clouds with their ‘pointed tops, and 
appeared as white as the fairest marble. 
Next morning, Mr. John’ Mackenzie, 
and myself, again entered the boat, and 
having a fair wind, skipped along the 
surface of the lake with great velocity, 
and soon reached Ellon Mar, or Se, 
Mary’s Isle ; where I had the superstition 
to go and take a hearty draught of the 
holy well, so renowned in that country 
among the vulgar and credulous,. for 
the cure of insanity in all its stages; and — 
so well authenticated by facts, the most 
stubborn of all proofs, that even people 
of a more pohie and modern way of 
thinking, are obliged to allow of its effi- 
cacy in some instances. But as mine 
was only a kind of poetical mabia, which, 
however depreciated by some, I delight 
in, I omitted the other part of the cere- 
mony, which in all probability is the. 
most necessary and efficacious branch 
of it; namely, that of being plunged 
three times av rerhiead 1 in the lake. 
But though f write thus lightly to you 
on the subject, I acknowledge that I felt 
a kind of awe on my mind, while wander- 
ing over the burying- ground and ruins 
of the Virgin’s chapel, held in such bigh 
veneration by the devout, though illi- 
terate, fathers of the present generation. 
This f mentioned. to. Mx. M‘Kenzies 
who assured me, that bad I visited it 
before the wood was cut down, such was 
the effect produced hy the groves of 
ancient and massy oaks, firs, &c. that it 
was impossible’ even for the most com- 
men observer not to be struck deeply 
with a religious awe. Oh, private emos 
lument, what hast thou done, what 
mighty things hast thou aecoiplished, 
from ‘tbe day when Jacob peeled the 
wands, and stuck them into the gutters, 
unto this;day, September 4, 1803 | Day 
unto day uttereth speech of thee; and 
night unto night teacheth thee know- 
ledge: there is no speech nor language 
where thy voice is not heard. Thou 
hast pulled down one, and set up ano- 
ther. Thou hast explored the utmost 
limits of the habitable globe, and digeed 
the ore from its boweis. Thou art the 
great promoter of trade and commerce,’ 
and the most liberal encourager of the 
arts and sciences. 
Thou hagt also, on yarious pretences, 
aF cut 
es ee ee ee 
— 
