Page:A Companion and Useful Guide to the Beauties of Scotland.djvu/326

308 to the Castle, and the wood creeping to the tops of the highest crags, both behind it, and extending as far as I could see to the east, from one of the finest views of the sort that I think can be seen. Castle Menzies is a large antique-looking building, with frightful short round towers and turrets, the whole whitened with lime; but it being much concealed by the hanging woods on the crags behind, and the fine trees that surround it; neither its white glare, nor its clumsy towers, offend the eye. The view from it must make ample amends for every imperfection of its shell: and after all, I question whether it does not suit the scene it stands in, far better than a modern house would do. The enclosures about Castle Menzies, and at Taymouth, pleased me prodigiously, being in character with the style of the country. They are round erections of stone, with small tower tops; and placed at certain distances, slight wood, or chain, running through them, to prevent the cattle from creeping under, or leaping over them: trees growing carelessly here and there amongst these little towers, which had been whitened; but by the weather were softened to the mellow tints of grey, brown, green, and yellow, mixed: coarse grass and weeds also sticking about them; giving