,,scottish ,,loch ,,scenery4            
,,london3     ,,john ,,walker ,,and     
,,co4       ,,scottish ,,loch ,,scenery4
      ,,illustrated ,,in      ,a        
,,series ,,of ,,coloured ,,plates       
,,from ,,drawings ,,by      ,a4 ,f4     
,,lydon4      ,,with ,,descriptive      
,,notes ,,by ,,thomas ,a4 ,,croal4      
,,london3     ,,john ,,walker ,,and     
,,co4     #ahhb4         ,,contents4    
,,lochmaben     ,,loch ,,doon     ,,the 
,,grey ,,mare',s ,,tail     ,,st4       
,,mary',s ,,loch     ,,duddingston      
,,loch     ,,linlithgow ,,loch          
,,corra ,,linn     ,,stonebyres ,,fall  
,,loch ,,leven     ,,loch ,,fad         
,,loch ,,lomond     ,,falls ,,of        
,,inversnaid     ,,loch ,,katrine       
,,loch ,,lubnaig     ,,loch ,,earn      
,,loch ,,tay     ,,loch ,,awe     ,,loch
 ,,etive     ,,the ,,falls ,,of ,,foyers
     ,,loch ,,ness     ,,loch ,,coruisk 
,,loch ,,maree     ,,falls ,,of ,,the   
,,garravalt     ,,the ,,dhu             
,,loch--,,loch-,,na-,,gar     ,,the     

,,cauldron ,,linn     ,,scottish ,,loch 
,,scenery4     ,,lochmaben4   ,the      
visitor to ,scotland1 entering from the 
south1 has not far to travel before he  
reaches one of the loveliest lowland    
scenes the country possesses4 ,the very 
ancient burgh of ,lochmaben lies on a   
branch line a little distance from      
,lockerbie junction1 and1 apart from its
 picturesque surroundings1 the old place
 presents attractions of its own4 ,it   
dates from very early times1 and its    
burghers are known1 even to this day1 as
 'the king's kindly tenants4' ,many of  
the retainers of ,robert the ,bruce1 to 
whom and whose ancestors the castle     
belonged1 having obtained rights of     
property in one or other of the 'four   
towns of ,lochmaben1' under a tenancy   
direct from the ,crown1 hence forming   
virtually a proprietary interest4  ,in  
,burns's ,five ,carlines1 the burgh is  
called ',marjory o' the mony lochs1'    
from the numerous sheets of water       
around1 of which our view shows the     

largest and finest4 ,this is known as   
the ,castle ,loch1 and covers about two 
hundred acres4 ,although not surrounded 
by the high mountains and bolder scenery
 found further north in ,scotland1 this 
loch presents a scene of great beauty1  
having fine verdant hills surrounding   
it1 and being itself clothed on every   
shore with beautiful woodland scenery4  
,the ruined castle shown in the view    
occupies a prominent position upon a    
heart-shaped peninsula4 ,the visitor    
will find little but bare and massive   
walls to tell him of the extent of this 
fortress1 once covering sixteen acres in
 extent1 and forming the chief          
stronghold in the south-west of         
,scotland4 ,for many years after the    
castle fell into ruin it is said the    
king's tenants used it as a quarry for  
building stones1 and ,chambers1 in his  
,picture of ,scotland1 speaks of one    
honest burgher who then 'warmed his toes
 beside a pair of fine jambs procured in
 ,bruce's castle4' ,from the appearance 

of the ground1 it is evident the neck of
 the peninsula could be put under water 
for defensive purposes1 having both an  
outer and an inner defence of this kind1
 besides one or more intermediate fosses
 that speak of the same use4 ,the       
present is not believed to be the       
original castle built by the ,lords of  
,annandale1 but a subsequent erection of
 the thirteenth century4 ,the days of   
warlike lords and border forays are over
 for the ,castle of ,lochmaben1 and now 
it is to be regarded merely as a        
splendid addition to the picturesque    
attractions of this very charming       
district4 ,boats may be hired for a row 
or sail over the placid bosom of the    
loch1 and on a fine autumn evening no   
more delightful pleasure could be got4  
,besides its other attractions1         
,lochmaben presents a peculiar fact in  
natural history1 for in its waters are  
found--in addition to other fish--the   
vendace1 a species of fish found in no  
other loch4 ,it is popularly but        

erroneously called a fresh-water        
herring1 for it belongs to the family of
 coregonus1 one of the salmonidae4 ,this
 rare fish takes no lure1 and thus can  
only be netted1 and the fishing for it  
in the ,castle ,loch is limited to one  
day in the year1 in ,july1 when the     
vendace club meet1 fish1 and dine4 ,the 
,mill ,loch1 another and lesser of those
 surrounding the burgh1 also contains   
vendace1 which are fished for one day in
 ,august4 ,the ,castle ,loch measures a 
mile long by three quarters broad1 the  
,mill ,loch is half a mile by quarter of
 a mile1 and the other waters are the   
,kirk-,loch1 ,hightae ,loch1 c4         
,,loch ,,doon4   ,although intimately   
associated with those scenes to which   
,burns so plaintively puts the question 
',ye banks and braes o' bonnie ,doon    
,how can ye bloom sae fresh and fair8'  
and although it 'pours a' its floods'   
under that ancient brig where ,tam ,o'  
,shanter had such a narrow escape1 ,loch
 ,doon is far from the immediate land of

 ,burns1 lying remote in a wild and     
solitary mountain region4 ,the loch is1 
however1 within four miles of           
,dalmellington station1 and as there is 
excellent fishing1 coaches frequently   
carry the disciples of ,walton1 as well 
as searchers after the picturesque1 to  
this quiet1 outlying place4 ,loch ,doon 
is eight miles in length1 and irregular 
in form1 the lower limb of the ,loch1   
from which the river ,doon issues1 lying
 to the right as shown in our view4 ,the
 hills on the south are in the          
,stewartry of ,kirkcudbright1 and the   
loch1 forming1 over its whole length1   
the boundary between that county and    
,ayrshire1 is surrounded with pastoral  
mountains4  ,at the head of the loch1 at
 its southern end1 lies an island on    
which the remains of an ancient castle  
are seen4 ,this building1 the main      
feature of which is an octagonal peel or
 tower formed of large square stones1 is
 only vaguely traceable in history1 and 
at one time belonged to ,edward ,bruce1 

brother of ,robert the ,bruce4 ,rather  
more than half a century ago1 several   
canoes were found in the loch near this 
island1 each boat formed from the stem  
of a single oak tree1 the trunk being   
hollowed out1 and the ends finished off 
in form like a fishing-coble4 ,common   
repute gives to such boats an antiquity 
of eight or nine centuries1 but no      
absolute date can be assigned to them4  
,they belong to what has been called by 
an eminent ,scottish archaeologist1     
non-historic man4 ,whether they are also
 pre-historic may be matter of dispute4 
,the river ,doon1 for a portion of its  
course immediately after leaving the    
loch1 presents some very remarkable     
features4 ,the gully through which it   
flows gives the appearance of high      
cliffs rent asunder by some fierce      
cataclysm to give passage to its waters4
 ,the walk along this ravine is         
singularly striking1 the rocks seeming  
at every turn to close in so as to bar  
further progress1 and when the river is 

full after a wet season the spectacle is
 not without elements of terror4 ,all   
around1 the region abounds with lochs1  
,loch ,doon being the largest4          
,excepting as regards the branch line of
 railway leading to ,dalmellington1 the 
entire district lies apart and silent1 a
 region of hills1 occasionally1 as in   
,merrick 7#bgjd feet7 and ,cairnsmore of
 ,carsphairn 7#bfab feet71 rising to the
 dignity of mountains1 and wholly given 
up to pastoral uses1 except where the   
iron works around ,dalmellington suggest
 that this upward district touches the  
border of that mineral wealth which     
exists so abundantly a little further   
north4     ,,the ,,grey ,,mare',s       
,,tail4   ,while this is not the highest
 waterfall in ,scotland--for the        
inaccessible ,falls of ,glomak far      
exceed all others--the ,grey ,mare's    
,tail ranks as one of the most striking4
 ,we find amongst the hills at the      
north-west corner of ,annandale1 the    
waters of 'dark ,loch ,skene1' which    

find no outlet save over this breakneck 
descent4 ,far down in the vale below    
lies the watering-place of ,moffat1     
famous for its sulphureous springs1     
clear1 cool1 and medicinal4 ,coaches    
leave this town daily during the season 
to reach the other side of the hills1   
and ten miles distant from ,moffat this 
splendid natural phenomenon is seen4    
,the coach1 in the slow ascent to the   
higher level1 gives the visitor ample   
time to find1 on foot1 the best vantage 
points from which to see the fall4      
,when the stream is small1 the 'tail'   
falls off to thin threads of spray1     
dashed into films of prismatic beauty as
 they rush from rock to rock4 ,but in   
spate1 the effect comes out in all its  
grandeur1      ',white as the snowy     
charger's tail1'  and the               
appropriateness of the name bestowed on 
the waterfall evidences itself4 ,the    
entire fall is above two hundred feet at
 one leap1 over a dark rugged precipice1
 closed in on every side with sharp     

rocks1 and suggesting to the mind ideas 
of much terror and sublimity4 ,attempts 
have been made to scale the face of the 
fall1 occasionally with fatal results1  
and the imagination can create1 even if 
the eyes cannot see1 the fluttering of  
morsels of clothing that are pointed out
 by the guide as horrible memorials of  
such foolhardy attempts4 ,in this wild  
region were enacted some of the terrible
 scenes of the ,covenanters'            
persecution4 ,away in those grim        
solitudes1 'hunted like a partridge upon
 the mountains1' the dauntless upholder 
of the right of private judgment would  
betake himself1 associating with others 
of like determination4 ,on the ',watch  
,hill' opposite ,birkhill1 the          
persecuted people set sentinels to      
signal the approach of ,claverhouse or  
his men1 while away in a cave1 near a   
wild waterfall called ,dobb's ,linn1    
they held their proscribed services1 and
 here on one occasion the 'bloody       
,clavers' shot four men1 whose graves   

were marked in ,ettrick kirkyard not    
many years ago4 ,the wild desolation of 
this scene befits the dark and terrible 
incidents of which1 at this period1 it  
was the scene4 ,the farmhouse of        
,bodsbeck lies on the road between      
,moffat and the waterfall1 and has been 
rendered famous in literature through   
,james ,hogg1 the ',ettrick ,shepherd's'
 story of the ,brownie of ,bodsbeck1 a  
tale dealing with incidents of the      
persecution of the ,covenanters4  ,from 
,moffat can be reached in a different   
direction some notable hills and        
ravines1 amongst which may be named     
,hartfell1 and ,queensberry ,hill1 from 
the summit of both of which magnificent 
panoramas of scenery are opened to view4
 ,a remarkable scene is that of the     
,earl of ,annandale's ,beef ,tub1       
otherwise called ',the ,devil's ,beef   
,tub1' a vast semicircle of precipitous 
rock1 down in the bosom of which many   
beeves1 perhaps driven from other mens' 
lands1 could be hidden away4     ,,st4  

,,mary',s ,,loch4   ,there is no native 
of ,scotland who does not wax poetical  
when ,st4 ,mary's ,loch is named4 ,round
 it and the district of which it is the 
crown and glory there centres more of   
legend1 ballad1 poem and sentiment than 
is to be found anywhere else1 and in    
good sooth it is only necessary to visit
 the place to realize the halo of love  
and admiration which has been thrown    
around it4 ,then it is also the centre  
of a famous angling district1 and in    
',tibbie ,shiel's' the 'contemplative   
man1' when his day of enjoyment is done1
 will find a tidy bed1 and eke some     
jovial companion1 who will make the     
evening hilarious as the day has been   
exhilarating4 ,if the tourist has       
visited the ,grey ,mare's ,tail1        
described in the preceding chapter1 the 
same coach that has brought him from    
,moffat will bring him on to this scene 
of singular pastoral beauty4  ,st4      
,mary's ,loch presents sufficient space 
to make up a fine landscape1 and is not 

too large to be taken in at one glance4 
,in its still beauty it has its chief   
charm3--      ',you see that all is     
loneliness1     ,and silence            
aids--though the steep hills     ,send  
to the lake a thousand rills1     ,in   
summer tide1 so soft they weep1     ,the
 sound but lulls the ear to sleep4      
,your horse's hoof-tread sounds too     
rude1     ,so stilly is the solitude4'  
,the square keep seen in the foreground 
is ,dryhope ,tower1 the home of ',mary  
,scott1 the ,flower of ,yarrow4' ,here  
we at once plunge into the old ballad   
and foray1 for she married ,wat of      
,harden1 a famed ,border freebooter1 and
 to name him is to let loose a flood of 
reminiscences1 legends1 and family      
histories1 on which the space at command
 here will not permit us to enter4  ,the
 old kirk and kirkyard of ,st4 ,mary's  
were not less remarkable than the       
loch3--      ',lord ,william was buried 
in ,st4 ,marie's ,kirk1       ,lady     
,margaret in ,marie's ,quire1     ,out  

o' the lady's grave there grew a red    
rose       ,and out o' the knight's a   
brier4'  ,thus ends the tale of the     
,douglas ,tragedy4 ,less famous people  
are buried there1 as another voice tells
 us1      ',for though1 in feudal strife
 a foe     ,hath laid our lady's chapel 
low1     ,yet still beneath the hallowed
 soil     ,the peasant rests him from   
his toil1     ,and1 dying1 bids his     
bones be laid     ,where erst his simple
 fathers prayed4'  ,the river ,yarrow   
flows through ,st4 ,mary's ,loch1 having
 passed through the small ,loch o' the  
,lowes before reaching the larger water1
 ',tibbie ,shiel's' lying between the   
two lochs4 ,yarrow is well known to     
every reader of ,wordsworth1 and we must
 pass rapidly over what might be        
suggested by that single word1 so soft  
in sound1 so suggestive of the old-world
 lore of this magical district4 ,of     
every nook and dell1 hill and valley1   
stream and loch1 there are stories and  
songs without end1 everywhere           

',you hear sweet melodies     ,attuned  
to some traditionary tale4'  ,heroes and
 bold outlaws1 fair women and sorrowing 
widows1 strifes and plunderings1        
genealogies and traditions--the ,vale of
 ,yarrow and its surrounding hills and  
streams abound in these4 ,all hushed are
 they now1 and the once warlike burgh of
 ,selkirk is a thriving manufacturing   
town1 but while the ',flowers o' the    
,forest' are1 in one sense 'a' wede     
away1' the natural attractiveness of the
 district remains1 with all the stories 
of byegone times to add to its interest 
for romantic or poetic minds4           
,,duddingston ,,loch4   ,the smallest of
 all the notable lochs in ,scotland1 its
 circumference being under a mile and a 
half1 ,duddingston is nevertheless      
famous as the resort of curlers and     
skaters1 and for very many years it has 
been a favourite playground of the      
citizens of ,edinburgh1 whenever ,john  
,frost holds reign1 and the ice is      
pronounced safe by the police4 ,the     

water is deep1 and the loch is fed by   
several springs far down in its depths1 
so that it is not a mere touch of frost 
that will produce practicable ice at    
that part of the loch just under the    
rocky knoll overhanging the middle4 ,but
 when the frost has lasted for two or   
three days1 and the word is passed round
 in the city that ',duddingston is      
bearing1' then as if by common consent  
the city is stirred to wend its way to  
the loch4 ,everyone is there1 from the  
arab who has perhaps at no other time a 
shoe on his feet1 and whose sport can   
only consist of 'keeping the pot        
boiling' down the long slides that      
speedily get formed1 to grave lawyers1  
councillors and magistrates1 while      
crowds of the fair sex also don their   
skates1 and anon the surface of the loch
 gets obscured by the multitudes of     
people disporting on the ice4 ,there    
have been times when ,duddingston1 like 
the ,thames1 has been so strongly frozen
 that an ox has been roasted upon it1   

and ',frost ,fair' is still a tradition 
amongst old people4 ,but a thickness of 
five or six inches of ice suffices to   
make the entire surface safe and solid1 
and when by the continuance of frost the
 ice reaches to nigh two feet thick--no 
uncommon event--then the frosty carnival
 is at its best4  ,the village of       
,duddingston reposes under the wing of  
,arthur's ,seat--the hill shewn in our  
view--and lies to the right4 ,in the    
village is the house in which ,prince   
,charles ,edward lodged before the      
battle of ,prestonpans4 ,in former      
times1 ,duddingston was famous for      
'sheep's head' dinners1 and its fruit   
gardens were also a favourite resort in 
summer4 ,the parish church1 seen amidst 
the bare trees1 is of architectural     
interest because of several portions of 
,norman work still extant1 and also from
 the fact that at the gate of the       
churchyard are to be seen the 'jougs'1  
an iron collar used as a pillory1 and   
also a curious relic1 a 'loupin' on     

stane1' placed considerately there so   
that persons attending church on        
horseback should reach their saddle with
 the least trouble4 ,in the comfortable 
manse1 which lies away to the right1    
there lived for a time the ,rev4 ,john  
,thomson1 one of ,scotland's greatest   
landscape painters1 who was minister of 
the parish1 and died there in #ahdj4    
,the roadway running between the rocky  
knoll and the main hill is called the   
',windy ,gowl1' and in certain          
directions of the wind is almost        
impassable4 ,the precipitous rocks      
standing to the left of the hill are    
known as ',samson's ,ribs1' and consist 
of basaltic columns of the same         
formation as ,fingal's ,cave and the    
,giant's ,causeway4 ,viewed as we see it
 from the east end of ,duddingston      
,loch1 ,arthur's ,seat loses the fine   
leonine form it presents in every other 
direction4 ,it is a noble hill1 and     
although little more than eight hundred 
feet high1 its position as a solitary   

eminence gives it much grandeur of      
appearance1 and the view from its summit
 is nowhere surpassed4 ,on a clear day1 
the eye may wander from the ,cheviot    
,hills on the ,border1 to the ,grampians
 in the north-west1 and while the city  
of ,edinburgh lies spread out below1 the
 varied landscape of the ,lothians and  
the sparkling waters of the ,firth of   
,forth come in to make up a panorama of 
varied beauty1 amply repaying the slight
 toil of the ascent4     ,,linlithgow   
,,loch4   ,we reach here a quiet loch1  
of no great extent1 but presenting a    
beauty of its own1 and famous from its  
association with the ancient palace that
 crowns the peninsula in its centre4    
,the tale of ,flodden ,field is closely 
associated with this palace1 for in the 
small turret at the right hand corner   
furthest in our view there sat ,queen   
,margaret in her bower1 watching the    
turn of the road by which the king ought
 to be seen on his return1 and weeping  
in secret misgiving as to the result of 

an enterprise which had been preceded by
 such a singular warning4 ,the scene    
described by ,lindsay of ,pitscottie1   
and better known through ',sir ,david   
,lindsay's ,tale' in ,marmion1 took     
place in the old parish church1 closely 
adjoining the palace1 the square tower  
of which is seen over the trees4 ,the   
king was in the practise1 on each       
anniversary of his father's death1 to   
proceed to ,st4 ,katherine's            
aisle1--still shown--and there to       
manifest his contrition for the share he
 had had in that sad act4 ,when         
',in ,katherine's aisle the monarch     
knelt     ,with sackcloth shirt and iron
 belt       ,and eyes with sorrow       
streaming'  there stepped out from the  
crowd a mysterious stranger1 'in azure  
gown with cincture white1' who warned   
the king not to go to the intended war1 
more especially warning him1 if he went1
 to guard himself against               
',woman fair     ,her witching wiles and
 wanton snare4'  ,every one knows that  

as regards both branches of the warning1
 the king proved regardless1 and much of
 the disastrous result of ,flodden arose
 from the king's fatal dalliance with a 
renowned ,border lady4  ,of the loch    
itself there is not much to say1 after  
it has been told that it is dominated on
 the north by the gentle and verdant    
declivity of ,glower-o'er-em or         
,bonnytoun ,hill1 on the summit of which
 is an elegant open gothic cross to the 
memory of ,adrian ,hope1 a soldier of   
note who fell in the ,indian mutiny4 ,an
 exceedingly pleasant hour or two may be
 spent boating on the loch4 ,on the     
level sward to the left of our view1 the
 ,linlithgow youth may be seen          
practising the game of cricket1 for     
which use of the palace precincts leave 
is given4 ,the palace grounds are open  
to the public1 the building being in    
government hands1 and1 it is believed1  
swallowing up the whole rent of the     
small farm adjoining in the plasterers  
account for maintenance of the extensive

 ruins4  ,within those walls the        
beautiful ,mary ,queen of ,scots was    
born in #aedb1 and the room is shown1   
roofless and bare1 as are other         
apartments of more or less interest4    
,the newest part of the structure is on 
the north side1 which is also the most  
ruinous1 for when ,hawley's dragoons1 in
 #agdf1 set fire to the palace1 the     
wooden floors here proved of course more
 easily destroyed than the vaulted and  
tiled floors in the older parts4  ,the  
porch1 it may be mentioned1 is copied at
 ,abbotsford1 and the fine fountain     
which stands in ruins in the courtyard  
has been reproduced in fac-simile at    
,holyrood ,palace in ,edinburgh4        
,leading to the palace from the town1   
the church door being also within it1 is
 a fine gateway1 with sculptured panels 
shewing the four knightly ',orders' held
 by ,james ,v41 namely1 the ,thistle1   
the ,garter1 the ,golden ,fleece1 and   
,st4 ,michael4 ,the town of ,linlithgow 
is a quiet1 decayed county town1 famous 

in history for the assassination of     
,regent ,murray by ,hamilton of         
,bothwellhaugh1 in the ,high ,street1   
and once distinguished by its singularly
 copious water supply from wells or     
springs1 some of which still run on the 
streets1 though most are now led into   
pipes for a general supply4     ,,corra 
,,linn4   ,the old rhyme has it that    
three of the finest rivers in ,scotland 
set out to run a race1 with varying     
fortunes3--      ',the ,tweed1 the      
,annan and the ,clyde1     ,a' took     
their rise out o' ae hill side1         
,tweed ran1 ,annan wan1     ,clyde fell 
and brak its neck o'er ,corra ,linn4'   
,as an actual fact those three rivers   
find their head waters within a very    
narrow space4 ,annan1 with the shortest 
course1 falls into the ,solway ,firth2  
,tweed1 getting many famous waters to   
strengthen its current1 the ,gala1 the  
,yarrow1 the ,ettrick and the ,teviot1  
rolls its noble course to the ,border   
city of ,berwick1 and runs into the     

,german ,ocean4 ,the ,clyde1 after      
surviving its leap over ,corra ,linn and
 other falls1 becomes the great highway 
for ships at ,glasgow1 and has the most 
useful1 as well as the most romantic    
career of the three4  ,before it breaks 
its neck o'er ,corra ,linn1 the ,clyde  
has already met with an accident at     
,bonnington ,linn1 and rushes over rocks
 and gullies of the most hazardous kind1
 so that it reaches the greater fall in 
a condition of turmoil and agitation far
 removed from the gentle character of   
its earlier course4 ,above ,bonnington1 
',smooth to the shelving brink1 a       
copious flood     ,rolls fair and       
placid1'  but when it approaches ,corra 
,linn1 the water is alive and           
tumultuous1 and plunges over really as  
if it would break its neck in its mad   
career4  ,to reach this fall1 the       
visitor leaves the burgh of ,lanark at  
its lower end1 proceeds to              
,kirkfieldbank1 and there obtains a card
 of admission to the grounds of         

,corehouse4 ,the river is crossed at    
,kirkfieldbank1 but long ere reaching   
this the water has quieted down1 and    
flows gently along4 ,the roar of ,corra 
,linn may however be heard1 especially  
if the ,clyde be in flood4 ,the walk    
after entering the grounds is not long1 
when1 following the course indicated by 
cards 7though the sound of the water    
indicates the way pretty well17 we reach
 the ruins of ,corra ,castle1 just      
overhanging the fall4 ,a little         
roadway1--quite safe1 for it is on the  
solid rock--leads down to a projecting  
cliff from which1 seated on the benches 
placed there for the purpose1 the       
splendid sight can be viewed at leisure4
      ',dashed in a cloud of foam1 it   
sends aloft     ,a living mist and forms
 a ceaseless shower4'  ,in the sun1 tiny
 rainbows form1 as different points of  
view are taken4 ,the deafening roar of  
this grand cataract rises and falls in a
 singular way1 as if every slight       
inequality in the volume of the river   

could be detected4 ,the note is low and 
grand1 so that the sound of the human   
voice1 shrilly set above its deep       
diapason1 is easily heard1 and          
conversation can be quietly carried on4 
,as in all great waterfalls1 the        
impression is deepened and strengthened 
by familiarity4 ,for one minute the     
feeling may arise 'is that all'--the    
next1 the grandeur of the scene has won 
its way to the mind and taken captive   
the imagination4 ,sit for an hour and   
the feeling will grow1 while to revisit 
it day after day for a week will        
intensify wonder and admiration at the  
marvellous scene4 ,does it plunge and   
roar thus1 year in1 year out1 day and   
night1 continuously8 ,is there no pause1
 no rest1 for the tost and troubled     
water--no quietness for those           
reverberating rocks that stand around in
 awe of the ceaseless and giant power   
that has so eaten its way into their    
hearts8  ,everyone who visits ,corra    
,linn walks through the ground to       

,bonnington ,linn1 which from the       
,corehouse side is seen in face1 the    
water plunging over in two streams      
divided by an island4 ,if these falls   
are approached on the ,bonnington side1 
the visitor sees ,corra ,linn in face1  
can descend 7by a steep descent7 to the 
bed right under the fall1 visits the    
,wallace ,cave where the river roars    
through a gulley only a few feet wide1  
and may cross by an iron bridge to the  
island in the middle of ,bonnington     
,linn4     ,,stonebyres ,,fall4   ,in   
this cataract1 the ,clyde leaps a       
greater distance than in either of the  
falls above1 and by many it is          
considered the finer of the two great   
waterfalls4 ,it lies about three miles  
below ,lanark1 and is reached from the  
public road4 ,it is difficult of access1
 for the visitor must either content    
himself with a distant view1 or take his
 heart in his hand and descend a        
precipitous and dangerous path1 where at
 times to hang on by the eyelids may    

seem the only resource4 ,in speaking of 
,corra ,linn1 nothing has been said of  
the extreme beauty of the scene through 
which the river flows4 ,from ,hamilton  
to some distance above ,lanark1 the     
,clyde valley is a famous fruit         
district1 itself a testimony to the     
richness and mildness of the locality4  
,it would be vain to dwell on the sylvan
 splendours of the reach of the river   
from ,bonnington to below ,corra ,linn4 
,high banks overhang the whole way1     
sometimes running to bold cliffs1       
crowned with woody knolls1 with shining 
snatches of verdure in every crevice2 at
 other points wooded to the water's     
edge4 ,standing on the bridge at        
,kirkfieldbank the river is seen        
pleasantly flowing on towards its third 
leap1 the greatest of the series4       
,before passing by the road to this     
scene a detour should be made1 on the   
opposite bank1 to the ,cartland ,crags1 
where a lofty bridge crosses the river  
,mouse1 and amongst whose lofty cliffs  

the hero ,william ,wallace found refuge 
after his famous exploit in slaying     
,haselrig the ,english ,sheriff4        
,approaching ,stonebyres1 the war of    
troubled waters is again heard4 ,the    
stream is not far off the road1 and only
 a short walk is necessary before the   
scene bursts upon the view4 ,of course  
glimpses of the waterfall can be        
obtained from many points1 but the      
choice aspect is to reach the bed of the
 stream below1 and gaze upwards on the  
mighty rush of waters4 ,to one who is   
bold and sure-footed there is no great  
difficulty in approaching pretty near   
the fall1 unless the river should be in 
spate1 when of course the difficulty is 
increased1 and may indeed become too    
dangerous to be possible4 ,supposing the
 fall approached within several score of
 yards1 what a splendid scene1 and how  
thrilling is that on which we gaze6     
',o what an amphitheatre surrounds      
,the abyss1 in which the downward mass  
is plunged1     ,stunning the ear4'     

,the entire descent is about ninety     
feet1 in several distinct leaps4 ,this  
broken character of the two great falls 
gives them a great deal of their        
distinctive beauty4 ,doubtless1 if the  
flood had plunged in one sheer leap1 the
 turmoil below would have been greater1 
but the picturesque aspects of the scene
 would have been lessened4 ,the jutting 
rocks and ragged edges by which the fall
 is broken1 give to the face of the     
waterfall an ever varying feature1 and  
with the undulating flow and gamut of   
sound here1 as at ,corra ,linn1 it      
presents at each moment some new point  
for admiration4 ,then the triple and    
repeated leaps churn the water into the 
snowiest foam and spray1 so that the    
falls have great brightness and         
lightness in spite of the quantity of   
water plunging over4 ,the combination of
 tones of colour is indeed notable1 and 
when to the greens and browns of rock   
and tree1 and the white foam of the     
fall1 there is added a brilliant        

sunshine and cerulean sky flecked with  
light clouds1 anyone standing here may  
well exclaim that      ',earth hath not 
anything to show more fair4'     ,,loch 
,,leven4   ,this loch has at the present
 day a two-fold attraction--historical  
and piscatorial4 ,like most other places
 of interest in ,scotland1 the story of 
,loch ,leven and its castle clings round
 the chequered career of ,mary ,queen of
 ,scots4 ,here1 for eleven months1 the  
beautiful ,stuart ,queen lay a prisoner1
 and eventually her escape was arranged 
with all the romantic devotion and quiet
 daring with which she was ever able to 
inspire all who fell under the spell of 
her charms or the pity of her fate4     
,here1 as ,burns has taught us to       
believe1 she uttered that sad ',lament  
on the ,approach of ,spring' which forms
 one of the most touching bits of the   
national poet's writings1      ',now    
,nature hangs her mantle green       ,on
 every blooming tree1     ,and spreads  
her sheets of daisies white       ,out  

o'er the grassy lea4             99     
99       99       99       99      ,now 
blooms the lily by the bank1       ,the 
primrose down the brae2     ,the        
hawthorn's budding in the glen1         
,and milk-white is the slae3     ,the   
meanest hind in fair ,scotland          
,may rove their sweets amang1     ,but  
,i1 the ,queen of a' ,scotland1         
,maun lie in prison strang4'  ,the      
waters encompassing the castle form a   
loch of an irregular square form1 with a
 maximum length of four miles1 and over 
two miles wide4 ,the island on which the
 castle stands is not the largest1 there
 being1 at the eastern end1 a large     
island named after ,st4 ,serf1 and still
 showing the remains of a priory1       
originally ,culdee1 and of which        
,wyntoun1 author of the ,orygynale      
,cronykil1 was once the head4 ,the      
castle1 a massive square keep1 with a   
quadrangle of fortified buildings around
 it1 is of great antiquity1 dating1 it  
is alleged1 from ,pictish times4 ,the   

walls of the keep are in good           
preservation1 and the lower floors1     
being vaulted1 still remain4 ,the       
surrounding wall1 with circular towers1 
can be walked upon1 but the main        
buildings in the area are only indicated
 by lines of foundation walls4 ,from the
 side nearest in our view a sunken      
causeway formerly connected the castle  
with the promontory on which ,kinross   
,house stands1 and it can still be      
traced at the bottom of the loch4  ,the 
surroundings of the loch include the    
,western ,lomond1 and the ,bishop ,hill 
on the north-west1 and ,benarty on the  
south4 ,regarding the last named hill1 a
 retired politician is said to have     
written the following couplet1 in       
retirement here1      ',oh blest is the 
man wha belangs to nae party     ,but   
sits at his door and glowers at         
,benarty4'  ,the district traversed in  
reaching the loch impresses the visitor 
as being fruitful and prosperous1 and   
there are abundant evidences around of  

much mineral wealth4 ,it is1 however1   
for angling purposes that ,loch ,leven  
attracts the greater number of its      
visitors4 ,the ,loch ,leven trout are   
active and firm-fleshed1 and are in much
 esteem both for the sport they yield   
and for the table4 ,at the west end of  
the loch1 close by the town of ,kinross1
 boats are let for angling1 and besides 
many private parties1 a large number of 
clubs hold stated competitions on ,loch 
,leven1 and the 'baskets' made1 and the 
prospects of sport1 are the subject of  
daily reports in the ,edinburgh and     
,glasgow newspapers4 ,beds and boats are
 telegraphed for in advance1 regarding  
which a good story is told of an        
,edinburgh journalist1 once famous with 
rod and line1 who first sent a wire to  
the unsophisticated ,kinrossians4 ,when 
he arrived he saw that he was           
unexpected1 and asked 'did you not get  
my message8' ,the reply was1 ',ou ay1 we
 got a letter1 but as it wasna in your  
ain handwriting1 we paid nae attention  

to it6'     ,,loch ,,fad4   ,this is one
 of the lochs without a history1        
although doubtless men have lived and   
died1 married and given in marriage1    
laboured1 plotted1 and perhaps thieved  
and robbed upon its borders4 ,it owes   
its presence in our collection because  
of its position in an island1 and that  
one of the most tempting spots in the   
more lowland parts of ,scotland4 ,the   
island of ,bute1 which unites with      
,arran and the ,greater and ,lesser     
,cumbraes to make up a county to which  
,bute gives its name1 lies on the west  
of the ,frith of ,clyde1 and is         
separated from the mainland on the inner
 side by a narrow1 tortuous1 and        
picturesque channel called the ,kyles of
 ,bute4 ,landing at ,rothesay we find a 
busy1 cleanly1 charming watering place1 
with suburbs of ,craigmore and ,port    
,bannatyne filling up the lovely shores 
of ,rothesay ,bay1 and giving from every
 window enchanting peeps of water and   
hill1 carrying the view far into the    

mountainous county of ,argyle4 ,writing 
of this lovely1 verdant island1 ,david  
,macbeth ,moir 7the ,delta of           
,blackwood17 says                       
'each moment brought     ,a new creation
 to the eye of thought4'  ,so much for  
poetry4 ,we may tell of ,bute a more    
prosaic story1 when a town-lady1 going1 
as the ,glasgow people say1 'doon the   
watter1' asked a lodging-house keeper in
 ,rothesay about thunder1 and received  
the very satisfactory rejoinder1 more   
,scottice1 in question form1 ',wha ever 
heard o' thunder in an island8'         
,leaving ,rothesay by the road near its 
centre1 and passing the parish kirk1    
,loch ,fad is found about two miles out4
 ,on the south side1 forming the        
foreground and left of our view1 the    
shores are low and green1 but on the    
other side it swells out into bolder    
outlines1 and may fitly claim to be a   
,highland loch4 ,a curious mound crosses
 the water1 leading to its northern     
side4 ,on this side of the pretty island

 loch1 ,edmund ,kean1 in #ahbg1 built   
himself a residence4 ,from his windows1 
and more especially from a summer-house 
placed on the height above1 there is a  
grand view1 embracing not only the near 
waters of ,loch ,fad1 but glimpses of   
,rothesay ,bay1 and on the outer line   
the bold features of ,argyleshire4 ,over
 the doorway of this summer-house1 the  
great tragedian had those lines         
',how glorious from the loopholes of    
retreat     ,to peep at such a world4'  
,and this concisely expresses the       
feeling with which a wearied man may    
seek his holiday in such an island as   
this4 ,true it is1 that ,rothesay has a 
telegraph1 and a post office1 and a     
newspaper1 and that in two hours' time  
one can be set down in the heart of     
,glasgow4 ,but the insular charm is a   
great one4      ',the promises of       
blooming spring live here1     ,and all 
the blessings of the ripening year4'    
,those lines were formerly inscribed at 
,mount ,stuart ,house1 the residence of 

the ,marquis of ,bute1 recently burnt   
and rebuilt4 ,it lies on the ,clyde     
shore of the island1 at no great        
distance from ,rothesay1--indeed there  
are no great distances anywhere in the  
island--and forms one of the many       
beautiful drives through the island4 ,on
 the way thither the village of ,ascog  
is passed1 where on a rocky point       
jutting out into the river there is a   
little church1 and at its end a monument
 to ,montagu ,stanley1 poet1 actor1     
artist1 at one time well known in       
,edinburgh society4 ,from ,mount ,stuart
 and ,ascog1 and the other houses on    
this side of the island1 there is an    
extensive view of the ,frith of ,clyde1 
on the broad waters of which there is a 
never-ending panorama of steamers1      
yachts1 and gallant vessels4     ,,loch 
,,lomond4   ,justly termed the ,queen of
 the ,scottish ,lochs1 this magnificent 
sheet of water presents an almost       
infinite variety of scenery4 ,it has on 
the eastern side one of ,scotland's     

notable mountains1 ,ben ,lomond1 and    
around are hills of lesser1 though still
 great altitude1 over which the giant   
mountain towers as a monarch amidst his 
courtiers4 ,there are on the loch       
several excellent steamers1 and as the  
distance from the pier at ,balloch to   
the landing place at ,ardlui is upwards 
of twenty miles1 a day can be           
delightfully spent in going and         
returning1 giving the charms of         
,highland scenery without the ordinary  
fatigues of travelling1 and the delights
 of an excursion on a wide expanse of   
water without the attendant risk of     
sea-sickness4  ,there are on the bosom  
of ,loch ,lomond several large islands1 
and many small islets1 adding greatly to
 the beauty and variety of its scenery4 
,some of the islands are clad in oak2   
one is called ,inchlonaig1 or yew-tree  
island2 some display the silvery leafage
 of the birch1 others are covered with  
the hardier fir1 and here again the     
element of variety comes in to charm the

 sense4 ,our view shews the loch before 
it has narrowed to the lesser channel   
between ,inversnaid and ,ardlui1 and    
before it has lost the charm of those   
wooded islands that beautify the        
southern and wider part4 ,the bulky form
 of ,ben ,lomond fills up the scene1 and
 the sun shining amidst clouds is       
significant of the varied weather that  
may be encountered in one day4 ,the wide
 reaches and more lowland aspects of the
 southern end may be passed in all the  
enjoyment of a noon-day summer sun1 but 
ere the upper part of the loch is       
reached clouds may gather1 and a sudden 
torrent of rain or a sullen blast of    
wind may overtake the voyager4 ,but     
again1 in an hour all is peaceful and   
beautiful1 and the rain has served to   
augment and enhance the burns1 rivulets1
 and streams1 whose crystal waters feed 
the loch from every shore4 ,on several  
of the islands are ruins of old castles1
 and all around the scene is redolent of
 memories of old feuds1 violent strifes1

 and fierce clan struggles4 ,to-day all 
this is changed1 and we revel only in   
the grandeur and beauty of the scene4   
,those caves hide no caterans to rob us1
 the cattle and sheep on hill or island 
are safe from the foray1 and the        
dwellers around pay no black mail to    
save themselves from the attentions of  
stout and bare-legged ruffians4  ,at    
,rowardennan ,inn are guides and ponies1
 and although the stalwart man may      
dispense with the latter1 it is not safe
 to attempt the ascent of ,ben ,lomond  
without a guide familiar with the road1 
for sudden mists may envelop the        
climber1 and a mistake in the road may  
lead to death4 ,what is to be seen from 
the top8 ,rather ask what is not seen8  
,right away to 'the back of the ,north  
,wind' stretch the innumerable hills4   
,to the west the mountain ranges of     
,argyleshire1 to the south-west the long
 peninsula of ,cantyre1 with the waters 
of the ,atlantic seen beyond2 to the    
east the castles of ,stirling and       

,edinburgh may be picked out1 to the    
south the busy ,clyde1 and in the       
foreground the splendid loch itself4    
,ben ,lomond stands as a sentinel or    
outer-guard to the ,highlands1 and hence
 the range of view from it is of unusual
 extent4 ,all that is to be seen from it
 cannot be described1 so rich1 so       
extensive1 so varied are the prospects  
presented4  ,it is said that last       
century a visitor wrote some lines on a 
window-pane at ,tarbet ,inn1 on the     
ascent of ,ben ,lomond1 and a few words 
of his advice may fitly close our       
essay3--      ,rest1 oh6 rest--long1    
long upon the top1     ,there 'hale the 
breezes1 nor with toilsome haste        
,down the rough slope thy youthful      
vigour waste4     ,so shall thy         
wondering sight at once survey1         
,woods1 lakes and mountains1 valleys1   
rocks and sea1     ,huge hills that     
heaped in crowded order stand1          
,stretched o'er the western and the     
northern land4     ,,falls ,,of         

,,inversnaid4   ,an essential part of   
the ,trosachs tour is the coach drive   
between ,inversnaid on ,loch ,lomond1   
and ,stronachlacher pier1 where the     
steamer on ,loch ,katrine begins 7or    
ends7 her journey4 ,there is one little 
loch on the way1 from which emerges the 
,arklet1 which runs into ,loch ,lomond1 
and forms the fine series of cascades of
 which the upper fall is shown in our   
view4 ,there is almost no need to waste 
words in any description of this        
delightful scene1 so well does the      
picture we present describe itself4 ,we 
may say of it1 in lines that ,wordsworth
 has linked indissolubly with the place 
',a very shower     ,of beauty is thy   
earthly dower             99       99   
99       99       99      ,these trees1 
a veil just half withdrawn1     ,this   
fall of water1 that doth make     ,a    
murmur near the silent lake4            
99       99       99       99       99  
,in truth together do ye seem     ,like 
something fashioned in a dream4'  ,it   

may well be doubted whether the         
,highland girl1 with her 'twice seven   
consenting years1' and her 'homely ways 
and dress1' would have enchained the    
sympathetic poet1 had he seen her in    
some place less lovely1 or less         
provocative of a feeling of poetic      
contentment4 ,be that as it may1 it will
 be confessed that the scene1 with or   
without a ',highland ,girl' to stir the 
strings of the heart1 will remain       
impressed on the mind of every one who  
is sensible of the beautiful4 ,and so we
 can join with ,wordsworth1 in the      
conclusion he arrives at1 always        
excepting1 if necessary1 his passion for
 the girl of fourteen--      ',for ,i1  
methinks1 till ,i grow old     ,as fair 
before me shall behold1     ,as ,i do   
now1 the cabin small1     ,the lake1 the
 bay1 the waterfall1     ,and thee1 the 
spirit of them all6'  ,there are many   
remembrances of ,rob ,roy1 truthful some
 of them1 fanciful the rest1 in the     
vicinity of ,inversnaid4 ,not far off is

 ,rob ,roy's ,cave1 the entrance        
scarcely visible1 while within there is 
a vast cavern1 whence in fancy we may   
descry      ',the wild ,macgregor's     
savage clan     ,emerging at their      
chieftain's call     ,to foray or to    
festival4'  ,on the road between ,loch  
,lomond and ,loch ,katrine is seen      
,inversnaid ,fort1 now in ruins1 having 
in itself a chequered history4 ,built in
 #agac to check the ,macgregors1 it is  
said to have been at one time resided in
 by ,general ,wolfe4 ,now1 like some    
doomed city of old1 'the cormorant and  
the bittern possess it1' for the        
,macgregors are at peace1 their name and
 tartan are no longer proscribed1 and   
now no black-mail is levied on any one  
in the district but the strangers1 and  
for their protection the government has 
no need to provide4 ,it is at times a   
costly thing to travel in the           
,highlands1 when beds are at a ransom1  
and all the wealth of ,ind will not     
secure the coveted box seat of the      

coach4 ,but a ,macgregor who levies     
black-mail in a ,scottish city has put  
the thing in a nutshell1 for when       
remonstrated with about his charges he  
said1 ',what for should ,i charge       
less8--my hoose is fu' every nicht6'    
,there is true political economy shaking
 hands with the plunderer of the ,saxon6
     ,,loch ,,katrine4   ,the most      
brilliant gem in the loch scenery of    
,scotland is unquestionably ,loch       
,katrine or ,ketturin1 and it is        
needful1 however attractive or deserving
 of praise other waters may have proved1
 to avoid exhausting upon them the      
vocabulary of praise1 lest no words of  
greater admiration should be left for   
this1 the loveliest of them all4 ,even  
if ,scott had not superadded to ,loch   
,katrine the witchery of his genius1 and
 made ,ellen's ,isle as famous among the
 abodes of heroines as the ,fountain of 
,vaucluse1 this water would have        
asserted its claim to public regard4    
,true1 it was ,scott that gave the      

impetus for touring in ,scotland--or    
,scott-land as some have called it6--and
 ,loch ,katrine thus obtained a first   
hold upon the admiration of the world4  
,but spite of all rivals1 it maintains  
first rank1 and although it cannot cope 
with ,loch ,lomond or ,loch ,maree in   
point of size1 neither of those great   
lochs command the same admiration4      
,scott in ,the ,lady of the ,lake1 has  
depicted the scene in words of fire2    
taking sunset for the time4 ,the        
'gallant grey' has fallen1--the guides  
still point out the very spot6--and the 
huntsman pursues his way till the end of
 the glen is reached1 and ,loch ,katrine
 bursts on his view1                    
',an airy point he won1     ,where1     
gleaming with the setting sun     ,one  
burnished sheet of living gold1         
,loch ,katrine lay beneath him rolled1  
,in all her length far winding lay      
,with promontory1 creek and bay1        
,and islands that1 empurpled bright     
,floated amid the livelier light1       

,and mountains that like giants stand1  
,to sentinel enchanted land4'  ,in      
pointing to 'promontory1 creek1 and     
bay1' as the characteristics of the     
loch1 ,scott has depicted its most      
charming attributes1 while the islands1 
of which ,ellen's ,isle is the largest1 
help to enhance the effect4 ,as the     
little steamer breaks the still waters  
into drops that glance like gems in the 
sunlight1 the scene changes every       
moment1--changes in detail1 but never in
 degree of beauty1 for the loch is      
lovely throughout1 and never fails to   
enchant the eye4  ,the chief attraction 
of the loch itself is the lovely wooded 
isle that fills the foreground of our   
view1      ',the wild rose1 eglantine1  
and broom1     ,wasted around their rich
 perfume4     ,the birch trees wept in  
fragrant balm1     ,the aspens slept    
beneath the calm1     ,the silver light1
 with quivering glance     ,play'd on   
the water's still expanse4'  ,seldom    
indeed will the casual visitor have the 

opportunity of viewing this scene thus1 
by the silvery moonlight4 ,but in       
sunlight it is not less beautiful1 and  
the description is complete4 ,next to   
the island1 the point of attraction is  
the 'silver strand1' from whence one of 
the many fine views of ,ben ,venne may  
be had4  ,while ,loch ,katrine thus     
ministers to our love for the beautiful1
 its waters have learned to combine the 
utile with the dulce1 and here1 in      
,october #ahei1 came ,queen ,victoria to
 turn on the water for the supply of    
,glasgow4 ,many and fierce were the     
controversies as to this scheme4 ,but   
,lord ,provost ,stewart1 who was        
mercilessly assailed for upholding such 
a costly scheme of water supply1 is now 
commemorated in ,glasgow by a splendid  
fountain in the ,west-,end ,park1 and   
staticians and sanitary reformers are   
able to show that the death rate amongst
 the half million crowded workers in    
,glasgow has manifestly lessened since  
the city acquired the right to drink the

 sparkling waters of ,loch ,katrine4    
,,loch ,,lubnaig4   ,turning aside from 
the formal round of the ,trosachs and   
,loch ,lomond1 to penetrate into that   
wonderful district which the ,callander 
and ,oban railway has opened up1 we     
reach1 at no great distance from        
,callander1 ,loch ,lubnaig1 'the crooked
 lake1' so called from its bent form1   
which is almost identical with the form 
of the boomerang4 ,the river ,leny1     
which drains the lake1 passes through   
the ,pass of ,leny1 once famous as a    
gateway defending the entrance to the   
,highlands4 ,here1 whether viewed from  
the train or the road1 the river is seen
 to rush over huge rocks1 tearing1      
roaring1 and tumbling1 in a manner      
calculated to terrify the timid entrant 
to this wild district4  ,the lake itself
 lies clear1 black1 and deep1 a somewhat
 sullen1 yet always beautiful sheet of  
water4 ,on the left the dark masses of  
,ben ,ledi cast their shadows upon the  
water1 intensifying the depth of its    

tone1 and giving the loch its           
distinctive character4 ,near the water  
the banks are in many places full of    
gentle woodland beauty1 but as a rule   
the impression made by the overhanging  
bulk and the dusky-hued rocks of ,ben   
,ledi1 absorb the sense1 and the loch   
ever presents an idea of grandeur and   
desolation4 ,the railway line follows   
the edge of the loch over its whole     
length1 and the construction of this    
track formed a most difficult           
engineering task1 which at some stages  
of its progress was nigh abandoned in   
despair4 ,to get round the hard and     
unyielding shoulders of the mountain1   
where they impinged direct upon the     
water1 embankments had to be made across
 a number of bays and arms of the loch4 
,in one case the task of throwing rocks 
and stones into the water was persevered
 in for nine months without perceptible 
result1 but by continued labour a       
footing above water level was at last   
obtained4 ,as the train pursues its     

course along the bank of the lovely     
loch1--the eye the while rejoicing in   
the dark and placid beauty of the water1
 and the charm of the hill scenery      
beyond1--there will at times come the   
feeling that the distance between the   
carriage window and the treacherously   
pellucid depths of the loch is all too  
little4 ,the fear is unfounded1 for no  
sign of subsidence has been shewn--the  
mass of stones thrown in was too solid  
for that4 ,but this is a feature in the 
case that no traveller will fail to     
notice1 and the impression thus made by 
,loch ,lubnaig makes it a water which   
once seen will never be forgotten4      
,near the debouchure of the river is    
,st4 ,bride's ,chapel1 where ,angus     
thrust the fiery cross into the hands of
 ,norman1 as described in ,the ,lady of 
the ,lake4 ,about half-way up the loch  
is ,ardchullary farmhouse1 which was at 
one time the retreat of ,bruce the      
traveller in ,abyssinia1 who here wrote 
the volumes on which a century ago such 

keen controversies arose4 ,on the       
opposite side1 where the railway runs1  
is ,laggan1 said to have been the abode 
of ,helen ,macgregor1 whom ,rob ,roy    
carried off from here by force and      
married4 ,in the veritable histories of 
,rob ,roy1 however1 his wife's name is  
given as ,mary1 daughter of ,macgregor  
of ,comar4     ,,loch ,,earn4   ,no one 
can accuse the ,scottish lochs of want  
of variety1 for in each is found some   
specialty1 some individual beauty1 that 
stamps it on the mind1 so that the      
visitor can carry away a distinct       
impression4 ,nobody1 for example1 who   
has been at ,st4 ,fillans1 or attended  
the annual games there1 is likely to    
have any difficulty in remembering this 
pretty modern village1 and the fine loch
 near which it lies4 ,st4 ,fillan1 it   
may be mentioned is a personage of great
 sanctity in ,scottish hagiology4 ,and  
when his crosier1 carried away to       
,canada by its ',dewar' or hereditary   
keeper1 was recently restored to        

,scotland1 and placed in the ,national  
,museum at ,edinburgh1 one might have   
almost doubted whether ,scotland were   
really ,protestant at all1 so full was  
every one of the fame of this great     
miracle-working saint4 ,as is well      
known1 it was the presence of his       
arm-bone1 in the hands of the ,abbot of 
,inchaffray1 which enabled the ,scots to
 win the battle of ,bannochburn6  ,loch 
,earn1 it is to be understood1 was known
 before the ,trosachs4 ,although shut in
 at its upper end by the gloomy hills   
that darken ,glen ,ogle1 and from that  
side until recently not very accessible1
 it was reached from ,crieff and ,st4   
,fillans1 long before ,scott invented   
those wondrous stories about the        
,trosachs district which are to-day so  
veritable that the scene of each        
incident is pointed out4 ,and in its    
perfection of beauty--for so we consider
 it--it well deserves to hold its place 
in public regard4 ,the reverse view from
 that given here is also beautiful1 and 

it may be said that no more perfect     
scene can be witnessed than from the    
carriage window in the ,oban train as1  
high on the side of a steep and         
terror-striking mountain1 it enables the
 visitor to look down1 as with a        
bird's-eye view1 upon this lovely loch4 
,the sheet of water is symmetrical1 a   
feature which may be a beauty or a      
disadvantage1 according as the spectator
 looks for completeness of display1 or  
for mystery as the aim of the           
picturesque4 ,but1 as it is expressed by
 ,mac,culloch1 ,loch ,earn is           
'consistent and complete1' and he points
 out that by this completeness it       
possesses an appearance of extent beyond
 which it actually possesses4 ,the mind 
can grasp it all1 but we feel that there
 is a great deal to be grasped4 ,the    
hills are sufficiently high to give     
dignity to the scene1 and the glowing   
verdure all around gives it softness and
 beauty4 ,benvoirlich is its summit     
hill1 and the house of ,ardvoirlich--the

 ',darlinvaroch' of ,scott's ,legend of 
,montrose--occupies a fine spot half way
 down the loch4 ,in this mansion is     
preserved a singular talisman1 a perfect
 sphere of rock crystal1 with four      
silver bands1 which throughout the      
country side has the credit of curing   
diseases when dipped in water to be     
drunk by the patient4  ,it remains to   
notice some physical peculiarities of   
this loch4 ,although situated at an     
elevation of several hundred feet above 
sea-level1 its temperature is so equal  
that the water is never known to freeze1
 and even the stream that flows from it 
never shows ice on its surface till it  
has run several miles into bleaker      
regions4 ,the depth of the water is at  
some places six hundred feet1 and as it 
lies in the immediate region of         
earthquake in ,scotland1 it is allowable
 to conjecture that some hidden fire of 
nature far below keeps the water just a 
point or two above ordinary heat1 and   
thus produces the phenomenon stated4    

,there are trout in the loch1 and leave 
to fish can readily be obtained at      
either end1 as the hotel keepers have   
boats upon the loch4     ,,loch ,,tay4  
,many of the lochs of which we have     
spoken have the advantage of ,loch ,tay 
as regards the number of their visitors1
 and their repute in distant parts4 ,but
 in no case is greater beauty to be seen
 than here1 and no spot in ,scotland    
will more fully repay the labour of     
travelling to see it4 ,it lies          
surrounded with splendid hills1 ,ben    
,lawers on the north proudly towering   
over the scene4 ,it is very finely      
wooded over all its banks1 and its      
slightly irregular form creates change  
and variety at every mile of the way4   
,it is the merit of ,loch ,tay that now 
the visitor has 'three courses' before  
him1 like a great statesman of our day4 
,when he leaves ,killin station at the  
upper end1 or ,aberfeldy station at the 
lower end1 he may follow the coach route
 on the north side1 or he may prefer the

 less public road on the south side1 or 
he may sail on the bosom of the water in
 the steamer1 the ,lady of the ,lake1   
launched in #ahhb by the ,earl of       
,breadalbane4 ,from ,killin1 the        
direction of our view1 the north road1  
which is generally followed1 lies to the
 left4 ,just at the head of the         
road--one of the roads made by ,general 
,wade--is seen the ivy-covered ruin of  
,finlarig ,castle1 situated amidst fine 
woods1 and having near it the burial    
place of the ,breadalbane family4 ,the  
,queen1 visiting ,taymouth ,castle in   
#ahdb1 lunched at ,auchmore1 where the  
south road strikes off4 ,she speaks of  
the scene as enchanting1 and it would be
 difficult to find a more appropriate   
word4 ,ben ,lawers1 the ascent of which 
is made from ,lawers inn1 has not many  
superiors in height in ,scotland1 and   
its ascent is not difficult1 while the  
view from it is superb4 ,behind ,ben    
,lawers1 and further on running to a    
junction with the valley in which ,loch 

,tay lies1 is the grand district of     
,glen ,lyon1 of which many think1 that  
from its upper reaches in the ,forest of
 ,mamlorn to where the ,lyon falls into 
the ,tay1 there is not a glen in        
,scotland so weird and yet so verdantly 
beautiful4 ,the ascent of ,ben ,lawers1 
it may be mentioned1 has special charms 
for the botanist1 boasting amidst many  
rare plants the drooping saxifrage 7,s4 
cernua17 not elsewhere found in this    
country4 ,the district abounds in water 
and in waterfalls1 including the falls  
of ,acharn1 which are seen from the     
north side1 but may be visited if the   
south road be taken4 ,from near         
,aberfeldy1 when the noble river ,tay1  
the birth of this grand loch1 has run   
some miles of its course1 the tourist   
naturally turns aside to visit the falls
 of ,moness1 'the epitome of            
waterfalls1' as ,pennant says1 on a     
stream which flows through the town of  
,aberfeldy4 ,here is the scene so       
exquisitely sung by ,burns2      ',the  

braes ascend like lofty wa's     ,the   
foaming stream1 deep-roaring1 fa's      
,o'er hung wi' fragrant1 spreading      
shaws1                 ,the ,birks o'   
,aberfeldy4'  ,close by ,kenmore1 at the
 lower end of the loch is a wooded      
island1 on which lies buried ,princess  
,sybilla1 daughter of ,henry ,i4 and    
wife of the ,scots ,king1 ,alexander ,i4
 ,in the inn-parlour at ,kenmore ,burns 
wrote some lines of intense feeling and 
adoration1 in which he dwells on        
',the sweeping theatre of hanging woods2
     ,th' incessant roar of headlong    
tumbling floods1'  --twin               
characteristics of this most attractive 
region4     ,,loch ,,awe4   ,it is but  
seldom that the eye can rest upon so    
much soft beauty and stern grandeur as  
can be seen at one moment in looking at 
this grand loch4 ,rivalling ,loch       
,lomond in length1 it is much narrower1 
and while richer1 is perhaps less       
varied4 ,in sailing over its clear      
waters1 the richly wooded islands and   

green banks suggest some large and      
placid river4 ,crowded with islands1    
especially at its upper part1 each one  
with its ruin1 its legend1 or its sylvan
 beauty to attract1 the loch is in all  
respects charming4 ,there is            
,inishail--the island of the fair1      
immortalized by                         
,hamerton1--,inis-,fraoch1 the          
,hesperides of ,celtic romance1 with    
golden fruit1 a dragon1 a lover1 and a  
legend1 all in due form1 ,inistrynich1  
the island of the ,druids1 and many     
others4 ,and near the head of the loch  
is the peninsula on which stands        
,kilchurn ,castle1 to whom we may say   
with ,wordsworth1                       
'thy hour of rest     ,is come1 and thou
 art silent in thy age4'  ,this ruin is 
one of the favourite subjects of the    
,scottish landscape painter1 and its    
picturesque character is well seen in   
our view4 ,though now a complete wreck1 
it was entire and served as a post for  
the royal troops in the '#de1 and almost

 within living memory it was a habitable
 mansion4 ,it is said that an economical
 steward of the ,earl of ,breadalbane   
fancied the roof timbers would be useful
 at ,taymouth ,castle1 and had them     
removed4 ,it is certain that for long   
the gigantic stronghold served as a     
common quarry for the surrounding       
district1 and that even the church in   
the adjoining ,glen ,orchy has in it    
some stones from the old castle4 ,on the
 high ground to the right is a circular 
and somewhat rude yet effective stone   
monument to ,duncan ,ban ,macintyre1 of 
,glen ,orchy1 who died in ,edinburgh in 
#ahab1 aged #hi years1 and whose fame as
 a ,gaelic poet is unique4  ,at its     
upper end the loch forks into two arms1 
that to the right receiving the ,orchy  
and other feeders1 while that to the    
left runs through the dark ,pass of     
,brander1 and there1 in the river ,awe1 
the loch finds its outlet4 ,formerly the
 saying that 'it's a far cry to ,lochow'
 had more significance1 for now the     

railway has made this grand loch easily 
accessible1 and as the line skirts the  
upper end of the loch 7where a large    
hotel has been built7 and proceeds on   
terraced banks through the ,pass of     
,brander1 crossing the rapids of the    
,awe on a high bridge1 the traveller    
enjoys the beauties of the district in a
 large degree4 ,the sail on the loch is1
 however1 a part of the ,highland tour  
which no visitor should forego4  ,ben   
,cruachan1 whose double peak 7the       
highest #cffg feet7 dominates the       
district1 is one of the most striking of
 the ,scottish hills1 in its massive    
form1 magnificently swelling contours1  
and unique position1 giving perhaps a   
greater idea of bulk than other hills of
 the same height4 ,on three sides it    
rises from the water's edge1 ,loch ,awe 
in its two upper branches1 the river    
,awe1 and ,loch ,etive1 the sea-loch    
into which the latter runs1 washing its 
base4 ,the ascent of this noble ,ben is 
best made from the ,bridge of ,awe1 a   

scene rendered familiar in ,scott's     
,highland ,widow1 and the view from the 
summit is magnificent4 ,no one will ever
 regret the toil of surmounting         
'yon sovereign lord     ,huge ,cruachan1
 a thing that meaner hills     ,might   
crush1 nor know that it had suffered    
harm4'     ,,loch ,,etive4   ,coming    
round the base of ,ben ,cruachan by     
rail1 and leaving the ,pass of ,brander 
and the rapids of the river ,awe1 the   
observant traveller will not fail to    
notice that the large and spreading     
water he now approaches has the         
character of a sea loch4 ,if no other   
indication were given1 the presence of  
brown sea-wrack along the margin of the 
water would show that here the tides ebb
 and flow4 ,far away to the right1      
surrounded by grand hills1 and closed in
 at the distance by the bulky shoulders 
of ,buchael ,etive1 is the upper reach  
of the loch1 forming in itself a most   
attractive portion of ,highland scenery4
 ,the railway1 however1 confines itself 

solely to the south side of the lower   
and salter reach of the water1 separated
 from the inner loch by a reef of rocks1
 through the chief opening in which the 
receding tide rushes with the character 
of a waterfall4 ,passing along the loch1
 there is seen on the north side the    
remains of ,ardchattan ,priory1 one of  
the three religious houses established  
in ,scotland after the pattern of those 
in the ,val de ,choux 7,cabbage ,valley1
 or1 ,scottice1 ,kale ,glen1 as the     
recent historian of ,pluscardyn         
ingeniously puts it7 near ,chatillon1 in
 ,burgundy4 ,loch ,etive narrows at its 
mouth at ,connell ,ferry1 and then opens
 grandly into ,loch ,linnhe4            
,dunstaffnage ,castle1 shown in the     
view1 is one of the royal castles of the
 ,duke of ,argyle4 ,the building1 which 
is of great antiquity and strength1 was 
destroyed by fire in #agae4 ,some guns  
supposed to have belonged to the        
,spanish ,armada are in the castle1 and 
the remains of a chapel are seen1 in    

which are supposed to rest1 not only the
 remains of the actual ,king ,alexander 
,,ii1 but of various more or less       
apocryphal ,dalriad kings4 ,over the    
water is shown the site of the ,pictish 
capital of ,beregonium1 7said to have   
been destroyed by fire from heaven67    
and1 near it1 on ,bal-an-righ1 is a     
vitrified hill fort1 the ,selma of the  
poems of ,ossian4  ,at ,dunstaffnage was
 at one time kept the ,coronation       
,stone1 or ,stone of ,destiny1 of which 
the tradition says that it was the      
veritable stone on which ,jacob laid his
 head when he had the dream on his way  
to ,padan-,aram6 ,geologists say that   
the structure of the ,lia ,fail agrees  
with that of the stones at              
,dunstaffnage4 ,leaving out tradition1  
the stone is said to have been removed  
from this place to ,scone1 near ,perth1 
where the kings of ,scotland continued  
to be crowned till ,edward ,longshanks  
removed this ,scottish palladium to     
,westminster ,abbey1 where it remains   

to-day1 fixed beneath the coronation    
chair4 ,it is said that ,edward ,,ii4   
was willing to restore the ,stone of    
,destiny to ,scotland1 but was prevented
 by the ,london mob4 ,the 'destiny' was 
proclaimed in verses that have been     
rendered in this form      ',unless the 
fates are faithless grown       ,and    
prophets voice be vain     ,where'er is 
found this sacred stone       ,the      
,scottish race shall reign4'  ,without a
 doubt1 the house of ,brunswick claims  
the throne of those realms in           
consequence of their ,stuart descent1 so
 that the stone has not as yet failed in
 its effect1 and every one desires that 
the 'destiny' should continue in the    
same line1 whether the boulder from the 
borders of ,loch ,etive has anything to 
do with the matter or not4     ,,the    
,,falls ,,of ,,foyers4   ,here we have  
the culmination1 as regards beauty1 of  
the waterfalls of ,scotland4 ,this is   
one of the scenes that struck the       
imagination of ,burns1 as1 standing by  

the fall1 he wrote in pencil words that 
can never be omitted in any description 
for they fulfil all that description can
 effect--      ',among the heathy hills 
and rugged woods     ,the roaring       
,foyers pours his mossy floods     ,till
 full he dashes on the rocky mounds     
,where thro' a shapeless breach his     
stream resounds     ,as high in air the 
bursting torrents flow     ,as deep     
recoiling surges foam below     ,prone  
down the rock the whitening sheet       
descends     ,and viewless ,echo's ear1 
astonished1 rends3     ,dim seen through
 rising mists and ceaseless showers     
,the hoary cavern1 wide surrounding1    
lowers1     ,still1 thro' the gap the   
struggling river toils     ,and still1  
below1 the horrid cauldron boils4'  ,the
 last idea is one that ever recurs in   
the presence of a great waterfall1 and  
in every respect the description is     
perfect1 the shapeless breach1 the      
bursting torrent and the deep recoiling 
surges are each impressed on the mind1  

even if the visitor has not read        
,burns's lines4 ,when ,dr4 ,johnson     
visited ,scotland1 he too saw the ,fall 
of ',fiers' as it is called in his      
,journey to the ,western ,islands1 and  
although a long continuance of dry      
weather had robbed the fall of much of  
its promised grandeur1 ,dr4 ,johnson1   
while philosophically remarking that    
',nature never gives everything at      
once1' gives a striking word-picture1   
exercising as he says1 his thoughts to  
'conceive the effect of a thousand      
streams poured from the mountains into  
one channel1 struggling for expansion in
 a narrow passage1 exasperated by rocks 
rising in their way and at last         
discharging all their violence of waters
 by a sudden fall through the horrid    
chasm4' ,this is splendid1 and if old   
,samuel ,johnson had seen ,foyers at its
 best he could not have improved on the 
description4  ,the steamers on ,loch    
,ness invariably stay at the pier of    
,foyers1 affording time to walk to the  

grand falls4 ,the hotel here is built on
 the site of ',general's ,hut1' and     
still in ,johnson's day it is 'not ill  
stocked with provisions4' ,the name is  
given because ,general ,wade1 when      
superintending those roads that are     
rendered famous by his epitaph1 was     
lodged at this spot4 ,there are two     
falls1 with a distance of about a       
quarter of a mile between them1 the     
lower or great fall being that shown in 
the view4 ,over the upper fall there is 
a light bridge thrown1 and the scene    
here is very fine1 though it is exceeded
 in grandeur by the snow-white rush of  
the lower waterfall4 ,the latter earns  
its title of the 'fall of smoke1' the   
spray rising in never-ceasing clouds of 
grey mist-like smoke4  ,a notable scene 
in the immediate vicinity of ,foyers is 
the ,pass of ,inverfarigaig1 with vast  
cliffs1 and many interesting geological 
points of study4 ,by ascending this pass
 and striking westward a fine approach  
can be obtained to the upper fall of    

,foyers4 ,again1 by a ferry near the    
pier1 the loch can be crossed1 and the  
quaintly shaped hill of ,mealfourvonie  
can be ascended4 ,again1 a short        
distance brings the visitor to ,castle  
,urquhart1 while a little further on is 
,drumnadrochit1 rendered famous by      
,punch's ,fat ,contributor1--'your      
health sir1 in a dram6'--where but for  
the telegraph wire1 and the post office1
 and the newspaper1 and the frequent    
steamboats1 a man might moon away his   
time1 and never tire of the fine air1   
the wonderful surroundings1 and the     
remote stillness4 ,if a man wished to be
 a hermit1 and yet see much of the      
world1 to be unoccupied1 yet never fail 
of variety of occupation1 to be rested  
and refreshed1 yet interested and       
employed1 he could not do better than   
take up his abode at ,foyers for the    
four or five months of the long days    
between ,april and ,october4     ,,loch 
,,ness4   ,this loch1 with soundings    
deeper than any in the ,german ,ocean1  

has come into notice in an especial     
manner1 because it forms1 in its        
twenty-four miles1 a large section of   
famous tourist route1 the ,caledonian   
,canal4 ,the loch is within a few miles 
of the handsome town of ,inverness2 the 
river ,ness1 draining the loch1 running 
through the town to the ,moray ,firth   
after a short but lovely course over the
 intervening distance4 ,between ,loch   
,ness and the outlet there lies a vast  
gravel peninsula1 dividing the section  
known as ,loch ,dochfour from the rest1 
the barricade thus formed being a       
safeguard to the town against the       
enormous pressure of water that would   
otherwise flow out in times of flood4   
,as it is1 the records of the town point
 to terrible devastations from the ,ness
 coming down in strength4 ,the deep     
waters of the loch get lashed into      
stormy waves by gusts of wind rushing   
down from the surrounding glens1 so that
 ,loch ,ness does not always present the
 peaceful aspect of our view1 as seen by

 the summer visitor4 ,but we will take  
it on such a day by preference1 and can 
warrant to every one who comes that the 
sail in the fine steamers plying on the 
loch and canal will be redolent of joy  
and beauty and grandeur4 ,we may        
conceive that there is more comfort and 
ease in seeing ,loch ,ness than when1 a 
hundred and nine years ago ,johnson and 
,boswell rode along its shores4 ,but the
 high terms in which ,bozzy speaks of   
the scene are as fresh to-day as then1  
for the road shaded with birch trees1   
the hills above it1 the 'sequestered and
 agreeably wild' scene1 are as fitted to
 engross attention as ever4 ,we know    
also that they would see ,castle        
,urquhart1 on its prominent peninsula1  
and would probably be struck by the     
notable form of the hill called         
,mealfourvonie4 ,they stopped at the    
',general's ,hut1' as indeed we all do1 
for the new hotel at ,foyers is built on
 its site1 whence we take the road to   
visit the falls of that name1 as        

described elsewhere4  ,fort ,augustus1  
standing at the western end of the loch1
 is now a ,benedictine monastery and    
school4 ,built after the ,jacobite      
rising in #agae1 as part of the plan for
 holding the turbulent ,highlanders in  
subjection1 it remained crown property  
for a century and a half1 and falling   
into disuse and neglect was then sold   
for its present purpose4  ,although our 
view gives but a small section of the   
loch1 our notice may be directed to the 
other parts of the route that now yearly
 carries thousands of tourists through  
the ,glenmore-nan-,albin4 ,there is at  
,corpach the famous ',neptune's         
staircase1' where eight locks bring the 
boat from the outer loch to the canal   
level4 ,loch ,lochy1 ten miles in       
length1 forms the western portion4 ,then
 after two miles of canal ,loch ,oich is
 reached1 this sheet of water being four
 miles long4 ,then another cut takes to 
,loch ,ness1 the whole distance1 from   
the staircase to ,muirton lock on the   

east side being about fifty miles4 ,the 
entire route1 barring the delay at the  
locks up and down1 has all the charm of 
one continuous voyage on an inland lake1
 the portions in canal being almost     
indistinguishable except in width from  
the natural channels4 ,there is a       
constant variety and glory of scenery   
during the day's sail1 and nowhere can  
the traveller spend a holiday with more 
delightful surroundings4     ,,loch     
,,coruisk4   ,there are few scenes more 
fitted to move the imagination than the 
wonderful loch1 and the more wonderful  
hills that surround it1 presented in    
this view4 ,it is somewhat of an        
exaggeration for ,sir ,walter ,scott to 
say that here      ',nor tree1 nor      
shrub1 nor plant1 nor flower1     ,nor  
ought of vegetative power               
,the weary eye may ken4'  ,but this is  
distinctly the impression of a first    
survey of the wild scene1 though under  
glints of sunshine there will not fail  
to meet the eye little snatches of      

grassy bottom and stunted herbage1 here 
and there in the midst of the rocks4    
,yet there is so little to relieve the  
singular darkness of the rock-pent      
water1 and the dusky green of the       
,cuchullin hills that surround it1 that 
one fully appreciates1 even in the      
brightest weather1 how true a picture   
,scott has drawn of the scene3--        
',for rarely human eye has known     ,a 
scene so stern as that dread lake       
,with its dark ledge of barren stone4   
,seems that primeval earthquake's sway  
,hath rent a strange and shattered way  
,through the rude bosom of the hill1    
,and that each naked precipice          
,sable ravine and dark abyss            
,tells of the outrage still4'  ,to see  
,coruisk in fine weather is impressive1 
but it is when leaden clouds weigh down 
the atmosphere1 and dank mists clothe   
the rugged peaks around1 that the scene 
comes out in its full and weird         
impressiveness4 ,then 'naked precipice1'
 'sable ravine1' and 'dark abyss1' are  

seen to be true words1 and there comes  
on the spectator some feeling of scenes 
that have been read of in ,dante or     
,milton3--                              
',he views     ,the dismal situation1   
waste and wild4     ,a dungeon horrible 
on all sides round 99 99     ,regions of
 sorrow1 doleful shades1 where peace    
,and rest can never dwell4'  ,but we    
must not give too black a character to  
this loch and its surrounding hills4 ,it
 is no ,malebolge1 filled by 'sounds and
 sights unholy1' and while it impresses 
by its solitude and grandeur1 it also   
gratifies by its intense feeling of     
repose1 and its remoteness from the ills
 of busier life4 ,those visiting        
,coruisk will view with wonder the      
extraordinary peaks of the ,cuchullins1 
7pronounced ,coolins17 each more        
fantastic and broken than his neighbour1
 and all consisting of the green-black  
hypersthene trap that gives its         
character to the scenery here4          
,south-east of the loch is the mighty   

bulk of ,blabheinn1 7pronounced         
,blaven17 a huge mass with precipitous  
sides1 down which1 on the occurrence of 
one of the frequent showers of this     
watery isle1 the rain is seen to descend
 in broken rills of dazzling whiteness1 
making an extraordinary effect upon the 
upright face of dark rock4 ,to the      
north-east1 the ,cuchullin hills        
terminate in the ragged triple peak of  
,scuir-na-gillean1 the rock or hill of  
the young men4 ,this height was first   
scaled1 in recorded history1 in #ahcf1  
when ,principal ,forbes1 of glacial     
fame1 ascended it1 and since then1 with 
guides1 it has been frequently climbed4 
,but from the extraordinary formation of
 the hill1 the ascent is a work of much 
danger1 and lives have been lost in the 
attempt4 ,the peak is a narrow ledge1   
precipitous on every side4 ,the height  
is #cbbj feet1 and although             
,scuir-na-,banachtich1 the westmost     
peak1 is believed to be as high1 it has 
not been climbed so far as is known1 and

 thus ,scuir-na-gillean holds first rank
 in this wonderful group of mountains4  
,,loch ,,maree4   ,the first sight of   
this glorious loch1 as the stage coach  
from ,auchnasheen station brings the    
traveller to the top of a steep descent1
 is calculated to excite the liveliest  
emotions of wonder and surprise4 ,the   
road reminds one of some ,alpine pass1  
while far below stretches the large     
sheet of water1 with its western end    
eighteen miles away4 ,if for a moment a 
feeling of the smallness of the loch    
should supervene1 the huge hills        
dwindling it down by their enormous     
bulk1 this soon passes away1 and we feel
 to be in presence of one of ,scotland's
 proudest lochs4 ,the coach drive to    
,gairloch occupies six hours in all1    
including a short stoppage to bait the  
horses at ,kinlochewe1 and during the   
whole time the eye is filled with       
pictures of grandeur or of delight4     
,after the tedious descent to the       
water's edge has convinced you that the 

feeling of smallness is a mistake1 you  
have time to observe the effect which   
such a mountain as ,ben ,slioch has in  
dwarfing all around it4 ,loch ,maree is 
but six miles from the sea1 with no     
great descent1 so that the hill raises  
its mighty shoulders almost sheer from  
the sea level4 ,from the road you       
perceive1 skirting the loch on the other
 side1 what seems a fringe of very small
 bushes4 ,but anon a two-storey house   
appears among the bushes1 which now1    
with a known standard of comparison1 are
 seen to be tall trees6 ,from the top of
 ,ben ,slioch1 or any of the            
neighbouring mountains of first-class   
size1 the view is grand1 embracing at   
once the ,atlantic and the ,german      
,oceans4 ,on the opposite side from ,ben
 ,slioch is the ,scottish ,pentelicus1  
,ben ,eay1 whose brilliant white quartz 
pinnacle may sometimes be seen shining  
in the sun1 like the famed marble       
mountains of ,greece4  ,on the bosom of 
,loch ,maree1 near its widest end1 are  

several islands1 the largest of which1  
,eilan ,mhaolrubh1 contains the remains 
of an old chapel1 and a holy well that  
is even yet in high repute amongst the  
ignorant4 ,it is sometimes said that the
 chapel1 island1 and loch get their name
 from the ,virgin ,mary1 but this is now
 universally acknowledged amongst       
scholars to be an error4 ,it was the    
,irish preacher1 ,maelrubha1 7,latinised
 to ,malrubius1 then softened down in   
local tongues to ,mulray1 ,mourie1 and  
,maree17 who came over to ,scotland in  
the seventh century1 who gave his name  
to the place4 ,dr4 ,arthur ,mitchell1 in
 his ,rhind ,lectures on ,civilization1 
has told in full the story of the       
curious superstitions concerning this   
island1 of which examples as recently as
 twenty years ago are quoted4 ,it is to 
be noted that when1 a year or two ago1  
the ,queen visited the island1 great    
indignation was expressed in some       
quarters1 because it was on a ,sunday   
evening she got rowed over from her     

retreat at ,talladale to see this       
interesting place4  ,the coach leaves   
the edge of the loch at ,talladale1     
after a lovely and varied drive along   
its banks1 now in the bosom of a dense  
wood1 now in the midst of a rocky chaos1
      ',the fragments of an earlier     
world4'  ,a few miles down the road are 
found the romantic falls of the ,kerry4 
,the man on the box seat at the left of 
the coach looks sheer down the precipice
 over which the stream falls1 as the    
coach with a swing turns the corner of  
the steep road1 with little visible     
between the traveller and the dangers of
 that awful chasm6     ,,falls ,,of     
,,the ,,garravalt4   ,although not      
reckoning amongst the grander waterfalls
 of ,scotland1 the cataract on the      
,garravalt1 in the ,queen's ,forest of  
,ballochbuie1 is behind few in the      
picturesque wildness of its             
surroundings4 ,the name in              
,gaelic1--',garbh-allt'--is             
characteristic and descriptive1         

signifying a rough brook1 and our view  
of the roaring cataract shews how       
completely it deserves that name4 ,the  
entire course of the stream1 from its   
rise in ,cairn ,taggart1 one of the     
,loch-na-gar group of hills1 is about   
five miles1 and the linn itself is      
little more than half a mile from where 
the ,garravalt joins the ,dee4 ,to reach
 the place1--and few visitors to the    
famed district of ,deeside will omit to 
visit it1--only a slight deviation from 
the road leading from ,crathie and      
,balmoral to the ,castleton of ,braemar 
is called for1 the place where the road 
leads off being close beside the ,bridge
 of ,invercauld1 over the ,dee4  ,this  
waterfall1 the finest of several in     
,deeside1 has been enthusiastically     
praised by every writer4 ,the ,queen1 in
 the ,leaves from the ,journal of ,our  
,life in the ,highlands1 says1 ',from   
the road in the wood we walked up to the
 ,falls of the ,garbhalt1 which are     
beautiful4 ,the rocks are very grand1   

and the view from the little bridge1 and
 also from a seat a little lower down1  
is very pretty4' ,her ,majesty has here 
indicated the two points of view        
generally chosen1 namely that from the  
bridge looking down1 and that from      
below1 looking up the stream1 the latter
 being adopted for our representation4  
,to say1 as one writer has done1 that   
'the water comes foaming and raging and 
toiling down in a manner almost         
impossible to be described1' is to      
abdicate the chief functions of a word  
painter4 ,the waters come roaring and   
rushing down the rocky cleft1 hurrying  
over the blocks and stones that impede  
their passage1 and creating a noise that
 is heard far off1                      
',confounding1                          
,astounding1           ,dizzying and    
deafening the ear with its sound        
,and so never ending1 but always        
descending     ,sound and motion for    
ever and ever are blending4'  ,the eye  
never tires in looking at the lively    

scene1 and the ear drinks in the        
murmuring and thundering sound1 which   
has the usual faculty of swelling and   
falling1 till the mind gets imbued with 
the idea that the waters are endowed    
with the faculty of speech1 so that we  
involuntarily ask 'what are the wild    
waves saying8' and linger long at the   
spot in the vain hope that the varying  
syllables of the living water will yet  
form themselves into intelligible words4
 ,this is not to be however1 and we may 
turn away to look for a moment at the   
picturesque country in which this       
attractive waterfall is situated4 ,the  
steep pine-covered hill is called the   
,forest of ,ballochbuie4 ,here again we 
may turn to the ,queen's book1 where    
'the aspect of the wood which is called 
,balloch ,buie' is described as 'most   
lovely4' ,it is said that this ground   
was at one time given to the            
,farquharsons of ,invercauld1 by the    
,earl of ,mar1 for a tartan plaid4 ,it  
is now royal property1 and forms an     

extensive and valued addition to the    
forest of ,balmoral1 which lies between 
,ballochbuie and the castle4 ,it was in 
the ,mar territory1 at the ,castleton of
 ,braemar1 that in #agae the then ,earl 
of ,mar raised his standard in support  
of the ,chevalier ,st4 ,george1 whom he 
had previously1 in ,glenlivat1          
proclaimed as ,king ,james the ,eighth  
of ,scotland4 ,here1 where 'the         
gathering pipe on ,loch-na-gar' was     
heard sounding 'long and sairly1' the   
inheritor of the crown of the ,stewarts 
has frequently attended a very different
 gathering on the ',braes o' ,mar1' when
 the ,duffs1 the ,farquharsons1 and     
other clans meet1 not for feuds and     
bloodshed1 but for the athletic         
rivalries of 'tossing the caber' and    
other native games4     ,,the ,,dhu     
,,loch--,,loch-,,na-,,gar4   ,it is     
perhaps puzzling to the stranger to     
learn that ,loch-na-gar is a mountain1  
#cgfh feet above the level of the sea1  
though there is on the summit1 and      

hemmed in by steep precipices1 a small  
sheet of water that gives its name to   
the hill4 ,but in the ,dhu ,loch1 a     
little further in the heart of this     
mountainous district1 we find one of the
 most striking scenes in ,scotland4 ,it 
was of the hill and its surroundings    
that ,lord ,byron wrote his familiar    
lines1      ',away ye gay landscapes1 ye
 gardens of roses1       ,in you let the
 minions of luxury rove4     ,restore me
 the rocks where the snowflake reposes1 
,tho' still they are sacred to freedom  
and love4     ,o ,caledonia1 beloved are
 thy mountains1       ,round their white
 summits though elements war1           
,though cataracts foam1 'stead of       
smooth-flowing fountains1       ,i sigh 
for the valley of dark ,loch-na-gar4'   
,the ,dhu ,loch1 or black loch--a       
well-deserved name--has its bed1 as     
shown in our view1 in steep and         
desperate precipices of granite1 and for
 sternness of outline is not excelled4  
,the red-deer on its banks are          

undisturbed1 for seldom does the foot of
 man intrude on their repose1 and while 
the water is clear1 it is strongly      
discoloured by the peat1 and the absence
 of foliage1 with the sterile loneliness
 of the scene1 make men shun rather than
 court its remote solitudes4 ',the      
scenery is beautiful here1' says the    
,queen1 in her ,leaves from the ,journal
 of our ,life in the ,highlands1 'so    
wild and grand1--real severe ,highland  
scenery1' and the description is surely 
a true one4 ,no one can come about the  
,dhu ,loch without being prepared for   
'several scrambles1' like the royal     
party1 and without being prepared also  
to endure the 'severity' as well as     
enjoy the beauty of the place4 ,if he   
does not1 like ,lord ,byron1 admit      
,loch-na-gar to be 'the most sublime and
 picturesque of ,caledonian ,alps1'--for
 perhaps some hill already named in this
 volume1 unknown to ,byron1 such as     
,blaven1 or ,ben ,eay1 might dispute the
 title--still he will acknowledge that  

it is a wonderful region4 ,it is said   
that on a fair calculation of what      
elements go to make up a desirable      
climate1 the kingdom has nothing better 
to offer than ,braemar1 and that        
,balmoral is the ideal site for a       
residence4 ,the district is like all    
that belonged to the little bear in the 
child's story4 ,the hills are neither   
too high nor too low1 but just right4   
,the climate is neither too mild nor too
 severe1 but just right4 ,the rainfall  
is neither too much nor too little1 but 
just right4 ,in short it is a perfect   
region1--perfect in its variety of      
scenery1 from the rich woodlands of its 
lower ranges to the wild grandeur of its
 mountain recesses4 ,perfect is it also 
in its fine lochs1 its picturesque      
waterfalls1 its brattling burns1 and its
 rolling rivers4  ,the waters from the  
,dhu ,loch run into ,loch ,muick1 above 
which lies the hut at ,altnaghuissac1 a 
favourite shiel1 or mountain summer     
house of the royal family when living at

 ,balmoral4 ,this lies in the very      
innermost recesses of a grand region1   
and here the pure air1 and the splendid 
views1 combine to make a haven of       
retreat1 whether1 as in the case of     
royalty1 from the cares of state and the
 turmoil of politics1 or1 in the case of
 the jaded man of business1 from the    
burdens and anxieties of the daily grind
 of life4 ,those characteristics1 more  
or less true of the whole inner region  
of ,aberdeenshire1 have made the        
district a favourite sanitarium1 while  
for the mere pleasure-seeker it presents
 a succession of delights1 full of      
unalloyed beauty1 unless indeed the     
weather should break down1 and the      
unwary traveller is caught in the rains 
and mists of winter1 which may make the 
ascent of ,loch-na-gar dangerous4       
,,the ,,cauldron ,,linn4   ,it is not a 
little remarkable that the only         
conception of the ,devon put on paper by
 ,robert ,burns was as a clear winding  
river1 whose sweet stream 'meandering   

flows4' ,the fact was that ,burns was   
led to know that something was expected 
of him1 and his muse was not to respond1
 for she acted spontaneously or not at  
all4 ,a woman did eventually inspire him
 to write--ah6 those women1 how much of 
,burns' best thoughts did they          
command6--and he referred to the        
romantic stream only in order to tell   
that the 'bonniest flower' there had    
once been a sweet bud on the banks of   
his own beloved ,ayr4 ,the river ,devon 
has a short and chequered existence1 and
 after a course of thirty-four miles1   
falls into the ,forth within five miles 
of its source4 ,at that little bit of   
its journey when1 after rising in       
,stirlingshire1 it flows through        
,perthshire into ,kinrosshire1 and then 
doubles back across a peninsular bit of 
,perthshire to reach the county of      
,clackmannan1 the stream goes through a 
series of vicissitudes that completely  
destroy its 'clear-winding' character4  
,first there is the deep chasm across   

which the ,rumbling ,bridge is thrown4  
,there are here two bridges1 one over   
the other4 ,the earlier bridge1 built in
 #agac1 eighty feet above the stream1 is
 narrow and without a parapet1 and there
 is a local tradition of a man who fell 
asleep in his cart being taken home     
safely over this exalted and narrow     
pathway by the instinct of his horse4   
,the present bridge1 a plain but strong 
erection1 was built in #ahaf1 and is one
 hundred and twenty feet above the      
stream1 the latter hidden far below     
amidst inaccessible precipices and      
darkening woods4 ,further up the stream 
is the ',devil's ,mill1' said to be a   
waterfall1 but so completely            
inaccessible1 that the character of the 
place is very much a matter of          
conjecture4 ,however1 there is heard far
 down in the depths below the clack and 
beat of a mill2 and as this goes on     
,sabbath and ,saturday alike1 the name  
quoted above has been bestowed on the   
unhallowed mill4 ,it is understood that 

the water falls into a basin or chasm   
without outlet1 carrying air with it1   
then the air bursts out with the boom   
that resembles the regulated beat of a  
mill4 ,be the cause what it may1 the    
delusion is perfect4  ,pursuing its way 
for a mile through a deeply cleft and   
gnarled valley1 the ,devon flings itself
 in desperation over the ,cauldron      
,linn4 ,there are two points of view for
 this singular waterfall1 one from above
 looking down1 the other1 shown in our  
view1 from below1 looking up4 ,from     
above1 at the level where the trees are 
seen1 the water leaps into the cauldrons
 that give the ,linn its name4 ,in the  
hard basaltic rock the swirling water   
has worn out three circular vats or     
cauldrons1 in which the stream          
incessantly goes round4 ,the surplus    
water plunges over the edge of one      
cauldron to that below1 or1 as in one   
instance1 has worn a hole in the side of
 the pot1 and rushes through that4 ,it  
is said that when a sheep's carcase is  

brought down1 and the river is not high1
 it will swirl round in the cauldrons   
till a spate comes strong enough to     
carry it over the edge4 ,at the top the 
round lips of the upper cauldron nearly 
meet1 so that a man of nerve could leap 
across4 ,the distance is probably not   
over a yard1 but so dizzying is the     
incessant whirl of the water1 that so   
far from leaping across1 a timid visitor
 may not even look over the edge1 unless
 prone on the earth he puts his face    
over1 conscious that six-sevenths of his
 body are safe on terra firma6  ,from   
below none of this terrible stir of the 
,cauldron ,linn is seen--we have merely 
a snowy sheet of water1 beautiful       
certainly1 and impressive in its height1
 and encircled with lofty precipices1 so
 that1 without reference to its         
characteristic features above1 it takes 
rank as one of the most beautiful       
cataracts in ,scotland4 ,the view1 which
 forms a vignette on our title-page1    
would in its natural place come before  

or after ,loch ,leven4      ,b4         
,,fawcett1 ,,engraver ,,and ,,printer1  
,,driffield4