A Companion and Useful Guide to the Beauties of Scotland/Chapter 8
CHAPTER VIII.
The morning on which I repassed the sounding draw-bridge cleared up, and I had a fine drive by the Firth side to Inverness, towards which every step I took delighted me. Castle Stewart, Lord Moray's, is a fine old ruin, seven miles on the road; and the noble mountains running south-west, plainly pointed out the situation of the great lake, to the banks of which I was eagerly hastening. One mountain in particular fixed my attention, high towering above the rest, blue, and conical, the noon-sun shone brightly upon it;—I never saw any thing more sublime than it appeared: I afterwards learnt it to be Meal-fourvounie, on the north side of Loch Ness, opposite to the Fall of Fyres.
About two or three miles from Inverness, I saw, at a small distance from the road, the new house of Culloden; and on one side of it (but not very near), the ground on which the memorable battle was fought in 1746.
I was much pleased with the appearance of Inverness, and found it a neat town, charmingly situated: the fine river Ness runs close by it; and it is within a very short distance of the Murray Firth, where there is another ferry to Rossshire. A very good bridge over the Ness leads to that ferry, and to Beauley, and the country of Aird, or Frazer country; and by another road south-west, to the places that lie upon the north-west side of Loch Ness, Glen Urquhart, &c. When I was at Inverness there was not a trace of its ancient castle; some person having lately removed the small remains of its ruin to build offices, or some such thing, for his own convenience:—what an Hottentot! There is at Inverness a provost, or mayor, and twenty-four other magistrates. A judge visits that town twice a year, in his circuit. It was on a Thursday when I entered Inverness. The provost, with the rest of the magistrates, were going in procession through one of the principal streets to church; it being the Thursday preceding the sacrament Sunday. On those Sundays there is always great preaching, both in the church and in the adjacent field; and also on Saturday and Monday. On the preaching days all the shops are shut, and nothing can be bought during divine service. There is a decency in the appearance, manners, and deportment of the people of Inverness, and around it, that is extremely engaging; and the accent of their language is so soft, it charms the ear: it is not in the least like the accent of the Lowland, or any other part of the Highland English language that I heard; it being extremely insinuating, I could almost say bewitching: neither has it any resemblance to the Lowland Scotch in idiom, being very pure English, accompanied with a sort of foreign tone, which is very pleasing; in short, it is like broken English, proceeding from the soft voice of a beautiful female foreigner, taught English purely and grammatically. I did not remain long in the town of Inverness, as I was on my way to Dochfour; but all I saw of it pleased me excessively. The inn I stopped at was very neat, and tolerably large; and I was told the other inn was equally good, if not superior.
As soon as I crossed the bridge over the Ness, and quitted the suburbs of the town, I turned my face towards Dochfour, and with delight enjoyed the scene before me, but I knew not what to admire most; the river flowing on my left, bordered on each side by wood and rich land, with mountains upon mountains, in every form; fine trees in the narrow flat, and wood creeping up on every crag's side; the mountains increasing to a vast size and height as I advanced towards Loch Ness, buried in the bosom of two ranges of mountains not easily described. Tom-ma-hureich to my right, one mile from Inverness, must not be forgotten, though its form is more curious than beautiful; being like the keel of a ship turned topsy-turvy; and planted to the top with firs, so thick, that it looks like a fir wood of that shape.
I was four days under the hospitable roof of Alexander Baillie, Esq. He, his half-brother, his amiable nieces, Miss Frazer of Belladrum, and Miss Chisholm, in short, all who belonged to that friendly worthy man, vied with each other who should pay me most attention, or afford me most pleasure, by shewing me every thing that was to be seen in that quarter; and those pleasures are above description, because every spot about that lovely and sublime situation is a never ceasing source of contemplation to an observing mind. The weather, alas! was not favourable. One day we went to the east border of the country of Aird, in which is Belladrum; and much did I lament that our time did not allow us to reach that place. We drove from Dochfour to Inverness: we did not go into the town, but continued on to the edge of the Firth; then turned towards Beauley. The first place we passed was Muirtown, Duff's, Esq.: by it is a great crag, composed of a substance very similar to lava; but no sign of a volcano near it. We drove to the rising hill that looks into Aird; passing through continued groves, backed by crags, and tolerably clothed with wood. One avenue consisted of the largest, and finest old ash trees I ever beheld. The hill on which we stopped is about six miles from Inverness; and from it a finer view cannot be seen: to the west, the rich country of Aird; consisting of a great variety of ground, of lofty mountains, and pastoral glens; wood clothing the heights, and fine trees sheltering the gentlemen's houses, which lie very thick in Aird;—several small lakes and waters, besides the fine Beauley river, watering and meandering through this district. I had the pleasure of seeing the white tops of Lovat Castle peeping between trees, near the mouth of the river Beauley. The town of that name, on the west side of the river, makes no inconsiderable figure in the view, greatly ornamenting the head of the Beauley firth. The houses being chiefly white, the town is seen at a great distance, backed by hills of all heights and shapes, some covered with wood; and trees in abundance on all sides. To the north also, I had much to admire in Rossshire; noble crags rising from the ferry of Kessack, partly rough, and partly verdant, terminating the view towards Cromarty. My eye was then feasted by a plain on the north side of Beauley firth, enriched by numbers of houses and castles; the most striking of them is Red Castle, belonging to a M'Kenzie, (for that is the M'Kenzie district;) few situations can be finer than that of Red Castle. The grand mountains on the north, and to the west of Castle Braan (Lord Seaforth's), form a fine sublime heap, not to be described; amongst these mountains, the sun shone with great lustre, which gave an amazing grandeur and brilliancy to the whole scene.
In the country of Aird the soil is very productive, in corn, as well as grass: and I was told, that both there, and in other parts around Inverness, some lands let from three to five pounds an acre. On the east side of the Ness, between the bridge and the Kessack ferry, are large thread and cotton works erected; which disfigure the town, but doubtless add to its riches. Inverness is the port that supplies all the inland parts of Invernessshire, south of Murray Firth, with necessaries and luxuries, not produced in the country, particularly coals, grocery, &c. These articles are conveyed by water with great conveniency, from the Bona ferry, at the foot of Loch Ness, to Fort Augustus, the Glens Urquhart and Morrison, and other places.
I have already mentioned the present amiable manners of the people of Inverness, and the adjacent country; and I must also add, that they are now perfectly secure in their property, as well as polished in their behaviour (which is not always the case in the south), retaining the honest simplicity and hospitality of the patriarchal age, which the rub of refinement has not impaired. Indeed, not only in Inverness, but in most parts of the Highlands, the manners of the people are pleasant to a great degree; and the poorest of the poor will vie with each other which can most assist, or gratify a stranger, provided it be not on a Sunday. On that day, if a carriage breaks down in the Highlands, there it must lie, for no hand will be found to mend it; not for want of good will, but for conscience' sake. In the Lowlands, in and about large towns, particularly where there are manufactories, or in sea-ports, there are as many depraved folks as in England: but in the Highlands all is safety and security;—no fear of thieves by night or day. All the doors and windows are left unfastened: and I have even seen sideboards, covered with plate of very great value, stand open in parlours night and day, without fear of its being touched.
One instance, however, will shew what they were in Invernessshire, in former times, and what I found them, and have described them to be now.
One of the M'Donalds of old, probably from Lochaber, coming down to visit Culloden, near Inverness, observed how numerous, and how very fine his cattle were. Culloden lamented, that in all probability he should not have sufficient pasture for them during the winter. M'Donald eyed the cattle, and told his friend he could accommodate him in that matter, if he wished it; he having fine pasture in abundance. The bargain was made for so much a head, for a stated time; and M'Donald promised to take the utmost care of the beasts, if Culloden would have them driven up to his lands; which was accordingly done. In about two months a man from M'Donald came down with a long face, saying, "his chief was in great trouble and dismay, at Culloden's cattle having been all stolen, and driven away." Culloden, who perfectly well understood the meaning of all this, without expressing either anger or concern, ordered his chief man to take great care of this messenger, and ply him well with meat and drink. After a day or two, the man signified he must return. Culloden, before he departed, called him before him, and without saying a syllable of the cattle, asked him if he had been treated to his heart's content; gave him money, and dismissed him. Them an went up to M'Donald, and said to him dryly, "the man must have his cattle back again." This peremptory speech astonished the Highland thief, who remonstrated; but the man insisted, and swore if he did not comply, he would blaze abroad his roguery, and oblige him to it by force. M'Donald knew his man, and the consequences if he continued obstinate. He therefore quietly submitted; and in a short time sent the same man again to Culloden to acquaint him, that he was very happy in having overtaken, and rescued his cattle from the thieves who had driven them away.
The practice of stealing cattle, in that part of Lochaber about Fort William, subsisted so late as the year 1746. An officer, at the time when the regiment he was in was building Maryborough, the small town adjoining Fort William, told me that he, at the head of a band of men, had many sharp encounters with the country people; who came down in the night, and drove away the cattle collected for the provision of the regiment.
To return to Dochfour. One day I walked through the beautiful woods of Dochfour to a burn, running precipitately from one of the large mountains to the north of the house; forming in its way a number of beautiful falls. I only saw the last of them; which, for beauty and concealment, might tempt Diana's self, and favourite nymphs, to cool themselves in it. The access to it is difficult, as it is deeply imbosomed, and almost excluded from light by rocky banks, thick bushes, and trees of fir, oak, birch, maple, mountain ash, &c.; many of which recline over the limpid stream, that like a mirror, reflects and doubles their beauties. As I stept from stone to stone, a passage in the Gentle Shepherd came to my recollection, where Jenny says,
"Gae farer up the burn, to Habbie's How,
Where a' the sweets of spring and simmer grow:
Between twa birks, out o'er a little lin,
The water fa's and maks a singand din:
A pool, breast-deep, beneath as clear as glass,
Kisses wi' easy whirls the bord'ring grass.
We'll end our washing while the morning's cool;
And when the day grows het, we'll to the pool,
There wash oursells.—It's healthfu' now in May,
And sweetly cauler on sae warm a day."
This pool is sometimes made use of as a cold bath, by the lovely lasses who frequent Dochfour.
Another day I walked to the foot of the great lake, passing by some old monastic ruins, on a small peninsula between the great lake and the branch of it opposite Dochfour house. Few scenes can be found more majestic than that, viewed from the foot of the lake, and under the red cliff mountain on the north side, and even all the way to the entrance into Glen Urquhart. The whole of Loch Ness is before you in front. Its length is twenty-four miles; its breadth, from two to two miles and a half; perfectly straight, running from south-west to north-east; completely filling the space between the sublime overhanging mountains, with summits in the clouds; some covered with wood, others rearing up, from a bold base, their craggy heads, frowning majestically over the wide glassy vista beneath them, fading in the horizon, with the tops of the distant mountains mellowed down to the softest shades, till all is lost in unison with the clouds, sweeping behind the nearer, and huge projecting sides of Meal-four-vounie, lying between Glen Urquhart and Glen Morrison. The mountain called Meal-four-vounie is 3060 feet above the level of the sea; and viewed at a distance, is a prodigiously fine object, towering above its neighbours; but near, it becomes, as its Galic name denotes, a lump of cold moor; though the side of it on Loch Ness is clothed with wood to the water's edge. There is a lake of cold fresh water upon the top of Meal-four-vounie, the depth of which cannot be fathomed. The country people affirm, if any thing be put into the lake at the top of the mountain at night, it is sure to be found in the morning in the great lake below. From the foot of the great lake, I continued the road on the north side, under the grand sweeping mountains of Red hill, &c.; nothing but the road, the width of a cart between the hills and the lake, and that often on a shelf cut out of the rocks, hanging over the water; with continued patches of alder, birch, whins, and mountain ash; and ash trees bending over the crags to the lake, and creeping up the rugged mountains' sides. Here and there wide channels filled with round loose stones, brought down from the mountains by torrents and burns, in hard rains. The projecting shore on which the grand ruin of Castle Urquhart stands, forms a noble object in the view; and the bold rocks and woods of the southern bank complete this truly sublime scene. I was unable to walk as far as the beginning of Glen Urquhart; but I was told it is a perfect Eden. The fine ruin of the castle of Urquhart, erected by the Cummings, and demolished by King Edward, now belongs to Sir James Grant. It seems the inhabitants of Glen Urquhart are so wedded to it, that not one native has quitted it, nor one foreigner taken up an abode therein, for ninety years. There is also a curious well, of which women drink after childbirth, instead of being churched.
With great regret I turned my back on this grand scene; but my legs would carry me no farther, I was therefore obliged to submit.
The space between the Murray Firth, and Loch Eil, may be truly termed a hollow of sixty-one miles; the broadest part of it is occupied by the waters of Loch Ness; in many other parts it is not so much as a quarter of a mile in width. In former times, the noble family of the Cummings (there being no less than seven earls in it), had immense property in this part of the country; and I was told they had a chain of strong castles in the hollow, from Fort William all the way to Inverness, the ruins of which still exist; but they have now, as well as the land, a variety of proprietors. The country people still call Fort Augustus by its old Galic name, Kil-y-a-Whoimin, or the burying place of the Cummings; which it was in the time of that great family.
Let a frost be ever so hard, Loch Ness never has been known to freeze; it is therefore imagined, the whole bed of it is of sulphur. The water of the Ness river, and I believe most of the water about Inverness, is strongly impregnated with it, and often disagrees with man and beast, particularly with strangers unaccustomed to it. In the spring, 1796, some military men were obliged to be removed from Inverness, many of them having died of the flux, in consequence of the water being so strongly impregnated with sulphur.
There is the finest salmon trout I ever saw or tasted, in the small lake, or rather a branch of Loch Ness, just below Mr. Baillie's house; and in such abundance, that whenever he had occasion for fish, he had nothing to do but to send his fisherman on the lake, and in half an hour, or less, he produced such trout as were quite a picture to look at, and a feast to taste.
It has been said, and I believe written too, that the Duke of Cumberland, on the memorable day of the battle of Culloden, suffered his resentment to extend beyond all bounds of humanity; that he had the wounded Highlandmen shut up, and shot in cold blood. The fact was really far otherwise. His orders were positive to succour, not to butcher:—Colonel Hobby, however, instead of obeying these orders, went into the field after the battle, and himself shot all the poor wounded creatures he found alive. He afterwards, at Edinburgh, declared he was the man who did it; and even gloried in his horrid inhumanity.