850 SCOT 
ances of granite are scanty and scattered. The granite of 
Fort William forms the base of Ben Nevis; and, after some 
interruption, it reappears in the moor of Rannoch, and again 
in Cruachan and the surrounding mountains, which forms 
another of its most considerable appearances in Scotland. 
Excepting a small portion near Comrie, Arran presents the 
only remaining granite to the northward, forming its well 
known group of mountains. 
At Portsoy is found that singular kind of granite called 
Moses’ Tables, which, when polished, resembles the Hebrew 
characters on a white ground. Besides these, there are va¬ 
rious other rare and curious fossils. It may be proper to 
mention the frequent marks of volcanic fire which many of 
the mountains exhibit, as well as the basaltic columns at 
Staffa, and at other parts. 
Owingto its situation in the midst of a great ocean, and in 
a high northern latitude, the climate of Scotland is extremely 
variable. From its insulation, however, the cold in winter 
is not so intense as in similar latitudes on the continent; and 
in summer the heat, especially on the coast, is moderated 
by the sea breezes. In winter it is seldom so cold as in 
the south of England, or on the continent; but that dreary 
season is, on the other hand, more protracted than in those 
countries. The greatest height of the thermometer that has 
ever yet been observed is 92° Fahrenheit, and the lowest at 
Edinburgh, 31st of December, 1783, is 3° below zero. Its 
ordinary range is from 84° to 8°, though it seldom maintains 
these extremes for any length of time. The annual average 
temperature may be estimated at from 43° to 47°. Like 
most other mountainous countries, it is subject to rain. The 
general average quantity of rain that falls appears to be from 
30 to 31 inches. The western coasts, owing to the general 
prevalence of the west winds, which bring humidity from 
the Atlantic Ocean, is more liable to rain than the eastern 
shores, which are washed by the German Ocean. In gene¬ 
ral the proportion of rain is one-fifth more. It has been 
estimated that it rained or snowed on the west coast for 
205 days, and that the weather was fair for 160. On the 
east coast the following are the proportions calculated on an 
average of 12 years:— 
Rain.Ill 
Snow.24 
Fair weather ..230 
365 
In the high latitude of Scotland, the winds are, as might 
be expected, extremely variable, both in their force and in 
their direction; and, in the more elevated districts, this cha¬ 
racter of variableness is greatly heightened, by the inter¬ 
ference of lofty mountains, with their interjacent glens or val¬ 
leys. The glens serve, in these situations, as funnels, to 
receive the blast which was proceeding, perhaps by many 
points, in a different course, but which, being arrested by the 
mountains, is now diverted into the valleys, and, gathering 
strength from the interruption which it had met with, sweeps 
along with redoubled fury. On the west coast of Scotland 
it has been repeatedly asserted by intelligent observers, 
that the wind blows, for two-thirds of the year, from a 
southerly point. These southerly winds bring genial warmth 
and moisture from the constantly equable temperature of the 
Atlantic. They prevail chiefly through the summer and 
autumn, and too frequently prove injurious to the operations 
of the latter. North or north-east winds appear to prevail, 
especially on the eastern coast, through somewhat less than 
one-third of the year. They are cold, and ungen ial to 
animal and vegetable life; they generally prevail in the 
months of March and April, frequently extending into those 
of May and June, and occurring indeed generally throughout 
the summer. South-west winds prevail nearly two-thirds of 
the year, hence trees not sheltered incline to the north-east. 
Owing chiefly to the vicinity of the sea, the air in genera! 
is more pure, temperate and salubrious, than might be ex¬ 
pected in so northern a climate. The frost is not so intense, 
LAND. 
nor the snow of so great depth, as on the adjacent conti¬ 
nent of the same latitude, except in some inland districts of 
the Highlands. 
V.— Extent and Population. 
Scotland consists of 29,498 square miles, exclusive of 
water. The fresh water lakes amount to 290 square miles. 
The population amounts to 2,093,856, of which upwards of 
a million and a half are. Presbyterians, and about 70,000 
Catholics. There are also 285,000 persons who are seceders 
from the established church, but who hold Presbyterian 
tenets. 
VI.— -Agriculture, Manufactures and Commerce. 
The nature of the soil is various; in general, however, it is 
inferior in point of fertility, to England; or perhaps the 
difference may arise not so much from the soil, as from the 
northern situation and mountainous character of the coun¬ 
try. The waste lands occupy about 13,900,000 acres. 
The cultivated ground only 5,000,000. More is however 
getting into cultivation. 
The ancient runrig system, which we have already de¬ 
scribed under the article Runrig, has given way to the 
establishment of large pastoral farms on all the more level 
lands, and has left only such irregular patches as require spade 
cultivation, and which cannot be grazed by cattle in the 
hands of small proprietors. But this country exhibits great 
variations. To give our readers therefore clearer notions we 
shall divide (with Sir John Sinclair, in his “ General Re¬ 
port,”) the country into nine districts. 
The first includes the counties of Roxburgh, Berwick and 
the three Lothians, and may be justly termed, by way of 
eminence, the agricultural district, as the art of husbandry 
is carried on there in as great perfection as in any country 
in Europe. The proportion of land in cultivation is very 
considerable, and its farmers are, in general, remarkable for 
their intelligence, industry and capital. In this district is 
situated the metropolis of Scotland, which unites to signal 
advantages of situation, a degree of art and elegance in its 
buildings, unknown in any other town in Great Britain. 
As it is the seat of the courts of law, the public offices, and 
a celebrated university, the population within its bounds is 
much greater than its agriculture or commerce would other¬ 
wise require. The several counties which compose this 
district may be thus discriminated:—Roxburghshire, the 
most southerly, has a great extent of hills of considerable 
elevation, and only adapted for the pasturing of sheep; but 
it also includes the rich vale of Teviot, which is one of the 
most improved tracts in the kingdom. Berwickshire, though 
a large share of its surface is likewise best suited for pasture, 
contains in the Merse, soil at once fertile and well cultivated. 
East Lothian, throughout the greater part of its extent, is a 
rich and highly improved plain, diversified by a few gentle 
eminences; and yields to no county in Great Britain the 
palm of superiority in agriculture. Mid-Lothian, though 
inferior in soil to East Lothian, nevertheless raises excellent 
corn and green crops, and likewise derives wealth from hor¬ 
ticulture in the vicinity of Edinburgh. West Lothian, besides 
being noted for the carefulness of its agriculture, in the more 
cultivated parts, is ornamented with many extensive planta¬ 
tions, while its peculiar situation on the southern bank of 
the Forth adds much to the beauty of the scenery, and to 
the advantages which the country possesses within itself. 
The second district includes the counties of Peebles, or 
Tweedale, Selkirk, Dumfries, Kirkcudbright and Wigton. 
Here are the highest mountains south of the Forth; and 
from the great proportion of hills, and the small extent of 
arable land, more of the surface is appropriated to the feed¬ 
ing of live stock than to the growth of corn. Yet the vales, 
particularly in Dumfriesshire, are of considerable extent and 
fertility, and exhibit much diversity of appearance. The 
green hills of Tweedale, and the intervening valleys, are 
prolific of corn. Only a small proportion of the territory is, 
however, arable, and late harvests occasionally blast the pro¬ 
spects of the farmer. In the county of Selkirk, formerly 
called 
