Fifeshire. drives the machinery 
—Y" at various 
Vallies. 
H 
Hills. 
$18 
of a great number of mills, which 
periods have been erected on its banks, At 
its opening into Largo Bay, there is a considerable sal- 
mon fi . and the river also abounds with fine trout, 
ike, and eels. The eels annually descend from Loch 
en to the sea. in the night-time, during the month 
of September, and are taken in quantities by nets 
ced in the river, which the draw every two 
rs. The lands of Sthrathendy, before the Refor- 
mation, were subject to an annual tax’ of some thou- 
sands of eels to the Abbey of Inchcolm.' The river 
Eden, which is formed by the confluence of several 
small streams, in the parish of ery eg 2 
ly throagh a level valley, the town upar, an 
unites with the German Ocean a little below the Gair 
Bridge to the north-east of the city of Saint Andrews. 
In its course eastwards, which may extend to 20 miles, 
it is increased by a few tributary streams, and at its con- 
fluence with the sea, is joined by the Motray,a rivulet 
collected the hills on the left bank of the Tay. 
At the mouth of the Eden, a few salmon are yearly 
taken, and it abounds with fine trout, pike, and eels. 
Along the south side of the Grampians there is an 
extensive plain, stretching south-west and north-east, 
and constituting the t valley of Strathmore ; and 
along the south-side of the Ochils, which may be view- 
ed as the outworks of the Grampians, there is a similar 
valley stretching i Hap Kinross, Strathmiglo, Ket- 
tle, and Cupar. eastern portion of this valley, 
which is situated in Fifeshire, is known by the name 
of the How of Ife. It divides Fife into two natural 
divisions, a ern and a southern. The Wottom of 
this valley is but little elevated above the level: of the 
sea, so that a canal might very easily be formed which 
would unite the mouth of the Eden, or the harbour of 
St Andrews, with Loch Leven, and even with Stirling. 
Such a canal would be of incalculable advantage to the 
counties of Clackmannan, Kinross, Perth, and Fifé ; we 
may even include Angus, as a lateral branch by Lin- 
dores to Newburgh tould easily be formed. The con- 
veyance of those indispensible minerals, coal ‘and lime, 
to districts at present but scantily supplied with either, 
would be ly facilitated, as vessels could pass with 
certainty 
rough this canal in so many hours, which 
liave to wait at present several weeks before they are able 
to weather the exposed promontory of Fifeness. ‘From 
the How of Fife, at Collessie, there is ‘a lateral ‘valley 
which runs into the Tay by Woodmill, Lindores, and 
Clatchart Craig, and another by Luthrie, Kilmany, and 
Forgan, terminating in the extensive plain called Tents 
Moor. These vallies observe the general easterly di- 
¥ection of the ran of the hills, and contain small 
eminences of regularly stratified gravel in different 
parts of their course, as at Collessie, Cupar, and For- 
gan. We could offer some curious observations 'con- 
cerning the origin of these hills of gravel, were this a 
Seueeiae 
The lls on the north side of this great longitudinal 
valley constitute the eastern base of the Ochil hills, with 
whic! they agree in direction ‘and constitution. The 
aia s are red and white sandstone, amygda- 
, compact felspar, stone, clinkstone, gre one, 
basalt, trap tuff, and . Limestone occurs only at 
one place on the farm of Parkhill, near Newburgh. 
These rocks belong to the old red sandstone formation 
of Professor Werner. The more compact rocks of 
clinkstone, basalt, and felspar, form hills of considerable 
height, with precipitous acclivities, as Glendackie hill, 
Normani’s Law, and Lucklaw ; while the other rocks of 
gold. iiweke 
The native plants of Fife are very numerous. They Botany. 
FIFESHIRE. 
a less durable See waaghdall ind et) form 
rounded hills, usually covered soil, as at Balmea- 
dow side, Moonzie, and’Forret. The soil of this nor- 
thern district, chiefly derived from the decay of the trap 
rocks, is remarkably fertile, and produces of the 
finest quality. Shell marl is here found 
in great abundance, as at Rossie and Lord's Chirnie 
This district affords » carnelian, and A 
and considerable quantities of gravel cemented % man- 
ganese have likewise been observed. : rm 
To the south of the How of Fife, the rocks are ofa 
= different kind, and constitute a part of the great 
coal field of the river district of the Forth. The most 
important mineral of this district is coal, of which the 
following subspecies occur: pitch coal, slate coal, and 
cannel coal, Frequently all are found in the strata 
cut through by the same pit ; and a mixture of the two 
former in the same bed is very common. It was ini 
this county where coal was first employed as fuel i 
Scotland, at least the earliest evidence of its use is 
to be a chafter of William de Obervill, in which he 
— liberty to the Abbot and Convent of Dunferm: 
ne to open a coalpit upon his lands of 4 
This charter rt dated the Amd before the feast of St Am- 
brose in March 1291. ed ime cab eb ermal pin 
tuated in the of ine, Dysart, W 
and Markinch ; at the same! thane ft may’ be anientivdbad; 
that beds of coal occur in almost every parish in the 
district. Glance coal, provincially d blind coal, 
cone’ 
in some places is of great purity. 
limestone of mineralogists, mid contains numerous pe- 
trifactions of shells corals, and in one or two pl 
. = 
the impression of plants. At Lime-kilns on the Forth, 
lime , tebe 
stone is another very ¢ 
time was smelted in a furnace’ at Sand. 
fe quent 
occurrence. In'‘many places, it is of 8 et ome and 
preg shames in the coalfield are slate clay, bitué 
minous shale, | basalt, amygdaloid, wacke; 
and flint+ in't district are situated several ils among 
: ’ —- 
eral the ground is moderately 
level. The soil is very various in quality, owing to the 
great variety of rocks from which it has origi . Tn 
the higher parts, a cold stiff clay prevails, while in the 
lower grounds the soil is less retentive, and more friend: 
ly tov ion: The precious stone, known by thé 
name of the Elie Ruby, is here found imi d ina 
rock of trap-tuff. Lead and ores have been 
observed in different places, and sulphurated ores of 
zine ; ye appears from the charters of the monastery 
of Dunfermline, that the hills of Fife formerly’ yielded 
’ 
were, in part, described by the industrious Sibbald, and 
subsequent botanists have made considerable additions 
to his li In the marshes of the county the botanist 
will find the mare’s-tail, Hippuris vulgaris ; the small 
water plantain, Alisma-ranunculoides; the 
marsh hitchwort, Stellaria glauca ; the water 
Scrophularia aquatica ; the water hemlock, (provincially 
known from its deleterious qualities by the ‘name 
a 
