the ruins, has been of great height and ftrength. But what is moft extraordinary, thofe walls have been vitrified, or compacted by the force of fire; the vitrification in fome places having been fo complete, that the ruins appear like vaft fragments of coarse glass. Those fortified hills have a level area on the fummit, they are univerfally difficult of accefs, except in one place, which has every where been ftrengthened by additional works, and they were each furnished with one or two wells. Mr. Williams has feen fome of thofe hills of a long. oval figure, which were acceffible at both ends; but, as appears from the ruins, their entrances were strongly fortified.

The first of those curious pieces of antiquity which the author mentions, is fituated on the hill of Knockfarril, on the fouth fide of the valley of Strathpeffar, two miles west of Dingwall in Rofsfhire. This hill is about nine hundred foot of perpendicular height, of an oblong figure, exceeding fteep on both fides; but the declivity at each end is by an easy defcent. The area within the walls is a hundred and twenty paces long, and about forty broad. But fome part of the area that was moderately level not being included, there have been very high, and apparently very strong works at each end, without the furrounding wall.

At the defire of the board of annexed eftates in Scotland, Mr. Williams made a section of the ruins on this hill, and gives the following account of his difcoveries.

I begun the cut at Knockfarril, not exactly in the middle, but a little nearer the east end, to be quite clear of two hollow places, which, upon examination, I found to have been wells.

I began to dig here, quite on the outside of all the ruins. At first we met with nothing in digging, but rich black mold (made by fheep and goat lying and dunging for ages) mixed with large ftones, and fragments of the vitrified ruins.

This continued the fame for feveral yards, only that the ftones and fragments increafed more and more as we advanced; and when we came near the ruins of the wall, we met with little befides ftones, and fragments of the vitrified matter.

. When we had advanced to the ruins of the wall, on the fouth fide, we found it difficult to get through; for, though it is evident the wall has fallen down, and broke to pieces in the fall, yet many of the fragments are fo large and ftrong, and the vitrification fo entire, that it was not eafy breaking through. However, with the help of crows, and plenty of hands, we tumbled over fome very large fragments; which at first began to go whole down the hill, but when they gained velocity of motion, they dashed to pieces against the rocks, and ended in a furious fhower at the bottom of the hill.

I was obliged to get under one large fragment, which I left as a bridge over the fouth end of the cut.

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On the north fide, we began on the outfide of the wall, immediately in the rubbish of the vitrified ruins, and foon came to pretty high ruins of a wall, more hard and strong than any thing of the kind I had feen before; which I did not expect here, as this wall was almost wholly grown over with heath and grafs. 1 found it neceffary to undermine the ruins of this north wall, to let its own weight contribute its help to bring it down.

The height of the ruins of this north wall, is now no less than twelve feet perpendicular, though certainly all fallen down; what then must it have been when flanding? It appears quite evident, that the whole of the vitrified wall, furrounding the inclosed area, has fallen flat outward. Thefe walls were certainly very strong at first; but what is there, that its own weight, or fome other circumftance, does not bring to ruin?

They were indeed built on a firm and folid rock, but that rock had a little declivity outward, quite round; fo that time, and their own weight, on fuch a leaning foundation, would certainly bring them down, outward.'

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Mr. Williams informs us, that the furrounding wall on Knockfarril has been run together by vitrification, much better than the greater part of the others which he has seen. fome of those the ftones feem to have been partly run down, and partly enveloped by the vitrified matter; but here the whole wall forms one folid mafs of unmixed vitrification: whence Mr. Williams reasonably infers, that it owes its confiftence entirely to the force of fire, and not to any plastic matter that had been poured among the ftones.

On the infide of the furrounding wall, there are ruins of vitrified buildings, which feem to have been worse executed, and are therefore more decayed than the outer walls. Mr. Williams conje&ures that those inner works have been a range of habitations, reared againft, or under the fhade of the outer wall. They appear to have been continued quite round the area, but have been much higher on the north fide, facing the fun, than on the oppofite afpect. The morning after the workmen had opened the holes which feemed to be the ruins of wells, they found more than three foot of water in each.

At the out-fkirts of the ruins, and at the bottom of the hill, is a great quantity of large ftones, of all fizes and shapes, which have not been touched by fire, whence Mr. Williams concludes, that fome fort of ftone buildings has been erected, on the outfide of the vitrified walls; and thofe he imagines have been raised on the fouth fide only, with a proper space between them and the vitrified walls, for the purpose of fecuring their cattle from their enemies. One reafon which he gives for this opinion is, that when cutting into the outwork

at

at the weft end of Knockfarril, he observed, under the ruins, a ftratum of dung, about three inches deep, preffed hard by the incumbent weight; and this ftratum continued for many yards, as the workmen advanced.

In all the vitrified forts which Mr. Williams has feen, he has obferved the remains of dry ftone buildings run along a part of the outfide, at fome little diftance from the vitrified wall. Where the fituation will admit, they are generally on the fouth fide, but always on the flatteft fide of the hill, for the cafe, as he justly fuppofes, of the cattle. When there was

not room enough on the level area above, to have this dry stone inclosure on the fummit, a large ditch had been made on that fide of the hill where the flope was eafieft; and on the outfide of thofe ditches, there are every where dry ftone ruins, which Mr. Williams fuppofes were intended for the fecurity of the cattle. When the fummit afforded no convenient ftation for the cattle, a level place for the purpose was formed towards the bottom of the hill.

Our author's fubfequent obfervations relative to this place. mult prove fo interesting to every reader who has any taste for fuch researches, that we shall admit them into our Review

The full name of this remarkable fortified hill, is Knockfarril-naphian, which I am told by gentlemen killed in the Galic language, is Fingal's place on Knock-farril, this being

the name of the hill.

The tradition of the common people concerning this place, is, that it was the habitation of giants; when giants were in the land! That the chief of thefe giants was Ree Phian M'Coul, which, I am told, means King Fingal the fon of Coul.

I think it no wonder at all, they fuppofe fuch extraordinary buildings as thefe the work of giants. We often meet with traditions that appear much more abfurd. And the tradition of the wonderful feats Fingal and his heroes were faid to perform, might, in after ages, very well make them pafs for giants; efpetially when thofe feats would be exaggerated in after ages by poetical fiction.

It is highly probable, that this was one of Fingal's habitations or places of ftrength, as this country, and the neighbouring countries of Sutherland, Caithness, and the coast of Moray, were fubject to be invaded by the northern powers.

The coafts of the Moray and Pentland friths, were the places they commonly infefted: and I make no doubt but these countries were the scenes of Fingal's wars with thofe powers, so often celebrated by Offian, and other ancient Highland bards. To place the scene of thofe wars, and to make Fingal king only of that little rocky country now called Morven, a fmall district in the county of Argyll, in my opinion, betrays a criminal degree of ignorance of the Highlands in any one that writes of these

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matters, and does but little honour to fo renowned a heroe to confine him to fo fmall a fpot,

I have read Offian, and I am pretty fure, from circumftances, I can fix fome of the fcenes of thofe poems in Moray and Caithness, &c. I have, indeed, been tempted to imagine, that this remarkable place, Knockfarril, is the ruins of Selma, the palace or habitation of Fingal, fo often celebrated by Offian. Many circumftances give their joint fuffrage, to make this conjecture appear at leaft probable.

This is a beautiful, and a centrical fituation.

The buildings on this fortified hill, have been of great extent, and appear, by the ruins, to have been of great strength, and better executed than any of the kind I have seen.-There are clear veftiges of a remarkable road, leading from this place through the hills, towards the north-weft fea.

• Several places in this neighbourhood bear the names of fome of Fingal's heroes, which places might have belonged to the particular men they are named after; and there are near this, a fine river and valley, which to this day bear the name of Cona, the place of the famous bard Offian.

When I first faw the vellige of the ancient road leading to Knockfarril, I wondered what it could be; as it has been cut very deep and wide, and the bark thrown out is ftill very high, on the fide of the hill near the old ruins,

The people of the country call this the giants hunting road; but it appears to me, it was a road of communication between this and fome other remarkable place of ftrength, or between this and the north-weft fea, towards which it leads. This road does not take the nearest cut over hill and dale, but feems to fearch every where for the hardeft ground. In fome places I have feen it go a confiderable way about, to fhun a peat mofs, and other foft ground.

I followed the track of this road three or four miles, till it went in among the hills, the eaft fide of Binwevus, but could not go much farther, without proper conveniencies for lying out all night.

It appears evidently to have been a road for men and horfes, but not for carriages, as it is in fome places very narrow.

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They have, indeed, cut wide and deep, where the foil was foft; yet I obferved, that in going up the fide of a hill, where the ground was hard and firm, the road was not above five feet wide,-juft fit for men and horfes to pafs in a line.

I have not difcovered fuch a road as this, leading to any other of the fortified hills I have seen.

Whether the place of ttrength on Knockfarril was the famous ancient Selma, or not, I will not pretend to affert; but I cannot help being perfuaded, that the famous bard Offian had his refidence in this neighbourhood.,

. He celebrates the vales, the freams, and the hills of Cona, as the fcenes where he exercised his mufe.

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The river Cona, now called Conan,is about three short miles from Knockfarril.

This river, fo famous of old, is now one of the finest rivers in the north.

It waters a beautiful valley of great length, before it emerges from among the hills; and then it winds its way through a beautiful, extenfive level country, in which it forms itfelf into many a long and smooth canal, and charming limpid ftream, before it enters the tide near Dingwall. The valley watered by this river, is ftill called Strath-conan, which is but a little variation, in fo long a time, from Strath-cona.

< Many of the hills on both fides this fine river, bordering on the low country, are beautifully wild, and command an extenfive prospect to the ealt. When the aged bard would afcend one of thefe hills in the morning, and behold the glory of the rifing fun, enlightening the whole profpect before him, and darting his all-chearing beams to the place of his retreat, and gilding the ftreams of his Cona with burnished filver; no wonder if his mufe was fired to celebrate the morning glories of the great luminary, when fhining over" the blue ocean, on the fides of the Morven."

There are many romantic fcenes, of woods, rocks, and falls of water, near the foot of the glen or valley.

Thefe, with the hills, the widely extended country, and various views of the river which the hills command, would be a charming retirement for the aged bard.

In fhert, there are fo many concurring circumstances, to make it appear probable that this country was the chief refidence of the famous warrior Fingal, that I would fpin out this letter too long, were I to advance as many of them as have come under my obfervation. But the goodness and fituation of the countries on both fides the Moray frith, and the numerous remains of places of ftrength, and other monuments of remote antiquity, are to me as good as a thoufand proofs, that there have been very remarkable people inhabiting these countries in thofe early periods, and that they had very powerful enemies to oppofe.'

The next vitrified fort described by Mr. Williams, is fituated on the hill of Craig-Phadrick, immediately above the house of Muirtoun, two miles weft of Inverness; a hill nearly of the fame height as that of Knockfarril, and commanding a most extensive prospect. The fortifications on this hill appear to have been very ftrong. Mr. Williams remarks as a peculiarity, that there are here diftinct ruins of two vitrified walls quite round the inclofed area, and three at the entrance on' the east end. The inner wall feems to have been very high and ftrong, but the outer one not of any confiderable height. It is founded on the folid rock, about fix or eight paces from the inner wall, and the author imagines it has been intended as a fence for the cattle, there being no remains of any dry

ftone