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CONTENTS.
Page iii
V
DEDICATON.
ADVERTISEMENT.
INTRODUCTION. Character of Dr. Johnson. He arrives in Scot-
land.
I to 12
August 15. Sir W. Forbes. Practice of the law. Emigration.
Dr. Beattie and Mr. Hume. Dr. Robertson. Mr. Burke's
various and extraordinary talents. Question concerning genius.
Whitfield and Wesley. Instructions to political parties. Dr.
Johnson's opinion of Garrick as a tragedian.
12
August 16. Ogden on Prayer. Aphoristick writing. Edin-
burgh surveyed. Character of Swift's works. Evil spirits
and witchcraft. Lord Monboddo.
24
August 17. Poetry and Dictionary-writing. Scepticism. Eter-
nal necessity refuted. Lord Hailes's criticism on The Vanity
of Human Wishes. Mr. Maclaurin. Decision of the Judges
in Scotland on literary property.
32
August 18. Set out to the Hebrides. Sketch of the authour's
character. Trade of Glasgow. Suicide. Inchkeith. Par-
liamentary knowledge. Influence of Peers. Popular clamours.
Arrive at St. Andrews.
36
August 19. Dr. Watson. Literature and patronage. Writing
and conversation compared. Change of manners. The Union,
Value of money. St. Andrews and John Knox. Retirement
from the world. Dinner with the Professors. Question con-
cerning sorrow and content. Instructions for composition.
Dr. Johnson's method. Uncertainty of memory.
43
August 20. Effect of prayer. Observance of Sunday. Professor
Shaw. Transubstantiation. Literary property. Mr. Tyers's
remark on Dr. Johnson. Arrive at Montrose.
51
August 21. Want of trees. Laurence Kirk. Dinner at Mon.
boddo. Emigration. Homer. Biography and history com- pared. Decrease of learning. Causes of it. Promotion of
1
77
bishops. Warburton. Lowth. Value of politeness. Dr.
Johnson's sentiments concerning Lord Monboddo. Arrive at
Aberdeen.
56
August 22. Professor Thomas Gordon. Publick and private
education. Sir Alexander Gordon. Trade of Aberdeen. Pre-
scription of murder in Scotland. Mystery of the Trinity. Sa-
tisfaction of Christ. Importance of old friendships. 66
August 23. Dr. Johnson made a burgess of Aberdeen. Dinner
at Sir Alexander Gordon's. Warburton's powers of invective.
His Doctrine of Grace. Lock's verses. Fingal.
72
August 24. Goldsmith and Graham. Slains castle. Education
of children. Buller of Buchan. Entails. Consequence of
Peers. Sir Joshua Reynolds. Earl of Errol.
August 25. The advantage of being on good terms with relations.
Nabobs. Feudal state of subordination. Dinner at Strichen.
Life of Country gentlemen. THE LITERARY CLUB.
86
August 26. Lord Monboddo. Use and importance of wealth.
Elgin. Macbcth's heath. Fores.
91
August 27. Leonidas. Paul Whitehead. Derrick. Origin of
Evil. Calder-manse. Reasonableness of ecclesiastical sub-
scription. Family worship.
96
Angust 0.8. Fort George. Sir Adolphus Oughton. Contest
between Warburton and Lowth. Dinner at Sir Eyre Coote's.
Arabs and English soldiers compared. The Stage. Mr.
Garrick, Mrs Cibber, Mrs. Pritchard, Mrs. Clive. Inver-
101
August 29. Macbeth's castle. Incorrectness of writers of Tra-
vels. Coinage of new words. Dr. Johnson's Dictionary. 107
August 30. Dr. Johnson on horse-back. A Highland hut.
A Fort
Augustus. Governour Trapaud.
110
August 31. Anoch. Emigration. Goldsmith. Poets and soldiers
compared. Life of a sailor. Landlord's daughter at Anoch. 114
September 1. Glensheal. The Macraas. Dr. Johnson's anger at
being left for a little while by the authour on a wild plain.
Wretched inn at Glenelg.
119
September2. Dr. Johnson relents. Isle of Sky. Armidale. 127
September 3. Colonel Montgomery, now Earl of Eglintoune. 129
September 4. Ancient Highland Enthusiasm.
130
September 5. Sir James Macdonald's epitaph and last letters to
his mother. Dr. Johnson's Latin ode on the Isle of Sky. Isaac
Hawkins Browne.
131
ness.
September 6. Corrichatachin. Highland hospitality and mirth.
Dr. Johnson's Latin ode to Mrs. Thrale.
135
September 7. Uneasy state of dependence on the weather. State
of those who live in the country. Dr. M.Pherson's Disserta-
tions. Second Sight.
138
September 8. Rev. Mr. Donald M‘Queen. Mr. Malcolm M-Cleod.
Sail to Rasay. Fingal. Homer. Elegant and gay entertain.
ment at Rasay.
140
September 9. Antiquity of the family of Rasay. Cure of infide-
lity.
147
September 10. Survey of the island of Rasay. Bentley. Mallet.
Hooke. Duchess of Marlborough.
148
September 11. Heritable jurisdictions. Insular life. The Laird
of M-Cleod.
156
September 12. Sail to Portree. Dr. Johnson's discourse on death.
Letters from Lord Elibank to Dr. Johnson and the authour.
Dr. Johnson's answer. Ride to Kingsburgh. Flora Mac-
donald.
159
September 13. Distresses and escape of the grandson of King
James II. Arrive at Dunvegan.
166
September 14. Importance of the chastity of women. Dr. Cado-
gan. Whether the practice of authours is necessary to enforce
their doctrines. Good humour acquirable.
192
September 15. Sir George Mackenzie.
Sir George Mackenzie. Mr. Burke's wit, know-
ledge, and eloquence.
196
September 16. Dr. Johnson's hereditary melancholy. His mi-
nute knowledge in various arts. Apology for the authour's
ardour in his pursuits. Dr. Johnson's imaginary seraglio.
Polygamy.
198
September 17. Cunning. Whether great abilities are necessary
to be wicked. Temple of the Goddess Anaitis. Family Por-
traits. Records not consulted by old English historians. Mr.
Pennant's Tours criticised.
202
September 18. Ancient residence of a Highland Chief. Lan-
guages the pedigree of nations. Laird of the Isle of Muck 207
September 19. Choice of a wife. Women an overmatch for men.
Lady Grange in St. Kilda. Poetry of savages. French lite-
rati. Prize-fighting. French and English soldiers. Duel-
ling.
212
September 20. Change of London manners. Laziness censur-
ed. Landed and traded interest compared. Gratitude consi-
dered.
216
September 21. Description of Dunvegan. Lord Lovat's Py-
ramid. Ride to Ulinish. Phipps's Voyage to the North
Pole.
219
September 22, Subterraneous house and vast cave in Ulinish.
Swift's Lord Orrery. Defects as well as virtues the proper
subject of biography, though the life be written by a friend.
Studied conclusions of letters. Whether allowable in dying
men to maintain resentment to the last. Instructions for writing
the lives of literary men. Fingal denied to be genuine, and
pleasantly ridiculed.
222
September 23. Further disquisition concerning Fingal. Eminent
men disconcerted by a new mode of publick appearance. Gar-
rick. Mrs. Montague's Essay on Shakspeare. Persons of
consequence watched in London. Learning of the Scots from
1550 to 1650. The arts of civil life little known in Scotland
till the Union. Life of a sailor. The folly of Peter the
Great in working in a dock-yard. Arrive at Talisker. Pres-
byterian clergy deficient in learning.
227
September 24. French hunting. Young Col. Dr. Birch. Dr.
Percy. Lord Hailes. Historical impartiality. Whiggism
unbecoming in a clergyman.
238
September 25. Every island a prison. A Sky cottage. Return
to Corrichatachin. Good fellowship carried to excess. 240.
September 26. Morning review of last night's intemperance.
Old Kingsburgh's Jacobite song. Lady Margaret Macdonald
adored in Sky. Different views of the same subject at differ-
ent times. Self-deception.
243
September 27. Dr. Johnson's popularity in the Isle of Sky. His
good-humoured gaiety with a Highland lady.
246
September 28. Ancient Irish pride of family. Dr. Johnson on
threshing and thatching. Dangerous to increase the price of
labour. Arrive at Ostig. Dr. M.Pherson's Latin poetry. 248
September 29. Reverend Mr. M.Pherson. Shenstone. Ham-
mond. Sir Charles Hanbury Williams.
253
September 30. Mr. Burke the first man every where. Very mode-
rate talents requisite to make a figure in the House of Commons.
Dr. Young. Dr. Doddridge. Increase of infidel writings since the
accession of the Hanover family. Gradual impression made by
Dr. Johnson. Particular minutes to be kept of our studies. 255
October 1. Dr. Johnson not answerable for all the words in his
Dictionary. Attacks on authours useful to them. Return to
Armidale.
258
October 2. Old manners of great families in Wales. German
courts. Goldsmith's love of talk: Emigration. Curious story
of the people of Saint Kilda.
260
October 3. Epictetus on the voyage of death. Sail for Mull. A
storm. Driven into Col.
264
October 4. Dr Johnson's mode of living in the Temple. His
curious appearance on a sheltie. Nature of sea-sickness.
Burnet's History of his own Times. Difference between dedi-
cations and histories.
270
October 5. People may come to do any thing by talking of it.
The Reverend Mr. Hector Maclean. Bayle. Leibnitz and
Clarke. Survey of Col. Insular life. Arrive at Breacacha.
Dr. Johnson's powers of ridicule.
272
October 6. Heritable jurisdictions. The opinion of philosophers
concerning happiness in a cottage, considered. Advice to
landlords.
278
October 7. Books the best solace in a state of confinement. 280
October 8. Pretended brother of Dr. Johnson. No redress for a
man's name being affixed to a foolish work. Lady Sidney
Beauclerk. Carte's Life of the Duke of Ormond. Col's cabi.
net. Letters of the great Montrose. Present state of the
island of Col.
281
October 9. Dr. Johnson's avidity for a variety of books. Impro-
bability of Highland tradition. Dr. Johnson's delicacy of feel-
ing.
283
October 10. Dependence of tenants on landlords.
290
October 11. London and Pekin compared. Dr. Johnson's high
opinion of the former.
291
October 12. Return to Mr. M‘Sweyn's. Other superstitions be-
side those connected with religion. Dr. Johnon disgusted with
coarse manners. His peculiar habits.
292
October 13. Bustle not necessary to dispatch. Oats the food not
of the Scotch alone.
294
October 14. Arrive in Mull. Addison's Remarks on Italy. Ad-
dison not much conversant with Italian literature. The French masters of the art of accomodating literature. Their Ana. Racine. Corneille. Moliere. Fenelon. Voltaire.