which, in a striking manner, illus. trates the wandering temper of the Scots. He was at one time sent to negociate some importaut affairs with a Turkish provincial officer of high rank, and was received in the usual style of castern solemnity and magnificence, by which business is always greatly embarrassed and rendered tedious. To his no small surprise, the Turk inquired what languages he could speak; and on learning that he understood the French, which the Turk also understood, the latter proposed to dismiss their interpreters and servants, as they would in all probality more easily adjust their business when undisturbed by the intervention of third parties. The proposal was readily agreed to. The apartment was по sooner cleared, than, to the utter astonishment of marshal Keith, the Turk, walking familiarly up to - him, addressed him in broad Scotch, and asked him when he was last at Aberdeen." Weel, man, whan was ye last at Aberdeen?" On an explanation, it was found that this Asiatic chief was no other than the son of a Scottish peasant, who had seen marshal Keith in Aberdeen. shire, and who, after various wane derings in quest of fortune. had taken up his residence in Turkey,
And chang'd his gods for theirs,
and so grew great."
We have said that Mr. Forsyth is a good critic. The following we consider as a specimen of sound criticism.
"The style of Dr. Robertson's writings was also calculated to gain considerable favour. All his periods are swelling, and polished
with the utmost care, and are calculated to please the ear without offending the taste by the introduction of any foreign idiom, or of high-sounding and unusual words and phrases. At the same time, his style is very far from being destitute of redundancy. It is more artful than that of Gibbon, because the art is less apparent. But it is evident that this historian was at least as anxious about the structure of the sentences in which his details are enunciated, as about the details themselves. He never descends from his dignity, like the historian of England, Hume, or assumes the tone of easy and negligent narrative. In other respects, Dr. Robertson never forgets in his writings that he is a churchman, or ventures to hazard a sentiment, of which he is not certain that all the world will readily approve. He was a writer of too much prudence to earn the praise of great originality of thought."Beauties of Scotland, vol. i. p. 368.
Mr. Forsyth is particularly attentive to the subjects of mines, strata, and soil, and to agriculture. The following general remark on Lanarkshire is very curious and striking.
"Upon the whole, it may be remarked, that this county, in rule relative to the fertility of the some degree, contradicts a general earth. It is generally understood, that in the same latitude land is always more valuable in propor tion to the comparative lowness of the situation; but, in opposition to this rule, the territory along the Clyde above the falls seems to be superior to any in the lower part of the county; not only to these $ 3 fields
fields nearly on the same level on
the ridges of the country, but ex-
ceeding, in real intrinsic fertility,
the fine low grounds which are
400 or 500 feet less elevated. The
meadows or valleys of the former,
by the river-side, are cropped and
left in grass for a few years alter-
nately, and without receiving any
manure continue to yield abundant
harvests. The uplands, when pro-
perly freed of weeds, are very pro.
ductive with half the manure which
is found necessary in the lower
part of the county, and the harvests
are generally earlier."
Mr. Chalmers, in his Caledonia,
having entered Perthshire, and come
through the camp of Ardoch to the
valley of the Erne, the Glacialis
Ierne of Claudian, was unavoidably
led to speak of the campaigns of
Agricola in North Britain. Mr.
Forsyth does not, like that most
extraordinary military critic, Mr.
George Chalmers, bring Agricola
into Scotland through the Solway
Frith, [called in Erse, Mr. C. in-
forms us, Taw], the Locker Moss,
the rugged and woody heighths and
glens of Selkirk Forest, and Lan.
arkshire, and the intricacies of Glen-
devon. He supposes him, as all
the world did before Mr. Chalmers,
to have marched his legions against
the Caledoniaus along the eastern
coast of Scotland. And his fleet, he
supposes, by his orders, sailing round
the coast of England from Sandwich,
attended his march to the Forth.
Thus far well. Mr. Forsyth is
very much inclined to believe that
the famous battle between the Ro-
mans and the Caledonians, under
their leader Galgacus, was fought
in the Stormont, somewhere near
the confluence of the Tay and the
Isla, near Kinloch and Blairgow
rie. In our last volume, in a re
view of Mr. Chalmers's Caledonia,
we have given our reasons for
thinking that it was fought in the
moor of Ardoch. There is nothing
extravagant in the supposition that
the scene of that great or decisive
battle was the Stormont. That it
really was the scene we do not
think probable. Agricola, in the
third year of the expeditions, had
wasted, terrified, and bridled the
country, ponendis castellis,+ as far
as the frith of Tay. After the vic-
tory over Galgacus, Agricola de-
termined to push his conquests be.
yond the boundary to which he
had extended his ravages and pow-
er, the Tay-vastatis usque ad
Tanm regionibus-to the new na-
tions that he had discovered, but
not conquered-novas gentes ape-
ruit. He therefore advanced, after
the battle, into the region beyond
the Tay, that had hitherto limited
his conquests to that of the penin.
sula of Fife, lying between the
estuaries of the Forth and of the
Tay. Marching his army across
this river, he passed onward to the
north-east, into the land of the
Horesti: which, it is most natural
to suppose, comprehended not only
Angus and Mearns, but that chan
paign part of Perthshire, which is
bounded on the west and the south
by the Tay, and on the north by
the Grampian mountains. We speak
familiarly now of the parishes of
Cargyll, of Kinloch, and Blairgow
Scotorum cumulos flevit Glaicalis Ierne.
+ TACIT. AGRIC. Cap. 22.
rie; of Gowrie, and the Carse of
Gowie; of Angus, and of Mearns:
but those distinctions were not
known in the times of Agricola by
the barbarous inhabitants; and if
they had, they would not have
been known to an invading Ro.
man. Parishes and counties were
determined or defined not altoge.
ther by contiguity, but by religious
donations, feudal tenures and pri-
vileges, and other circumstances in
the history of civilized society.
Accordingly, Agricola, in a wild,
unknown, and barbarous country,
seizes only the great outlines of the
Forth, the Clyde, the Tay, the
Grampians, and the country, mark-
ed by natural boundaries of the
Horesti. It is most natural to con-
ceive that Agricola (from whose
notes, no doubt, Tacitus wrote a
brief account of his campaigns)
considered all the inhabitants of
the region into which he entered,
on crossing the Tay, part of Perth
shire as well as Angus and Mearns,
as one people. The Stormont was
part of the land of the Horesti.
But if the battle with Galgacus was
fought in the land of the Horesti,
it could not have been said of Agri-
cola that he marched his army into
the territory of the Horesti.
We have remarked in Mr. For-
syth's enumeration of the principal
mansions of the nobility and gen-
try of Perthshire, the mention of
such insignificant and grotesque
habitations as Drimmie, the seat
of lord Kinnaird, in the Carse of
Gowric; and the omission of such
elegant and finely-situated resi-
dences as the house of Invermay,
the house of Abercarney, Faskal-
ly, Errol, and Duplin castle, the
seat of the earl of Kinnoull. This
last is sweetly embosomed on ele.
vated ground, on the side of a den,
through which a rivulet, forming a
cascade, in front of the south side
of the house, flows into the Erne,
and in the midst of one of the
finest parks, pleasure grounds, and
most extensive and best grown
plantations in Scotland. In this
mansion, also, is one of the finest
collection of pictures in Scotland.
It is not reckoned inferior to any
in Scotland, that at the palace of
Hamilton excepted. We notice also
in the table of places in Perthshire,
most remarkable on account of
their elevation, or conspicuous on
account of their situation and im.
portance, Belmont custle (a neat
modern house, the seat of the late
lord privy seal for Scotland), and
the junction of the rivers Tay and
Isla; certainly not distinguished by
any circumstance either of cele
brity or natural interest. We do
not find, in this table, the cẻ-
lebrated hiil of Dunsinnane, on
which was situated the strong
castle of Macbeth, king of Scot.
land, in the plain of Strathmore,
about six or seven miles westward
of Belmont castle, before it was
named by the right honourable
Stuart Mac'enzie, called CLINK.
HILL. Yet Mr. Forsyth, having
described the castle of Macbeth,
tells us, very truly, that "from
the top of the hill of Dunsinnane
there is an extensive view of above
fifty miles every way, comprehend-
ing Fifeshire, the hills in the neigh
bourhood of Edinburgh, Glen Al.
mon, Crieff, the hills in the neigh
bourhood of Blair Athol, and
Brae Marr. Strathmore also, and
a great part of Angus, are imme.
diately under view. In short, there
could not be a more commanding situation." Beauties of Scotland, col. iv, p 320.
This hill is situate at the distance of about four miles from SCONE, where the kings of Scotland were crowned, and six from Perth, the ancient capital of Scotland. Before we take our leave of Mr.
Forsyth, we have to express par, ticular satisfaction with the ac. count he has given of the great and flourishing city of Glasgow, the classes into which he has ar. ranged the inhabitants, and the characters of these, together with the circumstances by which they are formed,
The Parliamentary proceedings of this Year, a natural Bond of Connexion between the great Events of 1807 and 1808.-Speech from the Throne.-Debates thereon in both Houses.-Moved in the Peers by the Earl of Galloway.-Amendment moved by the Duke of Norfolk.This Amendment seconded by Lord Sidmouth.-Opposed by the Earl of Aberdeen.-Supported by Lord Grenville.-Opposed by Lord Hawkesbury-Supported by the Earl of Lauderdale.-Opposed by Lord Mulgrave. The Amendment rejected.-In the House of Commons the Address moved by Lord Hamilton.-Motion for the Address seconded by Mr. C. Ellis.-Observations by Lord Milton respecting the Attack on Copenhagen.-Speech of Mr. Ponsonby, and Notice of a Motion respecting the affair of Copenhagen.-The Address supported by Mr. Milnes.-Strictures on the Address by Mr. Whitbread.Speech of Mr. Canning in support of the Address.-Lord H. Petty against the attack on Copenhagen.-Mr. Bathurst ditto.-Mr. Windham ditto.-Reply of Mr. Perceval.-The Question carried without a Division.-Report of the Address.-Fresh Debates. •
Motion in the House of Lords for a Vote of Thanks to the Officers employed in the Attack on Copenhagen.-A Motion to the same Effect in the House of Commons.Opposed by Mr. Windham—and Mr. Brand.-Supported by the Chancellor of the Exchequer-and on a Division of the House carried.-Motion by Mr. Ponsonby for
The reader is requested to observe, that three been followed in the present Volume, which comm allotted to the History of Europe-the ChronicleVOL. L.
pagination have at the portions
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