Next day, Sept. 8th, the weather allowed us to depart; a good boat was provided us, and we went to Raarsa, under the conduct of Mr. Malcolm Macleod, a gentleman who conducted prince Charles through the mountains in his distresses.  The prince, he says, was more active than himself; they were, at least, one night without any shelter.

The wind blew enough to give the boat a kind of dancing agitation, and, in about three or four hours, we arrived at Raarsa, where we were met by the laird, and his friends, upon the shore.  Raarsa, for such is his title, is master of two islands; upon the smaller of which, called Rona, he has only flocks and herds.  Rona gives title to his eldest son.  The money which he raises annually by rent from all his dominions, which contain, at least, fifty thousand acres, is not believed to exceed two hundred and fifty pounds; but, as he keeps a large farm in his own hands, he sells, every year, great numbers of cattle, which add to his revenue, and his table is furnished from the farm and from the sea, with very little expense, except for those things this country does not produce, and of those he is very liberal.  The wine circulates vigorously; and the tea, chocolate, and coffee, however they are got, are always at hand.  I am, &c.

We are this morning trying to get out of Skie.

XXIII.—­To MRS. THRALE.

Skie, Sept. 24, 1773.

DEAR MADAM,—­I am still in Skie.  Do you remember the song,

  “Every island is a prison,
  Strongly guarded by the sea.”

We have, at one time, no boat, and, at another, may have too much wind; but, of our reception here, we have no reason to complain.  We are now with colonel Macleod, in a more pleasant place than I thought Skie could afford.  Now to the narrative.

We were received at Raarsa on the seaside, and after clambering, with some difficulty, over the rocks, a labour which the traveller, wherever he reposes himself on land, must, in these islands, be contented to endure; we were introduced into the house, which one of the company called the court of Raarsa, with politeness, which not the court of Versailles could have thought defective.  The house is not large, though we were told, in our passage, that it had eleven fine rooms, nor magnificently furnished; but our utensils were, most commonly, silver.  We went up into a dining-room, about as large as your blue room, where we had something given us to eat, and tea and coffee.

Raarsa himself is a man of no inelegant appearance, and of manners uncommonly refined.  Lady Raarsa makes no very sublime appearance for a sovereign, but is a good housewife, and a very prudent and diligent conductress of her family.  Miss Flora Macleod is a celebrated beauty; has been admired at Edinburgh; dresses her head very high; and has manners so lady-like, that I wish her head-dress was lower.  The rest of the nine girls are all pretty; the youngest is between Queeney and Lucy.  The youngest boy, of four years old, runs barefoot, and wandered with us over the rocks to see a mill:  I believe he would walk on that rough ground, without shoes, ten miles in a day.