II. Of its Lakes and Rivers. III. Of its Fisheries, including that for Pearls. V. Of its Manufactures of Linen and Woolen. VIII. Of its Fountains, Springs, Medicinal Wa ters, &c. IX. Of precious Stones, &c. found there. X. Of the Cuftoms, Language, Manners, &c. of the People. XI. Of the Religion and Ecclefiaftical Government of Scotland. XII. Of the Order of the Thistle. XIII. Of the Civil Government of Scotland. XIV. A fhort View of the Acts of Parliament fince the Union, that have made any Alteration in the Laws of Scotland. XV. Some brief Obfervations on the Whole; and the Divifion of Scotland into Shires, &c *. Of all which as fuccinctly as poffible. And, 1. A brief Geographical Account of Scotland. SCOTLAND is bounded on the South by the Irish Sea and England, from which it is divided by Solway Firth, and the Rivers Efk and Kekfop; on the Weft Border, by the Cheviot Hills in the Middle Marches; and by the lower Parts of the Tweed, on the East Border. On the Eaft it is bounded by the German Sea; and on the North by the Deucaledonian Sea; and on the Weft, by the great Western Ocean. *The Account of the Rife, Progrefs, and Suppreffion, of the unnatural Rebellion in 1745. referred to the End of this Volume; in order to avoid Prolixity, and the Confufion that must have followed, had the Motions of the Royal Army, and the Rebels, been attended to in the Towns they paffed through, Its greatest Length from Dungby head, or John of Grot's-boufe in Caithness, to the Mull of Galloway towards Ireland, is no more than about 215 Scots Miles; but if we reckon directly North from Dumfries, or the faid Mull of Galloway, to the utmoft Parts of Caithness, or Strathnavern, the Length will not be so much; and lefs ftill, if we reckon from Berwick to either of thele Places. Its Breadth, from the Point of Ard-na-murchan near the Ifle of Mull, about the middle Part of Scotland in the Weft, to Buchannefs in the Eaft Parts, towards the North, is about 140 Scots Miles; but the Sea running up into the Land, or the Land thrusting out into the Sea in many Places, makes the Breadth of it, every-where else very various and difproportionable; for in the South Parts it is feldom 100 Miles over, and in the North Parts, beyond Inverness, not fo many; so that there is no House above 40 or 45 Miles from falt Water. Befides the main Land, there are about 300 Inlands, fome of them very confiderable, which may be diftinguished into several Claffes: the Western Islands called Hebrides, or Ebuda, by Latin Authors; the Orcades, or Orkney Islands; the Iflands of Shetland, or Zetland; and fome few in the Firth of Forth. The whole Country abounds in Lakes and Rivers, many whereof, running into Creeks and Arms of the Sea (which in feveral Places are very wide and deep), afford great and commodious Opportunities for Fifhing and Shipping: but it is much to be regretted, that the Land is neither cultivated, nor the Fishing and Shipping carried on and improved, to fo much Advantage as might be expected. Though the Soil is not generally fo level and fruitful as that of England, yet the South Parts of Scotland are far mote pleafant than, and preferable to, the North Parts of England, and there are every-where all Things neceffary for human Life; and not only fuffi B 2 cient cient for the Inhabitants, but alfo to export, and exchange for fuch foreign Commodities as the People want, and to return confiderable Sums. II. Of the most remarkable Lakes and Rivers in Scotland. SCOT COTLAND or North-Britain, has received from the bountiful Hand of Providence, a very copious Distribution of Waters, and thofe too very happily difpofed for the Ufe and Benefit of its Inhabitants, infomuch that it may be with Truth affirmed, that there is fcarce any confiderable Part of it fo fituated, as not to have its Share of thefe Bleffings. Springs of clear and wholesome Water are every-where in Plenty, not only on the Sides, but even on the Tops of many of the Mountains, and fometimes alfo on the bare Rocks, as in the Island of Bafs in the Firth of Forth. These Springs in their Defcent fwell into pleasant Rills, and by Degrees into Brooks, or Burns, which ftraying every-where through the Fields, either are, or might be, eafily rendered Inftruments of Fertility. Thefe again, in their Progrefs, augmenting their Streams, become at length no contemptible Rivers, which adminifter to all the Purposes of domeftic Oeconomy. Many of thefe meeting with hollow Places in their Paffage, expand themfelves into Lochs, till finding a proper Channel, they refume their Form of Rivers, and, as the Nature of the Soil directs, fometimes expand themselves again and again, or continue their Progrefs in the fame Form to the Sea. The most remarkable Lakes in Scotland are Lochtay, and Lochness, and Lochlevin; which all fend forth Rivers of the fame Name with themfelves: Lochlomond, which fends forth the River of Lomond; and Lochiern, which fends the River Iern. It is obferved, that Lochness, Lochtay, and Lochiern, feldom freeze. Lochmyrton Lochmyrton in Galloway is another, and remarkable for this, that one Part of it generally freezes in the Winter-season, and the other Part feldom does. There is a Loch in Straitherrach, in the Lands of the late Lord Lovat, which never freezes, however severe the Froft be, till February; and then, in one Night's time, it freezes all over; and if the Froft continue two Nights, the Ice grows very thick. There is a Lake of the fame Nature called Lochmonar, in the late Earl of Cromertie's Lands in the North; and there is another Lake in Straglafh, at a Place called Glencanich, in an high Ground betwixt the tops of two Mountains, the Middle of which Lake is always frozen throughout the Summer, notwithstanding the ftrong Reflexions of the Sun-beams from the Mountains, which melt the Ice at the Sides of the Lake. The Ground round the Lake has a conftant Verdure, as if there were a perpetual Spring; and Cattle grow fooner fat by that Grafs than any-where else: and this is fo much the more remarkable, that there are several other Lakes in the Neighbourhood, of as high a Situation, wherein no fuch thing is feen. Loch Sunart in Argylefhire is 24 Miles in Extent, having an Island at the Mouth, which divides it into two narrow Channels; tho' upon this Ifland it opens again, fo as to become upwards of an English Mile in Breadth. To the South of this, at a small Distance from Dunfaffage, then a Royal Caftle, lies a small, fafe, and commodious Port, called Oban Bay, covered by the Ifland of Kerrera, which is in Length about thrce Miles, by which it is effectually defended from Weft Winds, as it is in like manner fecured, by high Lands on the Continent, from all other Winds. On the North Side of this Bay there are 11, on the South 26, in the Middle about 20 Fathom Water. Add to all this, that the whole Sound is, in effect, an Harbour, or at leaft a commodious Road, with 20 Fathom Water, and good Anchorage almoft every-where. There are he B 3 fides, fides, two Havens in the Ifle, one from its Shape called The Horfe-fboe, the other Ardintraive; with two fair Outlets, one to the North-eaft, the other to the Southwest, so that Veffels may enter and depart without Inconveniency or Danger. The Situation of this Place, in the very Track of Ships bound to and from the Northern Parts of Europe, feems to demand Attention; and upon this Account, as I have been informed, Application has been lately made with Succefs for eftablishing a Cuftom-House at the little Town of Oban, which ftands immediately upon it; and this will undoubtedly be not only useful to the Town, and ferviceable to the Country, but beneficial alfo, in many Refpects, to the Navigation of the North-weft Side of Britain in general. Circumftances which, in an Age like this, when the Emoluments arifing to the Public from bringing a Country into Cultivation, introducing Trade, and thereby augmenting the Number and Subftance of the People who inhabit it, are fo well underftood, must have their Weight. In the Front of our land to the North, lies Loch Eribol in Strathnavern, which runs fome Miles into the Land, and thereby affords, whenever the Inhabitants fhall have any Commerce, a commodious and capacious Haven. In Linlithgowfhire is a Lake called Lochoat Lough, from whence a Stream runs under a neighbouring Mountain, the Murmur of which is heard among the Stones; and after it has run thus under ground for about two hundred Paces, it issues with great Force from a Fountain about three Feet broad, and forms a Stream which turns a Water-mill. For the Conveniency of Trade and Fishing, there are fo many Inlets of the Sea, that there is scarce any Part of North Britain above 40 Miles diftant from fome Bay, Creek, or Arm of the Ocean; and these afford many Harbours, feveral of them very good, and capable |