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felf, and winter comes with its cold and its scarcity upon families very flenderly provided.

CORIATACHAN IN SKY.

The third or fourth day after our arrival at Armidel, brought us an invitation to the isle of Raasay, which lies east of Sky. It is incredible how foon the account of any event is propagated in these narrow countries by the love of talk, which much leisure produces, and the relief given to the mind in the penury of infular conversation by a new topick. The arrival of ftrangers at a place fo rarely vifited, excites rumour, and quickens curiofity. I know not whether we touched at any corner, where fame had not already prepared us a reception.

To gain a commodious paffage to Raafay, it was neceffary to pafs over a large part of Sky. We were furnished therefore with horfes and a guide. In the inlands there are no roads, nor any marks by which a ftranger may find his way. The horseman has always at his fide a native of the place, who, by pursuing game, or tending cattle, or being often employed in meffages or conduct, has learned where the ridge of the hill has breadth fufficient to allow a horfe and his rider a paffage, and where the mofs or bog is hard enough to bear them. The bogs are avoided as toilfome at least, if not unfafe, and therefore the journey is made generally from precipice to precipice; from which if the eye ventures to look down, it fees below a gloomy cavity, whence the rufh of water is fometimes heard.

But there feems to be in all this more alarm than danger. The Highlander walks carefully before, and

the

1

the horse, accustomed to the ground, follows him with little deviation. Sometimes the hill is too fteep for the horseman to keep his feat, and fometimes the moss is too tremulous to bear the double weight of horse and man. The rider then difmounts, and all shift as they can.

Journies made in this manner are rather tedious than long. A very few miles require feveral hours. From Armidel we came at night to Coriatachan, a houfe very pleasantly fituated between two brooks, with one of the higheft hills of the island behind it. It is the refidence of Mr. Mackinnon, by whom we were treated with very liberal hofpitality, among a more numerous and elegant company than it could have been fuppofed easy to collect.

The hill behind the house we did not climb. The weather was rough, and the height and fteepness dif couraged us. We were told that there is a cairne upon it. A cairne is a heap of flones thrown upon the grave of one eminent for dignity of birth, of fplendour of atchievements. It is faid, that by dig ging, an urn is always found under thefe cairnes : they must therefore have been thus piled by a people whofe cuftom was to burn the dead. To pilę ftones is, I believe, a northern cuftom, and to burn the body was the Roman practice; nor do I know when it was that thefe two acts of fepulture were united.

The weather was next day too violent for the continuation of our journey; but we had no reason to complain of the interruption. We faw in every place, what we chiefly defired to know, the manners of the people. We had company, and if

we

we had chofen retirement, we might have had books.

I never was in any houfe of the iflands, where I did not find books in more languages than one, if I ftaid long enough to want them, except one from which the family was removed. Literature is not neglected by the higher rank of the Hebridians.

It need not, I fuppofe, be mentioned, that in countries fo little frequented as the iflands, there are no houses where travellers are entertained for money. He that wanders about thefe wilds, either procures recommendations to thofe whole habitations lie near his way, or, when night and wearinefs come upon him, takes the chance of general hofpitality. If he finds only a cottage, he can expect little more than fhelter; for the cottagers have little more for themfelves: but if his good fortune brings him to the refidence of a gentleman, he will be glad of a ftorm to prolong his stay. There is, however, one inn by the fea fide at Sconfor, in Sky, where the poft-office is kept.

At the tables where a ftranger is received, neither plenty nor delicacy is wanting. A tract of land fo thinly inhabited, muft have much wild-fowl; and I fcarcely remember to have feen a dinner without them. The moorgame is every where to be had. That the fea abounds with fish, needs not be told, for it fupplies a great part of Europe. The ifle of Sky has ftags and roebucks, but no hares. They fend very numerous droves of oxen yearly to England, and therefore cannot be fuppofed to want beef at home. Sheep and goats are in great numbers, and they have the com mon domeftick fowls.

VOL. VIII.

T

But

But as here is nothing to be bought, every family muft kill its own meat, and roaft part of it fomewhat fooner than Apicius would prefcribe. Every kind of flesh is undoubtedly excelled by the variety and emulation of English markets; but that which is not best may be yet very far from bad, and he that shall complain of his fare in the Hebrides, has improved his delicacy more than his manhood.

Their fowls are not like thofe plumped for fale by the poulterers of London, but they are as good as other places commonly afford, except that the geese, by feeding in the fea, have univerfally a fifhy ranknefs.

These geese seem to be of a middle race, between the wild and domestick kinds. They are fo tame as to own a home, and fo wild as fometimes to fly quite

away.

Their native bread is made of oats, or barley. Of oatmeal they spread very thin cakes, coarfe and hard, to which unaccustomed palates are not easily reconciled. The barley cakes are thicker and fofter; I began to eat them without unwillingness; the blacknefs of their colour raises some dislike, but the taste is not difagreeable. In moft houfes there is wheat-flour, with which we were fure to be treated, if we staid long enough to have it kneaded and baked. As neither yeaft nor leaven are used among them, their bread of every kind is unfermented. They make only cakes, and never mould a loaf.

A man of the Hebrides, for of the women's diet I can give no account, as foon as he appears in the morning, fwallows a glass of whisky; yet they are

not

not a drunken race, at least I never was prefent at much intemperance; but no man is fo abftemious as to refuse the morning dram, which they call a skalk.

The word whisky fignifies water, and is applied by way of eminence to ftrong water, or diftilled liquor. The spirit drunk in the North is drawn from barley. I never tasted it, except once for experiment at the inn in Inverary, when I thought it preferable to any English malt brandy. It was ftrong, but not pungent, and was free from the empyreumatick tafte or smell. What was the process I had no opportunity of inquiring, nor do I wish to improve the art of making poison pleasant.

Not long after the dram, may be expected the breakfast, a meal in which the Scots, whether of the lowlands or mountains, must be confeffed to excel

us.

The tea and coffee are accompanied not only with butter, but with honey, conferves, and marmalades. If an epicure could remove by a wish, in quest of fenfual gratifications, wherever he had fupped he would breakfast in Scotland.

In the islands, however, they do what I found it not very easy to endure. They pollute the tea-table by plates piled with large flices of Chefhire cheefe, which mingles its lefs grateful odours with the fragrance of the tea.

Where many questions are to be asked, fome will be omitted. I forgot to inquire how they were fupplied with fo much exotick luxury. Perhaps the French may bring them wine for wool, and the Dutch give them tea and coffee at the fifhing feafon, in exchange for fresh provifion. Their trade is unconstrained; they pay no customs; for there is no offi

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