ARGYLLSHIRE, a county (maritime), in the southwest
of Scotland, bounded on the north by Invernessshire;
on the east by the counties of Inverness, Perth,
and Dumbarton; and on the south and west by the
Firth of Clyde and the Atlantic Ocean. It lies between
55° 21' and 57° (N. lat.), and 4° 15' and 7° 10' (W.long.),
and is about 115 miles in extreme length, and about
50 or 60 miles in average breadth; comprising an
area, including the various islands connected with it,
of about 3800 square miles; of which, what may be
considered as the continent contains about 2735 square
miles, or 1,750,400 acres. There are 19,207 houses, of
which 18,552 are inhabited; and a population of 97,371,
of whom 47,795 are males, and 49,576 females. The
county appears to have been occupied at an early period
chiefly by the Scots, who, emigrating from the Irish
coasts, settled in the peninsula of Cantyre, and after the
subjugation of the Picts, and the union of the two kingdoms
under Kenneth Mc Alpine, became identified with
the general population of the country. In the legends
of romance, this part of Scotland is celebrated as the
principal scene of the exploits of the heroes of the race
of Fingal, and as the birthplace of the bard Ossian,
whose poems are still the subject of deeply-interesting
research among the learned. Ossian is said to have
been boru in the valley of Glencoe; and the county,
which abounds with numerous localities connected with
the achievements of his heroes, stiU retains, in a very
high degree, that spirit of feudal vassalage for which it
was for ages pre-eminently remarkable. The family of
Campbell, long distinguished as the principal of that
extensive and powerful clan, and ancestors of the Dukes
of Argyll, for many generations possessed an absolute
and sovereign authority over their vassals, who on every
occasion rallied round the standard of their chieftain,
with all the fideUty of kindred attachment, and tendered
the most arduous services with implicit submission to
his control.
Prior to the ReformatioD, the county was for centuries
the seat of a diocese, the bishop of which resided on
the island of Lismore (between the main land and the
isle of Mull), where the cathedral church was situated;
and the jurisdiction extended over all the adjacent
islands, including those of Bute and Arran. Since that
period, it has constituted the chief part of the synod of
Argyll, comprising the presbyteries of Inverary, Dunoon,
Cantyre, Islay and Jura, Lorn, and Mull; and about
fifty parishes. For civil purposes, the county is divided
into the districts of Argyll, Cowal, Islay, Cantyre,
Lorn, and Mull; and is under the jurisdiction of a
sheriff-depute, by whom three sheriifs-substitute are appointed,
who reside respectively at Inverary, which is
the county town, at Campbelltown, and Tobermory.
The courts of assize and general quarter-sessions are
held at Inverary; and courts for the recovery of small
debts are held four times in the year at Oban, Lochgilphead,
Dunoon, and Bowmore; and twice in the year
at Strontian. The royal burghs are Inverary and Campbelltown;
and in addition to the other places above
noticed, the county contains the small towns of Ballichulish
and Tobermory, the village of Ardrissaig, &c.
Under the act of the 2nd 'of William IV., the county
returns one member to the imperial parliament; and
the royal burghs of Inverary and Campbelltown, with
the parliamentary burgh of Oban, unite with Ayr and
Irvine, in the county of Ayr, in returning another
member.
The SURFACE is generally wild and mountainous, especially
towards the north, where it borders on the
Grampian range; and even along the coasts, which form
a line of more than 600 miles, and where the land is
lowest, there are numerous hills of very considerable
elevation. The most mountainous parts of the county
are, however, interspersed with pleasing and fertile
tracts of valley, watered by streams, on the banks of
which are some productive arable lands; and in many
places the slopes of the hills afford good pasture. Of
the numerous Islands that are included within the limits
of the county, the principal are Mull, Jura, Islay,
Coll, Tiree, Colonsay, Lismore, and Oronsay, with
smaller islands, all of which are noticed under their
respective heads. Between these islands and the main
land are several e.xtensive sounds, the principal of which
are, the Sound of Mull, between the island of that name
and the main land; and the Sound of Jura, separating
that island from the continent: the Sound of Islay is
between the isles of Jura and Islay, and the Firth of
Clyde separates part of Argyllshire on the west from the
counties of Ayr and Renfrew on the east. The most
prominent Mountains are, the Cruachan, rising from the
north-eastern extremity of Loch Awe, to the height of
3390 feet; the Cruachlus.sa, in the district of Knapdale,
attaining an elevation of 3000 feet; Benreisipoll, in
Ardnamurchan, 2661 feet in height; Buchael-Etive,
near Loch Etive, towards the north, rising 2537 feet
above the sea; the Paps of Jura, in the isle of Jura,
2476 feet in height; and Beininturk, in Cantyre, which
has an elevation of 2170 feet.
The coasts arc deeply indented with arms of the sea,
constituting salt-water lochs of considerable extent.
Among these is Loch Fine, which is of very great depth,
sixty miles in length, and varying from two to three
miles in breadth, and on the shore of which is situated
the. town of Inverary: its great depth is thought to be
one cause of the superior quality of its herrings. Loch
Linnhe lies between the districts of Morven and Lorn,
and is the source of most of the inland lakes which
form the Caledonian canal; the scenery on both its
shores is strikingly romantic, and the borders are
thickly interspersed with the remains of ancient fortresses,
and enlivened with numerous handsome residences.
Loch Long extends from the Firth of Clyde,
for nearly twenty-two miles, into the land, separating
the county from that of Dumbarton; and from the
west side of this arm of the sea branches off Loch God,
crowned on its precipitous banks with the ruins of Castle
Carrick, a royal residence, of which His Grace the Duke
of Argyll is hereditary keeper. Of the inland lakes
of the county, by far the most extensive is Loch Awe,
about twenty-eight miles in length, and from one to
two miles in breadth; it abounds with salmon, eels, and
trout, and from one side of it issues a stream called
the Awe, which flows through the magnificent pass of
Brander into the Loch Etive, at Bunawe ferry. The
pass of Brander, which was the scene of a battle between
Robert Bruce and Mac Dougall of Lorn, seems
to have been formed by some violent convulsion, causing
the rare circumstance in nature of a lateral escape of
water from a lake. Loch Etive, a lake of much smaller
extent, communicates with Loch Awe by the river Awe,
and on the west with the Sound of Mull, from which it
forms an inlet, nearly opposite the island of Lismore:
on the north shore are the ruins of the ancient priory
of Ardchattan. There are several smaller lakes, but
none of sufficient importance to require particular notice;
also numerous streams intersecting the lands in
various places, few or none of which, however, are
navigable.
The quantity of land which is arable and in cultivation
is little more than 100,000 acres; about 30,000
acres are in woodland and plantations, and the remainder,
nearly 1,300,000 acres, with the exception of about
25,000 in inland lakes and rivers, is principally heath,
and hill and mountain pasture. The soil of the arable
land is extremely various. Along the coasts, it is generally
a light gravelly loam, resting upon a clayey bottom,
and differing in fertility in different places. On the
lower grounds, in some parts, is a mixture of clayey
loam; in others, a kind of black mossy earth; and on
the slopes of the hills, a light gravelly soil. The .system
of agriculture is moderately improved, and the rotation
plan of husbandry is growing into use. The chief crops
are oats, bear, and potatoes, with peas and beans, and
various green crops; the cultivation of turnips has been
extensively introduced. Wheat of excellent quality has
been raised, but though the soil in many parts is favourable
to its growth, very little attention is paid to its
culture. Flax, for domestic use, is raised in considerable
quantities. The cattle are principally of the black
West Highland breed, and, being in much demand, on
account of the superior beef they afford, are reared to a
great extent throughout the county, especially in the
islands: next to sheep, they form the staple trade of the
county. The sheep-farms are in general very extensive,
and the stock is principally of the Linton or black-faced
breed, though the Cheviot breed, which has been lately
introduced in some places, has been found equally well
adapted to the pastures, and more profitable.
The chief Substrata are, limestone, which is very
abundant, and freestone of various kinds and colours,
some fine specimens of which are found in Cantyre,
and also in Glenorchy. Slate is abundant in the neighbourhood
of Easdale, and is also wrought in the district
of Appin. Near Inverary is a kind of granite which is
susceptible of a high polish, resembling spotted marble;
and there are quarries of marble in Lorn, on the estate
of Lochiel, and in the island of Tiree, which last is of very
beautiful quality. Coal is found near Canipbelltown,
and is wrought for the supply of that district; there
are also indications of coal in Morven, and in the isle
of Mull. Lead-ore has been wrought at Strontian, and
found in other places; a copper-mine has been opened
in the parish of Kilmalie, and there are numerous vestiges
of ancient iron-works in the mountains, though
no ore of sufficient quality to remunerate the expense
of working it is now found. The greater portion of the
county was formerly covered with Wuuds, of which but
very small remains now exist: the deficiency has been
partly supplied by modern plantations, especially on the
lands of the Duke of Argyll. The soil and climate are
well adapted to the growth of timber of every kind:
the most flourishing descriptions at present are oak,
beech, elm, plane, birch, ash, chesnut, larch, and Scotch,
spruce, and silver firs; and within the last few years
plantations have been gradually increasing. The principal
manufacture is that of wool, which has been made
into carpets, under the auspices of the Duke of Argyll j
but it is limited to a very small extent. The spinning
of flax is carried on, for domestic use. There are several
distilleries, tanneries, and some bleach-fields; and
the herring-fishery in Loch Fine is on an extensive
scale. Facility of intercourse has been obtained by the
formation of roads in various directions, and canals;
and from the inlets from the sea, every advantage of
steam navigation is obtained. The annual value of real
property in the county is £26Q,273, of which £232,441
are returned for lands, £25,362 for houses, £1430 for
fisheries, and the remainder for other species of real
property. There are numerous remains of ancient castles,
forts, Danish encampments, monasteries and other
religious houses, cairns, tumuli, Druidical remains,
vitrified forts, many Fingalian relics, and other monuments
of antiquity, all of which are noticed in the
articles on the several localities where they occur. The
county confers the title of Duke on the celebrated
family of Campbell, who were created Earls of Argyll
in 1457, advanced to the Marquessate in 1641, and
made Dukes in 1/01, and who also bear several dignities
named after different divisions of the county.