SCOTLAND. 



tain land, to which Ben More, Ben Vorlich, ami other 

 mountains farther to the south and west, may be cori- 

 v > sidered to belong. In a similar manner, Schihallien, 

 ranging to about 3000, is the loftiest summit of that 

 mass of mountain which bounds Loch Tumel and Loch 

 Ilannoch to the south, and extends westward till it 

 nearly meets the hills of Glenco and Lech Etive. 



If we proceed farther westward, we find Ben Lo- 

 mond, the most visitel, if not the most celebrated of 

 our mountains : itself exceeding 3000 feet, and sur- 

 rounded by a crowd of hills of minor note, together 

 with the more marked and conspicuous elevations of 

 Ben Ledi, Ben Venu, Ben Vorlich, and the fantastical 

 Cobler, or Arthur's Seat. Beyond this, in the districts 

 of Cowal and Kerry, there is no mountain so conspi- 

 cuous as to deserve distinction ; the whole, even to the 

 Mull of Cantyre, being a heap of mountains with 

 scarcely an intervening valley, unmarked by any cha- 

 racter, if we except that group of which Argyll's bowl- 

 ing green is the most remarkable. 



Hence, northward, the first mass of mountain -which 

 attracts attention is the lofty ridge of Cruachan, at- 

 taining an average elevation of nearly 4000 feet, and 

 conspicuous equally for the sharp peak of the parent 

 hill. The whole of this group must, however, be con- 

 sidered as intersected by Loch Etive, and as compris- 

 ing the remarkable elevations which bound Loch Cre- 

 i an and the southern side of Glenco. Among these, 

 Buachaille Etive is peculiarly conspicuous, as well for 

 its altitude, emulating that of Cruachan, as for its ele- 

 gant sharp peak ; the whole of this group being formed 

 rf granite, like the mountains of the Dee and of Loch 

 Ericht. All those to the southward already enumerat- 

 ed are formed of micaceous schist, while the ridge of 

 Ben y gloe consists chiefly of gneiss and quartz rock. 



Ben Nevis now becomes the leading summit of an- 

 other elevated tract, which extends from it to Loch 

 Ericht and to the course of the Spey. From its posi- 

 tion, rising immediately out of the sea level, and from 

 its partial independence and supereminence, it is un- 

 questionably the most conspicuous mountain in Scot- 

 land, and has long borne the honours of absolute pre- 

 eminence, which, however, it must now yield to Ben 

 Muc Dhu. The group to which it belongs is entirely 

 separated from that ot Cruachan, and from the ridge 

 of Schihallien, which may be considered as continuous 

 with this, by that very singular tract the moor of Ran- 

 noch, a plain or rather a collection of rocks, lakes, and 

 bogs, elevated about 1000 feet above the sea. The 

 total tract, from this to Loch Eil on one side and to 

 Loch Laggan on the other, constitutes by far the wild- 

 est part of all Scotland; being totally uninhabited, and 

 scarcely accessible in any part. Much of it has never 

 been trod by human foot, and a large portion is entire- 

 ly worthless. 



If we proceed northwards to Inverness along the 

 course of the great valley, and thence diverge east- 

 ward, there is no mountain so conspicuous above its 

 neighbours as to attract notice, even as far as the Spey. 

 Nor in any other situations would the comparatively 

 moderate eminences of Bel Rinnes, of the Buck of the 

 -Tabrach, and of Bennachie to the eastward of this river, 

 be distinguished, though attaining an average height 

 of about 2000 feet ; but surrounded by still lower ele- 

 vations, they become conspicuous for want of compe- 

 tition. 



If there is nothing to distinguish the mountains of 

 Cantyre, Knapdale, and Lorn, from each other, neither 

 is there any hill of much conspicuity in Morven, though 



forming one rude tract of lofty land. Those of Ben Stati. 

 chun and Ben y attan are the most remarkable ; partly \*S>^ 

 from their insulation, and partly from the very -sing!.- Citw^r 

 lar geological fact of their bearing on their summit* j.ii. V: " u ' 

 insulated portions of coal strata. In Ardgower and 

 Airdnamurchan, Scuir Donald may compete in alti- 

 tude with Ben Lomond. 



If we now take a tract bounded by Loch Arkegand 

 Loch Morrer to the north, and by the Great Glen east- 

 ward, the whole may be considered a group of moun- 

 tains without any intervening valleys; the whole of 

 which are rude, yet little distinguishable, while they 

 attain an average altitude ranging from 2000 to 3000 

 feet. Hence, indeed, as far north as Loch Broom, 

 every thing is mountain, and all the mountains are 

 lofty ; while no where is there any valley more than 

 the ordinary glen which conducts a stream, if we ex- 

 cept the seats of the few lakes interspersed throughout 

 this wild district. This whole portion is among the 

 most impracticable parts of Scotland. It cannot be 

 traversed except in east and west directions, and by 

 following the courses of the streams ; while, in conse- 

 quence of the universal sheep farming, it is nearly un- 

 inhabited ; the very few shepherds' houses and petty 

 farms which exist being nearly invisible, and the mass 

 of its population being confined to the shores of the 

 sea and of the firths. 



The mountains of Loch Nevish and Loch Hourn are 

 the first which begin on this coast to attract notice, and 

 they are scarcely exceeded in grandeur of appearance 

 and altitude by any of our hills, while, in rudeness and 

 rockiness, they yield to none. Among these w ild and 

 crowded summits, the most marked are Drumdeuchary, 

 Ben Line, Ben Scrian, and Drumfalla ; but, with the 

 exception of the two valleys of Glen Elg, the whole 

 tract, as far eastward as Loch Lochy and Loch Ness, 

 is often almost the rival of the loftier western moun- 

 tains. The extremity of Loch Duich is similarly dis- 

 tinguished by the lofty and rocky Ben Attow, rising, 

 like the preceding mountains, to an altitude of nearly 

 4000 feet- 

 It is not necessary to particularize any other moun- 

 tain till we arrive at Loch Maree in this direction ; and 

 a large proportion here, both of the sea coast and the 

 interior country, is of a tamer character than the pre- 

 ceding, with much less elevation. This is peculiarly 

 true of the district of Applecross, and generally of the 

 sea coast as far as the Ru Rea, a tract of red sandstone. 

 To the north of Loch Maree, however, the mountains 

 become again conspicuous ; and of these Ben Lair over- 

 tops all the surrounding country, attaining an eleva- 

 tion little short of 4000 feet, and accompanied by Sleu- 

 gach and others not very far inferior. Hence a con- 

 tinued mass of rocky and lofty mountains, broken into 

 fearful precipices, and separated by deep narrow glens 

 and ravines, extends to little Loch Broom, terminating 

 there in the highly distinguished Kea Cloch. 



This is the highest mountain of the western coast, 

 and it may compete even with Ben Nevis, terminating 

 in serrated peaks resembling those of granite, but form- 

 ed of the same sandstone. Though rising immediately 

 out of the sea on both sides, it bears all the year round 

 a mass of snow as large as that which remains on Ben 

 Nevis or on the hills of the Dee ; a sufficient proof of 

 its hitherto neglected height. If we proceed eastward 

 from this point, the same endless mountains are re- 

 peated, but without any elevations peculiarly requiring 

 mention, till we arrive at Ben Wyvis, where themoun* 

 tain land begins to terminate. 



