 a dram, I desired him to
explain the meaning of all this agitation; and, with some reluctance, he owned
he had seen a spirit, in the shape of an old man with a white beard, a black
cap, and a plaid night gown. He was undeceived by the admiral in person, who,
coming in at this juncture, appeared to be a creature of real flesh and blood.
    Do you know how we fare in this Scottish paradise? We make free with our
landlord's mutton, which is excellent, his poultry-yard, his garden, his dairy,
and his cellar, which are all well stored. We have delicious salmon, pike,
trout, perch, par, etc. at the door, for the taking. The Frith of Clyde, on the
other side of the hill, supplies us with mullet, red and grey, cod, mackarel,
whiting, and a variety of sea-fish, including the finest fresh herrings I ever
tasted. We have sweet, juicy beef, and tolerable veal, with delicate bread from
the little town of Dunbritton; and plenty of partridge, growse, heath-cock, and
other game in presents.
    We have been visited by all the gentlemen in the neighbourhood, and they
have entertained us at their houses, not barely with hospitality, but with such
marks of cordial affection, as one would wish to find among near relations,
after an absence of many years.
    I told you, in my last, I had projected an excursion to the Highlands, which
project I have now happily executed, under the auspices of Sir George Colquhoun,
a colonel in the Dutch service, who offered himself as our conductor on this
occasion. Leaving our women at Cameron, to the care and inspection of Lady H--
C--, we set out on horseback for Inverary, the county town of Argyle, and dined
on the road with the Laird of Macfarlane, the greatest genealogist I ever knew
in any country, and perfectly acquainted with all the antiquities of Scotland.
    The Duke of Argyle has an old castle at Inverary, where he resides when he
is in Scotland; and hard by is the shell of a noble Gothic palace, built by the
last duke, which, when finished, will be a great ornament to this part of the
Highlands. As for Inverary, it is a place of very little importance.
    This country is amazingly wild, especially towards the mountains, which are
heaped upon the backs of one another, making a most stupendous appearance of
savage nature, with hardly any signs of
