Page:A Companion and Useful Guide to the Beauties of Scotland.djvu/245

Rh The town of that name, on the west side of the river, makes no inconsiderable figure in the view, greatly ornamenting the head of the Beauley firth. The houses being chiefly white, the town is seen at a great distance, backed by hills of all heights and shapes, some covered with wood; and trees in abundance on all sides. To the north also, I had much to admire in Rosshire; noble crags rising from the ferry of Kessack, partly rough, and partly verdant, terminating the view towards Cromarty. My eye was then feasted by a plain on the north side of Beauley firth, enriched by numbers of houses and castles; the most striking of them is Red Castle, belonging to a M'Kenzie, (for that is the M'Kenzie district;) few situations can be finer than that of Red Castle. The grand mountains on the north, and to the west of Castle Braan (Lord Seaforth's), form a fine sublime heap, not to be described; amongst these mountains, the sun shone with great lustre, which gave an amazing grandeur and brilliancy to the whole scene.

In the country of Aird the soil is very productive, in corn, as well as grass: and I was told, that both there, and in other parts around Inverness, some lands let from three to five pounds an