from More Leaves
Journal Entry: Thursday 19th August 1847
(Royal Yacht) ‘Victoria and Albert’ Royal Yacht
After sleeping very well, got up at ½ p. 7. A beautiful day. — At 9 we left Crinan, proceeding amongst numberless islands, such enchanting scenery, that I really cannot adequately describe it. We passed 1rst up the Sound of Jura, quantities of small boats with little flags, meeting us, then up the Pass of Kerrera to Oban, which is again one of the finest spots we have seen, with the remains of the old Castle of Dunally, & a range of high mountains in the distance. As we left Oban we saw, on the Isle of Kerrera, Dunstaffnage Castle, from which comes St. Stephen’s Chair in which all our Sovereigns are crowned at Westminster Abbey & here King Alexander IInd of Scotland is buried. We passed close by a flat rack called Lady Rock, on which a McLane is said to have left his wife, in the hopes of her being washed away, but she was saved. Passed on into the Mull Sound by Tobermory, a small place, prettily situated, & the views continued being beautiful. We lunched at 1, & when we came on deck we were in sight of the Isle of Rhum, rather a large island, (bought a few years ago by Ld Salisbury) Eigg, & Muck, with Skye behind on our right & Mull on our left. Next, we passed the long, flat, curious Island of Coll & Firn, on the last of which are 6000 inhabitants, who are often half starving. All these islands have last winter been terrible sufferers from the famine. A little further on we saw the Treshnish Isles, being curiously shaped rocks; one of them, called the Dutchman’s Cap, has a most strange shape. At 3 we anchored close before Staffa which is disappointing from that side & looks green & like a cheese. More Leaves
image William Frederick Mitchell orginaly published in The Royal Navy in a series of illustrations