a county on the west coast of Scotland, in the Firth of Clyde, is composed of seven islands, viz. Bute, Arran, Great Cumbrae, Little Cumbrae, Inchmarnock, Holy Island, and Pladda.

Bute, from which the county derives its name, is situated between Long. 4° 51', and 5° 2'. W., and Lat. 55° 41', and 55° 43'. N., and is 16 miles west from Greenock, 38 miles from Glasgow, and 83 from Edinburgh; but the usual route to these places is about 4 or 5 miles longer. It is about 15 miles long; in a straight line from N.N.W. to S.S.E., and the average breadth is 3½ miles, although it is much indented with bays; in some places it is not above half that breadth, but in other places it is at least a mile broader. It is separated on the north from the district of Cowal in Argyllshire by the Kyles of Bute, which for a considerable distance along the shore are not above half a mile broad. The more southerly part of the island is separated from Ayrshire by the Firth of Clyde, which at that point is from 5 to 7 miles broad; but the channel is much narrowed by the islands of Cumbraes, situated between Bute and Ayrshire, and distant from Bute about 3 miles, but much nearer Ayrshire. Arran lies off the south point of Bute, distant about 6 miles; and Skipness in Argyllshire bounds it on the west at a distance considerably greater. There is considerable uncertainty as to the origin of the name of Bute. Some contend that it is derived from Both, signifying in the Irish tongue a cell; and they ground this on the fact, that it has been so written by ancient authors, and that St Brendan, an Irish abbot, caused a cell to be erected on it in the sixth century. It has been written Both, Bot, Boot, and Botis; but Mr Blair, some time commissary of the isles, and sheriff-substitute of Buteshire, in his manuscript history of Bute, endeavours to show, with considerable ingenuity, that it has been derived from the old British word Ev Budh, or Gaelic word Ey Bhiod, signifying the Island of Corn or Island of Food, from its being more fertile than the adjacent highland countries; and this opinion appears to be still further supported by the fact, that at the time of valuing the teinds, the grain in the island amounted to about 34,700 bolls. The Butemen were anciently called Brandanes, and looking upon themselves as a distinct people, refused to identify themselves either with the highlanders or lowlanders. The island has an area of about 30,000 English acres, of which about two-thirds may be considered as arable; the remainder consists of woods, mairs, mosses, and lakes. There are six lakes in the island. The largest, Loch Fad, extended originally to 138 acres, but is now considerably enlarged by the embankments of the cotton spinning company, whose works are placed on the water flowing from this lake. Ascog Loch is 72 acres in extent. The water flowing from this loch has also an excellent fall for a mill or other public work; but nothing has yet been erected on it except a dye-work, and a carding and waulking mill. It is hoped, however, that it will soon be made more available. Quen Loch covers 54 acres; Greencan Loch, 12 acres; Loch Dhu, or Black Loch, 9 acres; and Lochantarbh, 5 acres. The climate is more mild, genial, and healthy, than in any other part of the west of Scotland. It is frequently compared to that of Devonshire, to which it is in some respects considered as superior. The lofty mountains of Arran and Argyle skirt it on the west and south, and break the clouds coming from the Western Ocean, so that they pass over Bute with a discharge of comparatively but little of their contents, and less rain falls here than on the rest of the west coast of Scotland. In summer the air is kept cool by the sea breeze, and in winter the same cause prevents intense frost; while snow seldom falls to the depth of twelve inches, and very rarely remains above two or three days on the ground. The winds most prevalent blow from the south and west. Agriculture, under the fostering care of the late Marquis of Bute, has of late years made considerable progress in the island, especially in the middle and southern divisions. The soil in the southern half of the island is light and sandy; in the more northern it is of a clayey nature. The land is generally well subdivided with ditches and white-thorn hedges. Crops of all kinds common in the lowlands are produced in Bute.

Freestone and coal are both found in the island, but neither to any great extent. Several attempts have been made to discover a good working vein of coals, but hitherto without success. Slate and lime, however, abound. The slate has been principally wrought on the estate of Kames, formerly the seat of the deceased Sir William MacLeod Bannatyne, one of the lords of session, but now possessed by James Hamilton, Esq. The lime has been chiefly wrought in the south end of the island, in the parish of Kingarth; and that manufactured there is considered as equal, if not superior, in point of adhesiveness, to the far-famed Arden lime of Lanarkshire, when properly wrought; and it is much cheaper, though not so white in the colour. Inexhaustible beds of shells are found on the west side of the island, and considerable quantities of sea-weed are driven in upon the shores. The rocks in the north end are chiefly mica, clay, and chlorite slate, intersected with quartz and trap. Whinstone is chiefly found near the town of Rothesay, and sandstone stretches along from thence to the south.

Excellent banks for fishing are found round the island; and the herring fishery is prosecuted vigorously by the inhabitants, especially by residents in Rothesay.

The Marquis of Bute is the chief proprietor of the island. His seat, Mountstuart, is beautifully situated on the east side of the island, about four miles from Rothesay. The real rent of his property in the island is about £9,000, including £440 of feu-duty for ground feued chiefly within the burgh of Rothesay. The other proprietors of any extent are James Hamilton, Esq., of Kames, rent £1,500; Robert Thom, Esq., of Ascog, £700; M'Conechy of Ambrisbeg, £70; James M'Kay of Garrachty, £70; and George Campbell, Esq., of Dunoon, whose lands of Ardheig, let on long building leases, are now nearly covered with villas, and form substantially a part of the town of Rothesay.

The burgh of Rothesay, the capital of the island and shire, is beautifully situated at the head of a deep bay on the N.E. side of the island, where there is safe anchorage-ground for vessels of any size, in any wind, and room enough to contain a very large fleet. The territory of the burgh is about nine miles in circumference, extending fully a mile beyond the town on the east, south, and west sides. The burgh has an extensive harbour built in 1822 at an expense of £6,000, and on which large sums have been since expended. It is now in an excellent state. The shipping belonging to the port was at one time upwards of 4000 tons, but it has decreased of late, owing to the decline of the herring trade. There is a large spinning factory, consisting of two mills, in Rothesay, driven by water from Loch Pad; and it may be worthy of notice, that the second mill erected in Scotland for the spinning of cotton was upon this water only about fifty-five years ago, when the business was carried on with the strictest secrecy. The house then used was a thatched building, which is still standing. There are three power-loom factories in Rothesay, in one of which cotton is also spun. Numerous steam-boats ply daily to and from Glasgow and the intermediate ports. These convey the mail; and in the summer season there are generally two mails in the day.

The town has of late been rapidly increasing, and handsome new streets are building. The places of worship in Rothesay are the parish church, situated on a gentle eminence about a quarter of a mile from the town; another Established church close to the town; three Free churches (the predominant denomination), one being Gaelic; one Reformed Presbyterian, one United Presbyterian; one Episcopalian; one Baptist; and about two miles from Rothesay there is a Roman Catholic chapel. The County Buildings are situated in Rothesay, and contain a large and handsome courtroom with the requisite offices attached. The prison is under the same roof, and affords good accommodation for proper classification of the prisoners. The courts are held in Rothesay. The sheriff court is held every Tuesday and Friday, and the burgh court every Thursday. There is a local police act, under which the burgh magistrates act as judges and try petty delinquencies. The ruins of an ancient castle, which was once the residence of the kings of Scotland, are situated in the middle of the town. The castle originally consisted of a circular court, 138 feet in diameter, surrounded by a wall eight feet thick and seventeen feet high, with battlements. It had four towers and was surrounded by a wet ditch. It is supposed to have been built about the year 1100, though the precise date is not known. It is first mentioned in history in 1228. Heulbec, king of the Isles, was killed in besieging this castle in 1263. It was taken possession of by the English during the reign of John Baliol, but surrendered to Robert the Bruce in 1311. King Robert the Second built a palace adjoining the castle, and frequently took up his residence in it betwixt 1376 and 1398, when he created his eldest son Prince David Duke of Rothesay, a title which the king's eldest son still bears. This was the first dukedom conferred in Scotland. On the 12th January 1400 Robert granted the charter of erection of the burgh of Rothesay. He died in the castle of Rothesay on 4th April 1406, and was buried in the abbey of Paisley. This castle was burned by the Earl of Argyll's brother in 1685, and has since remained in ruins. The population of the burgh of Rothesay in 1831 was 4817; besides upwards of 300 seamen belonging to registered vessels, not included in the census.

The island is divided into three parishes, Rothesay, Kingarth, and North Bute; the first containing a population (1851) of 7354, including the burgh; the second a population of 1007, and the third a population of 1025, making the whole population of the island 9386, exclusive of seamen absent when the census was taken. In Kingarth parish there is, besides the parish church, a Free church at Ascog, and in the parish of North Bute there is a Free church at Port Bannatyne. Lord Bute is the patron of all of the parish churches.

The island is highly esteemed, and is much resorted to as sea-bathing quarters in the summer season; and many invalids are induced, by the mildness of the climate, to reside there during the winter.

There are several remains of druidical monuments on the island, but the chief or most entire is at Langalachorid, in the parish of Kingarth. At Dunagoil, in this parish, there is a vitrified fort, and the remains of an old church, and burying-ground, where, until after the Reformation, the two sexes were not allowed to intermingle. Near this church there is a circular inclosure called the Devil's Cauldron, where penance was wont to be performed. As this rite of superstition is somewhat singular, we shall describe it. Transgressors were imprisoned in this terrene purgatory for a given time, which, it may be readily conceived, was proportioned to the magnitude of the offences committed, being sometimes for several days and nights together. The priest threatened eternal punishment to the whole party if but one of their number fell asleep. To provide against this, the penitents were furnished with a sharp instrument, with which they pricked each other when inclined to somnolency.

There are three villages in the island; Port Bannatyne, situated at the head of Kames Bay, about two and a half miles from Rothesay, which is of some extent, has a good quay, and a pretty numerous fishing population; Ker-

Arran is situated about six miles south of Bute. It is very mountainous. Goatfell, a mountain situated about the centre of the island, is upwards of 2945 feet high; and some others approach to that height. There is a remarkably fine view from this mountain on all sides, whence is seen part of the Atlantic Ocean, Ireland, the counties of Ayr, Renfrew, Argyle, and Bute, the Firth of Clyde, Loch Fine, and other scenery both beautiful and picturesque. There are many druidical remains and monumental stones on the island. Fingal's Cave is still pointed out; and tradition says that Ossian died on this island. The island is about twenty miles long and eleven broad, and contains about 106,000 English acres, of which only 15,000 are arable. Abundance of game and some wild deer are found on the mountains, which are either bare rocks, or only covered with heath and fern, but including magnificent glens. There is comparatively little wood in the island, except near Brodick Castle, where there are fine old woods and thriving young plantations. A large addition has but lately been made to Brodick Castle, and improvements are in progress which, when completed, will, combined with the mixed grand and beautiful scenery, make Brodick Castle one of the most attractive seats in Scotland. The climate in winter is mild, but generally moist. The whole island, except a small estate, belongs to the Duke of Hamilton, in which family it has been for several centuries. The other proprietor is Captain Fullarton, of Kilnichael, descended of a very ancient family formerly bearing the name of MacLoy. The roads are for the most part very good, having been chiefly made by the parliamentary commissioners several years ago; and the expense of repairs is defrayed partly by the exchequer, and partly by the proprietors, in terms of the act 59th Geo. III. cap. 135. The herring fishery is prosecuted to a considerable extent, but this is almost wholly done by means of boats and other small vessels. There are two excellent harbours in the island, Lamlash and Loch Ranza, but without piers of any extent. There is a small pier at Brodick, but the bay is not well sheltered for anchorage. An extensive pier was commenced at Lamlash in the reign of Queen Anne, and a considerable part erected, but it was afterwards neglected; and all the stones above the water have from time to time been removed for building or other purposes, so that now the foundation can scarcely be traced; and the only landing place is a small jetty recently built. The island produces barley, bear, oats, peas, beans, potatoes, and turnips. The islanders were long addicted to illicit distillation, a practice which has been given up, owing chiefly, it is believed, to the strong laws enacted against it, and the firmness with which they are executed. Agriculture was at one time neglected, every farm being occupied by a society of tenants, among whom the arable part of the farm was divided in small lots, while the pasture grounds and moors were a common under one herd. The farms are now well subdivided, and some of them are large and well cultivated by tenants of enterprise and skill. There was many years ago a great emigration from this island to America, although the inhabitants were strongly attached to their native soil. The language chiefly spoken by the natives is Gaelic, but they are advancing in the knowledge of English. The islanders are all Protestants, and strongly attached to the Free Church of Scotland, about 9-10ths of them belonging to that denomination. Christianity is said to have been introduced here by St Molios, a disciple of St Columba. The island is divided into two parishes, Kilbride and Kilmory, and has also two chapels. There are three places of worship belonging to the Free Church of Scotland. The largest parish is named Kilmory, and contained (1851) 3414 inhabitants; the other parish named Kilbride, contains Buteshire, 2533 inhabitants, making the population of the island 5947, besides a few seamen belonging to registered vessels, being a decrease from 6427 (census 1831), attributed to emigration. Arran is highly celebrated for its mineralogy. (See Jameson's Mineralogy of the Scottish Isles, Headrich's Survey of Arran, and Dr M'Culloch's works.) Granite, rock crystal, quartz, and small-grained granite, are abundant in the northern division of the island. Mica slate and granite unite at Catacoal. Gneiss, micaceous schist, and puddingstone, are abundant at Glenrosa. Quartz is found in all kinds of crystallization, in beds of clay slate and in other situations. Greenstone, sandstone resting on clay slate, basalt, trap, and limestone, are abundant. Pitchstone is found on the south, with pearlstone, ironstone, and porphyry; also flint, agate, siliceous spar, jasper, and various beautiful crystals.

Great Cumbrae is situated in the Firth of Clyde betwixt Ayrshire and the Island of Bute. It is the property of the Marquis of Bute and the Earl of Glasgow. It is about two and a half miles long, and one and a half broad, and measures about 2500 acres, one-half of which is arable. It has a gentle ascent of about 400 feet from the sea to the centre of the island. The village of Millport is situated on the S.W. side of the island, opposite to which there is safe anchorage-ground (which, however, is not easily reached), and a small harbour is formed with a stone pier. Millport is increasing very fast, both in extent and population. Many neat villas have lately been built, and it has become a favourite watering place, as the bathing ground is excellent. There is a college belonging to the Scotch Episcopal Church. It is a handsome Gothic building with a chapel and spire, and attached to it are an excellent garden and pleasure grounds, which are open to the public at certain hours. There are a provost, dean, and choristers, and the necessary establishment for education. The college was erected and endowed, it is understood, chiefly at the expense of the Honourable Mr Boyle, the brother of Lord Glasgow. There is in Millport a residence of the Earl of Glasgow called The Garrison. It is occupied by the countess-dowager, and is a neat Gothic building, with pleasure grounds. The great defect in Cumbrae is the absence of roads: there is only one made road, and it is a bad one. The farms are of some size, and the agriculture is good. The climate is mild and healthy. The island abounds with lime and freestone. Considerable quantities of the freestone are exported, but the lime is seldom wrought. There are two basaltic rocks on the east side of the island, called Reppel Walls. It forms one parish, and has one Established church and a Free church. The population in 1851 was 1266, besides seamen belonging to registered vessels.

Little Cumbrae lies about half a mile south of Great Cumbrae. It is the property of the Earl of Eglinton. It is about a mile in length, and half a mile in breadth. Ecclesiastically Little Cumbrae is attached to the parish of Kilfin in Ayrshire, while civilly and politically it is in Buteshire. Rabbits are very plentiful on this island. A lighthouse was erected in 1750 on the highest point of the island, but it was found that the fogs obscured the light; it was therefore removed to a lower situation. Three or four families live on it. The ruins of a castle are situated on the south side. The ascent from the shore is over rocks, which rise one above another like steps of stairs. There are several caves in the island, two of them very large. The extent of one of these is not known, but the other is thirty-two feet square, and six feet in height.

Inchmarnoch is a low-lying, small, beautiful island, situated about a mile west from Bute. It takes its name from a chapel built on it, dedicated to St. Marnoch, and which had a burying-ground attached. The ruins were visible till very lately, when they were removed by the rude hands