fhip that is now granted to the inhabitants of the ifland, fome of whom muft travel thither perhaps ten miles. Two chapels were erected by their anceftors, of which I faw the skeletons, which now ftand faithful witneffes of the triumph of Reformation.

The want of churches is not the only impediment to piety there is likewife a want of minifters. A parish often contains more islands than one; and each ifland can have the minifter only in its own turn. At Raafay they had, I think, a right to service only every third Sunday. All the provifion made by the prefent ecclefiaftical conftitution, for the inhabitants of about a hundred fquare miles, is a prayer and fermon in a little room, once in three weeks: and even this parfimonious diftribution is at the mercy of the weather and in thofe iflands where the minifter does not refide, it is impoffible to tell how many weeks or months may pass without any publick exercise of religion,

GRISSIPOL IN COL.

After a fhort converfation with Mr. Maclean, we went on to Griffipol, a houfe and farm tenanted by Mr. Macfweyn, where I faw more of the ancient life of a Highlander than I had yet found. Mrs. Macfweyn could fpeak no English, and had never seen any other places than the islands of Sky, Mull, and Col: but the was hofpitable and good-humoured, and fpread her table with fufficient liberality. We found tea here, as in every other place, but our fpoons were of horn,

The

The house of Griffipol ftands by a brook very clear and quick; which is, I fuppose, one of the most copious ftreams in the island. This place was the scene of an action, much celebrated in the traditional history of Col, but which probably no two relaters will tell alike.

Some time, in the obfcure ages, Macneil of Barra married the lady Maclean, who had the ifle of Col for her jointure. Whether Macneil detained Col, when the widow was dead, or whether the lived fo long as to make her heirs impatient, is perhaps not now known. The younger fon, called John Gerves, or John the Giant, a man of great ftrength, who was then in Ireland, either for fafety or for education, dreamed of recovering his inheritance; and getting fome adventurers together, which in thofe unfettled times was not hard to do, invaded Col. He was driven away, but was not difcouraged, and collecting new followers, in three years came again with fifty men. In his way he ftopped at Artorinish in Morvern, where his uncle was prifoner to Macleod, and was then with his enemies in a tent. Maclean took with him only one fervant, whom he ordered to ftav at the outfide; and where he should fee the tent preffed outwards, to ftrike with his dirk; it being the intention of Maclean, as any man provoked him, to lay hands upon him, and push him back. He entered the tent alone, with his Lochaber axe in his hand, and ftruck fuch terror into the whole affembly, that they difmiffed his uncle.

When he landed at Col, he faw the fentinel, who kept watch towards the fea, running off to Griffipol, to give Macneil, who was there with a hundred and

twenty

twenty men, an account of the invafion. He told Macgill, one of his followers, that if he intercepted that dangerous intelligence, by catching the courier, he would give him certain lands in Mull. Upon this promife Margill purfued the meffenger, and either killed or ftopped him; and his pofterity, till very lately, held the lands in Mall.

The alarm being thus prevented, he came unexpectedly upon Macneil. Chiefs were in those days never wholly unprovided for an enemy. A fight enfued, in which one of their followers is faid to have given an extraordinary proof of activity, by bounding backwards over the brook of Griffipol. Macneil being killed, and many of his clan deftroyed, Maclean took poffeffion of the island, which the Macneils attempted to conquer by another invafion, but were defeated and repulfed.

Maclean, in his turn, invaded the eftate of the Marneils, took the castle of Brecacig, and conquered the ifle of Barra, which he held for feven years, and then reftored it to the heirs.

CASTLE OF COL.

From Griffipol Mr. Maclean conducted us to his father's feat; a neat new houfe erected near the old çaftle, I think, by the laft proprietor. Here we were allowed to take our ftation, and lived very commodioufly, while we waited for moderate weather and a fair wind, which we did not fo foon obtain, but we had time to get fome information of the prefent ftate of Col, partly by enquiry, and partly by occafional excurfions,

Col

Col is computed to be thirteen miles in length, and three in breadth. Both the ends are the property of the duke of Argyle, but the middle belongs to Maclean, who is called Col, as the only laird.

Col is not properly rocky; it is rather one continued rock, of a furface much diverfified with protuberances, and covered with a thin layer of earth, which is often broken, and difcovers the ftone. Such a foil is not for plants that ftrike deep roots; and perhaps in the whole island nothing has ever yet grown to the height of a table. The uncultivated parts are clothed with heath, among which industry has interspersed spots of grafs and corn; but no attempt has been made to raise a tree. Young Col, who has a very laudable defire of improving his patrimony, purposes fome time to plant an orchard; which, if it be sheltered by a wall, may perhaps fucceed. He has introduced the culture of turnips, of which he has a field, where the whole work was performed by his own hand. His intention is to provide food for his cattle in the winter. This innovation was confidered by Mr. Macfweyn as the idle project of a young head, heated with English fancies; but he has now found that turnips will really grow, and that hungry fheep and cows will really eat them.

By fuch acquifitions as thefe, the Hebrides may in time rife above their annual diftrefs. Wherever heath will grow, there is reafon to think fomething better may draw nourishment; and by trying the production of other places, plants will be found fuitable to every foil.

Col

Col has many lochs, fome of which have trouts and eels, and others have never yet been stocked; another proof of the negligence of the iflanders, who might take fish in the inland waters when they cannot go to fea.

Their quadrupeds are horfes, cows, sheep, and goats. They have neither deer, hares, nor rabbits. They have no vermin, except rats, which have been lately brought thither by fea, as to other places; and are free from ferpents, frogs, and toads.

The harvest in Col and in Lewis, is ripe fooner than in Sky, and the winter in Col is never cold, but very tempeftuous. I know not that I ever heard the wind so loud in any other place; and Mr. Bofwell obferved that its noife was all its own, for there were no trees to increase it.

Noife is not the worft effect of the tempefts; for they have thrown the fand from the shore over a confiderable part of the land, and is faid ftill to encroach and deftroy more and more pafture; but I am not of opinion, that by any furveys or land-marks, its limits. have been ever fixed, or its progreffion ascertained. If one man has confidence enough to fay, that it advances, nobody can bring any proof to fupport him in denying it. The reason why it is not spread to a greater extent, feems to be, that the wind and rain come almoft together, and that it is made close and heavy by the wet before the ftorms can put it in motion. So thick is the bed, and fo fmall the particles, that if a traveller should be caught by a fudden guft in dry weather, he would find it very difficult to escape with life.

For