even in the middle of last century, rank popery*, can only be accounted for by the comparatively inaccessible position of these gay ornaments. Even now, although the guide books boast that the cathedral "is kept in a high state of preservation," I much fear that the flaunting shields would be sadly defaced if they were accessible. For the scats in the gallery are hacked and hewed in a disgraceful manner, and exhibit sad tokens of irreverence.

Burt in his amusing "Letters from Scotland," (written in 1731), says that when an Englishman proposed to a Scotch minister's wife that her pew should be lined, she exclaimed, "Clothe the pew with cloth; why, my good man would think that rank popery." What would he have said to the clothing in these days of altars, pulpits,

and clergymen in Puseyite Churches ?

CHAP. IV.

From Aberdeen to Caithness.- Voyage in the Prince Consort. Motley Passengers.-Peterhead.-A scrambling Supper.-Scaldings.Lights a-head and around.-Herring-fishing Boats.-Fraserburgh.— The Moray Firth. A hot Night. The Caithness Coast. The Maiden Paps.-Noss Head.-Wick Herring Fleet.-Land at Wick.Great bustle.—Amazing quantity of Herrings.-Stalwart Fishers.— Stout Girls.-No Porters.-How Luggage is carried.—Our maimed Passenger.-Proceed to the Caledonian Hotel.-Rest.

Ir is a long and expensive land journey from Aberdeen to Caithness, for the iron horse's most northern stable at present is Inverness, beyond which town he does not travel. Thus, if you are bound to John o'Groat's land on a summer tour, and can put up with a little roughing, you will do well to take the steamer from Aberdeen to Wick. This costs (first saloon) 188., and the voyage in propitious weather is made in about ten hours; whereas, to Wick vid Inverness by rail and mail-coach occupies two days and a night, and costs nearly 41. But I advise the tourist not to undertake the voyage if there be a dense fog, or a strong east wind blowing, for your steamer may come to grief, like the "Duke of Rich

mond" which was wrecked on the coast near Aberdeen last autumn.

I had arranged with the Peeblesshire Laird to join him on board the "Prince Consort," a fine new steamship, at Aberdeen, provided the weather was auspicious, and as Boreas showed no signs of blustering at 5 o'clock in the afternoon I drove to the quay, and shortly after we steamed out of the harbour.

The vessel was gorged with passengers and merchandise. The former consisted of many varieties. Farmers returning home from a great cattle show in Edinburgh. Orcadians and Shetlanders, a few even from the Faroe Islands, who had been on a holiday trip to Edinburgh, the "Town" of these Northmen. Sportsmen as may be supposed were not wanting, indeed, almost every other passenger was either a sportsman or connected with what our Gallic neighbours call Le Sport. Here you saw how powerful is the attraction of the Highlands when the twelfth of August draws near, and you also saw how luxurious and costly is the equipment of sportsmen in the present day, Vehicles of various kinds and of the most elegant construction encumbered the fore deck. One was an ingenious combination of carriage and boat, the latter to be used on lonely mountain lakes far removed from house or boat. Amidst these vehicles were chained kennels of dogs, entangled apparently in inextricable

confusion, and like the canine race generally by no means disposed to fraternise with each other.

The little wind that blew being off the land the sea was fortunately very tranquil, otherwise the night would have been full of horrors, for we were packed in the cabin almost as close as we could stand; crowded steamers from Edinburgh to the north of Scotland being the rule during the month of August.

When the evening closed we were off Peterhead, the ship's course being sufficiently close to the land to enable us to see the coast, here of a nature that would make the mariner very desirous of giving it a wide berth during a gale from the east. Granite girds the land with its adamantine ribs, and woe betide the bark that strikes this crystalline rock.

How rarely does it happen that the commissariat of a sea-going steamer is hard pressed. On this occasion, however, the steward was sorely perplexed to satisfy the demands made on his stores. His assistants seemed utterly confounded by the rapacity of the hearty feeding northmen, who were perpetually calling for more meats and strong drinks. In his hurry to serve the hungry farmers, one waiter fell and upset a huge kettle full of boiling water on a gentleman's leg. How patiently the unfortunate passenger, who was going to the moors, submitted to the mishap, which put an end to his shooting, was wonderful. The fellow should

D

have cried "scaldings," was the only remark that he made when his stripped limb exhibited a terrible spectacle of raw flesh.

With great difficulty we managed to get a scrambling kind of supper, and after a tumbler of toddy - be sure there was no lack of that I went on deck.

Had my first glass of so called "Ben Nevis " been too potent, or did my eyes truly inform my senses? All around were innumerable lights dancing like meteors, about twenty feet above the sea, and reflected in many cases in the glassy wave. Beautiful, most beautiful, was the effect of these ever moving lights amidst which the steamer glided. Were we within the lagunes of a northern Venice, and did these flashing lights illumine festive scenes? Not so; they were those of hardy herring fishers pursuing their nightly labour, at the mast-head of whose boats a lantern swung. The greater portion belonged to Fraserburgh and Peterhead, which towns contributed 649 boats last summer to the herring fishing fleet; but there were many more lights than these, for all the villages on the east coast south of the Moray Firth are engaged in this fishery.

In consequence of numerous accidents during fogs, the proprietors of fishing boats are now compelled to show a light at the mast-head. Were the regulations less strict, few fishers would be at the trouble of adopting this simple precaution to guard against being run