484 
FORTH. 
Forth. liam, at the revolution, the fortress was held out by a anita copes ae eee ee 
—_——— 
Trade and 
navigation. 
few of the abdicated monarch’s adherents, which pro- 
duced an order for its demolition on their surrender. 
The Bass is now in the hands of a eybj 
leased, for a rent which is indemnified by the innumera- 
ble flocks of solan geese taken annually on it, (see Bass). 
The Isle of May lies — saat ‘ero ——— 
is bly the largest whole, being nearly three 
snes in mans and is situated six or seven miles south- 
east of the town of Anstruther... It affords.good pasture, 
and has a pool or small lake of fresh water. Anciently 
this island belonged to an English monastery, for the 
monks of which, King David I. of Scotland founded a 
call or priory of the order of St Augustine, and there 
was also a dedicated to St Adrian. pow latter 
was uently resorted to in pilgrimages, an icu- 
pe rpatactor of nabs though not for that.rea- 
son only, as Andrew Weod of Largo, a celebrated 
Scotish mariner, held certain lands in Fife for the ser- 
vice of piloting James 1V. and his queen to St Adrian’s 
Ali shanes. twas oredind have drhinanlainat 
Charles I., which has un e many successive im- 
provements, and receives a duty from all vessels navi- 
gating the river. Both it and the island being private 
ys ox} ems! changed their owners, and having 
passed by iage into the Duke of Portland’s 
fami ane ae pu the Commissioners for 
a a ights in 1814, for L. 60,000 sterling, when 
affording a very considerable revenue. ; 
There are numerous towns and harbours along both 
sides of the river and Frith of Forth, where le and 
manufactures are carried on in various branches, Com- 
mencing with Stirling, where it is crossed by a bridge of 
four , the principal towns are G: outh, Bor- 
-rowstounness, Queen’s Ferry, Leith, Musselburgh, Pres- 
tonpans, and Dunbar on the south side ; on the 
north, are Alloa, Culross, Charlestown, Inverkeithing, 
Burntisland, Kircaldy, Dysart, Leven, Pittenweem, An- 
struther, Crail, with a few of lesser note. The number 
of piers and harbours is not less than thirty ; and some 
-of them of ive construction, such as‘Leith, where 
there are considerable wet docks ; there is a fine basin 
at Borrowstounness ; and at the most re- 
cent improvements have been adopted. But storms 
from the east, attended with a tempestuous -sea, occa- 
sionally damage the harbours. Excepting Stirling and 
Leith, few of the towns contain 2000 inhabitants, and 
several of them not half that number. The princi- 
pal manufactures are of iron, salt, pottery, sal ammo- 
niac, some bricks and tiles, and recently Roman ce- 
ment and alum have been fabricated at ‘the ‘village of 
Blackness. There is also linen made on thenorth side, 
along the coast of Fife, and. soap on the south side, 
Se me ate lime, and grain are the chief 
exports of nata acts: but foreign products are 
brought from the west by the great canal, and carried 
eastward ; and there is a-vast quantity of artillery and 
iron manufactures from the Carron founderi 
The vessels belonging to the different are mostly oc- 
cupied in the coasting trade, but whole fleets resort to 
the Baltic; several vessels belong to «the Greenland 
whale fishery, and a few are in West India 
traffic. In ent of the manu’ res carried on in. 
the vicinity of the river, cotton, linen, and muslin goods 
are exported, and some groceries, wood, flax, and other 
commodities imported ; to receive the duties.on all of 
which there are custom-houses along both sides of the 
river. The chief trade, however, is conducted on the 
same side with the metropolis, 
When the Romans invaded Britain, they found the 
northern parts occupied by various barbarous tribes ; 
, by whom itis + 
. 
ed a strong rampart, now called Adrian's Wall 
ethe Frith of Clyde to the 
: 
: 
8 
5 
2 
F 
: 
4 
E 
2, 
no strength, being commanded by several eminences. 
Nevertheless it has repeatedly been the ‘subject of anx- 
ious competition in the factious times of old, and is pre- 
served as a fortification by the articles of the Union. 
A more modern fort was erected between Leith and’ 
Newhaven, on the appearance of Paul Jones, a noted 
struther and Ely on 4 
boats began to navigate from Leith w , in 
the year 1814, affording a cheap and 
means 
of conveyance. But it has been proposed, at various 
tinnes,;th:dacilitete.. ther mockineinieliten: Anish 
i west 
still farther, by rendering the river navigable from Stir- 
ling bridge to Gartmore, and to in the different 
curvatures of the land to the east of Stirling by a 
ty a 
i idge, by boats ixty feet , thirteen 
wilecant decting theahines satiate oneal 
the navigation could be ied downwards to Alloa, 
twenty. 
vival doubtless have resulted by putting the proposal 
into execution, but it was in fad io 
‘by the canal /between the F and 
> 
a sity being experienced ok ' and 
of great ao cattle continually brought from 
the north of Scotland, it was thought that an eX« 
pedient would remedy these inconveniences, and it was 
is 8839 yards in breadth, was considered the most fa- 
vourable point for the south entrance; and the of 
water not exceeding thirteen fathoms anda ren- 
dered it erable aaee. _ between the Ferries. 
A long time was employ yy engineers in 
and boring ; but it appeared, on penetrating the bed 
the river, that a auficent rot eae nascar 
ed for the tunnel, which, conjoined w weighty 
objections, led to the dereliction of the project. See 
Siz Robert Sibbald’s Works. . Statistical Account, vol. 
vi. p. 21. Millar and Vazie on Tunnels. Knox's View 
of the British Empire.» (¢) itis 
te ae. 
ee ee ae ee 2 i Pe pera i et 
