OF LOCHABER. 



47 



the whole of Glen Spean, Loch Laggan, and Loch Treig, at a 

 level about two hundred and eighty feet below that of the pri- 

 mary state of Loch Roy, to which the name oi Loch Spean may 

 be given. As each of the different shelves may be traced 

 around and across, at some point lying towards what is now 

 the upper extremities of these valleys, whilst they appear in 

 every instance to be suddenly broken off, at what is at present 

 their lower ends, or mouths ; it follows, that if there ever were 

 any barriers, to keep these several lakes up to their level, they 

 must have existed somewhere about what are now the lower 

 ends of the present valleys.— Having made these general re- 

 marks, it will now be proper to consider, what were the boun- 

 daries and outlets of these respective lakes ; and, in doing this, 

 we shall begin with Loch Gloy. 



The shelf which appears to indicate the former existence of 

 this lake, is found on the north-west side, some little way 

 above the present entrance of the glen. This entitles us to 

 suppose, that the lake at least occupied the extent of the glen, 

 from this point upwards, as far as the present head of it, where 

 the shelf is seen to sweep round, in order to return. But I 

 trust it has already appeared to be evident, from the descrip- 

 tion I have given, that when the water in Glen Gluoy was fill- 

 ed up to what is its present line of shelf, it must have 

 run by a natural channel towards Glen Turret, by what 

 I have denominated the High Glen, (for which see the 

 map). To produce this effect, however, an immense bul- 

 wark or barrier would be required, at what is now the 

 mouth of Glen Gluoy, which would in that case become 

 the head of the lake. Let us, in the meanwhile, take it 

 for "ranted, that some such bulwark did exist, at, or near 

 to Lowbridge, and then it would follow, that what is now 

 the upper end of the Glen, must have been then the low- 

 er end of the Loch Gluoy, from whence the river Gluoy 



would 



