a good strong open boat made in Norway. The wind had now risen pretty high, and was against us; but we had four stout rowers, particularly a Macleod, a robust, blackhaired fellow, half naked, and bare-headed, something between a wild Indian and an English tar. Dr. Johnson sat high on the stern, like a magnificent Triton. Malcolm sung an Erse song 4, the chorus of which was" Hatyin foam foam eri," with words of his own. The tune resembled " Owr the muir amang the heather." The boatmen and Mr. M'Queen chorused, and all went well. At length Malcolm himself took an oar, and rowed vigorously. We sailed along the coast of Scalpa, a rugged island, about four miles in length. Dr. Johnson proposed that he and I should buy it, and found a good school, and an episcopal church (Malcolm said he would come to it 5), and have a printing-press, where he would print all the Erse that could be found. This card was most agreeable; it was a prologue to that hospitable and truly polite reception which we found at Rasay. In a little while arrived Mr. Donald M'Queen himself; a decent minister, an elderly man with his own black hair, courteous, and rather slow of speech, but candid, sensible, and well informed, nay learned. Along with him came, as our pilot, a gentleman whom I had a great desire to see, Mr. Malcolm Macleod, one of the Rasay family, celebrated in the year 1745-6. He was now Here I was strongly struck with our long sixty-two years of age, hale, and well-pro-projected scheme of visiting the Hebrides portioned,-with a manly countenance, tan- being realized. I called to him, "We are ned by the weather, yet having a ruddiness contending with seas;" which I think were in his cheeks, over a great part of which his the words of one of his letters to me. "Not rough beard extended. His eye was quick | much," said he; and though the wind made and lively, yet his look was not fierce, but the sea lash considerably upon us, he was he appeared at once firm and good-humour- not discomposed. After we were out of the ed. He wore a pair of brogues; tartan shelter of Scalpa, and in the sound between hose which came up only near to his knees, it and Rasay, which extended about a and left them bare; a purple camlet kilt 3; league, the wind made the sea very rough. a black waistcoat; a short green cloth coat I did not like it 6. JOHNSON. “This now bound with gold cord: a yellowish bushy is the Atlantick. If I should tell at a teawig; a large blue bonnet with a gold thread table in London, that I have crossed the button. I never saw a figure that gave a Atlantick in an open boat, how they'd shudmore perfect representation of a Highland der, and what a fool they'd think me to exgentleman. I wished much to have a pic-pose myself to such danger!" He then reture of him just as he was. I found him peated Horace's ode, frank and polite, in the true sense of the word. The good family at Corrichatachin said they hoped to see us on our return. We rode down to the shore; but Malcolm walked with graceful agility. We got into Rasay's carriage, which was riod at which Mr. Boswell wrote, frequently called a card.-ED.] The Highland expression for Laird of Rasay. -BOSWELL. [Meaning "the son of the youth, Colin," the ancestor of this branch, having been, no doubt, in his day designated as “ young Colin Macleod."-ED.] 2 "Otium divos rogat in patenti Prensus geo In the confusion and hurry of this boisterous sail, Dr. Johnson's spurs, of which Joseph had charge, were carried overboard into the sea, and lost. This was the first misfortune that had befallen us. Dr. Johnson was a little angry at first, observing that "there was something wild in letting a pair of spurs be carried into the sea out of a boat;" but then he remarked, "that, as Janes the naturalist had said 7 upon losing 4 [See post, 5th Oct. 1773, a translation of this song.-ED.] The Highlanders were all well inclined to the episcopalian form, proviso that the right king was prayed for. I suppose Malcolm meant to [Wigs were, at this period, still generally worn; a fashion at which posterity will wonder, as we now do, at the excess of the fashion, as exhibited in the pictures of Lely and Kneller. We can hardly reconcile ourselves to "a yellow-say, ish, bushy wig" as part of the costume of "a perfect Highland gentleman."-ED.] 3 [A purple camlet kilt.-To evade the law against the tartan dress, the Highlands used to dye their variegated plaids and kilts into blue, green, or any single colour.-WALTER SCOTT.] 48 VOL. I. "I will come to your church because you are honest folk ;" viz. Jacobites.-WALTER SCOTT.] [Johnson, in his letters to Mrs. Thrale, intimates that Mr. Boswell was a timid sailor.-ED.] "[Probably at their recent meeting at Armidale, &c. ante, 2d Sept.-ED.] his pocket-book, it was rather an inconve- | family mansion; a fine verdure about it, nience than a loss." He told us, he now with a considerable number of trees; and recollected that he dreamt the night before, beyond it hills and mountains in gradation that he put his staff into a river, and chanced of wildness. Our boatmen sung with great to let it go, and it was carried down the spirit. Dr. Johnson observed, that naval stream and lost. "So now you see (said musick was very ancient. As we came he) that I have lost my spurs; and this near the shore, the singing of our rowers story is better than many of those which we was succeeded by that of reapers, who have concerning second sight and dreams." were busy at work, and who seemed to Mr. M'Queen said he did not believe the shout as much as to sing, while they worksecond sight; that he never met with any ed with a bounding activity. Just as we well-attested instances; and if he should, he landed, I observed a cross, or rather the should impute them to chance; because all ruins of one, upon a rock, which had to who pretend to that quality often fail in their me a pleasing vestige of religion. I perpredictions, though they take a great scope, ceived a large company coming out from and sometimes interpret literally, sometimes the house. We met them as we walked figuratively, so as to suit the events. He up. There were Rasay himself; his told us that, since he came to be minister of brother Dr. Macleod; his nephew the the parish where he now is, the belief of Laird of M'Kinnon; the Laird of Macleod; witchcraft, or charms, was very common, Colonel Macleod of Talisker, an officer in insomuch that he had many prosecutions the Dutch service, a very genteel man, and before his session (the parochial ecclesiasti- a faithful branch of the family; Mr. Maccal court) against women, for having by leod of Muiravenside, best known by the these means carried off the milk from peo- name of Sandie Macleod, who was long in ple's cows. He disregarded them; and exile on account of the part which he took there is not now the least vestige of that in 1745; and several other persons. We superstition. He preached against it; and were welcomed upon the green, and conin order to give a strong proof to the peo- ducted into the house, where we were inple that there was nothing in it, he said troduced to Lady Rasay, who was surfrom the pulpit, that every woman in the rounded by a numerous family, consisting parish was welcome to take the milk from of three sons and ten daughters 3. The his cows, provided she did not touch them. Laird of Rasay is a sensible, polite, and Dr. Johnson asked him as to Fingal. most hospitable gentleman. I was told He said he could repeat some passages in that his island of Rasay, and that of Rona the original, that he heard his grandfather (from which the eldest son of the family had a copy of it; but that he could not has his title), and a considerable extent of affirm that Ossian composed all that poem land which he has in Sky, do not altogether as it is now published. This came pretty yield him a very large revenue; and yet much to what Dr. Johnson had maintain- he lives in great splendour; and so far is ed2; though he goes farther, and contends he from distressing his people, that, in the that it is no better than such an epick present rage for emigration, not a man has poem as he could make from the song of left his estate. Robin Hood; that is to say, that, except a few passages, there is nothing truly ancient but the names and some vague traditions. Mr. McQueen alleged that Homer was made up of detached fragments. Dr. Johnson denied this; observing, that it had been one work originally, and that you could not put a book of the Iliad out of its place; and he believed the same might be said of the Odyssey. The approach to Rasay was very pleasing. We saw before us a beautiful bay, well defended by rocky coast; a good [Such spells are still believed in. A lady of property in Mull, a friend of mine, had a few years since much difficulty in rescuing from the superstitious fury of the people an old woman, who used a charm to injure her neighbour's cattle. It is now in my possession, and consists of feathers, parings of nails, hair, and such like trash, wrapt in a lump of clay.-WALTER SCOTT.] 2 [This seems the common sense of this once furious controversy.--WALTER SCOTT.] It was past six o'clock when we arrived. Some excellent brandy was served round immediately, according to the custom of the Highlands, where a dram is generally taken every day. They call it a scalch. 3 ["We were," says Johnson, "introduced into the house, which one of the company called the Court of Rasay,' with politeness which not the Court of Versailles could have thought defective." Lett. vol. i. p. 103.-ED.] 4 [Johnson says, "The money which Rasay raises from all his dominions, which contain, at least, fifty thousand acres, is not believed to exceed 2507.; but as he keeps a large farm in his own hands, he sells every year a great number of cattle, which adds to his revenue; and his table is furnished from the farm and from the sea with very little expense, except for those things which this country does not produce, and of those he is very liberal. The wine circulates liberally, and the tea, coffee, and chocolate, however they are got, are always at hand." Lett. vol. i. p. 142. -ED.] On a side-board was placed for us, who had Thursday, 9th September.-At breakfast this morning, among a profusion of other things, there were oat-cakes, made of what is called graddaned meal, that is, meal made of grain separated from the husks, and toasted by fire, instead of being threshed and kiln-dried. This seems to be bad management, as so much fodder is consumed by it. Mr. M'Queen however defended it, by saying, that it is doing the thing much quicker, as one operation effects what is otherwise done by two. His chief reason however was, that the servants in Sky are, according to him, a faithless pack, and steal what they can; so that much is saved by the corn passing but once through their hands, as at each time they pilfer some. It appears to me, that the graddaning is a strong proof of the laziness of the Highlanders, who will rather make fire act for them, at the expense of fodder, than labour themselves. There was also, what I cannot help disliking at breakfast, cheese: it is the custom over all the Highlands to have it; and it often smells very strong, and poisons to a certain degree the elegance of an Indian repast 2. The day was showery; however, Rasay and I took a walk, and had some cordial conversation. I conceived a more than ordinary regard for this worthy gentleman. His family has possessed this island above four hundred years. It is the remains of the estate of Macleod of Lewis, whom he represents. When we returned, Dr. Johnson walked with us to see the old chapel. He was in fine spirits. He said, "This is truly the patriarchal life this is what we came to find." After dinner, M'Cruslick, Malcolm, and I went out with guns to try if we could find any black cock; but we had no sport, owing to a heavy rain. I saw here what is called a Danish fort. Our evening was passed as last night was. One of our company 3, I was told, had hurt himself by too much study, particularly of infidel metaphysicians, of which he gave a proof, on second sight being mentioned. He immediately retailed some of the fallacious arguments of Voltaire and Hume against miracles in general. Infidelity in a Highland gentle[Alexander Macleod, of Muiravenside, advo- man appeared to me peculiarly offensive. cate, became extremely obnoxious to government I was sorry for him, as he had otherwise a by his zealous personal efforts to engage his chief, good character. I told Dr. Johnson that Macleod, and Macdonald of Sky, in the Cheva- he had studied himself into infidelity. JoHNlier's attempt of 1745. Had he succeeded, it SON. "Then he must study himself out of would have added one-third at least to the Jaco- it again; that is the way. Drinking largebite army. Boswell has oddly described M Crus-ly will sober him again." lick, the being whose name was conferred upon Friday, 10th September. this gentleman, as something betwixt Proteus and Don Quixote. It is the name of a species of satyr, or esprit follet, a sort of mountain Puck or hobgoblin, seen among the wilds and mountains, as the old Highlanders believed, sometimes mirthful, and sometimes mischievous. Alexander Macleod's precarious mode of life, and variable spirits, occasioned the soubriquet.-WALTER SCOTT.] Having resolved to explore the island of Rasay, which could be done only on foot, I last night obtained my fellow-traveller's permission to leave 2 [Mr. Boswell forgets that there were breakfasts before the Indian luxuries of tea and sugar had been introduced.-ED.]. 3 [Probably Talisker, who had been a good deal abroad.-WALTER SCOTT.] |