The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1824-03-25 00:00:00

DS •EDIEW BIGELOW, MEDFORD. JEASSACHEIETTS.

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LEAYES FROM A JOURVAL ; • .
OR, SKETCHES OF RAMBLES IN NORTH BRITAIN
AND IRELAND.

This Tourist shorld seem to be an .linerican, and his
countrymen appear of late to devote themselves to science
and literature with so much good-will, and with so much
good feeling, that we would not willingly pass by any of
their efforts without notice. Scotland, we believe, is not
often visited by a traveller from the United States. If he',
is anxious to be enlightened on the principles of reprrsen-!
'aline gorernmext, he will there soon find himself quite
out of his course. Ile can furnish nothing of improvement
to North America iii any precedents on this subject to be
found in North Britain. It he is searching for examples
of disinterested patriotism, he will likewise find but little
that is instructive on this head, for the Sons of the Thistle
are as yet but ill studied even in the grammar of this
science: but if he wishes to copy after the pattern of a
prudent. shrewd, patient, and prisevering perpls—if he
wishes in these respects to carry back matter for edifica-
tion, his work is done; the page of knowledge is spread
wide before him in the whole breadth of his path—in the
highlands—in the Lowlands—it is impossible to step
amiss ; examples crowd upon him at every step, and he
clay store his note-book with an inexhaustible fund for
plofitable observation. But our present traveller seems
not to aspire to these heights, either in politics or philo-
sophy ; he appears to combine a love of passing society with
an attachment to the beauties of nature, and to the lovely
and romantic in landscape stencil : to a rambler of this
cast, both Scotland and Ireland are capable of affording the
sublimed gratitication. Sir Waiter Smtt—by the way,
WALTFit SCOT r sounds a thousand times more classic-sl—
ims excited a curiosity in every one to visit those delightful
scenes which he has immortalized by the exquisite beauty
of his descriptitm—scenes so magnificent that even the ma-
gic of his cresive fancy could not paint them iu colouring
a rich as the reality. The present writer visited those
spots ; we will therefore take a leaf from his journal while
traversing the banks of Loch Lomond.
' •

- -
Loco Lomown sous. Malt 31.—.1fter an early breakfast.
Mr. R. and myself set oft Wm the farmhouse of Ardkanacroch.
kan, to explore more carkticularly the scenery to which the poem of
" The Lady. of the e" ha lent celebrity, and the charm of
classic anionatian.
Taking with us a guide, who was also to act as boatman, as oc-
casion aught require, we bade atheuho the sweet shores of Achray,
Its banks and hues sae bonnie,

. _
Craig* and water, woods and glens.
aed meowed towards the wild paw of the Trosachs.
The to xi wound throughdcep and narrow defiles, hemmed in by
steep and Precipitous ridges on either side. The mountains which
overtopped them exhibited &peculiarly rugged and Alpine aspect.
Their ;tummies were bleak, sterile, and bail; midway. they were
girt with a belt of heath, furze, and broom ; and their feet were
• feather'd o'er" with woods of hazel, weeping birch, alder, moon-
tain-a.h, snd oak.
It was rot long before we reached the rugged dell, in which the
generous steed of Fitz-James sunk to the earth and expired. Of
course, for the residue of oar walk before reaching the lake, we rather
had the advantage of the royal pedestrian, for we were fresh and in-
vigorated by the morning mountain-breeze, and had the whole day
before us, and, moreover, were enjoying the services of a guide,
whose hank, guileless countenance was enough to disarm apprehen-
sion, and remove all suspiciun of his claiming lineage front Mur-
dock, the treacherous •• Kern." iVhereas the huntsman, wearied
by the lengthened chase, was obliged to thread his way. solitary
and alone, through tangled bush and brake, ignorant wl ither his
steps might conduct him,—whether to some friendly shelter, or
haunts of some deadly fuel,—and ignorant, too, whether, at every
turn, the grim countenance of some savage mountaineer might not
be seen scowling upon. his path.
But. withmit pursuing the parallel between our situation and
that of Fitz-James,—it is interesting to reflect in general on the
wonderful and happy change which within the nitolory of many
now living. has been wrought in the Characters of the hardy natives
of these wild and mountain-girt regions. Still deco the foaming,
dashing torrent hay hoarse and lord; atilt do the surrounding
cliffs frown sternly as ever; still, in the " rifted rock," may the
pine tree be seen moored, and every other feature ere the landscape
is found marked by a savage correspondence. Even the roe, free
and unttmed, still makes his lair among the adjacent fells. The
red deer still strays in quest of covert, and of Mod, in the dusky
forest of OlenAngless and the gloomy recesses of Craig-Vad ; nor
as yet, is the black cede dislodged from her aerial !tonic in these
Alpine fawners. ; the osprey cull watches her prey from the pro-
jectiog cliff, that yawn., over the watery abyss, and each passing
breeze bears in its bosom the piercing wild notesof the bittern and
the cormorant. Nature has nowise deviated from her accustomed
course ; she continues to renew her forests, to replenish her rouring
cataracts, and to inhllle the self-sane instincts into the various am-
owls which people three rocky retreats.
Man alone is changed and how marvellous is that change!
—Civilization has snn,othed his rugged front; has operated with a
kindly, softening influence upon the feelings of his heart; and in
Osseo( seforeinue for war and rapine, and wanes of aribulenee
and blood, has taught hint to respect the rights of his fellow-man,
to banish every rancorous hereditary Rod, and to seek a peeosfal
livelihood In some industrious calling, inong his native clansmen,
and in his own sequestered glen. Ceribzati.,e, do I say, has pro-
duced these happy results?—Rather should I hays said, Religion ;
—religion, pure, peaceable, and gentle • religion, holy, and
heaven-descended, whirl; begins with transforming the moral man,
and then proceeds to ameliorate effectually his civil condition and
cirenenetances. Hens is the gentle voice which hushes the angry,
tumultuous elements of the human breast, and melts the heart of
man to kindness, by pointing his thoughts and his affections to the
heavens. . .

But to return to my narrative:—Continuing our walk within the
Trosachs, and having proceeded about a mile, we arrived at a high
shaggy eminence, which at first sight seemed to block entirely the
pass. Our guide called it " Rhoderick Dim's Look-out," it being
the hill, he said, round which Fits-James came, when he suddenly
discovered the tire which was filming under ajutting crag, and the
tall athletic form of the Gael stretched by the side of it. The next
object described was Loch Katrine, for which we had been impa-
tiently looking from the time of our entering the Trossachs. Scott's
deamptio,n of its first appearance is strikingly just :
• A narrow inlet, still and deep,
Affording scarce such breadth of brim
As served the wild duck's brood to swim."
It in fact appears at this point likes little pool in the hollow of the
hill,; but presently, as we proceeded, it enlarged its basin, and
stretched into a lengthening expanse. Nut a tipple was playing
upon its surface; and the breath of air that was stirring scarcely
saved a leaf of the aspen, which dip,aed its pendulous boughs into
the waters of the lake.

The guide directed our attention to a ridge on our right, which
was the same, he informed us, along which the Knight of Snowdon
clambered, when he caught the first view of Katrine, and broke out
Into that inimitable exclamation, beginning with,
" And what a scene were here, he cried,
For princely pomp or churchman's pride!"-
It was on the same height that Mar and Marcy paused with their
bar, whilst the spearmen swam over to cut a boat from the shore
of the bile, and bring it to mainland. At least, so would the post
have us believe ; anti such was the faithful cci o of the guide.

Dr. Johnson's sarcastic complaint of the want of wood
in Scotland, although not altogether without foundation in
his time, has since become utterly groundless. Our Ame-
rican visitor tells us that the quantities of wood-land which
appeared on every side surprised him not a little, the
greater pert of it being of vigorous and healthy growth. II
As he penetrated farther north into the Highlands, he wit-
nessed in several districts a still greater abundance of wood,
especially in Lorn and at Appin, the extensive property of
'Robert Downie, Esq. Between Fort Augustus and Inver-
ness he passed through two or three forests of several miles

tten!. .
Arnow other objects be visited Nfolrose Abbey, the fol-
wing beautiful description of which, our readers may
3)entber, introduces the aecolid canto of The Lay of the
It Miestrsl:—
If thou would'st view (sir 3lelrose aright,
Go visit it by the pale moonlight ;
For the gay bftms of lightsome day
Gild, but so flout, the ruins gray.
When the broken arches arc black in night,
Add each shafted oriel glimmers white--
When the cold light's uncerain shower
Streams on the ruined central tower—
When buttress and buttress alternately
Seem framed of Mem and irory—
When silver edges the imagery,
At d Cie scrolls that teach thee to live and die—
ill'ben distant Tweed is heard to rave,
Ard th owlet to hoot o'er the dead man's grave—
Then go—but go aline the while—
Then tier at. David's ruined pile;
Ard, home returning, monthly swear
Will never acme so sad and fair !
ithor of these sketches obeyed this poetical
d visited it "by the pale moonlight, we
The following it his account of it :
Telrow is neat and compact, pleasantly situated
the feet of the Eildon hills. The celebrated
overlooks the town. It is mouldering into
as of the wall, much of the roof, and sevens!
have fal!en in. Grass and small shrubs are
ly upon th, tops of such parts of the edifice as
ascended one of the most perfect of the towers,—
attended with little pleasure and considerable
point of view, the loot ens-ntit• of the structure
ipre,aive. It is imrssibic to approach and wit.
'egad deep emotion.

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