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East Tarbert; Isthmus of
Tarbert; West Loch Tarbert, 1.—Sound of Islay; Port Askaig, 2.—General
Description of Islay; Fertility; Productions; Cattle; Fish; Lead and Silver
Mines; Whisky; Inhabitants, their Circumstances and Character; Villages;
Coasts of Islay, 3.—Historical Sketch of the Kings or Lords of the Isles,
4.— Macdonalds of Islay, 5.—Antiquities; Castles and Forts; Macdonald's
Guards; Destruction of the last gang of them; Dunes, or Burghs;
Hiding-Places; Chapels and Crosses; Tombstones; Monumental Stones and
Cairns; Pingwald; Relics, 6.—Hostile Descents on Islay, 7.—Port Askaig to
Bridgend; Islay House, 8. —Sunderland House and Portnahaven, 9—N. W. Coast;
Cave of Saneg More; Wreck of the Exmouth; Princess Polignae's Birthplace;
Loch Gruinart, 10.Bowmore, 11.—Promontory and Bay of Lagean; Mull of Oe;
Cave of Sloc M'haol Doraidh; Port Ellinor; Laggavoulin; Ardmore; 12.—Jura;
General Description; Animals; Antiquities, 13.—Corryvreckan,14.—Colonsay and
Oronsay; Monastery, and Cross, 15.
1. A REGULAR steam-boat
communication is now established from West Loch Tarbert to Isla and Jura.
The Glasgow and Islay steamer calls twice a-week at Port Askaig. The new
steamer " Islay" arrives at Islay from Glasgow, doubling the Mull of Cantyre,
every Thursday, and sails from Port Askaig in Islay, on Friday, to West
Tarbert, returning to Bowmore the capital of Islay, the same evening.
Generally, too, this boat makes a second voyage to Port Askaig and Tarbert
on Saturday. She leaves for Glasgow, round the Mull of Cantyre, on Monday
afternoon. On landing at East Tarbert, supposing the traveller proceeding
from Loch Fyne, two comfortable inns will be found, situated in a
picturesque, small, crowded, village, built almost entirely on a naked or
barren rock, and manifestly depending more on fishing and other marine
resources than on any agricultural capabilities. In the neighbourhood, to
the eastward, is presented prominently to the stranger's eye, the
interesting ruin of the Castle of Tarbert, the walls of which are still
pretty entire, although large portions have fallen within the last three or
four years; nor will he, on inquiry, be at a loss to have traditions
respecting it rehearsed to him. The traveller bound for Islay leaves East
Tarbert, and proceeds to West Tarbert, a distance of scarcely two miles,
lying across the low isthmus connecting the peninsula of Cantyre with
Knapdale, and which is said to have been formerly protected by two other
castles similar to that at East Tarbert, one in the centre and another at
the western extremity. Magnus Barefoot, of Norway, is reported to have had,
in 1093, a formal cession made to him of the Western Isles, then already
under his sway, by the Scottish monarch; and he is said, on that occasion,
to have caused a galley to be transported with great pomp across the
isthmus, that Cantyre might be brought within the letter of his treaty. At
West Tarbert there is no village, but a pier or quay has been built for the
accommodation of passengers, and the shipping of goods for the steam-packet.
The sail down West Loch Tarbert, which is about ten miles in length, and
bears all the appearance of a peaceful fresh-water lake, is a highly
delightful one. Hills of moderate elevation slope gently from its waters,
rich with woods and cultivated lands, and ornamented with numerous
farmhouses and cottages, and handsome country seats and villas, presenting
scenery peculiarly lively, picturesque, and diversified. The principal
residences are Dippen Cottage, Stonefield House, Grassfield, Kilhammaig, and
Kintarbet, on the east, and Escairt House, Dunmore, and Ardpatrick on the
opposite side, almost all of which belong to families of the name of
Campbell. About midway, on the west, near Stonefield, is the village of
Laggavoulin and Whitehouse Inn, and towards the lower extremity the Clachan
or Kirkton and church of Kilcalmonell, and a little beyond, the hill of
Dunscaith, on which are the traces of a vitrified fort. The sail across to
Port Askaig, in Islay, is about twenty-three miles, On passing Ardpatrick
Point, the appearance of the bleak, sombre, heathy hills of Cantyre and
Argyle is quite uninteresting, and the passenger will feel no reluctance in
being carried away from the coast. In the views in front, the lofty conical
mountains, called the Paps of Jura, form conspicuous objects, picturesque in
the distance, but loosing their interest on a nearer approach. Jura, as the
vessel draws nigh, continues, for the distance of some miles, in seaman's
phrase, to be "kept on board" off the starboard bow and quarter.
ISLAY.
2. The sound of Islay is in
the centre about a mile in width, and is lined by abrupt but not very high
cliffs. It is remarkable for the close correspondence of the opposing
shores, and the great rapidity of its tides; and the navigation is rather
dangerous. On entering the Sound, a strong current is perceptible, which, in
a spring tide, if it happens to be adverse, with any considerable strength
of wind also a-head, will impede very considerably even the power of steam,
while the cross and short sea raised by the current, may even create alarm
to an indifferent sailor. The island of Islay now becoming "tangible to
sight," presents no very interesting or promising appearance. The coast
seems bleak and bluff, without rising into the dignity of real hill or
mountain, and presenting little else than the stunted and heathy vegetation
of Alpine scenery. Here the eye is more relieved by the scene presented in
the offing of the Sound, which seems studded with a lively group of islands,
being Colonsay, with its smaller tributaries. The landing-place of Port
Askaig is soon made, where there is a secure haven and a good pier; and a
tolerably comfortable and commodious inn greets the passenger's arrival.
After the dreariness which threatened the stranger's approach, he is
surprised, on landing at Port Askaig, to find himself at once nestled
securely among well-grown trees and, planting; the face of the hill above
the inn, and some of the adjoining grounds, which rise abruptly from the
sea, being well clad with wood.
3. Islay is about thirty
miles long by twenty-four in extreme breadth. On the south it is deeply
indented by an arm of the sca, called Loch-in-Daal, extending about twelve
miles in length, and terminated by the Point of Rinns on the west, and on
the east by the Moille of Keannouth, or Mull of Oe. This opening has no
great depth of water, but is much resorted to by shipping. About midway, on
the east side, Loch-in-Daal widens out greatly towards the Mull of Oe, which
is opposite the Point of Rinns, forming a capacious bay called Laggan. Port
Askaig is situated about the centre of a high tract of micaceous schist.
From either extremity of this tract, a broad ridge of hills of quartz rocks
extends southward; on the east, to the Mull of Oe, and on the west, to Loch
Groinart, not reaching much further than the head of Loch-in-Daal. The
northern central portion is composed of fine limestone rock, disposed in
rocky eminences or irregular undulations. An ample and fertile alluvial
plain encompasses the upper portion of Loch-in-Daal from Laggan Bay, with
the exception of a stripe of clay-slate, bordering the west side of the loch
and this level ground, which, where not cultivated, is covered with peat,
extends in a broad belt, along the termination of the western hilly range,
to that side of the island. The rest of the adjoining peninsula declines
from the ridge of low hills which skirts the western coast, in fine arable
slopes to the shores of Loch-in-Daal. The northern and western hills are of
moderate height and easy inclination, and are covered with heath, pasture,
and fern. Those on the east are more elevated and rocky. There is a great
variety of soil throughout the island, but it is generally fertile and well
cultivated. Islay, of all the Hebrides, is, beyond comparison, the richest
in natural capabilities, and the most productive. Perhaps more than one half
of its whole surface might be advantageously reduced to regular tillage and
cropping. The facilities for improvement are great ; and in no portion,
probably, of Scotland, have these advantages of late years been more
successfully cultivated; and a steady pursuit of the course of improvement
is still in progress in Islay. This island is celebrated for its breed and
numbers of cattle and horses. It belonged chiefly to Mr. Campbell of Islay
and Shawfield, but is now under the management of trustees, and the estate
is in the market, bond-holders and personal creditors having claims upon it
to the amount of upwards of £700,000. The coast, especially about
Portnahaven, abounds with fish. To the north-west of Port-Askaig, lead-mines
were at one time wrought, and with success. The ore is said to have been
unusually fine, and the late proprietor of Islay could use the rare boast of
having a proportion of his family plate manufactured from silver found on
his own domains. But the mines here have partaken of the fatality that seems
incident to all mining speculations on the north and west coast of Scotland,
and they have, accordingly, been abandoned for many years. Whisky is a great
staple commodity of this island. Its distillation has for some years been
carried on to a very large extent, and there has, of late, been a yearly
revenue of fully £30,000 realised to government from distilleries in this
island alone. More than the half of the grain producing this suin in duties
is imported.
Islay is much exposed to
winds, having little or no wood, except young plantations, and the climate
is moist. The proprietors are generally alive to the importance of extending
among the population the benefits of education. The Gaelic language is
universally spoken throughout the island ; but, as is now the case in less
open parts of the Highlands and islands, it seems rapidly giving way to the
introduction of English. The habits of the population, with respect to
industry and sobriety, are of late years materially improved. The nefarious
and morally destructive trade of illicit distillation used to be carried on
among them to a very great extent; but the introduction of legal
distilleries, and the steady discountenance which this traffic has received
from the present proprietors, have well-nigh put an end to it, and with it
to many of its injurious consequences.
The population amounts to
about 13,000, and the island comprehends three parishes, Killarrow,
Kilchoman, and Kildalton. To these there have been superadded, by the late
Parliamentary grant, three government churches. Three new and substantial
places of worship have also been erected by the Free Church party, since the
Disruption, in 1843. A branch of the National Bank of Scotland has been
established at Bridgend, near Islay House, the princely mansion of the late
proprietor. Islay contains a respectable small town, Bowmore, situated on
the east side, and towards the head of Loch-in-Daal, and distant about three
miles from Islay House, and eleven from Port-Askaig ; and also two or three
villages; as Portnahaven, at the Point of Rinns, the western extremity of
the loch, distant seventeen miles from Islay House; and Port-Ellinor and
Lagganmhoiullin or Laggavoulin, on the east coast, about thirteen and
fifteen miles from Bowmore; and Port-Charlotte on the north-west side of
Loch-in-Daal.
The coasts of Islay consist
chiefly of low rocks and sandy beach. On the west there is hardly any
anchorage, except in Loch Gruinart, an arm of the sea, stretching into the
alluvial deposit which extends across from the head of Loch-in-Deal. There
are several small bays on the east, but they are dangerous of approach, from
sunken rocks. The coasts in general are nowise particularly interesting,
except about Saneg, on the west, where there are several large caves, one
especially, with a labyrinth of passages; and the Mull of Oe, where the
cliffs rise to a great height, and in -which there is another large cave,
that of Sloe Mhaol Doraidh, on the farm of Grastle.
4. Islay is not a little
interesting from the historical associations connected with the remains of
antiquity which it presents, in the ruins of its old castles, forts, and
chapels. It was a chief place of residence of the celebrated Lords, or
rather Kings, of the Isles, and afterwards of a near and powerful branch of
the family of the great Macdonald. The original seat of the Scottish
monarchy was Cantyre, and the capital is supposed to have been in the
immediate vicinity of the site of Campbelltown. In the ninth century it was
removed to Forteviot, near the east end of Strathearn, in Perthshire.
Shortly afterwards, the Western Isles and coasts, which had then become more
exposed to the hostile incursions of the Scandinavian Vikingr, were
completely reduced under the sway of Harold IIarfager, of Denmark. Harold
established a viceroy in the Isle of Man. In the beginning of the twelfth
century, Somerled, a powerful chieftain of Cantyre, married Effrica, a
daughter of Olaus or Olave, the swarthy viceroy or King of Man, a descendant
of Harold Harfager, and assumed the independent sovereignty of Cantyre; to
which he added, by conquest, Argyle and Lorn, with several islands
contiguous thereto and to Cantyre. Somerled was slain in 1164, in an
engagement with Malcolm IV. in Renfrewshire. His possessions on the
mainland, excepting Cantyre, were bestowed on his younger son Dugal, from
whom sprung the Macdougals of Lorn, who are to this day lineally represented
by the family of Dunolly; while the islands and Cantyre descended to
Reginald, his elder son. For more than three centuries Somerled's
descendants held these possessions, at times as independent princes, and at
others as tributaries of Norway, Scotland, and even of England. In the
sixteenth century they continued still troublesome, but not so formidable to
the royal authority. After the battle of the Largs in 1263, in which IIaco
of Norway was defeated, the pretensions of that kingdom were resigned to the
Scottish monarchs, for payment of a subsidy of 100 merks. Angus Og, fifth in
descent from Somerled, entertained Robert Bruce in his flight to Ireland in
his castle of Dunaverty, near the Mull of Cantyre, and afterwards at
Dunnavinhaig, in Isla, and fought under his banner at Bannockburn. Bruce
conferred on the Macdonalds the distinction of holding the post of honour on
the right in battle—the withholding of which at Culloden occasioned a degree
of disaffection on their part, in that dying struggle of the Stuart dynasty.
This Angus's son, John, called by the Dean of the Isles, "the good John of
Isla," had by Amy, great granddaughter of Roderick, son of Reginald, king of
Man, three sons, John, Ronald, and Godfrey; and by subsequent marriage with
Margaret, daughter of Robert Stuart, afterwards Robert II. of Scotland,
other three sons, Donald of the Isles, John Mor the Tainnister, and
Alexander Carrach. It is subject of dispute whether the first family were
lawful issue or illegitimate ; or had merely been set aside, for they were
not called to the chief succession, as a stipulation of the connexion with
the royal family, to whom the others were particularly obnoxious ; or, as
has been conjectured, from the relationship of the parents being thought too
much within the forbidden degrees. The power of John seems to have been
singularly great. By successive grants of Robert Bruce to his father, and of
David II., BaIiol and Robert II., to himself, he appears to have been in
possession or superior of almost the whole western coasts and islands.
Ronald is said to have had the chief rule intrusted to him during his
father's Iifetime; but on his death he delivered the sceptre to Donald,
thereupon called Macdonald, and Donald of the Isles, contrary, it is said,
to the opinion of the men of the Isles. From Ronald, who inherited large
possessions on the mainland of Inverness-shire and in the Long Island
through the death of Ronald Rorison his mother's brother, are descended
Macdonald of Clanranald, by Allan of Moidart, and Macdonell of Glengarry (by
another Donald), rival competitors with Lord Macdonald of Sleat, descendant
of Donald, son of John, for the chieftainship of the clan Coila. The
Macdonalds of Keppoch are sprung from Alexander Carrach. Donald of the Isles
seems to have taken up his residence in the Sound of Mull, while Islay,
holding of him, fell to the share of his brother, John Mor, progenitor of
the Antrim family. By marriage with the sister of Alexander Leslie, he
became entitled to the estates and earldom of Ross, her niece having taken
the veil. Donald, resolved to vindicate his claim, proceeded with a great
force in 1411 to Aberdeenshire, defeating on his way the Mackays at Dingwall,
and burning the town of Inverness. He was encountered at Harlaw by the Earl
of Mar. After a bloody and doubtful contest, both parties retreated.
The inordinate power of these
island princes was gradually broken down by the Scottish monarchs in the
course of the fifteenth and early part of the sixteenth century. On the
death of John, Lord of the Isles and Earl of Ross, grandson of Donald, Hugh
of Sleat, John's nearest brother and his descendants became rightful
representatives of the family, and so continue. Claim to the title of Lord
of the Isles was made by Donald, great-grandson of Hugh of Sleat; but James
V. refused to restore the title, deeming its suppression advisable for the
peace of the country.
5. Towards the end of the
sixteenth century, fierce feuds broke out between the Macdonalds of Islay
and the Macleans of Mull. Sir Laughlan Maclean, in 1598, invaded Islay with
1400 men; but he was successfully opposed, at the head of Loch Gruinart,
lying to the west of the head of Loch-in-Daal, by Sir James Macdonald, the
young chief, his nephew, who had an inferior force of 1000 men; and Maclean
was slain, with a number of his followers. Hereupon the inheritance of the
Macdonals of Islay and Cantyre was gifted to the Earl of Argyle and the
Campbells. Violent struggles ensued between these parties, especially in
1614, 1615, and 1616, when the Macdonalds were finally overpowered, and Sir
James obliged to take refuge in Spain; but he was afterwards received into
favour. The power of the Macdonalds in Islay, having thus passed into the
hands of the Campbells, has never since been recovered, and their sway in
Argyleshire has wholly disappeared.
6. The remains of the
strongholds of the Macdonalds, in Islay are the following. In Loch Finlagan,
a lake about three miles in circumference, three miles from Port Askaig, and
a mile off the road to Loch-in-Daal, on the right hand, on an islet, are the
ruins of their principal castle or palace and chapel ; and on an adjoining
island the Macdonald council held their meetings. There are traces of a
pier, and of the habitations of the guards on the shore. A large stone was,
till no very distant period, to be seen, on which Macdonald stood, when
crowned by the Bishop of Argyle King of the Isles. On an island, in a
similar lake, Loch Guirm, to the west of Loch-in-Deal, are the remains of a
strong square fort, with round corner towers; and towards the heap: of
Loch-in-Deal, on the same side, are vestiges of another dwelling and pier.
Where are thy pristine glories
Finlagan!
The voice of mirth has ceased to ring thy walls,
There Celtic lords and their fair ladies sang
Their songs of joy in Great Macdonald's halls.
And where true knights, the flower of chivalry,
Oft met their chiefs in scenes of revelry—
All, all are gone and left thee to repose,
Since a new race and measures new arose.
The Macdonalds had a body
guard of 500 men, of whose quarters there are marks still to be seen on the
banks of the loch. For their personal services they had lands, the produce
of which fed and clothed them. They were formed into two divisions. The
first was called Ceatharnaich, and composed of the very tallest and
strongest of the islanders. Of these, sixteen, called Buannachan, constantly
attended their lord wheresoever he went, even in his rural walks, and one of
them denominated "Gille 'shiabadh dealt" headed the party. This piece of
honourable distinction was conferred upon him on account of his feet being
of such size and form as, in his progress, to cover the greatest extent of
ground, and to shake the dew from the grass preparatory to its being trodden
by his master. These Buannachan enjoyed certain privileges, which rendered
them particularly obnoxious to their countrymen. The last gang of them was
destroyed in the following manner by one Macphail in the Rings:—Seeing
Macdonald and his men coming, he set about splitting the trunk of a tree, in
which he had partly succeeded by the time they had reached. He requested the
visitors to lend a hand. So, eight on each side, they took hold of the
partially severed splits; on doing which Macphu . removed the wedges which
had kept open the slit, which now cloyed on their fingers, holding them hard
and fast in the rustic man-trap. Macphail and his three sons equipped
themselves from the armour of their captives, compelled them to eat a lusty
dinner, and then beheaded them, leaving their master to return in safety.
Macphail and his sons took shelter in Ireland. The other division of these
500 were called Gillean-glasa, and their post was within the outer walls of
their fastnesses. These forms were so constructed that the Gillean-glasa
might fight in the outer breach, whilst their lords, together with their
guests, were enjoying themselves in security within the walls and especially
within the impenetrable fortifications of Finlagan. [Descriptive and
Historical Sketches of Islay, by William Macdonald, A.M., M.D.]
On French Isle, in the Sound,
are the ruins of Claig Castle, a square tower, defended by a deep ditch,
which at once served as a prison and a protection to the passage. At
Laggavoulin Bay, an inlet on the east coast, and on the opposite side to the
village, on a large peninsular rock, stands part of the walls of a round
substantial stone burgh or tower, protected on the land side by a thick
earthen mound. It is called Dun Naomhaig, or Dunnivaig (such is Gaelic
orthography). There are ruins of several houses beyond the mound, separated
from the main building by a strong wall. This may have been a Danish
structure, subsequently used by the Macdonalds, and it was one of their
strongest naval stations. There are remains of several such strongholds in
the same quarter. The ruins of one are to be seen on an inland hill, Dun
Borreraig, with walls twelve feet thick, and fifty-two feet in diameter
inside, and having a stone seat two feet high round the area. As usual,
there is a gallery in the midst of the wall. Another had occupied the summit
of Dun Aidh, a large, high, and almost inaccessible rock near the Mull.
Between Loch Guirm and Saneg, and south of Loch Gruinart, at Dun Bheolain (Vollan),
there are a series of rocks, projecting one behind another into the sea,
with precipitous seaward fronts, and defended on the land side by cross
dykes; and in the neighbourhood numerous small pits in the earth, of a size
to admit of a single person seated. These are covered by fiat stones, which
were concealed by sods.
There are also several ruins
of chapels and places of worship in Islay, as in many other islands. The
names of fourteen founded by the Lords of the Isles might be enumerated.
Indeed, most of the names, especially of parishes of the west coast, have
some old ecclesiastical allusion. In the ancient burying-ground of Kildalton,
a few miles south-west of the entrance of the Sound, are two large, but
clumsily sculptured stone crosses. In this quarter, near the Bay of Knock,
distinguished by a high Sugarloaf-shaped hill, are two large upright
flag-stones, called the two stones of Islay, reputed to mark the
burying-place of Yula, a Danish princess, who gives the island its name. In
the churchyard of Killarrow, near Bowmore, there was a prostrate column,
rudely sculptured; and, among others, two gravestones, one with the figure
of a warrior, habited in a sort of tunic reaching to the knees, and a
conical head-dress. His hand holds a sword, and by his side is a dirk. The
decoration of the other is a large sword, surrounded by a wreath of leaves ;
and at one end the figures of three animals. This column has been removed
from its resting-place and set up in the centre of a battery erected near
Islay House some years ago. Monumental stones, as well as cairns and
barrows, occur elsewhere; and there is said to be a specimen of a circular
mound with successive terraces, resembling the tynewalds, or judgment-seats,
of the Isle of Man, and almost unique in the Western Islands. Stone and
brass hatchet-shaped weapons or celts, elf-shots or flint arrow-heads, and
brass fibulae, have been frequently dug up.
7. In later days, Islay was
distinguished by a visit from the French squadron under Admiral Thurot, in
1760, which put in in distress for provisions, for which, however, the
Admiral honourably paid. Again, in the autumn of 1778, the notorious Paul
Jones made a descent here. In the Sound he captured the West Tarbert and
Islay packet. Among the passengers was a Major Campbell, a native of the
island, just returned from India where he had realised an independence, the
bulk of which he had with him in gold and valuables, and the luckless
officer was reduced in a moment from affluence to comparative penury. Of
much more recent occurrence was the appearance in Loch-in-Daal on 4th
October 1813, of an American privateer of twenty-six guns, with a crew of
260 men. "The True Blooded Yankee," by which a crowd of merchant vessels
which, happeriod to be lying in Port Charlotte was rifled, and then set on
fire, occasioning a loss estimated at some hundred thousand pounds. It is
some satisfaction to know that this piratically named craft was subsequently
made prize of and condemned.
The genuine Islaymen, are to
this day remarkable for size and goodliness of person, and the body of
clansmen who accompanied Islay to welcome her Majesty at Inverary in 1847
attracted peculiar notice.
8. We proceed now to conduct
the reader through the island. Leaving the inn of Port Askaig, the road
winds up a ravine or gully, for nearly a mile, exciting hopes that the
wayfarer has really been conducted to fairy-land. These, however, soon
cease; for, on making the summit of this ravine, the country again becomes
bare and exposed, but presenting an appearance of abundant and rich
vegetation, with marks of successful culture around. After traversing four
or five miles, the country assumes a still improved appearance. The
government church and manse of Kilmenny are passed on the left, and after
about four miles more travelling, we reach the inn of Bridgend. Previous to
this, however, the sea is seen on the opposite coast of Islay, flowing into
the spacious Bay of Lochin-Daal, which forms a very interesting and lively
object, running straight inward from the Irish Channel, a distance, from the
Point of the Rinns to Islay House, of at least twelve or fourteen miles.
Before arriving at Bridgend, the appearance of the country, particularly to
the left, strikes a stranger as rich, beautiful, and interesting, varied in
surface, and forming principally a strath or glen, watered by a considerable
stream, interspersed with thriving plantations of larch and other trees.
From Bridgend, a pretty good view is had of Islay House, or, as it is here
called by the natives, The White JIouse. This mansion is surrounded,
especially in front, by a very extensive and level lawn, with the ground
gently rising, and well wooded behind. The house is on a large and princely
scale, the pleasure-grounds and gardens extensive and embellished. Towards
Bridgend, to the left of Islay House, stood formerly the village of
Killarrow.
From Bridgend the touirst may
easily make a short and interesting excursion to .Loch Finlagan, which lies
north-east from Islay House about five miles, and on an island in which are
to be seen the ruins, as already mentioned, of a principal residence of the
Kings or Lords of the Isles. Between it and Islay House lies the place
Eallabus, until lately the residence of the factor of Islay; an interesting
and beautiful locality, and the native spot of John Crawfurd, Esq., the
author of a "History of the Indian Archipelago," the "Embassy to Ava," &c.
9. If it be the object of the
tourist to have a full local acquaintance with the fertile and interesting
Island of Islay, certainly the queen of the Hebrides, we would recommend his
taking, first, the road along the north side of Loch-in-Daal to the Rinns,
or the Point of Islay stretching to the south-west. After passing along
rather a bleak tract for two or three miles, he arrives at the Bay of
Sunderland, bending gently inwards from the direct course of Loch-in-Daal;
and passing along the beach for upwards of a mile, be may turn to the right,
and, after a gentle ascent, will come unexpectedly in view of the
mansion-house and grounds of Sunderland, (Mac Ewen, Esq.); and, if
interested in rural and agricultural pursuits, he will reflect with pleasure
that the beautiful scene now before him was, not many years ago, a bleak,
uninteresting, and unpromising expanse of dry moss and heather, with
scarcely even a spot of green sward on which to rest the eye. Returning
again to the road, the traveller still proceeds close to the sea-shore, and
along a fertile and tolerably cultivated stretch of country, passes the new
and thriving village of Port Charlotte, and, some five or six miles onward,
the road cuts across the extreme promontory of this part of the island,
conveying him to the village of Portnahaven, a celebrated cod-fishing
station, on the property of Mr. Mac Ewen of Sunderland, and containing about
sixty slated houses, very picturesquely situated on a rocky nook of a wild
bay, which is protected by an island in the offing from the stern blasts of
the west. On this island a lighthouse has been built ; and, perhaps no
station on the whole coast of Scotland, if we except Cape Wrath, more loudly
demanded this preservative measure to the shipping interests and to human
life.
10. Leaving Portnahaven, the
traveller can by a good road proceed along the north-west coast of the
island, where be will find a fertile country, well cultivated, till he come
to the church of Kilchuman; and, leaving it on the right, he had better
still adhere to the line of the coast. Approaching Kilchuman, and
afterwards, for the distance of two or three miles, the soil becomes sandy
and arid; but, removed from the immediate sea coast, it is mingled with a
good fertile loam, which has been improved, on the best principles of
husbandry, by the proprietor of Sunderland, whose lands stretch downwards in
this direction. Following the coast from Kilchuman, its appearance is
striking and grand: perpendicular rugged rocks rising from the ocean, and
rent by numerous chasms, among which are a series of curious caverns, arrest
the attention.
Within the cave of Saneymore,
the access to which is somewhat difficult, there is an inner cave, opening
into successive passages, and narrow galleries with intermediate chambers,
amidst which the reverberation of a gun-shot is quite overpowering, and the
cadence of the notes of the bagpipe, varies from the faintest murmur to
deafening loudness. It was near Sancymore that the tragical shipwreck of the
emigrant brig Exmouth, from Londonderry for Quebec, occurred, on 27th April
1847, when all the passengers, 240 in number, with all the crew excepting
three, found a watery grave. The appearance of the shore after the storm,
strewed with fragments of wreck and dead bodies, and mangled limbs, is
described to have been appalling and heart-rending beyond conception.
The reader may be interested
to know that Ardnave, a handsome residence beyond Saneg, is the birthplace,
we believe, at least the paternal residence, of Miss Campbell, Lady of
Polignac, sometime prime minister of France.
Loch Gruinart, an arm of the
sea, which the traveller will meet in his progress, is celebrated by Dean
11lonro, in his account of the Hebrides, for the number of seals which were
caught or slain on the sand-banks which the recess of the tide here leaves
exposed ; but the sport of seal-catching here has long ago been forgotten.
The sands of Gruinart are
celebrated in the traditional lore of the islanders, for the bloody conflict
already mentioned, fought in 1598, between the Macdonalds and Macleans. The
east side of Loch Gruinart presents merely a low sandy expanse of coast,
after which it rises gradually into higher and bleaker hills towards the
Sound of Islay and Port Askaig. From the head of the loch, a walk of four or
five miles across the country conducts to Bridgend. The route here
described, from Bridgend till returning there, might be accomplished easily
in a long summer or autumn day, with the help of a good Islay pony, and an
equally hardy and active guide.
11. After resting at
Bridgend, proceed we now to the metropolis of Is]ay, the village of Bowmore,
lying about three miles south-west from Bridgend, and on the shore of Loch-inDaal
; a continuation of tile-roofed cottages extending partially along the shore
from Bridgend. Bowmore is of considerable size, containing a population of
from 900 to 1200 inhabitants. It was commenced in 1768, and is judiciously
and r agularly planned ; but the plan has been but indifferently observed,
houses being permitted to be erected of any size, shape, or material, suited
to the means and views of the builder. A principal street, ascending a
pretty steep hill, is terminated at the west by the school-house. From the
hill behind, an extensive and beautiful view is obtained of Loch-in-Daal in
all its expanse, of Islay House and the adjacent grounds in the distance, of
the Rinns, and the district of Islay already described. Another wide and
also ascending street crosses this at right angles, beginning at the quay,
which is a substantial edifice, admitting common coasting vessels to load
and unload, and terminates at the summit by the village and parish church; a
respectable building, of a circular form, surmounted by a neat spire. A
third street runs parallel to the one first described, along which the
houses present so poor an appearance as to leave the popular designation it
has received in the village, of the "Beggar Row," far from being a misnomer.
12. Leaving Bowmore, the
traveller proceeds southward, passing the church on his left, and continues
to ascend by a gentle acclivity for about a mile. The road now slopes gently
downwards, and inclines towards the wide expansive Bay of Laggan. But at the
summit mentioned, a good view is had of the bleak promontory—a dead and dull
mass—dividing Loch-in-Daal from the Bay of Laggan, tapering to the west, and
terminating in a rocky point. On descending along the road to the Bay of
Laggan, the traveller is struck with the appearance of its ample and
spacious waters, bounded partly by rocks of rugged aspect and moderate
height, and skirted all along its basis by a broad belt of beautiful sand.
In this hay many shipwrecks have occurred, by seamen mistaking it, and
bearing up for it, instead of Loch-in-Daal. Leaving the level of the bay, a
gentle acclivity is ascended, and the scene becomes less interesting, though
still a pleasing variety of pasture and tillage is seen scattered around. On
his right, the traveller has a considerable portion of the island cut off.
This is the bluff Point of Keannouth, or, as it is more frequently called,
the Oe. If interested in antiquarian pursuits, it may repay his labours here
to turn off, obtaining a guide to bring him to the old castle or fort of Dun
Aidh, built upon the extreme summit of the rock forming the western
extremity of the Point of Oe. The scene is impressive and grand. The castle
or fort is quite a ruin, but may be seen to have been a place of very
singular strength in its day. The cave of Stoc Mhaol Doraidh, on the farm of
Grastle near the Oe, is only accessible by boat, and with favourable
weather. A huge pillar of rock guards the outer entrance, which is an
archway in a wall of rock. From the space within, a low opening, only
admitting a small boat, ushers into a spacious apartment with two recesses,
all watered by the sea. Our road soon now attains the sea-shore, at a
spacious bay, forming a safe and good anchorage, with a much better outlet
than Loch-in-Daal, and well sheltered, especially from the north and west.
Here a new village has been in progress for a few years back, named Port
Ellinor, in compliment to Lady Ellinor Campbell of Islay.
A mile or two farther on, the
road arrives at the small village of Laggavoulin, near which is the parish
church of Kildalton, and the clergyman's residence, very picturesquely
situated beside a rocky inlet of the sea coast, opposite to the remains of
the round tower or burgh Dunnivaig. From Port Ellinor to Laggavoulin, the
country presents a well cultivated and fertile aspect, and a surface
obviously susceptible of great and advantageous agricultural improvements.
Leaving the village just mentioned, the road keeps along the shore for two
or three miles farther, when the country assumes rather a pastoral than an
agricultural appearance, and is partially studded with birch, hazel, and
other copsewood. Turning down into a small beautifully wooded promontory,
forming one side of a still, peaceful inlet of the sea, is seen an elegant
and spacious cottage, built by Mr. Campbell of Islay. Onwards a mile or two
is the farm and house of Ardmore. From this quarter of the island, a good
view is presented of the opposite coast of Cantyre—towards Campbelltown, and
the Mull of Cantyre. In clear weather also, the Irish coast is discernible
to the naked eye. From Ardmore, round the coast to Port Askaig, there is
scarcely any object of interest to reward the toil of exploring it. But if
it suits the tourist's time and purpose better than returning by Bowmore and
Bridgend to Port Askaig, he can easily make the latter place, from
Laggavoulin or Ardmore, in the course of one day, though at the expense of
some bodily fatigue.
JURA.
13. This island is about
thirty miles long, and tapers from the south, where it is seven or eight
miles wide, till at the northern extremity it becomes only about two miles
broad. It is, with the exception of a narrow border on the east side, a
rugged and barren region. A series of steep and lofty mountains of quartz
rock extend northwards from the Sound, shooting into four conical peaks,
three of which, more elevated than the others, are, from their peculiar
shape, called the Paps of Jura; the highest being about 2500 feet. These
are, on their lower sides, covered with dusky heath, and higher up with
broken fragments of stone and masses of rock; and with the exception of the
embedding moss around these, they are there almost bare of vegetation. The
west side is altogether wild and rugged, unfit for cultivation, and
uninhabited. On the cast the shore is low, and succeeded by gentle slopes,
extending to the base of the hills. This coast is indented by several bays,
and shoots out various points of land; thus presenting a somewhat pleasing
appearance. It is intersected by numerous rapid streams, and the soil by the
shore is poor and stony—on the declivity more or less clayey and spouty.
There are two fine harbours on the east side, the southernmost protected by
several small islands at the mouth: the entrance of the other is between two
projecting points of land. Loch Tarbert, a long arm of the sea, at the
middle of the west side, almost intersects the island. This inlet abounds
with a variety of shell-fish. On the same coast there are quantities of fine
sand, used in the manufacture of glass. The population does not exceed 800.
The breeds of cattle and horses are hardy, but more diminutive than those of
Islay. Though the name of the island is significant of the abundance of deer
on it—Jura, from Dhuira, or Dera—yet these animals are now not numerous,
eagles and goats being the chief tenants of its rocky solitudes.
Several tumuli, remains of
Danish burghs, and similar antiquities, are to be met with ; and in one or
two places there are traces along the declivities of a wall that had been
about 41 feet high, with, at its lower termination, a deep pit about 12 feet
in diameter, supposed to have been a contrivance for the capture of the wild
boar, which, being driven along the wall, would be forced into the pit. At
the north end of the Bay of Small Isles there are remains of a considerable
encampment, which has consisted of three ellipses of some depth, hollowed
out and embanked, and protected on one side by a triple line of defence with
deep ditches, and by regular bastions on another, and having a mount of some
size at the east end.
14. Corryvreckan, the strait
between the northern extremity of Jura and the mountainous island of Scarba,
possesses a wide-spread notoriety. It will be found described p. 76.
COLONSAY AND ORONSAY.
15. These islands are
distinguished, next to Iona, by the most extensive remains of religious
edifices of any of the Western Islands. They lie about north-west of the
Sound of Islay; are separated by a narrow strait, dry at low water, and
extend together to a length of about twelve miles; Oronsay, the most
southerly, being much the smaller of the two. The Islands are named after
St. Columba, and his companion St. Oran. The hills are rugged, but not high,
and the pasture on the low grounds, particularly to the south, is remarkably
rich. Rabbits abound in these islands. The population may amount to about
600. A Culdee establishment was founded in Colonsay, called after St. Oran
Killouran. There exist on Oronsay the ruins, still pretty entire of a priory
or a monastery of either Cistertian or St. Augustine monks, of which the
abbey stood in Colonsay, but it has been completely destroyed. Both were
founded by the Lords of the Isles about the middle of the fourteenth
century. The priory measures sixty by eighteen feet. Adjoining it is a
cloister of a peculiar form. It forms a square of forty feet externally, and
twenty eight within. On each of two opposite sides are seven low arches,
composed of two thin stones for columns, with two others forming, an acute
angle, and resting on two flat stones placed on the top of the upright ones.
The only remaining side has five small round arches. In a side chapel is the
figured tomb of an abbot, Macdufie, anno 1539, and also a stone with a stag,
dogs, and a ship sculptured upon it. A large and very elegant stone cross
stands beside these buildings, and within the priory are various tombstones
of warriors and others. Several tumuli exist in Oronsay; and on Colonsay are
the ruins of several chapels, and within the memory of man those of St.
Oran's cell were discernible, and there are also some monumental stones.
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