ACCOUNT OF THE DROSACKS. [From GARNET's Tour] AUGUST 11. About feven o'clock in the morning we fet out from Callander, along the banks of the Teath, and paffed through the fmall village of Kilmahog; on our right we saw the house of Leney, the refidence of John Hamilton Buchanan, Efq. proprietor of that village, pleafantly fituated on an eminence; here we croffed the Teath, and, fkirting the fouthern limb of Benledi, a high mountain on our right, we came to Lochvanachoir, out of which the Teath runs, though its origin is properly in Loch Catherine. Lochvanachoir is nearly four miles in length, and in general about one in breadth; its banks are very pleafant, covered with wood, and floping gently into the water. Soon after leaving this lake we came to another, but fmaller, called † Lochachray. The length of this lake is about a mile and a half, and its breadth scarce more than half a mile, but its banks are very pleasant, being covered with wood. The fcenery at the upper part is remarkably bold and striking. It was here that we had the first view of the Trofachs, which are rough, rugged, and uneven hills; beyond thefe is feen the rugged mountain Benvenu, which differs in nothing from the Trofachs, except in magnitude. As foon as we had paffed Lochachray, we entered the Trofachs by a road winding among them. The fcenery here is exceedingly wild and romantic; rugged rocks of every fhape furround the road, and in many places overhang it; these rocks are almost covered with heath, and ornamented to the very top with weeping birch. This part of the road prefents feenery which is wild and horrid; it feemed to be Glencoe in miniature; but the mountains, though vaftly fmaller, are more rugged, and being covered with heath and birch wood, have a different character. I fhall not enter into a farther defcription of the Trofachs, for it is impoffible by words to convey any idea of the kind of fcenery. Thefe hills had been defcribed to me by feveral perfons who had vifited this place, and I had read fome defcriptions of them, but could form no diftant idea of what I was to fee: as I have no pretenfions to fuperior powers of this kind, I fhall leave the task to Mr. Watts, whofe pencil will give an exact representation of fome part of the scenery. The Trofachs are compofed of argilaceous fhiftus, ftratified, and imbedded here and there with veins of quartz. The ftrata are, in fome inftances, nearly perpendicular to the horizon, and in all dip very much, a proof that fome convulfions or powerful caufes have removed thefe lumpifh hills from their original fituation. Some fuppofe them to have been torn from the fides of the adjacent mountains, but there are, I think, no appearances which warrant this conclufion. After we had followed the winding road which may be feen in the engraving, among these strange maffes, for about three quarters of a mile, we had a fight of the lower part of Loch Catherine, winding its way among the Trofachs, fome of which appear above its level furface in the form of bold and rugged iflands and promontories. The fcenery about this lake is uncommonly fublime, particularly when we had gone about *Loch-van-a-choir fignifies the lake of the white or fair valley. Lochacray is contracted from Loch-a-chravy, which fignifies the lake of the field of devotion. Achray is the name of a farm on its banks, where, it is believed, the Druids had a place of worship, there being fome remains of one of their temples. Stat Account. Trofacks or Drofacks, in the Celtic, fi gnifies rough or uneven grounds. a mile up the northern bank, where the road has been made with great labour, in many parts out of the folid rock, but which is impaffable for a carriage, and can fcarcely be travelled over on horfeback with fafety. Here, turning back our eyes towards the Trofachs, the view was particularly grand; rocky iflands rife boldly out of the lake, and in the back ground is Benvenue, rearing its rugged fummit far above the whole, having its lower part clothed with wood. The view up the lake to the weftward is likewife very fine; the expanfe of water being bounded by Alpine mountains, foftened by distance, and appearing of a fine dark blue. Loch Catherine is about ten miles in length, but not much more than one in breadth; and if it poffefs not the beauty of other lakes which we had feen, its scenery is much more grand and romantic. Near the foot of the lake, the Honourable Mrs. Drummond of Perth has erected fome huts of wicker work, for the convenience of strangers who visit this wild fcenery; here they can partake of the refreshments which they bring from Callander, and fhelter themfelves from a ftorm. The wood, which abounds on the banks of Loch Catherine, is made into charcoal; a certain portion being cut down annually, and when burnt, it is brought down to the foot of the lake in boats, from whence it is conveyed in carts to the Carron foundery. The Circea Alpina, or mountain enchanter's night-fhade, grows in great abundance on the banks of this lake; the pebbles found on the fhore are chiefly argilaceous and micaceous fhiftus, with some quartz. Lochvanachoir abounds both with falmon and trout, and Lochavray with pike, which prevents almost any other fifh from living in its vicinity. In Loch Catherine are trout and char, but the falmon and pike are prevented from entering this lake by a fall at its mouth. Thefe three lakes are only expanfions of the beautiful river Teath, which may be faid to originate in Loch Catherine, or more properly in the numerous ftreams that pour into this lake in cataracts from its steep and rugged banks. After having feen whatever was remarkable in the neighbourhood of Loch Catherine, we returned by the fame road to Callander; and, as it was our wish to make the best of our way to Glasgow, after dinner we took the cross road to Fintry, fixteen miles diftant. About fix miles from Callander, we came to the Loch of Monteath, a beatiful little lake almoft five miles in circumference, adorned with two fmaller fylvan iflands. On the larger are the ruins of a monaftery, and on the smaller the remains of an ancient feat of the once-powerful Earls of Monteith, whofe chief refidence, as has been before obferved, was Doune Castle. This lake abounds with perch and pike, which laft are very large. A curious method of catching this fifh used to be practifed: on the islands a number of geefe were collected by the farmers, who occupied the furrounding banks of the lake. After baited lines of two or three feet in length had been tied to the legs of thefe geese, they were driven into the water. Steering naturally homeward in different directions, the bait was foon fwallowed. A violent and often tedious ftruggle enfued; in which, however, the geefe at length prevailed, though they were frequently much éxhausted before they reached the fhore. This method of catching pike is not now used, but there are fome old perfons who remember to have feen it, and who were active promoters of this amufement *. * Garnet's Tour through the Highlands, &c. of Scotland. 4to. Vol. ii, page 172.. A DESCRIPTION OF THE WESTERN ISLANDS OF SCOTLAND: BY M. MARTIN, GENT.* TO HIS ROYAL HIGHNESS PRINCE GEORGE OF DENMARK, LORD HIGH ADMIRAL OP ENGLAND AND IRELAND, AND OF ALL HER MAJESTY'S PLANTATIONS, AND GENERALISSIMO OF ALL HER MAJESTY'S FORCES, ETC. MAY IT PLEASE YOUR ROYAL HIGHNESS, AMONGST the numerous crowd of congratulating addreffers, the Islanders described in the following fheets prefume to approach your Royal Perfon: they can now, without fufpicion of infidelity to the Queen of England, pay their duty to a Danish Prince, to whose predeceffors all of them formerly belonged. They can boaft that they are honoured with the fepulchres of eight kings of Norway, who at this day, with forty-eight kings of Scotland, and four of Ireland, lie entombed in the island of Jona; a place famed then for fome peculiar fanctity. They presume that it is owing to their great distance from the imperial seat, rather than their want of native worth, that their islands have been so littled regarded; which by improvement might render a confiderable acceffion of strength and riches to the crown, as appears by a scheme annexed to the following treatise. They have fuffered hitherto under the want of a powerful and affectionate patron; Providence feems to have given them a natural claim to your Royal Highnefs. And, though it be almost presumption for so finful a nation to hope for fo great a bleffing, they do humbly join their prayers to God, that the protection which they hope for from two Princes of fo much native worth and goodness, might be continued in your royal posterity to all generations. So prays, may it please your Royal Highness, Your Highnefs's most humble THE Western Islands of Scotland, which make the fubject of the following book, were called by the ancient geographers Æbuda, and Hebrides; but they knew fo little of them, that they neither agreed in their name nor number. Perhaps it is peculiar to thofe ifles, that they have never been defcribed till now by any man that was a native of the country, or had travelled them. They were indeed touched by Boethius, Bishop Lefly, Buchanan, and Johnston, in their Hiftories of Scotland, but none of those authors were ever there in perfon; fo that what they wrote concerning them was upon truft from others. Buchanan, it is true, had his information from Donald Monro, who had been in many of them; and therefore his account is the best that has hitherto appeared, but it must be owned that it is very imperfect that great man defigned the hiftory, and not the geography of his country, and therefore in him it was pardonable. Besides, fince his time, there is a great change in the humour of the world, and by confequence in the way of writing. Natural and experimental philofophy has been much improved fince his days; and therefore defcriptions of countries, without the natural history of them, are now justly reckoned to be defective. * From the fecond edition, London, 1716, 8vo. This I had a particular regard to in the following defcription, and have every where taken notice of the nature of the climate and foil, of the produce of the places by fea and land, and of the remarkable cures performed by the natives merely by the use of fimples; and that in fuch variety as, I hope, will make amends for what defects may be found in my style and way of writing: for there is a wantonnefs in language as well as in other things, to which my countrymen of the isles are as much strangers, as to other exceffes which are too frequent in many parts of Europe. We study things there more than words, though thofe that understand our native language muft own, that we have enough of the latter to inform the judgment, and work upon the affections in as pathetic a manner as any other language whatever. But I go on to my fubject. The ifles here described are but little known or confidered, not only by strangers, but even by those under the fame government and climate. The modern itch after the knowledge of foreign places is fo prevalent, that the generality of mankind beftow little thought or time upon the place of their nativity. It is become customary in thofe of quality to travel young into foreign countries, whilft they are absolute strangers at home; and many of them when they return are only loaded with fuperficial knowledge, as the bare names of famous libraries, stately edifices, fine ftatues, curious paintings, late fashions, new dishes, new tunes, new dances, painted beauties, and the like. The places here mentioned afford no fuch entertainment; the inhabitants in general prefer conveniency to ornament both in their houses and apparel, and they rather fatisfy than oppress nature in their way of eating and drinking; and not a few among them have a natural beauty, which excels any that has been drawn by the finest Apelles. The land and the fea that encompaffes it produce many things useful and curious in their kind, feveral of which have not hitherto been mentioned by the learned. This may afford the theorift fubject of contemplation, fince every plant of the field, every fibre of each plant, and the least particle of the smallest infect, carries with it the impress of its Maker; and, if rightly confidered, may read us lectures of divinity and morals. The inhabitants of these islands do for the moft part labour under the want of knowledge of letters, and other useful arts and sciences; notwithstanding which defect, they seem to be better verfed in the book of nature than many that have greater opportunities of improvement. This will appear plain and evident to the judicious reader, upon a view of the fuccefsful practice of the islanders in the preservation of their health, above what the generality of mankind enjoys: and this is performed merely by temperance and the prudent ufe of fimples; which, as we are affured by repeated experi ments, fail not to remove the most stubborn diftempers, where the best prepared medicines have frequently no fuccefs. This I relate not only from the authority of many of the inhabitants, who are perfons of great integrity, but likewife from my own particular obfervation. And thus with Celfus, they firft make experiments, and afterwards proceed to reafon upon the effects. Human industry has of late advanced useful and experimental philofophy very much; women and illiterate persons have in some measure contributed to it, by the discovery of fome useful cures. The field of nature is large, and much of it wants still to be cultivated by an ingenious and difcreet application; and the curious, by their observations, might daily make further advances in the hiftory of nature. Self-prefervation is natural to every living creature: and thus we see the several animals of the fea and the land fo careful of themselves, as to obferve nicely what is agreeable, and what is hurtful to them; and accordingly they chufe the one, and reject the other. The |