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tains, now covered with grass and verdure, would without them be barren and unfruitful.

The quantity of rain which falls yearly in any part of the county has not yet been ascertained; but it is believed that, at an average, it is not much more than what falls on the banks of the Clyde (about 32 inches), as the crops there are faved later, and generally with more difficulty, than with us; so that our climate, though certainly better adapted for grafs and green crops than for corn, cannot be deemed very unfavourable to cultivation. Mildews, blights, and hoarfrofts, fo hurtful to crops in fome other parts of Scotland, are feldom known to do much harm here.

The climate however is, upon the whole, rather moist, and extremely variable; and the transitions from hot to cold, and from dry to wet, frequently fudden, and almost instantaneous. The fudden checks thus given to perspiration have rendered confumptive complaints and rheumatisms rather common, fince linens have been used inftead of flannels, which are certainly better adapted to fuch a climate. The general complexion of the people, however, is remarkably healthy; and instances of extreme old age are not unfrequent.

SECT. IV. Soil and Surface.

THE general appearance of this county is rough and mountainous, especially in the more northern parts of it, where, as already observed, it borders on the Grampian Hills. There Alps piled on Alps hide their heads in clouds, and the face of nature wears a wild magnificence. Even along the feacoaft, where the land is generally lower and more level, there are fome mountains of ftupendous fize and height. Cruachan, washed on one fide by the sea, and on the other by Lochow, is 1130 feet high, and above 20 miles in circum

ference. The most mountainous parts of the county, however, are interspersed with beautiful and fertile vales, along the margin of whofe ftreams there is generally a confiderable quantity of arable and improveable ground, though rarely in fo great a proportion as along the sea-coast.

The foil of the arable land is extremely various. The most common along the fea and rivers is a light loam mixed with fand or gravel, on a clay or gravelly bottom. On the fides of the hills, the moft common is a light gravelly foil, on a till bottom. Sometimes the foil of the lower grounds has a mixture of clay, and sometimes of mofs; and not seldom it is a coat of black moffy earth lying on till. As our mountains confift chiefly of whinftone, the lower grounds muft of course contain a confiderable proportion of the particles of that stone, which fince the creation have been continually washed down from the higher to the lower grounds. The greatest defect of the foil in general is the want of a due proportion of clay, to give it the proper degree of tenacity for fupporting corn crops. This is commonly the cafe in all hanging grounds and mountainous countries.

The clay washes away, while the gravel and fand remain behind.

The foil of the pasture grounds is no less diverfified. Some of it is dry and kindly, and produces a sweet and fine pile of grafs; some of it wet and spongy, and covered with coarse graffes, rushes, and fprots. Some of the flat grounds are marfhy, and some moffy; and a very great proportion, both of what is flat and hilly, is covered with heath The tops of the highest hills are generally bare and barren rocks, the unenvied abode of the ptarmagan, scared only by the scream of the eagle.

SECT. V.-Water.

IT has been obferved already that this county is every

where indented with arms of the fea. Some of these run from the one extremity of it almost to the other. This form gives it such immense advantages for commerce, fishing, manure, and kelp, as may one day be of more avail to it than all its extent of territory. The value of the herrings caught in Lochfine in the years 1794 and 1795 has been computed at more than 40,000 1. each year; but fuch great tacks are very uncommon. The quantity of kelp made on the shores of the continent is not fo great as that on the shores of islands, from the great quantity of fresh water which mixes with the falt. About 600 tons are supposed to be made annually along the continent of the county. Some of the best kelp has been fold this year as high as 9 1. per ton.

The ftreams of water are numerous, and fome of them pretty large, but none navigable. All of them abound with trout, and many of them with falmon. of them with falmon. The falmon fishing of the largest of them (the water of Aw) is let at present for fomewhat under 100l. Some years ago it was let for near twice as much; but of late the quantity of salmon on all this coaft is not so great as ufual; and this year (1795) it is said that very few of our falmon fishings will pay the expence of the men and materials that attend them.

When manufactures will find their way into this county, many of our ftreams may be used for turning water-machinery. Almost all of them are capable of being turned to great account in watering land, and cannot fail to be highly prized when that valuable improvement shall be generally introduced. Pearl-fhell or water-mufcle abounds in many of them; but this is feldom of much account.

The fresh water lakes in this county are numerous, but few of them of confiderable extent. Lochow (or Lochaw), the largest of them, is computed to be 24 miles in length, and somewhat less than one of average breadth: a beautiful fheet of water, adorned with iflands and ancient caftles, and

its banks with corn fields and hanging woods. The only parish in this county which has no fea-fhore has this lake running through it. It has also another lake about three miles long. Lochow alone may be nearly equal in extent to all the other lakes in the county. A few of the fmaller lakes have not yet been planted with fishes, though this would be a cheap and valuable improvement, equally fubfervient to the luxury of the rich, and to the neceffity of the poor. We might also introduce many kinds of fishes which we yet want.

When lakes are fhallow, and eafily drained, the fediment at their bottom is found to make excellent arable land. A valuable improvement of this kind was cheaply obtained fome years ago at Lochsanish, in the neighbourhood of Campbelton. Another is nearly effected at Lochan-du'il, in the parish' of Kilcalmonel; and those who have property on the banks of Lochow talk of deepening the outlet from it, so as to lower its furface, and enlarge its fhores. It is much to the credit of former proprietors that such a project was set on foot, and some progress made in the work, when the acquisition of more territory was of little value in comparison to what it is at present.

Lochow, like Lochnefs, and fome other lakes in Scotland, is seldom subject to freezing.—It may be proper to observe under this section that fome lakes may be converted to refervoirs for the watering of land.

SECT. VI.-Minerals.

WHAT minerals may be in this county, is a matter that has not yet been fufficiently explored. A lead mine has been for a long time wrought on the borders of it near Tyndrom, on Lord Breadalbin's property *; and another at Strontian †,

* This work has lately intermitted.

+ On this above 200 people are employed; the proprietor gets 1-3th of the Ᏼ .

on the property of Sir James Riddel. Some appearances of lead ore have been also discovered in Glenurchay, in Appin, and in the parish of Kilmalie*. A copper mine has been found in the parish of Kilmartin, but not fo far wrought as to ascertain its value.

It is faid that the natives of this county were in use some ages ago to make their own iron; and heaps of iron drofs, or flag, are found in many places among the mountains (then covered with woods) faid to be the remains of their foun-deries. But no iron ore is now obferved of fo good a quality as to merit any attention; a circumftance rather unfavourable to the tradition.

Coals are found in the neighbourhood of Campbelton, but • they have not yet been wrought to any greater extent than what ferves the town, which confumes about 4500 tons a year. The coal is rather of an inferior quality. But it is faid, that better coal might be got by going deeper, and being at more expence. There is alfo an appearance of coal in Kenlochalin in Morven, and alfo in Mull. It is probable, that, in other parts of the county, coal may be also found if properly searched for. The writer was shown a small piece of excellent coal lately dug up by a man cafting peats (in Derichulin) in Glenurchay. But whether it got there by some strange accident, or grew in the place, is uncertain, as the spot has not yet been examined t.

Free-stone, of various colours and qualities, is found in Kintyre. There are many other kinds of ftone in the county which admit of being dreffed and hewn. The most beautiful of them is that of which the Duke of Argyle's castle at Inveraray is

produce, in pigs, free of all charges. The annual produce of the mine at prefent is about 300 tons.

* A lead mine has been alfo wrought for fome time in the Ifland of Iflay. + This circumftance deferves the more notice, that a judicious man from the low country (Mr. Hiflop), who had been cafting peats here fome years ago, ufed to fay, that he suspected there was coal in it.

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