house, placed in a romantic situation, commanding grand and extensive views of the surrounding scenery. THE TROSACHS. The Trosachs, which in Gaelic mean "the Bristled Territory," form the entrance into the most sublime and difficult of all the passes through the Grampians. On the left of the pass rises Ben-Venue, 2800 feet above the sea, and 2400 above the lake; and on the right Ben-An, with its storm-riven summit, 1800 feet high. The north shoulder of the former stretches in vast undulating masses into the lake, thus unapproachable in that direction; the sides of the mountain are partly covered with birch, alder, and mountain-ash, dispersed with all the gracefulness of nature. On this side Ben-Venue is indented by deep ravines, in some parts" inaccessible to shepherd's tread," and regarded with superstitious awe by the natives: there are many gloomy apertures formed by the fantastic piling of the masses of rock, one above another, in these defiles; in short, all that is stupendous and wild in mountain scenery here unite. The appearance it presents on a cursory inspection is well expressed in the following lines: "High on the south, huge Ben-Venue Down on the the lake in masses threw Crags, knolls, and mounds, confusedly hurl'd, Ben-An, again, is of inferior, though imposing height, and can be ascended on the south side to within 500 feet of its summit; its form then becomes pyramidal, and terminates in outline like a cone. Its naked and defenceless head appears to brave the lightning of heaven, and also to have suffered from the "war of elements." In the autumn of 1811, during an awful storm, an immense portion of it was thrown from its southern side near the summit to the base, with dreadful noise, which" filled the air with barbarous dissonance," sufficient to have aroused Echo in her most secluded cell. With regard to the Trosachs themselves, neither the pen of the poet, nor the pencil of the painter, can vividly enough describe, nor can the mind, unassisted by the naked eye, though stimulated by the best descriptions, adequately imagine the picturesque wonders they contain. All is chaos," confusion worse confounded," and nearly the whole superficies consists of hills and hillocks, of rocks of all possible and most fantastic forms; some like pointed spires, others suggesting the idea of vast architectural ruins or impregnable battlements. Forgetting those fanciful resemblances, the tourist might be tempted to suppose that here the Titans had contended with the gods, and that the hills and hillocks are the fragments of mountains torn from their deep-rooted foundations, to be hurled at their celestial adversaries, or that they are the splinters-the membra disjecta, of former mountains, that have disappeared in some tremendous convulsion. Nature seems to have been in one of her most violent throes when this scene was first brought into existence. These cliffs and knolls display an astonishing exuberance of creeping ivy, dark-brown heather, trees of various kinds, such as the oak, the hazel, the weeping-birch, the mountain-ash, and alpine pine, in all their varieties of shade and fragrance, luxuriating in the sterility of their situation, where creation seems to be hushed into silence, and not a sound is heard except the brawling of unseen brooks, threading their way through tangled thickets to the river and lakes below. The Trosachs formerly made all access to Loch-Katrine impossible, excepting by a footpath over a steep crag, in crossing which the tourist had to be assisted by a rope. Now, however, there is a good road cut through this strange labyrinth. 66 In approaching the lake, the tourist passes through a rugged and gloomy ravine, the place where Fitz-James' gallant grey" fell exhausted. On the left is a range of rocks, remarkable for the distinctness of their echo, repeating several times syllables, if deliberately uttered, with astonishing precision. This defile is called Bealan-Duine, from the circumstance of a skirmish having taken place in it between the natives and a party of Cromwell's soldiers, which ended in the defeat of the latter, one of whom was shot, and his grave is still to be seen on the spot where he fell. In revenge of his death, his comrades determined to plunder the small island at the eastern extremity of the lake, to which the natives had conveyed their women and children. One of the soldiers swam to the island, with the intention of bringing off the boat, as a means of transporting his party to the intended plunder; but on his arrival at the beach, a heroine of the name of Helen Stuart sprung from behind a rock, and severed his head from his body; on seeing which, the party abandoned the enterprise. It ought to be mentioned that this is the island in which, according to the poet, the Douglas and his daughter were sheltered by Roderick Dhu. The riven sides of Ben-an and BenVenue return a powerful echo from the highest rock of this island. Issuing from the dell, the tourist discovers a narrow inlet to LOCH-KATRINE, almost cut off from the main body of the water by the island. One of the greatest charms about the Trosachs is the suddenness with which Loch-Katrine bursts upon the view, and the surprising beauty of the scene at the little creek which it forms, Affording scarce such breadth of brim, The waters here, though of transparent clearness, have a murky hue, caused by the deep shadows of Ben-Venue's overhanging masses, and the Trosachs. The island in front appears as a lovely grove; the lake, as the tourist proceeds, bursts on the astonished senses with a magical effect. Here let him contemplate nature in all its wildness and sublimity in style and sentiment; every object that surrounds him is eloquent, and tends to produce emotions of surprise, astonishment, and delight, mixed with serious devotional feelings. On proceeding along the path cut out of the solid rock, which overlooks the gloomy abyss, the tourist should turn round and survey the deep defile from which he has emerged: thus an interesting prospect is obtained. Continuing the route a little on the left, he has before him the lofty Ben-Venue, skirted at its base with verdant pastures, partially shaded by aged trees, and clothed to nearly two-thirds of its height with birch, mountain-ash, and every variety of coppicewood, its rugged sides deeply furrowed by wintry torrents. In advance the lake is concealed from view, but anon it bursts upon the sight with increased magnificence, and Ben-Venue presents itself in a picturesque and varied form. The tourist soon reaches the pebbly strand opposite the island, where Fitz-James had his first interview with Ellen, "I well believe,' the maid replied, As her light skiff approach'd the side- Your foot has trod Loch-Katrine's shore—”” and gains the summit of a "beaked promontory," about a mile beyond the farm of Breanchoil, where the lake is at its greatest breadth. Looking to the left, he beholds, inverted on the bosom of the crystalline lake, Helen's Isle, and the interesting scenes he has passed. On this isle Lord Willoughby d'Eresby has erected a rustic grotto, agreeable to the description given by Sir Walter of Helen's bower, in which is a collection of ancient armour, skins of wild animals, elk horns; a dirk is shown, said to have belonged to Rob Roy, &c. The echo will not be forgot by the visitor.* The southern side of the lake is darkened by the broad shade cast upon it from the mountain; six miles of water in length, and two in breadth, with all their immediate concomitants, are directly under the eye. Perhaps this is the best point for deliberately tracing the whole of this matchless scenery; but to enjoy it in perfection, a sail upon the lake is recommended. The view to the westward is terminated by those centinels of enchanted land, the singularly-shaped hills of Arrochar, in Argyllshire. From this promontory, the whole scene, including mountains, cliffs, precipices, clouds of every form and tint, and the softer accompaniments of woods, grottoes, waterfalls, hills, and the lake itself, with its waterfowl and finny By some accident, the rustic grotto was destroyed by fire some time ago, whether by carelessness or design has not been ascertained. tribe, is so vast, grand, and diversified, that it is contemplated in almost breathless intensity of admiration. The lake is about eight miles in length, one in average breadth, and in some places so deep as 488 feet. Its form is serpentine, and a road conducts along its northern shore to Glengyle, the proprietor of which is regarded by some as the chief of the Clan-Gregor, or Alpin. Towards its western extremity, its coasts are rocky and precipitous, and, like the eastern, covered with copsewood, and beautifully diversified. Here are two or three islands luxuriantly wooded: on one of them are the remains of the castle of Macgregor. But the finest and most varied views of the lake and its magnificent framework, are to be obtained from a boat on the bosom of the lake itself. It is only thus that its numerous capes, bays, headlands, and rocky promontories, are to be seen in all their sublime and romantic grandeur;-it is then only that the varieties of the scene arising from the flickering sunbeam on the rock, the blossomed heath, the trembling aspens, the spray, and the tendrils of endless coppice reflected on the mirrored-surface of the lake, can be truly felt. When in the boat, the tourist should shoot across to Coir-nan-Uriskin, or Goblin Cave; it is approached by a steep and narrow defile. The cave is a vast circular hollow in the mountain, at least 600 yards in diameter at the top, and gradually narrowing towards the bottom, inclosed on all sides by steep rocks, and almost shut out from the light of day by the shade of the neighbouring cliffs; masses of rock which have tumbled from these cliffs, and the foliage of the trees encompassing it, dispute the approach to its mouth. The interior of this scene is in the highest degree imposing, and here "the angel hymn of Ellen" was raised to heaven in pensive sighs. The surrounding scenery, where "No murmur waked the solemn still, But when the wind chafed with the lake, is thought by some even to surpass the Trosachs, although it is essentially different in its character. The cave derives its name from being the abode of the Urisks, |