The Sun.
London, England, 1828-11-06 00:00:00

HIGHLAND SCENERY.

IThe mountainous district of Scotland,
sally known by the name of the Highland ~ .is
invariably been regarded as a scene invested with
I peculiar interest, From the authentic written,
as well as doubtful traditional tales which have
been transmitted to US, some faint conception
may be formed of the chivalrous achievements
accomplished by the Chieftains of the. several
clans into which the inhabitants of that-romantic
part of the country were cantoned.
It would be incompatible with the-nature .atr6
.1 limits of this article, to enter into a narration re
the Quixotic enterprises in which they frequently
engaged ; or to attempt a detail 'of the almost
incredible feats which they oftentimes. accom-
' ['fished. It may be sufficient in the present in-
stance 'to state, that the influence • they exerted
over their respective vassals was 'unlimited ; and
that the enthusiasm in which these vassals or
dependents engaged in all their projects, however
romantic or hazardous,
,enabled them to accom-
plish designs which would have hid defiance to
the energies of an equal number of men in any
other age or country of the world.
There can be no doubt but we are to attribute
the erection of many of those strong castles and
fortified places, of which there are remaining
vestiges in the Highlands,--to the animosities
and teuds which subsisted between the respec-
tive Chieftains of the several clans into which
they were divided. They were like so many
petty princes, havin,g,po intercourse with foreign.
fans of the wortd,:bui continually maintaining
a bloody warfare among themselves, ,
Whether the erection of the Castle of Urqu-
hart is to be attributed to the warlike propensi-
ties of some chieftains of the clans, is a problem
which cannot now with any certainty be solved.
An opinion , is very prevalent in many quarters
of the Highlands, that its origin is to be ascribed
to the family of Cumming of Badenoch, which
is represented on all hands as having been for
centuries the most powerful in the north of Bri-
tain ;.---while others maintain it to be a Much
more plausible hypothesis, to attribute its erec-
tion to some of the Kings .of Scotland.
Whatever truth there may be in either of
these suppositions, it is undeniably evident, that
Urquhart Castle must have been originally a
place of ghat strength and magnitude; and it is
equally certain, that, whatever may have been
the purpose for which it was erected, it came at
a very early period into the possession of the
Royal Family ; for during the reign of Edward.
the First of 'England; it was frequently denomi-
nated the Kii.g's House, and Royal Garrison.
This Castle is situated on a large rock, which
constitutes the headland of the bay of Urquhart,
and projects into the Loch Ness. According to
the ,tnost recent soundings, the water, at a very
limited distance from the walls of the Castle, is
no less than 345 feet in depth. " A moat,"'says
a living author, in describing Urquhart Castle,
" from '2O to 25 feet deep, and 16 broad,
runs along the only side not naturally surrounded
by water, so -as completely to separate the Castle
from the. adjoining grounds, and the access
across the hollow thus formed was by a spacious
drawbridge: ' The approach from the bridge
• conducted to a grand gate-way, flanked by two
projecting towers, and guarded by a succession
of iron doors, and an enormous grating or port-
cullis. Within these towers were the principal.
guard-rooms, and a secret passage extended along
the base of the outer wall to the main building.
Platforms and benches were plaeed in the rooms
above, and on the adjoining walls, which in'
peaceful times, were occupied by Lords and
Ladies bright,' while witnessing the mimic feats
of chivalry performed in front of the barbican.
and gateway ; and between these walls and the
ditch, a spacious promenade of smooth turf war;
preserved far a more crowded assemblage, and
for occasional exercise.

" Passing the portals now described, we are
ushered into a noble ballium, or court, rough
and broken on its surface in one direction, but
smooth in the other, with a broad proMenade,
leading to the entrance of the great keep. It i.
only on arriving at this point that we discover the
walls encompassing the edge of the rock to he
double nearly all round, with platforms for the
soldiers to stand 'upon, while discharging missiles
against assailants without. To the right of the
entrance, a small portal, or water-gate, will be no-
ticed, leading down to a natural ' harbour, and a
similar sally-port opens over the loch, from the
east side of the principal building.
snnlitght, exclusive
of the
battlements
north-east
5O corner.
feet, the
ofle
t
" Approaching the Main Keep, we find that
various subordinate out-houses had been attached
to it, and one appears to have been erected on a
small knoll, overlooking all the eneksed walls,
whose use it is difficult to conjecture. The great.
tower, which
tt eeonetes on
the
summit, occupies the
breadth of each side from 30 to 40 feet, and the
walls are nine feet in thickness. Two of the
rock, is nearly square. Its height,
sides are propped at their base by rude buttresses.
" We can say very little of the interior, .as it is
in a very dilapidated and ruinous state. It ap-
pears to have consisted of three stories, (the
great hall occupying the middle one,) exclusive
of the warder's room, and battlements on the top.
The guard-room and dungeons situated beneath
the great hall communicated with the upper
stories by means of spiral staircases, rising from
opposite corners of the tower. The turrets,
four in number, are square, and each had its
own fire-place, and other conveniences complete,
within itself. 'Their angular outlines give a
much more finished and imposing aspect to the
upper battlements
than the rounded pepper-
boxes of more modern times. The height of
the outer walls, or curtains, is from 12 to 18
eet, and the thickness from 3 to 6 feet."
To this minute description of Urquhart Castle
we have only to subjoin, that its walls enclose
an extent of ground equivalent to five
acres. It
is situated in ,a e winding large b valley, twelve Miles
distant from Inverness, anti
ness, aim presenting some
of the most .diversified
and romantic scenery in
the country.
Posterior to the reign of Edward the First, we
hear little more regarding this Castle, with the
exception of the frequent changing of its Con-
stables. In the year 1509 it became along with
the adjoining lands, the property of the honour-
able family of Grant of Grant, in whose posses-
sion it has ever since remained. The soil is
particularly rich and fertile.; and the value of the
estate, as a whole, has been considered enhanced
by the extensive plantations with which it has
been beautified .by the late amiable and excellent
Sir James Grant of Grant.—Elgin Courier.

THE VA LE OF BLACKMOOR.-t—A meeting or
;he landowners and occupiers of this extensive tract of
country is summoned for the 13th inst., in order to con-
sider of a plan for rescuing an immense quantity of rich
land from those heavy floods to which • it is now exposed in
;he winter season, in cons; quence of the neglected state of
the river Stour, which extends from Stourton, in Wilts,
through Somerstt and Dorset,. to Christchurch, in Hamp-
shire. The plan is proposed by the Rev. H. F. YEAT-.
nAN, of Stockhouse,— World.