Chapter XX: Deer Forests and Grouse Shooting (2)

"Towards the bottom of the lake is a headland, finely wooded
to the very summit. Here the water suddenly narrows to the
breadth of a hundred yards, and continues so for nearly a
mile, the banks cloathed with trees, and often bending into
little semilunar bays to the very extremity; from whence its
waters, after the course of a mile, a continual _Rapide_,
discharge into a deep and darksome hole, called Pool-ewe,
which opens into the large bay of Loch-Ewe.

"The lake we had left is eighteen miles long; the waters are
said to be specifically lighter than most others, and very
rarely frozen; the depth is various, in some places sixty
fathoms; but the bottom is very uneven; if ten feet of water
were drained away, the whole would appear a chain of little
lakes.

"The fish are salmon, char, and trout; of the last is a
species weighing thirty pounds.

"Land; are received by the Rev. Mr Dounie, minister of
Gairloch, whom we attend to church, and hear a very edifying
plain comment on a portion of Scripture. He takes us home
with him, and by his hospitality makes us experience the
difference between the lodgings of the two nights.

"Aug. 3. Take a view of the environs: visit the mouth of the
river, where the salmon fishery supplies the tenant with
three or four lasts of fish annually. On the bank are the
remains of a very antient iron furnace. Mr Dounie has seen
the back of a grate, marked 'S. G. Hay,' or Sir George Hay,
who was head of a company here in the time of the Queen
Regent; and is supposed to have chose this remote place for
the sake of quiet in those turbulent times.

"Potatoes are raised here on the very peat-moors, without
any other drains than the trenches between the beds. The
potatoes are kiln-dried for preservation.

"It is to be hoped that a town will form itself here, as it
is the station of a Government-packet, that sails regularly
from hence to _Stornoway_, in _Lewis_, a place now growing
considerable, by the encouragement of Lord Seaforth, the
proprietor. This is a spot of much concourse; for here
terminates the military road, which crosses from the East to
the West sea, commencing at _Inverness_, and passing by
_Fair-burn_ and _Strath-braan_ to this place. Yet I believe
the best inn on the last thirty miles is that of Mr Roderick
Mac-donald, our landlord the last night but one.

"Ride about six miles South, and reach Gair-loch; consisting
of a few scattered houses, on a fine bay of the same name.
Breakfast at _Flowerdale_; a good house, beautifully seated
between hills finely wooded. This is the seat of Sir _Hector
Mackenzie_, whose ancestor received a writ of fire and sword
against the antient rebellious owners; he succeeded in his
commission, and received their lands for his pains.

"The parish of Gair-loch is very extensive, and the number
of inhabitants evidently encrease, owing to the simple
method of life, and the conveniency they have of drawing a
support from the fishery. If a young man is possessed of a
herring-net, a hand-line, and three or four cows, he
immediately thinks himself able to support a family, and
marries. The present number of souls are about two thousand
eight hundred.

"Herrings offer themselves in shoals from _June_ to
_January_; cod-fish abound on the great sandbank, one corner
of which reaches to this bay, and is supposed to extend as
far as Cape Wrath; and South, as low as _Rona_, off Skie;
with various branches, all swarming with cod and ling. The
fishery is carried on with long-lines, begins in _February_,
and ends in _April_. The annual capture is uncertain, from
five to twenty-seven thousand. The natives at present labor
under some oppressions, which might be easily removed, to
the great advancement of this commerce. At present the fish
are sold to some merchants from _Campbeltown_, who contract
for them at two-pence farthing a-piece, after being cured
and dried in the sun. The merchants take only those that
measure eighteen inches from the gills to the setting on of
the tail; and oblige the people to let them have two for one
of all that are beneath that length. The fish are sent to
_Bilboa_; ling has also been carried there, but was rejected
by the Spaniards. This trade is far from being pushed to its
full extent; is monopolised, and the poor fishers obliged to
sell their fish at half the price to those who sell it to
the merchants.

"The want of a town is very sensibly felt in all those
parts; there is no one commodity, no one article of life, or
implement of fishery, but what is gotten with difficulty,
and at a great price, brought from a distance by those who
are to make advantage from the necessities of the people. It
is much to be lamented that after the example of the Earl of
_Seaforth_, they do not collect a number of inhabitants by
feuing their lands, or granting leases for a length of years
for building; but still so much of the spirit of the
chieftain remains, that they dread giving an independency to
their people; a false policy! as it would enrich both
parties; and make the landlord more respectable, as master
of a set of decent tenants, than of thousands of bare-footed
half-starved vassals. At present adventurers from distant
parts take the employ from the natives; a town would create
a market; a market would soon occasion a concourse of
shipping, who would then arrive with a certainty of a cargo
ready taken for them; and the mutual wants of stranger and
natives would be supplied at an easy rate.

"By example of a gentleman or two, some few improvements in
farming appear. Lime is burnt; sea tang used as manure; and
shell sand imported by such who can afford the freight. But
the best trade at present is cattle: about five hundred are
annually sold out of this parish, from the price of one
pound seven to two pounds five a-piece. About eighty horses,
at three pounds each, and a hundred and fifty sheep, at
three pounds per score. The cattle are blooded at spring and
fall: the blood is preserved to be eaten cold.

"We found our vessel safely arrived at anchor with many
others, under the shelter of a little isle, on the south
side of the bay. Weigh, and get under sail with a good
breeze."

C.

Notes on the Parish of Gairloch, from the "Old Statistical
Account," being an Extract from "The Statistical Account of
Scotland, drawn up from the Communications of the Ministers
of the different parishes, by Sir John Sinclair, Bart.,"
vol. iii., page 89, printed in 1792.

"PARISH OF GAIRLOCH.

"BY THE REV. MR DANIEL M'INTOSH.

"_Name, Extent, &c._--This parish had its name originally
from a very small loch, near the church and the house of
Flowerdale, and so close by the shore that the sea at high
tides covers it. The etymology of it is abundantly clear,
and signifies in the Gaelic language a short contracted
loch.

"The parish of Gairloch is situated in the county of Ross,
in the presbytery of Lochcarron, and synod of Glenelg. Its
length is no less than thirty-two miles English, and its
breadth about eighteen.

"_Soil._--This country resembles many other parts of the
Highlands of Scotland. The valleys are surrounded with
hills, that afford good pasture to different kinds of
cattle. As the parish abounds in hills and mossy ground, the
arable parts of it are consequently but of a small extent.
When the season is favourable, the crops are by no means
bad, yet they scarcely serve the inhabitants above seven or
eight months. The potatoes the farmers plant, and the fish
they catch, contribute much to their support. This country,
and all the West coast, are supplied in the summer with meal
by vessels that come from different ports at a distance,
such as Caithness, Murray, Peterhead, Banff, Aberdeen,
Greenock, &c., and, at an average, sell the boll, consisting
of eight stones, at 16s., and, when provisions are high, at
18s. and upwards.

"_Rivers and Antiquities._--There are many rivers in this
parish, but no bridges nor passage but by horses; and
therefore, when these rivers overflow their banks, which
often happens in the winter and spring seasons, and
sometimes even in summer, travellers are detained, and are
exposed to delays and additional expences. There are two
large rivers near the east end of this parish, which meet
and run into one at Kenlochew, which, in the Earse language,
imports the Head of the Loch-River. These two rivers empty
themselves into Loch-Mari. This loch again is twelve
computed miles in length, and more in some parts than a mile
in breadth. There are twenty-four small islands in it, which
are beautified with fir trees, and a variety of other kinds
of wood; in one of these islands there is an antient
burying-place, called Isleand-Mari, where the people on the
north side of the loch still continue to bury their dead.
There is a well in it of a salubrious quality, the water of
which hath been found, for ages past, very serviceable to
many diseased persons. The remains of a Druidical temple is
likewise to be seen in this small island.

"_Fish._--Gairloch has been for many ages famous for the
cod-fishing. Sir Hector M'Kenzie of Gairloch, the present
proprietor, sends to market annually, upon an average,
betwixt 30,000 and 40,000 cod, exclusive of the number with
which the country people serve themselves. Gairloch hath
also, from time immemorial, been remarkable for the
herring-fishing. The coast of this parish abounds in very
safe harbours for vessels of all dimensions.

"_Agriculture._--Oats and barley are sown in this country.
Some of the gentlemen sow a small quantity of pease, which,
when the harvest is warm and dry, yield profitable returns;
our time of sowing oats, black and white, is commonly from
the middle of March to the end of April, within which period
we also plant potatoes; we sow barley from the beginning of
May to the 10th of June; our latest barley is seldom the
worst part of the crop, when the summer proves warm and
showery. Our harvest commences about the end of August, and
the crop is gathered in about the 10th of October. Our crop
frequently suffers much from shaking winds, attended with
heavy cold rain, about the autumnal equinox.

"_Diseases._--No peculiar local distemper of any kind is
prevalent in this parish. Fevers are frequent; sometimes
they are of a favourable kind; at other times they continue
long, and carry off great numbers. An infectious and putrid
fever, early in winter last, made its way from the north
over a long tract of different countries, and proved fatal
to many.

"_Population._--There were in this parish, in the year 1774,
of examinable persons about two thousand. And from that
period to the present there is an increase of two hundred
souls and upwards. In Dr Webster's report the number was two
thousand and fifty. There are a few people in the parish at
the age of eighty-six and eighty-seven. Two died lately who
arrived at the age of an hundred years.

"_Character of the People._--They are in general sobre,
regular, industrious, and pious. They have always been
remarked and esteemed for their civility and hospitality to
strangers.

"_School._--In the great extent of this parish, as hath been
already observed, there is no school but the parochial, by
which means the rising generation suffer much and are wholly
neglected, having no access to the benefit of instruction.
There are only two catechists, who have their appointments
partly in the skirts of this and partly of the two
neighbouring parishes.

"_Church._--All the people of every denomination are of the
Established Church; there are no Dissenters, Seceders, nor
any other kind of sect whatever in the parish. The church of
this parish has stood more than a century, but has for some
years past been in a ruinous situation, and was therefore
taken down this summer, and a new elegant church is
building. There are three places of public worship in the
parish, exclusive of the church, viz., Kenlochew, Chapel of
Sand, and the croft of Jolly. The church and manse are at
the distance of six English miles from each other. The manse
is very near the shore, on the north of the church, and
supposed to be in the centre of the parish. The value of the
living, exclusive of the glebe, and including the expence
allowed for communion elements, is only £58, 6s. 9½d. There
are five heritors in the parish, viz., Sir Hector M'Kenzie
of Gairloch, Baronet, John M'Kenzie of Gruinord, John
M'Kenzie of Letterew, Roderick M'Kenzie of Kernsary, and
Colonel M'Kenzie of Coul, who is at present in the East
Indies; all the rest reside in the parish.

"_Rent._--The land-rent cannot be ascertained with accuracy.
It may probably be about £1700 per annum.

"_Poor._--The number of the poor in this as well as in many
other Highland parishes is daily increasing. There are
eighty-four upon the kirk-session roll, besides some other
indigent persons, who, though not inrolled, yet are
considered as objects of sympathy. They have the annual
collections made in the church, with the interest of £20,
distributed among them. The collections, upon an average,
are about £6, 7s.

"_Language._--The Gaelic is the prevailing language in this
as well as in several other corners of the West coast, where
the people have no opportunity of learning English."

D.

Extracts from "The Highlands and Western Isles of Scotland,
founded on a series of annual journeys between the years
1811 and 1821," by John MacCulloch, M.D., F.R.S., L.S.G.S.,
&c., vol. ii., page 280 _et seq._:--

"There is nothing worthy of notice between Loch Torridon and
Gairloch; but this inlet possesses considerable beauty in
various parts, and more particularly in that angle occupied
by Flowerdale. The very unsuspected ornament of this place,
contrasted also as it is with all the surrounding wildness,
almost carries us back to the most polished regions of
Perthshire. It is an interesting spot, independently of its
beauty, as proving that nothing is wanting but taste and
industry to render a thousand places on the west coast
rivals to the most ornamental parts of the interior of
Scotland, qualities which may exist in many persons besides
Sir Hector Mackenzie, but which are wasted if the
proprietors do not reside on their estates. Had there been
as many Sir Hector Mackenzies as there are spots equal in
capacity to Gairloch, the west coast of Scotland might have
challenged any equal space in the world for judicious
ornament, embellishing and improving Nature, as it now may
for natural advantages.

"Loch Ewe is a deep and not a very wide inlet. The form of
the land on each side is tame, and it is only at the
extremity where the high mountains of the interior come into
view that the outline has any character. But the view of Pol
Ewe, from the anchorage, is picturesque; as the finely
characterised mountains which surround Loch Maree form its
conspicuous features. The rocky hills that surround this
rude and strange valley are singularly wild. From Loch
Maree, scarcely a mile distant from the sea-shore, the Ewe,
a broad river, runs with a rapid course to the sea. Issuing
from the lake, it first meanders gently through low grounds
interspersed with wild groves of alder and birch and oak,
enclosed by woody cliffs and irregular rough ground, which,
on both hands, rise up the intricate skirts of the high
mountains that bound the lake and the valley together.
Shortly, however, it is seen roaring through a steep and
stony channel, deep below the surrounding land, which is now
a rude heathy moor, with occasional patches of corn near the
margin of the water. Hence, passing a salmon weir, the river
forms a considerable cascade, falling into a dark rocky
pool; immediately after which it joins the sea.

"The peculiar wildness of this valley is rendered more
impressive by the crowded population, for which, considering
its aspect, it is remarkable. We think little, in this
country, of deserted and solitary rudeness and barrenness,
since they are of such daily and incessant recurrence; but
when inhabited they impress us forcibly, and apparently from
an unacknowledged sympathy with those whose lot it is to
reside in them. Besides the small tenants who occupy the
numerous black houses about this waste, and whose peat
stacks are even more conspicuous than their dwellings, there
is here a large farm house, a slated inn, which is also the
post-office, and a salmon fishery. From the post-office
there is a weekly packet to Stornoway, so that Pol Ewe
reminds us of that world, of which, in a few weeks cruising
about these seas, we are very apt to lose sight. The river
is noted, both for the abundance and the goodness of its
salmon, and is rented by Berwick fishermen; the produce,
here and elsewhere on this coast, being carried across the
country on horseback to the Murray Frith to be boiled for
the London market, an arrangement which does not appear the
best that could be devised, as it is a journey of two days.
The river abounds equally in trout, as does also Loch Maree;
so that, for brothers of the angle as well as for trading
Berwickers, Pol Ewe is one of the most enticing places on
the west coast.

"A fortunate discovery which I made of some Allium ursinum
(wild garlick) gave zest for a week to our hashed mutton and
our insipid broth. The sea-beet and the Crambe maritima
served for ordinary greens, and sorrel was always at hand
for a fricandeau a l'oseille. The Cotyledon luteum, very
unexpectedly, proved to be a good substitute for spinach;
but, best of all, and most abundant, were the Chenopodia,
common on all these shores, which ensured us a never-failing
supply.

"Loch Maree lies so completely out of the road, and so far
beyond the courage, of ordinary travellers, that, except by
Pennant, I believe it has never been visited. The length is
about fourteen miles, and the greatest breadth three, though
in most parts it scarcely exceeds one; while, being bounded
by high mountains, and having a very varied and irregular
outline, its shores present a good deal of interesting
scenery; the entire lake itself being displayed from many
different points and under a great variety of aspects, so as
to produce some of the finest specimens of this class of
landscape in the Highlands. In point of style, it ranks
rather more nearly with Loch Lomond than with any other of
the southern lakes, though still very far inferior.

"The most accessible and the finest general views may be
obtained from the rocky hills that bound the exit of the
river. The mountain outline, which is grand and various,
presents a greater diversity of form and character than any
of the Scottish lakes; but Ben Lair[11] is always the
principal feature, graceful, solid, and broad. The middle
ground is a great source of variety; splendid and wild, an
intermixture of rock and wood, more easily compared with
some parts of Loch Cateran than with any other well-known
scenery, yet still different. The winding and wooded course
of the Ewe adds much to its liveliness, the bright reaches
glittering as they emerge from among the trees and rocks
through which the river forces its way.

"The first day of creation was not more beautiful. July, the
June of this country, was in its full glory. A few thin
silvery clouds rested on the clear blue sky, and the sun
shed a flood of light over the bright surface of the lake,
which reflected every rock and every tree that hung over the
glassy surface. Even the line of the shore was
undistinguishable, except when the casual passage of a
gentle air, descending from the hills, ruffled for a moment
the bright expanse; when the gay vision vanished, till
again, as the breeze passed off across the water, it
collected its scattered fragments, reappearing in all its
former brilliancy, and rivalling its original. Even the dark
firs assumed a look of spring, and the barren and cold grey
cliffs of Ben Lair seemed to rejoice in the bright sunshine.
While the warm brown and glowing purple of the heath, now in
full blossom, tinged the faces of the nearer hills with that
richness of colour known only to these mountainous regions,
every summit, as it retired, assumed a purpler and a bluer
tone, till the last peaks emulated the misty azure of the
sky into which they melted, as if they had belonged rather
to the fields of air than to the earth below.

"No one can know the full value of summer who has not known
it in a land of mountains; no one can feel, who has not felt
it among the hills, the joy with which the sun can fill the
mind, as it fills the atmosphere; the sense of beauty, of
bounding, exuberant happiness in which it wraps our very
existence as it does the landscape; giving to every feature,
to the wildest mountain summit and the gloomiest valley, to
the barest rock and the lowliest flower, charms to which all
the glories of the richest cultivated country are insipid
and tame.

"The northern margin of Loch Maree presents a great variety
of close shore scenery, consisting of rocky and wooded bays
and creeks rising into noble overhanging cliffs and
mountains; and it displays also the finest general views of
the lake. The effect of Sleagach, seen at once from its base
to its summit, is perhaps more striking than that of any
mountain in Scotland. Where the skirts of Ben Lair descend
steep into the water, the scenes are often peculiarly
original as well as grand. In one place[12] in particular,
the remains of a fir forest, in a situation almost
incredible, produce a style of landscape that might be
expected in the Alps, but not among the more confined scope
and tamer arrangements of Scottish mountains. Immediately
from the water's edge, a lofty range of grey cliffs rises to
a great height, so steep as almost to seem perpendicular,
but varied by fissures and by projections covered with grass
and wild plants. Wherever it is possible for a tree to take
root, there firs of ancient and noble growth, and of the
most wild and beautiful forms, are seen rising above each
other, so that the top of the one often covers the root of
the succeeding, or else thrown out horizontally in various
fantastic and picturesque modes. Now and then some one more
wild and strange than the others, or some shivered trunk or
fallen tree, serves to vary the aspect of this strange
forest, marking also the lapse of ages and the force of the
winter storms which they so long have braved.

"The eastern extremity of the lake becomes insipid,
terminating in a range of meadows, through which the stream
winds its sluggish way. But beyond, all is rude and savage,
displaying a chaos of wild mountains and a succession of
white precipices and spiry snow-white crags, bright, cold,
and dreary, and giving a character of polar sterility to the
landscape, as if no living being, not even vegetable life,
could here find home or refuge. Evening arrived as we
reached this end of the lake, for not a breeze had blown to
aid us. The long shadows of the mountains were now
stretching across the water, and a vast and broad body of
shade on the western hills gave a repose to the scene, so
deep and so solemn, that even the liquid sound which
followed the dip of the oars seemed an intrusion on the
universal hush of nature. No living object was seen or
heard, and even the occasional passage of the bee that
winged its evening way home to its mountain abode in the
heath, disturbed a silence that appeared never before to
have been interrupted. The last crimson at length vanished
from the sharp rocky summits of the eastern hills, and all
became alike wrapped in one gentle hue of tranquil grey. But
it was the summer twilight of a northern July, and night was
now but one long and lovely evening.

"It was with some difficulty that we explored our nocturnal
way through the labyrinth of islands in the centre of this
lake; as they are little raised above the water, and covered
with scattered firs and with thickets of birch, alder, and
holly, while they are separated by narrow and tortuous
channels. The features of the whole are so exactly alike
that no part can be distinguished from another. Inch Maree
has been dedicated to a saint of that name, and it still
contains a burial-place, chosen, it is said, like all those
which are found in islands, to prevent depredations from the
wolves of ancient days. This theory, however, seems
disputable, because the extirpation of this animal is an
event of considerable antiquity, and many of these
burial-grounds seem of comparatively modern times. Here also
there was a sacred well, in which, as in St. Fillan's,
lunatics were dipped, with the usual offerings of money; but
the well remains, and the practice has passed away. Although
now midnight, the heat was so great as to be almost
oppressive, exceeding seventy degrees, an occurrence not
very uncommon in these Highland valleys in summer. But the
hot breeze served to fill our sails, and, by midnight, had
brought us back to the river; nor were we sorry to find,
some time after, on board of our vessel, the dinner which we
had not calculated on deferring to the morning of a
following day."

E.

EXTRACTS from the "New Statistical Account of Scotland."

"PARISH OF GAIRLOCH.

"PRESBYTERY OF LOCHCARRON, SYNOD OF GLENELG."

_Drawn up by the_ Rev. DONALD M'RAE, Minister of Poolewe,
and dated September 1836.

"I.--TOPOGRAPHY AND NATURAL HISTORY.

"_Name._--The name of the parish is compounded of
gearr--short, and loch. The parish takes its name from a
salt water loch of the same name. At the end of this loch,
the natives point out a hollow spot of ground which they
choose to denominate 'the Gairloch' by way of distinction,
as they allege that the parish takes its name from it; but
it evidently derives its name from the salt water loch, or
rather bay, for, comparing it with most of the other salt
water lochs on the west coast, it scarcely deserves the name
of loch.

"_Hydrography, &c._--Few parishes on the west coast can
boast of more magnificent mountain scenery, as the traveller
can testify who has sailed down the picturesque Lochmaree.
The principal mountain in the range is Slioch, or Sliabhach;
its elevation above the level of the sea cannot be less than
three thousand feet. The traveller who, from the west end of
Lochmaree, takes a view of the scenery before him, cannot
fail to be struck with astonishment at the wild grandeur of
the scene presented to his view; the much admired and
far-famed Lochmaree, with its four-and-twenty wooded
islands; the range of mountains, commencing on the right and
left, and extending four miles beyond the east end, of
Lochmaree; Lochmaree itself, eighteen miles long, appearing
in the distance like an amphitheatre of nature's own
workmanship, and presenting to the eye of the stranger an
impenetrable barrier.

"_Hydrography._--Lochmaree, as already stated, is eighteen
miles long, and one and a half mile broad at an average. The
greater part of it is sixty fathoms deep, so that it has
never been known to freeze during the most intense frosts.
About the centre of the loch is an island called 'Island
Maree,' on which is a burying-ground supposed to be
dedicated to the Virgin Mary; hence the name of the island
and of the loch. This is one conjecture; another is, that
some of the Danish kings were buried in this island, and
that the original name of it was 'Eilean nan Righ,' which
came to be pronounced 'Eilean Maree.' The number of
tombstones in the burying-place, with inscriptions and
hieroglyphical figures which few now-a-days can
satisfactorily decipher, gives a plausibility to this
conjecture which is not easily got over. As it is a doubtful
subject, and likely to remain so, a third conjecture may be
ventured. There lived, a great many years ago, in this part
of the Highlands, a great and good man called 'Maree,' who
had his principal residence on this same island; after his
death his admirers prefixed Saint to his name. Many of his
generous and benevolent deeds are, to this day, recounted by
the people of this and the surrounding parishes.

"On the centre of this island is a deep well, consecrated by
the said Saint Maree to the following purpose. To this same
well are dragged, volens nolens, all who are insane in this
or any of the surrounding parishes, and after they have been
made to drink of it, these poor victims of superstitious
cruelty are towed round the island after a boat, by their
tender-hearted attendants. It is considered a hopeful sign
if the well is full at the time of dragging the patient to
the scene. In justice to the people of this parish it may be
stated, that they have not such an unbounded belief in the
healing virtues of the well, and the other parts of the
transaction, as their most distant neighbours appear to
entertain. The belief in such absurdities is daily losing
ground in the Highlands; and there is little doubt that, in
course of a few years more, the clouds of superstition that
overhang the moral horizon of our Highlands will be
dissipated by the better education of the peasantry.

"There is only one river worthy of particular notice in this
parish, viz., the 'Ewe,' which issues from Lochmaree, and is
only one mile long from its source to its confluence with
the arm of the sea called 'Lochewe.' This beautiful stream
abounds with salmon of the very best description. It is
surpassed by no river on the west coast for angling; and
hence it is, during the summer months, frequented by
gentlemen from all parts of the kingdom for this healthy and
delightful exercise. An English military gentleman killed
one hundred salmon and grilse, in the course of a few weeks,
during the summer of 1834; and I am credibly informed that
the late proprietor, Sir Hector Mackenzie of Gairloch,
Bart., frequently killed twenty salmon in one day. Besides
Gairloch, Lochewe is the only other salt water loch in the
parish. This loch, into which the waters of Lochmaree fall,
is from eight to ten miles long. Near the mouth of it is a
fertile and well cultivated island, called Isle Ewe. Much
attention and expense were bestowed upon the improvement of
this island by the present proprietor, Sir Francis Alexander
M'Kenzie of Gairloch, Bart., before he came into the full
possession of the Gairloch estate. The two principal
headlands jutting out on each side of Lochewe, are Ru Rea on
the south, and Green Stone Point on the north side.

"_Climate._--The climate is mild, although extremely rainy.
This may be accounted for, partly by the mountainous
character of the country, and partly by other causes. The
prevailing winds are the west and south; and at whatever
season of the year it blows from these quarters, we are
almost certain of torrents of rain. Easterly winds
invariably bring us dry weather, and hence they are welcome
visitants, although they warn us to wear additional
coverings. The easterly winds are more prevalent in the
month of March and first half of April, than at any other
season of the year. But there has been a marked change in
the climate for some years back. Instead of the deep falls
of snow, and the long-continued frosts that were wont to
starve the black cattle, smother the sheep, and fertilize
the soil in former years, we have now mild weather and very
much rain. Notwithstanding the extreme wetness of the
climate, and the people's frequent exposure in the open air,
their principal employment being fishing, they are in
general healthy, and of robust constitutions.

"_Geology and Mineralogy._--This and the neighbouring parish
of Lochbroom afford numerous displays of interesting
geological phenomena. Old red sandstone and quartz rock
abound, but gneiss and its various subordinate formations
may be considered the prevailing formation. Upwards of one
hundred and fifty years ago, when the science of mineralogy
was comparatively in its infancy in Scotland, and when the
spirit of speculation and adventure did not move with such
bold strides as in later times, a Sir James Kay sent several
people to work at veins of iron ore, on the estate of
Letterewe, along the north side of Lochmaree, in this
parish. I understood they continued to work successfully for
several years; but as wood was their sole fuel for
conducting the operations, they were obliged to desist when
the wood in the neighbourhood was exhausted. The ruins of
one of the furnaces for working the ore are within a few
hundred yards of the manse of Poolewe; and those of another
are ten miles farther up, along the north side of Lochmaree.
A spot is pointed out to the passer by, near the east end of
Lochmaree, where they buried their dead. It is, to this day,
called 'Cladh nam Sasganach,' the burying-ground of the
Englishmen. Highlanders look upon all who do not speak the
Gaelic language as Sasganaich, or Englishmen. At a later
period, some other individual, or perhaps the same, thought
he had discovered a vein of silver ore, in another place
along the north side of Lochmaree; but after digging to a
considerable depth, the undertaking was abandoned, without
yielding a remunerating return to the spirited adventurer.

"II.--CIVIL HISTORY.

"_Eminent Men._--This parish has been as fortunate as most
of its neighbours in being the birth-place and residence of
eminent characters; but the only person whom I shall at
present mention, is William Ross, the celebrated Gaelic
bard. This individual was born in the parish of Strath, Isle
of Skye, in the year 1762. After receiving as liberal an
education as the school of Forres at that time could afford,
he was appointed parochial schoolmaster of Gairloch, when
about twenty-four years of age. In that situation he
continued four years. He died in his twenty-eighth year; and
his remains are deposited in the churchyard of Gairloch. 'As
a writer of Gaelic songs' (to quote from a short memoir
prefixed to a collection of his songs, published four years
ago), 'William Ross is entitled to the highest praise. In
the greater number of his lyrics, the bard leads us along
with him, and imparts to us so much of his own tenderness,
feeling, and enthusiasm, that our thoughts expand and kindle
with his sentiments.'

"_Landowners._--The landowners of the parish are Sir Francis
Alexander M'Kenzie of Gairloch, Bart.; Sir George Stewart
M'Kenzie of Coul, Bart.; Duncan Davidson, Esq. of Tulloch;
James Alexander Stewart M'Kenzie, Esq. of Seaforth; and
Hector M'Kenzie, Esq. of Letterewe.

"_Parochial Registers._--There were no parochial registers
kept in the parish previous to the year 1802; since that
period they have been regularly kept.

"III.--POPULATION.

"_Character of the People._--The ancient population of this
parish, as far back as the oldest living inhabitants can
remember, was comparatively rude and uncultivated. There are
now living in the parish some who remember the time when
there was only one or at most two Bibles in the parish,
besides the minister's. What, in such a state of things,
could be expected of the manners of the inhabitants? Yet
these same individuals will unhesitatingly affirm, that
people were more generous and more noble-minded at that
period, than they are now.

Population in 1801, 1437
" 1811, 2755
" 1821, 4518
" 1831, 4445

The causes of the increase are various, and too numerous to
be mentioned here. Among these, however, may be mentioned
the habit of early marriage, and the system of letting the
land in lots. The lot of lands this year in the possession
of one family may, before twelve months are over, be divided
into three equal portions,--in other words, three distinct
families live upon the produce of it.

The yearly average of births for the last seven years, 100
" of marriages for do. 40
No register of deaths kept in the parish.
The average number of persons under fifteen years of age, 1693
" " betwixt fifteen and thirty 1128
" " " thirty and fifty, 927
" " " fifty and seventy, 602
" " upwards of seventy, 95

The number of proprietors of land
of the yearly value of £50 and upwards, 5
The number of bachelors upwards of fifty years of age, 16
" of widowers do. do. 18
" of unmarried women upwards of forty-five years of age, 76
" of families, 795
" of inhabited houses, 791
" of houses now building, 6

There are only four blind individuals within the bounds of
this parish; ten fatuous persons; and six deaf and dumb;
four of the latter belong to one family, and two to another.

"_Language, &c._--The language generally spoken is the
Gaelic. I am not aware that it has lost ground within the
last forty years. Some young men, indeed, who have received
a smattering of education, consider they are doing great
service to the Gaelic by interspersing their conversation
with English words, and giving them a Gaelic termination and
accent. These corrupters of both languages, with more pride
than good taste, now and then introduce words of bad English
or of bad Scotch, which they have learned from the Newhaven
or Buckie fishermen, whom they meet with on the coast of
Caithness during the fishing season. The Gaelic, however, is
still spoken in as great purity by the inhabitants in
general as it was forty years ago.

"The houses of the people in general have but one outer
door, and as they and their cattle go in by that one
entrance,--the bipeds to take possession of one end of the
house, and the quadrupeds of the other,--it cannot be
expected that a habitation common to man and beast can be
particularly clean. Some of the people, indeed, are now
getting into the way of building byres for their cattle,
contiguous to their dwelling-houses; and it is acknowledged
even by the most indolent that a great improvement is thus
effected. It is hoped that the practice may soon become more
general. When the young people go to kirk or market, few
appear more 'trig or clean;' and a stranger would hardly be
persuaded that some of them lived in such miserable hovels.
When a girl dresses in her best attire, her very
habiliments, in some instances, would be sufficient to
purchase a better dwelling-house than that from which she
has just issued.

"The people are in general contented with their situation
and circumstances. If they have a lot of lands, grass for
two or three cows, and fishing materials, they seldom have
any further objects of ambition. Owing to the means of
education not being commensurate with the increase of
population, the intellectual character of the people does
not keep pace with their moral and religious character. They
are naturally a shrewd, sensible, steady sort of people.
With a few exceptions, they are of good moral character.
They seldom quarrel among each other; and when they have any
differences, these are generally settled by the proprietors
or factors. A law-suit is seldom heard of from this parish.

"When I advert to their religious character, I am
constrained to acknowledge my fear that their knowledge of
the truths of our holy religion is more of the head than the
heart. The form of godliness is not so much wanting as its
power. I do not mean, however, that in this respect the
people of this parish are not on a parity with those of the
neighbourhood.

"Smuggling was carried on to a great extent in this parish
some years ago, but is now very much on the decrease; indeed
while there is a vestige of such a demoralizing practice
remaining there can be but slender hopes of moral
improvement. It may be mentioned to the honour of one of the
heritors, that he has erected a licensed distillery, for the
sole purpose of giving a death-blow to the smuggling on his
estate.

"IV.--INDUSTRY.

"_Agriculture._--The number of families employed in
agriculture, including those who employ servants, is 556;
male servants upwards of twenty years of age, 86; female
servants of all ages, 141. Number of acres under wood, 5000.
The woods are generally kept in good condition, by thinning,
pruning, &c.

"_Rent of Land._--Average rent of arable land is from 10s to
£1 per acre; rent of grazing a cow or ox for a year, from £1
to £2; rent of pasturing a ewe or sheep for a year, from 1s
6d to 2s 6d.

"_Wages._--Farm servants receive from £5 to £8 per annum for
wages, exclusive of their victuals; masons receive from 2s
6d to 3s, carpenters from 2s to 2s 6d, blacksmiths 3s,
weavers from 1s 6d to 2s, per day, all including victuals.

"_Fisheries._--The various kinds of fisheries carried on in
this parish are salmon fishing, cod and ling fishing, and
herring fishing. The salmon fishings are let at £150 per
annum. Salmon fishing is carried on by cruives, stell-nets,
bag-nets, and stake-nets. Cod and ling are taken by long
lines and the hand-line; and herring by the common mode of
meshed nets.

"_Navigation._--There are four vessels belonging to the
several ports in the parish, averaging about thirty-five
tons burthen each.

"V.--PAROCHIAL ECONOMY.

"_Means of Communication._--This parish is extremely ill
supplied with the means of communication, owing to the want
of roads. We have one post-office, situated at Poolewe.

"_Ecclesiastical State._--The parish church is as
conveniently situated as it could well be, considering the
extent of the parish; its distance from the eastern
extremity of the parish is twenty-eight miles, from the
southern fifteen miles, from the western twelve miles, and
from the northern extremity twenty miles. The church was
built in the year 1791, and got a thorough repair in 1834.
The church affords accommodation for five hundred sitters
only. The manse was built in the year 1805; but a
considerable addition was built to it in the year 1823. The
glebe is worth about £30 per annum; the amount of the
stipend is £240. There is one Government church in the
parish; it is situated at Poolewe, six miles to the north of
the parish church, and fourteen from the northern extremity
of the parish. It is now erected into a new and separate
parish _quoad sacra_, called the Parish of Poolewe. We have
one catechist employed by the Committee for managing His
Majesty's Royal Bounty, and another paid by contributions
from the parishioners. There is not a single Dissenter
within the bounds of the parish. The average number of
communicants at the parish church and Government church is
360.

"_Education._--The total number of schools in the parish is
nine; the parochial school is one of that number; all the
rest are supported by different religious societies. The
branches of instruction taught at the parochial school are
Greek, Latin, mathematics, arithmetic, writing and English,
and Gaelic reading. The branches taught at the Society
schools are arithmetic, writing, English and Gaelic reading.
The salary in the parochial school is £30 sterling, and £4
are obtained from school fees; at the Society Schools the
salaries are from £5 to £25 sterling. Scarcely any school
fees can be calculated upon, owing to the poverty of the
people. From six to eight schools are still required in the
parish; and some of the schools now in operation ought to be
put on a more permanent and efficient footing. Not more than
one in every ten of the whole population is able to read and
write in English. In 1833, 1773 persons above six years of
age could not read either in the Gaelic or English
languages.

"_Poor._--The number of poor receiving parochial aid in the
parish is about one hundred, each receiving from 2s 6d to 6s
per annum. The annual amount for their relief is about £16,
principally arising from church door collections.

"_Inns._--There are five licensed inns in the parish. Their
effects are most destructive to the morals of the people.
This is evident from the fact, that those who live in the
close neighbourhood of these houses are in general given to
tippling and idleness, while those who have not such a
temptation at their doors are sober industrious people.

"_Fuel._--Peat is the only kind of fuel used by the people;
it is procured in the mosses contiguous to their
dwelling-houses, at an expense of from £1 to £2 for a
family, in the year.

"_September, 1836._

F.

EXTRACTS from the Records of the Presbytery of Dingwall relating to the Parish of Gairloch.

I.--MINUTES REFERRING TO THE INACCESSIBILITY OF GAIRLOCH.

AT KILMORACK, _8th August 1649_.

"The Brethren tacking to their consideration the expediencie
of visiting the Hiland Kirks and the ordinance made
thereanent formerly, appoynts to tacke journey (God willing)
upon Monday nixt, and to visit the Kirk of Kintaill upon the
Wednesday, the Kirk of Lochalsh upon the Thursday, and the
Kirk of Lochcarrin upon the Fryday immediately following;
and ordaines Mr Dod. McRae to advertise them conforme, and
to writt to Mr Alexr. McKenzie, minister of Lochcarrin,
requiring him in the Presbyteries name to advertise Mr Rorie
McKenzie at Garloch and Mr Dod. Ross at Lochbroome to meete
with them at Lochcarrin the said Fryday for appoynting dyats
for visiting their Kirks."

AT LOCHCARRON, _17th August 1649_.

"The visitation of Gairloch and Lochbruime continewed
[postponed] by the way not rydable and inabilitie of
brethren to goe afoote."

AT DINGWALL, _14th August 1650_.

"The Brethren considering the condition of the Kirks of
Lochbroom and Gairloch and the expediency of visiting them
(not being visited the last yeir with the rest), appoynts
all the brethren to meete at Lochbroome for visiting the
kirk thereof, the 10. day of Septr. next, and at Gerloch the
Fryday thereafter."

AT DINGWALL, _5th June 1672_.

"No report from the Hyland Ministers except from Mr Rorie
Mc Kenzie of Gairloch, who wrott a letter off excuse which
was not judged relevant at that tyme, bot is continewed till
his coming, and another letter from Mr Murdoch Mc Kenzie, who
declared he could not meet for fear of caption," _i.e._
arrest.

AT DINGWALL, _10th July 1672_.

"The Presbytery considering that though the Ministers off
the Highlands was reannexed to the Presbytery of Dingwall by
appointment and ordinance of the Bishop and Synod, and that
now they had written to them and acquainted them to meet
with them two severall diets, and yet none of them
came:--They appoynt and ordaine that they be the third tyme
written to, to come (as they will be answerable to the
Bishop and Synod)."

AT DINGWALL, _4th September 1683_.

"No exercise in regard Mr Jon. Mc Kenzie, Minister at
Lochbroom, who should have exercised, and the rest of the
brethren of the Highlands were annexed to the Presbytery of
Chanonry." [_Note._--The Highland churches were the west
coast parishes, including Gairloch. There are other minutes
showing the irregular attendance of the Highland ministers,
and making continual complaints against them on account of
it.]

II.--MINUTES RELATING TO THE WARS OF MONTROSE AGAINST THE COVENANT.

AT DINGWALL, _8th January 1650_.

"Received two letters from the paroch of Gerloch, one from
Mr Rorie Mc Kenzie, Minister yr [there], importing that he had
made intimation to the Lard of Gerloch to compeir before the
Presbyterie this day, but withall testifieing that he was
very infirme and unable to come; and the other letter was
from Gerloch himselfe importing the same and withall that he
would, health serving, be heir the nixt day" [_i.e._ at the
next meeting]. [_Note._--This Laird of Gairloch was Kenneth
Mackenzie, the sixth laird; he was a "malignant," _i.e._ on
the side of the Marquis of Montrose, called in the following
minutes James Grahame, without his title.]

AT DINGWALL, _22d January 1650_.

"Compeired Kenneth Mc Kenyie of Gerloch, confessed his
accession to Ja: Grahames rebellion and to the late
rebellion in the North, professing his griefe for the same
and desyreing to be received to the covenant and
satisfaction; who is continewed till Furder tryall, and is
ordayned to be heir the next day."

"Compeired Kenneth Mc Kenyie there who confest his accession
to the late insurrection in the North, who is remitted to
the Session of Gerloch to be furder tryed and received
according to the maner prescryved in the act of Classes."
[The Act of Classes specified the punishment to be inflicted
on malignants.]

AT DINGWALL, _4th February 1650_.

"Kenneth Mc Kenyie of Gerloch found accessorie to Ja.
Grahames rebellion and the late insurrection in the north.
[At the same meeting Kenneth Mc Kenzie of Assint, near
Dingwall, Rorie Mc Kenzie of Davachmaluag, Kenneth Mc Kenzie
of Scatwell, and Rorie Mc Kenzie of Fairburn, were also
found guilty.] Therefore the brethren considering the
foresaid persones severall guiltes, and that all of them
were eminentlie active in the late rebellion in the north,
being urgers and seducers thereto, plotters and pryme
promovers thereoff, doe therefore ordayne them to repaire
forthwith to the Commission of the General Assemblie sitting
at Edinburgh in this present month of Febry. to make
satisfaction as there they shall be appoynted, with
certification if they faile to be immediately processed."

AT DINGWALL, _19th February 1650_.

"That day was presented a supplication by Kenneth Mc Kenyie
of Gerloch and Kenneth Mc Kenyie of Assint, that by the
lawes of the kingdome, horning and captions is obtained
against them for Seaforth's debts, so that personallie they
cannot repair to Edinr. unbeine [without being] incarcerat;
and therefore they petition the Presbytrie that their
process be suspended till they obtayne the Commission of
General Assemblie's answer anent their satisfaction.
Wheruppon the Presbyterie assignes them this day six weeks
to report their last diligence and bringing to the
Presbyterie a satisfactorie answer from the Commissione,
with certification if they fayle, to be thereafter
immediatlie processed."

AT DINGWALL, _9th April 1650_.

"Received a letter from the Moderator of the Commission of
the General Assemblie advysing the continewation of Assint
and Gerloch's process till the next quarterly meeting in
May."

AT DINGWALL, _16th April 1650_.

"The Brethren being informed of Ja: Grahms landing in
Caithnes with forces and coming forward for furder supplie
for carrieing on his former bloodie rebellious and
perfidious courses, ... they doe therefore for preventing
anie associations, considerations, or correspondence with
the said excommunicated bloodie traytor or his forces,
Ordayne all the brethren to make intimation out of their
severall pulpits that anie who shall associat or correspond
with the said Rebell or his forces shall be sentenced with
excommunication summarlie."

AT DINGWALL, _28th May 1650_.

"The Brethren report that they kepied the Thanksgiving for
the Victorie at Carbisdell obtained against James Grahame
and other enemies to ye cause and people of God, his
adherents."

AT DINGWALL, _16th July 1650_.

The minister of Gerloch ordained to send in a list of his
"malignants," and to summon them to appear at next meeting.

III.--MINUTE SHEWING THE WIDE SCOPE OF THE PRESBYTERY'S JURISDICTION.

AT DINGWALL, _13th November 1655_.

"Duncan Mc Murchie vic Cuile in the Parochin of Garloch
regraiting his wife to have deserted him being referred to
the Presbyterie from the Sessione of Garloch compeired
befoire the bretheren, and being asked in the cause of ye
desertion, declaired ... was repudiated by his wyf, and
deserted him and went to hir parents."

"Agnes Kempt in Garloch being maried uppon the said Duncan,
compeired professing her unwillingness from the beginning to
marie the said Duncan, bot moved and threatned by the
superior of the land, acknowledging hirselff to be free from
any carnall dealing with the said Duncan, ever to this tyme.
Ordaineing some of the brethren, such as Mr George Monro, Mr
Donald Macrae, with certain other frends met with the
foresaids at Logie, to see what they can work upon these
maried persons, to agree them, and advyse them in thair
christiane dutie towards each other." [On 8th January 1656
it was proved to the Presbytery that Agnes Kemp (who was no
doubt a daughter of one of the Letterewe ironworkers) never
consented to the marriage but was forced into it by her
laird.]

IV.--MINUTES RELATING TO SACRIFICES OF BULLS AND RESTORING THE SICK.

"AT APPILCROSS, _5 Septemb 1656_.

"Convened, Mr Jon Mc cra, Moderator; Mr Jon Monro, Mr Thomas
Hogg, Mr Jon Mc Killican, Mr Donald Fraser, Mr Donald Mc cra, Mr
Rorie Mc Kenzie, Mr Alexr Mc Kenzie, and Mr Donald Ross.