156 



SCOTLAND (AGRICULTURE). 



Cleugh, or Wilsontown, in Lanarkshire, is the 

 south-east of this extensive coal field, is ex- 

 cluded by the Shotts hills, but extends on the 

 wist, along the basin of Clyde. As it is supposed 

 by some experienced mineralogists, that the whole 

 of the coal between the Forth and Clyde will be 

 exhausted in forty years, this inexhaustible supply 

 will be of the greatest importance. Little coal has 

 hitherto been found in the northern parts of Scot- 

 land; but whether the search has been properly 

 made seems to be more uncertain. How long this 

 mineral has been worked is uncertain. Pope Pius 

 II., in his description of Europe, written about the 

 year 1450, mentions his astonishment at beholding 

 black stones, so he denominates coals, given as alms 

 to the poor of Scotland. But this mineral may be 

 traced to the twelfth century. The Lothians and 

 Fifeshire abound with coal, which also extends 

 along the Ayrshire coast and Renfrewshire. The 

 great coal tract along the Clyde is in the form of 

 an isosceles triangle, the vertex or top being near 

 Glasgow, and the base towards Carluke, the length 

 being twenty-two miles. Among other Scottish 

 minerals are bismuth, manganese, wolfram, plum- 

 bago, and zinc. Marble of various colours, and 

 susceptible of the highest polish, is to be found in 

 many places. Fine statuary marble is found in 

 Assynt and Blair Gowrie, in Perthshire. Fine 

 black marble is found near Fort William, and is 

 fretted with white, like lace-work ; and dark brown, 

 mixed with white, occurs in Cambuslang parish, 

 Clydesdale. Jasper is found in various parts; a 

 curious variety is presented at Arthur's Seat, and 

 on the western shore of Icolinkill are many curious 

 pebbles of various descriptions. Fullers-earth is 

 found in Kintyre ; and it is supposed that there is 

 a vast mass of talc in the mountains, originating in 

 the Findhorn river, as large pebbles of it are 

 sometimes found in that stream. Agates, garnets, 

 and Cornelians, or Scotch rubies, are abundant, 

 and are no where surpassed in beauty and variety. 

 Chalcedony is found in Fife, and in large masses on 

 the hill near Langholm, and is equal in hardness 

 and water to the Oriental. Most of the mountains 

 belonging to the Grampian chain are granite. Ac- 

 cording to Williams, the lofty Ben-nevis is one 

 solid mass of red granite, which he traced, at the 

 base, for four miles along the course of a rivulet. 

 The elevation of this mass he computes at 2,600 

 feet, and above it are stratified rocks, so hard and 

 tough that wrought iron falls short of them. The 

 granite of this mountain is said to equal the Egyp- 

 tian in beauty. From Portsoy to Trouphead are 

 found vast masses of that singular kind of granite 

 called Moses' tables, which, when polished, resem- 

 bles Hebrew characters, on a white ground. 

 Whether gems and precious stones, properly so 

 called, are found in Scotland, is yet dubious, 

 because quartz and fluor spar assume various hues ; 

 and what are called sapphires, rubies, and emeralds, 

 fall under one or other of these descriptions, while 

 the real gems belong to the argillaceous class, and 

 when minutely examined, consist of very thin 

 layers, a form peculiar to the argillaceous class. 

 However this be, what are called sapphires are 

 found in different places, of various shades, from a 

 deep red to a transparent white, and equal in hard- 

 ness to the Oriental. The topaz is found in many 

 of the Highland mountains, particularly the Cairn- 

 gorm, and in Goatfell, in Arran ; they are generally 

 called Cairngorm stones, from the mountain of that 

 name, and are of various hues, and in hexahedral 



crystals. The ruby and hyacinth are found near 

 Ely, in Fifrshire, but of inferior lustre and small 

 size. Emeralds are found in several places, and 

 amethysts are pretty frequently to be met with, 

 particularly in the mountain Lochnagaraid, in 

 Aberdeenshire; some of them an inch in diameter, 

 of a good colour, and worth from thirty to forty 

 guineas each. Freestone and limestone every 

 where abound. Mineral waters are numerous. 

 The chief are Aithrey, Dumblane, and Pitcaithly, 

 in Perthshire; Moffat wells, in the south; and 

 Peterhead, in the north. 



The wild animals of Scotland are the fox, the 

 badger, the otter, the wild-cat, the hedgehog, the 

 stag, the wild roe, the hare, the rabbit, the weasel, 

 and other small quadrupeds. Formerly Scotland 

 was also the abode of the wolf, the beaver, and 

 the wild ox, but they are now extinct, with the 

 exception of some of the latter still retained in the 

 duke of Hamilton's parks. The domestic animals 

 are the same as those of England; but the native 

 breed of black cattle and sheep is considerably dif- 

 ferent, being smaller in size and reputed to afford 

 more delicious meat. The Galloway and Shetland 

 ponies, and the colley, or true shepherd's dog, of 

 the unmixed breed, are peculiar to Scotland. Nu- 

 merous species of the feathered tribes are found 

 here. Pheasants are met with in the woody dis- 

 tricts, but they are not common: that beautiful 

 bird called the capercailzie, or cock of the wood, is 

 become exceedingly rare; the ptarmigan, the black 

 cock, and the grouse, or red game, are abundant on 

 the heathy mountains; and in the low grounds are 

 found the partridge, plover, snipe, and others which 

 affords diversion to the sportsman. Most of the 

 English singing-birds visit Scotland, except the 

 nightingale. The coasts and islands are frequented 

 by multitudes of aquatic birds, the eggs and fea- 

 thers of some species of which are articles of im- 

 portance to the islanders for food and commerce. 

 Among these sea-fowl are the great hawk, larger 

 than a common goose; the gannet, or solan goose, 

 (Anser Bernicla), the fulmer, or fullumar, a kind 

 of gull, remarkable for the quantity of oil procured 

 from it ; the lamhi, or guillemot ; the falk, or razor- 

 bill ; the buigir, or coulterneb ; the wild swan (Gyg- 

 nusferus): the tufted duck (Fuligula cristata) ; the 

 eider duck, so famous for its light down; and many 

 kindred species. Here also are found various kinds of 

 eagles, falcons, and hawks. The Scottish rivers 

 and lakes abound with the most delicate sorts of 

 fish ; and in the surrounding seas are caught great 

 quantities of herrings, mackerel, sturgeon, cod, 

 haddocks, whiting, turbot, skate, and other edible 

 fish; and among those which are taken for the 

 sake of the oil which they furnish, may be men- 

 tioned the sun-fish, or cearban. Whales are some- 

 times cast ashore on the Hebrides, the Orkneys, 

 and the Shetland Isles, and even occasionally ap- 

 pear in the northern bays and firths. 



Agriculture Scotland was far behind England 



in cultivation till the middle of the last century. 

 Before that time, and for a considerable period 

 later, farms were mostly small, and tilled in a 

 slovenly manner, with half-starved horses, four of 

 which were yoked in the plough, while parts of 

 each farm were alternately cultivated or left waste, 

 upon the rude plan of infield and outfield. In 1 723, 

 Mr Cockburn, of Ormiston, East Lothian, to whom 

 the agriculture of Scotland is much indebted, 

 formed an agricultural society, which exerted itself 

 with considerable success in introducing cultivated 



