Gazetteer of Scotland

LAN
Sloman encampments, and many
strong towers. An ancient chair, said
to have originally belonged to the pa-
triot Wallace, is in the possession of
Lady Ross Baillie, the representative
of the family of Lamington, to which
that hero was allied. Population in
J801, 375.
LAMLASH; an excellent harbour,
on the S. E. side of the island of Arran,
where vessels of any size, and almost
in any number, can safely lie at an-
■chor. It is sheltered from the sea by
-the small islet called Holy Isle. There
is a small village of .the same name at
the the bottom of the bay. Latitude
55° 33' N., longitude 1° S9 J W. of
Edinburgh. ■,
LANARKSHIRE, or LANERK-
SHIRE, called sometimes Clydesdale,
from the river Clyde, is about 50
miles in length from N. to S. and 3<3
in breadth from E. to W. It is bound-
ed on the N. W. and N. by Renfrew
and Dumbartonshires ; on the N. E.
and E. by the counties of Stirling and
Linlithgow ; on the S. E. by Peebles;
on the S. by Dumfries-shire, and on
the W. by Ayrshire. In the southern
border the Clyde has its source, and
runs N. and W. the whole extent,
dividing it into two nearly equal parts.
It was anciently divided into three
wards or jurisdictions, viz Clydesdale,
"Douglasdale, and Avendale: but it is
now divided into two ; the shire of
Lanark, of which Lanark is the chief
town, and the barony of Glasgow, of
which that city is the seat of the
courts. It was formerly one of the
kingdoms into which Scotland was di-
vided prior to, or about the time of
the Roman invasion. This kingdom,
which also included a great part of
the shires of Stirling, Dumbarton, and
Renfrew, was denominated Strath-
clyde ; and Alcluid or Dumbarton is
mentioned as the capital. After the
dissolution of the petty principalities,
and their union under the Scotish mo-
narchy, the greater part of this dis-
trict fell into the two powerful fami-
lies of Douglas and Hamilton, which
still possess very great estates. In ge-
neral, the surface is mountainous and
heathy, especially towards the S. ;
where to use the words of Mr. Pen-
nant, " nothing can equal the gloomy
appearance of the country around;
neither tree, nor shurb, nor verdure.
LAN
nor picturesque rocks, appear fo &•
muse the eye : the spectator must
plunge into the bowels of the earth
for entertainment," and examine the
mines of Lead-hills or Wanlock-head,
for the riches of nature. Towards
the Clyde, however, the surface is a-
greeably diversified, exhibiting plea-
sant and picturesque landscapes, en*
livened by the water, and varied by
different prospects of hill and dale.,
About Lanark the scenery is peculiar-
ly interesting, from the falls of the
Clyde. (Fide Clyde.) Lanarkshire
contains 2 royal boroughs, viz. Glas-
gow and Lanark 4 and many consi-
derable towns and villages ; as Ha-
milton, Douglas, Biggar, Carnwath,
&c. which are chiefly employed in
the manufacture of cotton, which has
long been the staple of this county :
there are, besides, several considerable
villages, which owe their existence or
prosperity to the valuable metals with
which this county abounds ; of these
we may mention Lead-hills, in the
parish of Crawford, and Wilsontown in
the parish of Carnwath. The mineral
substances which are found in this
county are so numerous, that it
would require a treatise to afford
room for a particular description ;
but as a list of the native and extra-
neous fossils is given by the Rev Mr.
David Ure, in his " history of the pa-
rishes of Rutherglen and Kilbride," we
have thought proper to insert it, ad-
ding such minerals as are found in
other districts of the county.
Earths and Stones.
Argillaceous.
Potters clay
Caumstones
Bluish pipe-clay
Blackish grey till, with vegetable
impressions
Fire clay
Till, full of entrochj, shells, &c.
Hard black slaty till
A species of till called by miners
Maggy
Inflammable schistus
Argillaceous breccia
Osmund stone
The same, with calcareous spay
or zeolite
Pure white steatites