" As there is nothing left upon record respecting the times when, the persons by whom, or the purposes for which, these roads were constructed, we can only men tion the common traditions regarding them. One is, that they were made by the kings of Scotland when the royal residence was in the castle of Inverlochy, which is not above eleven miles from the nearest of them ; and what gii es an appearance of truth to this tradition, in the opi nion of those who maintain it, is, that the construction of these roads was so vast an undertaking as could not be effected by any vassal or nobleman, however powerful. Another tradition, which is that of the natives, is, that they were made by the Fingalians, and under the name of Fingalian roads they are still known in this country. They are likewise called the Cassan, that is, the roads, by way of eminence. Of this the natives are convinced, from this circumstance, that several of the hills have retained, from time immemorial, the names of some of the heroes of Fin gal, such as the Hill of Gaul the Son of Morni, that of Diarmid, and of Fillan, and likewise of Bran, the famous dog of Fingal, &c. Now, the popular opinion cannot be considered as a direct proof of ,.nv opinion, yet we cannot help remarking that the original tradition, which in this case has always been invariable, gives a strong degree c' credibility to the exis ence of such heroes, and renders by no means improbable that these• extraordinary roads have been the result of their labours. The purpose which they have been designed to serve, seems to have been, agreeably to the common opinion, to facilitate the exer cise of hunting ; for, in ancient times, and indeed till with in this century, the valley was covered with wood, which made it very difficult to pursue the deer, &c. and render ed certain avenues necessary for effecting this purpose; in corroboration of which opinion, it may be observed, that on the sides of the roads there have been found some stakes fixed in the ground, probably the remains of some of the palings or fences which in those days were made use of to confine the game till they were driven in upon a field called Dal na Sealg, or Hunting Dale, where the presumption is that they were killed." Thus far Mr. Ross.
We hear no more of them after this time, till they were visited by Mr. Playfair, in company with Lord Webb Sey mour, by Sir James Hall, and by the Earl of Selkirk, at different periods, and independently of each other. These philosophers, however, were content with giving their opinion of them in conversation, nor was any memoir pub lished. We shall hereafter notice their different theories; and, without meaning any disrespect to names so well known, shall merely say here, that the conceptions of the whole of these observers were as superficial and indistinct, as their investigations appear to have been ill conducted ; and that their several theories are quite unsatisfactory and irreconcilable to the phenomena. We need only observe, at present, as what may be considered a remarkable fact, that Mr. Playfair, long accustomed to geological investi gations, and well versed in all the collateral knowledge re quisite for the investigation of this subject, agreed with the Highland tradition, in so far, at least, as to consider them works of art.
The first careful examination subsequent to these was made by Dr. M'Culloch in 1814, and a paper on the sub ject was then drawn up, and presented to the Geological Society, but not read till 1817. In this paper, a very com plete description of Glen Roy, and of all these phenome na, was given, attended with the several necessary mea surements, and with views, maps, and sections for their complete illustration. A detailed view was also given of the different theories which had been proposed to explain the appearances; together with arguments drawn from them, that prove these to be as unfounded as they were in sufficient for the solution of the difficulties. At the same
time another theory was proposed, capable of explaining all the appearances without difficulty, and supported by every one of the facts ; while, by tracing the geography of the surrounding country. and comparing its present with its probable former condition, the whole subject was placed in so intelligible a point of view as to leave no difficulty to future observers.
From that paper we shall extract what is essential to our purpose, with such additions and alterations as may be necessary. A few of these are borrowed from a paper from Sir Thomas Dick Lauder, in the Transactions of the Royal Society of Edinburgh, published in 1821, from a survey made in 1S17; the chief novelty of which is a pro longation of the appearances in Glen Spean into the val ley that leads to Loch Treig, which bad not been examin ed by the author above mentioned.
The lower part of Glen Roy, in particular, is exceed ingly picturesque ; the outlines of the hills being graceful, if not their surfaces intricate and pleasingly un dulatcd, and occasionally sprinkled with wood, while the bottom of the valley through which the winding river runs, is scattered with clumps of wood, with cottages, and with cultivation. On the faces of these hills, in most places at least, and on the opposite sides of the valley, at heights precisely corresponding, are traced to the eve three strong lines, absolutely level, and parallel to each other and to the horizon, but at different distances from each other. So singular is the effect produced by their mathematical exactness and artificial appearance, that the spectator can scarcely conceive that they belong to the landscape; imagining them rather to be lines interposed between his eye and the hills, as in viewing an object through a telescope furnished with parallel micrometer threads. It is with some effort and study that he learns to consider them as a part of it ; and then it is that he is perhaps even more struck by their extraordinary and arti ficial aspect.
This seems to be a natural consequence of all those ap pearances in nature which most resemble works of art. It is not often that she presents us with artificial forms on a large scale ; and least of all with that semblance of mathe matical exactness here visible. Similar feelings are cx cited by the huge castellated form of the Scuir of Eyg, towering amid the clouds like a work of gigantic art, and by the columnar scenery of the Western Islands, so well known in Staffa, though displayed in far greater abundance, and on a much more various and sublime scale, in Sky, in Ailsa, and in other places. In contemplating natural objects of this character, it is with difficulty that the spectator can divest himself of the feeling, that he is actually contem plating a work of art. He is constantly led to make com parisons that are ever intruding themselves on his imagi nation ; and thus insensibly measuring the works of nature by the similar efforts of art, is struck by the magnitude of the efforts, and of the power that appears displayed, when he compares them to even the most stupendous produc tions of man. That this vague and unperceived meta physical reasoning is the cause of the more powerful effect on the mind produced by them, than by other species of scenery of far greater sublimity and of a much greater scale, we entertain no doubt. Where Nature can only be compared to herself, accustomed to a different scale of judgment, we pass over the sublimest scenery with com paratively little impression. There is nothing human with we can compare the thundering cataract, the dark mountain, the beetling cliff, and the wide ocean. We measure her according to her own powers, not those of man; and our wonder is forgotten in our consciousness of her unlimited means and resources.