Ossian Collection > Defence of the Scots Highlanders, in general; and some learned characters, in particular

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lowers of the Roraans, from hod a boat, and
otter a colledlion of mud and dirt caft into
a foft heap, either by the Tea or rivers, into
any quiet corner of a loch, bay, or river,
over which no boat can pafs, nor man walk
upon at ebb fea or low water. And the
bottom of the Forth is perfedly impaffable
either for horfe or footmen, in mofl: parts of
it, owing to the deep clay channel of 50
odd miles through which that water runs ;
and when it overflows its banks, there is
hardly getting to a boat through the mud
and dirt left behind it. — So much for the
Forth.
But indeed Tacitus writes about this Bo-
dotria in fuch dubious terms, arifmg, both
from his ignorance of the country, and want
of accurate information of the true name of
that famous river ; that one is at a lofs to
know whether he means not Clyde as much
as the Forth, from the narrow iiihmus that
almoft joins the two. For though he writes
that, in the fourth fummer of Agricola's
command, Ghttrt & Bodotria d'lverfi niarh
aj^u per immenfum reveal anguflo ierrarurn
Jpatio dlr'imuntur^ quod turn frajidiis firm aba-
iur^