The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1885-12-30
ENGLIsHMEN AND THEIR FREE TRADE,
Philadelphia Press.
OUR FOREIGN LETTER.
Especial Correspondence of the PREss.l
THE TRoSACHs.


Especial Correspondence of the PREss.]
THE TRosACHs.
Having seen the haunts of the Highland
ers, we made our next trip to the native
heath Of their natural and bitter enemies,
the Lowlanders. where many questions Of
might and right have been settled BY the
sword.
The train took us from Glasgow to Bali
lock- at the end Of Loeb Lomond. Had not
the beauties of Lomond been sung by Sir
Walter Scott, and been painted by many
writers in pictorial words of surprising love-
illness, we might have more fully enjoyed the
wooded hills and verdant hunting parks
scattered along the margin of the lake. God
has so layishly besprinkled the wide world
with gems of natural scenery that a spot
must possess peculiar attractions not to give
touch of disappointment to those who ex-
pect to realize their idealized impressions,
conveyed by the works of enthusiastic poets
and artists. Of all the villages ON the shores
Tarbet offers to the tourist the most attrac-
tions for few days sojourn. The hotel
commands full view of Ben Lonond; the
blue lake affords fine opportunity for moon
light rowing; and those who enjoy right
good climb may test their limbs in scaling
Rob Rey's cliff, from whose giddy height
this cruel brigand used to swing his captiyes.
1t is surprising to find what erroneous opin-
ions of the United States and our eiviliza-
ton are entertained by many of the intelli-
gent people of foreign countries. The juniors
of our party made friends with some Eng
fish girls on the boat, who seemed so aston
ished to find we were Americans that we
could but think they had been taught in
school that there were five great races of hui
man beings on the globe; and all the inhabi-
tants of the Western hemisphere must be-
long to the meanest of them, the North
American Indian. Scanning the children
with evident curiosity, they asked if the vii
layers were not afraid of the Indians, and
what language was spoken by the common
people Being assured we were harmless
and accustomed to civilized society, the
young misses put closer questions-if we had
cities, good houses, and any 'shows, the
child's term everywhere for all kinds of en-
tertainment Their ideas Of our geography
were about as clear as ours of Queensland,
as they almost envied the young New Eng
landers the fun of knocking down cocoanuts
and playing with monkeys. These young
English subjects boosted of navy that
was monarch of all the seas; of an army
that made the kingdoms of the earth
tremble at the sound of its martial tramp;
of the glorious antiquity of their in
situations; of their heraldry, of their
soul-stirring national airs; of their po-
cts; and lastly, summing up all English
greatness, said, 1--WE have heard you had
quantity. but you have no quality" This
reused in Young America the independent
spirit of their Revolutionary ancestors, who
were ready to live or die by the fundamen-
tai principle that ''all men are born
equal" and they Indignantly replied, 1--WE
are al quality in New England" then went
ON with great accuracy, thanks to the faith
full teachers in our unparalleled public
schools to state the population of our large
cities, the dimensions of few of our lakes,
which could engulf without a ripple the
whole Of England, the length of our rivers,
and the extent of our manufactures. They
next ran off catalogue of our schools, col
leges and theatres, recounting with no little
modesty the treas ures of their Inheritance,
until the young misses were quite over
whelmed, and retired, saying, Why we
must go and tell pa what you say about
America" On one occasion, a friend during
political discussion referred to the
revolutionary war and mentioned George
the Third At this her opponent in the
debate, lady of the gentry, stopped
her suddenly, exclaiming: what! our
George the Third? 1 thought you were
,, Of dinner
gentleman advised friend who was going
out to China, by all means to make a tour of
the United States on his return trip, saying
''he supposed San Francisco was worth see
ing; that he ought to go off the route, he was
not sure Just where to do it, to see that city
of the Mormons; and then he had better stop
at Philadelphia, which, he was told, was
quite place, where they had stone houses
and reservoir" At Inyersnaid coaches
awaited us, mounted by burly Scotehmen,
with faces as rosy and radiant as their scar
let broadcloth coats. The road from here
takes zigzag course over the shoulder of a
steep mountain, whose side was crimson
with heather bloom, while the gorges be-
meath made ample shelter for wild deer and
fowl.
An hours ride landed us at Stronachlach-
er, where we were treated to the unvarying
and unappetizing English lunch of cold joint,
tart and sweet After taking a few bites to
assuage the pangs of hunger, we took climb
to the top of the hill behind the hotel, where
is spread out most pleasing panorama of
blue mountains, nearer green hills, and the
lake beneath repeating the whole scene in
the softest tints on its silyery BOSOM We
soon embarked upon a smaller steamer to
cross Lake Katrine. AT this point we enter
the scenery of the Lady of the Lake, in which
Scott's descriptions of nature always have
seemed to US to closely resemble Casilea's
work with brush and colors. There can be
no disappointment here, since the poets
words place before his reader a transparent
mirror, rejecting with the greatest truthful
ness and delicacy the minutie of natures il
limitable beauties. We made the acquain-
lance of sailor, who pointed out the places
of interest familiar to us in SCOTS writings.
In the distance rose the mountain tops of
Benvenue and Ben Nevis, while above them
all, lowered old Ben Vorlichs head. We
asked the sailor if that was where the sun
used to light his beacon red He laughed