10 THE AGKICULTUKE OF THE 



ancient castellated buildings in the county. In short, ]N"airnshire 

 has been described as diversified vrith rich corn fields, fine 

 pleasure grounds, woods and forests, farm houses, mansions, 

 castles, villages, and towns. 



The lochs in Nairnshire are neither extensive nor important 

 in their stock of fish. The principal sheets of water are Cran- 

 loch, Lochlee, and Loch of the Clans. The rivers are, with one or 

 two exceptions, smalL The Findhorn, which runs for about 15 

 miles through the eastern side of the county, I have already 

 described as one of the Morayshire rivers. It may be mentioned 

 that the Findhorn passes through the county of Moray for a 

 distance of 12 miles. The river Nairn rises in the Monadhliadh 

 hills, and after a run of 36 miles, falls into the Moray Firth at 

 the town of Nairn. Its course is devious, and there is much 

 romantic scenery along its banks. It is an excellent spawning- 

 river, and salmon and trout are numerous at certain seasons of 

 the year. Good baskets of trout are generally obtained in 

 the summer months. The Cawdor burn is the chief tributary 

 of the Nairn. It rises among the Cawdor hills, and affords fair 

 sport in trout. All respectable anglers are allowed to fish in the 

 Nairn and its tributaries, on application to the proprietors, chief 

 of whom are Major Fiose of Kilravock, Mr Davidson of Cantray 

 and Mr Forbes of Culloden. 



As regards communication with the outer world, these two 

 counties are exceptionally well supplied. By sea, as well as by 

 land, the inhabitants have long enjoyed the privilege of access 

 to all parts of the world. The principal shipping harbour is at 

 Lossiemouth, from which a great deal of grain and potatoes is 

 exported, and large quantities of coal imported. There are other 

 harbours of less importance in these counties, of which Burghead 

 and Nairn are the most considerable. Than Morayshire, few 

 counties in the north of Scotland have been intersected to a 

 greater extent by railways since 1850. Nairnshire has also 

 sufficient outlet for the product of farmers and tradesmen. The 

 main lines which traverse Morayshire are those of the Highland 

 and Great North of Scotland Fiailway Companies, while the 

 only line in Nairnshire is that of the Highland Piailway Com- 

 pany. There was at one time railway communication between 

 Kinloss station, on the main line, and Findhorn, but it has been 

 dropped for some years, in consequence of the unimportance of 

 the town and the traffic therefrom. The inhabitants of Burg- 

 head have enjoyed the advantage of railway communication 

 since 1862, when a branch of the Flighland Eailway from Alves 

 station was opened. The line from Elgin to Lossiemouth, 6 

 miles in length, and opened in 1852, was the first line made 

 north of Aberdeen. The two companies' lines may be said to 

 divide Morayshire into four divisions, the Highland Railway 



