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in the veffel, and were landed next day at Tabor Morar, a port in Mull, which appears to an unexperienced eye formed for the fecurity of fhips; for its mouth is closed by a small island, which admits them through narrow channels into a baton fufficiently capacious. They are indeed fafe from the sea, but there is a hollow between the mountains, through which the wind iffues from the land with very mifchievous violence.

There was no danger while we were there, and we found several other veffels at anchor; fo that the port had a very commercial appearance.

The young laird of Col, who had determined not to let us lofe his company, while there was any difficulty remaining, came over with us. His influence foon appeared; for he procured us horses, and conducted us to the house of doctor Maclean, where we found very kind entertainment and very pleasing conversation. Mifs Maclean, who was born, and had been bred at Glasgow, having removed with her father to Mull, added to other qualifications, a great knowledge of the Earfe language, which the had not learned in her childhood, but gained by ftudy, and was the only interpreter of Earfe poetry that I could ever find.

The isle of Mull is perhaps in extent the third of the Hebrides. It is not broken by waters, nor shot into promontories, but is a folid and compact mass, of breadth nearly equal to its length. Of the dimenfions of the larger iflands, there is no knowledge approaching to exactness. I am willing to estimate it as containing about three hundred fquare miles.

Mull

Mull had fuffered like Sky by the black winter of feventy-one, in which, contrary to all experience, a continued froft detained the fnow eight weeks upon the ground. Against a calamity never known, no provision had been made, and the people could only pine in helpless mifery. One tenant was mentioned, whose cattle perished to the value of three hundred pounds; a lofs which probably more than the life of man is neceffary to repair. In countries like thefe, the descriptions of famine become intelligible. Where by vigorous and artful cultivation of a foil naturally fertile, there is commonly a fuperfluous growth both of grain and grafs; where the fields are crowded with cattle; and where every hand is able to attract wealth from a distance, by making fomething that promotes eafe, or gratifies vanity, a dear year produces only a comparative want, which is rather feen than felt, and which terminates commonly in no worse effect, than that of condemning the lower orders of the community to facrifice a little luxury to convenience, or at moft a little convenience to neceffity.

But where the climate is unkind, and the ground penurious, fo that the moft fruitful years produce only enough to maintain themselves; where life unimproved, and unadorned, fades into fomething little more than naked existence, and every one is bufy for himself, without any arts by which the pleasure of others may be increased; if to the daily burden of diftrefs any additional weight be added, nothing remains but to despair and die. In Mull the difappointment of a harveft, or a murrain among the cattle, cuts off the regular provifion; and they who

have no manufactures can purchase no part of the fuperfluities of other countries. The confequence of a bad season is here not fcarcity, but emptiness; and they whofe plenty was barely a fupply of natural and prefent need, when that slender stalk fails, must perish with hunger.

If the paffenger

All travel has its advantages. vifits better countries, he may learn to improve his own, and if fortune carries him to worse, he may learn to enjoy it.

Mr. Bofwell's curiofity ftrongly impelled him to furvey Iona, or Icolmkill, which was to the early ages the great school of theology, and is fuppofed to have been the place of fepulture for the ancient kings. I, though less eager, did not oppofe him.

That we might perform this expedition, it was neceffary to traverse a great part of Mull. We paffed a day at Dr. Maclean's, and could have been well contented to stay longer. But Col provided us horfes, and we pursued our journey. This was a day of inconvenience, for the country is very rough, and my horfe was but little. We travelled many hours through a track, black and barren, in which, however, there were the reliques of humanity; for we found a ruined chapel in our way.

It is natural, in traverfing this gloom of defolation, to enquire, whether fomething may not be done to give nature a more cheerful face; and whether those. hills and moors that afford heath, cannot, with a little care and labour, bear fomething better? The first thought that occurs is to cover them with trees, for that in many of these naked regions trees will grow, is

evident,

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evident, because ftumps and roots are yet remaining; and the fpeculatift haftily proceeds to cenfure that negligence and laziness that has omitted for fo long a time fo eafy an improvement.

To drop feeds into the ground, and attend their growth, requires little labour and no fkill. He who remembers that all the woods, by which the wants of man have been supplied from the Deluge till now, were felf-fown, will not easily be perfuaded to think all the art and preparation neceffary, which the georgick writers prefcribe to planters. Trees certainly have covered the earth with very little culture. They wave their tops among the rocks of Norway, and might thrive as well in the Highlands and Hebrides.

But there is a frightful interval between the feed and timber. He that calculates the growth of trees, has the unwelcome remembrance of the fhortnefs of life driven hard upon him. He knows that he is doing what will never benefit himself; and when he rejoices to see the stem rife, is difpofed to repine that another shall cut it down.

Plantation is naturally the employment of a mindunburdened with care, and vacant to futurity, faturated with present good, and at leisure to derive gratification from the profpect of posterity. He that pines with hunger, is in little care how others fhall be fed. The poor man is feldom ftudious to make his grandson rich. It may be soon discovered, why in a place, which hardly fupplies the cravings of neceffity, there has been little attention to the delights of fancy, and why diftant convenience is unregarded, where the thoughts are turned with

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inceffant

inceffant folicitude upon every poffibility of immediate advantage.

Neither is it quite fo eafy to raife large woods, as. may be conceived. Trees intended to produce timber must be sown where they are to grow; and ground fown with trees must be kept ufelefs for a long time, inclosed at an expence from which many will be difcouraged by the remoteness of the profit, and watched with that attention, which, in places where it is most needed, will neither be given nor bought, That it cannot be plowed is evident: and if cattle be suffered to graze upon it, they will devour the plants as fast as they rife. Even in coarfer countries, where herds and flocks are not fed, not only the deer and the wild goats will browse upon them, but the hare and rabbit will nibble them. It is therefore reafonable to believe, what I do not remember any naturalist to have remarked, that there was a time when the world was very thinly inhabited by beasts, as well as men, and that the woods had leisure to rise high before animals had bred numbers fufficient to intercept them.

Sir James Macdonald, in part of the waftes of his territory, fet or fowed trees, to the number, as I have been told, of feveral millions, expecting, doubtlefs, that they would grow up into future navies and cities; but for want of inclosure, and of that care which is always neceffary, and will hardly ever be taken, all his coft and labour have been loft, and the ground is likely to continue an useless heath.

Having not any experience of a journey in Mull, we had no doubt of reaching the fea by day-light, VOL. VIII,

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and

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