A YRSHIR E. 



161 



e- troducecJ, and the lands are let at high rents. Small 

 v v ' inclosures sometimes draw from 8 to 10 per acre. 

 The more general rent for arable farms in favour- 

 able situations, is at the rate of 2 or 3 per acre. 

 The great abundance of lime is an advantage which 

 is possessed by this county more than almost any 

 other. 



Considerable attention has long been bestowed on 

 the rearing ol cattle. In Carrick, the Galloway 

 breed has long been esteemed the best for fattening 

 easily, and the beef is allowed to be superior to that 

 of most other species. In Cunningham and Kyle, 

 the Dunlop breed is preferred, as yielding the best 

 milk. The cheese called Dunlop, originally intro- 

 duced in the parish of that name, is in great repute, 

 and bears a high price throughout all Scotland. The 

 hills inCarrick, and part of Kyle/afford excellent sheep 

 pasture ; and great pains have been taken to improve 

 the breed. In ancient times the sheep of Carrick 

 were celebrated for the fineness and whiteness of their 

 wool. The cultivation indeed appears to have been 

 better formerly than of late. Ayrshire, three centu- 

 ries ago, was one of the few counties that produced 

 wheat and whisky. 



We cannot bestow great praise on the mode in 

 which the land is inclosed and subdivided. With re- 

 gard to planting, though much has been done, we 

 have already expressed our regret, that there should 

 be such a predilection in favourof the Scotch fir, a spe- 

 cies of wood neither pleasing nor profitable, the pre- 

 dominance of which tends to deform many fine tracts 

 of country, which it was intended to beautify as well 

 as to shelter. We may here observe also, that the 

 roads in general are by no means good : they are too 

 narrow, and often carried along the very worst lines ; 

 but what is still more inexcusable is, that, though 

 the materials are every where found in great plenty, 

 the roads are kept in very bad repair. 



The most important minerals found in Ayrshire, 

 are, 1 . Coal, which abounds in almost every parish, 

 and which is wrought in vast quantities in the vicinity 

 of all the towns, especially near the coast. The 

 quantity exported exceeds 100,000 tons annually. 2. 

 Limestone and marl also abound, the former, how- 

 ever, in the greatest number of places. A consider- 

 able quantity is likewise brought as ballast from Ire- 

 land. 3. Iron-stone is found in different parts of 

 Carrick, and in the higher parts of Kyle towards the 

 source of the Ayr. At Glenbuck, more than 2000 

 tons of pig iron are made annually ; and a much great- 

 er quantity at Muirkirk. 4. Free-stone is also found 

 in many places throughout the county. 5. Lead 

 has been discovered in considerable quantity, and 

 mines were opened several years ago in the parish of 

 New Cumnock. The other minerals are copper ores, 

 plumbago, barytes, crystals of zeolite, gypsum, agates, 

 and what is called ixaler of Ayr stone, which is in 

 high estimation among cutlers. 



The principal towns in Ayrshire, are the boroughs 

 of Ayr and Irvine, Kilmarnock, Saltcoats, Stewart- 

 on, Catrine, Mauchline, Muirkirk, Maybole, Girvan, 

 'Beith, Kilwinning, Ballantrae, &c. 



Irvine and Saltcoats, though eight miles distant, 

 are considered as the same port. The number of 

 vessels is 90 ; the tonnage 6774 ; the seamen 507. 



VOL. III. PART I. 



The coal exported amounts at aft average to 42,000 Ayrshire 

 tons. The imports are almost every species of Irish * " 

 produce, particularly about 10,000 quarters of grain 

 yearly. The chief foreign import is timber from 

 America, since the Baltic trade has not been regular- 

 ly open. The trade of Saltcoats is about one- 

 third of the whole. The population of Irvine is about 

 5000 ; that of Saltcoats about 3000. 



Kilmarnock, the largest town in Cunningham, has 

 long carried on manufactures of carpets, woollen 

 cloths, leather, shoes, and gloves, to a great extent. 

 The annual amount is not less than 100,000. The 

 population is about 10,000. An academy has been 

 lately formed here, which is attended by nearly 400 

 young people. At Catrine, 15 miles up the river 

 Ayr, very extensive cotton-works were erected some 

 years ago by Mr Alexander of Ballamyle, and Mr 

 Dale of Glasgow. The population is between 2000 

 and 3000. The process of weaving is carried on in 

 some of these works by the steam engine ; and spin- 

 ning is executed by water machinery. 



Girvan is a small sea-port, the trade of which is 

 very inconsiderable. Stewarton was formerly en- 

 gaged chiefly in the manufacture of bonnets ; and 

 Kilwinning deserves to be mentioned as the birth- 

 place, or rather the nursery, of free-masonry in Scot- 

 land. 



In the neighbourhood of Muirkirk, there are two 

 sets of iron-works, and also manufactures of coal tar, 

 lamp black, brown paint, &c. Among the improve- 

 ments which have been projected of late years, there 

 are two which claim particular notice, the canal and 

 harbour of Ardrossan, and the harbour of the 

 Troon, with a rail-road from Kilmarnock^ &c. 



The bay of Ardrossan, to the north of the port of 

 Saltcoats, is formed by nature, (Mr Telford lias re- 

 marked in his Report,) as a complete harbour for all 

 the purposes of safety. It possesses many peculiar 

 advantages for communication with Ireland and Ame- 

 rica, as well as the Baltic ; and the canal might be 

 expected to place it in the same situation with re- 

 spect to Glasgow, which Liverpool holds in relation 

 to Manchester. Mr Telford's proposal was, to con- 

 vert a space of 300 yards in length, and 100 yards in 

 breadth, into a wet dock, to hold 16 feet depth of 

 water ; the length of the south pier to be 600 yards, 

 and that of the north pier 350 yards ; the wet dock 

 to contain from 70 to 100 vessels ; and the canal to 

 enter at the north-east extremity. The expense of 

 the harbour was estimated at 40,000. The south 

 wall is now finished. Few tide-harbours possess 

 equal advantages, in point of outlet to the sea, faci- 

 lity of entrance, conveniency for anchoring, and se- 

 curity to shipping. But it cannot be expected, that 

 the trade of Glasgow will soon come into this har- 

 bour, much less that any other trade, to the extent 

 calculated, is likely to open. The new village of Ar- 

 drossan possesses excellent baths, and promises to 

 become one of the best watering places in Scotland. 



The Troon Point, between Ayr and Irvine, is 

 one of the finest natural harbours on the west coast, 

 and was long found a convenient station for the 

 smuggling trade. About the beginning of the last 

 century, it is said that the merchants of Glasgow 

 applied to the then proprietor for a feu of the lauds 



