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plentiful capture of herrings; and that, if any woman croffes the water to the oppofite Ifland, the herrings will defert the coaft. Boetius tells the fame of fome other place. This tradition is not uniform. Some hold that no woman may pafs, and others that none may pass but a Macleod.

Among other guests, which the hofpitality of Dunvegan brought to the table, a visit was paid by the Laird and Lady of a small island south of Sky, of which the proper name is Muack, which fignifies swine. It is commonly called Muck, which the proprietor not liking, has endeavoured without effect to change to Monk. It is ufual to call gentlemen in Scotland by the name of their poffeffions, as Raasay, Bernera, Loch Buy, a practice neceffary in countries inhabited by clans, where all that live in the fame territory have one name, and must be therefore difcriminated by fome addition. This gentleman, whofe name, I think, is Maclean, fhould be regularly called Muck; but the appellation, which he thinks too coarse for his Ifland, he would like ftill lefs for himself, and he is therefore addressed by the title of, Ile of Muck.

This little Ifland, however it be named, is of confiderable value. It is two English miles long, and three quarters of a mile broad, and confequently contains only nine hundred and fixty Eng

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lifh acres. It is chiefly arable. Half of this little dominion the Laird retains in his own hand, and on the other half, live one hundred and fixty perfons, who pay their rent by exported corn. What rent they pay, we were not told, and could not decently inquire. The proportion of the people to the land is fuch, as the most fertile countries do not commonly maintain.

The Laird having all his people under his immediate view, seems to be very attentive to their happiness. The devaftation of the fmall-pox, when it vifits places where it comes feldom, is well known. He has difarmed it of its terrour at Muack, by inoculating eighty of his people. The expence was two fhillings and fixpence a head. Many trades they cannot have among them, but upon occafion, he fetches a fmith from the Isle of Egg, and has a tailor from the main land, fix times a year. This Island well deserved to be feen, but the Laird's abfence left us no opportunity.

Every inhabited Island has its appendant and fubordinate iflets. Muck, however small, has yet, others fmaller about it, one of which has only ground fufficient to afford pafture for three wethers.

At Dunvegan I had tasted lotus, and was in danger of forgetting that I was ever to depart,

fill Mr. Bofwell fagely reproached me with my fluggishness and softness. I had no very forcible defence to make; and we agreed to purfue our journey. Macleod accompanied us to Ulinish, where we were entertained by the sheriff of the Island.

ULINIS H.

Mr. Macqueen travelled with us, and directed our attention to all that was worthy of obfervation. With him we went to fee an ancient building, called a dun or borough. It was a circular inclosure, about forty-two feet in diameter, walled round with loose ftones, perhaps to the height of nine feet. The walls are very thick, diminishing a little towards the top, and though in these countries, stone is not brought far, must have been raised with much labour. Within the great circle were feveral smaller rounds of wall, which formed diftin&t apartments. Its date and use are unknown. Some fuppofe it the original feat of the chiefs of the Macleods. Mr. Macqueen thought it a Danish fort.

The entrance is covered with flat ftones, and is narrow, because it was neceffary that the stones which lie over it, fhould reach from one wall to the other; yet, ftrait as the paffage is, they seem heavier than could have been placed where they

now

now lie, by the naked ftrength of as many men as might stand about them. They were probably raised by putting long pieces of wood under them, to which the action of a long line of lifters might be applied. Savages, in all countries, have patience proportionate to their unskilfulness, and are content to attain their end by very tedious methods.

If it was ever roofed, it might once have been a dwelling, but as there is no provision for water, it could not have been a fortrefs. In Sky, as in every other place, there is an ambition of exalting whatever has furvived memory, to fome important use, and referring it to very remote ages. I am inclined to suspect, that in lawless times, when the inhabitants of every mountain stole the cattle of their neighbour, these inclosures were used to secure the herds and flocks in the night. When they were driven within the wall, they might be easily watched, and defended as long as could be needful; for the robbers durft not wait till the injured clan should find them in the morning.

The interior inclofures. if the whole Building were once a house, were the chambers of the chief inhabitants. If it was a place of fecurity for cattle, they were probably the shelters of the keepers.

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From the Dun we were conducted to another place of fecurity, a cave carried a great way under ground, which had been difcovered by digging after a fox. Thefe caves, of which many have been found, and many probably remain concealed, are formed, I believe, commonly by taking advantage of a hollow, where banks or rocks rife on either fide. If no fuch place can be found, the ground must be cut away. The walls are made by piling flones against the earth, on either fide. It is then roofed by larger ftones laid across the cavern, which therefore cannot be wide. Over the roof, turfs were placed, and grafs was fuffered to grow; and the mouth was concealed by bushes, or fome other cover.

These caves were represented to us as the cabins of the first rude inhabitants, of which, however, I am by no means perfuaded. This was fo low, that no man could ftand upright in it. By their construction they are all fo narrow, that two can never pass along them together, and being fubterraneous, they must be always damp. They are not the work of an age much ruder than the prefent; for they are formed with as much art as the construction of a common hut requires. I imagine them to have been places only of occafional use, in which the islander, upon a sudden alarm, hid his utenfils, or his cloaths, and perhaps fometimes his wife and children.

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