COL.

In the morning we found ourselves under the Ifle of Col, where we landed; and paffed the first day and night with Captain Maclean, a gentleman who has lived fome time in the East Indies; but having dethroned no Nabob, is not. too rich to fettle in his own country.

Next day the wind was fair, and we might have had an easy paffage to Mull; but having, contrarily to our own intention, landed upon a new Ifland, we would not leave it wholly unexamined. We therefore fuffered the veffel to depart without us, and trusted the skies for another wind.

Mr. Maclean of Col, having a very numerous family, has, for fome time paft, refided at Aberdeen, that he may fuperintend their education, and leaves the young gentleman, our friend, to govern his dominions, with the full power of a Highland Chief. By the abfence of the Laird's family, our entertainment was made more difficult, because the houfe was in a great degree dif furnished; but young Col's kindness and activity fupplied all defects, and procured us more than fufficient accommodation.

Here

Here I first mounted a little Highland steed; and if there had been many fpectators, fhould have been fomewhat afhamed of my figure in the march. The horfes of the Iflands, as of other barren countries, are very low : they are indeed mufculous and strong, beyond what their fize gives reafon for expecting; but a bulky man upon one of their backs makes a very difproportionate appearance.

From the habitation of Captain Maclean, we went to Griffipol, but called by the way on Mr. Hector Maclean, the Minifter of Col, whom we found in a hut, that is, a house of only one floor, but with windows and chimney, and not inelegantly furnished. Mr. Maclean has the reputation of great learning: he is seventy-feven years old, but not infirm, with a look of venerable dignity, excelling what I remember in any other man.

His converfation was not unsuitable to his appearance, I loft fome of his good-will, by treating a heretical writer with more regard than in his opinion, a heretick could deferve. I honoured his orthodoxy, and did not much censure his afperity. A man who has fettled his opinions, does not love to have the tranquillity of his conviction

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conviction disturbed; and at feventy-seven it is time to be in earnest.

Mention was made of the Earfe tranflation of the New Teftament, which has been lately published, and of which the learned Mr. Macqueen of Sky fpoke with commendation; but Mr. Maclean faid he did not ufe it, because he could make the text more intelligible to his auditors by an extemporary verfion. From this I inferred, that the language of the tranflation was not the language of the Ifle of Col.

This is all the

He has no publick edifice for the exercise of his miniftry; and can officiate to no greater number, than a room can contain; and the room of a hut is not very large. opportunity of worship that is now granted to the inhabitants of the Ifland, fome of whom muft travel thither perhaps ten miles. Two chapels were erected by their ancestors, of which I faw the skeletons, which now ftand faithful witneffes of the triumph of Reformation.

The want of churches is not the only impediment to piety there is likewife a want of Minifters. A parish often contains more Islands than one; and each Illand can have the Minifter only

in its own turn. At Raafa they had, I think, a right to service only every third Sunday. All the provifion made by the prefent ecclefiaftical conftitution, for the inhabitants of about a hundred fquare miles, is a prayer and fermon in a little room, once in three weeks and even this parfimonious distribution is at the mercy of the weather; and in those Islands where the Minifter does not refide, it is impoffible to tell how many weeks or months may pass without any publick exercife of religion.

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GRISSIPOL IN COL.

After a fhort converfation with Mr. Maclean, we went on to Griffipol, a house and farm tenanted by Mr. Macfweyn, where I faw more of the ancient life of a Highlander, than I had yet found. Mrs. Macfweyn could speak no English, and had never feen any other places than the islands of Sky, Mull, and Col: but she was hofpitable and good humoured and spread her table with fufficient liberality. We found tea here, as in eve ry other place, but our spoons were of horn.

The house of Griffipol ftands by a brook very clear and quick; which is, I fuppofe, one of the moft copious ftreams in the Ifland. This place was the fcene of an action, much celebrated in

the traditional hiftory of Col, but which probably no two relaters will tell alike.

Some time, in the obfcure ages, Macneil of Barra married the Lady Maclean, who had the Ile of Col for her jointure. Whether Macneil detained Col, when the widow was dead, or whether the lived fo long as to make her heirs. impatient, is perhaps not now known. The younger fon, called John Gerves, or John the Giant, a man of great ftrength, who was then in Ireland, either for fafety, or for education, dreamed of recovering his inheritance; and getting fome adventurers together, which, in those unfettled times, was not hard to do, invaded Col. He was driven away, but was not discouraged; and collecting new followers, in three years came again with fifty men. In his way he ftopped at Artorinish in Morvern, where his. uncle was prifoner to Macleod, and was then with his enemies in a tent. Maclean took with him only one fervant, whom he ordered to stay at the outfide; and where he fhould fee the tent preffed outwards, to ftrike with his dirk; it being the intention of Maclean, as any man provoked him, to lay hands upon him, and push him back. He entered the tent alone, with his Lochabar-axe in his hand, and struck fuch ter

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