debt, and annuities to the amount of thirteen hundred pounds a year.  Dr. Johnson said, ’If he gets the better of all this, he’ll be a hero; and I hope he will[519].  I have not met with a young man who had more desire to learn, or who has learnt more.  I have seen nobody that I wish more to do a kindness to than Macleod.’  Such was the honourable elogium, on this young chieftain, pronounced by an accurate observer, whose praise was never lightly bestowed.

There is neither justice of peace, nor constable in Rasay.  Sky has Mr. M’Cleod of Ulinish, who is the sheriff substitute, and no other justice of peace.  The want of the execution of justice is much felt among the islanders.  Macleod very sensibly observed, that taking away the heritable jurisdictions[520] had not been of such service in the islands as was imagined.  They had not authority enough in lieu of them.  What could formerly have been settled at once, must now either take much time and trouble, or be neglected.  Dr. Johnson said, ’A country is in a bad state which is governed only by laws; because a thousand things occur for which laws cannot provide, and where authority ought to interpose.  Now destroying the authority of the chiefs set the people loose.  It did not pretend to bring any positive good, but only to cure some evil; and I am not well enough acquainted with the country to know what degree of evil the heritable jurisdictions occasioned[521].’  I maintained hardly any; because the chiefs generally acted right, for their own sakes.  Dr. Johnson was now wishing to move.  There was not enough of intellectual entertainment for him, after he had satisfied his curiosity, which he did, by asking questions, till he had exhausted the island; and where there was so numerous a company, mostly young people, there was such a flow of familiar talk, so much noise, and so much singing and dancing, that little opportunity was left for his energetick conversation[522].  He seemed sensible of this; for when I told him how happy they were at having him there, he said, ’Yet we have not been able to entertain them much.’  I was fretted, from irritability of nerves, by M’Cruslick’s too obstreperous mirth.  I complained of it to my friend, observing we should be better if he was, gone.  ’No, Sir (said he).  He puts something into our society, and takes nothing out of it.’  Dr. Johnson, however, had several opportunities of instructing the company; but I am sorry to say, that I did not pay sufficient attention to what passed, as his discourse now turned chiefly on mechanicks, agriculture and such subjects, rather than on science and wit.  Last night Lady Rasay shewed him the operation of wawking cloth, that is, thickening it in the same manner as is done by a mill.  Here it is performed by women, who kneel upon the ground, and rub it with both their hands, singing an Erse song all the time.  He was asking questions while they were performing this operation, and, amidst their loud and wild howl, his voice was heard even in the room above[523].