The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1884-07-03
IN FOREIGN LANDS.
Correspondence Of the Mtelligencer.

having aSKeQ II we were nOG lloW Ccol
land and after our visit there we are
strangly inclined to his opinion. Like
his nieghbor across the North channel
the Scotchman loves his drink and evi
dently gets an abundance of it; but as 6
people they are industrious, intelligent
faithful to friends and principles, and en-
dowed with strong love of liberty and
country, which we cannot but admire.
We steamed up the Clyde early one
morning, from Belfast, and nature evi
IDENTIFY wept at our arrival; for we were
greeted with a drizzling rain. 1t was
however, we were informed, only speci.
men of Clyde weather; as the warm
winds from the Atlantic meeting the
cooler breezes from the highlands produce
rain on the slightest provocation.
Glasgow is the commercial metropolis
of Scotland and the third city in Great
Britain in population. It's manufactu'
ring interests are very large and Clyde
built ships are known the world over
To one, however, who has had the pleas
ure Of sail up the narrow and shallow
Clyde it is wonderful how this CONNER.
cial supremacy has been attained. For
miles on both sides of the river ship
yards are seen and the clang of the ham.
mer is heard on every hand. The pres
ent season is very dull for business
throughout the United Kingdom and
complaints of over.production are fre-
quently heard, and the shipping interests
of Glasgow are at q comparatively low
ebb. The principal attraction in the
city for tourist is the Cathedral, which
was built in the twelfth century and is
in a good state of preservation. Its
crypts are the finest in the kingdom and
its forty-four stained glass windows are
among the best specimens of that branch
of modern art; the iconoclasts of the
Reformation having destroyed the origi-
nal windows and these being only about
fifteen years old. In the metropolis, an
ornamental cemetery which uadjoins the
Cathedral, is fine monument to John
Knox, whose body, however, is buried at
Edinburgh.
Ayr, the birthplace of Burns, the poet,
is about forty miles southwest of Glasgow
and is easily reached by rail. The low,
thatched cottage, where the author of
"Highland Mary" and '"The Cotter's
Saturday Night" was born is two miles
south of Ayr and with some modern adj
ditions is now used as q public house.
About half mile farther on is Gallo
ways auld haunted kirk" and near by is
the Doom, with its old stone bridge, made
famous by Tam O'Shanter's memorable
ride. In the village is found the Tam
O'Shanter Hotel, where are still shown
the chairs used by Tam and Souter
Johnny, and also the very cup from
which they drank. Near the Bridge of
Doom is fine monument erected to the
memory of Burns and this completes the
attractions of the place.
From Glasgow, to Edinburgh, by way
of the Scottish Lakes and Stirling, is a
route that is much travelled by tourists
and furnishes some most beautiful scene.
nv. It's great charm however, was thrown
around it by the writings of the great
"Wizzard of the North" Sir Walter
Scott; who has invested every lake and
island, every mountain peak and lovely
glen with some story of chivalrous de-
Yotion or bloody strife. In fact the mat.
ter was tersely summed up by our driver
from Inversnaid to Stronachlacher, to
whom we remarked that Scott was re.
sponsible for a large number of the
travellers through that region. "Yes," /"
he responded with shrug, ''if it warn't
for him the whole route wouldn't be worth
tuppence.ha' penny" Not an exorbitant
estimate to say the least. We leave
Glasgow by an early train for Balloch,
where we take the Loeb Lomond steam
er for Inversnaid, at the opposite end of
the lake, sail of nearly thirty miles.
The lake is surrounded by the highest
mountains in Scotland, Ben Lomond,
which overlooks it on the northeast,
being about 3,100 feet high. We pass
many beautiful wooded islands, which,
as we'll as the villages on the shore, are
associated with some of Scott's chsrat-
ters. At Inversnaid a coach.and. -four
was awaiting US, with driver dressed in
the good old English style, with red coat,
top boots and high hat, and we are soon
on our way over the mountains to Loeb
Katrine. The road lies through desc
late region, the heather on the mountain
sides being the principal vegetation.
We pass the ruins of a hut in which
Helen McGregor, Rob Roy's wife, was
born and also an old fort which was
built to check the plundering of the
McGregors, early in the last century, and
after q ride of about five miles we reach
Loeb Katrine at Stronachlacher. Here
We again take a steamer and the sail
down the lake is delightful one. Loeb
Katrine is frequently compared to Lake
George and certainly its lovely scenery
and its romantic associations give it a
wondrous charm. On our left, as we
leave Stronachacher, Glen Gyle, once a
stronghold and even now the burial place
of the McGregors, stretches back into the
mountains. At the eastern end of the
lake we pass "Ellen's Isle" and the
"Silver Strand" and land only short
distance from the "Goblip's Cave" "
where the Douglas and his daughter
took refuge when they left Roderick
Dun's island. Here we again take
coaches and ride on through a narrow,
rocky defile known as the "Trossachs" OF
"Bristling country" passing "The lovely
margin of Achray," and on to "Where
Vennachar in silver flows" A little
farther on,
"Dunc1aggan's hus appear at last,
And peep like moss grown rocks, half seen,
Half hidden in the copse SO green"
Still later we reach "Coilantogle Ford,'
"Far past Clan Alphine's outmost
guard :" the scenes of the fight between
Roderick Dun and Fitz James, and q
ride of two or three miles beyond brings
us to Callander, where we take train for
Stirling.
The historian cannot find time when
there was not fortress on the site of the
...ut ..,.Io - Ct;.1;no Tbo o;t1, -