A Journey to the Western Islands of Scotland
Encyclopedia
A Journey to the Western Islands of Scotland (1775) is a travel narrative
by Samuel Johnson
about an eighty-three day journey through Scotland
, in particular the islands of the Hebrides
, in the late summer and autumn of 1773. The sixty-three year-old Johnson was accompanied by his thirty-two year-old friend of many years James Boswell
, who was also keeping a record of the trip, published in 1785 as A Journal of a Tour to the Hebrides. The two narratives are often published as a single volume from which profit can be had comparing the two perspectives of the same events, although they are very different in approach, with Johnson focused on Scotland and Boswell focused on Johnson (Boswell went on to write a famous biography of Johnson).
s and slave-ships
worked the coasts (seven slavers were reported in 1774 alone); the destruction of Scottish forests
was in full swing; the Scottish clan
system had been dismantled by Act of Parliament; Scotch whisky
was distilled illegally and profusely (Johnson noted the custom of the skalk
, or the drinking of whisky before breakfast). Johnson and Boswell were astounded when they visited their colleague Lord Monboddo at Monboddo House
and saw him in his primitive attire as a farmer, a quite different picture from his image as an urbane Edinburgh
Court of Session
jurist
, philosopher and evolutionary thinker.
But this part of Scotland in 1773 was also a romantic place thanks in large part to the Highland Clearances
- it was relatively empty of people and nearly unspoiled by commerce, roads, and other trappings of modern life - Johnson noted that in some Highland islands money had not yet become custom. Indeed with no money or roads parts of Scotland were more akin to the 8th century than 18th. Once Johnson reached the West Highlands, there were few roads, none at all on the Isle of Skye, and so they traveled by horseback, usually along the ridge of a hill with a local guide who knew the terrain and the best route for the season. "Journies made in this manner are rather tedious and long. A very few miles requires several hours." Johnson deplored the depopulation of the Highlands; he wrote: 'Some method to stop this epidemic desire of wandering, which spreads its contagion from valley to valley, ought to be sought with great diligence.'
Johnson came to Scotland to see the primitive and wild, but Scotland by 1773 was already changing quickly, and he feared they had come "too late". But they did see some of the things they sought out, such as one gentleman wearing the traditional plaid kilt
, and bagpipe playing - but none of the martial spirit Scotland was so famous for, except in relics and stories. Johnson records and comments on many things about Scottish life, including the happiness and health of the people, antiquities, the economy, orchards and trees, whisky, dress, architecture, religion, language, and education.
Johnson had spent most of his life in London, and only travelled for the first time in 1771.
In England there was a lot of interest about Scotland, and Johnson's was not the first to report on it, notably Thomas Pennant
's A Tour in Scotland in 1769 was published in 1771, which was far more detailed and lengthy than Johnson's account. Pennant set a new standard in travel literature, Johnson said of Pennant "he's the best traveller I ever read; he observes more things than anyone else does."
Travel literature
Travel literature is travel writing of literary value. Travel literature typically records the experiences of an author touring a place for the pleasure of travel. An individual work is sometimes called a travelogue or itinerary. Travel literature may be cross-cultural or transnational in focus, or...
by Samuel Johnson
Samuel Johnson
Samuel Johnson , often referred to as Dr. Johnson, was an English author who made lasting contributions to English literature as a poet, essayist, moralist, literary critic, biographer, editor and lexicographer...
about an eighty-three day journey through Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
, in particular the islands of the Hebrides
Hebrides
The Hebrides comprise a widespread and diverse archipelago off the west coast of Scotland. There are two main groups: the Inner and Outer Hebrides. These islands have a long history of occupation dating back to the Mesolithic and the culture of the residents has been affected by the successive...
, in the late summer and autumn of 1773. The sixty-three year-old Johnson was accompanied by his thirty-two year-old friend of many years James Boswell
James Boswell
James Boswell, 9th Laird of Auchinleck was a lawyer, diarist, and author born in Edinburgh, Scotland; he is best known for the biography he wrote of one of his contemporaries, the English literary figure Samuel Johnson....
, who was also keeping a record of the trip, published in 1785 as A Journal of a Tour to the Hebrides. The two narratives are often published as a single volume from which profit can be had comparing the two perspectives of the same events, although they are very different in approach, with Johnson focused on Scotland and Boswell focused on Johnson (Boswell went on to write a famous biography of Johnson).
Scotland
Scotland was still a relatively wild place in 1773. Marauding privateerPrivateer
A privateer is a private person or ship authorized by a government by letters of marque to attack foreign shipping during wartime. Privateering was a way of mobilizing armed ships and sailors without having to spend public money or commit naval officers...
s and slave-ships
Barbary corsairs
The Barbary Corsairs, sometimes called Ottoman Corsairs or Barbary Pirates, were pirates and privateers who operated from North Africa, based primarily in the ports of Tunis, Tripoli and Algiers. This area was known in Europe as the Barbary Coast, a term derived from the name of its Berber...
worked the coasts (seven slavers were reported in 1774 alone); the destruction of Scottish forests
Caledonian Forest
The Caledonian Forest is the name of a type of woodland that once covered vast areas of Scotland. Today, however, only 1% of the original forest survives, covering in 84 locations. The forests are home to a wide variety of wildlife, much of which is not found elsewhere in the British...
was in full swing; the Scottish clan
Scottish clan
Scottish clans , give a sense of identity and shared descent to people in Scotland and to their relations throughout the world, with a formal structure of Clan Chiefs recognised by the court of the Lord Lyon, King of Arms which acts as an authority concerning matters of heraldry and Coat of Arms...
system had been dismantled by Act of Parliament; Scotch whisky
Scotch whisky
Scotch whisky is whisky made in Scotland.Scotch whisky is divided into five distinct categories: Single Malt Scotch Whisky, Single Grain Scotch Whisky, Blended Malt Scotch Whisky , Blended Grain Scotch Whisky, and Blended Scotch Whisky.All Scotch whisky must be aged in oak barrels for at least three...
was distilled illegally and profusely (Johnson noted the custom of the skalk
Skalk
The skalk refers to the Scottish Hebridean tradition of drinking a dram of whisky as an aperitif before breakfast. The word is an anglicization of the Scots Gaelic word scailg meaning literally "a sharp blow to the head." The tradition was notably observed by the English writer Samuel Johnson...
, or the drinking of whisky before breakfast). Johnson and Boswell were astounded when they visited their colleague Lord Monboddo at Monboddo House
Monboddo House
Monboddo House is a historically famous mansion in The Mearns, Scotland. The structure was generally associated with the Burnett of Leys family. The property itself was owned by the Barclay family from the 13th century, at which time a tower house structure was erected...
and saw him in his primitive attire as a farmer, a quite different picture from his image as an urbane Edinburgh
Edinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
Court of Session
Court of Session
The Court of Session is the supreme civil court of Scotland, and constitutes part of the College of Justice. It sits in Parliament House in Edinburgh and is both a court of first instance and a court of appeal....
jurist
Jurist
A jurist or jurisconsult is a professional who studies, develops, applies, or otherwise deals with the law. The term is widely used in American English, but in the United Kingdom and many Commonwealth countries it has only historical and specialist usage...
, philosopher and evolutionary thinker.
But this part of Scotland in 1773 was also a romantic place thanks in large part to the Highland Clearances
Highland Clearances
The Highland Clearances were forced displacements of the population of the Scottish Highlands during the 18th and 19th centuries. They led to mass emigration to the sea coast, the Scottish Lowlands, and the North American colonies...
- it was relatively empty of people and nearly unspoiled by commerce, roads, and other trappings of modern life - Johnson noted that in some Highland islands money had not yet become custom. Indeed with no money or roads parts of Scotland were more akin to the 8th century than 18th. Once Johnson reached the West Highlands, there were few roads, none at all on the Isle of Skye, and so they traveled by horseback, usually along the ridge of a hill with a local guide who knew the terrain and the best route for the season. "Journies
Johnson came to Scotland to see the primitive and wild, but Scotland by 1773 was already changing quickly, and he feared they had come "too late". But they did see some of the things they sought out, such as one gentleman wearing the traditional plaid kilt
Kilt
The kilt is a knee-length garment with pleats at the rear, originating in the traditional dress of men and boys in the Scottish Highlands of the 16th century. Since the 19th century it has become associated with the wider culture of Scotland in general, or with Celtic heritage even more broadly...
, and bagpipe playing - but none of the martial spirit Scotland was so famous for, except in relics and stories. Johnson records and comments on many things about Scottish life, including the happiness and health of the people, antiquities, the economy, orchards and trees, whisky, dress, architecture, religion, language, and education.
Johnson had spent most of his life in London, and only travelled for the first time in 1771.
In England there was a lot of interest about Scotland, and Johnson's was not the first to report on it, notably Thomas Pennant
Thomas Pennant
Thomas Pennant was a Welsh naturalist and antiquary.The Pennants were a Welsh gentry family from the parish of Whitford, Flintshire, who had built up a modest estate at Bychton by the seventeenth century...
's A Tour in Scotland in 1769 was published in 1771, which was far more detailed and lengthy than Johnson's account. Pennant set a new standard in travel literature, Johnson said of Pennant "he's the best traveller I ever read; he observes more things than anyone else does."
Sources
There are many editions available in print, out of print, online, in hardcover and paperback. Listed here are some notable unusual editions of interest.- Pat Rogers, ed. (1993). Johnson and Boswell in Scotland. Yale University Press. The two accounts are presented side-by-side, page-by-page. ISBN 978-0-300-05210-7
- A Journey to the Western Islands of Scotland, scanned page images, online first edition.
- A Journey to the Western Islands of Scotland, scanned book, 1791 edition. Internet ArchiveInternet ArchiveThe Internet Archive is a non-profit digital library with the stated mission of "universal access to all knowledge". It offers permanent storage and access to collections of digitized materials, including websites, music, moving images, and nearly 3 million public domain books. The Internet Archive...
. Plain text and HTML versions. - Donald MacNicolDonald MacNicolThe Rev. Donald MacNicol , was a Scottish clergyman, as Minister of Lismore in Argyll, and an author. He was the son of Nicol Macnicol of Succoth, Argyll, and the nephew of Alexander Stewart of Invernahyle. He is perhaps best known for his Remarks On Dr. Samuel Johnson's Journey To The Hebrides, a...
. Remarks on Dr. Samuel Johnson's Journey to the Hebrides; in which are contained observations on the antiquities, language, genius, and manners of the Highlanders of Scotland. London: Printed for T. Cadell, 1779. From Internet ArchiveInternet ArchiveThe Internet Archive is a non-profit digital library with the stated mission of "universal access to all knowledge". It offers permanent storage and access to collections of digitized materials, including websites, music, moving images, and nearly 3 million public domain books. The Internet Archive...
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