hillocks to the ridges of Taurus, or these spots of wilderness to the deferts of America?

It was not long before we were invited to mount, and continued our journey along the fide of a lough, kept full by many streams, which with more or less rapidity and noise croffed the road from the hills on the other hand. Thefe currents, in their diminished ftate, after several dry months, afford, to one who has always lived in level countries, an unusual and delightful fpectacle; but in the rainy feafon, fuch as every winter may be expected to bring, must precipitate an impetuous and tremendous flood. I fuppofe the way by which we went, is at this time impas fable.

GLENSHE ALS.

The lough at laft ended in a river bread and fhallow like the reft, but that it may be paffed when it is deeper, there is a bridge over it. Beyond it is a valley called Glenfheals, inhabited by the clan of Macrae. Here we found a village called Auknafheals, confifting of many huts, perhaps twenty, built all of dry-stone, that is, ftones piled up without

mòrtar.

We had, by the direction of the officers at Fort Auguftus, taken bread for ourselves, and tobacco for thofe Highlanders who might fhew us any kindnefs. We were now at a place where we could obtain milk, but must have wanted bread if we had not brought it. The people of this valley did not appear to know any English, and our guides now became doubly neceffary as interpreters. A woman,

whofe

whofe hut was diftinguished by greater fpacioufnefs and better architecture, brought out fome pails of milk. The villagers gathered about us in confiderable numbers, I believe without any evil intention, but with a very favage wildnefs of afpect and manner. When our meal was over, Mr. Bofwell fliced the bread, and divided it amongst them, as he fuppofed them never to have tafted a wheaten loaf before. He then gave them little pieces of twifted tobacco, and among the children we diftributed a small handful of halfpence, which they received with great eagerness. Yet I have been fince told, that the people of that valley are not indigent; and when we mentioned them afterwards as needy and pitiable, a Highland lady let us know, that we might fpare our commiferation; for the dame whofe milk wę drank had probably more than a dozen milk-cows. She feemed unwilling to take any price, but being preffed to make a demand, at last named a fhilling. Honefty is not greater where elegance is lefs. One of the by-ftanders, as we were told afterwards, advised her to afk more, but the faid a fhilling was enough. We gave her half-a-crown, and I hope got fome credit by our behaviour; for the company faid, if our interpreters did not flatter us, that they had not feen fuch a day fince the old laird of Macleod paffed through their country,

The Macraes, as we heard afterwards in the Hebrides, were originally an indigent and fubordinate clan, and having no farms nor ftock, were in great numbers fervants to the Maclellans, who, in the war of Charles the Firft, took arms at the call VOL. VIII. $

of

of the heroick Montrofe, and were, in one of his bata tles, almost all deftroyed. The women that were left at home, being thus deprived of their husbands, like the Scythian ladies of old, married their fervants, and the Macraes became a confiderable race.

THE HIGHLAND S.

As we continued our journey, we were at leifure to extend our speculations, and to investigate the reafon of those peculiarities by which fuch rugged regions as thefe before us are generally distin guished.

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Mountainous countries commonly contain the original, at least the oldest race of inhabitants, for they are not eafily conquered, because they must be entered by narrow ways, expofed to every power of mischief from thofe that occupy the heights; and every new ridge is a new fortrefs, where the defendants have again the fame advantages. If the affailants either force the ftrait, or ftorm the fummit, they gain only fo much ground; their enemies are fled to take poffeffion of the next rock, and the pursuers ftand at gaze, knowing neither where the ways of escape wind among the fteeps, nor where the bog has firmnefs to fuftain them: befides that, mountaineers have an agility in climbing and defcending, diftin&t from ftrength or courage, and attainable only by use.

If the war be not foon concluded, the invaders are diflodged by hunger; for in thofe anxious and toilfome marches, provifions cannot eafily be carried, and are never to be found. The wealth of mountains is cattle, which, while the men ftand in

the

the paffes, the women drive away. Such lands at laft cannot repay the expence of conqueft, and therefore perhaps have not been fo often invaded by the mere ambition of dominion, as by refentment of robberies and infults, or the defire of enjoying in fecurity the more fruitful provinces.

As mountaineers are long before they are conquered, they are likewife long before they are civilized. Men are foftened by intercourfe mutually profitable, and inftructed by comparing their own notions with thofe of others. Thus Cæfar found the maritime parts of Britain made lefs barbarous by their commerce with the Gauls. Into a barren and rough tract no stranger is brought either by the hope of gain or of pleasure. The inhabitants having neither commodities for fale, nor money for purchase, feldom vifit more polished places, or if they do vifit them feldom return.

It fometimes happens that by conqueft, intermixture, or gradual refinement, the cultivated parts of a country change their language. The mountaineers then become a distinct nation, cut off by diffimilitude of speech from converfation with their neighbours. Thus in Biscay, the original Cantabrian, and in Dalecarlia, the old Swedish ftill fubfifts. Thus Wales and the Highlands speak the tongue of the first inhabitants of Britain, while the other parts have received first the Saxon, and in fome degree afterwards the French, and then formed a third language between them.

That the primitive manners are continued where the primitive language is fpoken, no nation will defire me to fuppofe, for the manners of mountaineers

are commonly favage, but they are rather produced by their fituation than derived from their ancestors.

Such feems to be the difpofition of man, that whatever makes a diftinction produces rivalry. England, before other caufes of enmity were found, was disturbed for fome centuries by the contefts of the northern and fouthern counties; fo that at Oxford, the peace of ftudy could for a long time be preferved only by choofing annually one of the proctors from each fide of the Trent. A tract interfected by many ridges of mountains, naturally divides its inhabitants into petty nations, which are made by a thousand caufes enemies to each other. Each will exalt its own chiefs, each will boast the valour of its men, or the beauty of its women, and every claim of fuperiority irritates competition; injuries will fometimes be done, and be more injuriously defended; retaliation will fometimes be attempted, and the debt exacted with too much intereft.

In the Highlands it was a law, that if a robber was fheltered from juftice, any man of the fame clan might be taken in his place. This was a kind of irregular juftice, which, though neceffary in favage times, could hardly fail to end in a feud; and a feud once kindled among an idle people, with no variety of pursuits to divert their thoughts, burnt on for ages, either fullenly glowing in fecret mifchief, or openly blazing into publick violence. Of the effects of this violent judicature, there are not wanting memorials. The cave is now to be feen to which one of the Campbells, who had injured the Macdonalds, retired with a body of his own clan. The Macdo

nalds

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