Gazetteer of Scotland

S "G A
. SCALLOWAY; a fmall town on
the Mainland of Shetland, lying on the
5. coaft, with an excellent harbour, in
6o° 9' N. lat. and 31' W. long. Near
it is the ancient caftle of Salloway,
built by one of the Earls of Orkney.
SCALPA; a fmall ifland of the He-
brides, lying in the found between the
xfle of Sky and the Mainland ; about
5 miles long, and from 2 to 3 broad.
The furface is rocky and barren. In
the higheft part of the ifland is a pe-
trified rock of mofs, in which are a
variety of (hells ; and in many of the
high grounds are found great quanti-
ties of ihells, feveral feet under ground.
SCALPA; a fmall ifland of the
Orkneys, near the Mainland of Ork-
ney.
. Scalpa Flow ; a large expanfe of
water amongft the Orkney ifles, re-
fembling a fmall Mediterranean, about
50 miles in circumference. It is fur-
rounded by 1 3 different iflands, through
which are feveral outlets to the Pent-
land Frith, and to the Atlantic and
German oceans. In time of war it is
the great thoroughfare for veflels
coming north about ; and it abounds
with numerous fafe road-fteads and
harbours for veffels of the largeft fize.
The principal entrance from the E. is
through Holme Sound, and from the
W. through Hoymautb. The tide, at
its entrance into Scalpa Flow, is re-
markably rapid ; but it foon fubfides,
and becomes fcarcely perceptible.
SCALPAY; one of the Harris ifles.
It is a low, heath-covered ifland, much
interfered by arms of the fea jutting
through it in various directions : its
extreme points may be about 3 miles
diftant. On the eaftern extremity, a
light-houfe was eredtcd in 1788 ; and
near its weftern extremity are two of
the belt harbours in the Hebrides.
Scarabine; a mountain in Caith-
ness, in the parifh of Latheron.
SCARBA, or SKARBA ; a fmall
ifland of the Hebrides belonging to
Argyllfhire, and the diftridt of Jura
and Colon/ay, lying at the N. end of
the ifland of Jura. In the found be-
tween them, lies the much dreaded
Coryvrechan, or Gulf of Breacan, the
Scylla and Charybdis of the navigators
of the weftern leas. Scarba is about
3 miles long, and nearly as broad,
exceedingly rugged and mountainous,
and contains 14 families, or <o inha-
bitants,
SCO
SCARP ; one of the Harris ifles, is
a high conical rocky ifland; a folid
mountain, of which, at the bafe, the
diameter is about 3 miles.
Scarr ; a river in Dumfries- fh ire,
which rifes on the borders of Ayrfhire ;
and, after a courfe of about .25 miles
through the parifhes of Penpont, Tyn-
ron and Kier, unites with the Nith
near the church of Kier.
SCOON, or SCONE ; a parifh in
Perthfhire, of an irregular figure, ap-
proaching to a fquare of three miles,
containing 4600 Scots acres, of which
3000 are under culture, 700 planted,
500 of commonty, and the remainder
muir. It lies on the banks of the
Toy, above Perth ; and the whole pa-
rifh has a beautiful appearance. The
foil, near the river, is a rich ftrong
clay; but in the other parts it is partly
light and gravelly, and partly a rich
loam. Beiides the village of Scone,
there are feveral fmall villages, and a
confiderable bleachfield at Stormont-
field. The village of Scone lies nearly
in the center of the pariih, about a
mile N. of the town of Perth, on the
E. bank of the Tay. It is noted for
its palace, anciently the refidence of
the Scottifh kings, the place of their
coronation, and the fcene of many
fplendid actions. Here formerly flood
an abbey, founded by Alexander I. in
the year 11 14, and dedicated by him
to the Holy Trinity and St. Michael.
It is faid to have been originally a
feat of the Culdees, but was after-
wards filled with monks of the order
of St. Auguftine. It was, like the reft
of the monaftic eftabliihments, burnt
to the ground at the Reformation.
Long before the foundation of this
abbey, Scone appears to have been a
place of note. Some writers call it
the ancient capital of the Picts ; and
it was certainly the chief feat of the
Scottifh monarchs as early as the
time of Kenneth II. In the church of
the abbey was preferved the famous
ftone, which was faid to have ferved
Jacob as his pillow ! and was after-
wards tranfported to Spain, where it
was ufed as a feat of juftice by Ge-
thalus, a cotemporary of Mofes ! It
afterwards found its way to the pa-
lace of Dunftaffnage, and continued
there as the coronation chair of the
Pictifh kings, until Kenneth II. re-r
moved it to Scone, where it was ufe<$