Gazetteer of Scotland

CLY
CLY
Bonniton in 1708. From its upper-
moft room it affords a very ftriking
profpect of the fall, for all at once, on
throwing your eyes towards a mirror,
on the oppofite fide of the room from
the fall, you fee the whole tremendous
cataract pouring as it were upon your
head. The Ctirrb linn by meafurement,
is found to be 84 feet in height. The
river does not i~uih over in one uni-
form iheet like the Bonniton linn, but
in three different, though almoft im-
perceptible, precipitate leaps. On the
fo-uthtrn bank, and when the fun
lihines, a rainbow is perpetually feen
forming itfelf upon the mift and fogs,
arifing from the violent dafliing of the
waters. — The next curiofity, on de-
fending the Clyde, that attracts the
ftranger, is New Lanark, or the cotton
mills. The fituation of this village is
iit the w r eftern extremity of the Bonni-
ton ground in a low den, and w'rthin
view of another beautiful and roman-
tic fall called Dzindaff linn, fignifying
in Gaelic black cajile leap,; and, no
doubt, formerly fome fortrefs has been
fituated hereabouts, although no traces
now remain, excepting in tradition,
which ftili points out a rock called
Wallace s chair, where the patriot is
feid to have concealed himfelf from
the Englifn. This fall is about 3 or 4
feet high, and trouts have been ob-
ferved to fpring up and gain the top
of it with eafe. This fall, the village,
four lofty cotton mills, and their bufy
inhabitants, together with the wild and
woody fcenery around, muft attract
the notice of every ftranger. Below
thefe are the romantic rocks and
woods of Braxfield, the feat of the
preient Lord Juftice Clerk, who, in-
fluenced by the good of his country,
very friendly feued the fite of the vil-
lage and cotton mills to the benevolent-
Mr. David Dale, at a very moderate
feu-duty. — The next fall of confe-
quence is the Stonyhyres linn, fituated
about 2 miles below the Corra linn. It
is fo called from the neighbouring ef-
tate of Stonebyres, belonging to Da-
niel Vere, Efq ; but the grounds adja-
cent to the fall, on both fides of the ri-
ver, have Lately been feued or pur-
chafed by Mr. Dale. This cataract ,
which is about 80 feet in height, is the
tie pins ultra of the falmon, as none can
poflibly get above it, although their
T.deayours, in the fpnwning feafon,
are inceflant and amufing. It is equal-
ly romantic with the others; and, like
the Corra linn, has three diftinct, but
almoft precipitate falls. Wild rugged
rocks are equally vifible here, and they
are equally fringed with wood ; the
trees, however, are by no means lb tall
and ftately, being compofed of cop-
pice wood. Salmon, pars (famlets),
horfe mufcle, or the pearl oyfter,
though numerous below, are never
feen above this fall. — The next piece
of natural curiofity is Cartlane Craigs,
upon the river Moufs, which enters
Clyde about a mile L below the town of
Lanark. This is a curious and roman-
tic den, about a quarter of a mile in
length, bounded on either fide by a
reef of lofty, precipitous, and rugged
rocks, which are fringed with coppice
wood and thriving- plantations on the
fouth. The rocky bank on the north
fide is about 400 feet in height, and
it is not much lower upon the fouth
fide. Both banks are finely varied
with the different appearances of rock,
wood, and precipice. At the bottom
runs the river Moufs, which fcarceiy
leaves room for the lonely traveller to
traverfe the den : however, here the
celebrated botanift, Mr. Lightfoot,
clambered in fearch of plants, and dif-
covered fome rare and uncommon
ones, as may be feen in his Flora Scot-
ica. At every reach of the Moufs, of
which there are many, the fcenery
varies, and wherever you find a promi-
nent rock upon the one fide, you are
fure to meet with a regular recefs on
the other. Caverns in the rock are
here and there obfervable, but none
of them worthy of any particular de-
fcription. One, ftill called Wallace's
cove, tradition tells us, was the hiding
hole of that patriot. Another equally
trifling, but which bears evident marks
of the chifiel, is faid to have been the
abode of a hermit in former times,
but muft have been a miferable habi-
tation, hardly affording room to lie
down in. Confiderable veins of the
fpatum ponderofum run through thefe
rocks ; but no other mineral has hi-
therto been traced in this dreary den
of foxes, badgers, and wild birds. It.
is fomewhat fingular how the Moufs,
inftead of following its direct courfe,
by Baronald-houfe, where the ground
is lower and unobftrucfed by rocks,
fhould have penetrated the hill of