KILLIN-TAYMOUTH.

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As we approached Killin, the scene changed all at once, without any perceivable difference in soil or situation; the glen became cultivated, and covered with luxuriant crops of grain, hay, potatoes, &c. substantially inclosed with stone fences. A good house, with fine plantations round it, and an appearance of wealth, indicated sufficiently the source of these improvements, capital had stimulated industry. Other gentlemen's houses, and more cultivated fields, appeared in succession ;then Loch Tay in the distance, and the fertile valley of Killin, decorated with groves of fine trees. The Tay, and another small river uniting in front of this valley, form the lake, which recedes before the eye, between two screens of mountains. These rivers separated formerly the lands of two great families, the Breadalbanes and the Macnabs, and their respective cemeteries are shown on two islands formed by these rivers. That of the Macnabs is very picturesquely situated, in the middle of foaming cascades, and all overshadowed with tall pines. The last chief of this feudal race died but a few years ago, and the people of the country tell strange stories about him. He seems to have had the bodily strength, with the intemperate habits and rude manners of the heroes of Homer. Unfortunately for him, this age is not epic, and he. will not be sung. The heroes of our days are essentially des heros de cabinet. This one has left a posterity of thirty or forty little Macnabs, without having ever been married. The tomb of Fingal is, we understand, in this neighbourhood.

September 2.-Taymouth, 16 miles to-day in five hours, the road ascending and descending continually along the banks, without any appaThe lake, which was always in sight, is

rent use.

from one to three miles broad. The opposite shore is an amphitheatre of mountains. Benlawers in the fore-ground, and in the distance Benmore, 4000 feet high, the highest, but one, of the British mountains. The mere snowy cap on the head of Mont Blanc-that part only of the summit upon which snow never melts, has precisely that dimension, and it is only about the fifth part of the height of Mont Blanc. The British mountains are only a miniature of the Alps; seen near, the effect is the same, for the eye cannot embrace more than the base; but, from a distance, the appearance is totally different. Nothing here is comparable to the greatness and boldness of the Alps. Independently of the snow and the glaciers, those granitic needles of the Alps, shooting up to the skies, without being, properly speaking, very picturesque, are the most striking objects it is possible to con

ceive.

To-day being Sunday, the road was full of country people going to church, in their best attire. They were all clean and decent. About half the men wore the kilt, and tartan hose, and plaid over their shoulders, and they looked best. The women by no means handsome, nor indeed the men, but healthy and active. The men generally touched their hats or highland bonnet, as they passed by us. We were rather ashamed of our Sunday travelling.

About a mile and a half from Taymouth, we alighted to go up the hill to Lord Breadalbane's falls and hermitage, which were in our list of curiosities. With a stroke of the wand, a guide started

* The plaid is three yards long and one and a half broad, with

out seam.

TAYMOUTH-FALLS AND HERMITAGE.

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up. Armed with umbrellas, for it rains always, we followed him, and after climbing up for twenty minutes, we reached the foot of the first fall, which burst out very finely from under a stone bridge of one arch, perched upon rocks 50 feet above our head. Descending with the stream, we soon came to another fall of a different character; then by a path through a grove of trees to a dark passage of some length, at the end of which the guide, who understands his business, opening a door to the hermitage suddenly, the great fall appeared before us in all its glory. The water tumbles down a height of 240 feet, partly sliding, partly falling over the face of the rock. It is received in a fine natural basin of rocks, whence it continues pouring down the hill. From a convenient seat, placed on purpose before the window, precisely in front of the cataract, and at half its height, your eye embraces the whole of it, and loses nothing of its accompani ments. Beauties of all sorts gain by being partly hid, and charms half veiled are the more charming. This maxim has certainly been overlooked here, and the fault is, that you see too well. The idea of this grotto or hermitage, was obviously suggested by the situation of the projecting rock on which it is built. Nature had placed this shelf of rock there evidently for the benefit of tourists; the noble proprietor had no right to defeat her kind intention; and merely built a roof over this point of observation; perhaps, however, not with sufficient simplicity. There is a book on the table of the hermitage, in which travellers inscribe their names, and we followed the custom. The grounds appear well laid out.

The arable lands of Lord Breadalbane's estate, about here, are let at 25s. or 30s. an acre, with Q q

VOL. I.

privilege of pasture on some commons; but the leases are old, and will command a far greater price at their expiration. Labour is low here, 2s. in summer, and 1s. 6d. or even 1s. 2d. in winter. This is a very cheerful fine little village, just at the outlet of Loch Tay, and the beginning of the river of the same name. It was built by Lord Breadalbane, as well as its beautiful bridge, and excellent inn.

September 3.-Dunkeld, 23 miles. It rained in torrents all last night; and we set out this morning on foot, as soon as the rain ceased, to view Lord Breadalbane's grounds. They are laid out rather in an old fashioned way, with avenues and smooth moss walks; but the moss is so admirably neat and soft, and the trees form such a lofty impervious arch, with the true Gothic angle and ribs, that we were quite delighted. Some beeches, only seventy years old, are remarkably large. The site is nearly flat, yet there are fine views of the Loch, the river Tay, and the mountains, with the tower of the church, in the fore ground. Lord Breadalbane is building a castle much on the plan of the Duke of Argyll's at Inverary, but larger, and in a better style. The quadrangle is about a hundred feet every way, and wings are to be added to it.

*Our chaise had gone round to meet us at another gate, and we rode on through a rich good-looking country, to Moness fall, (mon means hill, ess a glen). Here we had another walk of three miles, first up hill to the entrance of a narrow cleft, through which a torrent of coffee-coloured water rushed out; then along a narrow path penetrating into the cleft, sometimes on one side of the stream, sometimes on the other, crossing it over wooden bridges,

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and passing several lesser falls, till a sight, the greatest I ever saw in this country, and I would almost say any where, not even excepting Niagara (for picturesque effect, at least), presented itself. We were then far advanced into the cleft, between two walls of rock, two or three hundred feet above our heads, evidently rent asunder by some great convulsion of the world, every projection corresponding to a cavity on the other side, sinuosity to sinuosity, and so narrow, although widening a little towards the top, that the opposite trees and shrubs met over our heads. From this dark avenue, and looking up towards the continuation of the cleft all the way up the hill, the same torrent was seen to fill all the space, bounding over obstacles, turning sharp corners, sliding down inclined planes, disappearing,-bounding out again, -coming straight upon us, nearer and larger, and more terrific, till it shot like an arrow under our feet-under the very rock,--the very extremity of the slippery path which had brought us there. A ray of sun, the first we had seen for some days, shone for a few minutes on the upper part of the fall, while the lower part and ourselves remained in deep shade, adding greatly to the effect. The late rains, the guide told us, had greatly increased the usual quantity of water, which is, however, sometimes so much greater, as to fill the chasm, path and all, which is then, consequently, inaccessible. The brown tinge, by softening the crude white of the foam, is actually an improvement.

The Highlander, our guide, who was a very intelligent man, told us, that his countrymen were very fond of whisky; that some working-men could drink an English quart of it in a day, which costs 3s. 9d.