Forfarshire. houring mountains. It descends from the high grounds 
_ “-_~— with considerable rapidity, and, after having been joined 
: y several small streams, as the Mark, the Tarf, the 
i“ ‘est Water, and the water of Cruick, it empties itself 
; into the German Ocean, about three miles north-east of 
Montrose. 2. prints orarr wicca ree ade 
- mall Jake arising among the Grampians, fed by the moun- 
: Pceveuntive Gore Descending from the Grampians, 
“ 
by Brechin, empties itself into the basin at Montrose. 
these, an almost uninterrupted continuity. 
does not greatly exceed 1000 feet in height 
Tay. . It traverses the whole extent of the county from 
EERE 
ipie 
u 
3 
ap 
! 
iy 
ge< 8 
fifa 
i 
: 
HT 
i 
| 
E 
i 
Eee 
2 3. 
Es 
( 
t 
# 
? 
i 
F 
= oe 
‘BEF 
£ 
? 
FORFARSHIRE. 
475: 
very prevalent rock in this district. It rests upon: the Forfarshive. 
granite, and is fine-grained, compact in its texture, and 7 \o~ 
usually of a grey colour. It contains in several places ”"* 5" 
beds of hornblende rock. . Mica slate is by far the most 
abundant rock. The mica which it contains is termed’ 
sheep's siller. It seldom contains garnets. Granular 
limestone is by no means of rare occurrence; and were 
the Highlanders disposed to burn it, they would soon 
improve their pastures. Peat is at hand, and. answers 
well as fuel for the purpose. Clay slate occurs in the 
less elevated districts ; but in these strata no good beds 
of roof slate have as yet been discovered, owing probably - 
to want of skill and industry. These primitive rocks 
are traversed by veins of porphyry, consisting of a basis 
of compact felspar, with crystals of felspar, and grains of 
quartz, These veins are from 8 to 10 feet in breadth, 
and although occurring at considerable distance from-one 
another, yet they all observe the same direction. They 
stretch nearly from south to north. Lead glance has al- 
so been found in veins among these rocks. It was for- 
merly wrought to a considerable extent near the old cas- 
tle or Innermark, and yielded a sixty-fourth part of silver. 
In descending from the Grampians towards the valley of Transition - 
Strathmore, the transition rocks make their appearance. rocks. 
They consist of grey wacke slale, in which the shistose 
character is more or less distinct, and the imbedded 
grains of quartz more or less numerous. In this slate 
numerous elliptical masses of jasper occur, in some ca- 
ses extending to 30 feet in length, and 10 in breadth. - 
The slate likewise contains nests of slate spar. Compact 
occurs in beds of considerable magnitude, of a 
reddish brown colour, and a conchoidal fracture. Seve« 
ral varieties of trap‘ rocks also present themselves, under 
the forms of e and basalt. Limestone also oc= 
curs of a darker colour, of a less crystalline structure than 
the primitive limestones, and:is much traversed by veins 
of quartz and limespar. The-older members of this for- 
mation alternate with the newer portions of the primitive 
class, and constitute the fundamental rock of the flotz 
class, which we are now to consider. 
The fleetz rocks of this district, although they present Flat: 
variety of composition, may all be referred to the tocks. 
old red sandstone formation of Werner, as red sandstone 
isthe prevailing rock. The red sandstone-is, in some cases, 
fine grained, and answers for architectural purposes ; 
and, in other instances, it passes into loney or 2 
rock’ composed of water-worn pieces of the more an- 
cient strata, imbedded in a basis of sandstone, or ferru< 
ginous clay. The sandstone is frequently in the form of 
slates, or flags, and is much used for the roofing of 
houses and pavement. Limestone is likewise common in 
this district, and in several places is quarried, and burnt 
fer economical purposes, It is commonly in the form of 
limestone conglomerate, a condition which appears pecu= 
liar to the limestones of the old red sandstone formation. 
Besides these rocks, there are extensive beds of trap, 
provincially termed scurdie, under the form of green- 
stone, basalt, amygdaloid, wacce, clinkstone, felspar, and 
porphyry. These rocks are traversed by veins of lime- 
spar heavy spar, and frequently contain traces of 
ores, ‘These floetz rocks rest. upon those of the 
transition class ; and, at their southern extremity in Fife, 
support the strata of the coal formation. 
The alluvial strata, as may-be expected from. the va- Alluvial 
riety of surface, very different in appearance and strata. 
composition. On the summit of the Grampians, there is ~ 
either a light gravelly soil formed from the decay of the 
primitive rocks, or the moisture of the air in those ele- 
