one of the most beautiful counties in Scotland, situated on the isthmus between the Firths of Forth and Clyde, is bounded on the north by the counties of Perth and Clackmannan, east by the Firth of Forth and Linlithgowshire, south by Lanarkshire and Dumbartonshire, and west by Dumbartonshire. Its greatest length from Linlithgow Bridge to Loch Lomond is 45 miles, and its greatest breadth 18 miles, though in many places it is not above 1 to 3 or 4 miles broad. Its area is 462 square miles, or 295,875 acres, divided into 21 entire parishes, and portions of 4 others which partly belong to other counties. It lies on both sides of the boundary line between the Highlands and the Lowlands, but in its general features is mountainous, although there are two extensive corses or plains in it, called the corses of Stirling and Falkirk. About two-thirds of Stirlingshire is unfit for cultivation, owing to its hilly nature, but affords excellent pasturage for sheep. The remainder is among the most fertile portions of Scotland.

The principal chain of hills is the Lennox Hills, otherwise called the Campsie Fells, and Fintry Hills; and, in the neighbourhood of Stirling, the Touch Hills. This range runs across the county from Dumbartonshire to nearly Stirling, but never attains a higher elevation than about 1500 feet. Ben Lomond on the north-west, on the banks of Loch Lomond, is 3191 feet high, and Ben Cleuch, in the parish of Alva, 2400 feet high. To the north and east of the Lennox Hills the country is low, and much of the land along the Forth is only a few feet above the level of the river. Towards the western and southern extremities the surface is more varied, presenting tracts of heath, moss, and green pastures, intermixed with cultivated land, the latter confined for the most part to the banks of the streams.

The streams of Stirlingshire are the Forth, Avon, Allander, Kelvin, Endrick, Carron, Allan, Devon, and Stirling-Bannock. Of these the principal is the Forth, which rises from a spring on the northern side and near the summit of Ben Lomond, and pursues a course of 8 or 10 miles under Rivers, the name of the Water of Duchray. It then passes into Perthshire under the name of Avenduh, or Black River, and soon after returns to the county, and thenceforward obtains the name of the Forth. Pursuing its way through what is called the Vale of the Forth in a slow and sluggish manner, after winding round the base of Craigforth, it receives the clear waters of the Teith, which forms a fine contrast to the dark muddy waters of the Forth. Further on it is joined by the Allan, a brawling, brattling stream, which is only in the county a mile or two of its course, and shortly afterwards passes Stirling, forming from that place to Alloa what is known as the Links of the Forth, so called from the extraordinary number of windings it makes. These links are one of the finest and most picturesque seas in Scotland. At one time the Castle of Stirling appears right in front, and in a few minutes it is away behind, then at one side, then at the other, and in fact the traveller, until he becomes familiar with it, is quite bewildered. After passing Alloa, the river becomes an estuary, and is known as the Firth of Forth. The Carron, the next in importance, rises in the interior, pursues an easterly course, and joins the Firth of Forth at Grangemouth. It is navigable for vessels of 200 tons up to the village of Carronshore, the shipping place of the Carron Company, about 2 miles above its confluence with the Forth. The Avon makes two separate stretches on the boundary. The Endrick is principally a county stream, and pursues a very sweet and romantic course in the western district. The Allander and Devon are only for a very short distance within the county. The Bannock, famous for its battle of the same name, which gave liberty to Scotland, is wholly a county stream, and joins the Forth a little below Stirling.

The lakes of Stirlingshire, with the exception of Loch Lomond, are neither large nor of much importance. The one-half, and the most picturesque half of this, the queen of Scottish lakes, belongs to the county, and contributes to it the islands Inchcaillioch, Inchfad, Inchcruin, and several others of lesser importance. Loch Coulter, in the parish of St Ninians; Loch Elrigg, Black Loch, and Little Black Loch, in Slamannan, are all small. Loch Katrine touches the county for a distance of two miles.

Stirlingshire is one of the richest counties in Scotland Geology, for minerals. The north-west boundary of the great coalfield which extends from Kintyre to Fifeshire, runs along the base of the Lennox Hills, and is extensively worked at Plean, Bannockburn, Greenyards, Denny, Carron, Slamannan, and, in fact, the whole of the south-east corner of the county, but is nowhere found in the north and west. Ironstone is found in almost inexhaustible quantities, a fact which influenced Dr Roebuck, after he had examined the whole of Scotland, to fix on the neighbourhood of Falkirk as the site for the new magnificent Carron Ironworks. The richest variety is found at Kilsyth, and owing to its occurring in rounded masses in the form of a flat-topped leaf, varying in size from a quarter of an inch to a foot in diameter, is called fall ironstone. The hill of Craigforth, near Stirling, is almost one mass of pure ironstone. Limestone, in many instances, accompanies the coal in two strata, the one above and the other below the coal, the former being always the best quality. Copper is found, but not in sufficient quantities to be workable, although mines were opened at Kilsyth and Logie, which however were soon abandoned. Veins of silver were discovered nearly 100 years ago at Logie and Alva, and were worked for some time, but were soon given up. Cobalt, arsenic, and lead are also found in very small quantities. Sandstone abounds in the south and east districts, and is Stirlingshire extensively quarried. Trap-rocks, particularly basalt, are found north-west of the coals, and rise up in nodulated hills through various parts of the coal-fields. The rock on which the town and castle of Stirling are built, and the neighbouring well-known hill, the Abbey Craig, which, though not in Stirlingshire, touches it, are examples of this volcanic action. Precipitous columnar cliffs and extensive ranges of basaltic colonnade exist in solitary protrusions, as in the broad mass of the Lennox Hills. The rocks of the north or Highland district are principally schistose. One remarkable feature traceable in all the hills lying in or near the curse of Stirling is, that the rocks on the west and south-west sides are bare and precipitous, while the eastern and northern sides have a gentle slope, and are covered with herbage. The reason assigned is, that at one time the waves of the Atlantic Ocean rolled through the Low Country into the German Ocean, and washed the soil from the exposed sides of these rocks and deposited it on the protected sides.

The climate of the eastern division of the county is milder than that of the west, partly owing to the interior elevation, and partly because of the superior shelter afforded by the trees and hedges, but principally because in summer the German Ocean is 5° warmer than the Atlantic. The west, however, escapes those fogs which infest the east during the prevalence of the east winds.

Stirlingshire has every variety of soil common to Scotland, and may be classified into carse, dryfield, hill, moor, and moss. The carse extends along the line of the Forth, from half-a-mile to 5 miles in width, making altogether 56 square miles, or nearly 36,000 imperial acres of the very best grain-producing land in the kingdom. It consists of the finest argillaceous earth, perfectly free of stones, and originally of a bluish colour, and of a soppy or mucilaginous consistency; but after cultivation becomes of a hazel colour, and of a loamy friability. It is of the depth of between 20 and 30 feet, and is seldom more than 25 feet above the level of the sea. It contains beds of shells, moss, and clay marl. In it, in a stratum of moss, have been found at various times the entire skeletons of two whales and the part of another, deers' horns, bones, &c., some of which had evidently been used as instruments of the chase. One of the skeletons is now in the Zoological Gardens of Edinburgh. The dryfield is a darker and more sandy earth, in some places of some depth, and in others only a few feet. The hilly and moorish lands are of considerable extent and unfit for cultivation, both from elevation and from want of a regular sufficient depth of soil. The moss-lands were at one time of some extent, but they were let out in small portions at little or no rent to cottars, who got the produce of the ground for the clearing away of the moss, and were generally known by the name of moss lairds. These moss-lairds are fast dying out, the grounds thus cleared being let out as regular farms.

Agriculture is in a very high state; but owing to the varieties of the land, it is various in its modes. The Carse farmers produce a great quantity of wheat and beans, for the growing of which their soil is peculiarly adapted, as it is strong and heavy. The dryfield farmers, on the contrary, on account of their land being lighter, and not so well adapted for the growth of strong-strawed cereals, never thought of sowing either wheat or beans till the potato disease made its appearance, when they introduced them as fills-up, but are quite unable to obtain the heavy crops Carse farmers do. On the other hand, the dryfield farmers have the advantage over their Carse brethren in the production of potatoes and turnips, which, before the disease, were cultivated in immense quantities and with great success. The other grains grown are oats and barley, and mangel-wurzel is being introduced for the feeding of cattle.

Stirlingshire takes the lead of all Scotch counties for its agricultural improvements. The arable farms range in extent from 40 to 100 or 150 acres; while the hill-farms, where sheep and cattle are kept, are sometimes 4000 acres. Almost all the Highland district, or the mountains of Buchanan and Drymen, the Lennox Hills, &c., are disposed as sheep-walks, and produce excellent pasturage. The cattle are mostly Highland and country cattle, and the sheep blackfaced, a breed of the Cheviot's called the Linton breed, and Leicesters. Few horses are reared. There are several agricultural societies for the promotion of agriculture in the county, the principal of which is the Stirling Central Union, a very extensive society, numbering about 300 members. It has a cattle show in June which is one of the finest in Scotland, both for quantity and quality, and it has a seed-grain competition both in the spring and autumn of the year. The Falkirk Trysts, the largest cattle and sheep markets in the kingdom, are held on Stonehouse Muir, near Falkirk, on the second Tuesday and Wednesday of August, September, and October, for cattle and horses; and the previous Monday for sheep, in September and October.

There is a good deal of the less valuable ground covered with oak coppice, which yields a regular income every 21 years for bark. These coppices are in some cases divided into 21 hags or portions, one of them being cut down every year, leaving only a few reserves for standard timber. These hags yield on an average 2½ tons of bark per acre, which, selling at £8 per ton, yields an income of £20 per acre every 21 years, or 19s. a year, instead of from a shilling or two up to ten, if they were used for any other purpose. About 30,000 or 40,000 acres are thus occupied.

The manufactures are carpets, tartans, plaidings, shaws, and other woollen goods, which have obtained a world-wide celebrity, and which are chiefly made in Stirling, Bannockburn, St Ninians, and the neighbouring villages. Blankets and serges are manufactured at Alva. Large cotton-mills occur at Fintry, Balfron, and Milngavie. Printfields exist at Denny, Kincaid, Milngavie, Lennoxtown, and Strathblane. Several paper-mills are situated at Denny and Bridge of Allan. There are several chemical works at Stirling and Falkirk. Tanning is carried on extensively in Stirling, St Ninians, and Falkirk. Distilleries are large and extensive. Nail-making is a considerable trade in St Ninians and the surrounding villages; but the grand staple manufacture is that of iron goods, cast and malleable, at the stupendous works of Carron, the largest iron-foundry in the world. It is situated on the River Carron, about 3 miles above Grangemouth, and was established by royal charter in 1760, under the management of Gascoigne, Caddell, and Company, and has passed through several managements, and is now principally in the hands of the Messrs Dawson and Stainton. The property is divided into 600 shares of £250 each. The ironworks cover an extent of 40 acres, and contain four large furnaces for smelting the ore—three by hot blast and one by cold blast, perhaps the only one now in Scotland. These furnaces were at one time blown by water-blast, but steam is now used instead; and we believe that the first steam-engine of any size ever made is still to be seen at these works. There are five cupolas and about forty air-furnaces for smelting the pig-iron, also two large forges for tilting scrap iron, for making axle-works, &c. This company employ 1200 men at their works, and about 1000 more in pits and mines at Cannhail, Quarrolo, Kinraid, and Netherwood, in the county, besides large fields in other parts of the country. They have now a world-wide connection, and have obtained their position by the manufacture of ordnance for the various European governments, but especially of the once celebrated carronades, which were invented there. They have large warehouses in London, Liverpool, Glasgow, and Leith; have five large and powerful steamers plying between Grangemouth and London; seven trading sloops; and about thirty lighters on the Forth and Clyde Canal, which is in connection with the works by means of a railway. They have also railway connection with the Edinburgh and Glasgow line. Owing to its magnitude, Carron has always such a supply of coal and iron as to be quite independent of the fluctuation of these articles in price, and of strikes. The Falkirk Ironworks may be considered an offshoot of the Carron Works. It was established in 1825, employs about 400 men, and covers 10 acres of ground, but has no blast furnaces to manufacture its own iron. There are other two foundries of lesser importance near Camelon.

The Scottish Central Railway enters the county near Bridge of Allan, and joins the Edinburgh and Glasgow at Greenhill, passing in its route Bridge of Allan, Stirling, Bannockburn, and Larbert. The Edinburgh and Glasgow Railway traverses the county from Linlithgow Bridge to Castlecary, and passes Polmont and Falkirk. The Forth and Clyde Railway, starting from Stirling, runs along the Vale of the Forth, and passes out of the county beyond Kilmarnock. This railway, though by no means a paying one, is eminently useful, as it opens up an extensive tract of country hitherto almost inaccessible except by county roads. The Stirling and Dunfermline Railway is only for 2 or 3 miles within the county. The Stirlingshire Midland Junction was made for the purpose of uniting the Edinburgh and Glasgow at Polmont with the Scottish Central at Larbert, thus shortening the way to Edinburgh. The Denny Junction, a branch of the Scottish Central, runs from Larbert to Denny. The Edinburgh and Glasgow are making a branch line to Grangemouth. The great northern highway runs through the county from a little to the north of Stirling Bridge to Linlithgow Bridge, through Bannockburn, Larbert, Camedon, Falkirk, &c., but is now little used. The Glasgow Road runs through St Ninians and Denny, and the Dumbarton Road through Kippen, Bucklyie, &c.

The Forth and Clyde Canal, from Grangemouth to Glasgow, traverses the county a great portion of its length, and is joined near Lock 16 by the Union Canal from Edinburgh, which is also in the county for a number of miles.

Stirlingshire is governed by a lord-lieutenant, a vice-lieutenant, and a court of lieutenancy, a sheriff, two sheriffs-substitute, and two procurators-fiscal.

The principal towns in Stirlingshire are—Stirling, Falkirk, Denny, Grangemouth, Kilsyth, Campsie, and Balloch. The village of Bridge of Allan has obtained great celebrity within the last twenty years for the medical properties of its mineral-waters, which are drunk in great quantities by an immense number of visitors who frequent it. It is unquestionably the greatest watering-place in Scotland. The population of the county, in 1851, was 86,237; the inhabited houses, 11,312; and the valuation for 1859-60, L276,060. The county returns a member to Parliament, and has a constituency of 1670.

The religion of the county is principally Presbyterian, and is represented by 37 parish and quoad sacra churches, 21 Free Churches, 24 United Presbyterian, 3 Independent, 3 Baptist, 2 Reformed Presbyterian, 5 Scottish Episcopalian, and 4 Roman Catholic. In education the county is well supplied, there being parochial schools in every parish, besides many others belonging to the various denominations and to private individuals.

STJERNSTOLPE. See Scandinavian Literature.