Gazetteer of Scotland

LON
aeighbourhood fay, that Loch Lo-
mond has been long famed for three
wonders, viz. fijh without fins, waves
ivithout <wind, and a floating ijland ;
though, upon examination, none of
thefe will be found ftrictly true. Vi-
pers are faid to abound in fome of the
iflands, and are fo far amphibious as
to fwim from one to another. The
fecosd wonder is by no means pecu-
liar to this lake, but is obferved in all
great expanfes of water, in a calm fuc-
ceeding a ftorm. In 1755, when Lif-
bon was thrown down by an earth-
quake, the waters of Loch Lomond
were greatly agitated : they rofe ra-
pidly feveral feet above the ufual level,
and as rapidly funk feveral feet below
it; continuing to ebb and flow for
fome hours, when it again became
calm. At prefent, no floating ifland
exifts: but a fmall piece of ground, at-
tached to the W. fide of Inch-Conagan,
is faid to have floated about the fur-
face of the lake. The whole fcenery
of Loch Lomond and its accompani-
ments, is highly delightful ; the banks
clothed with natural wood ; fome of
the iflands confift of pafture ground,
broken here and there by dark patches
of wood, while others difplay fteep
and rugged hills, clothed with wood
from their fummits to the water edge,
fo thickly tufted as to form (hades
impervious to the rays of the fun. A
more charming iituation than the en-
virons of this lake is not to be found
in Britain; and? though feveral elegant
villas are to be feen near the fouthern
extremity, it feems furprifingjthat they
are not more numerous, and that the
neighbourhood of the village of Lufs
and the iflands, are not embellifhed
with the feats of many gentlemen and
opulent merchants. " What a place,"
fays Dr. Johnfon, " would this be in
the neighbourhood of London : the
greater! ambition of the rich would
be to poflefs an ifland, and ornament
it." Situated even as it is, the mind,
while it contemplates fcenery fo en-
chanting, fondly paints in idea a fo-
ciety of kindred fpirits inhabiting its
happy ifles, and enjoying among each
other " the feail of reafon, and the
flow of the foul."
Long, or Loung (Loch); an ex-
tenfive arm of the fea, which ftrikes
off from the Frith of Clyde, firft in
a N.j and afterwards in a N. E. di-
LON
region, feparating the counties of Ar-
gyll and Dumbarton. It is about 24
miles in length, and about its middle
it fends off Loch Goil, a fmall branch,
in a N. W. d*irec~tion. Upon both fides
in Loch Lang and Loch Goil, the
coaft is bold and fteep, and the hills
high and craggy. Near the head of
Loch Long, on the W. or Argyllfhire
fide, is Ardgarten, the property of
General Campbell of Strachur, the re?
fidence of Captain Campbell of Or-
madale, a moft pleafant fituation, and
finely furrounded with wood. The
loch is from 40 to 80 fathoms deep,
and the fhore is covered with pebbles
of quartz, granite, micaceous fchiftus,
and red jafper. Shoals of herring
frequent the loch, and afford employ-
ment to numerous fifhermen. The o-
ther fifh which frequent it are, cod,
haddocks, whitings, &c. and fome-
times falmon ; but, except a few indi-
viduals, no one pays attention to any
other fifhery than the herring.
Long (Loch) ; an arm of the fea
in Rofs-fhire, which forms the S,
boundary of the peninfula of Kintail.
LONGFORGAN ; a parifh in the
Carfe of Gowrie, fituated in the S. E.
corner of the county of Perth. Its
greateft length is 7 miles, and its great-
eft breadth about 3^, and it contains
7000 acres. It is bounded by the river
Tay on the S. for nearly 3 miles, which
oppofite to it is 3 miles broad, leaving
about a mile of dry fand at low water.
The furface is irregular : the fouthern
boundary, on the river, toward the E.
is bold and fteep, terminating in the
rocky promontory of Kingoody: from
this it gradually defcends into a level
plain, which is bounded on the N,
by the ridge of Sidlaiv hills, fome of
which are within the bounds of the
parifh. The foil is in general a rich
clay, which, like the reft of the Carfe,
is exceedingly fertile. Upon every
eftate there are great quantities of
growing timber, of all kinds of oak,
afh, elm, Sec. many of the trees from
100 to 150 years of age ; and there are.
about 600 acres of fine thriving plan-
tations, from 30 to 40 years old. There
are 5 orchards ; one, in particular, at
Monorgan, reckoned the beft in the,
Carfe for yielding fine fruit. The vil-
lage of Longforgan is a long ftrag-
gling town, on the road from Dundee
to Perth, about 4 miles from the
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