English, or adopt their customs, long continued to pride themselves
upon maintaining ancient Scottish manners and customs,--commenced this
innovation. The gradual influx of wealth, and extension of commerce,
have since united to render the present people of Scotland a class of
beings as different from their grandfathers as the existing English
are from those of Queen Elizabeth's time, The political and economical
effects of these changes have been traced by Lord Selkirk with great
precision and accuracy. But the change, though steadily and rapidly
progressive, has, nevertheless, been gradual; and, like those who drift
down the stream of a deep and smooth river, we are not aware of the
progress we have made until we fix our eye on the now distant point
from which we have been drifted.--Such of the present generation as
can recollect the last twenty or twenty-five years of the
eighteenth century, will be fully sensible of the truth of this
statement;--especially if their acquaintance and connexions lay among
those, who, in my younger time, were facetiously called 'folks of
the old leaven,' who still cherished a lingering, though hopeless,
attachment, to the house of Stuart. This race has now almost entirely
vanished from the land, and with it, doubtless, much absurd political
prejudice--but also, many living examples of singular and disinterested
attachment to the principles of loyalty which they received from their
fathers, and of old Scottish faith, hospitality, worth, and honour.

It was my accidental lot, though not born a Highlander (which may be an
apology for much bad Gaelic), to reside, during my childhood and youth,
among persons of the above description;--and now, for the purpose of
preserving some idea of the ancient manners of which I have witnessed
the almost total extinction, I have embodied in imaginary scenes, and
ascribed to fictitious characters, a part of the incidents which I then
received from those who were actors in them. Indeed, the most romantic
parts of this narrative are precisely those which have a foundation in
fact. The exchange of mutual protection between a Highland gentleman
and an officer of rank in the king's service, together with the spirited
manner in which the latter asserted his right to return the favour he
had received, is literally true. The accident by a musket-shot, and
the heroic reply imputed to Flora, relate to a lady of rank not long
deceased. And scarce a gentleman who was