The site of this town is on a plain, between the Moray Firth and the river Ness, and contains upwards of 10,000 inhabitants. Ships of about 400 or 500 tons can anchor within a mile of the warehouses, and at spring-tide, the same vessels can come up as far as the quay. The shipping is principally employed in the London and coasting trade. The fish caught in the river Ness, the skins of otters, rabbits, hares, roes, &c. are sent to London, and in return bring back groceries, haberdasheries, &c. for the use of the town and the north Highlands. Inverness is a burgh of great antiquity; the first charter was granted by Malcolm Canmore. The Highland dress prevails among the lower classes. The town serves as a marketing place for the surrounding districts; similar to the customs of thinly inhabited countries, it becomes a place to which the people bring their disposable articles, and make their purchases in return. Frequent fairs are held; the principal is in August. In this neighbourhood is a vitrified fort, which has long been the subject of investigation among the learned. At a few miles distance is the scene of the battle of Culloden, so fatal to Prince Charles in 1746, which put an end to the hopes of the house of Stuart. Our limits will not permit a description of the numerous objects worthy of the traveller's attention here, and we shall be satisfied with only directing his attention to the great national work, the Caledonian Canal, which, as it cannot well be described here, must be seen. Glen Tilt. BLAIR, TO ABERDEEN, BY GLEN-TILT WE shall now describe the route to Aberdeen, supposing the tourist again at Blair-Atholl. There is a pleasant and romantic road through GlenTilt, which passes Brae-Mar Castle; here are to be seen some of the highest parts of the Grampians, and some of their finest scenery. The road goes eastward over a hill into Glen-Tilt, famous in old times for producing the most hardy warriors. It is a narrow glen, several miles in length, bounded on each side by mountains of amazing height. On the south is the great hill of Ben-y-Glo, whose base is thirty-five miles in circumference, and whose summit towers far above the others. The sides of many of these mountains are covered with fine verdure, forming sheep-walks, but entirely woodless. The road is most horrible, and most dangerous to be travelled on; so narrow and rugged, that horses are often obliged to cross their legs in order to find a secure place for their feet, while at a considerable and precipitous depth beneath, roars a black torrent rolling through a bed of rock, solid in every part but where the Tilt has made its ancient way. Salmon force their passage even as high as this dreary stream, in spite of their distance from the sea, and the difficulties they have to encounter. On ascending a hill, comes an Arrie, or tract of mountain, to which the families of one or two hamlets retire with their flocks for pasture in the sum Brae-Mar Castle-Dalmore. mer, where travellers are sure of finding some goat's whey at a shealing, or bothy,—a cottage made of turf, the dairy-house where the Highland shepherds or graziers live with their flocks and herds, and, during the summer season, make butter and cheese. Their whole furniture consists of a few horn-spoons, their milking utensils, a couch formed of sods to lie on, and a rug to cover them. Their food consists of oat cakes, butter, or cheese, and often the coagulated blood of their cattle spread upon their bannocks.-Their drink, milk, whey, and sometimes, by way of indulgence, whisky. Such houses are common to all mountainous countries, such as Wales, the Alps, &c. Loch Tilt is a small piece of water, but picturesque, finely overhung with birch, and other mountain-trees; it abounds in trout. After this the road continues over a wild, moory tract. Soon after, however, it comes into a fine country; in place of dreary wastes, a rich vale, plenteous in corn, honey, and grass, succeeds, in which are situated Mar Castle, and Braemar Lodge, the summer residence of the Earl of Fife. At this place the Dee is near its source, but in the course of a few miles becomes a considerable river, from the influx of a number of other waters, and is remarkable for continuing near fifty miles of its course, from Invercauld to within six miles of Aberdeen, without any visible augmentation. The rocks of Brae-Mar, on the east, are exceedingly romantic, finely wooded with pine, and the cliffs very lofty; another front is very rugged and broken, with vast pines growing out of their fissures. On the north side of the river lies Dalmore, distinguished by the finest natural pines in Europe, both in Mår. respect to the size of the trees and the quality of the timber. Single trees have been sold out of it long ago for six guineas; they were from 80 to 90 feet high, without a lateral branch, and four feet in diameter at the lower end: the wood is very resinous, of a darkred colour, and very weighty. It is preferable to any brought from Norway, and being cut into planks on the spot, brings annually to the proprietor a large revenue. On the opposite side of the river is the estate of Inverey, noted also for its pines, but of a size inferior to that of Dalmore. When the river is swelled with rains, great floats of timber from both these estates are sent down into the low country. This tract, abounding with game, was in old times the annual resort of a number of nobility, who assembled here to pass a month or two in the amusements of the chase. Their huntings resembled campaigns; they lived in temporary cottages, called Lonquhards, were all dressed in a uniform habit, conform able to that of the country, and passed their time in jollity and good cheer. This is admirably described by John Taylor, the water poet, who in 1618 made there his "Pennilesse Pilgrimage," and describes, in page 135, the rural luxury, with all the glee of a Sancho Panza. "I thank my good Lord Erskin," (says the Poet) hee commanded that I should alwayes bee lodged in his lodging, the kitchen being alwayes on the side of a banke, many kettles and pots boyling, and many spits turning and winding, with great variety of cheere: as venison bak'd, sodden, rost and stu'de beef, mutton, goates, kid, hares, fresh salmon, pidgeons, hens, capons, Taylor's Pennyless Pilgrimage. chickens, partridge, moore-coots, heath-cocks, caperkellies, and termagants; good ale, sacke, white and claret, tent or (Allegant) and most potent aquavita. و 15 All these, and more than these, we had continual-ly, in superfluous abundance, caught by faulconers, fowlers, fishers, and brought by my Lord's (Mar) tenants and purveyors, to victual our campe, which con>sisted of fourteen or fifteen hundred men, and horses. The manner of the hunting is this: five or six hundred men doe rise early in the morning, and they doe disperse themselves divers wayes, and seven, eight, or ten miles compasse, they doe bring or chase in the deer in many heards (two, three, or four hundred in a heard) to such or such a place, as the noblemen shall appoint them; then when day is come, the lords and gentlemen of their companies doe ride or goe to the said places, sometimes wading up to the middles through bournes and rivers; and then they being come to the place, doe lie down on the ground till those aforesaid scouts, which are called the Tinckhell,‹ doe bring down the deer; but, as the proverb says of a bad cocke, so these Tinkhell men doe lick their own fingers; for, besides their bowes and arrows, which they carry with them, wee can heare now and then a harguebuse, or a musquet, goe off, which doe seldom discharge in vaine: then after we had stayed three houres, or thereabouts, we might perceive the deer appeare on the hills round about us, (their heads making a shew like a wood) which being followed close by the Tinckhell, are chased down into the valley where we lay; then all the valley on each side being way-laid with a hundred couple of strong Irish grey-hounds, |