vessel is once in, no place can be more secure or commodious. On the left, in gloomy elevation, towering on a sullen crag, stand the ruins of Tarbert Castle, formerly the stronghold of the M'Gilchrists, then of the M'Alisters, and now the property of Campbell of Stonefield. The walls are eight or nine feet thick; the stair is in the west side, and underneath is an arched vault. The summit of the hill was formerly surrounded by a strong wall, and numerous bastions; and on the west side are several outworks, still popularly called the barracks. In 1261, the church of Kilcalmonell, the parish to which Tarbert belongs, was granted to the monks of Paisley; and soon after, Dovenald M'Gilchrist granted to them a right of cutting all kinds of timber in the woods of Tarbert. Macdonald, Lord of the Isles, in order to obtain an undisputed claim to every place round which he could pass in his boat, caused his barge to be drawn across the isthmus, which at this place is only a mile broad, with all

the pomp of chivalrous times.* Tarbert was also the place of rendezvous chosen by James IV. when he proceeded with his nobles to reduce his rebellious subjects of the Western Isles to obedience; and of the unfortunate Earl of Argyll in 1685, previous to his descent upon the Low Country, where, as well known to our readers, he was defeated, taken prisoner, and afterwards beheaded. The first grand object for erecting this Castle, was to check the incursions of the Irish during that turbulent period when the Lords of the Isles were sovereigns of Cantyre, and of the greater part of Argyllshire.

The habits of the people employed in the Tarbert fishery are industrious, orderly, and even religious. Each boat, as before stated, is generally furnished with three hands, one of whom is the master, who defrays the whole cost, and receives a double share of the profits arising from the fishery. He is also exempted by law from impressment. The proprietors of boats subscribe a certain sum weekly to a fund-a species of insurance-out of which they are indemnified for the occasional loss of nets. The greatest number of fish taken at a single draught on this station, is stated at forty-one maizes, each containing

The ceremony, as performed by Bruce, is thus described by Sir Walter Scott, in his "Lord of the Isles:"

"It was a wondrous sight to see

Topmast and pennon glitter free,
High raised above the green-wood trees,

As on dry land the galley moves

By cliffs, and copse, and alder groves."

But, as Dr. James Johnson has observed, it is a much more wonderful sight to see the steam vessel of the present day darting across the same isthmus-by the Crinan canal, a little farther north-without the assistance of human muscles-without oars, or sails.-The Recess.

five hundred herrings, and selling for about ten shillings. In casting their nets, the fishermen observe the supposed injunction of our Saviour to St. Peter, always casting them on the right, or starboard side of the boat. In like manner the time of sailing is regulated by many superstitious observances; but a cloudy evening, as already mentioned, is considered the most propitious. Once under weigh, and weather permitting, they light their fire and prepare supper, consisting of fish, potatoes, oat cakes, porridge, and molasses; from the latter a very pleasant liquor is brewed in various parts of Scotland, called treacle-beer. If the night be stormy, the repast is deferred; but for which compensation is made by a moderate allowance of whisky, of which there is always a small "reservoir" on board; for, "let the world sink or swim, the Tarbert man must have his dram." It is very rarely, however, that this habit is carried to excess. The paternal vigilance and exhortations of their pastors have been very successful in checking a vice to which so many other fishermen have become irrecoverably addicted; and it is worthy of remark, that, among this humble class, the practice of family worship is not uncommon. When out on the deep, watching their nets, the fishermen, after supper, not unfrequently kneel down in united prayer, concluding their devotions by singing a hymn. This excellent and pious habit is also kept up in the same form when ashore, and, as Martin informs us, is the invariable practice among the rude fishermen of St. Kilda. Of their respect for the sabbath in Tarbert, some idea may be formed by their refusing to carry the luggage of a neighbouring proprietor across the isthmus on that holy day. If any dispute arises among them, it is adjusted by arbitration, for which three seniors are appointed, and thus the too often ruinous process of litigation is prevented. The same happy method of settling differences is practised among the primitive Christians of the Alps-the Waldenses—and also, in some instances, among the miners of Cornwall." On one occasion," says an observer, "I found the harbour of East Tarbert in a state of much excitement. The people were all standing at their doors with smiling countenances, whilst a perpetual discharge of fire-arms from different parts of the harbour greeted the ear. Soon after, a procession, headed by the national music of the bagpipe, descended the hill, some of whom returned from their muskets the martial salute of their fellowtownsmen. It was a wedding party; a young fisherman was the bridegroom, and the whole procession moved on to the church, where the minister offered up a prayer on behalf of the young couple, followed by a suitable exhortationboth in the Gaëlic tongue. The friend of the bridegroom took off his glove, a young girl performed the same office for the bride, and the marriage ceremony concluded according to the simple form of the Scottish Church. There

is an excellent school in Tarbert, supported by the Edinburgh Society for the Propagation of Knowledge, and some of the heritors of the place.

Continuing our route towards Loch-long, the eye and mind are continually refreshed by a succession of wild and romantic landscapes, which open and shut at almost every turn of the road, and present the most inviting subjects for the pencil. At the head of Loch-fine, the road winds gently through Glenfinglas, a fine pastoral valley, watered by a beautiful stream, and encircled by green hills that rise in smooth acclivities to a great height, and then, throwing off their verdant mantle, terminate in crests of naked rock. Crossing the Kinglas, the road bends off to the right, and winding through an interval in the hills into Glenlochan, opens on the celebrated Pass of Glencroe, which, in its prominent features, bears a close resemblance to that of Glenco. On one hand, the mountains present a range of noble precipices of mingled, dark, overhanging rock, interspersed with patches of green pasture, and terminated by a bold, sharp, and serrated outline. The descent through Glencroe is rapid; but for those who come in the opposite direction, it is a toilsome march. By the wayside is a semicircular stone seat, erected at the summit of the pass, bearing the inscription, "Rest, and be thankful"-an exhortation which commemorates its formation in 1748, by the military then occupying the pass. Twenty years later, it was repaired by the twenty-third regiment, as recorded in the same inscription. This road, though in general well made, is injudiciously laid down, and on that account, it has been proposed to form a new line from the head of Loch-long, in a more northern direction, and thereby obviate the necessity of passing through Glencroe. But, without a parliamentary grant, this very desirable improvement must fall to the ground. Whoever has read Livy's description of the Pass of Tempe, in Thessaly, will remark how nearly it corresponds with that of Glencroe.* The phenomenon of a thunder-storm in such a situation as this, presents a truly sublime, and even terrific spectacle; and the occasions for such a treat are neither "few nor far between."

One of the caverns in this savage glen might have passed, says Stoddart, "for the grotto of a Naiad, designed with peculiar fancy. At one end the sun-beams, admitted through different apertures, played upon the water; at the other, a small cascade glanced at intervals through the gloom; the sides are wrought into various odd forms by the whirlpools; and, in one part, a natural chair is This glen, savage and dreary This glen, savage and dreary as it now appears, was

scooped out of the rock."

Sunt enim Tempe saltus transitu difficiles, nam præter angustias per quinque millia, quâ exiguum jumenti onusto iter est, rupes utrinque ita abscissæ sunt, ut despici vix sine vertigine quadam simul oculorum animique possit.-Lib. xliv. c. 6.