stones. We passed over a spot, which is appropriated for the exercising
ground. In 1745, a hundred fighting men were reviewed here, as Malcolm
told me, who was one of the officers that led them to the field[505].
They returned home all but about fourteen. What a princely thing is it
to be able to furnish such a band! Rasay has the true spirit of a chief.
He is, without exaggeration, a father to his people.
There is plenty of lime-stone in the island, a great quarry of
free-stone, and some natural woods, but none of any age, as they cut the
trees for common country uses. The lakes, of which there are many, are
well stocked with trout. Malcolm catched one of four-and-twenty pounds
weight in the loch next to Dun Can, which, by the way, is certainly a
Danish name, as most names of places in these islands are.
The old castle, in which the family of Rasay formerly resided, is
situated upon a rock very near the sea. The rock is not one mass of
stone, but a concretion of pebbles and earth, so firm that it does not
appear to have mouldered. In this remnant of antiquity I found nothing
worthy of being noticed, except a certain accommodation rarely to be
found at the modern houses of Scotland, and which Dr. Johnson and I
sought for in vain at the Laird of Rasay's new built mansion, where
nothing else was wanting. I took the liberty to tell the Laird it was a
shame there should be such a deficiency in civilized times. He
acknowledged the justice of the remark. But perhaps some generations may
pass before the want is supplied. Dr. Johnson observed to me, how
quietly people will endure an evil, which they might at any time very
easily remedy; and mentioned as an instance, that the present family of
Rasay had possessed the island for more than four hundred years, and
never made a commodious landing place, though a few men with pickaxes
might have cut an ascent of stairs out of any part of the rock in a
week's time[506].
The north end of Rasay is as rocky as the south end. From it I saw the
little isle of Fladda, belonging to Rasay, all fine green ground;--and
Rona, which is of so rocky a soil that it appears to be a pavement. I
was told however that it has a great deal of grass in the interstices.
The Laird has it all in his own hands. At this end of the island of
Rasay is a cave in a striking situation. It is in a recess of a great
cleft, a good way up from the sea. Before it the ocean roars, being
dashed against monstrous broken rocks; grand and aweful _propugnacula_.
On the right hand of it is a longitudinal cave, very low at the
entrance, but higher as you advance. The sea having scooped it out, it
seems strange and unaccountable that the interior part, where the water
must have operated with less force, should be loftier than that which is
more immediately exposed to its violence. The roof of it is all covered
with a kind of petrifications formed by drops, which perpetually distil
from it. The first cave has been a place of much safety. I find a great
difficulty in describing visible objects[507]. I must own too that the
old castle and cave, like many other things of which one hears much, did
not answer my expectations. People are every where apt to magnify the
curiosities of their country.
This island has abundance of black cattle, sheep, and goats;--a good
many horses, which are used for ploughing, carrying out dung, and other
works of husbandry. I believe the people never ride. There are indeed no
roads through the island, unless a few detached beaten tracks deserve
that name. Most of the houses are upon the shore; so that all the people
have little boats, and catch fish. There is great plenty of potatoes
here. There are black-cock in extraordinary abundance, moorfowl, plover
and wild pigeons, which seemed to me to be the same as we have in
pigeon-houses, in their state of nature. Rasay has no pigeon-house.
There are no hares nor rabbits in the island, nor was there ever known
to be a fox[508], till last year, when one was landed on it by some
malicious person, without whose aid he could not have got thither, as
that animal is known to be a very bad swimmer. He has done much
mischief. There is a great deal of fish caught in the sea round Rasay;
it is a place where one may live in plenty, and even in luxury. There
are no deer; but Rasay told us he would get some.
They reckon it rains nine months in the year in this island, owing to
its being directly opposite to the western[509] coast of Sky, where the
watery clouds are broken by high mountains. The hills here, and indeed
all the heathy grounds in general, abound with the sweet-smelling plant
which the Highlanders call _gaul_, and (I think) with dwarf juniper in
many places. There is enough of turf, which is their fuel, and it is
thought there is a mine of coal.--Such are the observations which I made
upon the island of Rasay, upon comparing it with the description given
by Martin, whose book we had with us.
There has been an ancient league between the families of Macdonald and
Rasay. Whenever the head of either family dies, his sword is given to
the head of the other. The present Rasay has the late Sir James
Macdonald's sword. Old Rasay joined the Highland army in 1745, but
prudently guarded against a forfeiture, by previously conveying his
estate to the present gentleman, his eldest son[510]. On that occasion,
Sir Alexander, father of the late Sir James Macdonald, was very friendly
to his neighbour. 'Don't be afraid, Rasay,' said he; 'I'll use all my
interest to keep you safe; and if your estate should be taken, I'll buy
it for the family.'--And he would have done it.
Let me now gather some gold dust,--some more fragments of Dr. Johnson's
conversation, without regard to order of time. He said, 'he thought very
highly of Bentley; that no man now went so far in the kinds of learning
that he cultivated[511]; that the many attacks on him were owing to
envy, and to a desire of being known, by being in competition with such
a man; that it was safe to attack him, because he never answered his
opponents, but let them die away[512]. It was attacking a man who would
not beat them, because his beating them would make them live the longer.
And he was right not to answer; for, in his hazardous method of writing,
he could not but be often enough wrong; so it was better to leave things
to their general appearance, than own himself to have erred in
particulars.' He said, 'Mallet was the prettiest drest puppet about
town, and always kept good company[513]. That, from his way of talking
he saw, and always said, that he had not written any part of the _Life
of the Duke of Marlborough_, though perhaps he intended to do it at some
time, in which case he was not culpable in taking the pension[514]. That
he imagined the Duchess furnished the materials for her _Apology_, which
Hooke wrote, and Hooke furnished the words and the order, and all that
in which the art of writing consists. That the duchess had not superior
parts, but was a bold frontless woman, who knew how to make the most of
her opportunities in life. That Hooke got a _large_ sum of money for
writing her _Apology_[515]. That he wondered Hooke should have been weak
enough to insert so profligate a maxim, as that to tell another's secret
to one's friend is no breach of confidence[516]; though perhaps Hooke,
who was a virtuous man[517], as his _History_ shews, and did not wish
her well, though he wrote her _Apology_, might see its ill tendency, and
yet insert it at her desire. He was acting only ministerially.' I
apprehended, however, that Hooke was bound to give his best advice. I
speak as a lawyer. Though I have had clients whose causes I could not,
as a private man, approve; yet, if I undertook them, I would not do any
thing that might be prejudicial to them, even at their desire, without
warning them of their danger.
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 11.
It was a storm of wind and rain; so we could not set out. I wrote some
of this _Journal_, and talked a while with Dr. Johnson in his room, and
passed the day, I cannot well say how, but very pleasantly. I was here
amused to find Mr. Cumberland's comedy of the _Fashionable Lover_[518],
in which he has very well drawn a Highland character, Colin M'Cleod, of
the same name with the family under whose roof we now were. Dr. Johnson
was much pleased with the Laird of Macleod, who is indeed a most
promising youth, and with a noble spirit struggles with difficulties,
and endeavours to preserve his people. He has been left with an
incumbrance of forty thousand pounds debt, and annuities to the amount
of thirteen hundred pounds a year. Dr. Johnson said, 'If he gets the
better of all this, he'll be a hero; and I hope he will[519]. I have
not met with a young man who had more desire to learn, or who has learnt
more. I have seen nobody that I wish more to do a kindness to than
Macleod.' Such was the honourable elogium, on this young chieftain,
pronounced by an accurate observer, whose praise was never
lightly bestowed.
There is neither justice of peace, nor constable in Rasay. Sky has Mr.
M'Cleod of Ulinish, who is the sheriff substitute, and no other justice
of peace. The want of the execution of justice is much felt among the
islanders. Macleod very sensibly observed, that taking away the
heritable jurisdictions[520] had not been of such service in the islands
as was imagined. They had not authority enough in lieu of them. What
could formerly have been settled at once, must now either take much time
and trouble, or be neglected. Dr. Johnson said, 'A country is in a bad
state which is governed only by laws; because a thousand things occur
for which laws cannot provide, and where authority ought to interpose.
Now destroying the authority of the chiefs set the people loose. It did
not pretend to bring any positive good, but only to cure some evil; and
I am not well enough acquainted with the country to know what degree of
evil the heritable jurisdictions occasioned[521].' I maintained hardly
any; because the chiefs generally acted right, for their own sakes.
Dr. Johnson was now wishing to move. There was not enough of
intellectual entertainment for him, after he had satisfied his
curiosity, which he did, by asking questions, till he had exhausted the
island; and where there was so numerous a company, mostly young people,
there was such a flow of familiar talk, so much noise, and so much
singing and dancing, that little opportunity was left for his energetick
conversation[522]. He seemed sensible of this; for when I told him how
happy they were at having him there, he said, 'Yet we have not been able
to entertain them much.' I was fretted, from irritability of nerves, by
M'Cruslick's too obstreperous mirth. I complained of it to my friend,
observing we should be better if he was, gone. 'No, Sir (said he). He
puts something into our society, and takes nothing out of it.' Dr.
Johnson, however, had several opportunities of instructing the company;
but I am sorry to say, that I did not pay sufficient attention to what
passed, as his discourse now turned chiefly on mechanicks, agriculture
and such subjects, rather than on science and wit. Last night Lady Rasay
shewed him the operation of _wawking_ cloth, that is, thickening it in
the same manner as is done by a mill. Here it is performed by women, who
kneel upon the ground, and rub it with both their hands, singing an Erse
song all the time. He was asking questions while they were performing
this operation, and, amidst their loud and wild howl, his voice was
heard even in the room above[523].
They dance here every night. The queen of our ball was the eldest Miss
Macleod, of Rasay, an elegant well-bred woman, and celebrated for her
beauty over all those regions, by the name of Miss Flora Rasay[524].
There seemed to be no jealousy, no discontent among them; and the gaiety
of the scene was such, that I for a moment doubted whether unhappiness
had any place in Rasay. But my delusion was soon dispelled, by
recollecting the following lines of my fellow-traveller:--
'Yet hope not life from pain or danger free,
Or think the doom of man revers'd for thee[525]!'
SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 12.
It was a beautiful day, and although we did not approve of travelling on
Sunday, we resolved to set out, as we were in an island from whence one
must take occasion as it serves. Macleod and Talisker sailed in a boat
of Rasay's for Sconser, to take the shortest way to Dunvegan. M'Cruslick
went with them to Sconser, from whence he was to go to Slate, and so to
the main land. We were resolved to pay a visit at Kingsburgh, and see
the celebrated Miss Flora Macdonald, who is married to the present Mr.
Macdonald of Kingsburgh; so took that road, though not so near. All the
family, but Lady Rasay, walked down to the shore to see us depart. Rasay
himself went with us in a large boat, with eight oars, built in his
island[526]; as did Mr. Malcolm M'Cleod, Mr. Donald M'Queen, Dr.
Macleod, and some others. We had a most pleasant sail between Rasay and
Sky; and passed by a cave, where Martin says fowls were caught by
lighting fire in the mouth of it. Malcolm remembers this. But it is not
now practised, as few fowls come into it.
We spoke of Death. Dr. Johnson on this subject observed, that the
boastings of some men, as to dying easily, were idle talk[527],
proceeding from partial views. I mentioned Hawthornden's
_Cypress-grove_, where it is said that the world is a mere show; and
that it is unreasonable for a man to wish to continue in the show-room,
after he has seen it. Let him go cheerfully out, and give place to other
spectators[528]. JOHNSON. 'Yes, Sir, if he is sure he is to be well,
after he goes out of it. But if he is to grow blind after he goes out of
the show-room, and never to see any thing again; or if he does not know
whither he is to go next, a man will not go cheerfully out of a
show-room. No wise man will be contented to die, if he thinks he is to
go into a state of punishment. Nay, no wise man will be contented to
die, if he thinks he is to fall into annihilation: for however unhappy
any man's existence may be, he yet would rather have it, than not exist
at all[529]. No; there is no rational principle by which a man can die
contented, but a trust in the mercy of GOD, through the merits of Jesus
Christ.' This short sermon, delivered with an earnest tone, in a boat
upon the sea, which was perfectly calm, on a day appropriated to
religious worship, while every one listened with an air of satisfaction,
had a most pleasing effect upon my mind.
Pursuing the same train of serious reflection, he added that it seemed
certain that happiness could not be found in this life, because so many
had tried to find it, in such a variety of ways, and had not found it.
We reached the harbour of Portree, in Sky, which is a large and good
one. There was lying in it a vessel to carry off the emigrants called
the _Nestor_. It made a short settlement of the differences between a
chief and his clan:--
'-----_Nestor_ componere lites
Inter Peleiden festinat & inter Atriden.'[530]
We approached her, and she hoisted her colours. Dr. Johnson
and Mr. McQueen remained in the boat: Rasay and I, and the
rest went on board of her. She was a very pretty vessel, and, as
we were told, the largest in Clyde. Mr. Harrison, the captain,
shewed her to us. The cabin was commodious, and even elegant.
There was a little library, finely bound. _Portree_ has its name
from King James the Fifth having landed there in his tour
through the Western Isles, _Ree_ in Erse being King, as _Re_ is in
Italian; so it is _Port Royal_. There was here a tolerable inn.
On our landing, I had the pleasure of finding a letter from
home; and there were also letters to Dr. Johnson and me, from
Lord Elibank[531], which had been sent after us from Edinburgh.
His Lordship's letter to me was as follows:--
'DEAR BOSWELL,
'I flew to Edinburgh the moment I heard of Mr. Johnson's arrival; but so
defective was my intelligence, that I came too late. 'It is but justice
to believe, that I could never forgive myself, nor deserve to be
forgiven by others, if I was to fail in any mark of respect to that very
great genius.--I hold him in the highest veneration; for that very
reason I was resolved to take no share in the merit, perhaps guilt, of
inticing him to honour this country with a visit.--I could not persuade
myself there was any thing in Scotland worthy to have a Summer of Samuel
Johnson bestowed on it; but since he has done us that compliment, for
heaven's sake inform me of your motions. I will attend them most
religiously; and though I should regret to let Mr. Johnson go a mile out
of his way on my account, old as I am,[532] I shall be glad to go five
hundred miles to enjoy a day of his company. Have the charity to send a
council-post[533] with intelligence; the post does not suit us in the
country.--At any rate write to me. I will attend you in the north, when
I shall know where to find you.
I am,
My dear Boswell,
Your sincerely
Obedient humble servant,
'ELIBANK.'
'August 21st, 1773.'
The letter to Dr. Johnson was in these words:--
'DEAR SIR,
'I was to have kissed your hands at Edinburgh, the moment I heard of
you; but you was gone.
'I hope my friend Boswell will inform me of your motions. It will be
cruel to deprive me an instant of the honour of attending you. As I
value you more than any King in Christendom, I will perform that duty
with infinitely greater alacrity than any courtier. I can contribute but
little to your entertainment; but, my sincere esteem for you gives me
some title to the opportunity of expressing it.
'I dare say you are by this time sensible that things are pretty much
the same, as when Buchanan complained of being born _solo et seculo
inerudito_. Let me hear of you, and be persuaded that none of your
admirers is more sincerely devoted to you, than,
Dear Sir,
Your most obedient,
And most humble servant,
'ELIBANK.'
Dr. Johnson, on the following Tuesday, answered for both of us, thus:--
'My LORD, 'On the rugged shore of Skie, I had the honour of your
Lordship's letter, and can with great truth declare, that no place is so
gloomy but that it would be cheered by such a testimony of regard, from
a mind so well qualified to estimate characters, and to deal out
approbation in its due proportions. If I have more than my share, it is
your Lordship's fault; for I have always reverenced your judgment too
much, to exalt myself in your presence by any false pretensions.
'Mr. Boswell and I are at present at the disposal of the winds, and
therefore cannot fix the time at which we shall have the honour of
seeing your lordship. But we should either of us think ourselves injured
by the supposition that we would miss your lordship's conversation, when
we could enjoy it; for I have often declared that I never met you
without going away a wiser man.[534]
'I am, my Lord,
Your Lordship's most obedient
And most humble servant,
Skie, Sept. 14, 1773.' 'SAM. JOHNSON.'
At Portree, Mr. Donald McQueen went to church and officiated in Erse,
and then came to dinner. Dr. Johnson and I resolved that we should treat
the company, so I played the landlord, or master of the feast, having
previously ordered Joseph to pay the bill.
Sir James Macdonald intended to have built a village here, which would
have done great good. A village is like a heart to a country. It
produces a perpetual circulation, and gives the people an opportunity to
make profit of many little articles, which would otherwise be in a good
measure lost. We had here a dinner, _et praeterea nihil_. Dr. Johnson
did not talk. When we were about to depart, we found that Rasay had been
beforehand with us, and that all was paid: I would fain have contested
this matter with him, but seeing him resolved, I declined it. We parted
with cordial embraces from him and worthy Malcolm. In the evening Dr.
Johnson and I remounted our horses, accompanied by Mr. McQueen and Dr.
Macleod. It rained very hard. We rode what they call six miles, upon
Rasay's lands in Sky, to Dr. Macleod's house. On the road Dr. Johnson
appeared to be somewhat out of spirits. When I talked of our meeting
Lord Elibank, he said, 'I cannot be with him much. I long to be again in
civilized life; but can stay but a short while;' (he meant at
Edinburgh.) He said, 'let us go to Dunvegan to-morrow.' 'Yes, (said I,)
if it is not a deluge.' 'At any rate,' he replied. This shewed a kind of
fretful impatience; nor was it to be wondered at, considering our
disagreeable ride. I feared he would give up Mull and Icolmkill, for he
said something of his apprehensions of being detained by bad weather in
going to Mull and _Iona_. However I hoped well. We had a dish of tea at
Dr. Macleod's, who had a pretty good house, where was his brother, a
half-pay officer. His lady was a polite, agreeable woman. Dr. Johnson
said, he was glad to see that he was so well married, for he had an
esteem for physicians.[535] The doctor accompanied us to Kingsburgh,
which is called a mile farther; but the computation of Sky has no
connection whatever with real distance.[536] I was highly pleased to
see Dr. Johnson safely arrived at Kingsburgh, and received by the
hospitable Mr. Macdonald, who, with a most respectful attention,
supported him into the house. Kingsburgh was completely the figure of a
gallant Highlander,--exhibiting 'the graceful mien and manly
looks[537],' which our popular Scotch song has justly attributed to that
character. He had his Tartan plaid thrown about him, a large blue bonnet
with a knot of black ribband like a cockade, a brown short coat of a
kind of duffil, a Tartan waistcoat with gold buttons and gold
button-holes, a bluish philibeg, and Tartan hose. He had jet black hair
tied behind, and was a large stately man, with a steady sensible
countenance.
There was a comfortable parlour with a good fire, and a dram went round.
By and by supper was served, at which there appeared the lady of the
house, the celebrated Miss Flora Macdonald. She is a little woman, of a
genteel appearance, and uncommonly mild and well-bred[538]. To see Dr.
Samuel Johnson, the great champion of the English Tories, salute Miss
Flora Macdonald in the isle of Sky, was a striking sight; for though
somewhat congenial in their notions, it was very improbable they should
meet here.
Miss Flora Macdonald (for so I shall call her) told me, she heard upon
the main land, as she was returning home about a fortnight before, that
Mr. Boswell was coming to Sky, and one Mr. Johnson, a young English
buck[539], with him. He was highly entertained with this fancy. Giving
an account of the afternoon which we passed, at _Anock_, he said, 'I,
being a _buck_, had miss[540] in to make tea.' He was rather quiescent
to-night, and went early to bed. I was in a cordial humour, and promoted
a cheerful glass. The punch was excellent. Honest Mr. M'Queen observed
that I was in high glee, 'my _governour_[541] being gone to bed.' Yet in
reality my heart was grieved, when I recollected that Kingsburgh was
embarrassed in his affairs, and intended to go to America[542]. However,
