vated. If I tell that many of the Highlanders go bare-footed, I am not obliged to tell how they may get fhoes. Pennant tells a fact. He need go no farther, except he pleases. He exhaufts nothing, and no fubject whatever has yet been exhausted. But Pennant has furely told a great deal. Here is a man fix feet high, and you are angry because he is not feven."-Notwithstanding this eloquent Oratio pro Pennantia, which they who have read this gentle man's Tours, and recollect the Savage and the Shopkeeper at Monboddo, will probably impute to the fpirit of contradiction, I ftill think that he had bet→ ter have given more attention to fewer things, than have thrown together fuch a number of imperfect

accounts.

Saturday, 18th September.

Before breakfast, Dr. Johnfon came up to my room, to forbid me to mention that this was his. birth-day; but I told him I had done it already; at which he was difpleafed; I fuppofe from wifhing to have nothing particular done on his account. Lady M'Leod and I got into a warm difpute. She wanted to build a house upon a farm which she has taken, about five miles from the castle, and to make gardens and other ornaments there; all of which I approved of; but infifted that the feat of the family fhould always be upon the rock of Dunvegan.Johnfon. "Ay, in time we'll build all round this rock. You may make a very good houfe at the farm; but it must not be such as to tempt the Laird of McLeod to go thither to refide. Most of the great families of England have a fecondary refidence, which is called a jointure-houfe: let the new

house

houfe be of that kind."-The lady infifted that the rock was very inconvenient; that there was no place near it where a good garden could be made; that it must always be a rude place; that it was a Herculean labour to make a dinner here.-I was vexed to find the alloy of modern refinement in a lady who had fo much old family fpirit. -"Madam, (faid I,) if once you quit this rock, there is no knowing where you may fettle. You move five miles first;

then to St. Andrews, as the late Laird did;then to Edinburgh; and fo on till you end at Hampstead, or in France. No, no; keep to the rock it is the very jewel of the estate. It looks as if it had been let down from heaven by the four corners, to be the refidence of a Chief. Have all the comforts and conveniencies of life upon it, but never leave Rorie More's cafcade."-" But, (faid fhe,) is it not enough if we keep it? Muft we never have more convenience than Rorie More had ? he had his beef brought to dinner in one basket, and his bread in another. Why not as well be Rorie More all over, as live upon his rock? And fhould not we tire, in looking perpetually on this rock? It is very well for you, who have a fine place, and every thing eafy, to talk thus, and think of chaining honeft folks to a rock. You would not live upon it yourself."-"Yes, madam, (faid I,) I would live upon it, were I Laird of M'Leod, and fhould be unhappy if I were not upon it."Johnson. (with a strong voice, and moft determined manner,) "Madam, rather than quit the old rock, Boswell would live in the pit; he would make his bed in the dungeon."-I felt a degree of elation, at finding my refolute feudal enthusiasm thus confirmed by fuch a fanction. The lady was puzzled a little.

She

She still returned to her pretty farm,-rich ground, -fine garden.- "Madam, (faid Dr. Johnson,) were they in Afia, I would not leave the rock".My opinion on this fubject is ftill the fame. An ancient family refidence ought to be a primary object, and though the fituation of Dunvegan be such that little can be done here in gardening, or pleasureground, yet, in addition to the veneration acquired by the lapfe of time, it has many circumstances of natural grandeur, fuited to the feat of a Highland Chief: it has the fea,-iflands,-rocks,-hills,a noble cascade; and when the family is again in opulence, fomething may be done by art."

Mr. Donald McQueen went away to-day, in or der to preach at Bracadale next day. We were fo comfortably fituated at Dunvegan, that Dr. Johnfon could hardly be moved from it. I propofed to him that we should leave it on Monday. "No, fir, (faid he,) I will not go before Wednesday. I will have fome more of this good."However, as the weather was at this season so bad, and so very uncertain, and we had a great deal to do yet, Mr. M'Queen and I prevail'd with him to agree to fet out on Monday, if the day should be good. Mr. M'Queen though it was inconvenient for him to be abfent from his barveft, engaged to wait on Monday at Ulinish for us. When he was going away, Dr. Johnson faid, "I fhall ever retain a great regard for you;" then asked him if he had the Rambler.-Mr. M'Queen said, No; but my brother has it."Johnson. "Have you the Idler ?"—— M'Queen. "No, fir."-Johnson. "Then I will order one for you at Edinburgh, which you will keep in remembrance of me."Mr. M'Queen was

much

much pleased with this. He expreffed to me, in the strongest terms, his admiration of Dr. Johnfon's wonderful knowledge, and every other quality for which he is distinguished. I asked Mr. M'Queen, if he was fatisfied with being a minifter in Sky. He faid he was; but he owned that his forefathers having been fo long there, and his having been born there, made a chief ingredient in forming his contentment. I should have mentioned, that on our left hand, between Portree and Dr. Macleod's house, Mr. M'Queen told me there had been a college of the Knights Templars; that tradition faid fo; and that there was a ruin remaining of their church, which had been burnt: but I confefs Dr. Johnson has weakened my belief in remote tradition. In the difpute about Anaitis, Mr. M'Queen faid, Afia Minor was peopled by Scythians, and, as they were the ancestors of the Celts, the fame religion might be in Afia Minor and Sky.-Johnson. "Alas! fir,

what can a nation that has not letters tell of its original. I have always difficulty to be patient when I hear authors gravely quoted, as giving accounts of favage nations, which accounts they had from the favages themselves. What can the M'Craas tell about themselves a thousand years ago? There is no tracing the connection of ancient nations, but by language; and therefore I am always forry when any language is loft, because languages are the pedigree of nations. If you find the fame language in distant countries, you may be sure that the inha-. bitants of each have been the fame people; that is to fay, if you find the languages a good deal the fame; for a word here and there being the fame, will not do. Thus Butler, in his Hudibras, remem

1

bering that Penguin, in the Straits of Magellan, fignifies a bird with a white head, and that the fame word has, in Wales, the fignification of a whiteheaded wench, (pen head, and guin white,) by way of ridicule, concludes that the people of those Straits are Welch."

A young gentleman of the name of M'Lean, nephew to the Laird of the isle of Muck, came this morning; and, juft as we fat down to dinner, came the Laird of the ifle of Muck himself, his lady, fifter to Talifker, two other ladies their relations, and a daughter of the late M'Leod of Hamer, who wrote a treatise on the fecond fight, under the defignation of Theophilus Infulanus. It was fomewhat droll to hear this Laird called by his title. Muck would have founded ill; fo he was called Ile of Muck, which went off with great readinefs. The name, as now written, is unfeemly, but is not fo bad in the original Erfe, which is Mouach, fignifying the Sows' Ifland. Buchanan calls it Infula Porcorum. It is fo called from its form. Some call it Ifle of Monk. The Laird

infifts that this is the proper name. It was formerly church-land belonging to Icolmkill, and a hermit lived in it. It is two miles long, and about three quarters of a mile broad. The Laird faid, he had seven score of fouls upon it. Last year he had eighty persons inoculated, mostly children, but fome of them eighteen years of age. He agreed with the furgeon to come and do it, at half a crown a head. It is very fertile in corn, of which they export fome; and its coafts abound in fish. A taylor comes there fix times in a year. good blackfinith from the ifle of Egg.

They get a

Sunday,