Gazetteer of Scotland

ILA
ra! lakes, and the ifland is well water-
ed by numerous ftreams and rivers,
which abound with trout and falmon.
In the center of the ifland is Lccb Fin-
lagan, about 3 miles in circuit, with
the iflet of the fame name in the mid-
dle. There the M'Donalds, the great
lords of the ifles, refided in all the
pomp of royalty; but the palaces and
offices are now in ruins. Inftead of a
throne, the chieftains ftood on a ftone
7 feet fquare, in which there was a
hollow cut to receive their feet : here
the chief was crowned, and anointed
by the Bifhop of Argyll, and 7 inferior
priefts, in prefence of his chieftains.
The ceremony (after the new lord
had collected his kindred and vaflals)
was truly patriarchal : after putting
on his armour, helmet, and fword,
he took an oath to rule as his ancef-
tors had done ; that was, to govern as
a father would his children : his peo-
ple, in return, fwor6 that they would
obey him, as children pay obedience
to the commands of a parent. In
former times, the dominions of this
potentate confifted of Ilia, Jura, Co-
lonfay, Mull, Arran, &c. and the pe-
ninfula of Kintyre ufually lhared the
fate of the ifles ; for we find, that in
1093, after one of the grants of the
kings of Scotland, the lord of the ifles,
to bring Kintyre within the compafs
of the grant, had his barge drawn un-
der fail over the ifthmus of Tarbert ;
after which, considering his power,
not even the Scottifh monarch was fo
hardy as to deny that Kintyre was an
ifland. About 1586, his dominions
confiit?d only of Ifla, Jura, Kintyre,
and Knapdale ; fo reduced were they
from their former power, during the
reign of James III. Near the ifland of
Finiagar, is another little ifle, called
Ilan-na-coriie, " the ifland of Coun-
cil," where 13 judges conftantly fat to
decide differences amongft the fub-
jects of the Macdonalds, and received
for their trouble the eleventh part of
the value of the contefted affair. In
the firft ifland were buried the wives
and children of the lords of the ifles ;
but their own perfons were depofited
in the more facred ground of lona ;
(vide I-colm-kill.) On the fhores
of Loch Flnlagan aie fome marks of
the quarters of his Carnaueh, and Gillt-
glajjcsy the military of the ifles ; the
firft, Signifying a ftrong man ? were light
ILA
armed, and fought with fwords, and
fometimes were armed as archers ; the
latter, which fignifies a black, grim
looking fellow, fought with fharp
hatchets, or Lochaber axes. Thefe are
the troops alluded to by Shakfpeare,
when he fpeaks of a Donald, who
" From the Weftern Ifles,
Of Kernes and GaUoiv-glnJfes was Supplied.**
Befides the caftle on the ifland, thefe
powerful lords had a houfe and cha-
pel at Lagannon, on the fide of Loch-
in-dal ; a ftrong caftle, on a rock in
the fea, at Bunonuakk, at the S. E. end
of the ifland : for, after their expul-
fion from the ifle of Mann, in 1304,
they made this ifland their place of
refidence; fometimes living at Dal-
reudbain in Kintyre, where the mo-
dern burgh of Campbeltown is fituated.
There is a tradition, that even whilft
the ifle of Mann was part of the king-
dom of the Ifles, the rents and feus
were paid in Hay; and this tradition ia
rendered more probable, from the
names of two rocks which lie oppofite
to each other, at the bottom of a haiv
bour on the S. fide of the ifland : one
rock is Hill called Craig-a-neone, or
" the rock of the filver rent ;" the o-
ther Craig-a-nairgid, " the rock of the
rent in kind." In every part of the
ifland are fmall frefh water lakes, with
fortified iflets ; and feveral caverns,
which have occafionally been ufed as
places of ftrength and defence. The
ifland was formerly divided into four"
pariihes, viz. Kilchonan, Kildal-
ton, Killarrow, and Kilmeny ;
but the two laft are now united. See
the account of thefe parifhes. The
crops are principally bear and oats ;
but, though thefe are uncommonly a-
bundant, upwards of ioool. worth of
grain are annually imported. This
want is chiefly owing to the diftillation
of whiiky, which is much praclifed
here; this diftrict having the privilege
of diftilling without being fubjeel to
the Excife laws. Much flax is raifed
here, for which the moift foil feems
peculiarly adapted : about 2000I. or
3000I. worth is annually exported in
coarfe yarn. Agriculture is in its
rudeft ftate, although the country is
bleft with the fineft manures, poffefling
not only marl, fea weed, coral, and
fliell fand in abundance, but alfo an
extent of 36 fquare acres of excellent