A Colonial Abroad

Western Star, 16 August 1912, Page 2

A Colonial Abroad

(By " RUSTIC/'] .MORA ABOUT SCOTLAND. Wo had a very pleasant journey of about four hours duration between Aberdeen and Inverness. The country by the way varied much in appearance. Wo saw many nice bits of scenery. From an agricultural point of view the Uund< seemed good, bad, and indifferent. Crops varied considerably, but not oidy according .to the quality of the soil, for there is more bad farming in Scotland than I expected to see. After viewing a large part of Scotland, without prejudice, 1 have concluded that in the country good and had land can bo seen often in the same locality, and in the towns magniticent building-; and most miserable buildings are near each other. Scot>UK'ti have admitted to m,> that it is From a farmer's standpoint, I Hktj England much better ithan Scotland. When going to Inverness we saw some of the finest fields oi grass and cereal crops wo have seen in the country. This was especially the ease in the vicinity of Forres, Kinloss, and Nairn. Certainly there was a deal of poor-looking and mixed land on view, too; but so n .'timej t'i'c finest of straths were visi'jle. Of several pretty towns wo passed on the way, >"airu took my t'aucy most. lu.Ye.r-

ness itself, we did not care for ns a town, although wv. greatly admired some of its environs. Lt has rather a limited number of really handsome edifices, and too great, a proportion of crooked and narrow streets and old and shabby buildings. It is a very old town, and baa treasured historical associations. Its people have made good vise of natural assets. Tho town is built on both sides of the River Ness, in which are .some pretty little islands among rapids. These islets have been made most attractive pleasures grounds. Not far away are the pretty hill and cemetery of Toranahurich. On one side, the hill is beautifully clothed with mxed woods; on the other side it is more thinly studded with .trees and shrill.-, among -irtnTlhi rire half •,„.- coaled and half-iv.ealed tier upon tier of varied tombstones; and along the top of the hill there is a still more imposing " city of the dead." From Tbmnahuricli can be obtained splendid views of the: town below, and of Solway Firth in the distance. From tho so-called Inverness Castle ono can get a splendid view of the valley of the Ness. The Castle and Cathedral are two of the most notable buildings, but both date from the nineteenth century. Tho modern castle is built on the site of an old one, and i% used for law courts, council chambers,

We travelled from Inverness to Glasgow by what is known as Route, and were conveyed nf^^r entirely by paddle steamers. days of about eleven hours each. 'iW, pleasure of this .trip was discounted somewhat by cold and showery weather. On tho first day our course lay mostly over Loch Ness, Lochy, and Linnhe. Tho connections were made cliiefly through stretches of the Caledonian Canal. We had a brief ride on a tram between Balnavie and Fort William. We saw much scenery that can \fairly bo described as pretty, picturesque anjd beautiful. In comparison with the best New Zealand scenery it did not seem great, grand, or awe-inspiring. We saw Ben Nevis, which is said to bo the highest mountain in Scotland. Although its highest point is only 4,406 ft there were patches of snow upon it even in summer. It would seem a small mountain if set among many in our Dominion.

Along our route; we saw generally" among the best scenery castles and palatial! residences, and here and there; pretty little towns. Certainly wte noticed some very humble and isolated homes, too. The .scenic country we passed through evidently sustains a considerable population, so that if it is less ornamental than our regions of beauty it is more useful. Another thing that may be said in favour of British scenery is that a dead or dying tree is very seldom to bo seen. In respect of bothj people and plants, it may be said there is more life in the Scottish Highlands than in our national parks. We spent a night at Oban. Facing the crescent beach of a bay, and with a background of nicely wooded heights among which suburbs nestle, it looks very attractive. It probably has a greater proportion of good building's than any other town Ave visited. Oban evidently has been built with a view to the tourist traffic, which probably is its mainstay. There are dozens of hotels. Next day we continued our trip on another steamer through jrood scenery. After a few hours we again changed boats for Crinan Canal. At first we had very pretty wooded and rocky heights on one hand, but after a while we reached a succession of locks, where most of us got out, and walked about a mile. At the locks great gates or doors regulate the depth of water. These can be raised to let the water pass tinder, and are opened wide to let a steamer through. It is odd to at ono time have the boat) in water six to eight feet above that on the other side of the barrier, and to watch it gradually! .subside as the water is allowed to become level or, at other times, to see the water beyond the harrier a couple of yards higher than'that on which the steamer res.ts.

From the end of the -Crinan Canal a fine steamer, the Columba, took us to the Broomilaii, Glasgow. Our course included the romantic Kyles of Bute. Wo saw pretty little towns too numerous to mention. Rothesay, on the island of Bute, took our fancy most. All the afternoon we were in sight of picturesque hilly country. If less rugged and imposing than most of our high lands, it was at least greener and more useful-looking. However, although it seemed goodcountry for grazing we saw but few cattle and sheep. Altogether, on the Royal Route, we saw disappointingly little characteristic Highland life. Very few Highland cattle were seen, although a good many Highland sheep were to be seen. About Inverness black cross cattle seemed to be in favour 1 , whereas in their native country the "doddies" appeared to bo getting displaced bv Shorthorns and eross-breds. We were disappointed, too, at seeing the •'garb of tho Gael" worn almost exi clusively by men in regiments. Late in the evening we steamed into the Firth of Clyde. There are beauty spots on each side, and ugly ones, too; but tho ugly things and the dirty Clyde itself are far more useful and valuable than the objects that please the eyo most. The, Clyde is world-famed for its shipbuilding", which was in evidence in many places. Many ships in various* stages of building were on the stocks, but at that late hour the workmen were not there to. give life to the scene. Of tho towns along the Clyde, those most sombre with the smoke and grime _ of great industries are the least pleasing to the eye. but are the most helpful to mankind and therefore probably the best. One thing, however, that my trip abroad is making me more reconciled to the sacrifice of tho beauty of a country for the needs of its people. (To be continued.)