taken u p : at all events, he gave the jolly-boat a
good chase before he was taken, and afforded some
little merriment to the sailors.
Having once more got under Aveigh, on the
morning of the 18th, after a detention of about
thirty-eight hours, Ave succeeded, Avith the help of
a fresh breeze, to run, before it Avas dark, into the
Channel between the Isles of Sky on our right, and
LeAvis on the left. Though the Avind had bloAvn
almost a gale during the day, Ave were delighted to
find ourselves, as the e\’ening closed in, in comparatively
smooth Avater. The heaA’y sea in the course
of the day’s run, and the Avet from the spray Avhich
constantly broke over the yacht, gave our decks a
thorough Avashing, and the water found its Avay
into the cabins through some of the seams which
had not been properly caulked, or Avhich had, perhaps,
opened a little from the Avorking of the vessel.
This defect in the yacht’s deck Avas the unfortunate
cause of retarding our arrival in Iceland.
As a matter of curiosity, I had indulged a hope
that Ave might, in our passage, have approached
that solitary rock, the most western of the Western
Islands, in Avhich I am certain I should have been
gratified by Mr. Smith, had not the badness of the
weather made it impossible. My Avish to have
visited the rock of St. Kilda Avas not for the grati-
fication of witnessing the filthy and nauseous hovels
of the nineteen or twenty poor families th a t exist
there chiefly on fish and sea-fowls’ eggs, nor for the
curiosity of taking a view of that only dwelling that
has been stated to have a lock to the door, and to
be set apart as the happy retreat in Avhich a neAV-
married couple pass their honeymoon. My curiosity
extended no farther than to examine the
rock formation of the island, and to pay a visit to
the spot Avhere the Lady Grange, after being
secretly snatched from her home, Avas confined
nearly tAventy years. The story has been told by
BosAvell, and of course need not be repeated
here
I had also hoped Ave might ha\’e visited the
Faroe Islands, in standing across from Tronyem
* Walter Scott has given it with more precision than Boswell.
“ The story o f Lady Grange,” he says, “ is well known ; I have
seen her journal. She had become privy to some of the Jacobite
intrigues in which her husband, Lord Grange (brother of the Earl
of Mar, and a Lord of Session), and his family were engaged.
B e in g on indifferent terms with her husband, she is said to have
thrown out hints that she knew as much as would cost him his
life. The judge probably thought with Mr. Peachuin, that it is
rather an awkward state o f domestic affairs when the wife has it in
her power to hang her husband. Lady Grange was the more to
be dreaded, as she came from a vindictive race, being the grandchild
of that Cliiesley o f Dairy who assassinated Sir George Lock-
liart, the Lord President. Many persons o f importance in the
liig h la n d s were concerned in removing her testimony. The notorious
Lovat, with a party o f his men, were the direct agents in
carrying her off; and St. Kilda, belonging then to Macleod, was
selected as the place of confinement.” («) When Boswell told
the story. Dr. Johnson said, if Macleod would let it be known thiit
lie had such a place for naughty ladies, he might make it a very
profitable island.
(« ) Croker’s Boswell's L ife o f Johnson.
B 5