guage, and was anfwered that I need not wonder, for he had learned it by grammar,

By fubfequent opportunities of obfervation I found that my hoft's diction had nothing peculiar. Thofe Highlanders that can speak English, commonly speak it well, with few of the words, and little of the rone by which a Scotchman is distinguished. Their language feems to have been learned in the army or the navy, or by fome communication with those who could give them good examples of accent and pronunciation. By their Lowland neighbours they would not willingly be taught; for they have long confidered them as a mean and degenerate race. These prejudices are wearing faft away; but fo much of them ftill remains, that when I asked a very learned minifter in the islands, which they confidered as their most favage clans: "Thofe, faid he, that live next the Low" lands,"

As

As we came hither early in the day, we had time fufficient to furvey the place. The house was built like other huts of loofe ftones, but the part in which we dined and flept was lined with turf and wattled with twigs, which kept the earth from falling. Near it was a garden of turnips and a field of potatoes. It ftands in a glen, or valley, pleafantly watered by a winding river. But this country, however it may delight the gazer or amufe the naturalift, is of no great advantage to its owners. Our landlord told us of a gentleman, who poffeffes lands, eighteen Scotch miles in length, and three in breadth; a space containing at least a hundred fquare English miles. He has raised his rents, to the danger of depopulating his farms, and he fells his timber, and by exerting every art of augmentation, has obtained an yearly revenue of four hundred pounds, which for a hundred

hundred fquare miles is three half-pence

an acre.

Some time after dinner we were furprised by the entrance of a young woman, not inelegant either in mien or drefs, who afked us whether we would have tea. We found that he was the daughter of our hoft, and defired her to make it. Her conversation, like her appearance, was gentle and pleafing. We knew that the girls of the Highlands are all gentlewomen, and treated her with great respect, which the received as cuftomary and due, and was neither elated by it, nor confused, but repaid my civilities without embarrassment, and told me how much I honoured her country by coming to furvey it.

She had been at Inverness to gain the common female qualifications, and had, like her father, the English pronunciation. I presented her with a book, which I happened

pened to have about me, and fhould not be pleased to think that the forgets me.

In the evening the foldiers, whom we had paffed on the road, came to spend at our inn the little money that we had given them. They had the true military impatience of coin in their pockets, and had marched at leaft fix miles to find the first place where liquor could be bought. Having never been before in a place fo wild and unfrequented, I was glad of their arrival, because I knew that we had made them friends, and to gain ftill more of their good will, we went to them, where they were caroufing in the barn, and added fomething to our former gift. All that we gave was not much, but it detained them in the barn, either merry or quarrelling, the whole night, and in the morning they went back to their work, with great indignation at the bad qualities of whisky.

We

We had gained fo much the favour of our hoft, that, when we left his house in the morning, he walked by us a great way, and entertained us with converfation both on his own condition, and that of the country. His life feemed to be merely paftoral, except that he differed from fome of the ancient Nomades in having a settled dwelling. His wealth confifts of one hundred sheep, as many goats, twelve milkcows, and twenty-eight beeves ready for the drover.

From him we first heard of the general diffatisfaction, which is now driving the Highlanders into the other hemifphere; and when I asked him whether they would ftay at home, if they were well treated, he answered with indignation, that no man willingly left his native country. Of the farm, which he himself occupied, the rent had, in twenty-five years, been advanced from five to twenty pounds, which he found

9.