Gazetteer of Scotland

Kit
KIL
Ayrfhire, extending 6 miles in length,
and from a to 3-5 in breadth ; bounded
on the W. by the Frith of Clyde, and
comprehending the ifland of LeJJtr
Cambray. The furface of the parilh
is broken, rifmg in many places into
high hills, feme of which are green to
the fummit, while others are bare
rocks, fcarcely covered with heath ;
the whole is interfperfed with nume-
rous rivulets, running at the bottom
of deep and romantic glens: of thefe
the glen of Southannan perhaps fur-
paffes the fcenery of any other vale in
Scotland, for the fenes of waterfalls
which pour down it from the tops of
the hills to the fea. The fcenery is
rendered more picfurefque by the
ruins of a fmall chapel, and of the
houfe of Southannan, formerly the re-
sidence of the family of Semple, and
now the property of the Earl of Eg-
lintoun ; Ardneel Bank deferves alio
to be mentioned, from the beautiful
and fequeftered fcenery which it af-
fords. The foil, from the nature of
the furface, is various ; but, upon the
whole, poor and thin. Hufoandry is
but little attended to, and the old di-
viiion of infield and outfield is ftill
preferved ; the former of which is re-
gularly manured, and as regularly
cropped ; while the latter receives no
manures and is allowed to reft two,
three, or four years "betwixt each,
ploughing. Lime, however, is now
beginning to be ufed; and, it is hoped,
that, in a ihort time, the improved
modes of agriculture will be intro-
duced. The high grounds afford ex-
cellent pafture; and, about 2000 fheep
and 610 black cattle, are annually fed
for fa*. In former times, about 150
men ufed to be employed in the cod
and white fifheries, but now thefe
branches of employment are totally
neglecled. There are feveral ancient
.caftles and watch-towers, fome of
which have been ftrongly fortified. In
the Auld hill, one of the higheft in the
pariih., is an inexhauftible quarry, of
a coarfe granite, famous for making
rnillftones : fevc-ral of the hills exhibit
volcanic appearance. Dr. Robert
Simpson, late profeffor of mathema-
tics in the univerfity of Glafgow, au-
thor of the treatife on Conic Seccions,
and tranflator of Euclid, was a native
of this parilh. In 1793; the popula-
tion was 698.
KILBUCHO; a parilh in the coun-
ty of Peebles and diftricr. of Tweedale,
though not more than a mile diftaat
from the river Clyde. It is 4-% miles
long fromE. to W. and 3 broad from
N. to S. It confifts of a parallel ridges
of hills, covered with heath and grais,
and of the 2 valleys lying on the N.
of each ridge : the higheft point of
the hills is elevated 1400 feet above
the level of the fea : the foil is toler-
able, and might be confiderably im-
proved, if fufficient attention was paid
to husbandry. There are feveral iu-
muli, and cairns, on which fires were
wont to be lighted, as fignals of in-
vafion. The field is pointed out
where the Englifh lay before the bat-
tle of Biggar. Population in 1792,
362.
KILCALMONELL ; a parifh in
Argyllfhire, fituated at the northern
extremity of the peninfula of Kintyre,
on the borders of E. and W. Locks Tar~
berts and ifthmus formed by their ap-
proximation. It is united to the parilh
of Kilberry, and the length of both,
along the coaft of the Atlantic, is 16
miles, and its breadth, varies from 3
to 5. The furface exhibits great va-
riety of hill and vale, plains, woods,
and lakes ; and the foil is no lefs va-
rious in its qualities, confifting of fand,
clay, loam, mofs, and muir; which laft
occupies at leaft one half of the pa-
rifh. The arable foil is pretty fertile,
but the climate is changeable, and
liable to fudden tranfitions from hot to
cold, from dry to wet, and vice verfa,
The principal crops are oats, barley,
and potatoes. Capt. Campbell, fon
to Lord Stonefield, and the rev. Mr.
Campbell, have introduced many agri-
cultural improvements : the latter has
praftifedan improved method of plant-
ing potatoes, which, from accurate and
repeated experiments, in foil not fu-
perior to the average of Great Britain,
will, on a moderate computation,
yield 24 ftones per acre more than the
method recommended by the moft
approved writers on farming. He
has, with fuccefs, applied peat dull,
and roots of kail and cabbage, as a
manure to the potatoes ; and he has
contrived a harrow for the purpofes
of the horfe-hoeing hufbandiy, by
which the furface can be fmoothed,
and weeds deftroyed, without levelling
the rows. The pariih abounds with