f 



CYCLOP ^DI^: 





OR, A NEW 



UNIVERSAL DICTIONARY 



OF 



ARTS and SCIENCES. 



SCOTLAND. 



SCOTLAND, in Geography, an ancient, and formerly an 

 independent kingdom, but now coiiftituting an integral 

 part of the united kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland ; is 

 iituated, exclufive of itsiflands, between 154° 37' and 58° 42' 

 north latitude, and between 1° 47' and 6" 7' weft longitude, 

 from London. It is bounded on the fouth by the Solway 

 frith, and the nvers Efk, Lark, Liddel, and Tweed, which 

 divide it from England ; on the eall and north by the 

 Northern ocean ; and on the welt by the waters of the At- 

 lantic. Its greateft length, in a direftion due north and 

 fouth, is 27^ miles, and its greateft breadth 147 miles ; but 

 its breadth is extremely varieus, and in one place does not 

 exceed 36 miles. According to calculation, the fuperficial 

 contents of the mainland amount to 2^,520 fquare miles of 

 land, 494 fquare miles of frefti-water lakes, and 5000 fquare 

 Tnilcs of faltwater lochs, or lakes. Trie iflands, which are 

 ufually claifed under two divifions, the Hebrides on the 

 weft, and the Orkney and Zetland iftands towards the 

 north, comprehend an area of 4224 fquare miles, fo that 

 Scotland, with its lakes and iflands, exclufive of its bays, 

 prefents a furfaee of 30,238 fquare miles. Politically fpeak- 

 ing, it comprifes 33 counties, which are named in the fequel 

 under the head Parliamentary rrprefentation, and contains, 

 according to the population cenfus of 181 1, 317,763 houfes, 

 and 1,805,688 inhabitants. 



Hiftorical Events. — The hiftory of Scotland, previous to 

 the union of the two crowns, has been divided by Dr. Ro- 

 bertfon into four periods ; the firft reaching from the moft 

 remote ages to the reign of Kenneth II. ; the fecond, 

 from Kenneth's conqueft of the Pidls to the death of Alex- 

 ander HI.; the third, from that event to the death of 

 James V. ; and the laft, thence to the advancement of 

 James VI. to the throne of England. The firll of thefe 

 periods, obferves the fame author, ia the region of pure fa- 



VoL. XXXI I. 



ble ; truth begins to dawn in the fecond period with a light, 

 fesble at firft, but gradually increafing : the events which then 

 happened may be flightly touched, but merit no laborious 

 inquiry. In the third period, Scottilh hiftory, chiefly by means 

 of records preferved in England, becomes more authentic ; 

 not only are events related, but their caufes and effeds ex- 

 plained ; the charafters of the aftors are difplayed ; the 

 manners of the age defcribed ; and the revolutions in the con- 

 ftitution pointed out. During the fourth period, the af- 

 fairs of Scotland were fo much mingled with thofe of other 

 nations ; its fituation in the political ftate of Europe was fo 

 important ; its influence on the operations of neighbouring 

 kingdoms was fo vifible ; that its hiftory becomes an objett 

 of attention, not merely to Scotimen but to foreigners : as, 

 without fome knowledge of the various and extraordinary 

 revolutions which happened there, it would be inipoflible for 

 them to form a juft notion with rofpeft either to the great 

 tranfaftions, or the diftinguiftied charadlcrs, of the fixtccnth 

 century. 



After a minute examination of nearly all the works which 

 have been written refpefting the early hiftory of Scotland, 

 it is imprafticable to unravel the myftery in whicli it is in- 

 volved, and to feparate authenticated faft from ingenious 

 conjefture. In the prefent article, therefore, we (hall advert 

 to the firft periods only in a general way, and (liall dilate our 

 narrative, in proportion as events become more certain, im- 

 portant, and interelling. 



Hijlory of the Firji Period. — It is agreed by Piiikerton and 

 Chalmers, though on molt other points they materially 

 differ, that the aboriginal inhabitaiif; of Caledonia were a 

 colony of thcCcltK, who arc generally allowed to have been 

 the firft poilellors of wcftern Europe. Refpefting the era 

 of their arrival m North Britain, and the route by which 

 they reached the country, nothing is known ; nor has record, 



B or 



444073 



