but finely wooded, exhibits a delightful view along its whole extent. About half way between Killin and Kenmore, the Tourist passes a circle of stones; and, indeed, such circles, and also ruins of circular forts, from thirty to forty feet in diameter, occur along the whole of this tract; the road winds along the foot of Ben-Lawers, * and ten miles from Killin, penetrates the thick woods which ornament the valley of Balloch. A mile further on, a road strikes off on the left to Glenlyon.

The road now approaches Kenmore, and passes on the right, not far from the shore, the pretty isle of Loch Tay, tufted with trees, which shade the ruins of a priory founded in 1122 by Alexander the First, whose Queen Sybilla, the natural daughter of Henry the First of England, lies interred here. This priory was a dependency of the religious establishment at Scone; and upon the death of its founder, it was more liberally endowed, that its occupants might say mass for the repose of his soul and that of his consort. The Earl of Breadalbane has succeeded to the right possessed by the ancient inhabitants of this holy island, of fishing in the lake at all times of the year. The last residents here were three nuns, who came abroad once a-year to a fair in Kenmore; which, owing to that circumstance, is still called "Fiell na m'ban maomb," or Holy Women's Market. To this island, during the civil wars, in the time of the Commonwealth, the Campbells retreated at the approach of Montrose, and defended themselves for some time against that hero. A shot having narrowly missed him, he laid the whole country waste with fire and sword, and ultimately took and garrisoned the island; but in 1654, it surrendered to General Monk.

* Ben-Lawers is 4015 feet in height above the level of the sea, and the ascent is so easy that the Tourist may ride to the summit: from which is obtained one of the most varied, extensive, and magnificent views in the British Islands.

The Tourist proceeds across an elegant bridge, erected. over the Tay, just below its discharge from the lake, and enters Kenmore, a neatly built village, possessing an excellent inn, from which an interesting view is obtained of the village itself, the lake, the river, and the bridge over it.

At a little distance from Kenmore stands the Earl of Breadalbane's princely residence of

TAYMOUTH,

which has been lately rebuilt. The ancient edifice was called Balloch Castle, from the Gaelic bealach, a gap, mouth, or opening into a glen or valley; hence Taymouth, or the Castle at the mouth of the lake. Its noble proprietor has most extensive properties in this part of the country, and his pleasure grounds are of immense circumference. The old castle was erected by Sir Colin Campbell, sixth knight of Lochaw, and also the bridge over the Tay at the mouth of the lake. He died in 1583, and we are informed that he " was ane great justiciar all his time, throchtht quhile he sustenit that dadlie feid of the Clangreigour ane lang space. And besydes that, he caused executist to the death many notable lymmeris. He behaddit the laird Macgregour himselff at Candmoir in presence of the Erle of Atholl, the justice clerk, and sundrie other noblemen."

The style of architecture of the present castle is well suited to the magnificent scenery with which it is surrounded. Its interior is fitted up with great elegance; the grand staircase is allowed to be the finest in Scotland; and the suite of state apartments is peculiarly superb. The Baron's Hall, in particular, having a great window of stained glass, is the beau ideal of feudal deur; in the castle are many valuable paintings. The valley in which Taymouth is situate has a de

gran

lightful opening in the direction of Loch Tay, about one mile towards the south-west. On entering this demesne, the Tourist will be struck with the great contrast betwixt the rugged wilderness he has just traversed, and the smooth verdant lawn on which he here treads. The Tay, issuing from the lake, meanders gracefully past the majestic mansion, and throughout the whole extent of the pleasure-grounds, and is joined about a mile below by the river Lyon; now considerably increased in size, it takes a rapid course in a north-eastern direction. The grounds are above two miles long, and one mile broad, and stored with every thing that can enchant and interest the Tourist; they are bounded on the south by the road from Kenmore to Aberfeldy, on the north by that leading from Kenmore to Weem, within the policy and along the winding banks of the river; terraces are formed of capacious breadth, and to an extent of nearly five miles these terraces are connected by a light cast iron bridge, which has a fine effect. Near the centre of the park, on a fine plain, is the House; it is in the castellated Gothic style, on the plan of Inverlochy Castle, and has an air of royal grandeur. The undulating nature of the ground affords a pleasing variety of sylvan scenes, and has been decorated by the hand of taste, scrupulously nice in preserving the character of its original appearance. The whole is beautifully wooded with shrubbery, and stately aged trees. The Bergenu Walk, as it is called, "where scarce a sunbeam wanders through the gloom," is shaded by lofty trees forming a grand avenue, which is arched over by their branches, and thus forms one of the most enchanting walks imaginable. It extends a mile along the banks of the river. A guide will point out the most interesting objects of this charming spot.

It is bounded by mountains covered with wood, and watered by rivers of crystalline transparency. East

ward are seen the hills of Dull, shooting up from dark Glen-Lyon. They are lost in the distance among the crags of Weem, which are again surmounted by hills, whose russet ridges occasionally shoot into grey sterile peaks. Looking westward from the Temple on the right, is the bold Ben-Lawers, rising pre-eminent over the neighbouring mountains. On the left, the scene is of a milder character; the centre in the extreme distance is occupied by the double-headed Benmore, mingling with the hues of the remotest visible horizon; and in the fore-ground are Kenmore, church, river, bridge; and beyond these the sweet lake itself, (with its projecting promontories and fertile tracts of land running far into it) extending its glassy bosom to a great distance, until it is lost among the mountains. Immediately behind the bridge, and near the shore, is an islet with the remains of the priory, (already noticed) which is almost hid by the trees that shelter this sacred retreat, the whole forming a most delighful landscape.

Before quitting Taymouth, it deserves to be noticed, that when Prince Leopold paid a visit to the Earl of Breadalbane, in 1819, two thousand Highlanders appeared at his lordship's summons, in the lawn before the castle, dressed in their native garb; and, after performing a number of evolutions, retired by different avenues, in separate detachments, each headed by its own piper. The spectacle was well calculated to convey an idea of the extensive possessions of the noble Earl, and the ancient power of a Highland chieftain. When King George IV. visited Scotland, a well trained body of Breadalbane men, armed with sword and shield, were marched at his lordship's expence to the metropolis, and made a distinguished figure among the other clans in the displays which took place upon that auspicious oc

casion.

The property of the Earl of Breadalbane extends

from Aberfeldy, four miles eastward, to the Atlantic ocean westward, a space upwards of one hundred miles, comprehending the most elevated ground in the Highlands, as the name Braedalbine imports. The great ancestor of the family being asked, why he placed his house at the extremity of his estate, replied, That he intended it should in time be in the middle of it.

Leaving Kenmore, the Tourist proceeds along the banks of the Tay, down Strath-Tay, the finest and richest strath or valley in the Highlands, extending from Taymouth to Logierait, a distance of twelve miles, and consisting of deep alluvial land, of the first quality, and in a high state of cultivation. The Tay rolls its majestic stream through the middle of this beautiful valley, at times seen in all its amplitude among the broad and level fields, and again eluding the sight by gliding round the bases of mountains, or under the shade of forests. In the higher portions of the hilly ridges which bound the valley on each side, groves, rocks, heath, and pasture, are delightfully intermixed, and the mountain torrents are heard among the dark woods, precipitating themselves over crags and rocks into the valley beneath. The scene is truly magnificent, and combines all that is sublime and impetuous in Highland scenery.

Below Kenmore, Drummond Hill, thickly wooded, rises conspicuous, and overhangs the rapid Lyon, here rushing from the north-west, pours its waters into the Tay.

Three miles and a half below Kenmore, the house of Bolfracks, surrounded by trees, appears upon the right; and, a mile farther on, Castle Menzies (Menzies, Bart.) is seen upon the opposite side of the Tay,-the rising woods above, and the rugged crags which peer out between, forming a delightful back ground. Far up the hill are the remains of a hermitage, formed by two sides of native rock and two of masonry, to which a chief of