made unwillingly acquainted with his own weakness, and meditation fhews him only how little he can fuítain, and how little he can perform. There were no traces of inhabitants, except perhaps a rude pile of clods called a fummer hut, in which a herdfman had refted in the favourable feafons. Whoever had been in the place where I then fat, unprovided with provifions and ignorant of the country, might, at leaft before the roads were made, have wandered among the rocks, till he had perifhed with hardship, before he could have found either food or fhelter. Yet what are these hillocks to the ridges of Taurus, or thefe fpots of wildnefs to the defarts of America?

It was not long before we were invited to mount, and continued our journey along the fide of a lough, kept full by many ftreams, which with more or lefs rapidity. and noise, croffed the road from the hills

ons

on the other hand. Thefe currents, in their diminished ftate, after feveral dry months, afford, to one who has always lived in level countries, an unusual and delightful fpectacle; but in the rainy feafon, fuch as every winter may be expected to bring, muft precipitate an impetuous and tremendous flood. I fuppofe the way by which we went, is at that time impaffable.

GLEN SHE A L S.

The lough at laft ended in a river broad and fhallow like the reft, but that it may be paffed when it is deeper, there is a bridge over it. Beyond it is a valley called Glenfheals, inhabited by the clan of Mac

rae

Here we found a village called Auknafheals, confifting of many huts, perhaps twenty, built all of dry stone, that is, ftones piled up without mortar.

We

We had, by the direction of the officers at Fort Auguftus, taken bread for ourselves, and tobacco for thofe Highlanders who might show us any kindness. We were now at a place where we could obtain milk, but muft have wanted bread if we had not brought it. The people of this valley did not appear to know any English, and our guides now became doubly neceffary as interpreters. A woman, whofe hut was diftinguished by greater fpaciousness and better architecture, brought out fome pails of milk. The villagers gathered about us in confiderable numbers, I believe without any evil intention, but with a very favage wildness of aspect and manner. When our meal was over, Mr. Bofwell fliced the bread, and divided it amongst them, as he fuppofed them never to have tafted a wheaten loaf before. He then gave them little pieces of twifted tobacco, and among the children we diftributed a small handful of halfpence, which they received with * great

great eagerness. Yet I have been fince told, that the people of that valley are not indigent; and when we mentioned them afterwards as needy and pitiable, a High. land lady let us know, that we might fpare our commiferation; for the dame whofe milk we drank had probably more than a dozen milk-cows. She feemed unwilling to take any price, but being preffed to make a demand, at last named a fhilling. Honefty is not greater where elegance is lefs. One of the by- ftanders, as we were told afterwards, advised her to afk more, but the faid a fhilling was enough. We gave her half a crown, and I hope got fome credit by our behaviour; for the company faid, if our interpreters did not flatter us, that they had not feen fuch a day fince the old laird of Macleod paffed through their country.

The Macraes, as we heard afterwards in the Hebrides, were originally an indigent

and

and fubordinate clan, and having no farms nor stock, were in great numbers fervants to the Maclellans, who, in the war of Charles the First, took arms at the call of the heroic Montrofe, and were, in one of his battles, almoft all deftroyed. The women that were left at home, being thus deprived of their hufbands, like the Scythian ladies of old, married their fervants, and the Macraes became a confiderable race.

THE HIGHLANDS.

As we continued our journey, we were at leisure to extend our fpeculations, and to investigate the reafon of thofe peculiarities by which fuch rugged regions as thefe before us are generally diftinguished.

Mountainous countries commonly contain the original, at least the oldest race of inhabitants, for they are not easily conquered,