Topographical, statistical, and historical gazetteer of Scotland > Volume 2

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LOA1
Prestonpans ; and here Rob Roy made his escape
after being apprehended by the Duke of Athole in
1717. Across the Tomrael, a mile above its confluence
with the Tay, and across the Tay A of a mile below
the confluence, are chain ferry-boats for the convey-
ance of passengers, cattle, carts, and carriages. Good
roads run along the Tay, and along both sides of
the Tummel. Druidical stones and ruins of ancient
Romish chapels occur in various quarters. Cairns
formerly existed in several places, but have been re-
moved. A Roman urn and a medal of Trajan were
found in the parish. The ruins of a beacon-house
stand on a rock 2 miles from the manse. The ruins
of a castle, said to have been the residence of Robert
III. after lie resigned the government to his brother,
the Duke of Albany, surmount a high bank near the
Tummel ferry. The area of the castle is elliptical,
and the fosse is in tolerable preservation. Popula-
tion, in 1801,2,890; in 1831, 3,138. Houses 680.
Assessed property, in 1815, £7,030 F.ogierait is in
the presbytery of Weem, and synod of Perth and Stir-
ling. Patron, the Duke of Athole. Stipend £231 16s.;
glebe £10. Unappropriated teinds £303 I8s. 3d.
The parish-school was attended, in 1834, by 32
scholars; and 9 other schools, by 498. Parish-school-
master's salary £34 4s. 4Ad., with £5 15s. 9d. fees.
Ot the noil- parochial schools, one is a free school,
another is endowed by the Society for propagating
Christian knowledge, and some are very small.
LOGIE-W ESTER, a parish in Ross-shire united
to Urqtihart : which see.
LOING (The), a small river of the western di-
vision of Ross-shire. It divides Kintail on its left
bank from LochaLsh on its right ; uniformly pursues
a south-westerly course ; falls into the head of Loch-
Long conjointly with the Elchaig coming from the
east-south-east ; and, though having an entire run
of only about 9 miles, is fed by so many mountain-
streams as to be subject to very sudden and great
freshets. Salmon once abounded in the rivulet, but
is now comparatively scarce.
LOMOND-HILLS (The), two beautiful coni-
cal trap hills, situated in the shires of Fife and Kin-
ross, and visible to a considerable distance. The
East Lomond, which is in the parish of Falkland in
Fifeshire, and isthemost regular and beautiful, isgen-
erally stated to be about 1,260 feet above sea-level,
and 900 feet above the valley which separates it from
the Ochills ; but Mr. Cunningham, in his ' Geology
of the Lothians,' estimates its altitude at 1,466 feet.
This hill contains limestone and coal. The West
Lomond, which is in the parish of Portmoak in
Kinross-shire, is usually stated to be about 40 feet
higher, but Mr. Cunningham estimates it at 1,721
feet. At its base lies the beautiful and placid Loch-
Leven. Between the two principal Lomonds there
rises another point which is sometimes distinguished
as the Mid-Lomond, and composed of sandstone and
trap strata, surmounted by a greyish black basalt. In
some parts the Lomonds present a face of regular
columnar trap. See Falkland.
LOMOND * (Loch), the Queen of Scottish lakes,
distant about 20 miles from Glasgow, and 6 from
Dumbarton. It lies principally in Dumbartonshire,
hut Stirlingshire bounds a portion of its eastern
* This lake lias received its present name from Benlomond,
which probably derives its appellation fr.mi the British Llum.
won, signifying 'a Beacon.' It Is only since the 14th century
that the lake has received its present name. Anciently it was
called Loch.Levcn, as appears from thechartularies of Lennox
a d Paisley, in which tin. lake and the river are Ireonenlly
mentioned. In 1225, Maldowen, Earl of Levcnaohs, grants to
the monastery of PaWev tl.e right of tishii.g "perlotam lacnm
inenin de Levyn."— Chart. Paisley, No. 3 IB. The river which
issues from it retains the name formerly common to it and the
Jake,
shore. It is nearly 30 miles long, and at its south-
ern end, from 8 to 10 miles broad ; at the middle,
however, and towards the northern extremity, its
breadth is greatly diminished, — in some places to
less than a mile. The depth of the lake varies as
much as its breadth ; the southern portion seldom
exceeding 60 feet, whilst north of Luss, it increases
to 200 and 360 feet. Thirty islands, of different
sizes, are scattered over its surface, some of which
rise to a considerable height, and most of the larger
ones are finely wooded. See articles Ince-Cail-
liach, Inch-Claik, Inch-Conachan, Inch-Croin,
Inch-Gaxbraith, &c. The lake lies completely
imbedded amidst different ranges of hills. At the
south end the Kilpatrick-hills terminate near Kil-
maronock ; on the western shore are the mountains
of Luss and Arrochar ; at the upper extremity tower
the mountains of Glenfalloch; and on the eastern
shore the great chain of the Grampians terminates
in Benlomond. These ranges of hills are inter-
sected by deep glens, and by numerous mountain-
streams which pour their waters into the lake. The
rivulets Fruin, Luss, Finlas, and Duglass, with
many smaller streams, drain the highlands of Dum-
bartonshire; but the largest river which runs into
Loch-Lomond is the Endrick, which flows into the
south-east corner of the loch.
It is said that the waters of Loch-Lomond have
increased considerably during the lapse of ages; and
in Camstradden-bay, more than 100 yards from the
shore, the ruins of houses are alleged still to be
visible beneath the water. These traditionary re-
ports have the sanction of the learned Camden,
who, in his ' Atlas Britannica,' speaks of an island
existing in his time, called Camstradden, situated
between the lands of that name and Inch-Cavanach,
on which, he adds, was a house and an orchard.
This island has now disappeared : such an accident
may have occurred, however, without any increase
of the waters of the lake. Indeed, the supposition
of such an increase is inconsistent with the appear-
ances presented by the river Leven, which would
rather lead to the supposition that the waters of
Loch-Lomond had become lower than they once
were. Loch-Lomond was at one time famed for
three wonders — " waves without wind, fish without
fin, and a floating island." The swell in the widest
part, particularly after a storm, has no doubt given
rise to the belief in the first of these marvels. Vipers
are said occasionally to swim from island to island,
and this may account for the second. In Bleau's
Atlas, 1653, it is said, "Les poissons qu'ils disent
n'avoir pas de nageoires, qu'ils apellent vulgairement
Paones, sont un espece d'anguilles, e'est pourquoyil
ne faut pas sen estonner." Various accounts have
been given of the floating island— one, that it was
constructed of large square beams of oak, firmly
mortised into one another, by a Keith Macindoill,
or Keith the son of Dollius, who is said to have been
contemporary with the famous Fiumacoull or Fingal,
and consequently to have lived in the 5th century.
Camden appears to have heard of the floating island,
and he adds a fourth wonder. " As for the floating
island," says he, " I shall not call the truth of it in
question, for what could hinder a body from swim-
ming that is dry and hollow, like a pinnace, and very
light ? And so Pliny (lib. 8, epis. 20,) tells us that
certain green lands, covered with rushes, float up
and down on the lake of Vtmdimon. But I leave it
to the neighbours, who know the nature of this
place, to be judges whether this old distich of our
Neckham be true : —
" Dita'nr fluvius Albania, sax- a Tgna
JJat Luiuuud inuita irigid.tale. puteus.