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is produced) frown over it on the south. This river inclines invariably to the north-east, as it forms the great Lake of LOCH NESS, which is about twentyfour miles long, and for the most part nearly two broad: the depth is very great; opposite to the rock, called the Horse Shoe, near the west end, it has been found to be one hundred and forty fathoms. By reason of its depth the water of this Lake never freezes, and during cold weather a violent steam rises from it as from a furnace. Ice brought from other parts, and put into it, instantly thaws; but no water freezes sooner than that of Loch Ness when brought into a house: it is deemed so salubrious that people come or send thirty miles for it. Old Lord LovAT, in particular, made constant use of it. In 1755, the time of the Earthquake at Lisbon, the water, like that of Loch Lomond, was extraordinarily affected, rising and flowing up the Lake with such impetuosity as to be carried two hundred yards up the river Oich, and breaking on its banks in a wave near three feet high. Loch Ness is remarkable for its uniform straightness, as well as for the bold rocks and lofty hills which encompass it, clothed with forests of Pines and Birch. From the south the river FYERS descends towards this lake: over this stream is a stupendous bridge*, built on two opposite rocks,

*The only Passage formerly over the Torrent was an ALPINE Bridge, consisting of sticks thrown over the Rocks and covered with Turf, at the distance of two hundred feet from the Water, at the lowest part of the Fall: it was crossed by the Peasantry on foot, but must have turned giddy the steadiest head, unused to

the top of the arch being above one hundred feet from the level of the water. A little below is the celebrated Fall of Fyers, of which BURNS wrote the beautiful description, as he was standing by it.

"Among the heathy hills and ragged Woods
The roaring FYERS pours his mossy floods,
Till full he dashes on the rocky mounds;

Where, through a shapeless breach, his stream resounds.
As high in Air the bursting torrents flow,

As deep recoiling Surges foam below,

Prone down the rock the whit'ning sheet descends,
And viewless Echo's Ear, astonish'd, rends.
Dim seen, through rising mists and ceaseless show'rs
The hoary Caverns, wide surrounding, low'rs.
Still thro' the Gap the struggling River toils,
And still, below, the horrid Cauldron boils."

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such Scenes. About three years before the present Bridge was built, a neighbouring Farmer called at the General's Hut, to shelter himself from the Inclemency of the Storm; here he met with some old acquaintance, and the glass circulated freely the Snow continued to fall, but, at last, when the liquor had raised his Spirits to no ordinary pitch, he determined to go home. When he came to this place, having been accustomed to cross the rude Bridge on foot, he habitually took this road, and forced his horse over it. Next morning he had some faint recollection of the Circumstance, though the seeming impossibility of the thing made him suspect it was a Dream; but, as the ground was covered with Snow, it was easy to convince himself. He accordingly went; and when he perceived the tracks of his Horse's feet along the Bridge, such was the impulse occasioned by the Horrid danger he had escaped, that he immediately was taken ill, and died shortly afterwards.

Colonel THORNTON, in his Sporting Tour, gives a curious account of crossing the Alpine Bridge before-mentioned, with a favourite Pointer in his arms; and in which exploit the Dog and his Master narrowly avoided being dashed to Atoms.

The river DUNDREGGAN, forming various lakes in its course from the northwest, falls into Loch Ness; the Clonnie also, descending from the north, forms a large basin as it reaches the centre of the Loch, into which the picturesque ruin of Urquahart Castle protrudes itself. The Ness, emerging from its Lake, and bearing the appearance of a wide river, flows through a fine valley until it arrives at the large town of Inverness, the proper capital of the northern Highlands; a little below which the Ness discharges itself into the Murray Firth. The fish of Loch Ness are Salmon, which are in season from Christmas to Midsummer, Trout of about two pounds weight, Pike, and Eels. The Salmon fishery in the river, which is very considerable, is let to London Fishmongers, and the Salmon are larger than in any other part of Scotland.

LOCH LOCHY is a fine piece of water, fourteen miles long, and from one to two broad; from the west the waters of Loch Archeig run into this Lake, from which issues the river LOCHY, and at about a mile below receives the Spian, which originates in the Lakes of Laggan and Troig, in the southern mountains of this county; it takes a south-west direction to Fort William, forming a great Estuary below that place, which by a narrow inlet communi-. cates with a large arm of the western sea, called Linnhe Loch, the mouth of which fronts the Isle of Mull.

In the extensive district called BADENOCH, in this county, lies LOCH SPEY, the source of the great river SPEY, already noticed. It is very singular, that

most of the great Lakes in this county, notwithstanding the coldness of the climate, are seldom or never known to freeze; much less are the arms of the sea, even in the most northern parts of Scotland, subject to be frozen in the hardest seasons; while the Texel, and many Bays and great Rivers in Holland and Germany, are covered with Ice.

Many of the Scottish Lochs are formed of rivers, which descending in rills from their springs, and augmenting their streams, become rivers; then meeting with hollow places in their passage, expand into Lakes or Lochs, until, finding a proper channel, they resume their form of rivers; and thus will some of them extend themselves at various places before their course to the Sea is finished. All the waters of this large County will yield excellent sport to the Angler, both as to the variety and goodness of the different kinds of fish they produce; and in the waters in the district of Lochabar, Phinocs, a species of Trout, are caught in great numbers, fifteen hundred having been taken at a single draught. They come in August, and disappear in November; are about a foot long; their colour grey, spotted with black; their flesh red; they rise very eagerly to a fly, and contribute much to the Angler's amusement. The fishermen believe them to be the young of what they call Sea Trout, weighing thirty pounds: Mr. PENNANT Supposes this to be the Grey Trout, and that the Phinocs of Scotland are the same species as migrate out of the Sea into the river Esk, in Cumberland, from July to September, and are called Whitling, or White Trout, although their flesh

when dressed is red. They are most delicious eating.

Kincardineshire, or Mearns.

THE BERVIE is the only proper river of this county, (the Dee of Aberdeenshire forming its northern boundary, and the North Esk, of Angus, its southern; both of which have been before mentioned;) it has its source in the Grampian Hills, but soon leaving them takes its course with considerable windings towards the south; the country it traverses is unequal, nor is the stream itself considerable; on the southern shore is the small town and port of Bervie, where it reaches the Sea. In these rivers is plenty of fish.

Kirkcudbright, or Lower Galloway.

THE NITH, the DEE, and the ОRR, are the chief rivers of this county. The former has been spoken of. The Dee is formed by the Deugh, from the northern parts of Kirkcudbright, and the Ken from the north-west of Dumfries-shire; both of which united, bear the name of the Ken, until they reach the town of New Galloway: below this place, the river, assuming the name of the Dee, pursues a south-east course, forming Loch Ken (about four miles long and one broad) in its passage; after which its course is so remarkably winding, that although not more than seventy in a line, it is said to run two hundred miles before it reaches the Sea,

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