A TRIP TO THE HOMELAND.

Otago Witness, Issue 2929, 4 May 1910, Page 86

A TRIP TO THE HOMELAND.

By a New Zealandee. Two steamers leave Oban for Fort William daily—one at 6 a.m. and the other at midday. We decided to proceed by the early one, and boarded the Fusilier, another of David M'Brayne's fine vessels. Our passengers comprised Americans, Canadians, French, Mexicans, and some reputed millionaires from the Argentine. Tne women folk with the latter wore a great deal of jewellery, but were artistically dressed. It was an ideal morning, and. reminded one of Emmerson's lines, "Sweet morn, so calm, so cool and fair." Few who were passengers that morning will ever forget the day. On our left the sun was rising on the heather-clad hills, dotted here and there with flocks grazing, and on the right fair Oban. The breakfast was beautifully prepared and 6erved, and all but the few late-comers, who discovered that the Frenchman had got away with all the marmalade, were well pleased. We were eoon steaming up Loch Linnhe and calling at Ballachulish, the landing place for that place of dark historical note, Glencoe, where infamous deeds were done in the name of the King. The passengers peered with interest at that dark, wooded valley. Forb William was our next place of call, and from there is to be seen Ben Nevis, 4406 ft, the highest mountain in Great Britain. The first fort was built by General Monk. It was rebuilt by William 111, probably to overawe the "gentle Lochiel." We took train at Fort William to Benavie. at the west end of the Caledonian Canal, where we joined the Gondolier. The canal connects three lochs, the largest of these being Loch Ness. The artificial waterway is 38 miles in length, or with the lochs 62 miles in all, enabling one to pass from the west to the east coast of Scotland, or vice versa. Loch Oich, ICOft above sea level, is small, being about four miles long with a breadth of some two or three chains. The hills on either side are wooded down to the water's edge. On the left we passed the ruins of Glengarry Castle, once the home of the Macdonalds, a fine new residence standing near the castle ruins. At the end of Loch Oich, was pointed out the place where Prince Charlie reviewed his brave 500 before setting out to conquer the kingdom. Entering the canal again we pass into Loch Ness, 24 miles in length, with a breadth varying from a mile and a-half to two miles and a depth of 900 ft. At the entrance once stood Fort Augustus, built by General Wade in 1729. Making inquiries of a young fellow as to the site of the fort, he appeared to hang his head slightly as he explained that on the site of the fort there was now a monastery. The fort with 17 acres of land had been purchased from the Government by the late Lord Lovat, and by him presented to the monks of the Benedictine order, who built their monastery on the ruins of the fort. After passing the Falls of Foyers, on the right, now used !or commercial purposes by the British Aluminium Company, we crossed to the other side of the loch and had a glimpse of the ruins of Urquhart Castle, standing on a rocky promontery. This place was besieged by Edward I of England, though how he got his army there must be puzzling to presentday generals.. At the end of Loch Ness we again passed into a short stretch of canal, and reached Muirtoon, where we decided to leave the steamer and take carriage to Inverness, two-miles distant. The capital of the Highlands stands on both banks of the Ness, a wide but shallow river, spanned by a number of bridges. Along the banks are promenades and many beautiful gardens. We .stayed over Sunday in Inverness, and found it a town of top hats, long coats, and decorum. About 10 o'clock in the morning there must have been a dozen church bells ringing, and everyone in the place seemed to be making their way to one of the many churches. Next day we took train to Bonar Bridge, an old-fashioned but picturesque village on the Frith of Dornoch. The bridge spans a. narrow part of the frith that connects with Loch Migdale. The old bridge having been destroyed some years ago, it has been replaced by a fine substantial structure. Above the bridge, far out in the loch, are the remains of an old Pictish stronghold. It looks like a rocky islet, but a closer examination shows it to be a huge pile of building stone that had once been the walls of a fortress. Below the water the walls are still standing, to all appearance as sound as ever. Everywhere about this district was to be found evidence that at one time it was much more densely populated. Crumbling stone dykes that once enclosed small fields, and inside these the fallen walls of cottages that once were the homes of families. These things may not seem worth a thought by the passing stranger, but in all likelihood these old walls have often been revisited in fond thought by exiles in a far-off land.

There are several fine hotels in Dornoch, evidently built especially for the accommodation of tourists. The older portion of the town has a mediaeval look about it—something of a Norse appearance,—and Dornoch Castle looks as if it had just been transplanted from Stockholm or Christiania. There is much of interest about the place. The Romans appear to have reached even this remote part, as thereis a well cut in the rook with an inscription over it giving the date and stating by whom it was constructed. In front of the town is a\ stretch of well- - grassed land sloping towards the sea. Under this sward there is nothing but pure sand to a depth of some seven cr eight feet. The grass prevents the sand from overwhelming the town. The country round about is well wooded. I made inquiries as to the age of the trees and their value. One enclosure of from 30 to 40 acres through which I passed, I was told, was planted some 82 years ago, while another had only been planted some 15 years. A commencement had been made with the

cutting down of the trees in the older enclosure. The value of the timber cut was about £4O per acre and of that remaining £35 per acre. This gives a return of nearly £1 per acre per annum from a piece of land completely valueless for any other purpose, it being nothing but a "heap of stones with a covering of two inches of moss and dead leaves.