people
than is generally supposed; and we somewhat wonder that comparatively
so few of our tourists go in search of what is picturesque, romantic,
and novel within our own seas. These ideas arise in our mind in
perusing a few pages of the new edition of the _Guide to the Highlands
and Islands of Scotland_,[2] by the Messrs Anderson of Inverness. In
this book we have the benefit of remarkable fulness of knowledge on
the part of the authors, and the accuracy of their statements is only
rivalled by their judicious brevity. The account of some of the more
out-of-the-way parts of the country brings before us not merely
physical conditions highly peculiar, but, as it were, a totally
peculiar set of historical associations. As an example, take a few
swatches of the Island of Islay.

It is about thirty miles long by twenty-four in breadth, composed
chiefly of elevated, but not Alpine ground, much of it moorish and
bleak, but a great and constantly increasing space cultivated and
sheltered. The finest island in the Hebrides, it belonged almost
wholly to one proprietor, whose dignity of course was great. Within
the last few years, he came to greet the Queen at Inverary, with a
gallant following of men clothed in the Highland garb at his own
expense. The island is now, however, in the hands of trustees, for the
benefit of creditors, whose claims amount to upwards of L.700,000.
There are lead-mines on the island, now unwrought, but from which it
is understood silver had been derived, wherewith some of the family
plate of the proprietor was formed. Whisky is distilled to such an
amount, as to return L.30,000 per annum of revenue to the government.
The Gaelic-speaking people, the fine shooting-grounds, the romantic
cliffs and caves, the lonely moors and lochs of this island,
altogether give it a degree of romantic interest calculated strongly
to attract the regard of the intelligent stranger.

To pursue the narration of Messrs Anderson--'Islay is not a little
interesting from the historical associations connected with the
remains of antiquity which it presents, in the ruins of its old
castles, forts, and chapels. It was a chief place of residence of the
celebrated lords, or rather kings, of the Isles, and afterwards of a
near and powerful branch of the family of the great Macdonald. The
original seat of the Scottish monarchy was Cantyre, and the capital is
supposed to have been in the immediate vicinity of the site of
Campbelltow