Perthshire in bygone days

MATTHEW GREGORY LEWIS. 497
•"The Banks of Allan Water ' is supposed to refer to a
smaller stream of the same name, a tributary of the
Teviot." Now, why is it supposed? Who supposes it?
Why this eagerness to carry away the laurels from this
most sparkling of rivers? The Teviotdale Allan is small,
and had few millers or soldiers on its banks ; whereas the
Perthshire Allan had many mills, and a garrison in its
immediate vicinity. The Teviot is not famous for grinding
meal for the shepherd's porridge, but it has two capital
dinner tributaries the Kale and the Ale.
These writers were certainly not cognisant of the fact,
that, along with Sir Walter Scott, Lewis visited the
Trosachs in 1799, and there and then Scott undertook to
furnish him with a poem on Glenfinlas, as a contribution to
" Tales of Wonder," published two years thereafter, which
promise Scott performed, much to the delight of subsequent
generations. Lewis also wrote a poem entitled " Glen-
finlas," but it sank before Scott's. Many years afterwards,
Sir Walter pointed out the spot which gave rise to Lewis'
song to Sir William Allan, which excited so much the
enthusiasm of the great artist that he painted no less than
fourteen views of the Allan scenery. When resident in
Edinburgh, and while visiting the south and the far east,
the future E.A. was, ever and anon, to be found prowling
about the woods of Keir and Dunblane Cathedral ; and,
after his death, the catalogue of his pictures (sold by Tait
and Nisbet) contained the following items : No. 102, " Near
the Bridge of Allan " ; No. 104, " The Allan Water near
Dunblane " ; No. 106, " Eoad near the Bridge of Allan " ;
No. 107, " Stepping-stones on Allan Water"; No. 108,
"Cottage near the Bridge of Allan"; No. 109, "Cottage
on the Banks of Allan Water"; No. 113, "Trees and
Schoolhouse, Bridge of Allan"; No. 146, " The Mill near
Dunblane"; No. 501, "The Mill of Keir, near Dunblane."
The last highly-finished picture was engraved by a young
Edinburgh artist of the name of Flounders, accompanied by
the quotation, " On the Banks of Allan Water." It must
not be supposed that Sir William Allan's visits were
induced by the vast and gay multitudes which for the last
thirty years have annually assembled in this now fashion-
able neighbourhood, because in those days the mineral
which forms the apology for so many pleasurable re-unions
was not discovered. Many a time and oft the present
writer has driven past the Bridge of Allan, when the now
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