Scotland/Scots > Reminiscences of a Highland parish

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A HIGHLAND PARISH.
tion. A better boatman, a truer genius at the
helm, never took a tiller in his hand; a more
enduring traveller never trod the heather; a
better singer of a boat-song never cheered the
rowers, nor kept them as one man to their
stroke; a more devoted, loyal, and affectionate
“ minister’s man ” and friend never lived than
Rory—first called “ Little Rory,” but as long as
I can remember, “ Old Rory.” More of him
anon, however. The minister and his servant
arrived in the Highland parish nearly ninety
years ago, almost total strangers to its inhabitants,
and alone they entered the manse to see what it
was like.
I ought to inform my readers in the south, some
of whom—can they pardon the suspicion if it be
unjust ?—are more ignorant of Scotland and its
Church than they are of France or Italy and the
Church of Rome,—I ought to inform them tha
the Presbyterian Church is established in Scotian
and that the landed proprietors in each parish
are bound by law to build and keep in repair a
church, suitable school, and parsonage or “ manse,"
and also to secure a portion of land, or “glebe,”