FIFE. 331 



of water, Loch Leven, on one of the islands in which stands Lochleven Castle, in 

 which Mary Stuart was imprisoned in 1567. The lake is famous for its fish. 

 Kinross, the county town, stands on the margin of the lake, and has manufactures 

 of linen and woollen. MilnatJiort, a flourishing village near it, is noteworthy as 

 possessing the oldest puhlic library in Scotland. 



Fife consists of the peninsula which juts out towards the North Sea, between 

 the Firths of Tay and Forth, and terminates in Fife Ness. The northern portion 

 of this peninsula is traversed by an eastern continuation of the Ochill Hills, com- 

 posed of igneous rock. The fertile valley of the river Eden, or the Howe of Fife, 

 separates this part of the county from its southern and larger portion, almost 

 wholly covered by carboniferous rocks, capped here and there with sheets of 

 basalt, tuff, and volcanic agglomerate. There is much fertile land, and extensive 

 tracts have been planted with trees. Coal and iron mining, the manufacture of 

 linen, and the fisheries are of importance. 



Dunfermline, on the steep bank of the Lyn Water, has ruins of a royal palace 

 and of an abbey, and is the principal seat of the linen manufacture. Coal mines and 

 iron works (including those of Oakley) are in its neighbourhood. The whole of 

 the coast of the Firth of Forth is studded with fishing villages and towns. 

 InterJxeithing and North Queensferry are close to the northern end of the tremendous 

 railway bridge now being constructed over the Forth. Lower down are Dalgdty, 

 with salt works and collieries; Aberdonr ; Burntisland, with an excellent 

 harbour ; Kingliorn ; and Kirkcaldy, the birthplace of Adam Smith. Kirkcaldy is a 

 place of considerable importance, with rope-walks, flax-mills, and a good local 

 trade. East of it are Dysart, where coal is shipped ; Wemys and Buckhaven, two 

 fishing villages ; and Leven, at the mouth of the river of the same name, which 

 flows down from Loch Leven. On the banks of that river are Markinch, with 

 collieries, flax, and cotton mills, and Leslie, with flax and bleaching works. 

 Lochgelly lies in a tributary salley near a small lake. Once more returning to 

 the coast, \\e pass the fishing villages oî Largo, Earlsferry, Pittenweim, &nà Anstru- 

 ther, and doubling Fife Ness, find ourselves off the perilous port of the famous 

 old city of St. Andrews, which was of great commercial activity formerly, but now 

 deserted for places more favourably situated. There are the ruins of a cathedral 

 wrecked by the Calvinists, and near it the tower of a chapel founded by St. Regulus, 

 as also the remains of a castle overhanging the sea. The university, founded in 

 1411, is the oldest in Scotland, and, with its residential colleges, is more like 

 Oxford and Cambridge than are the other universities of the country. Foremost 

 amongst the other scholastic establishments of the town is Madras College, founded 

 in 1833 by Dr. Andrew Bell for the purpose of practically testing the monitorial 

 system of education invented by him. The salubrious air, no less than the educa- 

 tional advantages of St. Andrews, has attracted many well-to-do residents. 



The river Eden enters the sea to the north of St. Andrews, and in the centre 

 of its fertile valley stands Cupar, the county town, with many curious old build- 

 ings and various industries. Pipe-clay is found in the vicinit}^ and manufactured 

 into pipes. Higher up the Eden are the small market towns of Auchtermuchiy and 



