BUT 



153 



BUT 



But<*. common to the western coast of Scotland ; and in 

 some winters a great abundance of woodcocks. 



Tl.r property of this islmid belongs entirely to the 

 Marquis of Butt-, with the exception of the estate of 

 Kaime, and three or four small properties worth from 

 L. 1.10 to L.'JOO a-year each. Mount-Stuart, hit 

 -hip's country-seat, is an elegant mansion sur- 

 rounded \\itli a forest of fine trees, and commanding 

 a beautiful view of the Frith of Clyde, and the ship- 

 ping which enters that river. The Marquis is admi- 

 ral of the county, by commission from his Majesty ; 

 and his power is entirely independent of the lord high 

 admiral of Scotland. 



At Langal-chorid are the remains of a Druidical 

 circle ; and at Kingarth, the ruins of a church, of 

 which two cemeteries only remain, and near it a cir- 

 cular enclosure called the Devil's cauldron. This 

 building covers an area of thirty feet in diameter, and 

 the walls, which are about ten feet in thickness, and 

 seven feet high, are formed of stones piled together 

 without mortar, but trimmed in the inside in a smooth 

 and regular manner. 



Considerable hopes were once entertained, that a 

 seam of coal might be found in this island, and several 

 attempts were made for that purpose, but unfortu- 

 nately without success. This want of proper fuel is 

 'if the greatest inconveniences under which the 

 inhabitants presently labour, as all their coals must 

 be brought from Glasgow, and at a great ex pence. 



The whole of the north part of this island is com- 

 posed of primitive and transition rocks, which, in 

 some places, as at Kaims Castle, the seat of Lord 

 Bannantyne, rise into hills of considerable height. 

 The rocks are mica slate, clay slate, and chlorite 

 slate. These strata are traversed by numerous veins 

 of quartz, and also of trap, which are from a few 

 inches to several feet in breadth. Near to Kaims 

 Castle there are several slate quarries ; but the slate 

 is inferior to that of Eisdale. The north side of 

 Rothsay bay is composed of slate ; so also is the 

 north side of Scalpa bay, which is situated upon the 

 west side of the island, and nearly in a line with 

 Rothsay ; but the south sides of these bays are com- 

 posed of the first fleet/, or red sandstone. The coun- 

 try between Rothsay and Cel-Chattan bay, which 

 is the lowest, most beautiful, and best cultivated 

 part of the island, is composed of red sandstone, be- 

 longing to the first flaetz formation, which is traver- 

 sed by many veins of trap. From Cel-Chattan bay 

 to the southern extremity of the island, called Gur- 

 roch-head, the country becomes nearly as high as in 

 the north end, rising into irregular hills, with abrupt 

 perpendicular crags, as is the case in all countries 

 containing considerable portions of trap rocks. This 

 part of the county is composed of sandstone, and 

 various rocks of the trap formation, and these are 

 traversed by numerous trap veins. We may add, 

 that as thick beds of coal have been found in red 

 sandstone in various countries, this useful mineral 

 may also occur in Bute. 



The population of this island in 1801, amounted to 

 6106. It is now between 7000 and 8000, of whom 

 about 4000 inhabit the royal burgh of Rothsay. 

 Most of the natives speak English very well, but 

 when conversing with one another, they prefer the 



VOL. V. PART I. 



it their mother tongue, and which 

 amon;( the old people. 



a shire, which n>nsitU of the 



islands of Bute and Arrun, together with the email 

 isles of Greater and Lesser Cinnbray, and luchmar- 

 i ; and sends a member to parliament alternately 

 with Caithness. T shire, according to a ve- 



ry recent and accurate measurement, contains 153.1/ft 

 English square miles, or 1/8,547 English acres, or 

 78,131 Scotch acres. See Beautiet of Scotland, vol. 

 v. p. 5'M) ; Pennant's Tour /,. /, vol. ii. ; Sin- 



clair's Statistical A- , vol. i. p. 310; 



and The Farmer* t Magazine for 1811, p. 427. () 



BUTEA, a genus of plants of the class Diadcl- 

 phia, and order Decandria. See BOTANY, p. 274. 



BUTLER, SAMUEL, author of the most celebra- 

 ted burlesque poem in our language, was the son of 

 a farmer at Stren&ham in Worcestershire, where be 

 was born, according to Dr Nash, in 1G12. He re- 

 ceived a grammar-school education at Worcester. 

 Wood and other biographers have placed him for se- 

 ven years at Cambridge ; but it is remarkable, as Dr 

 Johnson observes, that Wood, although he pretends 

 to have had the account from his brother, could not 

 tell his hall or college ; and it is not likely that But- 

 ler should have so long inhabited a place of learning, 

 with so little distinction as to leave his place of resi- 

 dence uncertain. The learning of Hndibras may be 

 objected to Dr Johnson's doubts of his academical 

 education, yet it must be said, that the learning 

 which shews itself in allusion may be collected 

 from various rending ; while that which illuminates 

 dissertation, can perhaps be imbibed only in semina- 

 ries of erudition. On his return to his own county, 

 he was for some time clerk to Mr Jeffreys of Earls 

 Croomb, an eminent justice of the peace. In his ser- 

 vice he had leisure not only for study, but recreation. 

 He addicted himself to music and painting. la the 

 latter he was instructed by Cooper, whose friendship 

 for him is recorded, to the mutual honour of the pet 

 and painter. He lived afterwards in the family of 

 the Countess of Kent, probably as assistant to the 

 celebrated Selden, who was the steward of the Coun- 

 tess. Here he enjoyed the use of a good library, and 

 the still greater advantage of Seldcn's acquaintance. 

 This circumstance may explain his learning, without 

 having recourse to a college. His next residence was 

 with Sir Samuel Luke, at Cople in Bedfordshire, 20 

 officer of Cromwell, and a leader of the Puritans, 

 whose character furnished him with the original of 

 Hudibras. At the Restoration, Butler is described 

 as an expectant for the reward of loyal principles ; 

 he was, however, only made secretary to the Earl of 

 Carbury, president of the principality of Wales, who 

 conferred on him the stewardship of Ludlow Castle, 

 when the court of the marches was revived. In this 

 part of his life he married Mrs Herbert, a gentlewo- 

 man of fortune ; but her fortune was lost by bad se- 

 curities. In K56S was published the first part of his 

 Hudibras, which, being recommended by the taste of 

 the Earl of Dorset, was quoted hy the king, and stu- 

 died by the courtiers. In 1664-, the second part ap- 

 peared. Yet with all his literary merits and party 

 claims, praise was his only reward. He was introdu- 

 ced, we are told by Packe, to the Duke of Bucking- 

 u 



.: sj 

 Butler. 



