smallest pulsation upon the very rim and verge of his visual descry, is a sensation in the very core of his heart-is a sentiment in the very centre of feeling. The sun had now abated a little of his intensity, and although not by any means a favourable afternoon for our sport, there was occasionally a cloud, and constantly a breeze; and being reciprocally intent upon giving and receiving instruction, and having fairly finished, according to my favourite song, "The last of our bottle," we set to work again in good earnest, he to watch the exemplification of my rules, and I to prove by every throw, that these rules were founded on extensive experience. And now I am about to communicate to you, Mr Editor, and through you to, I do not exactly know how many, a secret, which is known at this present moment only to a very few indeed, a secret, the possession of which has made me long the most successful bait-fisher in the county where I reside; a secret, which I had originally from an old soldier, of whom, and of whose feats in this way, there are many yet alive in Nithsdale who can bear ample testimony. And this secret, with a liberality and public-spiritedness which would only be looked for from, at least, which would only be found in an old fisher, I authorise, and even request you, to make as public as you can. The fact is, I am now becoming a little, perhaps not a little corpulent; I cannot ascend the hills, or trace the streams so cleverly as I could formerly, and lest I should get more indolent, or more stupid, or be made a D.D., or take to "the bottle" exclusively; and thus, from any or from all of these causes, be rendered incapable of asking or of obtaining credit, I have come to the determination of making, as the man in the play says, "a clear breast of it," and the secret consists entirely in knowing "how to throw the line.' The common practice is to go to the head of the stream or of the pool, and to allow the bait to make its way before you, downwards, till it be caught by some watchful eye, and lodged in some unhappy jaw. But in this case you always pull against the stream, and, consequently, you more than double the resistance; besides, as all fish catch any bait floating downwards with their heads turned against the current, it is ten to one but, after your bait has been almost as far home in the stomach of the trout, as Jonah was in that of the whale, the trout may open his mouth and allow you to free him of so inconvenient a meal. Now the method in which I was instructed, and which I have always practised in all seasons, and almost every variety of weather, with success is this; instead of fishing with the bait down a small mountain burn, fish up it: keep a pretty long line, and keep constantly pulling it out and throwing it in; thus, even suppose there is not a single fish in the stream or in the pool which may have the least intention to swallow, many, almost in every case, will have a great inclination to look at, to nibble at, to tamper (in short) with, this danger. During all this floating and circling, during all this nibbling and dallying, you will observe that the trout still keep, in this mode of fishing, betwixt your hook and you; and, accordingly, whenever you choose to call home your hook with a sudden jerk, you have a great chance to come round some fellow's jaws, or across his breast, who had no intention to swallow, but to wander ;-who went as many who suffered in the Porteous, and who suffer in all mobs, did and do merely to ask “what was the matter." You must, however, remember whilst practising this method, to have a strong line and rod (a piece of wellseasoned rowan tree is worth all the Mackenzies and Phins in the world meaning no disparagement to these celebrated artists) which will bend down almost to your hand, for, in order to accomplish your purpose, you are compelled to draw so powerfully, and in case, as most frequently happens, your victim be not well hooked, so smartly that, should you hit upon a root or a stone, your tackle, otherwise, will be in danger of giving way. I have fished upwards of twenty dozen (without looking through my kaleidoscope!) during a day in this manner, and upwards of one-third were actually hooked on the outside. σε Εκεις άπαντ' απελθε, Λαλιτέραν ὠέθηκας, Ανθρωπε, και κορωνης. "This is all away! away! You have made me waste the day, How I've chattered, prating crow Never yet did chatter so." The day was so far wasted by the time I had given my pupil a full specimen of my art, that the bottom of Glenwhargan was sunk into shade, and the shadow of the western was exhibited in waving outline on the front of the eastern steep. The smoke which, in more elevated situations, is generally dissipated as soon as it escapes the cottage vent, in these deep and sheltered glens, particularly about nightfall, ascends for some time unbroken, like the adjoining ash-tree of the garden, erecting its full stem, and spreading out at a certain elevation on all sides. It was by marking this peaceful notification, that we were enabled to discover "a sheep-farm steading," at the conflux of two streams, and immediately under a precipitous exhibition of crags above, with stunted thorn and " hazel scraps" towards the bottom. After the usual challenge of cur and whelp, we affected a lodgement within the ha'-door, and, proceeding along a narrow and dark passage, we found the "guidman" of the family employed in family worship, or in the once well-known language of our country, "taking the buik," and for the sake of those who inhabit large towns, villages, and more populous districts, and in particular for the sake of my own parishioners, I shall here affix a formula* of the manner in which this most becoming and sanctifying exercise was performed in the days of our fathers, and is still kept up in some remote and muirland places. And as the Right Reverend and Right Honourable the General As sembly of the Church of Scotland, have deemed it proper to recommend a revival of this good old custom, I am not without my hopes, that, through the interest of some leading men about Edinburgh, who are, as it were, the mouth, the body, and the respective organs of our church, I may get my formula passed through next Assembly, and inserted amongst its recorded acts. But, to return from this digressionthe gudeman we found seated on his Langsettle," from the back of which projected a narrow drop-table, supported by one leg only, on which table he was reading from his Bible a chapter in Isaiah. A rosy-shoe-footed lass occupied the near end of the Langsettle," with her Bible in her hand, but opened, as I had afterwards occasion to observe, at the "Song of Solomon." Whether this was accident or design I know not; but the next was her marriage-day. Close by a large and luminous peat fire, which occupied nearly the centre of the ha', sat the gudewife, large and lusty, with a sleeping infant on her knee, a pair of large scissars suspended from one side, and a portentous pocket suspending from the other; above or beyond the fire, upon a long and sooty bench, and beneath an ample canopy of 66 sheepskins," sat a whole covey of lasses, displaying bare feet, with a reasonable proportion of ankle. In the front of the beds, and immediately opposite, sat, or rather lay, male and female servants closely jammed together by the limited range of the bed-shut • Formula of family worship, is in Scotland termed The guidman, or whoever presides in the family, takes from the shelf or bole in the wall the "guid ha'-bible," on the blank leaves of which are generally recorded his own birth and the births of his children, a short initiatory blessing generally precedes the opening of the sacred volume, a psalm is selected, and "let us praise," or "let us worship God," is solemnly expressed. The lines according to the old presbyterian form (one well accommodated to the insecurity of field conventicles, under which, and with a reference to which, it was instituted,) are first read, and then sung line by line in succession: no voice is silent, from the "herd callan that tents the stirks," up to the guidwife herself. None are too insignificant or too elevated to join in the praise of their Maker-a chapter is next read from the bible-and, in a kneeling posture, an extempore and fervent prayer is offered up to God. They, and they only, who have been brought up under the due observance of this morning and evening sacrifice, who have felt and witnessed its purifying and elevating effects on the heart, can appreciate its importance. Under all his personal and family troubles, it is the poor man's ready and consolatory resource, and at the hour of his escape from sorrow, it is to the discharge of this exercise in his hearing that he directs the last visit of his "minister;" and it is generally under the long familiarized accents of prayer or of praise that he expires! ters. A half-grown lad, who acted in the capacity of "cow-herd," occupied a more central situation, and seemed to have his attention chiefly directed towards a pair of footless hose, termed in Dumfries-shire "hoshens," which were drying from the crook. The younger children were gone to bed, and a half-asleep, but rather good looking girl, sat swinging her feet in the back ground, from the kitchen table. Amidst this group, and with out any very fixed stations or appointments, were scattered dogs and cats, whelps and kittens, in abundance; and over it hung a canopy of smoke, blue, dense, and level, in which were hid roof and rafters; and, as we found, to our satisfaction, at next morning's meal, excellent mutton hams. Such was the group which presented itself to us as we entered, and were beckoned by the gudeman himself into a seat beside the lass with the Bible, whilst my friend was advanced to the bench in the upper house. The service went on without suffering any material interruption, unless what proceeded from our out-of-doors enemies, the dogs, who still eyed us with suspicion, and growled dissatisfaction. Having told, however, our situation, we were readily accommodated with " beat potatoes" to supper, and a bed. Next day, after a hearty breakfast on porridge and milk, with a suitable accompaniment of a caulker of mountain dew, we were given to understand, that the marriage of a servant girl, with a shepherd lad," about two miles up the glen," was about to take place, at the hour of twelve; and being in a humour to enjoy the fun, we agreed to witness the ceremony. It was performed, amidst a vast assemblage of lads and lasses, by a dissenting clergyman, who occupied more than an hour, in discoursing of motives, and duties, and consequences; till many elbows were in motion, many winks were exchanging, and many female cheeks were reddening through the crowd. "In for a penny, in for a pound," so having witnessed the ceremony, we consented likewise to be present up the glen" at the marriage feast, and to take a share of the festivities of the occasion. But as these were not to take place till some hours after, we resolved to fish our way up. We had now got clear of that brushwood, with which the course of the river was the day before, almost at every turn, beset; and had neither root nor branch to entangle our hooks upon. That which we were following up, was still the main branch of the Scar, greatly diminished, as it had lost several inconsiderable tributaries by the way, The day, however, was clear, and sultry; and, as is common in these situations, the stream had returned to its natural colour, and nearly to its usual size during the night. We had but little sport; my friend practised the lessons I had yesterday given him, but altogether without success; I could never get him to conceive, that a seemingly insignificant gullet, or rapid, was preferable toa large and deep pool. He was constantly running on before me, in order to secure the better chances; leaving me, however, at the same time, in undisputed possession of all that part of the water, which in such a day in particular was fishable. At length he tired fairly of my plan, twisted off his Being unwilling to let slip any opportunity of doing good, I shall here append a recipe, by which this very delicious repast, known only in perfection in Dumfries-shire, may be prepared-Scrape your potatoes clean, even to the very foundation of every blank and deeply-rooted eye-boil them well, and rather hastily; then pour off the boiling water from them, and, taking up a link or two of the crook, hang them on without the lid, and with a sprinkling of salt over them, to dry-then taking them hastily down, for the process must be quickly gone through, to prevent over-cooling, place the pot on the hearth, and within the influence of the fire-beat them with a beetle, or rake them with a flesh hook, till they have become completely attenuated, and tough as doughceasing to adhere to the instrument used in bruising them-then in with your sweet milk and yellow butter, stirring powerfully the whole. This is the only part of the process where address may be exhibited; and I verily believe many a cold heart has been warmed by the figure of 8 cut and exhibited under a pair of red female arms. But caution, as in all cases of skill, is requisite here, for if you begin this evolution whilst the milk is not in some degree mixed with the potatoes, you will make a fearful splutter, and, instead of shewing off to advantage, you will look rather awkward-renew the milk and stirring process till the whole mass has become consistent and then, with the addition of milk, to throw on" or to "dip in" at will, you have a meal for a prince. 64 hook, bait and all, in a passion, and "Gives, as you tear it from the bleeding breast "Of the weak, helpless, incomplaining wretch fusion. Jock won the brooze, dashed down his penny in the plate, with an air of importance; and strapping his arm from shoulder to wrist, upon a face already studded with dirt and drenched in perspiration, each fixed star in the wide firmament of his countenance instantly assumed the tail and the tresses of a comet. He stood the very abstract, and epitome of all the signs of divine wrath which denounced to destruction the city of Jerusalem; and there let him stand till he cool, for here comes a fiddle, and here comes a respectable accompaniment of lads and "lasses free;" with whom it is time to partner ourselves on the green. And now, Mr Editor, in order to appreciate our present situation, you must know where you are. But if you have never, in any of your autumnal excursions, had the "Harsh pain and horror to the tender hand," good fortune to have your ankle twistdown to the present hour, the al- ed, or your heart twinged, in a Highlegation has arisen from inexperience, land glen ;-if you have never laid and sheer ignorance. For who that aside the fierce eye, and fiery aspect, can, and whether he fish with fly or with and frenzied demeanour of an editor bait, constantly does put his victim, im- and a critic, under the soft and gemediately upon landing it, to death, by nial inspiration of "honest rustic sima twist of the neck, will enter into plicity"-then you can but guess at any thing but the mere poetry of such the interest we feel in the scene around fanciful horrors. In most instances, us-we are, as it were, a caravan in I fancy the sportsman, whether his the desert-not the polished valley of game reside in water or in air, finds Rasselas is more completely encircled his pleasure proportioned nearly to with mountains, and along the bold his success; and he who can kill and undulating line of a horizon untwelve dozen with the bait, whilst ano- usually elevated, and closely pressed ther fishing with the fly can only kill home upon the eye, a few sheep that six, will not very readily relinquish are feeding, figure like horses. The his harsh and beastly plan, for one heavens over head are hung with a less deadly, but more sentimental. drapery of many towering and magniWe arrived at last, at the "shieling," ficent clouds, which now intercept and where the bridal feast was to be held. now transmit with increased splenIt was a small rush-thatched cottage, dour, the sun's rays. The Scar, now over the door and windows of which concealing its diminished head under vegetation had extended her influence; bank and amidst rocks, leaves us as and a few dark brown patches here much " green sward," within one of and there along the roof, gave it rather its turnings, as serves for a ball-room; a pyebald aspect. It was, in short, the and Jock is now conducting the young very counterpart of Jock, who with gudewife, his old acquaintance of the tattered coat, and clouted inexpres-milk-stoup and crib," to a reel. Nor sibles, was now rapidly advancing is he ill supported-for we have all amidst a shower of spray of his own taken a share in the sport, and the raising, through dub and mire, in valley rings and the ground shakes hopes of winning the brooze. Behind with the demonstration of our joy. him, and occasionally too before him, followed and advanced one who seemed equally determined with his antagonist, and last of all appeared in view the whole marriage party, drifting up the glen in noisy and motley con The graces, if ever they travel so far from town, were absent on this occasion, and the blooming daughters of health superintend the ceremonies in their stead-all is one flap, and shout, and spring. Even "Hoshekins" him self draws up the legs of his footless hose, and flings it away, in a style of unrivalled demonstration, with the bride whom, he whispers me slyly, he has twenty times kissed in the byre. Accidents such as the dropping of a thrum-garter from the bride's legthe bursting of a petticoat string some where else—and the tumbling of our young gudeman, in one of his figure dances, over the back of his amazed and yelping colley-these little incidents serve only as interludes to vary the scene and increase the effect. What took place during this musical carnival, below the surface of the earth, I presume not even to guess; but above, the dogs chase and bark in perfect delight-the sheep move off in lengthened rows to the hill-the raven deserts her thorn in the midway steep-and the " gray glade of Glenwhargan" "Flaps his well-fledged wing and bears away." * The trouts, however, contrary to their conduct on some other occasions of a like nature, keep to their pools; nor observe I any of the moles presenting their broad claws to the day. Human nerves, however, as well as fiddle-strings, require to be relaxed. Even the practised mover of the fiddle bow requests a pause and a draught of beer; and so well has our "hoshened hero" employed his time in the dance, that he is now incapable of awaiting his succession to the tankard; but uncorking a bottle from the basket, fairly sets it to his mouth-but almost instantly, and to the utter amazement of all who witnessed the action, dashed the bottle to the ground, pulling, at the same time, from his throat a small looking animal, which has nearly escaped the pursuit of his fingers. As "Hughoc" stood, when Maillie lay under her last speech before him I leave it to you, Mr Editor, for I am now obliged to travel post towards the conclusion of my narrative, I leave it to you to figure to yourself the dinner, with all its accompaniments of brandy, and haggis, and whisky; and I leave it likewise in your power, to fancy out the most entertaining and interesting amusements of a whole night's promiscuous dancing in a sheiling. See us then next morning on our way homewards-weary jaded and worn out with watching, yet still persevering in the pursuit of our amusement and now killing to our hearts content, and to the annoyance of our shoulders; and then carry us along the Scar till you fairly return us about twelve at night to our repective abodes. "Now our weary eyes we close, Manse of PETER M'FINN. Boriana; or Sketches of Pugilism ‡. BY ONE OF THE FANCY. No. II. THE second great era of English Pugilism, may be reckoned from the death of Fig, to that of Big Ben, a period of little more than forty years, "The trouts lap o' the Leven loch, Charmed with the melody." QUEEN'S WAKE. + A leech-bottle had been filled by a mistake with beer. In our last Number, we spoke of the Author of that excellent Work, "BOXIANA, OR SKETCHES OF PUGILISM,' as the GREAT UNKNOWN. We have since seen that |