Gazetteer of Scotland

STR
Lords ; but, in the year 17.58, it was
finally fettled in favour of Stromnefs;
and, lince that time, its trade and
commerce have greatly increafed. In
1794, it contained 222 houles, and
1 ,44 inhabitants.
STRONSAY? one of the Orkney
ifles, is 7 V miks long, and nearly of the
fame breadth ; but fo indented by long
and narrow bays, that no place of the
ifland is above a mile and an half dift-
ant from the fea. The coaft is partly
flat, and partly rocky, having two re-
markable promontories ; Burrowhead
on the S.E., and Rothejholm or Rod-
numhead on the S. W. There are three
fandy bays, which, however, do not
afford fafe anchorage, on account of
the jlcrries or low funk rocks with
which they are interfperfed. Thefe
rocks, however, are the chief fource
of emolument to the inhabitants, from
the immenfe quantity of fea ware
which they afford for the making of
kelp, of which this ifland on an aver-
age produces no lefs than 300 tons
per annum. There are two fafe har-
bours in the ifland, viz. Ling Bay, a
found on the W. fide of the ifland,
flickered by the holm of Ling ; and
Papa Sound-, lying between Stronfay
and Papa-Strortfay. The furface of
£he ifland is rugged, a ridge of hills
running its' whole length from N. to
S. The foil is a dry, friable blackifh
earth, lying on a clay bottom, mixed
with fmall ftones, which in many
places have been turned up by the
plough, and render the foil very gra-
. velly. The hill paflure feed about
3000 fheep, 900 head of black cattle,
500 horfes, and 300 fwine. A vein of
lead was difcovered many years ago,
on the W. coaft of the ifland, but has
never been properly examined- There
is a mineral fpring, called the well of
Kildinguie, containing a great quan-
tity of aerial acid, which caufes it to
fparkle in the glafs like the Seltzer
water. Tradition fays, that it was in
•fo high repute while the Orkneys
were fubject to Denmark, that per-
fons of the firil rank in that kingdom
ufed to come over to drink its waters.
Hence arol'e a proverbial faying, ftill
in ufe in the illand, " that the well
of Kihlingide can cure all maladies, ex-
cept black death." There are the re-
mains of 4 chapels on the ifland. In \
179a, the niiiTiber of inhabitants wa,s j
about 900. i
SUD
STRONSAY and ED AY; a pariih
in Orkney, comprehending the iilands
of Stronsay, Eday, Papa Stron-
say, Fairay, and 9 holms or palture
ifles. In 1787, the population was
1488; increafe 473 ftnee 177a; cr-
roneoufly ftated in the index of Sir
John Sinclair's Statiftical Account at
887 ; decreafc 128 from 1772.
STRONSAY (PAPA). Vide
Papa Stronsay.
STRONTIAN ; a place in Argyll-
shire, in the pariih of Ardnamurchan,
noted for its lead mines. There is a
fmall village erected for the accom-
modation of the miners. The mines
of this place are famous for having
given to the world a new fpecies of
earth, which is diftinguiihed by the
name ofjirontites. The characters of
this mineral are thefe. Its colour is
whitifh or light green ; its luftre com-
mon ; its tranfparency intermediate,
between femitranlparent and opaque ;
its fracture ftriated, prefenting oblong
diftinct concretions, fomewhat uneven
and bent ; its liardnefs moderate, be-
ing ealily fcratched, but not fcraped ;
it is very brittle, and its fpecific gra-
vity is from 3.4, to 3.644. Indepen-
dent of tinging flame of a blood red
colour, it is found to difagree with
barytes in its order of chemical attrac-
tion, holding an intermediate rank be-
twixt barytes and lime. An hundred
parts of jlrontites are compefed of
60.21 of pure earth, 30.20 of carbo-
nic acid gaz, and 8.59 of water. It
was firft difcovered in 1790, and ana-
lyzed by Dr. Kirwan, and Dr. T. C.
Hope, of Edinburgh ; . the latter of
whom read a paper to the Royal So-
ciety of Edinburgh, on its chemical
properties, in 1793.
STROWAN; a parifli in Perth,
fliire, united to Blair-Athol. Vide
Blair-Athol.
STROWAN; a parifli in Perth -
fliire, united to Monivaird. Vide
Monivaird.
STRYLA, contracted for Strath-
isla or Strathyla; a dilTricr. in
Banfffliire.
Stuic-a-chroin ; a mountain in
Perthfhire, in the pariih of Callander.
S U D D Y ; a pariih in Rofs-fhire,
united to Kilmuir-Wktser in form-
ing a parochial charge ; which is now
generally named Knockeain. Vide
Knockbain,