618 



SCOTLAND. 



StatiKks. most engaging pcenes on the west coast. Loch Hourn, 

 succeeding to the southward, forms the next deep in- 

 . j> 



physical. 



Jeogrtpfiy, Dentation "in the land; and while it also offers spacious 



Loch Sun- 

 art. . 



The Linnhe 

 Loch. 



and secure harbours, scarcely required where almost 

 every opening is an anchorage, it comprises the grand- 

 est series of wild and picturesque scenery which is to 

 be found on the western coast, not yielding indeed to 

 any portion of Scotland. The narrowness of its upper 

 portion, and the precipitous and rocky nature of the 

 mountains, with the wild wood every where dispersed, 

 gives it a character of ornament, superadded to subli- 

 mity and rudeness, which is rarely equalled. 



If Loch Nevish equals Loch Hourn in space and se- 

 curity as a harbour, it is without beauty ; yet, in for- 

 mer days, both these lochs were valuable as the chief 

 resort of the herring, which has' long since abandoned 

 them. Hence the principal inducement for a new and 

 excellent road to the former, branching from the Glen 

 More, which is now nearly useless. Loch Morrer, 

 being a fresh water lake, ought to have been enumei'ated 

 with the lakes ; but it is separated from the sea by so 

 very minute an interval, that it seems almost to take 

 its rank here. The joint inlet of Lochananougal and 

 Loch Aylort is spacious, but does not form a good 

 or useful harbour. It derives some consideration, 

 however, from its being the seat of the nearly useless 

 ferry from Arasaik to Sky, and from the excellent new 

 road by which it communicates with Fort William. 

 Loch Moidart, however spacious and deep, is rendered 

 useless from its intricacy, and from the difficulty of 

 getting out to sea in westerly winds. 



Of the western inlets, Loch Sunart is among the 

 deepest, since its length from the entrance to the ex- 

 tremity exceeds twenty miles. As a harbour it is end- 

 Jess, yet unnecessary; befng superseded by that of 

 Tobermory in Mull. Its almost sole use is to form a 

 water communication with Strontian ; but its margin, 

 which is often very striking and picturesque, presents 

 an interesting circumstance in the remains of the an- 

 cient Caledonian forest, consisting of oaks not yet 

 dead, and probably not less than 1000 years old, the 

 trunks of which measure from twenty to twenty-five 

 feet in circumference. 



The Linnhe Loch is, if not the largest, the most im- 

 portant inlet on the western shore of the Highlands ; 

 and if we include Loch Eil, it even rivals Loch Fyne 

 in length. The -total length from the point of Morven 

 to Fort William is thirty-two miles, and that of the 

 western branch of Loch Eil is about nine. It is pro- 

 perly the continuation of the Glen More; nor is it dif- 

 ficult to imagine that it once penetrated deeper, possi- 

 bly even to the Murray Frith, and that the solid por- 

 tion of this great valley has been chiefly produced by 

 the accumulation of alluvial matters. Its importance, 

 as giving access to a large coast, as well as by leading 

 to the Caledonian canal, is manifest ; and is rendered 

 evident to observation by the number of coasting ves- 

 sels by which it is perpetually navigated. 



Thus also it is the entrance to Loch Leven and to 

 Loch Creran. By means of the former there is access 

 to the extensive slate quarries of Glenco; and thus 

 also it would be easy to establish a communication be- 

 tween the eastern and western seas, by means of a road 

 which nature has hitherto in vain pointed out. From 

 the king's house at the head of Glenco, there is a near- 

 ly level surface of sixteen miles to the head of Loch 

 Rannoch, affording the greatest facility for a road ; 

 while the navigation of that lake might, if required, 



supersede the road hence to Blair, and thus through Statistics. 



Glen Tilt as far as the TarfF. A further piece of nine 



or ten miles would fall into the road already made to 



the westward of Braemar/and thus the communication 



with Aberdeen is completed. When so many difficult, 



and some superfluous communications have been made, 



it is rather surprising that this cheap and obvious one 



should have been overlooked. The interesting scenery 



of Loch Leven is generally known, as is that of Loch 



Creran, but the latter is useless in every sense. 



The length of Loch Etive is twenty miles ; the up- Loch Etive. 

 per half having the characters of a fresh water lake, 

 and the lower being navigated as far as the iron works 

 of Buna we. The higher portion is not very salt, and 

 often quite fresh ; and here also are the perishing 

 remains of an ancient oak forest, similar to that of 

 Loch Sunart. These two, we believe, are the only 

 remains yet living of the ancient oak forests of Scot- 

 land ; though there can be no doubt that the greater 

 number of the present coppices are, like these, the 

 progeny of the ancient Sylva Caledonia. The trees 

 of Loch Etive are of similar dimensions to those of 

 Loch Sunart, and though only pollards, are flourishing 

 at the branches which shoot from their knotted and 

 hollow trunks. The whole is a scene of great wildness 

 and grandeur, but without variety. Below Bunawe, 

 the strait of the Connel is noted for the turbulence 

 and fall of the tides at ebb and flow, as it also is for the 

 celebrated ruins of Dunstaffnage castle. 



We may pass over Loch Feochan and Loch Melfort, Loch Craig- 

 as of no peculiar interest, to notice Loch Craignish, nisn ' 

 rivalling Loch Lomond in the beauty of its islands, 

 and the picturesque effects of its singular scenery. 

 Here also the shallower indentation of Loch Crinan 

 forms the western avenue to the canal of that name, 

 communicating with Loch Fyne, and cutting off the 

 long navigation round the Mull of Cantyre. Loch Swin, 

 which is ten miles deep, is a narrow and parallel in- 

 let, remarkable chiefly for the extremely singular and 

 beautiful scenery of its upper extremity ; and Loch 

 Killisport, parallel to it, but of less depth, is a good 

 harbour, without being a necessary or useful one. 



By means of Loch Tarbet, nearly meeting Loch 

 Fyne, the peninsula of Cantyre is rendered almost an 

 island ; and here a communication between the two is 

 practicable by the expedient of carting the boats across 

 the narrow isthmus which separates the east and west 

 Loch Tarbets. Hence was invented the fictitious tale re- 

 specting Magnus Barefootand Donald Bane; a tale which 

 betrays itself, when it is recollected that Magnus was 

 the proprietor of all the islands already, and that 

 Donald was a refugee and a supplicant, and had 

 never been the possessor of the lands which he is as- 

 serted to have thus ceded. As an anchorage, Loch 

 Tarbet is not used, but it is the station of the packet 

 for Isla. 



Passing now the Mull of Cantyre, we arrive at the 

 excellent harbour of Campbelltown, a small but an im- 

 portant inlet from its position, as well as for its 

 commercial uses. Beyond this we enter Loch Fyne, Loch Fyne. 

 the largest indentation which Scotland possesses. The 

 total length of this great sinuosity is forty miles, and, 

 as far as Loch Gilp, it is four miles in breadth. Hav- 

 ing been the most steady resort of the herring, it is a 

 most important fishing station, while it also forms an 

 extensive water communication for a large tract of the 

 western Highlands, peculiarly valuable as connected 

 with Glasgow and the low country. It offers little 

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