night from those on the Mulls of Kintyre, Galloway, and Cumbray.

Fib.-The fea-coaft abounds with fish of different kinds, fuch as herring, falmon, fcate, cod, ling, lythe, flounder, haddock, whiting, &c. but the inhabitants have not acquired the art of being very beneficial to themselves in fishing any of these but herring. There is alfo in these feas a hugh fish, called Sail-fish, which is caught by sticking them with sharp-edged inftruments, of the harpoon kind; they are productive of good quantities of oil; but the fishermen must be dexterous when about to ftick the fish, as the attempt is fometimes dangerous.

Church, Stipend, School, Poor.-In this parish are two places of worship, exclufive of that occupied by the catechit in the north-end of the island. The principal parochial kirk is at Kilmory, in the fouth end of the island, rebuilt in 1785, with Gothic windows, and 1 gallery. The other place, called Shifken, is 6 computed miles weftward. The Duke of Hamilton is patron, and fole proprietor, excepting two farms. The ftipend is L. 70, exclufive of a manfe and glebe.-There are two parochial schools. The falary allowed to the principal is L. 50 Scots, the half of which is paid by the Duke of Hamilton, and the other by the tenants of the district. To the other fchool is allowed L. 40 Scots, paid also in halves, as aforefaid. The parish is divided into 2 parochial districts; each of the fchoolmasters has in his own district, 1 s. for marriage, 6 d. for baptifm, and L. 6 Scots each for feffion-clerkship; their number of scholars may be 50 each, more or lefs; but there are also many petty schools. The wages are invariably I s. the quarter for reading, I s. 6 d. for writing, and 2 s. 6 d. for arithmetic.

The number of poor on the parish-roll is 40, who are fupplied by the weekly collections as often as the fund admits; but which is quite inadequate to their need. Such therefore of them as can go about, receive alms from the country people; and those who are decrepit or confined to bed, are, in addition to the furplus received from the fefhion, fupported by country charity fent to them; for the people, according to their abilities, are very charitable, and attentive to real indigence.

Exports.-Several hundreds of black cattle are annually exported to Ayrshire; they are bought up by different perfons, and ferried in every month from May to December; so that their number cannot easily be ascertained. A confiderable quantity of barley is also exported to Greenock, Saltcoats, Irvine, Ayr, and Campbelltown; but 3 licensed distillers have lately been erected in the island, which will exhauft a great part of the barley that can henceforth be fpared. Alfo kelp is manufactured here, and exported, perhaps 60 tons in the year. They also export fmall quantities of mutton, and linen yarn, by all which commodities, they are enabled, in addition to industry and œconomy, to pay their rent, and answer the other exigencies of their families. But as the island breeds no horfes, the people are obliged to buy at dear rates, in Argyleshire, and other places; they alfo frequently buy theep for breed in Ayrshire, as in ftormy fnowy winters many of their sheep die.

Advantages and Difadvantages.-The chief advantages are good water and pure air; which are counterbalanced by many disadvantages. There are in this parish no safe harbours, by which many real loffes are fuftained; expenfe, lofs of time, and sometimes lofs of lives and property, attend the unavoidable neceffity of having recourse to extramaritime VOL. IX.

Y

markets,

markets, both to fell what they can fpare, and buy the ma ny things they need.

Language. The mother tongue is the Gaelic, which is univerfally spoken; yet perfons advanced in years understand the English language tolerably; they acquire it by intercourse with other countries, and are greatly afsisted by having the organs of speech formed in their youth, it being the first language they are taught to read.

Migratory Birds, and Amphibious Animals.-We have tranfient vifits of the fwan in winter, the fieldfare in time of snow, and the green plover in May and June, &c.— The otter, an agile animal, and of the canine form, often reforts here; its fkin fetches a good price, and notwithftanding his vigilance, he fometimes falls a prey to the markfman; alfo the feal, although feldom; its fkin is likewife valuable.

Agriculture, &c.-There are in this parish 440 horses, 1388 cows, 2085 fheep, 102 goats. There are fown 1320 bolls oats, 190 bolls barley, 330 bolls potatoes, 18 bolls peafe, 9 bolls flax-feed. The old Scotch plough is generally used here, drawn by 4 horfes. The nature of the foil is fuch, that they cannot begin early to till, and can have time. only to till, at an average, at the rate of about 14 bolls the plough. The rent of the parish is L. 2398 a-year.

Population. According to Dr Webster's report, the numbers then were 2277, at prefent there are in the whole of Kilmory 3259; but these are not all supported by the produce and internal industry of the parish, many of the young people go to fervice to the neighbouring countries, especially Ayrshire; many of the young men are employ

ed

ed in the fisheries; fome in the Revenue cutters, and Excife yachts; and in time of war many are employed in the Royal navy, and a great number in all the different branches of British trade.-From Dippin to Earfay, (ex-, clufive of what is from Earfay to Lochranza, and which is under the charge of a chatechift,) there have been in the course of the year 1791, 71 baptifms, and 21 marriages. Dippin is 16 miles from Earfay; Earfay 14 from LochNo bill of mortality kept.

ranza.

NUM.

NUMBER XIII.

PARISH OF ST ANDREW's, LHANBRYD,

(COUNTY OF ELGIN, SYNOD OF MORAY, PRESBYTERY OF ELGIN.)

By the Rev. Mr WILLIAM LESLIE.

Geography and Natural History.

HANBRYD, fignifying in the original, "St Bridget's Church," was united to St Andrew's, to which laft, two other chapels had also been joined before the Reformation. This parish measures about 3 English miles from W. to E. along the highway from Elgin to Spey; and: from S. to N. about 4, exclufive of an improvement in the hill 1 mile diftant, on the S. disjoined by an intervening skirt of the parish of Elgin, to which it pertains. It was originally the moor where the cattle were collected for drawing part of the teinds of both parishes, before they were converted into money, from which it retains the name of Teindiand; and on account of its distance from Elgin, the inhabitants have in general ranked themselves in this parish. The general appearance of the country is a plain, in which feveral low hills rife, fo arranged as to appear connected