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ever may be its actual age, it now possesses enough of 'hoar antiquity' to throw an air of solemn grandeur over the general aspect of the scene, and produces, indeed, a most imposing effect, with its massive square tower rising to the height of 70 feet above the lonesome graves, the grassy verdure of its foundations almost washed by the murmuring sea, at this time flowing gently between the lowlier shores of the Sacred Island, and the stern and rocky coast of the opposing Mull.”* Many families of distinction in the Highlands had burying-places here, and votive chapels existed in different parts of the island. On the west side of Martyr's Street is Maclean's Cross, a beautifully carved pillar, and one of the 360 stone crosses which are said to have once adorned the island; but about the year 1560, they were thrown into the sea by order of the Synod of Argyle.

Much disturbance has taken place among the tombs, and it is probable that some have disappeared altogether. Many of them may probably cover the remains of men, who, as Dr. Johnson observes, did not expect to be so soon forgotten. No conjecture can be formed respecting the distinct burial-place of the kings of Scotland, Ireland, Norway, and France; of which we have an historical record in the narrative of Dean Monroe. That kings should then have been ambitious of reposing in this holy ground is not unnatural, for besides its peculiarly sacred character, there was a traditionary belief that it was a place that would be particularly favoured at the dissolution of the world.t

The conversion of Northern Britain to Christianity is the one great event which shines brightly amidst the surrounding gloom of early Scottish history. The Romanized Britons of the south had received the true faith, and the Scoto-Irish appear to have been converted to Christianity by St. Patrick, previously to their establishment in Cantire. St. Ninian,

* Wilson's Voyage round the Coast of Scotland, vol. i., p. 138.

It is stated that there existed an ancient Erse prophecy to this effect, of which the following is a translation:

"Seven years before that awful day,

When time shall be no more, A watery deluge shall o'er-sweep Hibernia's mossy shore:

"The green clad Isla, too, shall sink,
While, with the great and good,
Columbia's happy isle shall rear
Her towers above the flood."

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himself a Briton, though educated as a monk at Rome, had, in the commencement of the fourth century, founded a monastery in Galloway; and in the sixth century, St. Kentigern signalized himself by his pious labours among the Britons of Strathclyd; but the conversion of the northern Picts was reserved for St. Columba.*

During the Norwegian sway, the islands on the west coast of Britain were divided into two portions--the Nordureys and Surdureys. Iona was the seat of the former, and Man of the latter, and this is held by some to be the origin of the prefix which couples the bishopric of Sodor with Man.

Iona contains about 500 inhabitants, and is the property of the Duke of Argyll.

Leaving Iona, the steamer keeps close by the southern shore of Mull, which is very rocky, and is intersected by two arms of the sea, Loch Buy and Loch Spelve. the former is Moy, the seat of Maclean of ancestors' tombstones are to be seen at Iona.

At the head of Lochbuy, whose The castle stands

It was in the year 568 that this great and good man, accompanied by twelve of his friends, set out upon his benevolent mission. The difficulties which he had to encounter on his arrival were of the most formidable kind. He found a people so barbarous that his life was attempted; the king, when the holy man first approached his residence, ordered its gates to be shut against him; the priests, who were Druids, and possessed much influence, employed all their eloquence to counteract his efforts; and the nature of the country, woody, mountainous, and infested with wild beasts, rendered travelling most dangerous and painful. But no obstacle was sufficient to baffle the zeal and courage of Columba; and so blest were his labours, so rapid the effects produced by the example of his virtues, that in a few years the greater portion of the Pictish dominions was converted to the Christian faith. Columba died in the year 597, in the 77th year of his age; a man not less distinguished by zeal and activity in the dissemination of the gospel, than by simplicity of manners, sweetness of temper, and holiness of life.-Tytler's Scotland.

St. Columba is said to have foretold the destiny of his retreat in the following

verse:

"An I mo cridhe, I mo graidh

An aite guth mamaich bidh geum ba;
Ach ruum tig an saoghal gu crich,

Bithidh I mar a bha."

"O sacred dome, and my beloved abode,
Whose walls now echo to the praise of God,

The time shall come when lauding monks shall cease,
And lowing herds here occupy their place;

But better ages shall thereafter come,

And praise re-echo in this sacred dome."

upon a rock, which in old times had been surrounded by the sea. It is now clad with ivy, and the roofs, doors, and windows being kept in repair, it is the most entire of the Hebridean fortresses in this quarter, and, standing near the excellent modern mansion, presents an interesting contrast, strikingly illustrating the change from ancient power, with comparative poverty and inquietude, to modern insignificance, with wealth and comfort. Here Johnson and Boswell spent a pleasant evening on their return from the Hebrides in October 1773. The outline of the southern portion of Mull is strongly marked in one part by the high cliffs which extend from Inimore to Loch Buy, while to the eastward of that bay it declines into the flat shores and indented coast of Loch Spelve and Loch Don.

We have now returned to the south-western shores of the island of Kerrera, which is about four miles in length and two in breadth—its form being irregularly oval, and but little indented by bays or diversified with headlands. At the northern extremity it assists, with the small island called the Maiden's Island, in forming the harbour of Oban. It was here that Alexander II. died on his expedition in 1249, and here Haco, king of Norway, met the island chieftains, who assisted him in his ill-fated descent on the coast of Scotland. Upon the south point of the island are the ruins of Castle Gillean, another of the strongholds of the Macleans of Duart.

"In fine weather, a grander and more impressive tour, both from its natural beauties, and associations with ancient history and tradition, can hardly be imagined. When the weather is rough, the passage is both difficult and dangerous, from the narrowness of the channel, and in part from the number of inland lakes, out of which sally forth a hundred winds that roar on the side of echoing Morven,' raising conflicting and thwarting tides that make the navigation perilous to open boats. The sudden flaws and gusts of wind which issue without a moment's warning from the mountain glens, are equally formidable. So that in unsettled weather, a stranger, if not much accustomed to the sea, may sometimes add to the other sublime sensations excited by the scene, that feeling of dignity which arises from a sense of danger."

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* Note to Lord of the Isles.

OBAN TO BALLACHULISH AND GLENCOE.*

During the summer months a steamer sails from Oban to Ballachulish, from which an opportunity is afforded of visiting Glencoe by means of vehicles there in waiting, and the passengers are reconveyed to the steamer, which returns that evening to Oban.

This is perhaps one of the most agreeable ways of visiting Glencoe; the tedious drive from Loch Lomond-head (supposing the coach route to be taken) through a comparatively uninteresting moorland country is avoided, and in its place there is one of the finest coast voyages that Scotland can boast of, on almost invariably smooth water, and with all the comforts afforded by an excellently managed steamer.

The course pursued is the same as that going to Inverness through the Caledonian Canal, as far as Loch Leven, into which the steamer makes its way, halting, as already mentioned, at Ballachulish. The most striking object in the scenery on the way from Oban to Ballachulish is Ben Cruchan, whose finely formed peaks tower to the skies with great grandeur. The scene is especially fine at Loch Etive, the first arm of the sea passed by the steamer on the right, where Dunstaffnage Castle, situated on a low promontory, guards the entrance to the loch. From this the steamer sails between the island of Lismore on the left, and Loch Creran, the second arm of the sea, on the right, at the mouth of which is the small island of Eriska. Getting out of the lee of Lismore, we have on the left the purple shores of Morven, and on the right the mountainous district of Appin or Upper Lorn.

Loch Linnhe, which separates the two districts from each other, is the commencement of the entrance to that great chain of inland lochs forming the Caledonian Canal. On the Appin side, on the right, the scenery gradually becomes wilder and more picturesque as we advance towards Loch Leven, the

* During the summer months, the steamer sails on the three alternate days from those on which it goes to Staffa and Iona. For the sailings, consult the monthly time-tables. Tourists who wish to join the stage-coach at Ballachulish, for Loch Lomond and Glasgow, may book themselves at Oban.

third arm of the sea on the right; and not far from the mouth of this loch, on the south side, is situated the inn and ferry of Ballachulish, famous for its slate quarries. Here passengers are landed in small boats, and vehicles are in waiting to convey them to GLENCOE.

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The cluster of precipitous mountains which here rear their rugged summits to the sky, have been aptly called the Alps of Glencoe, and their extent from east to west is from six to eight miles. The "Glen" is divided by a gentle ridge crossing the road, into an upper and lower valley; and although the former is properly considered the more striking, the mountains of the latter rise to a greater height. The leading character of the mountains, however, is the same throughout, and is stamped by that sublimity and grandeur which fills the mind with stern solemnity,

"And strange and awful fears begin to press."

In general, the valleys in Scotland are walled by continuous banks of mountain and rock, seamed by corries and fissures;

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