JS8 



INVERNESS-S-HIRE. 



Inttmtis 

 hire. 



II. cmi 



HISTOIIV. 



Name and 

 divisions. 



Antiquities 

 And classi- 

 cal spots. 



and rivers abound with otters, (Mustela lulra.) Hares, 

 both common, (Le/ius limidus,) and alpine, (Lepits va- 

 riiuilis,) and rabbits, '(Li-pus cuniculus,) mice, (Mat 

 muicuhis, M us sylvaticus, Mas agrcstis, ) rats, ( Mus rat- 

 tut, Mas deciinitinno,) moles, (Taipei eurojiam,') and bats, 

 (Vtsperlilio auralits,) are all to be met with in abun- 

 dance. The inlets ot' the sea are frequented by seals, 

 great, (Phoca Larbala,) and common, ( Plioca vilulina.) 

 Most of the kinds of eagles, and hawks, (Ftilco,) and 

 owls of different sorts, (Otri*,) are to be found in this 

 county. Ravens, ( Corvtis corax, ) crows, (Corvus co- 

 rune, frugHegux, comix, mnnedu/a,) and magpies, (Cor- 

 nuftar,) are numerous; and almost all the smaller 

 birds common to the latitude are found here. Of the 

 gallinaceous, Inverness-shire had to boast of possessing 

 that beautiful bird the capercailzie, or cock of the 

 wood, (Telrao urogallus) nor is it long since it was 

 finally extirpated, the last having been killed in the fir 

 forest of Strathglass, in the memory of people now 

 alive. As this noble game is plentiful in Norway and 

 Sweden, whence they are sometimes brought to Lon- 

 don for the tables of the luxurious, it is to be regretted, 

 that they are not imported alive into the Highlands of 

 Inverness-shire, where, by a little attention, they might 

 again become natives. Black game, (Telrao lelrix,) 

 grouse, (Tetrao atlagen,) and ptarmigan, ( Telrao lago- 

 ptis,~) are very numerous ; also partridges, (Telrao per- 

 clix,~) woodco'cks, (Scolopax ruslicola,) and snipes, ( Sco* 

 lojiax gullinago, et gaflinula,) pheasants, (Phasianui 

 colchicus, ) have been introduced at Culloden, and are 

 beginning to spread themselves. Of reptiles, vipers, 

 ( Coluber bents, ) adders, ( Anguis oryx, ) and slow or 

 blind worms, (anguis fragilis,) are to be met with, but 

 are not frequent. The fish of most consequence is the 

 salmon, (Salmo salax,) which runs up all the rivers 

 having any connection with either sea. There are 

 plenty of trout, (Salmo irutla,Jario,) of various kinds, 

 in the different lakes and streams ; those of Loch Ness 

 are very delicious. The char, (Salmo alpinus,) is found 

 in Loch Ruthven in great perfection, and also in one 

 or two other lakes. Sea fish of all kinds abound on the 

 coasts, so as to produce a plentiful supply of food. 



The name of Inverness-shire, is certainly circuitous- 

 ly derived from the fall of Foyers. We have already 

 stated, (see article FOYERS,) that ess, signifying a wa- 

 terfall, lock an ess is the lake of the waterfall ; whence 

 the names of the river, of the town, and lastly of the 

 county. Inverness-shire contains 31 parishes, eleven 

 of which belong to the Hebrides. These parishes are 

 scattered amongst five or six different presbyteries. 

 The districts into which the county has been divided 

 by public arbitrary usage, are, Lochabcr, Moidart, 

 Arasaig, South and North Morrer, Knoidart, Glengarry, 

 Glenelg, Glenmorriston, Urquhart, Strathglass, the 

 Aird, Inverness, Petty, Ardersier, Stratheric, the Braes 

 of Strath Nairn, the Braes of Stradearn, Badenoch, 

 Rothiemurchus, and Strathspey ; all of which are sepa- 

 rately distinguished from one another. There are four 

 sheriff-courts, one at Inverness, one at Fort William, 

 one in Sky, and one in the Long Island. There are 

 about 57 freeholders in the county, who return one 

 member to represent it in parliament. 



Druidical circles are numerous in the county, as well 

 as those appearances denominated vitrified forts. (See 

 FORTS VITRIFIED.) At Glenelg, in the Aird, and at 

 Dalchully in Badenoch, are the remains of very singu- 

 lar ancient buildings, composed of large stones, nicely 

 adapted to each other, without cement, supposed to 

 have been PictLsh or Danish alarm posts. The royal 



cattle of Inverlochy, ne.ir Fort William, had once a Inverness- 

 thriving burgh attached to it, called by some of the 'hire. 

 old historians, the emporium of Scotland. The castle, j^Jj",,-^ 

 now in ruins, is a quadrangular buildiYig, with round md c5ii- 

 towers at the angles, the whole area included within cal pois. 

 the outer ditch being nearly an acre and an half. The 

 league between Charles the Great of France,andAchaius 

 king of Scots, is said to have been signed litre about 

 the end of the eighth century. Urquhart castle, once 

 a royal fort, capable of containing 600 men, but now a 

 ruin, stands very picturesquely on a rocky point project- 

 ing into Loch Ness. It was reduced in 1303 by Edw. I. 

 and, in 1334, Robert Laucler, the governor, maintained 

 it against the English, then espousing theca.use of Ed- 

 ward Baliol. The castle of Invergarry was burned in 

 1 7*6 ; its ruins are situated on a bold rock, rising from 

 the side of Loch Oich. Besides these, there are many 

 other castles of inferior note. Loch Moidart, on the 

 west coast, is famous for having been the landing place 

 of the young Pretender in 1745; and Culloden Moor, 

 well known as the scene of his final defeat, on the iCth 

 April 174-6, lies on the flat and lengthened ridge of a 

 hill about a mile from Inverness. The graves of the 

 slain are distinguished by rising green from amidst the 

 brown heath. We are not disposed to class what are 

 called the parallel roads of Glen Roy, under the head 

 of antiquities, as we conceive them to owe their origin 

 to natural causes. (See PARALLEL ROADS.) 



The population of Inverness-shire, in 181 1, was esti- Population. 

 mated at 78,336 ; it is much to be feared, however, 

 that it has not been on the increase since that period. 

 The sheep farming system, prosecuted with so much 

 eagerness by many of the great proprietors, particular- 

 ly by those on the western coast, has compelled the 

 Highlanders to emigrate with their families to America, 

 in bodies so considerable as to depopulate large dis- 

 tricts. 



Some of the great landed proprietors in this county Property. 

 are, the Duke of Gordon, the Earl of Moray, the Earl 

 ofSeafield, Lord M'Donald, Lord Cawdor, Fraser of 

 Lovat, M'Donald of Clanronald, M'Leod of M'Leod, 

 M'Intosh of M'Intosh, M'Donell of Glengarry, M'Pher- 

 son of Cluny, Chisholm of Chisholm, Cameron of 

 Lochiel, &c. The whole valued rent of the count y, 

 as fixed by the commissioners at Inverness in 1601, 

 amounts to about 72,836 Scots. 



The difference which exists between the climate and Agriculture 

 character of the east coast, and that of the west, is pro- andoccupa- 

 ductive of very different modes of turning the surface ,'^ of 

 to account. The comparative flatness and dryness of 

 the former encourages agriculture, which in many dis- 

 tricts, particularly about Inverness, the Aird, &c. has 

 been carried to the greatest perfection. Grain of all 

 sorts, such as wheat, barky, cats, rye, &c. as well as 

 pease and beans, are raised of the best possible quality. 

 The farms are in general large, the leases of the duia- 

 tion of 19 years, and the tenants respectable. Lime is 

 much employed as a manure, and green crops are every 

 where raised with success, in these eastern maritime 

 districts ; and they are even beginning to be cultivated 

 by the more intelligent tenants in the higher glens. 

 Many very spirited improvements have been carried on 

 by proprietors. Mr. Bailie of Dochfour has lately ren- 

 dered arable a large portion of his estate, by trenching 

 and draining. And Mr. M'Pherson Grant of Ballindal- 

 loch, has effected a drainage on his estate of Invereshie 

 in Badenoch, upon a scale so great as hardly to be pa- 

 ralleled by the exertions of any one individual. We re- 

 gret that our limits do not permit us to give a detailed 



