A man who has fettled his opinions, does not love to have the tranquillity of his conviction disturbed ; and at feventy-feven it is time to be in carnest.

Mention was made of the Earfe tranflation of the New Teftament, which has been lately publifhed, and of which the learned Mr Macqueen of Oky spoke with commendation Ut 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.

He has no public edifice for the exercife 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. This is all the opportunity of worfhip that is now granted to the inhabitants of the island, fome of whom must travel thither perhaps ten miles. Two chapels were erected by their ancestors, of which I faw the skeletons, which now ftand faithful witnefles 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 iflands than one; and each ifland can have the minifter only in its own turn. At Raafa-they had, I think, a right to fervice only every third Sunday. All the provifion made by the prefent ecclefiaftical conftitution, for the inhabitants of about a hundred

fquare

fquare miles, is a prayer and fermon in a little room, once in three weeks: and even this parfimonious diftribution 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 pafs without any public excrcife of religion..

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 that I had yet found. Mrs Macfweyn could speak no English, and had never seen any other places than the islands of Sky, Mull, and Coll: but he was hofpitable and goodLumoured, and spread her table with fufficient liberality. We found tea here, as in every other place, but our fpoons 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 island. This place was the scene of an action, much celebrated in the traditional history 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 ifle of Gol 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 per

In his

haps not now known. The younger fon, called John Gerves, or John the Giant, a man of great strength, who was then in Ireland, either for fafety, or for education, dreamed of recovering his inheritance; and getting fome adventurers together, which in thofe unfettled times was not hard to do, invaded Col. He was driven away, but was not difcouraged, and collecting new followers, in three years came again with fifty men. way he stopped at Artorinifh 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 Lochaber-axe in his hand, and struck fuch terror into the whole affembly, that they difmiffed his uncle.

When he landed at Col, he faw the centinel,. who kept watch towards the fea, running off to Griffipol, to give Macneil, who was there with a hundred and twenty men, an account of the invafion. He told Macgil, one of his followers, that if he intercepted that dangerous intelligence, by catching the courier, he would give him certain lands in Mull. Upon this promise, Macgill purfued the meffenger, and either killed, or ftopped

him

him; and his pofterity, till very lately, held the lands in Mull.

The alarm being thus prevented, he came unexpectedly upon Macneil. Chiefs were in those days never wholly unprovided for an enemy. A fight

enfued, in which one of their followers is faid to have given an extraordinary proof of activity, by bounding backwards over the brook of Griffipol. Macneil being killed, and many of his clan destroyed, Maclean took poffeffion of the island, which the Macneils attempted to conquer by another invafion, but were defeated and repulfed.

Maclean, in his turn, invaded the estate of the Macneils, took the caftle of Brecacig, and conquered the ifle of Barra, which he held for feven years, and then restored it to the heirs.

CASTLE OF CO L.

From Griffipol, Mr Maclean conducted us to his father's feat; a neat new house, erected near the old caftle, I think, by the laft proprietor. Here we were allowed to take our station, and lived very commodioufly, while we waited for moderate weather and a fair wind, which we did not fo foon obtain, but we had time to get fome information of the present ftate of Col, partly by inquiry, and partly by occafional excurfions

Col is computed to be thirteen miles in length,

and

and three in breadth. Both the ends are the pro perty of the Duke of Argyle, but the middle be longs to Maclean, who is called Col, as the only Laird.

Col is not properly rocky; it is rather one continued rock, of a furface much diverfified with protuberances, and covered with a thin layer of earth, which is often broken, and discovers. the ftone. Such a foil is not for plants that strike deep roots.; and perhaps in the whole island nothing has ever yet grown to the height of a table. The uncultivated parts are clothed with heath, among which industry has interspersed spots of grafs and corn; but no attempt has yet been made to raise a tree. Young Col, who has a very laudable defire of improving his patrimony, purposes fome time to plant an orchard; which, if it be sheltered by a wall, may perhaps fucceed. He has introduced the culture of turnips, of which he has a field, where the whole work was performed by his own hand. His intention is to provide food for his cattle in the winter.. This innovation was confidered by. Mr. Macfweyn as the idle project of a young head, heated with. English fancies; but he has now found that turnips will really grow, and that hungry fheep and cows will really eat them.

By fuch acquifitions as thefe, the Hebrides may in time rife above their annual diftrefs. Wherever heath will grow, there is reason to think fome thing better may draw nourishment; and by trying.

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