mm S C O T L A N D .
M l
id
. and cobalt; and- it is faid that the illandsrof Shetland offer f&gie iifdica-
tions of that metal. Copper has alfo been found at-Colvend in Galloway,
at Curry in Lothian,; at Old wick in. Gaithne.Fs, and Kiffern in
R oft (hire.
The chief minerals of Scotland are lead, ironj^and coal. The lead
mines in .the fputh of Lanarkfhire, where the gold was -alfo found, have
been long known. 'Thole of ,Wan 1 ock-headp are in. the immediate
Neighbourhood, but' in the county-of Dumfries, and belong to ano-
' ther proprietor. Some flight veins of lead have alfo been found in the
wqfem.HKhlands^.gar^ouiari^ Arrant
• ° f Scotland ; the Garron ore is the moll known,-which Mr. Kirwan de-
fcribes as being an argihaceon^iron-ftope^ .of j^hlugjfh ;g ^ ^® J |g |ia lly
o fa dajkTi(phre y ello w,' 45§!ilMi*!§$j fi | i jb? jap4 inHgo,^il(i,
. in an adjacent coal mine, of which-it foinetimes forms the roof. At the
Carron-works, this ore is often fmelted with the red greafy. iron ore
from Ulverfton, in Lancafhire, which imparts ea.fier.fufion;*and fugerior
value. Calamine, or zinc, is alio found at Wan lock-head ;, and it. is
j faid, that plumbago and antimony may ,be .tTacedda; ^ 0 |la n d .
But the chief mineral is coal-, w f ich, has been worked for a fueeeflion
o f ages. .: PopeJEdus II, ;in his defcripjiqn rof E u r o p e , •,about
1459, mentions that he beheld with wonder,, blacio ftpnps^giyenns. alms
to the poor of.Scotland. Butthis^mineral may be traced to the twelfth
century. The earlieft account given of. the Scotiih coal mines is -contained
in a book, publilhed b y - .lli Gep.rgenSinclaiiy who calls . himfelf
i Profeffor .of Philofophy at Glafgo'w, but I cabnot trace/him in the
univerfity lift -\f H e explains,1 w ith foine ’exadinefs, the. manner of
"working, co a l; and ganglions the fubterraneous walls ,of whin which
interfedt the ftrata, particularly a remarkable one, vifible from.the river
Tyne, where it .forms a cataradp and paffing by Preffon-pansj to the
fhore of Fife. Mr. Williams has recently given his obfervations on
This fubjedt, with much prg:dtical jk ill. The Lothians, and. Fifelhjrejipar-
tieiflarly abound vyitli y th if ufeful mineral, ,$$}!; iextemls | p to
7 M lit. v6l iu 4- . ‘
8 Nat. Phil..Improven b y new E xp . Edinb, 1683. Quarto, p. 2$8— 3,02. <:
Ayrfhire;
Ayrfhire; and near Irwin is found a curious variety, called ribbon
coal. A lingular coal, in veins of mineral, has been found at Caftle
L'S-b.d) ih ilh'^eaftf.pft^ofsfhite.^
In pafftng to the lefs important minerals of ’Scotland, ’ the new
earth found at Strontian, in the diftrift of Sunart, and parifli of
Ardnamurchan, Argylefhire,. is now confecrated in numerous fyftems
of mineralogy and chymiftry. Ben Nevis affords.: bcautiftil granite.
Fine ftatuary riiarble is found in A ffynt| ari'd at Blair Gowric,' in Perth-
fhire. A black marble, fretted With white like lace-work, occurs near
Fort. W illiam ;, dark brown with white at Cambuflang,’ Glydefdale.
Jafper is found in various parts ; Arthur’s feat' offers a curious variety ;
and on the weftern Ihore of Icolmkill,; are many curious pebbles, of
various deferiptions'9. Fuller’s earth is found near Campbeltown, in
C a a iip ^ a n d ,, ip l^ il^ p© ® ,U rh '3g>riiere; m u l l awaft^mlfe'-oPTalc^
l|AwdjtpTh%t:©ff(Mui^6vMm tufas' whMrigiVe riftrtb lh e river
FrnllbW^aBi'riargef ipebBles^dfyft are folpetimbs found in ‘'that '»ftfeam:
Tbe^pj|®slita^se1i.b’een Irdrdady m8nti>omedt: .but'dtfiat any. ’gems
a^e.f®uri®ra®cdt-H^di f^fediabiehst.?' Qbart-z!and fluonaffilme ^iripuW’
hues; and what arAe> ’called;. ;ftlfe ftpphiifkv ru |id s |i}em|;ralds, ft®
und&Sbnfe ordorireS of ;th e f e 'd ^ ^ t|^ ^w h i'^ e .it4le 'rea ^ ^g em ^b ^ ^ ^ toT
thi>aMff&eohsr4^afs;llhd whenekaniin'ed withlatmi^^opfebatfeToah«# J
um x n p ie ^ a sy ^ a 'fo rm common}to- the argillaceous
defdrifiliohttftf,'
r* « " f 3 l ^ 'Wate3^ ? ¥ } ^ tk a d but no n lto J7eguaI
fame YiffKf hoj|':ofiEhgland. 'Jlheycfaief areMoffati wells m ’-tbeTdutbT
ah dLijh^Hb^fBele'Fhead inffE'el North.
-ScOTand^jlite :o tfe n !mountainbas!‘cduhtries',' abounds fw ith‘ fmgular
fcerfes,!and natk-rp^imibfitiesi'; T h e caves; b E ltfe
in Difmfriesftiire,n!re worth^otic.d f ' and >thei beautiEil'fells1 b fth b ClydeT
near Lanarit^ffa^dpfeEvedly‘exceed much attentibftt-' 'ffn proceedihgJ I
up.tfieTiVen from' Lanark-, .firft occul>s Vimallica’ftfaa ,Ca lled ,'D u n d aff
Lmffithen that •<$ C om , & e ,.a o ft piailrefqudGand little- m'dre*han>
hslf aiif^le\'Fur.ther, -rthat o f Ponniagtbff appears, a finglh fchfeadb,’o f
about twenty fevenTeet, To 'thu-we-ft -bf Lanark is found the cktaradt'
Gaw j
l 9
Mikfrau
Mineral W a
Natural
Curioiitips.