MORAYSHIRE

MORAYSHIRE, or MURRAYSHIRE, a county in Scotland. The province of Moray formerly included part of the shires of Inverness and Banff, and that of Nairn, besides the present county; but the name is now confined to this district, which is also known by the appellation of Elginshire. It is situated between $57^\{\backslash circ\}\; 12\text{'}$ and $57^\{\backslash circ\}\; 43\text{'}$ north latitude, and between $3^\{\backslash circ\}\; 2\text{'}$ and $3^\{\backslash circ\}\; 58\text{'}$ west longitude, extending about 40 miles from north-east to south-west, and in breadth from 8 to 14 miles in the interior, but upon the coast from 17 to 23 miles; and it contains, including its lakes, 480 square miles, or 307,200 English acres, of which only about a third

is productive land. The county of Moray has the Morayshire. Frith of that name on the north, Banffshire on the east, Inverness-shire on the south, and Nairnshire on the west. The river Spey, which, with a few exceptions, separates it from Banffshire, is commonly considered its eastern boundary. On the south, it is intersected by a small part of Inverness-shire, by which two parishes, Abernethy and Duthil, partly in this county, are detached from the body of it. It is divided into fifteen entire parishes, and contains part of nine parishes more, the rest of which are situated in the counties adjacent. The Presbyteries to which these parishes belong are, Aberlour, Abernethy, Elgin, and Forres, all under the jurisdiction of the Synod of Moray.

The natural divisions are the low grounds which Natural stretch along the coast, varying in breadth, southward, Divisions. from 5 to 12 miles, and the mountains which occupy the interior; yet the former is not without ridges of hills, of no great height, which generally rise in a line parallel to the shore; nor the latter without considerable tracts of low land, particularly on the branches of the Spey and Findhorn, and the other streams which flow from the south. The climate, soil, and productiveness of these two divisions are very different. The climate on the coast is supposed Climate. to be as good as that of any part of Scotland, both in respect to heat and dryness; while the prevailing soil is a sandy loam, in many parts affording plentiful crops, which ripen early, and are seldom injured by bad weather, in the harvest season. The wind blows from westerly points for almost three-fourths of the year. The strong gales are from the north-west, and the most frequent rains from this point and the north-north. Easterly winds, however, prevail in the spring months, to the great injury of vegetation. The annual fall of rain, on the north-east quarter, near Speymouth, is said to be little more than 25 inches; and the medium temperature of the year varies from $45^\{\backslash circ\}$ to $50^\{\backslash circ\}$. In the mountain district, the winters are long and severe; more rain falls than on the coast; and the labours of the harvest are sometimes not brought to a close till the crops are covered with snow. Limestone, sandstone, and slate, with marl, abound in various parts. Iron was almost a century ago wrought in Strathspey by the York Buildings Company. The rivers Rivers. are the Spey, the Lossie, and the Findhorn, which receive the waters of a great many mountain streams. The Spey, the most considerable, has a course of 30 miles before it enters Morayshire, at Aviemore, from which it flows in a deep channel, and with a considerable fall, till it empties itself, after describing a line of about 96 miles in all, into the sea at Speymouth Bay. It is not navigable, except near its mouth, and there only for small vessels; but it affords the means of bringing down to the sea the forests on its banks; and the rents of its salmon fisheries, some years ago, exceeded L.7000 per annum. The Lossie flows almost parallel to the Spey, about ten miles distant, and, after a course of 24 miles, during which it works a number of corn mills, falls into the sea at Lossiemouth, about six miles to the north of Elgin. The Findhorn, like the two former, flows from south to north, and enters the Frith of Moray at the village that bears its name, having

Morayshire. traversed Inverness-shire, where it has its source, Nairnshire, and this county, for a distance of 60 miles. There is also a valuable salmon fishery on this river. The principal lakes, beginning on the east, are Loughnaboe, which covers about 60 acres; Lough Spynie, which formerly spread over more than 2000 acres, but has been since laid almost dry by drainage; Inchstelli, Lochloy, and Loughnadurb, containing an island on which there are the remains of an ancient fortress, and where it is said turnips have been found growing naturally. Chalybeate springs are found in every quarter of the county, but none of them are in much repute.

Valuation and Rental. The valued rent of Morayshire, in Scots money, is L.65,603, 0s. 5d., and the real rent, in 1811, of the lands was L.62,312, 9s. 6d. Sterling, and of the houses L.2,753, 14s. 6d. In the same year, the number of proprietors was forty-one, five of whom held more than half the valuation and rental; and that of the freeholders thirty-six. Only about a fortieth part is held in feu, the whole, with this exception, and small portions belonging to the burghs, being freehold, but nearly a third is under entail. Many of the proprietors have elegant mansions, of which the most considerable, beginning on the eastern quarter, are Innes House, the Earl of Fife; Findrossie, Lesslie, Bart.; Gordonstown and Altyre, Cumming Gordon, Bart.; Duffus, Dunbar, Bart.; Darnway Castle, the Earl of Moray; Brodie House, Brodie; Grange, Peterkin; Burgie Castle, Dunbar Brodie; and Elchie House, Grant.

Farms. The size of farms on the coast does not often exceed 400 acres, and the greater number are below 150 acres. The larger farms are generally held on leases for nineteen years, as in other parts of Scotland, but many of the smaller tenants have no leases. This division of the county produces all the species of corn grown in Scotland, with turnips, potatoes, and clovers. In the higher district, barley and oats, with potatoes, are almost the only crops, with small por-

tions of turnips and cultivated herbage, and in some places a little flax. The native cattle have been improved, by crossing them with the West Highland race; and the sheep, which were originally similar to those of Shetland, have, in many parts, given way to the Linton, or black-faced race, and a variety of other breeds from the south. On the small farms, especially in the mountain district, the horses are very diminutive, seldom more than nine or ten hands high; but, upon the larger farms on the coast, they are not inferior to those of other parts of Scotland. In the latter situation, two only are used at a plough, and oxen are seldom worked; whereas, the team in the high grounds consists of oxen and horses intermixed, sometimes to the number of six or eight.

Morayshire employs few of its people in manufactures for sale. A woollen factory has been established at Newmill, in the parish of St Andrews Lhanbryd, and in the same quarter another for the weaving of cottons. There are tanneries at Forres and Elgin; and, at the latter place, a tawing work of some consideration, which sends most of its produce to London. The exports are cattle, corn, and salmon, with a variety of smaller articles. The value of the salmon has been stated at about L.25,000, and that of all the other exports does not exceed L.30,000 yearly. A considerable quantity of timber is floated down the Spey, and shipped at Garmouth; but it is chiefly the produce of Strathspey, in Inverness-shire. The towns and villages are, Elgin, the county town, Forres, Garmouth, Urquhart, Lossiemouth, Bishopmill, Findhorn, Rothes, and Balnatom. The first two are burghs; Elgin is joined with Cullen, Banff, Inverary, and Kintore; and Forres with Inverness, Nairn, and Fortrose, in the election of members for the Scottish burghs. Both these places are of great antiquity. The population in 1800 and 1811 is exhibited in the following abstract. See Leslie's General View of the Agriculture, &c. of the Counties of Nairn and Moray. (A.)