The ground has been hitherto, I believe, used chiefly for
pasturage. In a district, such as the eye can command, there is a
general herdsman, who knows all the cattle of the neighbourhood,
and whose station is upon a hill, from which he surveys the lower
grounds; and if one man's cattle invade another's grass, drives
them back to their own borders. But other means of profit begin to
be found; kelp is gathered and burnt, and sloops are loaded with
the concreted ashes. Cultivation is likely to be improved by the
skill and encouragement of the present heir, and the inhabitants of
those obscure vallies will partake of the general progress of life.
The rents of the parts which belong to the Duke of Argyle, have
been raised from fifty-five to one hundred and five pounds, whether
from the land or the sea I cannot tell. The bounties of the sea
have lately been so great, that a farm in Southuist has risen in
ten years from a rent of thirty pounds to one hundred and eighty.
He who lives in Col, and finds himself condemned to solitary meals,
and incommunicable reflection, will find the usefulness of that
middle order of Tacksmen, which some who applaud their own wisdom
are wishing to destroy. Without intelligence man is not social, he
is only gregarious; and little intelligence will there be, where
all are constrained to daily labour, and every mind must wait upon
the hand.
After having listened for some days to the tempest, and wandered
about the Island till our curiosity was satisfied, we began to
think about our departure. To leave Col in October was not very
easy. We however found a sloop which lay on the coast to carry
kelp; and for a price which we thought levied upon our necessities,
the master agreed to carry us to Mull, whence we might readily pass
back to Scotland.
MULL
As we were to catch the first favourable breath, we spent the night
not very elegantly nor pleasantly in the vessel, and were landed
next day at Tobor Morar, a port in Mull, which appears to an
unexperienced eye formed for the security of ships; for its mouth
is closed by a small island, which admits them through narrow
channels into a bason sufficiently capacious. They are indeed safe
from the sea, but there is a hollow between the mountains, through
which the wind issues from the land with very mischievous violence.
There was no danger while we were there, and we found several other
vessels at anchor; so that the port had a very commercial
appearance.
The young Laird of Col, who had determined not to let us lose his
company, while there was any difficulty remaining, came over with
us.
