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of this obelisk to be in memory of some Danes, among whom were the three sons of the king, who suffered shipwreck, and are said to have been buried where the obelisk stands. Another obelisk stood in the church-yard, which was thrown down by a storm in the year 1725.

Near Nigg at a place called Dunskeath, on a ledge of rocks near the sea, was formerly a fortress built by William the Lion, king of Scotland; erected to suppress disorders, and preserve the conutry from robbers. The name is derived from dun, a fort or castle, and scath, destruction or dispersion. A farm adjoining is still called Castle Craig.

CROMARTY parish, with a wing only of its neighbour Kirkmichael, may be regarded as the whole of the county. The other component parts may be ranked as its colonies; it is eight miles long and four broad, and contains 417 houses, and 2,208 inhabitants, viz. 956 males, and 1,252 females; of whom 262 were returned as being employed in agriculture, and 575 in trade and manufacture.

The town of Cromarty is situated on a neck or point of land in au inlet of the Frith of Murray, called the bay of Cromarty, and is said to derive its name from two Gaelic words crom and ba, which signify crooked bay, and is applicable from the winding of the shore. It was anciently a royal borough, but was disfranchised by the privy council of Scotland, in consequence of an application from Sir John Urquhart, proprietor of the estate of Cromarty, for that purpose. The town is clean and neatly built. The chief manufacture is of sack-cloth.

At the entrace of the bay of Cromarty are two promontories called Sutors, jutting into the sea, and considerably above the level; the one on the north and the other on the south side of the mouth of the bay: the body of water between is about a mile and a half broad. After passing the Sutors, there is good anchoring ground for several miles up the bay, and deep water on both sides almost close to shore, and nearly the whole

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whole navy of Great Britain might ride in safety. A commodious quay was built at Cromarty in 1785. The passage across into the county of Ross is hardly ever interrupted by weather, though the tides in and out through the Sutors are very strong, and no accident has ever been known to happen.

KIRKMICHAEL parish occupies the whole breadth of the peninsula between the Moray Frith and Cromarty bay, stretching westward about eight miles, and three in breadth, and contains 1,234 inhabitants, but the population was not returned to parliament in the year 1801.

A considerable proportion adjoining to the parish of Cromarty appertains to that county, but a great part belongs also to the county of Ross. There are many remains of encampments and castles in this parish, supposed to have been erected by the Danes. The family seats of Pointsfield, Braelang-wall, and Newhall, adorn this parish.

The parish of ROSEMARKIE borders on the southern quarter of Kirkmichael, lying on the shore of the Frith of Cromarty; it is six miles long and three broad, and contains 274 houses, and 1,289 inhabitants, viz. 579 males, and 710 females; of whom 262 were returned as being employed In agriculture, and 153 in trade and manufacture. The coast is bold and rocky, and has many frightful precipices. The cliffs are covered with ivy; many of which are hollowed into extensive cavities, upwards of fifty yards under the land.

The town of Fortrose, situated nearly opposite to Fort George, is formed by the union of Rosemarkie and Chanonry, by a charter of James II. in the year 1444. The former is a borough of considerable antiquity : the latter lies about one mile westward, and is now the seat of a presbytery: it was formerly the see of the diocese of Ross, and the cathedral church stood there. Here the bishop resided, and the chapter clergy, so that there is scarce a house in the burgh of any value,

which did not belong to the clergy: The ancient cathedral was preserved and repaired by some of the bishops since the Reformation, as a place for public worship; but it is now gone much to decay: only two small portions of it remaining, one of which is now used as a burial-place by the Mackenzie family: the other is the court-house, having vaulted prisons below.

There is a regular ferry between this place and Fort George. It is included in the northern district of burghs in sending a member to parliament.

The parish of AvоCH lies on the shore of the Moray Frith, westward of Rosemarkie. It is four miles in length and two in breadth, aud contains 323 houses and 1476 inhabitants, viz. 669 males and 807 females; of which number 344 were returned as being employed in agriculture, and 679 in various trades and manufactures.

The greater part of the stone for the buildings of Fort George were carried from Monlochy, a bay of the Moray Frith in this parish.

Rosehaugh, the seat of M'Kenzie, Bart. is an elegant structure in a pleasant situation. Avoch House is also a commodious mansion.

KNOCKBAYNE is formed by the united parishes of Kilmuir, Wester, and Suddy: it borders with Avech about the shore of Monlochy bay; and is seven miles long, and six broad, containing 438 houses and 1859 inhabitants, viz. 840 males and 1019 females; of whom 1712 were returned as being employed in agriculture, and 147 in trade and manufacture. The country here has a gentle rise, continued almost from Cromarty. This district is adorned by the seats of Balmaduthie, Allangrage, and Suddie.

The road from the ferry of Keswick to Cromarty, and to the ferry of Invergordon, passes near the church of this parish.

KILCARNAN parish skirts with Knockbayne upon the stretch of the Moray Frith, which bends north

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ward

ward from Keswick it is five miles long and two broad; and contains 246 houses and 1131 inhabitants, viz. 553 males and 578 females; of whom 549 were returned as being employed in agriculture, and 68 in trade and manufacture. The family seats of the M'Kenzies and Grants, called Redcastle and Kilcoy, both ancient strong-holds, modernized into elegant mansions, decorate the shore of the Moray Frith.

The parish of URQUHART skirts backward on the borders of Killcarnan and Knockbayne; being situated partly on the southern end of the frith of Cromarty, and partly on the bank of the river Conan, in which the frith has its termination. It is ten miles in length and three in breadth, and contains 659 houses and 2820 inhabitants, viz. 1264 males and 1556 females; of whom 1568 were returned as being employed chiefly in agriculture, and 112 in trade and manufacture.

The people of this district abused the privilege of distilling bear, the growth of their own lands, free from the duties of excise: this boon of government, was resumed for a liberal compensation to the proprietor; distillation, however, is still the principal occupation

of the inhabitants.

M'Kenzie, of

Conanside, a seat belonging to Girloch, Bart. with many natural beauties, is likewise much improved by art. Findon House, the property of M'Kenzie of Scatwell, Bart. is pleasantly situated on the shore of the frith. Ferntosh, a part of the estate of Culloden, is also in this parish.

URRAY parish, united with Kilchrist, is situated to the westward of Urquhart, on the banks of the Beaulieu and Conan: it is six miles in length, and three in breadth, and contains 459 houses and 2083 inhabitants, viz. 998 males, and 1085 females; of whom 1991 were returned as being employed in agriculture, and 49 in trade and manufacture.

This parish, though a beautiful wooded plain, with a dry soil and temperate clime, retains the agriculture of the Highlands; it is intersected by the Orran till it

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resigns its rapid stream to the more gentle Conan, which is enlarged by the tributary rivers from the skirts of Lochcharron, Gairloch, and Lochbroom.

Castle Braan, the princely mansion of Lord Seaforth, is pleasantly situated on the side of a hill in this parish, commanding a view of a large plain, and to the west a wild prospect of broken and lofty mountains. In this house is a fine full-length of Mary Stuart, with this inscription: Maria D. G. Scotia. piissima regina. Francia Dotaria. Anno Etatis Regni 38, 1580. Her dress is black, with a ruff, çap, handkerchief, and a white veil down to the ground, beads, and prayer-book, and a cross hanging from her neck; her hair dark brown, her face handsome, and considering the difference of years, so much resembling, says, Mr. Pennant, her portrait by Zucchero in Chiswick House, as to leave little doubt as to the originality of the last.

A small half-length on wood, of Henry Darnley, inscribed Henricus Stuardus Dominus, Æt. IX. M. D. L. V. dressed in black, with a sword: it is the figure of a handsome boy. Besides these is a fine portrait of Cardinal Richlieu.-Generai Monk, in a buff coat.Head of Sir George Mackenzie.-The Earl of Seaforth, called from his size, Kenneth More.-Frances, Countess of Seaforth, daughter of William, Marquis of Powis, in her robes, with a tawny moor offering her a coronet. Roger Palmer, Earl of Castlemaine; distinguished by his lady, Barbara, Dutchess of Cleveland.

Near the house are some very fine oaks and horsechesnuts.

The parish of CONTIN borders on the westward of Urray, farther up, on the course of the Conan; so great a proportion of it is included between that river and the Raasay, and they are so nearly conjoined by the streams and lakes in the vallies westward among the hills, that the epithet of Island is generally added to the name of the parish; which is ten miles in

length,

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