SUTHERLANDSHIRE, a county, in the north of
Scotland, bounded on the north by the North Sea; on
the east and north-east, by Caithness-shire; on the
south, by Ross-shire and the Firth of Dornock; on the
south-east, by the Moray and Dornoch Firths; and on
the west by the Atlantic Ocean. It lies between 57°
53' and 58° 33' (N. Lat.) and 3° 40' and 5° 13' (W.
Long.), and is about sixty-two miles in length and fortynine
miles in breadth; comprising an area of 28/5 square
miles, or 1,840,000 acres, of which about 32,000 acres
are inlets of the sea, forming salt-water lochs. There
are 5157 houses, of which 4977 are inhabited; and the
population amounts to 24,782, of whom 11,384 are
males and 13,398 females. This county is supposed
to have derived its name from its forming the southern
division of the diocese of Caithness, of which it at one
time was a part. It appears to have been early visited
by the Romans, over whom Corbred I. obtained a
signal victory, being assisted by a family of Germans
who had been expelled from their native country by
the Romans, and to whom, in consideration of their
services, Corbred granted all the lands northward of
the river Spey. In the reign of Corbred II., another
body of the same people, who were called the Cattii,
came over from Germany, and settling in these lands,
contributed to the victory which that monarch, called
by the Roman historian Galgacus, achieved over the
Roman invaders previously to their subjugation of the
kingdom. The ancestors of the present noble family
of Sutherland early became proprietors of the territory;
and from the ancient chieftains, first distinguished by
the title of thanes, or earls, in the former part of the
13th century, the title has lineally descended to the
present Duke of Sutherland, proprietor of nearly the whole shire.
Prior to the abolition of episcopacy, the county formed
a part of the see of Caithness, of which the cathedral
church was at Dornoch; it has since that time been
included in the synod of Sutherland and Caithness, and
comprises two presbyteries, and thirteen parishes. For
civil purposes, the county, once a portion of the sheriffdom
of Caithness, has been separated from that shire,
and erected into a distinct sherifl'dom, of which Dornoch,
as the county town, is the seat of court. Besides the
royal burgh of Dornoch, the co<mty contains the villages
of Golspie, Brora, and Helmsdale, on the eastern, and
some smaller villages on the northern and western
coasts. By the act of the 2nd of William IV., it returns
one member to the imperial parliament.
The SURFACE presents a general assemblage of mountainous
heights, valleys, and moors, in continuous succession;
the coasts are deeply indented with inlets of
the sea, running far into the land, and forming, as
already remarked, extensive lochs. Sutherland is naturally
divided into two districts, the characteristic features
of which are strongly marked. The land in the southeastern
or level district, towards the sea, is flat and
fertile, and sheltered on the north-west by a ridge of
hills varying from 300 to 800 feet in height. The remainder
of the county, and which embraces nearly fivesixths
of its whole extent, is of a wild and mountainous
aspect, abounding in lakes and with Alpine scenery,
and intersected with some pleasant straths and rivers,
such as those of Helmsdale, Brora, Fleet, Oikel, Naver,
Halladale, and Tongue. It also contains some large
tracts of table-land. The principal mountains are, Ben-
More, in Assynt, which has an elevation of 343 1 feet
above the level of the sea; Ben-Clibrig, which rises to
the height of 3164; Ben-Hope, near the lake called
Loch Hope, and Fionaven, which are respectively 3061
and 3015 feet high; Ben-Hee, Spionnadh, and Benarmine,
which range from 2S00 to 2300 feet in height;
and numerous other mountains, varying in elevation
from about 1900 to about 1300 feet.
Among the chief rivers is the Oikel, which has its
source in Loch Aish, near the eastern base of Ben-
More, and flowing in an eastern direction along a pleasant
and well-wooded vale, forms a boundary between
this county and Ross-shire. After a course of more
than forty miles, in which it receives the waters of Loch
Shin, and numerous streams, including the Carron from
Ross-shire, it constitutes the Kyle of Sutherland, and
falls into Dornoch Firth, from which it is navigable for
a small distance. The Cassley and the Shin are both
fine rivers, the former flowing along the strath of that
name, and the latter issuing from Loch Shin: after a
course of not more than six miles, they both fall into
the Oikel. The river F/eef, flowing through Strath-Fleet
with great rapidity, and across the estuary of w hich the
improvement called the Strath-Fleet mound has been
thrown, acquires a considerable breadth, and joins the
sea at the small port known as the Little Ferry. The
Brora, passing through Loch Brora, runs into the sea
at the village of Brora; while the Helmsdale, rising in
Loch Baden, in the parish of Kildonan, falls into the
sea at the village of Helmsdale, about three miles to the
south of the Ord of Caithness. In the northern part
of the county are, the river Halladale, which rises also
in the heights of Kildonan, and after a course of about
twenty miles, flows into the Pentland Firth at the Tor
of Bighouse; the Strathy, which has its source in the
parish of Farr, and watering the Highland vale of that
name, falls into the sea at the small village of Strathy;
the river Naver, which issues from a loch, and passing
through Strathnaver, after a course of thirty miles falls
into the sea at the bay of Torrisdale; and several
smaller streams, of which the Borgie, the Hope, and the
Dionard are the chief. On the western coast are the
rivers Inchard, Laxford, Inver, and Kirkaig, all of
which, after flowing a distance of from ten to fifteen
miles, through wild and romantic tracts of country,
fall into salt-water lochs, or inlets of the sea. The inlets
in the county form excellent harbours of refuge for ships and boats.
The principal lake is Loch Shin, the largest of a chain
of lakes which, having merely intervals of land varying
from two to three or four miles, like those in the line
of the Caledonian canal, might afford a communication
by water between the eastern and western seas. It is
about fifteen miles in length, and from one to two miles
in breadth, but is not distinguished by many interesting
features. The other lakes in this chain are. Loch Oeam,
at the western extremity of Loch Shin, and closely
adjoining it, about three miles in length; Loch Merleland,
two miles to the west of Loch Geam, and from
three to four miles in length; Loch More, about a mile
and a half to the west of Merkland, and five miles in
length; the Loch Stack, one mile to the north-west of
Loch More, of circular form, and about one mile in
diameter. Loch Assynt, the principal lake in the Assynt
district, in which are about 200 lakes of smaller dimensions,
is nearly seven miles in length, and from one to
two miles in breadth; the surrounding scenery is beautifully
picturesque, and from the heights that crown its
banks are some extensive and deeply-interesting prospects.
The chief lakes in the immediate vicinity are
those of Urigill, Cama, Veyatie, Nagana, Beanoch, Gormloch,
and Culfreich; these are all of considerable extent,
and some of them are marked with features of romantic
character. In Durness, Loch Hope is the most interesting
lake. It is situated at the base of the lofty mountain
Ben-Hope, and is about six miles in length, and
from one to two miles in breadth. From its northern
extremity issues a small river which, after a course of
little more than a mile, flows into the sea at Inverhope.
Loch Laoghal, on the eastern side of the mountain of
Laoghal, is, with Loch Craigie, a continuation of it, about
seven miles in length. To the south-west of this is
Loch Maedie, about three miles in Icnsth, and having
on its surface some picturesque wooded islands; and
about five miles to the east of Maedie is Loch Naver,
extending for six miles along the base of Ben-Clibrig.
On the east side of this mountain are the secluded and
picturesque Lochs Corr and Vealloch, the former three,
and the latter two, miles in length; to the east of which
are Loch Strathy, and various other lakes in the higher
parts of Kildonan, including Loch Baden, Loch-na-Clar,
Loch-na-Cuen, and Loch Truderscaig. In the southeastern
district are also some lakes. The most interesting
is Loch Brora, three miles and a half in length,
in some parts contracting its width to half a mile, and
in others expanding to a mile and a half; its banks display
many of the most attractive features of Highland scenery.
Only a comparatively small proportion of the land is
in cultivation, the greater part by far being mountain
pasture, heath, and moor. Of the arable land the prevailing
soils are clay, sand, peat-moss, and a mixture
of sand, gravel, and black mould, forming a kind of
hazel loam. There are some very fine arable farms
along the eastern coast and Dornoch Firth, which are in
high cultivation, the system of husbandry being fully
equal to that pursued in the most fertile parts of the
country. The chief crops are barley and oats; the barley
is esteemed to be the best in the north of Scotland,
and some favourable crops of wheat are also raised.
Peas and beans were formerly much cultivated, but since
the introduction of potatoes, the growth of the latter
has been discontinued. The mountainous districts afford
good pasturage; sheep are the principal stock reared
in the county, and more than 200,000 are fed on the
mountain pastures, usually of the Cheviot breed. Cattle
are reared and fattened on the arable farms along the
south-eastern coast. The horses were principally of the
Highland breed; but since the extension of sheep-farming,
the number has been greatly diminished. On those
portions of the arable land of the county occupied by
agriculturists, great improvements have been made by
drainage and inclosures. Some portions of waste land,
also, have been brought into profitable cultivation. The
farm-houses are in general substantially built and well
arranged; and most modern improvements in the construction
of agricultural implements have been adopted in the county.
There are a few remains of ancient woods, consisting
of coppices of oak, with some birch and alder: the
plantations, most of which are of recent growth, are of
Scotch fir, larch, ash, beech, and elm, with a few birch,
alder, and hazel. The principal substrata are coal, limestone,
marble, and freestone; but no minerals of importance
have been discovered. In this county the seats
are Dunrobin Castle, Skibo Castle, Tongue House, Embo,
Uppat, Clyne, Kintradwell, Cyder Hall, Crackaig, and a
few others. The cotton-manufacture, formerly introduced,
has been discontinued since the destruction of
the works at Spinningdale, near Creich, by an accidental
fire in 1806. The herring-fishery off the coast affords
employment to a considerable number of persons; the
chief trade of the several ports consists in the exportation
of sheep, wool, salmon, and kelp: the cattle are
mostly driven to the southern markets. Chiefly under
the auspices of the Sutherland family, assisted by parliamentary
grants, the interior of the county has been
opened by excellent roads, which afford great facility of
communication, and must tend much to the development
of its natural resources. The Duke of Sutherland has
also had excellent inns for the accommodation of travellers
provided at all convenient stations throughout
the county. The annual value of real property in Sutherlandshire,
according to returns made in connexion with
the income-tax, is £36,113, of which £33,689 are for
lands, £860 for houses, and the remainder for fisheries.
Among the monuments of antiquity are, the interesting
remains of Dornoch cathedral, and the ruins of Pictish
castles, of which Coles Castle and Dun-Dornigil are the
chief; with numerous cairns, encampments, and subterraneous
buildings. Dunrobin Castle, also, though
still occupied, is a most ancient baronial stronghold.