Gazetteer of Scotland

CAM
CAM
the place, for the carrying on of which
it is admirably fituated ; its fine har-
bour, and its vicinity to the markets
of Ireland and the Clyde, are advan-
tages which very few fea ports enjoy.
Befides the fifheries, there is carried
on a confiderable trade in the diftilla-
tion of whifky. The parifli of Camp-
belltown takes in a large portion of
Kintyre ; its length is computed at n
miles, and its breadth varies from 6 to
10. It is narrowed in the middle by
the bay of Machir-hani/Jj on one fide,
and the lech of Kilkerran, or harbour
of Campbelltown, on the other fide,
running inland a confiderable way,
leaving the fpace between a large plain
of 4 miles in length by 3 in breadth,
not 40 feet above the level of the fea.
From this plain both ends of the pa-
rifii gradually become hilly, rifing to
the height of 1200 feet. The foil is
various, and the arable land is fertile
and well cultivated, There is abund-
ance of excellent coal, at the diftance
of 3 miles, and a canal has been lately
put, to convey it to town ; but not-
withstanding its vicinity to that mine-
ral, the common fuel of the poorer
fort is peat or turf. There is alfo a
great quantity of fuller's earth, or ibap
rock, in the parifh. There are no an-
tiquities of any note, as might have
been expected, in the fcite of the moil
ancient capital of the Scottifh kingdom.
In 1 791, the population was 8700.
Camplk ; a fmall tributary ftream
of the river Nith, in the county pf
Dumfries.
CAMPSIE ; a parifh in the county
of Stirling, meafures 8 miles in length,
and 7 in breadth, containing about
36 fquare miles. It conlifts of a ridges
of hills, with a confiderable valley or
ftrath running E. and W. between
them ; the g. ridge being a continua-
tion of the Braes of Kilpatrick, and
the N. being known by the name of
Campfie Pells. The furface of the
ftrath is uneven, except on the banks
of the Kelvin and Glazert. The foil
is various ; and, pft.n on the fame
farm, we meet with clay, haugh.
loamy, boggy, and gravelly ground.
The haughs on the Kelvin and Gla-
zert are very fertile. Some of the hills
are covered with natural trees, of
great age and fize ; and where there
there is no wood, the hills afford
pafture to numerous flocks of fheep.
The two great roads from Kippin to
Glafgow, and from Glafgow to Edin-
burgh, pafs through the parifli. Two
very extenlive printfields have been
erected within thefe 1 8 years, with
moft elegant and expenfive machinery.
The firft is the Kincaid printfteld, un-
der the firm of Henderfon, Semple,
and Co. and the Lennox-mill pr'mtUdd
of Lindfay, Smith, and Co. Near the
latter work is the new village of Len-
noxtown, where the printers are com-
modiouily lodged. Each work em-
ploys nearly 300 perfons. The village
of Campfie confifts of a new and old
town ; the former of which is increaf-
ing very rapidly, fince the printfields
and other manufactures have been in-
troduced. It is a very proper ftation
for a manufacturing village, having a-
bundance of coal, lime, and water,
and being only 9 miles diftant from
Glafgow, to which city the roads are
excellent. The minerals found in this,
diftrict will be mentioned in the fol-
lowing article. Population in 1794,
Campsie Fells or Hills, run in
a bold ridge along the whole length
of the Strath of Campfie. The face
of the hill is broken, with crags and
glens ; on the fummit and back part
is a deep muir ground, interfperfed
with mofs. The hills have the ap-
pearance of volcanic or igneous ori-
gin ; in many parts rude bafahic pil-
lars are to be feen, particularly on the
road which Hopes down the hill, a*
bove the village of Campfie. In thefe
hills are found beautiful agates, as wel}
as confiderable quantities of chalcedony.
Though, in many places, thefe hills
appear evidently of volcanic origin,
yet in others they are unratified ; but
the ftrata dip fo much, and are even
fometimes nearly perpendicular to the
horizon, having moil probably been
raifed from their natural horizontal
ftate by the action of fubterraneous
fire. The fecondary, or ftratified
mountains, abound with coal ; and
limeftone, freeftone, ironfione, indur-
ated clay, and marl. In one place we
can eafily count a dozen or more ftrata
of ironftone, with alternate layers of
argillaceousy^.6i/?«j. In feveral places
there are appearances of copper ; but
no vein of that mineral has yet been
difcovered. A few years ago, when
a hew road was making ever the bills.