that you might hear the stream without seeing it. Mr Blubber, however, objected to the vicinity of the hills, and Mrs Blubber to that of the lake, which she was sure must be extremely unwholesome. To this circumstance she imputed her rheumatism, which she told us," had been very troublesome to her the first night she lay'd there; but that she had always the precaution of carrying a bottle of Beaume de Vie in the chaise, and that a dose of it had effectually cured her."

The ladies were delighted with the Hermitage. Mrs Blubber confessed," she was somewhat afeard at first to trust herself with the guide, down a dark narrow path, to the Lord knows where; but then it was so charming when he let in the light upon them."-" Yes, and so natural," said her eldest daughter, "with the flowers growing out of the wall, and the bear-skins so pure soft for the Hermit to sleep on."" And their garter

blue colour so lively and so pretty," said Miss Betsy; "I vow I could have stayed there for ever.- -You wa'n't there, Papa." “No,” replied he, rather sullenly, " but I saw one of them same things at Dunkeld next day."- The

young ladies declared they were quite different things, and that no judgment could be formed of the one from the other; upon which Mr Blubber began to grow angry; and Mrs Blubber interposing, put an end to the question; whispering me, at the same time, that her husband had fallen asleep, after a hearty dinner at the inn near Taymouth, and that she and her children had gone to see the Hermitage without him. I was farther informed, that Mr Edward Blubber had left their party at this place; having gone along with two English gentlemen whom he met there, to see a great many curiosities farther off in the Highlands. "For my part," said Blubber, "though I was told it was a

great way off, and over terrible mountains, as indeed we could perceive them to be from the windows, I did not care to hinder his going, as I like to see spirit in a young man."

The rest of the family returned by the way of Dunkeld, which the ladies likewise commended as a monstrous pleasant place. Mr Blubber dissented a little, saying," he could not see the pleasure of always looking at the same things; hills, and wood, and water, over and over again.' The river here, he owned, was a pretty rural thing enough; but, for his part, he should think it much more lively if it had a few ships and lighters on it. Miss Blubber did not agree with him as to the ships and lighters; but she confessed, she thought a little company would improve it a good deal. Miss Betsy differed from both, and declared, she relished nothing so much as solitude and retirement. This led to a description of a second hermitage

they had visited at this place, from which, and some of the grottoes adjoining, Miss Betsy had taken down some sweet copies of verses, as she called them, in her memorandum-book. The fall of water here had struck the family much. Mrs Blubber observed, how like it was to the cascade at Vauxhall; her eldest daughter remarked, however, that the fancy of looking at it through panes of different-coloured glass in the Hermitage-room, was an improvement on that at Spring-gardens.

The bridge at Perth was the last section of the family-journal that we discoursed on. The ladies had inadvertently crossed it in the carriage to see the palace at Scone, at which they complained there was nothing to be seen; and Mr Blubber complained of the extravagance of the Toll on the bridge, which he declared was higher than at Blackfriars. He was assured, however, that he had paid no more than the legal charge, by his landlord, Mr

Marshall, at whose house he received some consolation from an excellent dinner, and a bed, he said, which the Lord Mayor of London might have laid on. "I hope there is no offence, (continued Mr Blubber, very politely,) as I understand the landlord is an Englishman: but, at the King's Arms, I met with the only real good buttered toast that I have seen in Scotland."

But however various were the remarks of the family on the particulars of their journey in detail, I found they had perfectly settled their respective opinions of travelling in general. The ladies had formed their conclusion, that it was monstrous pleasant, and the gentleman his, that it was monstrous dear.