ged, and the bond re-demanded; which Macleod, who could not read, intending to put into his hands, gave him the confpiracy. The drover, when he had read the paper, delivered it privately to Macdonald, who being thus informed of his danger, called his friends together, and provided for his fafety. He made a public feast, and inviting Hugh Macdonald and his confederates, placed each of them at the table between two men of known fidelity. The compact of confpiracy was then fhewn, and every man confronted with his own name. Macdonald acted with great moderation. He upbraided Hugh, both with difloyalty and ingratitude; but told the reft, that he confidered them as men deluded and mifinformed. Hugh was fworn to fidelity, and difmiffed with his companions; but he was not generous enough to be reclaimed by lenity; and finding no longer any countenance among the gentlemen, endeavoured to execute the fame design by meaner hands. In this practice he was detected, taken to Macdonald's caftle, and imprisoned in the dungeon. When he was hungry, they let down a plentiful meal of falted meat; and when, after his repaft, he called for drink, conveyed to him a covered cup, which, when he lifted the lid, he found empty. From that time they vifited him no more, but left him to perish in folitude and darkness.

We were then told of a cavern by the fea-fide, remarkable for the powerful reverberation of founds.

founds. After dinner we took a boat, to explore this curious cavity. The boatmen, who feemed to be of a rank above that of common drudges, inquired who the strangers were, and being told we came one from Scotland, and the other from England, afked if the Englithman could recount a long genealogy. What anfwer was given them, the converfation being in Erfe, I was not much inclined to examine.

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They expected no good event of the voyage; for one of them declared that he heard the English ghoft. This omen I was not told till after our return, and therefore cannot claim the dignity of defpifing it.

The fea was smooth. We never left the fhore, and came without any disaster to the cavern, which we found rugged and mishapen, about one hundred and eighty feet long, thirty wide in the broadeft part, and in the loftieft, as we gueffed, about thirty high. It was now dry, but at high water the fea rifes in it near fix feet. Here I faw what I had never feen before, limpets and muffels in their natural state. But, as a new teftimony to the veracity of common fame, here was no echo to be heard.

We then walked through a natural arch in the rock, which might have pleafed us by its novelty, had the ftones, which encumbered our feet, given us leifure to confider it. We were shown the gummy feed of the kelp, that faftens itself to a ftone, from which it grows into a strong stalk.

In our return, we found a little boy upon the point of a rock, catching with his angle, a fupper for the family. We rowed up to him, and borrowed his rod, with which Mr Boswell caught a cuddy.

The cuddy is a fish of which I know not the philofophical name. It is not much bigger than a gudgeon, but is of great use in these Islands, as it affords the lower people both food and oil for their 1-nps. Cuddies are fo abundant, at fome times of the year, that they are caught like whitebait in the Thames, only by dipping a basket and drawing it back.

If it were always practicable to fifh, these Islands could never be in much danger from famine; but unhappily in the winter, when other provifion fails, the feas are commonly too rough for nets, or boats.

TALISKER IN SKY.

From Ulinifh, our next stage was to Talisker, the houfe of colonel Macleod, an officer in the. Dutch fervice, who in this time of univerfal peace, has for feveral years been permitted to be abfent from his regiment. Having been bred to phyfic, he is confequently a scholar, and his lady, by accompanying him in his different places of refidence, is become skilful in feveral languages. Talifker is the.

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the place beyond all that I have feen, from which the gay and the jovial feem utterly excluded; and where the hermit might expect to grow old in meditation, without poflibility of disturbance or interruption. It is fituated very near the fea, but upon a coaft where no veffel lands but when it is driven by a tempeft on the rocks. Towards the land are lofty hills ftreaming with water-falls. The garden is fheltered by firs, or pines, which grow there fo profperously, that fome, which the prefent inhabi tant planted, are very high and thick.

At this place we very happily met Mr Donald Maclean, a young gentleman, the eldest son of the Laird of Col, heir to a very great extent of land, and fo defirous of improving his inheritance, that he spent a confiderable time among the farmers of Hertfordshire, and Hampshire, to learn their practice. He worked with his own hands at the principal operations of agriculture, that he might not deceive himfelf by a falfe opinion of fkill, which if he should find it deficient at home, he had no means of completing. If the world has manual labours of

agreed to praise the travels and the Czar of Mufcovy, let Col have his share of the like applaufe, in the proportion of his dominions to the empire of Ruffia.

This young gentleman was sporting in the mountains of Sky, and when he was weary with following his game, repaired for lodging to Talifker. At night he missed one of his dogs, and when he went

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to feek him in the morning, found two eagles feeding on his carcase.

Col, for he must be named by his poffeffions, hearing that our intention was to visit Jona, offered to conduct us to his chief, Sir Allan Maclean, who lived in the ifle of Inch Kenneth, and would readily find us a convenient paffage. From this time was formed an acquaintance, which being begun by kindness, was accidentally continued by constraint; we derived much pleasure from it, and I hope have given him no reason to repent it.

The weather was now almoft one continued ftorm, and we were to fnatch fome happy intermiffion to be conveyed to Mull, the third island of the Hebrides, lying about a degree fouth of Sky, whence we might eafily find our way to Inch Kenneth, where Sir Allan Maclean refided, and afterward to Jona.

For this purpose, the most commodious ftation that we could take was Armidel, which Sir Alexander Macdonald had now left to a gentleman, who lived there as his factor or fteward.

In our way to Armidel, was Coriatachan, where we had already been, and to which therefore we were very willing to return. We flaid however fo long at Talifker, that a great part of our journey was performed in the gloom of the evening. In travelling even thus almoft without light thro' naked folitude, when there is a guide whofe conduct may be trufted, a mind not naturally too

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