He took leave of Mr. M’Leod, saying, ’Sir, I thank you for your entertainment, and your conversation.’

Mr. Campbell, who had been so polite yesterday, came this morning on purpose to breakfast with us, and very obligingly furnished us with horses to proceed on our journey to Mr. M’Lean’s of Lochbuy, where we were to pass the night.  We dined at the house of Dr. Alexander M’Lean, another physician in Mull, who was so much struck with the uncommon conversation of Dr. Johnson, that he observed to me, ’This man is just a hogshead of sense.’

Dr. Johnson said of the Turkish Spy[912], which lay in the room, that it told nothing but what every body might have known at that time; and that what was good in it, did not pay you for the trouble of reading to find it.

After a very tedious ride, through what appeared to me the most gloomy and desolate country I had ever beheld[913], we arrived, between seven and eight o’clock, at May, the seat of the Laird of Lochbuy. Buy, in Erse, signifies yellow, and I at first imagined that the loch or branch of the sea here, was thus denominated, in the same manner as the Red Sea; but I afterwards learned that it derived its name from a hill above it, which being of a yellowish hue has the epithet of Buy.

We had heard much of Lochbuy’s being a great roaring braggadocio, a kind of Sir John Falstaff, both in size and manners; but we found that they had swelled him up to a fictitious size, and clothed him with imaginary qualities.  Col’s idea of him was equally extravagant, though very different:  he told us he was quite a Don Quixote; and said, he would give a great deal to sec him and Dr. Johnson together.  The truth is, that Lochbuy proved to be only a bluff, comely, noisy old gentleman, proud of his hereditary consequence, and a very hearty and hospitable landlord.  Lady Lochbuy was sister to Sir Allan M’Lean, but much older.  He said to me, ‘They are quite Antediluvians.’  Being told that Dr. Johnson did not hear well, Lochbuy bawled out to him, ’Are you of the Johnstons of Glencro, or of Ardnamurchan[914]?’ Dr. Johnson gave him a significant look, but made no answer; and I told Lochbuy that he was not Johns_ton_, but John_son_, and that he was an Englishman[915].  Lochbuy some years ago tried to prove himself a weak man, liable to imposition, or, as we term it in Scotland, a facile man, in order to set aside a lease which he had granted; but failed in the attempt.  On my mentioning this circumstance to Dr. Johnson, he seemed much surprized that such a suit was admitted by the Scottish law, and observed, that ’In England no man is allowed to stultify himself[916].’

Sir Allan, Lochbuy, and I, had the conversation chiefly to ourselves to-night:  Dr. Johnson, being extremely weary, went to bed soon after supper.

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 22.