THE

JOURNAL

OF A

TOUR TO THE HEBRIDES,

WITH

SAMUEL JOHNSON, L. L. D,

R. JOHNSON had for many years given

DR

me hopes that we fhould go together, and vifit the Hebrides. Martin's Account of those islands had impreffed us with a notion that we might there contemplate a system of life almost totally different from what we had been accustomed to fee; and, to find fimplicity and wildness, and all the circumstances of remote time or place, fo near to our native great ifland, was an object within the reach of reafonable curiofity. Dr. Johnson has faid in his journey," that he scarcely remembered how the wish to vifit the Hebrides was excited;" but he told me, in fummer 1763, that his father put Martin's Account into his hands when he

was very young, and that he was much pleased with it. We reckoned there would be fome inconveniencies and hardships, and perhaps a little danger; but these we were perfuaded were magnified in the imagination of every body. When I was at Ferney, in 1764, I mentioned our design to Voltaire. He looked at me, as if I had talked of going to the North Pole, and faid, "You do not infift on my ac

"

companying you?"" No, Sir."-" Then I "am very willing you fhould go.' I was not afraid that our curious expedition would be prevented by fuch apprehenfions; but I doubted that it would not be poffible to prevail on Dr. Johnson to relinquish, for fome time, the felicity of a London life, which, to a man who can enjoy it with full intellectual relith, is apt to make, existence in any narrower, fphere feem infipid or irkfome. I doubted that he would not be willing to come down from his elevated ftate of philofophical dignity; from a fuperiority of wifdom amongst the wife, and of learning amongst the learned; and from Aathing his wit upon minds bright enough to reflect it.

He had disappointed my expectations fo long, that I began to defpair; but in fpring, 1773, he talked of coming to Scotland that year with so much firmness, that I hoped he was at last in earneft, I knew that, if he were once launched

from

from the metropolis, he would go forward very well; and I got our common friends there to affift in setting him afloat. To Mrs. Thrale in particular, whofe enchantment over him seldom failed, I was much obliged. It was, "I'll give "thee a wind."-" Thou art kind."-To attrac him, we had invitations from the chiefs Macdonald and Macleod; and, for additional aid, I wrote to Lord Elibank, Dr. William Robertfon, and Dr. Beattie.

To Dr. Robertfon, fo far as my letter concerned the prefent fubject, I wrote as follows:

"OUR friend, Mr. Samuel Johnson, is in great "health and spirits; and, I do think, has a fe"rious refolution to vifit Scotland this year. "The more attraction, however, the better; " and therefore, though I know he will be happy to meet you there, it will forward the "scheme, if, in your answer to this, you exprefs yourself concerning it with that power of " which you are so happily poffeffed, and which may be fo directed as to operate strongly upon him."

His answer to that part of my letter was quite as I could have wifhed. It was written with the address and persuasion of the historian of America.

"WHEN I saw you laft, you gave us fome "hopes that you might prevail with Mr. Johnson

B 2

"to

"to make out that excurfion to Scotland, with "the expectation of which we have long flat"tered ourselves. If he could order matters "fo, as to pass fome time in Edinburgh, about "the clofe of the fummer feffion, and then " vifit fome of the Highland scenes, I am con"fident he would be pleafed with the grand "features of nature in many parts of this "country: he will meet with many perfons "here who refpect him, and fome whom I am "perfuaded he will think not unworthy of his "esteem. I wish he would make the experi"ment. He sometimes cracks his jokes upon

us; but he will find that we can distinguish "between the ftabs of malevolence, and the "rebukes of the righteous, which are like excellent "oil*, and break not the head. Offer my best "compliments to him, and affure him that I "fhall be happy to have the fatisfaction of fee"ing him under my roof."

To Dr. Beattie I wrote, "The chief inten"tion of this letter is to inform you, that I "now seriously believe Mr. Samuel Johnson will "vifit Scotland this year: but I wish that every

power of attraction may be employed to fe"cure our having fo valuable an acquifition,

Our friend Edmund Burke, who by this time had received fome pretty fore rubs from Dr. Johnson, on account of the unhappy difference in their politics, upon my repeating this paffage to him, exclaimed, "Oil of Vitriol!"

" and

which I with the

and therefore I hope you will, without delay, "write to me what I know you think, that I "may read it to the mighty fage, with proper emphasis, before I leave London, "must do foon. He talks of you " fame warmth that he did last year. We are "to fee as much of Scotland as we can, in the "months of Auguft and September. We fhall "not be long of being at Marifchal College*. He "is particularly defirous of feeing fome of the "Western Islands."

Dr. Beattie did better: ipfe venit. He was, however, fo polite as to wave his privilege of nil mibi refcribas, and wrote as follows:

"YOUR very kind and agreeable favour of "the 20th of April overtook me here yesterday, "after having gone to Aberdeen, which place "I left about a week ago. I am to fet out "this day for London, and hope to have the "honour of paying my respects to Mr. Johnson ❝ and you, about a week or ten days hence. I "fhall then do what I can, to enforce the to"pick you mention; but at prefent I cannot "enter upon it, as I am in a very great hurry; "for I intend to begin my journey within an " hour or two."

He was as good as his word, and threw fome pleafing motives into the northern scale. But, indeed, Mr. Johnson loved all that he heard, B 3 from

This I find is a Scotticifm. I fhould have faid, " It will not be long before we fhall be at Marifcbal College."