to gather a little company of Highland cotters, and to preach to them in a wild glen, in this romantic island. The parish church is fifteen miles distant. Yesterday I came from Oban, which is thirty-five miles by sea from this place; but owing to the wind be ing in the wrong direction, we made tacks amounting to one hundred miles, before we got into this little peaceful spot. This is a little inn-before it, in one direction, is the sea, and beyond, a vast range of mountains, called Morven, in Argyleshire; in another direction, about half a mile off, is a ruined castle, standing on a bold knoll and rock, washed by the waves. On our right hand are the hills of the isle of Mull, covered with heath and cottages. Be fore the door runs a salmon stream, rattling over stones: above thirty people were yesterday fishing and harpooning for salmon ; fifty of them weighed from four to twenty-five pounds each. Dozens of children were in the river to catch eels, talking Gaelic with much vociferation and alacrity.

“I think, in our voyage yesterday, I saw twenty ruined castles, and three inhabited ones, and above twenty-five of the islands of the Hebrides. The intelligent boatmen tell you all manner of ancient legends and histories connected with them and their ancient masters. They carry you back into the days of Norwegian, Danish, and Irish story. I saw the spot where a part of the Spanish armada was wrecked; and a gun still remains on a rock, belonging to one of the Spanish ships. It is on the main-land shore, opposite to the Isle of Mull. This is the grand scene of all Ossian's descriptions, and corresponds exactly with them. All the ruins are finely covered with ivy, and so are the rocks.

"We have had much rain, and the mountain torrents run grandly down their sides. I think on Thursday we counted 350 cascades, in a morning ride: some of them gigantic. I remember seeing twenty-nine at one view. The wild magnificence of Highland scenery cannot easily be conceived. Parties of ladies are amongst the visitants, and in some places they cheerfully submit to many privations for the sake of the prospects. I go into the cottages, and set down with the poor people; and talk with them on religious subjects, and receive rich milk and whiskey in return. There is much grateful affection about them.

"In the map you may trace my route thus: Carlisle, Longtown, Annan, Dumfries, Biggar, Lanark, Glasgow, Greenock, Isle of Bute, Arran, Campbeltown, near the Mull of Kintyre, Arroquhar, Inverary, Dalmally, Oban. Next, and yet to come, if all be well, is Staffa, Iona, Fort William, Fort Augustus, Inverness,

Tain; thence, downwards, towards Perth, Dundee, and Edinburgh. I am very thankful to God for permitting me to take this round, and more so for making my services very acceptable, and I hope useful. The tempest-beaten glens, the secluded isles, the populous towns, the romantic villages, all in their turn bear witness to the declaration of 'the truth as it is in Jesus.' I have a truly congenial companion in the 'Clemens' of the Christian Guardian ;* .he is just what I want, both for soul and body, and in each devotes himself to my aid and comfort most assiduously. Our views, principles, taste, and feelings, strictly accord. He is a student of divinity in the university at Edinburgh, and preparing for the Scotch church. I left Mary with Dr. S. last Tuesday; she will soon go to Edinburgh, and wait till my return from the North of Scotland. I shall now lay down my pen, and probably not resume it until the point is decided, to-morrow or next day, whether the rain will allow of our visiting these most interesting of islands, Staffa and Iona. The latter is thirty miles from hence; the former twenty, but on the opposite side.

แ Tuesday, Aug. 15. Very wet, and we cannot proceed. Both Iona, at twenty, and Staffa, at ten miles distance, are in sight, but it is very doubtful whether we shall reach them, as the Atlantic is full of mists, rain, and wind. I am waiting patiently for better weather, in a little inn, in this little island, five miles by three.

"-18. My dear boy, I have seen Staffa, and write this from Iona. What I shall say I know not, for really I can say nothing as I ought. When I entered the cave of Fingal, I knew not whether to burst out into one unceasing cry of astonishment, or meditate in unbroken silence of overwhelming wonder, or fall down upon my knees in devout adoration of Him who formed such a scene of sublime beauty. It beggars all description. This was on Wednesday: after waiting four days for weather, yesterday we arrived at this lonely scene of ruins and curiosities, and it more than answers all my expectations. Think of all we have read about Iona, and imagine then a small part of my sensations."

"My dear love,

"It would be no easy task to describe the laborious circuit of engagements and accompanying solicitudes, in which I am deeply engaged. Next week I enter the depths of the Highlands, and so far North: if all be well, the week after next I shall reach Staffa, the isle of wonders; and Iona, the isle of caves and kings. *The Rev. D. Pitcairn.

Amongst the spiritual mercies I have this week met with, are three new and distinct instances of the conversions and happy deaths of children in Glasgow, Paisley, and Greenock; two, through 'Little Jane.' The wide dispersion of, and impression connected with these tracts in Scotland, is scarcely credible. I have, in this respect, seen far beyond 'the travail of my soul.' When I reflect upon the simplicity of their origin, and the little idea entertained of their ever going beyond the limited circulation of the Christian Guardian, I am sometimes lost in wonder at the success attending their publication. Surely, we may unitedly praise God for his unspeakable mercy to us in this one unexampled instance.

"This situation is very lovely: near it stands the seat of Lord Blantyre, Mrs. Stewart's brother. Close by flows the magnificent river Clyde, widening gradually from two hundred yards, to three miles in breadth. Highly cultivated scenery is backed by stupendous groups of vast Highland mountains, forming the very first class of landscape. Ruined castles, elegant mansions, sea-port towns, woods, rocks, promontories, boats, ships, banks, succeed each other. Ben Lomond is seen in all his ponderous grandeur, and so is Benledi. The whole neighbouring scenery is indeed very fine.

I preach three times at Paisley to-morrow; at Glasgow on Monday; at Rothsay, in the isle of Bute, on Wednesday; at Greenock on Thursday; at Port Glasgow on Friday; at Arroquhar on Sunday week."

Mr. Richmond visited the island of Iona twice; he found there neither temple nor ordinances of religious worship, except in the occasional visits of a Scotch minister from an adjacent island; and the appointment of a schoolmaster, who assembled the children in a rude building.

From Iona Mr. Richmond visited Staffa. We extract a few memoranda from his diary, written at this time.

"Aug. 19. Set off for a second view of Staffa. We took the good schoolmaster and his wife with us. No words can describe the whole we had the afternoon sun upon all the most striking features of this magnificent group. The water was so calm that we went into the great cave in the boat, and thus obtained the finest view possible. We sang a hymn; it was sweetly echoed, Rows of prismatic pillars; their crown twisted-pillars in all directions-an immense one at the end of the cave-shells on rocks

-covering of the roof-ruins of Iona seen from the cave-sound of the surf-causeway of broken pillars-cattle feeding abovelight and shade-cascades of surf-spray dashing-scenery much improved by the clearness of the day-Iona huts-peculiar statistics of Iona-schoolmaster's account-no clock, but sun and tideseven watches-no shop-four sermons a year; once, four a day— schoolmaster reads weekly.

"Conversation this day, in the boat, very interesting. Returned to Iona at eight o'clock. Drank tea with the good schoolmaster.

“ Aug. 20. (Sunday.) Willy's birth-day; God bless him! Breakfast conversation with the schoolmaster. Plan for building a school-house. Preparation for sermon. Sweet quietness of this island. Sabbath morning. Went at eleven to the school-house, and gave a service. I preached to a large company of these poor Ionians, from 2 Cor. v. Delightful! (The room, roof, windows, floor, desk, forms, people, &c.) Then I went and passed two hours alone, amid the ruins and graves. Had solemn and peace

ful meditations!

"At four gave another service, preaching from Luke xxiv. 47. At half past six gave a third, chiefly to the children. The last, by the schoolmaster interpreting in Gaelic, sentence by sentence. Much affection. It was an interesting experiment; he prayed, read, and sang in Gaelic.

“Passed a most comfortable evening, in conversation with these worthy Ionians. Surely, I have learned much here! A day to be remembered. I hope to raise a sufficient subscription to build a new school-house for Iona.

"Moon setting. Stars most bright at eleven. All reflected on the ocean, on the ruins, and from the hills and rocks."

It will excite no surprise, that a man of Mr. Richmond's piety and taste should avail himself of this opportunity to visit the once celebrated island of Iona, one of the Hebrides. Iona now contains only one village, with mean houses, and about 400 inhabitants. It is the most noted place of Caledonian antiquity.* It was formerly the seat of the druids, some of whose sepulchral remains are still extant. Christianity was introduced into this island by St. Columba, after whom it was called I-colum-kill, or Columba's Cell. St. Columba came from Ireland to Iona, in the sixth centu

* We refer the reader to Pennant's Tour through Scotland, and Johnson's Tour to the Hebrides, for further information.

ry, accompanied by twelve disciples, through whose missionary labours the greater part of Scotland was converted to the Christian faith. The college founded by St. Columba was the seat and centre of literature and piety; and from hence these blessings were diffused, not only over the British islands, but throughout a great part of Europe. The ruins of these ancient edifices still remain as memorials of the apostolical labours of Columba, his associates and successors. Iona is the burial place of forty-eight Scotch crowned heads, four Irish kings, eight Norwegian princes, or viceroys of the island, and a multitude of nobility and religious orders. It had also 360 crosses, which were all destroyed, except one, at the Reformation. The ruin of the once splendid cathedral cannot fail to interest the traveller, and to excite the deepest emotion in the heart of the Christian. It was under the influence of recollections like these, that Dr. Johnson composed the following celebrated passage.

"We were now treading that illustrious island which was once the luminary of the Caledonian regions; whence savage clans, and roving barbarians, derived the benefit of knowledge and the blessings of religion. To abstract the mind from all local emotion would be impossible if it were endeavoured, and would be foolish if it were possible. Whatever withdraws us from the power of our senses; whatever makes the past, the distant, or the future predominate over the present, advances us in the dignity of thinking beings. Far from me, and from my friends, be such frigid philosophy, as may conduct us, indifferent and unmoved, over any ground which has been dignified by wisdom, bravery, and virtue. The man is little to be envied, whose patriotism would not gain force upon the plains of Marathon, or whose piety would not grow warmer among the ruins of Iona."*

From Iona, he wrote to Mrs. Richmond:

"I am persuaded that my dearest Mary will not only allow me to express the strong sensations of my own heart, as connected with the remote and magnificent scenes in which a kind Provi

Bos

* See Journey to the Western Islands of Scotland, by Dr. Johnson. well, in his life of Dr. Johnson, relates the following anecdote respecting this passage:"Sir Joseph Banks," he observes, "the respectable President of the Royal Society, told me he was so much struck on reading it, that he clasped his hands together, and remained for some time in an attitude of silent admiration."