Scotland agin

17-27 June, in the year of our Lord 2022

Up; and when ready, in my coach, Mr. M. Jones with me, early upon the road to reprise our journey to Scotland, that we made this September since, onlie this time purposing to enterrupt our days ride at Glesgow. Overtook after a little more than an hours travel by a Messenger, who hailed us stop and handed his despatch, and my heart skipped a beat for it was from my fathers Specialised Nurse at St. Thos. Hospitalle, and I think it ill news. But praise be that it was the very opposite, that he is as well as ever, with naught chang’d, and that she merely wished to see him, face to face, after such a time, which done, and he is joyed by the news, so now they have popped him in a hackney to home; and I marvel at the kindness that she should have done such a thing, to send such a message to me to put my mind at rest.
  The rest of the journey very poor, with a waggon turned over on its side in the middle of the road, so all must leave the main road and go, in a great file of carts, coaches and carriages, upon a very small road which was not fit, with many rutts in it, between Junctions XXXII and XXXIII. So late by severalle hours to our Inne, where checked in, and at the reception a comley woman give us keys for our room, who looked like she just stepped off a packet ship from the Orient, and when I asked for a tavern reckommandation sayed something in a foreyne tongue that I did not understand, though I thought it from the East Indys, perhaps the Island of Bombay whence she fled the Portugalls; then did Mr. Jones hiss me that it was the Glesgow accent of speech, and pulled me away for fear of tom foolary. There settled for two nights, very merrie after a Tie supper. 

18. Sat. Up, and, it fine, up and down the town, finding it in parts very poor and in others a brave place, and a little river running through it, and by and by a great museum, in an admirable building of red brick; thence to gardens, all by foot, and there some iced cream, and sat by some great Constructions all made of glass, with many pretty flowers inside, and so done, come back by foot to our room and then out for a peatser, each one of us, 10s. 4d.

19. Lords day. Paying the reckoning, 1l 8s. 4d., and servants 2s., poor 1s., by my coach north, a days ride, by roads ever smaller, till all the traffick of coaches, carriages and waggons behind, and Lord, but the country so fine and grand, and the road now high in the hills, now low by the sea, and mountains all around, and islands in the distance. Broke journy at Ellen’s Bonnie Castle, which was indeed very pretty, with a little bridge to it, though I was not so taken with the inside, it being a little plain in some rooms; and it being a cold wind and so full of people, fought off a great many, on bycicles from Germany, to buy a Toasty filled with Haggies, bacon and Mackerony cheese, it being the strangest delicacy I tasted since I chewed the eyeball of a tuner fish in Clerkenwell.

20-23. Thus settled in our new Inne in Sheldaig, these four days set to explore, it being so many years since [here], it being so far, that I had forgot the majesty of the country side. And being here upon the longest day, the evening seeming on forever, till dusk and the sun set, and then twilit very long, so we thought it never dark. One day, which was Mon., upon the road on a high pass; another to a garden, one of the prettiest I ever saw, where it did astound us to seeing growing there a rose and a fruit tree, all at a lattitude with Sweadland, where all is frozen all the year; and on other days we put on boots and walked, in high hills and by the waters edge; the weather kind and our inne furnishing us of many fine dishes, and one day a packed lunch of such a size that we could not eat it all and I brought all the way home a rosy apple and a Dyet Coke which I put on ice, and some chockerlate which we eat in the coach, though it melted and went everywhere for it was a hot day.

24-27. Thence to Edinburgh, a fine city, I think the handsomest I ever saw outside London. There lodged with Dr. Mumford, my old school-fellow at Paul’s school, who shew us somewhat of the city, and on Sat. to his club on Princes street, where a rare view from the windows to the great castle upon its promentory, and of all the roofs of the Old Town, all higglepiggledy; and there come a friend of his from court, who spoke French very well, and all very merrie in such fine company. The palace of Holy Rood being closed, though we walked an hour to it, on account of the King come to visit, walked many miles, incl. to the High Kirk, a fine building with a crown steeple, which I never saw before, all very pleasant and the rain held. On Sun., after church and an excellent honest sermon, though firey in the nature of the Scots Presbyters, parted with our host, who must travel all the way to London for a case in Chancery, and we to the city gardens, where dined, and after took coach to the Rosslynn Chapel, final resting place of Daniel Brown, the famous Scots writer, though many French people come there in a big party and Mr. Jones complained about the noise they made. Mon., come by my coach home.