for taking They had Two were

that for the fold, and clofe by the wall was a kind of bedstead of wood with heath upon it by way of bed, at the foot of which I faw fome fort of blankets or covering rolled up in a heap. The woman's name was Frafer; fo was her husband's. He was a man of eighty. Mr. Frafer of Balnain allows him to live in this hut, and keep fixty goats, care of his woods, where he then was. five children, the eldest only thirteen. gone to Inverness to buy meal; the reft were looking after the goats. This contented family had four stacks of barley, twenty four fheaves in each. They had a few fowls. We were informed that they lived all the fpring without meal, upon milk and curds and whey alone. their goats, kids, and fowls,

ing the rest of the year.

What they get for maintains them dur

She asked us to fit down and take a dram. I faw one chair. She faid fhe was as happy as any woman in Scotland. She could hardly speak any English except a few detached words. Dr. Johnson was pleased at seeing, for the first time, fuch a ftate of human life. She asked for fnuff. It is her luxury, and the ufes a great deal. We had none; but gave her fix pence a piece. She then brought out her whisky bottle. I tafted it; as did Joseph and our guides: fo I gave her fixpence more. fent us away with many prayers in Erfe;

She

We dined at a publick houfe called the General's Hut, from General Wade, who was lodged there when he commanded in the North. Near it is the

meanest parish Kirk I ever faw. It is a fhame it fhould be on a high road. After dinner, we paffed through a good deal of mountainous country. I had known Mr. Trapaud, the deputy governour of

Fort

Fort Auguftus, twelve years ago, at a circuit at Inverness, where my father was judge. I fent forward one of our guides, and Jofeph, with a card to him, that he might know Dr. Johnson and I were coming up, leaving it to him to invite us or not. It was dark when we arrived. The inn was wretched. Government ought to build one, or give the refident governour an additional falary; as in the present state of things, he must neceffarily be put to a great expence in entertaining travellers. Jofeph announced to us, when we alighted, that the governour waited for us at the gate of the fort. We walked to it.

He met us, and with much civility conducted us to his house. It was comfortable to find ourselves in a well built little fquare, and a neatly furnished house, in good company, and with a good supper before us; in fhort, with all the conveniencies of civilized life in the midst of rude mountains. Mrs. Trapaud, and the governour's daughter, and her husband, Captain Newmarsh, were all most obliging and polite. The governour had excellent animal fpirits, the conversation of a foldier, and somewhat of a Frenchman, to which his extraction entitles him. He is brother to General Cyrus Trapaud. We paffed a very agreeable evening.

Tuesday, 31st August.

The governour has a very good garden. We looked at it, and at the rest of the fort, which is but fmall, and may be commanded from a variety of hills around. We also looked at the galley or floop belonging to the fort, which fails upon the Loch, and brings what is wanted for the garrifon. Captains Urie and Darippe, of the 15th regiment of foot, breakfafted with us. They had ferved in America, and

enter

entertained Dr. Johnson much with an account of the Indians. He faid, he could make a very pretty book out of them, were he to stay there. Governour Trapaud was much ftruck with Dr. Johnfon. "I like to hear him, (said he,) it is fo majestick, I fhould be glad to hear him fpeak in your court.' -He preffed us to ftay dinner; but I confidered that we had a rude road before us, which we could inore easily encounter in the morning, and that it was hard to fay when we might get up, were we to fit down to good entertainment, in good company : I therefore begged the governour would excufe us. -Here too, I had another very pleafing proof how much my father is regarded. The governour expreffed the highest refpect for him, and bade me tell him, that, if he would come that way on the Northern circuit, he would do him all the honours of the garrison.

Between twelve and one we fet out, and travelled eleven miles, through a wild country, till we came to a house in Glenmorifon, called Anoch, kept by a M'Queen*. Our landlord was a fenfible fellow: he had learnt his grammar, and Dr. Johnfon juftly obferved, that "a man is the better for that as long as he lives." There were fome books here: a Treatife against Drunkennefs, tranflated from the French; a volume of the Spectator; a volume of Prideaux's Connection, and Cyrus's Travels. M'Queen faid he had more volumes; and his pride feemed

4 M'Queen is a Highland mode of expreffion. An Englishman would fay one M'Queen. But where there are clans or tribes of men, diftinguished by patronymick furnames, the individuals of each ars confidered as if they were of different fpecies, at least as much as nations are diftinguifhed; fo that a M'Queen, a M'Donald, a M Lean, is faid, as we fay a Frenchman, an Italian, a Spaniard.

Leemed to be much piqued that we were furprised at his having books.

Near to this place we had paffed a party of foldi ers, under a ferjeant's command, at work upon the road. We gave them two fhillings to drink. They came to our inn, and made merry in the barn. We went and paid them a vifit, Dr. Johnson saying,

Come, let's go and give 'em another fhilling a-piece." We did fo; and he was faluted "MY LORD" by all of them. He is really generous, loves influence, and has the way of gaining it. He faid, "I am quite feudal, fir." Here I agree with him. I faid, I regretted I was not the head of a clan; however, though not poffeffed of fuch an hereditary advantage, I would always endeavour to make my tenants follow me. I could not be a patriarchal chief, but I would be a feudal chief,

Some

The poor foldiers got too much liquor. of them fought, and left blood upon the spot, and curfed whisky next morning. The house here was built of thick turfs, and thatched with thinner turfs and heath. It had three rooms in length, and a little room which projected. Where we fat, the fide-walls were wainscotted, as Dr. Johnson faid, with wicker, very neatly plaited. Our landlord had made the whole with his own hands.

After dinner, M'Queen fat by us a while, and talked with us. He faid, all the Laird of Glenmorifon's people would bleed for him, if they were well used; but that feventy men had gone out of the Glen to America. That he himself intended to go next year; for that the rent of his farm, which twenty years ago was only five pounds, was now raised

raised to twenty pounds. That he could pay ten pounds, and live; but no more.--Dr. Johnson faid, he wifhed M'Queen laird of Glenmorifon, and the Jaird to go to America. M'Queen very generously answered, he should be forry for it; for the laird could not fhift for himself in America as he could do.

I talked of the officers whom we had left to day; how much fervice they had feen, and how little they got for it, even of fame.-Johnson. "Sir, a foldier gets as little as any man can get."-Bofwell. "Goldsmith has acquired more fame than all the officers laft war, who were not Generals."-Johnson. "Why, fir, you will find ten thousand fit to do what they did, before you find one who does what Goldfmith has done. You must confider, that a thing is valued according to its rarity. A pebble that paves the street is in itself more useful than the diamond upon a lady's finger."—I wish our friend Goldfmith had heard this.

I yesterday expreffed my wonder that John Hay, one of our guides, who had been preffed aboard a man of war, did not choose to continue in it longer than nine months, after which time he got off.— Johnson. Why, fir, no man will be a failor, who has contrivance enough to get himself into a jail; for, being in a fhip is being in a jail, with the chance of being drowned."

We had tea in the afternoon, and our landlord's daughter, a modeft civil girl, very neatly drest, made it for us. She told us, fhe had been a year at Inverness, and learnt reading and writing, fewing, knotting, working lace, and pastry. Dr. Johnson

made