Gazetteer of Scotland

BUM
Ml of Moncrief is so grand, exten-
sive, and various,, that Mr. Pennant
has given it the name of " the glory
of Scotland." The soil varies from
clay to a loam and light sand, but is
in general very fertile. There is a
small village at the bridge of Erne,
which, from its situation, promises to
become considerable. Pitkeathly, so
famous for its mineral waters, is in
this parish. {Fide Pitk-ea.th.ly).
Population in 1801, 1066.
DUMBARTONSHIRE, or, as it
was anciently called, the shire of Len-
nox, extends in length about 40 miles,
and in breadth about 23. It is bound-
ed on the N. by Argyllshire \ on the
E. by the counties of Perth and Stir-
ling ; on the S. by the river Clyde and
part of Lanarkshire ; and on the W.
by an arm of the sea called Loch
Long. The greater part of the coun-
ty is covered with heathy hills,, which
are now assuming a more luxuriant
appearance since the introduction of
sheep. Many of the mountains are
elevated to a great height, Benlomond
measuring 3158 feet above the level of
the sea. The ridge of which Benlo-
mond is a part, is the beginning of
that extensive range which crosses the
country from this place t6 the E. coast
of Aberdeen, called the Grampians.
The lower gi-ounds, which lie on the
banks of Lochlomond, the river Clyde,
and the Leven,! are not so fertile as the
corresponding- parts of some of the
neigh bouriijg. counties, notwithstand-
ing which it is agreeably diversified,
and well' inhabited. The banks of the
Leven, in particular, are covered with
numerous bleachfields, printfields, and
cotton-works, giving employment to
thousands ; while the villages erected
for the accommodation of the work-
men, the hamlets, and elegant seats,
cannot fail to impress the mind' with
high ideas of the wealth, the industry,
the public spirit, and the happiness
of the inhabitants. Agriculture in this
county has been rather neglected, and
little attention has been paid to it till
within these few years ; but. the pub-
lic spirit has of late been roused to
this most useful and important occu-
pation, and the county of Dumbarton,
which is capable of much improve-
ment, is fast advancing in agricultural
progress. The farmers here, indeed,
possess numerous advantages ; being
DUM
near a seaport town, where eveiy art
tide bears the highest price, they find
a ready market' for their corn ; and the
numerous inhabitants in the imme-
diate neighbourhood require supplies
of other necessaries from the farmer.
Upwards of 12,000 acres are covered
with natural wood, and there are ma-,
ny fine lakes or lochs, of which Loch
Lomond is the chief. Vide Lomond-
(Loch.) Dumbartonshire contains
one royal borough, Dumbarton, seve-
ral thriving manufacturing r.llages,
and is divided into 12 parishes, which
contained, in 1801, 20,710inhabitantSr
There are many elegant seats,of which
P,osedoe, the seat of Sir James Col-
quhoun, and Buchanan, the seat of
the Duke of Montrose, are the chietV
Dumbartonshire contains few valua-
ble minerals. Freestone and slate are
abundant; and in some places are
found limestone, ironstone, and coal-
Many of the mountains are apparent-
ly volcanic, in particular the rock on
which Dumbarton Castle is built. The
valued rent of Dumbartonshire is
33,3271. Scots, and the real land rent
is about 31,2501. Sterling.
DUMBARTON; the county town
of Dumbartonshire, is a royal borough,
and one of the most ancient of the
towns of Scotland. It is said to have
| been once the capital of a kingdom of
j the Britons, established in the vale of
the Clyde, and to have been one of
the seats of Fingal, called in the poems
of Ossian the tower of Balclutha.
Alsluid was indeed the name of this
ancient capital of the Strathclydenses;
but whether it was situated on the
seat of the present town, or confined
within the precincts of the castle, can-
not be exactly ascertained. Dumbar-
ton is very small, built upon the east-
ern bank of the Leven, which almost
encircles it. The greater part of the
buildings are old, and the principal.
street has an air of decayed grandeur..
It was erected into a royal borough
by Alexander II. in the year 1221, and
declared to be fvee of all imposts and 1
borough taxes; but, notwithstanding
this material advantage, and the ex-
cellent harbour it possesses, it is by
no means in a flourishing state. This
seems principally owing to the cor-
poration laws, which prevent strangers
from working at their ttades, without
paying high fees of entry. Monoplies