Scotland > 1868, 1878 - Slater's (late Pigot & Co.'s) Royal national commercial directory and topography of Scotland > 1861

LGINSHIEE,
J^O designated from the name of its capital, Elgin, and sometimes Morayshirp, from being (lie cen-
tral division of (lie ' Province of Moray ' — is one of the northern counties of Scotland : bounded on the
north by that branch of the north sea called the Moray Frith, on the east and south east by Banffshire,
on the south-west by Inverness-shire, and on the west by the latter county and also that of Nairn. The
figure of Elginshire is very irregular, being intersected in several places by districts of the counties
•which form its boundaries ; with Nairn it is so intimately connected, that, in speaking of its shape, that
small county is not unfrequently included in the description : thus conjoined, the district is somewhat of
triangular figure — with the apex pointed inland— and in this quarter partaking of the wild, rocky and
mountainous character of the Highlands. The county may be said to comprehend 470 square miles of
land, and seven square miles of lakes. For the last few years agricultural improvements have made
rapid strides here, and the greater portion of waste land is now either brought into cultivation or planted
with forest trees. In ancient times the limits ot the county were much more extensive than at present,
comprehending all that tract of country which lies between the river bpey on the east, the Heauly on the
north-west, and the northern confines of Argyleshire on the south west. The remains of antiquity are
numerous, of which the cathedral of Elgin, the Bishop's palace at Spynie, the priory of Fluscardine,
the castles of Lochindorb and Dunphail, and the 'dun' of Relugas, are the chief. Of the struggles of
the natives with the Danes, who infested the district in former ages, there are various testimonials, such
as ' cairns,' monumental pillars, &c. &c. The ' Province of Moray,' ancieutly so important and exten-
sive, in the present day is without any political distinction, and is divided into the three several shires of
Banff, Moray for Elgin), and Nairn. On the east it is separated from Aberdeenshire by the Devtron;
on the west it is bounded by Inverness-shire, and on the north it has the large arm of the sea, designated
from it the Moray Frith. So late as the time of Charles I, the Highlanders considered Moray as a sort
of neutral land, where every man was at liberty to take his prey. The Province of Moray suffered more,
perhaps, than any other district in Scotland by the civil wars. The people were then generally attached
to the covenant; and, as Montrose made it one of his principal scenes of action, it is easy to conceive
that its peaceable farmers were not permitted to have both their opinions and their goods undisturbed.
Montrose, in his descent upon Moray, in 1645, after bis victory of Iunerlochy, destroyed all the houses of
such as did not join his standard, and gave up the towns of Banff, Cullen, and Eljin to indiscriminate
pillage.
Soil, surface, climate, produce, &c. — The soil of this county, though less uniform than that of
Banffshire, is for the most part a sandy loam — in some places a sandy gravel; considerable tracts are
of very fertile clay, and of the most genial mould. The low country may be pictured as a large plain,
extending from the Spey westward, between the shore and a range of mountains, for the whole length
of the district, nearly forty miles — but of unequal breadth, from about five to twelve miles or more,
measured on a straight line flora the hills to the shore : this plain, however, is diversified, over its whole
extent, by ridges of lower lulls in general nearly parallel to the shore : beyond this are valleys of great
fertility and beauty, near the sources of the rivers Spey, Lossie, and Findhorn — with the lesser vales
along the hanks of the tributary streams which pervade the intervening hills. Within the range of the
mountain district, the county may lie described as chiefly pastoral ; the arable land in most instances,
hanging upon the acclivities of the valleys, or stretching out in narrow plains upon the banks of the
watt is which wind among the hills — the vvideness of the valley bearing a relative proportion to the size
of the river. The upper part of the county is popularly termed ' the Brae of Moray :' it is mountainous
and woody, and abounds in beautiful lakes. The agriculture is very spirited, and the land in general
yields a higher rent than that of the neighbouring shires. In the lower part of the county, the Earl of
Fife, and other proprietors, have formed plantations to so great an extent, that almost every part of the
country inaccessible to the plough has been covered with different species of forest trees. A considera-
ble traffic in the export of wood from the forests of Strathspey, by floating it to Garmouth, has been
carried on to advantage. Except sandstone, limestone, and marl, no mineral substance of value has
been discovered in this district. The greatest attention is paid to the breed and to the feeding of cattle,
and the culture of wheat is not so general anywhere northward of the Grampians. Little can be said
respecting manufactures : woollen stuffs are made to a small amount, as well as linen yarn ; which,
together with grain, cattle, salmon, hewn freestone, wood, and whisky, comprehend the principal exports.
The coast of this district, although within the fifty-eighth degree of north latitude, has ever been distin-
guished for the mildness of its climate : th( hardier kind of fruit — all the varieties of the apple, and
almost all of the pear and of the plum— by a little attention may be abundantly produced on every farm;
fruits, also of greater delicacy — the apricot, the nectarine, and the peach — ripen sufficiently on a wall in
the open air. W ith respect to the winds, the most prevailing gales are from the north-west. This part
of the country presents no object so elevated as to attract the clouds or to impede their course ; and from
this cause, it is concluded, falls of snow are comparatively unfrequent, and of small depth, as they are
drifted over the subjacent levels, insomuch that the operations of husbandry are but little interrupted by
the inclemency of the weather, it is asserted that, in the lower part of Moray, the climate is as warm,
and the atmosphere at least as dry, as in any district of Scotland ; in the higher quarter, the weather
is more mild than in the adjoining county of Banff, at the same distance from the sea coast — a natural
consequence of its local position, the progress of cultivation, and the inherent warmth of the soil.
Rivers, Lakes, and Railways. — The principal rivers are the Spet, the Fine horn, and the Lossie,
all flowing in a northerly direction, and each teeming with the finest salmon. There are mnny delightful
lakes, of which Loch Spynie is most deserving of notice: it is three miles in length and one in breadth,
and appears to have been formerly a firth ot the sea, though it is now shut up at the east and west by a
long extent of valuable ground ; in accordance with this apparency, the land between the lake and the
sea still retains the appellation of Ross Isle ; and a corroboiative proof of the accuracy of the popular
designation is exhibited by the sea-shells (particulary those of the oyster) that are found on the margin
of the lake, several feet below the surface of the earth. Loch Spynie nourishes several of the aquatic
tribes, but none in such abundance as the perch and the pike. The Railways in this county are the
Aberdeen, and Inverness Junction Line which passes through, calling at Elgin and other towns — there
is also a Branch from Elgin to Lossiemouth, and another to Rothes.
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