one of the most noble and commodious rivers in Scotland. It takes its rise near the bottom of Ben-Lomond; and running from west to east, receives in its passage many considerable streams, deriving their waters from the eminences in the midland counties of North Britain. Between Stirling and Alloa, the Forth winds in a most beautiful and surprising manner; so that, though it is but 4 miles by land, it is 24 by water between those two places. Below Alloa the river expands itself to a great breadth between the counties of Lothian and Fife, till at Queensferry it is contracted by promontories shooting into it from both coasts; so that, from being four or five, there it is not above two miles broad. In the middle of the channel lies a small island called Inchgarvey, which has a spring of fresh water: upon the island there is an ancient fort, which has been lately repaired; and if there were either forts or blockhouses on the opposite promontories, that part of the river which lies between Alloa and Queensferry would be as secure and convenient a harbour as could be desired. A little below this, near the north shore, lies Incheclim, on which are the remains of an ancient monastery of considerable extent; and opposite to Leith stands the island of Inchkeith, formerly fortified, but now furnished with a light-house. Below Queensferry the north and south shores receding, the body of the water gradually enlarges till it becomes two or three leagues broad, affording several safe harbours on both sides, and excellent roads throughout, unembarrassed with latent rocks, shoals, or sands; and allowing secure anchorage to the largest ships within a league of the coast in almost any part of the Frith, and to vessels of a smaller size within a mile or less. The Firth, or (as it is commonly written) the Frith, of Forth, is, at the mouth of it, from North Berwick to Fifeness, full five leagues broad; having the little island of May (on which there is a light-house, and there might also be a fort) in the middle of it, and to the west of this the rocky island of Bals; notwithstanding Forth standing which, the largest fleet may enter and sail up it many miles with the utmost facility and in the greatest safety. In 1781, Admiral Parker's fleet lay some weeks opposite to Edinburgh, accompanied by 500 sail of merchantmen, the whole in full view of the city and castle.

The Forth was known to the ancients by the name of Badoitia, or (as Ptolemy calls it) Boderia, and has been ever famous for the number of its havens: some of which are, indeed, in their present condition, scarce worthy of that name. It is navigable for merchantmen as high as Alloa, 50 miles from the sea; and for coasters as far as Stirling, 24 miles further by water, though only four by land in a direct line, as already observed. The tide flows only a full mile above Stirling to a place called Craigforth, where the proprietor intercepts the passage of the salmon by a cruive or weir, very injurious to the large tract of country which stretches as far as Lomond westward. The river from Stirling to the bridge of Aberfoil, at the entrance into the West Highlands, is only passable for man or horse at few places, and these in dry seasons. It glides gently through a dead flat, from Gartmore eastward; and on these accounts (says Mr Knox*) it might be made navigable for barges, at a trifling expence to the proprietors of the lands, an improvement much wanted in a rich, extensive, and populous valley, without market towns, coal and lime. Supposing this work to be executed, of which there is some probability, the whole extent of navigation on the Forth, will, including all its windings, exceed 200 miles, through a coast of nearly 100 miles; fertile, populous, industrious; and from Stirling eastward, almost lined with towns, anciently the seats of commerce and navigation, till they were ruined by the English depredations; in which miserable state some of them still remain, while others begin to resume the appearance of business. The principal object of these towns was the fisheries; which they prosecuted with great vigour as far as Iceland, till the time of the Union, from which period the eastern fisheries gradually dwindled away; and the poor fishermen, unable to subsist themselves upon air and water, took up the trade of smuggling; but so soon as the fishery laws shall be amended, the salt duties abolished, and an adequate bounty extended to boats as well as buffes, these people will readily fall into the track of their ancestors, live by honest industry, and add new vigour to our naval strength. Many of the ports are nearly choked up, others want repairs, which neither the individuals nor the corporations of those decayed places can accomplish. Though the harbours on the Forth are in general small, the depth of water might be made sufficient for vessels of 200 tons burden, which fully answer the purposes of their coalting and Baltic trade; but to obtain this, or even a less depth of water, an aid of 50,000l. would be requisite."

By this river and the Clyde, Scotland is almost divided into two parts. The Forth falls into the east sea below Edinburgh, and has an easy communication with the whole eastern coast of Great Britain; with France, Ostend, Holland, Hamburgh, Prussia, Dantzic, Ruffia, Sweden, Denmark, Norway, and Greenland. The Clyde falls into the Atlantic ocean below Glasgow, and communicates with the western coast of Great Britain; with Ireland, the south of France, Portugal, Spain, the Mediterranean, America, and the West Indies. These two rivers, thus falling in opposite directions into the two seas which environ our island, and the neck of land between them amounting scarcely to 24 miles, gave rise to the idea of a junction, so as to open a communication across the kingdom, and thereby cut off the long dangerous navigation by the Land's End and the Pentland Frith: an object of vast utility, and which has been happily accomplished. See CANAL.

* View of the British Empire, vol. ii. p. 518.

FORTIFICATION;