SCOTLAND. 



567 



the laws, policy, and language of the Eng- 

 lish. The legilimacy of the recent king o\ 

 England consist ed in his descent from this for- 

 eign conqueror, ahhough llie exact order of 

 succession has heen occasionally disturbed. 

 Wales was conquered and united to En;;;land 

 towards the end of the loth century. The 

 Parliament, which, from obscure and incon- 

 siderable beginnings, grew by degrees into 

 significance, attained to such importance in 

 1648, as to condemn and put to death Charles 

 the First. A republic, under Oliver Crom- 

 well, as Protector^ followed this event, but 

 the death of Cromwell restored royalty. 

 James the Second, the last of the Stuart 

 kings, was a bigoted Catholic, and, attempt- 

 ing to force liis religion upon the people, was 

 driven from the ihrone. William of Oi ange 

 received the ci'own by act of parliament, and 

 Jl Saxon King, and his Armor-bearer. the political liberties of England may properly 



be dated from this period. 

 With the outward. forms of a monarchy, the government of England has been, to most prac 

 tical purposes, an aristocracy or oligarchy, not greatly diflerent from that of the republic of 

 Venice. While the king possessed the right, nominally, to make war and peace, and appoint 

 his ministers, he was completely under the control of the House of Commons, who, by grant- 

 ing or withholding the supplies of money, that great instrument of power, were enabled to bend 

 him to their will. On the other hand, while the Commons proposed to represent the body of 

 the people, the election of a large portion of their number fell into the hands of a few individ 

 uals, and that body lost the character of a popular assembly. A more equal representation of 

 the people has lately been introduced by the right of suffrage, and is confined Avithin narrow 

 limits. 



CHAPTER LXXm. SCOTLAND , 



PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY. 



1. Boundaries and Extent. Scotland is everywhere surrounded by the ocean except in llie 

 southeast, where it is joined to England. It is 280 miles in length from north to south, and 

 130 miles is its greatest width ; but the coast is extremely irregular and indented by large arms 

 of the sea. It contains 30,800 square miles. It lies between 54*^ 57' and 58'~' 36' N. latitude, 

 and 1° 40' and 6° 10' W. longitude. In shape, it has been fancifully compared to a hump- 

 backed old woman, sitting upon the ground. 



2. Mountains. Scotland is in part mountainous, and in part hilly. The mountains are 



scattered over the surface, without running in uniform 

 chains. They are generally from 2 to 4,000 feet 

 in height, and a few peaks exceed 4,000. The 

 Grampians are the most southern group. In the 

 north are the Highlands of Caithness and Inverness., 

 and here is Ben JVcvis, the highest mountain in 

 Great Britain, 4,370 feet above the level of the 

 sea, and capped with perpetual snow. On one 

 side, it exhibits a precipice 1,500 feet perpendicu- 

 lar, and the prospect fiom its summit is indescri- 

 bably grand and magnificent. The Pentland Bills, 

 in the south, are very picturesque, but not lofty. 

 Most of the mountainous parts abound with craggy 

 rocks, deep, narrow dells, and tumbling torrents ; 

 and their ruggedness and sterility must ever defy 

 the utmost efibrts of human industry to render 

 thei'' uroductivp 



Scotch Mountain 



