Gazetteer of Scotland

ERR
Erne, or Earn \ a lake and river
in Perthfhire. The lake is about 8
miles long, and ij broad, fituated at
the head of that beautiful ftrath or vale
through which the river runs, and to
which" it gives its name. The banks of
the lake for above 5 miles on each fide,
are clofely covered with a foreft of na-
tural oak, and the profit arifing from
the fale of the bark and timber is nearly-
equal to the rents of the adjoining ara-
ble land ; by its fide is the road from
Crieff, through the pariihes of Comrie
and Monivaird to Loch Erne head,
prefenting a great variety of beautiful
profpedts, and is perhaps not inferior
to any of the fame extent in the High-
lands of Scotland. Loch Erne does not
abound with fifh, but poffeffes a few
trouts and pike. Near each end of it
are 2 fmall iflands, evidently artificial,
on one of which are the remains of an
ancient caftle. Ts T ear the upper part
of the lake, Bewvoirlich mountain rears
its majeftic fummit, elevated to the
height of 3,200 feet above the level of
the fea, commanding a profpedt only
bounded by the hills in Mid-Lothian,
and the mountains of Ayrihire. From
the E. end of Loch Erne runs the river
Erne, about 4 miles above the village
of Comrie, and paffing that village, and
the towns of Crieff and Abernethy,
receiving many rivers in its courfe,
through the beautiful and fertile vale
of Stratherne, falls into the river Tay
a little below the old caftle of Elcho.
The Erne has been much and juftly
admired for thofe beautiful curves
which it defcribes, and peninfula
which it forms ; it has feveral bridges,
but thofe at Crieff, and the village cal-
led the Bridge of Erne, are the moft
remarkable ; it abounds with falmon
and trout, and is navigable for fmall
floops of 50 or 60 tons, as far as the
bridge, about 4 miles from its junction
with the Tay.
Erngrogo (Loch); a fmall lake
in the parifh of Croffmichael, in the
ftewarty of Kirkcudbright ; it covers
about 40 acres, and is remarkable for
2 fmall iflands, which are much refort-
ed to by fea-gulls during the breeding
feafon.
Errick; a river which takes its
rife among the mountains of Strath-
dearn, in Invernefsfhire ; and flowing
through the valley of Stratberrick, falls
into Lochr.efs near the church of Bole-
fkine.
E R S
ERROL ; a village and parifh in the
Carle of Gowrie, county of Perth.
The parifh is nearly of a regular fi-
gure, being j-| miles in length, and
nearly 3 in breadth, ftretching acrofs
the Carfe from the foot of the hills to
the banks of the Tay. Though it is
in general level, there are feveral rifing
grounds, which add much to the beau-
ty of its appearance ; the foil is in ge-
neral a ftrong clay ; but, in the neigh-
bourhood of the village, it is a black
fertile loam : this foil is exceedingly
favourable for orchards, and a conli-
derable extent is covered with fruit
trees. The • country is interfered in
different places with fmall tracts of
water, called po^vs, collected chiefly
from the trenches opened for draining
the ground: the Tay into which they
iflue affords falmon in great abund-
ance, and the fifhings are rented by
a company in Perth. By the conftant
action of the tide and current, the ri-
ver every year carries off many acres
of excellent land, and the proprietors
have been obliged to build large ftone
dykes for the defence of their eftates.
The village of Errol is pleafantly fi-
tuated on an eminence, rifing by a
gradual afcent above the level of the
country, commanding a profpecr. ex-
tenfive and delightful : but the houfes
are as mean as the fituation is pleafant;
as there is no ftone in the neighbour-
hood, they are moftly built of clay, and
huddled together without order or re-
gularity. The number of the inhabit-
ants in the town is about 828, in the
country 1857 ; making the whole po-
pulation 2685.
ERSKLNE ; a parifh in the county
of Renfrew. It is of an oblong form,
meafuring from E. to W. 6 miles in
length, and from 3 to 4 in breadth.
From the Clyde, which forms the
northern boundary, the ground rifes
gradually towards the S. producing a
fuccefilon of gently {welling ridges, of
inconliderable height. The foil is in
general light and mallow, of a black
or gray mould, intermixed with gra-
vel. The produce of the farms is ra-
ther feanty, and -many of the farmers
have found it more productive to al-
low their lands to remain in pafture.
Fruit and foreft trees thrive well, parti-
cularly on the banks of the Clyde. The
firft fine thread manufactured in the
kingdom, was by a lady of this parifh,