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196 



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to the summit is obtained. \r:ir the top it divides in- 

 to two points, on which nre erected. In the 

 hollow betwixt these, there are a battery, barracks tor 

 the garrison, and a well, which afford- a constant sup- 

 ply of water. Betle says. th:it this fortress was called 

 Atcluilh, or AncluiJ, (a plan- on the ('laid or Clyde,) 

 although the Caledonians named it Dumhritton. Boe- 

 thius affirms, that the Caledonians possessed it before 

 the Hritons, and that it successfully resisted the attacks 

 of Agricola, by whom it was besieged. In the reign 

 of Egbert ofNorthumberland, ( 756',) it was, however, 

 reduce-1 by famine; and again in 1571, during the 

 troubles of Queen Mary's reign, it was taken by escalade 

 and -urpri/.c. Fleming the governor, who was in Ma- 

 ry's interest, vaunted that he held in his hands the fet- 

 ters of Scotland, and that he could with a little assist- 

 ance easily put them on. A common soldier, however, 

 broke these boasted chains. He proposed to scale the 

 rock and fortifications in the night. Some intrepid 

 followers succeeded in the perilous enterprize, and pla- 

 ced in the hands of the regent the only fort occupied 

 for the Queen. This castle commands the navigation 

 of the Clyde, and, while it was necessary, served to 

 keep the Western Highlands in awe. It is one of the 

 Scottish forts which are still kept in repair, and garri- 

 soned. Some parts of the rock are magnetic. This is 

 noticed by Buchanan ; and Professor Anderson of Glas- 

 gow has recently ascertained the fact by experiment, 

 juid marked the places. The prospect from the top of 

 the castle is extensive and varied. Loch Lomond, the 

 Clyde, and the Leven, an interminable range of moun- 

 tains overtopped by Bcnlomond, and the towns of 

 Glasgow, Greenock, Port Glasgow, and Dumbarton, 

 with the villages, gentlemen's seats, and cottages, with 

 which the rich intervening vallies are covered, form an 

 assemblage of objects peculiarly interesting. 



The town of Dumbarton, situated a little to the 

 north-west of the castle on the eastern bank of the Le- 

 ven, which flows nearly round it, is a royal burgh, and 

 was erected in 122 1 by Alexander II. It sends a mem- 

 ber to Parliament along with the burghs of Glasgow, 

 Renfrew, and Rutherglen. 



It consists chiefly of one large street in a crescent 

 form. The houses are generally old. The inhabitants 

 amount to about 2000. Like most other burghs, the 

 exclusive privileges of its freemen, intended in a rude 

 state of society to encourage trade, now operate with 

 an opposite effect ; and the heavy entries required by 

 the corporations, have led to the establishment of 

 ral villages in the neighbourhood, where the inhabitants 

 are free from such burdens. Dumbarton is not in an 

 increasing or flourishing state. Its natural advantages, 

 however, a good harbour, where large vessels lie safe 

 in all weather, the navigation of the Clyde, and the de- 

 mands of an improving vicinity, prevent it from go- 

 ing to decay. About 2000 tons of shipping belong to 

 the port, and nearly 1 00 seamen are employed. A ma- 

 nufactory of glass is carried on to such an extent, as to 

 py nearly L.4000of duty anmully.and to employ about 

 ISO persons. Many of the inhabitants find work in the 

 manufacture of thread, and at the printfieUainthe neigh- 

 bourhood. The salmon fishing both in the Clyde and 

 Leven is here considerable. Por|Kiiso, however, go up 

 the Clyde, and destroy the fish. See DUMBARTONMIIHK ; 

 Robertson's Hut. of Scot/mid Pennant's and Garnet's 

 Tours; .Slati.it. Accitunl, &c. (\. p.) 



DIMHAK'IONSHIRE, a county in Scotland, (for- 

 merly Lennox.) consists of two parts, separated from 

 one another. 'The western is the larger, being about 



40 miles in length from north-west to south-east, and 

 where the broadest, about lii in breadth from north- 

 i south-west. The other division is about 1'J miles 

 in length from east to west, and four in breadth. The 

 former is bounded on the north by Perthshire, on the 

 \ve-t by Argyle>hire and Loch-long, on the so'.iili-we-t 

 by the Clyde, on the south by Lanarkshire, and on tin- 

 east by Stirlingshire ; the latter is encircled by Lanark 

 and Stirling-hires. The county lies lu-tween 55 53' ami 

 56 2.7 of north latitude, and between :(" '>.',' and ; 

 of west longitude. No accurate surveys have been 

 made of the superficial extent of this county ; but from 

 tin- most plausible computation-, it is stated to be 

 about 2:10 square miles, containing 117,.'>(K) l-'.nglish, 

 or nearly 11(>,000 Scotch acres, exclusive of lakes and 

 arms of the sea within its boundaries. This ..hire takes 

 its name from Dumbarton, the county town. 



The county of Dumbarton was formerly a part of the 

 regality of Lennox. Since the alxtlition of heritable 

 jurisdictions, it forms a sherifTdom by itself, and it sends 

 a member to parliament. This county is divided into 

 12 parishes. It is within the commissariot of Glas- 

 gow; and the civil and ecclesiastical jurisdictions in it 

 arc the same as those common to the rest of Scotland. 



The county of Dumbarton embraces every variety 

 and every beauty in the scenery of Scotland. Of its 

 charms, in this respect, no adequate description can 

 be given. The most conspicuous object of admiration 

 is Loch-lomond. This fine lake is 30 miles in length, 

 and in some places eight or ten in breadth ; its surface 

 is above 20,000 acres in extent, its greatest depth 100 

 fathoms ; the bottom, to the depth of five feet, being 

 composed of fine mud mixed with mica. It contains 

 30 islands of various dimensions, one of which extends 

 to about 1 ;")0 acres. These are scattered on the bosom 

 of die lake, some of them scarcely ap|>caring above it, 

 and others swelling to a greater height ; some of them 

 tufted with wood, and others more sparingly supplied 

 with foliage. The well-wooded banks, the soft and 

 verdant fields, and the rugged and towering mountains 

 which rise on the northern verge of the lake, produce 

 the most picturesque combination of beauties in land* 

 scape on which the imagination can dwell. One of the 

 islands, Inch Murrin, feeds about 200 deer. On the 

 west end of it, the ruins of an old castle, an ancient re- 

 sidence of the Earls of Lennox, stands ; and near it the 

 Duke of Montrose, in 1 793, built a neat hunting box. 

 A gamekeeper and his family are now the only inhabi- 

 tants. The north end of the loch is never frozen, but 

 towards the south it has often been ; and alter great 

 floods it has been known to rise six feet higher than 

 usual. In 1 755, when there was an earthquake at Lis- 

 bon, Lochlomond was agitated, and rose and fell for 

 some time above and below its ordinary level. Its sur- 

 face is sometimes ruffled with undulations when there 

 is no wind to produce such an effect. 



This county, from the latest and best information, 

 contains about 21,739 souls. In \~:>C>, it was said to 

 contain 13,253; and, when the Statistical Account was 

 published (1790-8), 17,743; being an increase, in 54 

 years, of 8490. This increase is to be ascribed chiefly 

 to the establishment of numerous manufactures. The 

 number of landed proprietors is 149; the valued rent 

 is L.3.0,382, 7s. 8d. Scots ; the real rent, as nearly as 

 can be ascertained, L.56,000. No proprietor of land 

 perhaps draws an annual revenue from his property 

 alxive I.. ;o(K); and none of them have very large estates. 

 The farmers are, generally speaking, possessed of very 

 moderate skill, anil very little capital ; and these facts 



Dumbar- 

 tonshire. 



Subdivision! 

 political and 

 ecclesiasti- 

 cal. 



Central u. 

 pct. 



Loch-I- 

 momt. 



