Page:The National Gazetteer - A Topographical Dictionary of the British Islands, Volume 1.djvu/902

Rh 892 ELGIN. U lady of the manor, whoso goat is Elford Hall. I 'I 1 V. is said to have frequently hunted here, and If.-nry VII. raited at the housu previous to thu battlu of Bosworth. lOI.GAK, c,r KLI..Y ISLAND, onu of the Orkney group, 1 mila 8. of .Slutpimuy Islam!, in which par. it is Enoladed. ELGIN, a royal and parliamentary burgh and market town, Elgin, or Muiay, Scotland, of which it is tin- county town, I I'i nil'-s N. "t Edinburgh, and 7U N.V. ol' Aberdeen, liy tl' < ire-it North of Scotland aii'I Iiivcr-
 * tid Aberdeen Junction railway. It is situated in a

Icitilc valley, about 5.} miles from the sea at Lossiemouth. This i>laci: is of great antiiiuity, having been erected into a royal burgh by Alexander II. in lL>.'i4. The cathedral, originally loundcd in rj'J4, was destroyed by the " Wolf . .f 1 iadenoch," son of Robert II., in 1390. It was entirely rebuilt in 1414, and received the name of "The I^inthom of t)io North," from the magnificence of its architectural design. Of this venerable building only a few fragments now remain. Its length, as attested by the ruins, was 264 feet long, bv 114 broad at the transepts, with a central tower of" 198 feet. The lead of its roof was taken by the Kcgcnt Morton to ]>ay his troops. Adjoining the cathedral was a college, within the walls of which were the house and garden of the bishop and those of the 22 canons. On the 8. side of the town are tho ruins of a convent of Grey Friars, and on the top of Lady Hill was a royal castle or fort, which existed prior to tho reign of William the Lion. NI ar this last stands a pillar erected in honour of George, last Duke of Gordon. The town is governed by a provost, town clerk, 4 bailies, and 17 councillors. It returns, conjointly with Banff, Cullon, Invcrurie, Kinton, and 1'eterhead, one member to parliament. The constituency of the municipal borough in iMil was 287, and of tho parliamentary 291. The population, according to the census of 1861, was 6,40:t, ; 6,383 in IN.jl, showing an increase of 1,020 in the decennial period. The corporation revenue in 1800 was 885, and the value of real property 19,004. The main street, which is nearly a mile in length, is spacious, well paved, and lighted with gas. The other streets are narrow and mean. The principal buildings are Gray's hospital, situated at the W. end ol the town, with a handsome Grecian portico and cupola; Ander- son's Institution, a handsome quadrangular building, surmounted bv a circular tower and dome, and orna- mented with Doric columns and sculptured figures ; it was founded by the late General Andrew Anderson, who bequeathed 70,000 for the support of the aged and the education of youth; the Court-house, where the Kin-rill' and burgh courts arc held, and the Elgin Museum, both new building* ; Gi.-y friars, prison, lunatic asylum, in which, in 1861, were 35 males and 42 females ; and Assembly Rooms, situated in North-street. A public fountain now occupies the site of the old gaol. S- t the Scottish banks have branches in tho town, and tin re U also a savings-hank with branches in the neigh- bourhood. The par. of Elgin is in the prosb. of Elgin and synod of Moray. The old church of St. Giles was pulled 1 on its site was erected tho present struc- ture, at a cost of 8,300. There are two Free churches, called High and South. A handsome Gothic Komun Catholic chapel has been in. ntly built at the S. end of tho town, nnd there is a neat Episcopal chapel with a parsonage. The Elgin Academy has three cici professorships, for Latin, mathematics, and English. There are also in the town a trades-school and infant school. Market days are Tuesday and Friday. The corn market is hold on Friday, IV. r which a new and covered market-place has recently l.een consli u. -ted. I'lKAY, a maritime en. in the N. of . i~ing the ,. ; isti in portion of tho ancient I .lay, Muiniy, or Mum-It'. It lies 1.. i.tiiipiaii im.milainsand the Moray Firth, by which it is bounded on tie- N., on the W. by Nairnshi and S I) l.y K-d, It-hire, and on tie- S. t. Invern. -,- shirc, which inl. r~ . N a small portion ithern extremity. It is situated between 57* 10' and 67 43' N. lat., and 3 and 3" IV W. long. Its mean length S. is about 40 miles, and its breadth ti to 'J'i miles. Along tho sea-coast tho surface is Hat, hut inland it rises into hills of m.>> 'ion, inter- sected by fertile valley.,. The coast line extends for above 30 miles, and is indented by several small harbours, with a lighthouse :, Skerries 1'oint. In the middle pmtioii it pi. :;.- of hold cipitous sandstone rocks, with the " liohman Ski i and a few detach. -.1 ro.-ks lying seaward; while at either end, for several miles, the s.-a has formed mounds of shingle and sand. Tho Cullen Sands I recently drifted over inanv a.-res ..| fertile land to tin W. of the river Kindhorn, rendering them irretrievably sterile. Along the coast arose v. r.il harhoiirs, KS Kingston and Gannouth, at the mouth of the S|>cy ; Findhoni, tho seaport for the burgh of F..II.S; llopuman, a fishing station; and IJurghheud, where the steamers frum London, Leith, and Sutherland touch. Tie Covesea, lying in the parish of Drainy, arc large natural excavations in the sandstone cliff, ana were form, i. resort of smugglers. Tho chief rivers are the S Findhoni, and I/ossie, the two first remarkable for lie ir romantic and picturesque scenery, and for their fine salmon fisheries. The S]>cy i is.s in liadenoch, a district of Inverness-shire, and is joined in its course through Elgin by tho Nethy, Dulnan, and Avon. It waters the vall.ys of Hippie, Dundurcas, Kothee, Dandaleith, and Dahey, and is crossed by an iron bridge at Cra laehie, where is much lino scenery. The Findhoni also rises in Inverness-shire, ainoni; the Monadleadh hills, and is joined in its course through Elgin by the Huh.-, a tine salmon stream. The Lossic, which, is inferior to tho former rivers both in the length of its course and the pit- turesqueness of its scenery, rises in the hi! Dallas and Strathspey, and passing to tin W - U>wn of Elgin, where it is joined by the Loch ty or Black- bum, falls into the Moray Firth near Btotfield-I There are several lochs in the county, abounding in excellent trout. The loch of Sj.vnie, which buiin-: parish of Drainy on the S., has greatly varied, both in superficial extent of surface and the quality of its w at various eras. At no very distant c|K,.-h it of the Firth of Moray, as attested by tin abundant* of marine shells at its bottom, principally oystei cockle shells. Subsequently, by the action < t became converted into a lake or lagoon, HIM brackish water replaced by fresh, which d. tho marine molluscs, and nourished typh.-c and nicesD. In recent times attempts hae I.e.-n m.. drain oil' its waters; but in IS'Jli tie- Moray Moods away the floodgate which regulated tin discharge of tha superfluous waters of the lake; and the gate not having hem replaced since, the waters have again 1.. blackish, nnd fuci and other n-stuarian s]>ccic3 hare made their appearance on its hanks, which are : as the resort of wild fowl, particularly of the niigi sorts. The loch of Glcnmort* lies in a well-wooded valley in Abcrnethy ; Lochindorb on the oiitsk: the county, adorned by an island, on whiih ate the ins of a royal castle. He-sides those are Ixx-hnabo, Tn vie, 1 lallas,' and Noir, all favourite r. tnks of the Spey, towards its mouth, where tin- underlying strata have heen laid hare by the i of water, exhibit secondary rocks of the Ol ; sandstone formation, extending over the northern ) the county. In the southern portion the underlying rocks are igneous, chiefly gneiss, granite, I. 1 : and mica slate, with isolated patches of sandstone and gravel. Along the coast are several large and inex- haustible quarries of freestone and slate, whkl: extensively worked; but neither coal, lime, nor nn in any quantity, nnd the inhuhr to depend entirely for their fuel upon the coal-fields of tin- S., while lime is imported in large quai ricultiiral jiur|K.ses.- The soil of the northei of the county, called the How of Monty, is very fertile, and produces wheat, potatoes, and turnips, which nrem