EXCURSION among the MOUNTAINS in Scotland; with a beautiful View of the CASCADE near Carril. THE [From CORDINER'S Antiquities of the North of Scotland. ] HE limeftone quarry above Brora is an interefting fund of fpeculation: the variety of fhells contained in the heart of the tone is equally furprising and beautiful; many of them very different in form from any now found on thefe fhores. Often the rock, when broken to pieces, allows the thells to fall out entire, retaining fine impreffions of their fhapes. Many precipices on the banks of the river Brora are alfo full of shells. The arable part of Sutherland, along the coaft, is very narrow, confined by lofty bleak mountains, which rife almost directly from the fhore, and feem to exclude all accefs into the interior country. I was not a little defirous of knowing what fcenery might be found within the first range of mountains; and was fortunate enough to meet with a Gentleman at Kintradwel, who in the purfuit of deer had been frequently led far among the inland rocks and forefts, and offered to accompany me a day or two's journey into thefe wilds. We had advanced several miles, through the most rugged paths imaginable, along the rocky and wooded fides of the river Brora, when I was ftruck with admiration by the noble appearance of the ruins of a large circular tower, placed on an adjacent eminence at Achir na Kyle. It is fituated with peculiar tafte on the top of a lofty rock, oppofite to fome pleafant woods, and near excellent pafture; and round the precipice which overhangs the Brora, the river tumbles over its rocky channel in a number of irregular calcades. The apartments within the walls are of an oval form, diftin&t and entire; about 8 feet long, 6 high, and 4 wide. Thofe on the ground-floor are ftill a place of refuge from the ftorm, for the goats that feed on the neighbouring bills. It would alfo feem, from their being fo free from rubbish, that it has from time to time been cleared away, by hole who take care of the goats and other cattle in thofe parts. The whole structure is fo well contrived, that it is not eafy to conceive in what manner a people who could not work in wood or iron, could have been more conveniently accommodated in places of defence In thefe parts, this building is not fingular they have been very nume rous among thefe hills. Wherever good pafture is found, near the less rugged forefts, there one meets with the remains of a circular tower. I faw two others, fallen into a shapeless ftate; and had particular information of one more complete than any that I had feen; but by every account, the unfrequented paths to it, amidst the dreary receffes of these mountains, were too horrible to be tried. This fhort excurfion has thoroughly convinced me, that these structures have been all originally built on the fame plan, and have been the refidence of the chief families of a hardy race, in a very early age. Near the towers are commonly feveral carns, not monuments of the deceased, but a species of strong holds, which have one or two oval apartments within (refembling the chambers in the walls of the cafties) and a vatt heap of ftones placed above to render them impregnable: thefe have probably been the retreats, in time of danger, of the vaffals of thofe chiefs, who were the proprietors of the adjacent towers. A little herdsman led the way, and I went into one of them, through a long narrow paffage in the fide of the carn; he alfo went into a dark under-ground hole which opened in the face of a green bank, where I did not chufe to follow him; but he faid there was a fimilar chamber within, where half a dozen of men might fleep. Thefe may have been places of refuge for the lowelt of the people in times of feud and rapine; their ordinary dwellings have been reared of fuch flight materials, as could not have, till now, withstood the ravages of time. The profpect beyond our route was of mountains, bleak, rocky, and defolate, exhibiting the forbidden afpect of incorrigible fterility. Loch Brora is a fine fheet of water formed by the spreading of the river, in the bottom of a rich valley: it holds an extenfive mirror to Crag-Carril, the rocky face of a very lofty mountain, which overhangs the loch: Crag-Carril bears veftiges of having been fortified round the top; has been long famed as the refidence of eagles; but feems the refort of birds of every kind. It prefents to the oppofite farm at Kil-calum-kil, a most picturesque and majestic fcene. Near Near to Carril are fome charming fields, bounded by a craggy hill. From a cleft in the middle of the hill rothes forth a torrent, which paffing under a patural bridge of rock, dafles down the precipice, and forms a wild and beautiful cafeade in its fall: the noife of the torrent echoing in a Jofty and deep cavern, the cavern fhagged with hubs and aged trees, among which the wild-fowl make their nells; the rivu let murmuring round infulated piles of rock; and the diftant profpect of thefe balls and monuments of ancient heroes, forcibly recal to mind the images of the Offian fong. Here, perhaps, has Carril, whofe name is fill preferved in these fcenes, mufed his wild and defultory ftrains: here, amidst the voices of rocks, and bright tumbling of waters, he might pour the found of his trembling harp.. Whether the memory of lapfed (ages was Temora, Book vi. preferved by the bards, or if only, like a morning-dream, the vifions of Offian came in later days, yet pleafant are the words of the fong; well do they paint thefe wilds, in all the ftriking forms of their native grandeur and beauty. Lovely are the tales of other times; they are faithful to the ftory, which deceives the winter evening among the hills. O Carril, raife again thy voice; let me hear the fong of Selma, which was fong in the halls of joy, when Fingal, King of Shields, was there, and glowed at the deeds of his fathers I But the light and joy of the fong art fled; the halls of the renowned are left defolate and folitary, amidft rocks that ne more echo to the found of the harp, amidit ftreams which murmur unheeded and unknown. Fingal, Book iii. The PROCEEDINGS in the prefent SESSION of Parliament, continued from Page 259 of our laft Magazine. HOUSE OF COMMONS. Thursday, November 9. year's fupplies were to be procured? Till that was fatisfactorily done, and a na THE Houfe rciolved itfelf into a Com- tional reformation commenced, he should diffent from the prefent motion. mittee of fupply,~ Mr. De Grey moved, That a fupply be granted to his Majefty.' Seconded by Lord George Germain. that they could not object to the means of procuring it, without falling into an inconfiftency. But in the prefent stage of the bufinefs, the Honfe certainly did not tie itself down to grant any specific fom whatever. Sir Philip Jennings Clerke found fame weight in the obfervations that fell from Mr. Byng; but fill he did not fee that Mr. Byng declared, that he would op- there was any great danger in paffing the pofe the motion till fome fleps were taken prefent vote. When the Committee fhould for the redrefs of grievances. He knew vote fpecific fums, and the Minister should it was rather informal to oppofe the fupply afterwards propofe the ways and means to in that early ftage of the business, but he raise them, if an oppofition be made to the confidered according to the prefent notion, means, he very likely would remind Genas allowing at leaft the propriety of open-tlemen that they had voted the supply, and ing the nations purfe before its wrongs were remedied, which was an inverfion of ancient Parliamentary order. He expected to have found in the King's fpeech fome affurances to quiet the minds of the people, fome intimation of that relief being near which they had affociated to obtain; but nothing to this effect had come from the royal lips; and yet he underftood an additional perpetual load of -600,000l. debt was to be laid on this much oppreffed country. Government might be able to raise for the prefent the neceffary fupplies, aided as they were by fome for tuitous circumftances by the expiration of the Eat-India Company's charter, and by the falling in of the three and a half, and four per cents. at the Bank; but could they poffibly few by what means the next Sir George Young obferved, that it had been lately the practice of Ministers to propofe the fupply, with its quantum, in the earliest ftage of Parliamentary business, and in thin Houses, but produced not the ways and means till after the Chriftmas recefs. By this procedure, he said, their refolves were anticipated, and Gentlemen afterwards prevented from exerciling their judgment on this effential point of duty to their Conflituents; for it was told them, You have already promifed to grant fupplies, and how can you refuse the means?" He He hoped to fee the above rectified, and Sir Grey Cooper made a very refpect ful apology to the Houfe for his abfence, declaring, that nothing could be more dif tant from his intentions than incurring the charge of wanting refpect for the Houle. Sir Philip Jennings Clerke rofe again, and urged the neceffity of appointing fome certain day for voting the fupply, and let ting the Houfe have proper notice of it. The fupply was then voted without a divifion. Friday, November 10. The report of the Committee of fupply was agreed to. Sir Philip Jennings Clerke moved, that the Commiffioners for the examination of the public accounts fhould inform the Houle what progrefs they had made. He prefaced his motion, by obferving, that the House had exceeded their power, when they appointed Commiffioners for fuch a purpofe; the Commons only were the legal guardians of the people's money; they were intrufted with the charge of it, and they had no right to delegate this truft to others. That Commiffioners hat heen appointed, who were not in Parliament, and who had falaries annexed to their offices. unex He mentioned three of the Commiffioners, as perfons not the leaft calculated for that kind of employment.-One a Geperal Officer; and, however ceptionable his character, yet, from the nature of his protellien, he could not be fuppofed to be perfectly well verfed in the bulinefs of an accompten. Two others Matters in Chancery; and though the reafon affigned by the noble Lord at the head of the Treafury for appointing then was, that during the fummer vacation they would have leifure to examine the public accounts; yet, it was not to be expected that they could be remarkable for difparch! No falary whatever had been an- The motion was carried nem. con. Sir Guy Carleton attended the House, in obedience to an order that had been made on a motion of Sir P. J. Clerke on Friday, and prefented a book, containing the proceedings of the Commiffioners of public accounts. Lord Mahon called the attention of the Houle, to a matter in which he thought the interefts of this coun ry were deeply concerned, viz. the capture of American fhips in the Dutch harbour of the island of St. Martin's. According to the account he had received it was a flagrant violation of the law of nations; they were chafed into and feized in a neutral harbour, notwithstanding the remonstrances of the Dutch Governor, who was threatened with vengeance if he attempted any refiftance; and a written declaration was delivered to him by our Commodore, fignifying, that be acted agreeably to the orders which he had received from his Admiral, and which the Admiral had received from his fupe"riors. His Lordship called upon Adminiftration to acquint the House of the truth of this afflir. He thought we had enemies. enough upon our hands, without forcing the Dutch to quarrel with us. Lord George Germaine faid, that he was ready to give the noble Lord every fatisfaction in his power; no official accounts of it had been yet received, but he "would import what had reached his ears through a channel of private information, by the way of Holland. The facts, as related to him, were thefe That the American veffels being chafed by our squadron, took fheiter near the fort of St. Martio, in that part of the inland fubject to the Durch, where, by way of infult, they hoisted the rebel flag, and kept it flying; that our fquadhon proceeding into the harbour, were prohibited by the Dutch Governor, and threatened with the fire of the fort, if they did not delift ; on which the Captain, bav Mr. Jenkinson declared, he had no obje&tion to the honourable Gentleman's mo-ing confulted Admiral Rodney, did not, tion; but begged leave to refreth his memory with regard to one affection he had as the noble Lord had ftate, produce his written orders, but informed the Governor, that |
