stance of a people among whom the arts of civil life did not advance in proportion with learning; that they had hardly any trade, any money, or any elegance before the Union; that it was strange that, with all the advantages possessed by other nations, they had not any of those conveniencies and embellishments which are the fruit of industry, till they came in contact with a civi. lized people. We have taught you, (said he,) and we'll do the same in time to all barbarous nations,-to the Cherokees,—and at last to the Ourang-outangs ;" laughing with as much glee as if Monboddo had been present.-Boswell. "We had wine before the Union." -Johnson. "No, sir; you had some weak stuff, the refuse of France, which would not make you drunk." -Boswell." I assure you, sir, there was a great deal of drunkenness."-Johnson. "No, sir; there were people who died of dropsies, which they contracted in trying to get drunk."

I must here glean some of his conversation at Ulinish, which I have omitted. He repeated his remark, that a man in a ship was worse than a man in a jail. "The man in a jail, (said he,) has more room, better food, and commonly better company, and is in safety.”— "Ay; but, (said Mr. M'Queen,) the man in the ship has the pleasing hope of getting to shore."-Johnson. "Sir, I am not talking of a man's getting to shore; but of a man while he is in a ship: and then, I say, he is worse than a man while he is in a jail. A man in a jail may have the pleasing hope' of getting out. A man confined for only a limited time,'actually has it."M'Leod mentioned his schemes for carrying on fisheries with spirit, and that he would wish to understand the construction of boats. I suggested that he might go to a dock-yard and work, as Peter the Great did.H h

Johnson. "Nay, sir, he need not work. Peter the Great had not the sense to see that the mere mechanical work may be done by any body, and that there is the same art in constructing a vessel, whether the boards are well or ill wrought. Sir Christopher Wren might as well have served his time to a bricklayer, and first, indeed, to a brick-maker."

There is a beautiful little island in the Loch of Dunvegan, called Isa. M'Leod said, he would give it to Dr. Johnson, on condition of his residing on it three months in the year; nay one month. Dr. Johnson was highly amused with the fancy. I have seen him please himself with little things, even with mere ideas like the present. He talked a great deal of this island ;-how he would build a house there, -how he would fortify it, how he would have cannon,-how he would plant,-how he would sally out, and take the isle of Muck ;—and then he laughed with uncommon glee, and could hardly leave off. I have seen him do so at a small matter that struck him, and was sport to no one else. Mr. Langton told me, that one night he did so while the company were all grave about him :-only Garrick, in his significant smart manner, darting his eyes around, exclaimed, "Very jocose, to be sure !”—M'Leod encouraged the fancy of Dr. Johnson's becoming owner of an island; told him, that it was the practice in this country to name every man by his lands; and begged leave to drink to him in that mode: "Island Isa, you health!" Ulinish, Talisker, Mr. M'Queen, and I, all joined in our different manners, while Dr. Johnson bowed to each, with much good humour.

We had good weather, and a fine sail this day. The shore was varied with hills, and rocks, and corn-fields,

and bushes, which are here dignified with the name of natural wood. We landed near the house of Fernely, a farm possessed by another gentleman of the name of M'Leod, who, expecting our arrival, was waiting on the shore, with a horse for Dr. Johnson. The rest of us walked.—At dinner, I expressed to M'Leod the joy which I had in seeing him on such cordial terms with his clan. "Government (said he) has deprived us of our ancient power; but it cannot deprive us of our demestick satisfactions. I would rather drink punch in one of their houses, (meaning the houses of his people) than be enabled by their hardships, to have claret in my own."-This should be the sentiment of every Chieftain. All that he can get by raising his rents, is more luxury in his own house. Is it not better to share the profits of his estate, to a certain degree, with his kinsmen, and thus have both social intercourse and patriarchal influence?

We had a very good ride, for about three miles, to Talisker, where Colonel M'Leod introduced us to his lady. We found here Mr. Donald M'Lean, the young Laird of Col, (nephew to Talisker,) to whom I delivered the letter with which I had been favoured by his uncle, Professor M'Leod, at Aberdeen. He was a little lively young man. We found he had been a good deal in England studying farming, and was resolved to improve the value of his father's lands, without oppressing his tenants, or losing the ancient Highland fashions.

Talisker is a better place than one commonly finds in Sky. It is situated in a rich bottom. Before it is a wide expanse of sea, on each hand of which are immense rocks; and, at some distance in the sea, there are three columnal rocks rising to sharp points. The billows

break with prodigious force and noise on the coast of Talisker. There are here a good many well-grown trees. Talisker is an extensive farm. The possessor of it has, for several generations, been the next heir to M'Leod, as there has been but one son always in that family. The court before the house is most injudiciously paved with the round blueish-grey pebbles which are found upon the sea-shore; so that you walk as if upon cannon-balls driven into the ground.

After supper, I talked of the assiduity of the Scottish clergy, in visiting and privately instructing their parishioners, and observed how much in this they excelled the English clergy. Dr. Johnson would not let this pass. He tried to turn it off, by saying, "There are different ways of instructing. Our clergy pray and preach."-M'Leod and I pressed the subject, upon which he grew warm, and broke forth: "I do not believe your people are better instructed. If they are, it is the blind leading the blind; for your clergy are not instructed themselves." Thinking he had gone a little too far, he checked himself, and added, "When I talk of the ignorance of your clergy, I talk of them as a body: I do not mean that there are not individuals who are learned (looking at Mr. M:Queen). I suppose there are such among the clergy in Muscovy. The clergy of England have produced the most valuable books in support of religion, both in theory and practice. What have your clergy done, since you sunk into presbyterianism? Can you name one book of any value, on a religious subject, written by them?"-We were silent.

"I'll help you. Forbes wrote very well; but I believe he wrote before episcopacy was quite extinguished."—And then pausing a little, he said, "Yes,

you have Wishart AGAINST Repentance."*-Boswell. "But, sir, we are not contending for the superior learning of our clergy, but for their superior assiduity."—He bore us down again, with thundering against their igno. rance, and said to me, "I see you have not been well taught; for you have not charity."-He had been in some measure forced into this warmth, by the exulting air which I assumed; for, when he began, he said, "Since you will drive the nail !"-He again thought of good Mr. M'Queen, and, taking him by the hand, said, Sir, I did not mean any disrespect to you."

Here I must observe, that he conquered by deserting his ground, and not meeting the argument as I had put it. The assiduity of the Scottish clergy is certainly greater than that of the English. His taking up the topick of their not having so much learning, was, though ingenious, yet a fallacy in logick. It was as if there should be a dispute whether a man's hair is well dres sed, and Dr. Johnson should say, "Sir, his hair cannot be well dressed; for he has a dirty shirt. No man who has not clean linen has his hair well dressed."-When some days afterwards he read this passage, he said, "No, sir; I did not say that a man's hair could not be well dressed because he has not clean linen, but because he is bald."

He used one argument against the Scottish clergy being learned, which I doubt was not good. "As we believe a man dead till we know that he is alive; so we believe men ignorant till we know that they are learn

* This was a dexterous mode of description, for the purpose of his argument; for what he alluded to was, a sermon published by the learned Dr. William Wishart, formerly principal of the college at Edinburgh, to warn men against con fiding in a death-bed repentance, of the inefficacy of which he entertained notions very different from those of Dr. Johnson.