The Portland daily press., 1874-09-01
Correspondence Of the Press.l
Letter from Scotland,
NAIRN, SCOTLAND, Aug. 10th, 1874,

NAIRN, SCOTLAND, Aug. 10th, 1874.
To the Editor of the Press:
May be you know more of the geography of
Scotland than did two months since, and SO
10 not need to be told that the town of Narn is
located on the Moray Firth, just at the en-
trance to the Highlands. 1t is pretty place
with clean, macadamized streets, and broad
sea beach where scores of bathers with drip
ping locks and remarkable costumes may be
seen every pleasant day. :.
The resident population cannot number
more than four thousand, it probably falls
considerably below that, but there is float
ing population in the season which fills the
three hotels and overfows into the cottages
in every quarter of the town. The incoming
and outgoing of these visitors makes no break
in the repose of the place, and, with the ex-
ception of the bus which runs to every train,
it is rare to see any description of vehicle
even in the principal street. There are half a
dozen churches, a town house, an academy, a
number of stores and small, but well.select-
ed, circulating library.
The fruit and vegetable trade is monopo-
lized by one sedate, middle-aged female,
whose place of business is so unpretending
that generally walk past it and have to re-
trace my steps and hunt it up. The fish-mar
ket is a perambulating one. The fish-wives,
peculiar people, walk the streets with huge
baskets, called creels, containing fish, strapped
on their broad backs and you bargain with
them as you can. Salmon and variety of
smaller fish are caught of this coast, but all
the salmon we eat are caught in the Colum-
.bia river, and brought over land and sea to our
table. There is a part of the town occupied
exclusively by the families Of fishermen 1.-THE
men are seldom home) and, prompted by
Yankee curiosity, stroled down there in
company with friend. There are no streets
in this district, but the wretched, low,
thatched cottages crowd close on either side
of very dirty lanes. Persons in search of in
formation must not be too particular, but if
the one peculiar odor of "Fish town. could
be added to the seventy "well-defned" ones
of Cologne, that city would be entitled to an
other sonnet.
We fell into conversation with one of the
tidiest women about the place. She met
our kindly questions with civil replies,
and invited us to look at the interior
of her house. 1t rather surprised US to find
| it clean, and as orderly as was to be
expected where one room was kitchen, bed
room and sliving room." A high posted
bedstead occupied recess at one side of the
\ room. A dresser like that of the old fash
ioned New England kitchen was adorned
with goodly display of cheap crockery, and
| there were a few china ornaments on the
mantel, among them an Uncle Tom and
Eva. This poor woman had carried burdens
all her life, and will only lay them down
| when she lies down to rest forever. / don't
! think am sentimental, but 1 felt as we said
| ''good bye", leaving trihe in her hand, thai
the interest we had shown was little sun,
shine thrown into her dreary life.
| These northern districts OF Scotland retain
some of their early characteristics. We are
| always interested, and often amused. The
rising generation is becoming fashionable, and
its style of dress conforms sufficiently to the
London standard to be recognized as an imi
tation, but there are many honest old souls
yet who see in the Sc flounces and furbelows
only snares and pitfalls. 1 see in the church
es aged woman with no other head covering
than the white cap with its wide border, and
men who still wear knee breeches and long
hose.
There are manyiinteresting localities within
short distance. In coming here, we car
read Shakespeare without the book. We pass
the ''blasted heath" where the weird sister
hailed Macbeth "Thane of Cawdor;' Sc,
; Dunsinane in the distance, and trees wavin,