EDINBURGHSHIRE

EDINBURGHSHIRE, or MIDLOTHIAN, is bounded on the north by the frith of Forth and the river Amond, which divides it from Westlothian or Linlithgow; on the east by Haddingtonshire; on the south by the counties of Lanark, Peebles, and Berwick; and at

the west corner by part of the county of Linlithgow. It extends about 30 miles in length, and its breadth varies from 16 to 20; containing in all about 360 square miles, or 230,400 English acres. The surface of the country is pleasant, having much level ground, interspersed with some hills, watered with many agreeable streams, and sheltered and decorated with woods. The arable land, which may be calculated about one third of the whole, is in a state of high cultivation, and affords excellent crops. The two great ridges of hills which pass through the county, called the Moorfoot and the Pentland hills, afford pasture; the former is far superior in quality to the latter: in these hills it is generally remarked that the north side of the hill is the finest and best pasture, contrary to what we should be apt, a priori, to imagine. Like the other parts of the country, this district experiences the consequences of an insulated situation; being subject to that instability and uncertainty, that the climate in one day exhibits the weather of every season of the year; the cold east winds in the spring are exceedingly detrimental to fruit, and in autumn the haars or mists from the sea, are apt to whiten and wither the corns before they are ripe. The immediate vicinity of many of the farms to the metropolis affords the opportunity of procuring street dung easily, and has been of material advantage in improving the land; it has this disadvantage, however, that by long continuance the fields become very full of weeds, particularly the scaller or wild mustard; it is imagined that this would be obviated by throwing the field out in pasture for a few years, and afterwards liming it well before ploughing. The chief rivers of the county of Edinburgh, are the North and South Esk, which, uniting, fall into the frith of Forth at the town of Musselburgh; the Amond, which falls into the same frith at the village of Cramond, and the water of Leith, which forms the harbour of that town: all of these abound with trout. The islands of Inchkeith and Cramond, and of Inchmickery, also belong to this county. Few districts of Scotland afford more minerals than the county of Edinburgh; it abounds everywhere with coal, limestone, and freestone of superior quality; and iron ore of different species is very abundant; compound stone, called petunse, is found in great quantity in the Pentland hills, and has been successfully employed in the manufacture of British porcelain. In the parish of Ratho is found a fine species of whetstone or hone; and in the parish of Duddingstone, at Brickfield, is found clay, fit for making earthen ware. The hills are composed of porphyry and basaltic whinstone, which in many places, particularly Arthur's Seat and Craig-Lockhart, exhibit regular forms. Near Glencrofs, and in the Braid-hills, are found great veins of the heavy spar, or barytes, which is often an attendant on metallic veins, especially of lead and copper. All the hills contain specimens of zeolites, jaspers, spars, &c. From the vicinity to the metropolis, numerous seats of nobility and gentry are everywhere to be seen. Besides the city of Edinburgh and its suburbs, in which we may include the town of Leith, this county contains several large towns and villages, as Dalkeith, Musselburgh, Liberton, Lasswade, and Gilmerton, and is divided into 31 parishes, of which the following is the population at two different periods.