Gazetteer of Scotland

KIL
islands on the coast, some of which
are inhabited by a family to look af-
ter the sheep which pasture on them :
their names are Tulm,Fladawhein,Al-
tivaig, Flada, andFroda. In the moun-
tains there is a singular concealed val-
ley, surrounded on all sides by high
rocks, and accessible only in 3 or 4
places. This valley appears to have
been a place of concealment for the
natives, when obliged to leave their
houses on account of invasion, and is
so capacious as to hold conveniently
4000 head of black cattle. There is
a pool of water, called Loch Shiant,
c; the sacred lake," long famed as a
.cure for many ailnients; and near
the church, is a weak chalybeate.
Population in 1801, 2555.
KILMUIR EASTER; a parish si-
tuated partly in the county of Ross,
and partly in that of Cromarty, about
10 miles long, and on an average 4\
broad. It is delightfully situated on
the Frith of Cromarty, commanding
a finely variegated prospect of the
peninsula of Cromarty, enlivened by
the vessels which enter the bay. The
shore is flat, and the soil sandy, but,
even in the driest summer, tolerably
fertile. Farther from the coast the
soil becomes black and mossy, very
retentive of moisture, and rather un-
favourable for vegetation : the back
■grounds reach into that barren moory
district, termed Ardmeanach, which
extends through the middle of the
peninsula. Balnagown, the seat of
Sir Charles Ross, is an elegant man-
sion, surrounded by extensive planta-
tions. New Tarbat, once the beauti-
ful residence of the Earls of Cromarty,
has fallen to decay from neglect ; and
Delny, once the seat of the"- Earls of
Ross, is also in ruins. There is an
extensive bed of shells on the coast,
of which a> quick-lime of excellent
quality is prepared. Population in
1801, 1703.
KILMUIR WESTER and SUD-
DY ; an united parish in Ross-shire,
now more generally termed Knock-
bain. Vide Knockbain.
KILNJNIAN ; a parish in Argyll-
shire, in the island of Mull. It is in
the form of a peninsula, lying in the
N. W. extremity of the island, and
extending 12 miles in length, and
nearly of the same breadth, contain-
ing about 55,000 acre*. To it belong
KIL
the inhabited isles of Uiva, Gometra*
Little Colonsay, and Staffa ; and th<i
small uninhabited cluster called the
Treishnish, or Treshunish isles.- The
general appearance is hilly ; but the
3rable land, which lies on the coast,
has a good soil, and is tolerable fer^
tile. There is an excellent harbour
at Tobermory, where a village of the
same name has been lately erected by
the British Society for improving the
coasts and encouraging the fisheries.
At Aros, on the sound of Mull, there
is also a harbour ; and near it a large
castle, which has been strongly forti-
fied, and is said to have been for some
time the residence of the Lords of the
isles. There are 5 lakes in the pa-
rish, all of which abound with excel-
lent trout, and at the mouth of seve-
ral of the rivulets are caught a few
salmon. Population in 1801, 3601.
KILNINVER ; a parish in Lorn,
in Argyllshire, united with the parish
of Kilmelfort, forming together near-
ly a square of 1 2 miles. It is bound-
ed on the W. by the sound of Mull,
and has a considerable extent of sea
coast along Loch Feachan and Loch
Melfort, two arms of the sea which
intersect it. The lower parts of the
parish are smooth, with a gentle de-
clivity to the sea, and consist of a
light loamy soil, yielding, in favoura-
ble seasons, good crops of oats, bar-
ley, and potatoes. The upper dis-
trict is hilly and mountainous, cover-
ed with extensive natural forests and
plantations. In this hilly district lie
two considerable lakes, Loch Seam-
madale and Loch Tralig, from whence
issue the rivulets Euchar and Oude,
running through the parish to dis-
charge themselves into the sound of
Mull. Population in 1801, 1173.
KILPATRICK (NEW or EAST) ;
a parish situated partly in the county
of Stirling, and partly in that of Dum-
barton, was disjoined from Old Kil-
patrick about the end of the 1 7th cen-
tury, i The river Kelvin runs through
the parish, and the great canal is car-
ried over that river by an aqueduct
bridge of 4 arches, each 50 feet wide ^
(.Fide Kelvin.) The soil is clay, and
difficult of culture ; and the old sys-
tem of agriculture is generally fol-
lowed. The principal crops are oats,
barley, potatoes, and sown grasses.
The only village is Millguy, whick