616 



SCOTLAND. 



rjition. Of the cither rivers of Aberdeenghirr, the 

 Ytban, di c charging itself near S : ains, and the Ugie 

 " near Peterhead, are the only ones that require notice. 



The Findhorn must be named among our principal 

 rivers. This holds a course parallel to that of the 

 Spey, indicating, together with that of the Nairn, the 

 directions of the hills and their correspondence to the 

 stratification of the rocks, more accurately and exten- 

 sively than any other portion of Scotland except the 

 Glenmore na Albin, to which they are parallel. The 

 Findhorn rises among the wild but tame mountains of 

 jWonagh lea, and without combining with any other 

 river of note, holds its own course to the sea near Forres, 

 led by the small streams which descend from each side 

 of the great valley by which it is conducted. The 

 Nairn has two distinct sources, one in the singular and 

 elevated lake Duntelchak and the other in the neigh- 

 bouring hills, nor does it receive any river till it falls 

 into the sea at Nairn. 



-Compared with its magnitude, the Ness is among 

 tbe shortest rivers in Scotland, meeting the sea at 

 Inverness very soon after quitting its parent lake, 

 of which the Oich and the Tarff at the upper ex- 

 tremity, with the waters of Glen Morison, Glen Ur- 

 quhart and Foyers, are the principal feeders. The 

 <Jonan, running into the Cromarty Firth, and the Glas 

 into that of Beauley, can only be classed among our 

 rivers of an inferior rate. 



Among the northern rivers, the Oikel is one of the 

 most important, having its origin near the western sea, 

 in the vicinity of Loch Broom, and terminating in the 

 Firth of Tain, where it joins the Carron. The Shin, 

 discharging the waters of Loch Shin, is the other of 

 its principal feeders. To pass over the smaller rivers 

 of Sutherland, the two eastern flowing ones alone 

 worth notice are the Brora and the Helmsdale; both 

 aiding to unwater the interior of this wild country. 

 Of the northern flowing, the most important are the 

 waters of the Hallodale, the Strathy, and the Naver, 

 having their rise in the same hills as the preceding 

 two, and serving to indicate the highest level of this 

 country. In Caithness, the rivers of Thurso, of Forse, 

 and of Wick, are almost the only ones deserving enu- 

 meration. The water of Farr, further west in Suther- 

 land, may rank with the Hallodale and the Strathy ; 

 and the Hope discharging Loch Hope, is even shorter 

 than the Ness, since its whole course from the lake 

 does not exceed half a mile. 



It must already have appeared that the tendency of 

 all our principal rivers is to the north, the east, and 

 the south ; scarcely any one worthy of notice meeting 

 the western sea in the mountainous division of the 

 Highlands. Thus the general elevation and declivity 

 of the country are indicated ; and thus it is easy to 

 find the points of the average highest elevation. For 

 all the rivers which have yet been enumerated, these 

 will be found at the sources of the Dee and Tilt, run- 

 ning in contrary directions, of the Spey and Roy simi- 

 larly dividing, of the Don and the Dev'ron, of the Stra- 

 thy and the Helmsdale, of the Oikel, and of the waters 

 which feed Loch Hope, Loch Laighal, and Loch Na- 

 .ver. 



Of the western flowing waters in the northern High- 

 lands, those of L->ch Maree and Loch Carron are the 

 iirst two that seem to deserve notice, .and even these 

 ..Are but inferior streams. Nor is there any one which 



ran be ranked high, in this direction, but the Lochy, Statistics, 

 discharging the waters of Loch Lochy, together with > -y ^ 

 those of the Roy and the Spean, and thus forming 1 a (feoscraj liy, 

 powerful river flowing into the head of Loch Eil. phycrf. 

 Further south, the rivers which meet Loch Etivc, Locii 

 Awe, and Loch Fyne, together with the exit of Loch 

 Awe itself, are in this division ; but they are compa- 

 ratively insignificant, as are all those which now oc- 

 cur to the very boundary of the Highlands. 



Though the Forth has its origin in the Highlands, Forth, 

 it shortly becomes a lowland river, and must be con- 

 sidered next in rank to the Tay.* 



The Clyde must be allowed the next rank, and it is Clyde, 

 the great exception to the general courses of the Scot- 

 ish rivers. Its various sources are traced in the hills 

 about Elvanfoot, whence, after a northern course, it 

 turns to the northwest, and pursuing its tortuous and 

 intricate journey, joins the salt water below Glasgow, 

 without having received any river of importance 

 throughout the whole space.t 



The course of the Tweed is even more intricate, while T-eeL 

 its springs are not far removed from those of the Clyde 

 and the Annan, marking the great central elevation of 

 the southern mountain land.J Passing Peebles, it is 

 already a large river, and while fed by endless and 

 nameless waters, it also receives the long celebrated 

 rivers, the Ettrick, the Yarrow, the Gala, and the 

 Tiviot, becoming a wide stream, as it reaches the sea 

 at Berwick. 



The Annan is among the chief of the southern flow- 

 ing rivers, having rivals only in the Esk, the Dee, 

 and the Nilh. The springs of the Esk correspond 

 nearly with those of the Ettrick ; and thus again we 

 trace the highest elevations. Thus also the sources of 

 the Nith interfere with those of the Clyde and the Ayr, 

 as at one point they also approach to the springs of 

 the Tweed. In the same^way the remote heads of the 

 southern Dee must be sought with those of the Doon 

 flowing to the northwest, while this river becomes na- 

 turally increased by its junction with the powerful 

 Ken, forming a large river where it meets the sea at 

 Kirkcudbright. The Fleet and the Cree are secondary 

 rivers, and the others which belong to this part of Scot- 

 land require no enumeration. 



Lakes of Scotland. 



We shall enumerate these in the order of their im- Lakes of 

 portance and connexion, rather than in a geographical Scotland, 

 one, which could not be accurately followed. 



Loch Awe, an immense body of water, is marked by 

 the singularity of its exit. The total length of this 

 lake is about 22 miles ; and with a prevailing breadth 

 of one mile, it becomes about two or more wide near 

 its northern extremity, which forms its exit as well as 

 its apparent entrance. Here some small islands di- 

 versify its surface, and here also it produces some very 

 grand and striking scenery ; but the lower part is ge- 

 nerally tame and uninteresting, though containing a 

 group of islands near the middle. It is partly fed by 

 Loch Avich, a mountain lake of no note. 



LOCH LOMOND, already described under DUMBAR- 

 TONSHIRE, Vol. VIII. p. 190. 



LOCH TAY, LOCH DOCHART, LOCH EARN, LOCH 

 VOIL, LOCH CHON, LOCH ARD, described in PERTH- 

 SHIRE, Vol. XVI. p. 422, 



LOCH CATERAN, LOCH ACHRAY, LOCH VENACHAH, 



See FORTH, Vol. IX. p. 482 ; and PERTHSHIRE, Vol. XVI. p. 424. f See LANARKSHIRE, Vol. XII. p 612. 



^ See PEEBI.ES-SHIRE, Vol. XVI. p. 3A7. . See KOXBUHGHSHIBE in this volume, p, *474. 



