We proceeded about twenty miles beyond Inverary, to the house of
a gentleman, a friend of our conductor, where we stayed a few
days, and were feasted in such a manner, that I began to dread
the consequence to my constitution.
Notwithstanding the solitude that prevails among these mountains,
there is no want of people in the Highlands. I am credibly
informed that the duke of Argyle can assemble five thousand men
in arms, of his own clan and surname, which is Campbell; and
there is besides a tribe of the same appellation, whose chief' is
the Earl of Breadalbine. The Macdonalds are as numerous, and
remarkably warlike: the Camerons, M'Leods, Frasers, Grants,
M'Kenzies, M'Kays, M'Phersons, M'Intoshes, are powerful clans; so
that if all the Highlanders, including the inhabitants of the
Isles, were united, they could bring into the field an army of
forty thousand fighting men, capable of undertaking the most
dangerous enterprize. We have lived to see four thousand of them,
without discipline, throw the whole kingdom of Great Britain into
confusion. They attacked and defeated two armies of regular
troops accustomed to service. They penetrated into the centre of
England; and afterwards marched back with deliberation, in the
face of two other armies, through an enemy's country, where every
precaution was taken to cut off their retreat.
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