without poffibility of disturbance or interruption. It is fituated very near the fea, but upon a coaft where no veffel lands but when it is driven by a tempeft on the rocks. Towards the land are lofty hills ftreaming with water-falls. The garden is fheltered by firs, or pines, which grow there fo profperoufly, that fome, which the present inhabitant planted, are very high and thick.

At this place we very happily met with Mr. Donald Maclean, a young gentleman, the eldest fon of the laird of Gol, heir to a very great extent of land, and fo defirous of improving his inheritance, that he spent a confiderable time among the farmers of Hertfordshire and Hampshire, to learn their practice. He worked with his own hands at the principal operations of agriculture, that he might not deceive himself by a falfe opinion of fkill, which if he fhould find it deficient at home, he had no means of completing. If the world has agreed to praise the travels and manual labours of the czar of Mufcovy, let Col have his fhare of the like applaufe, in the proportion of his dominions to the empire of Ruffia.

This young gentleman was fporting in the mountains of Sky, and when he was weary with following his game, repaired for lodging to Talisker. At night he miffed one of his dogs, and when he went to seek him in the morning, found two eagles feeding on his carcafe.

Col, for he must be named by his poffeffions, hearing that our intention was to vifit Jona, offered to conduct us to his chief, Sir Allan Maclean, who lived in the ifle of Inch Kenneth, and would readily find

us

us a convenient paffage. From this time was formed an acquaintance, which being begun by kindness, was accidentally continued by constraint; we derived much pleasure from it, and I hope have given him no reafon to repent it.

The weather was now almost one continued ftorm, and we were to fnatch some happy intermiffion to be conveyed to Mull, the third island of the Hebrides, lying about a degree fouth of Sky, whence we might eafily find our way to Inch Kenneth, where Sir Allan Maclean refided, and afterward to Jona.

For this purpose, the most commodious ftation that we could take was Armidel, which Sir Alexander Macdonald had now left to a gentleman who lived there as his factor or fteward.

In our way to Armidel was Coriatachan, where we had already been, and to which therefore we were very willing to return. We staid however fo long at Talisker, that a great part of our journey was performed in the gloom of the evening. In travelling even thus almost without light through naked folitude, when there is a guide whofe conduct may be trufted, a mind not naturally too much difpofed to fear, may preferve fome degree of cheerfulness; but what must be the folicitude of him who fhould be wandering, among the crags and hollows, benighted, ignorant,

and alone?

The fictions of the Gothick romances were not fo remote from credibility as they are now thought. In the full prevalence of the feudal institution, when violence defolated the world, and every baron lived in a fortress, forests and caftles were regularly fucceeded by each other, and the adventurer might very fuddenly

denly pass from the gloom of woods, or the ruggednefs of moors, to feats of plenty, gaiety, and magnificence. Whatever is imaged in the wildest tale, if giants, dragons, and enchantment be excepted, would be felt by him, who, wandering in the mountains without a guide, or upon the fea without a pilot, should be carried amidst his terror and uncertainty, to the hospitality and elegance of Raafay or Dunvegan.

To Coriatachan at laft we came, and found ourfelves welcomed as before. Here we ftaid two days, and made fuch enquiries as curiofity fuggefted. The house was filled with company, among whom Mr. Macpherson and his fifter diftinguished themselves by their politeness and accomplishments. By him we were invited to Oftig, a house not far from Armidel, where we might eafily hear of a boat, when the weather would fuffer us to leave the island.

OSTIG IN SKY.

At Oftig, of which Mr. Macpherson is minister, we were entertained for fome days, then removed to Armidel, where we finished our obfervations on the ifland of Sky.

As this ifland lies in the fifty-feventh degree, the air cannot be fuppofed to have much warmth. The long continuance of the fun above the horizon, does indeed fometimes produce great heat in northern latitudes; but this can only happen in sheltered places, where the atmosphere is to a certain degree stagnant, and the fame mass of air continues to receive for many hours the rays of the fun, and the vapours of the earth. Sky lies open on the west and north to a

vast

vaft extent of ocean, and is cooled in the fummer by a perpetual ventilation, but by the fame blafts is kept warm in winter. Their weather is not pleafing. Half the year is deluged with rain. From the autumnal to the vernal equinox, a dry day is hardly known, except when the showers are fufpended by a tempeft. Under fuch fkies can be expected no great exuberance of vegetation. Their winter overtakes their fummer, and their harvest lies upon the ground drenched with rain. The autumn ftruggles hard to produce fome of our early fruits. I gathered goofeberries in September; but they were small, and the husk was thick.

The winter is feldom fuch as puts a full ftop to the growth of plants, or reduces the cattle to live wholly on the furplufage of the fummer. In the year feventy-one they had a fevere season, remembered by the name of the Black Spring, from which the island has not yet recovered. The fnow lay long upon the ground, a calamity hardly known before. Part of their cattle died for want, part were unfeafonably fold to buy fuftenance for the owners; and, what I have not read or heard of before, the kine that furvived were fo emaciated and difpirited, that they did not require the male at the ufual time. bucks perished.

Many of the roe

The foil, as in other countries, has its diverfities. In fome parts there is only a thin layer of earth spread upon a rock, which bears nothing but fhort brown heath, and perhaps is not generally capable of any better product. There are many bogs or moffes of greater or less extent, where the foil cannot be fuppofed to want depth, though it is too wet for the

plough,

plough. But we did not observe in these any aquatick plants. The vallies and the mountains are alike darkened with heath. Some grafs, however, grows here and there, and fome happier fpots of earth are Capable of tillage.

*

Their agriculture is laborious, and perhaps rather feeble than unfkilful. Their chief manure is fea-weed, which, when they lay it to rot upon the field, gives them a better crop than those of the Highlands. They heap fea-fhells upon the dunghill, which in time moulder into a fertilifing fubftance. When they find a vein of earth where they cannot use it, they dig it up, and add it to the mould of a more commodious place.

Their corn grounds often lie in fuch intricacies among the crags, that there is no room for the action of a team and plough. The foil is then turned up by manual labour, with an inftrument called a crooked fpade, of a form and weight which to me appeared very incommodious, and would perhaps be foon improved in a country where workmen could be easily found and easily paid. It has a narrow blade of iron fixed to a long end heavy piece of wood, which must have, about a foot and a half above the iron, a knee or flexure with the angle downwards. When the farmer encounters a ftone, which is the great impediment of his operations, he drives the blade under it, and bringing the knee or angle to the ground, has in the long handle a very forcible lever.

According to the different mode of tillage, farms are diftinguished into long land and fhort land. Long VOL, VIII.

X

land