a name given to three counties of Scotland, viz. Linlithgow-shire, Haddington-shire, and Edinburgh-shire. An account is given of Linlithgowshire, or west Lothian, under the article LINLITHGOW.

East-Lothian, or Haddington-shire, is bounded on the north by the Frith of Forth; on the south, by the hills of Lammermuir; and on the west, by the shire of Edinburgh or Mid Lothian. It is about 20 miles in length, and 12 in breadth; and is one of the most fruitful counties in Scotland, producing great quantities of wheat and all sorts of grain, well-watered, and plentifully supplied with fish, fowl, fuel, and all the necessaries of life. It abounds with towns, villages, and farms, interspersed with a great number of agreeable houses belonging to persons of rank and fortune. For cultivation, populousness, and fertility, this shire may vie with any tract of land in the island of Great Britain. Over and above the farming, which turns out to great account, the people towards the sea-coast employ themselves in the fishery, salt-making, and in foreign trade; and some of the more inland inhabitants engage in the linen and woollen manufactures. Lime-stone and coal are found in most parts of the country, and great numbers of sheep are fed on the hills of Lammermuir.

Edinburgh-shire, or Mid-Lothian, is 20 miles long, but varies in its breadth in different places from five to 16 miles. It is bounded on the east by East-Lothian; on the west, by the shire of Linlithgow; on the south, by Tweeddale; and on the north, by part of West-Lothian and the Frith of Forth. The aspect of the country is in general level and pleasant, interspersed with a few hills, that help to exhibit agreeable prospects. It is well watered with rivers, and shaded with woods. It produces plenty of coal, lime-stone, a soft black marble, and some copper ore. The soil, of itself fertile, is finely cultivated, and yields as plentiful harvests of excellent wheat as are found in any part of Great Britain. The whole shire is interspersed with noble houses and plantations belonging to noblemen and gentlemen of fortune. The farmers are master of the science of agriculture; and wealthy in consequence of their skill, some of them paying £500. of yearly rent. The country is well inhabited, and presents us with a good number of towns and populous villages. Along the sea-coast the common people subsist by fishing, and traffic in coals and salt, and some few carry on a smuggling commerce. Those in the inland are employed in farming, and some branches of the weaving manufacture. The sheriffdom of this shire is in the gift of the crown; and Edinburgh is a county in itself.

Mid-Lothian is adorned with a great number of elegant houses, which we cannot pretend to particularize; among others, the houses of the earls of Morton and Lauderdale, about six miles to the westward of Edinburgh, two elegant edifices, surrounded with parks agreeably planted with a variety of trees; and at a little distance the house of New-Linton, a delightful seat, where the late earl of Stair resided during his honourable recess from courts and corruption. Nor is it deficient in Roman antiquities. At Cramond, upon the Frith, four miles to the westward of Edinburgh, we see the remains of a great Roman station, in the estate of Sir John Inglis. Here several Roman altars have been found, and stones having inscriptions dug up, together with a great quantity of Roman coins, brass, silver, and gold. Great part of these, and many other curious pieces of antiquity, were collected by the late Sir John Clerk of Pennycook, one of the barons of the exchequer, a gentleman of considerable fortune, eminent for his taste and learning, whose country-house at Maris Bank, in this county, is one of the most agreeable villas in all Scotland.