The most important lakes of Inverness-shire, arc Lochs Ness, Oich, Lochy, Arkeg, and Morrer, already mention ed ; Loch Clnnie in Glen Morriston ; Lochs Garry and Quoich in the district of Glen Garry ; Lochs Laggan and Treig, emptying themselves into Glen Spean ; and Loch Maddy, running into Strath Glass. To these Loch Ericht may be added, being partly in this county, and partly in Perth-shire. These lakes, depending for their shapes, upon the lengthened glens in which they are situated, are all long and narrow. They generally deepen suddenly from within a few yards of the margin, where they are sur rounded by a shallow beach. They are of various magni tudes, being on an average from six, to twelve, and four teen miles in length.
Besides those we have enumerated, there are a multi tude of smaller lakes, each of which in any other part of Britain would rise into importance.
The greater rivers of Inverness-shire are, the Ness, the Lochy, the IL:auly, and the Spey ; the lesser are, the Find horn, the Nairn, and the Nevis. These have numerous large streams supplying them ; as the Enneric and the Coiltie, the Morriston, the Garry, the Feac Hain and Foyers, and the Farragig, all tributary to the Ness ; the water from Loch Arkeg, and the Roy and Spean united, falling into the Lochy ; the Farrer, Canuich, and Glass, forming the Bcauly ; and the Truim, the Trommie, and the Feshie, running into the Spey. Almost all these rivers are clear, rapid, and rocky. Those discharging themselves into the East Sea, have much longer courses than those entering the Western Ocean.
In Inverness-shire, as in all other mountainous coun tries, springs of water of the greatest purity are found every where. Those impregnated with mineral substan ces are more rare, or, at least, are as yet little known Water of sulphureous impregnation issues in various places from the hills of Loch Ness; and chalybcate springs are found in various situations, particularly in the district of Strathspey.
In a county so varied, and so extensive as Inverness shire, it is natural to expect a great variety ol climate. From the constant alternation of bill and valley, the cir cumstance of two thermometers within half a mile of each other, denoting several degrees of difference of tempera ture, is not uncommon. The eastern part of the county, like the rest of the coast of Scotland, on the same side ol the island, is subject to cutting east winds, often accom panied by dense and chilling fogs. But the prevailing breeze, as indicated by the general inclination of single trees in exposed situations, is unquestionably that blowing from the south-east. It is owing to the prevalence of this, that there is such a marked difference between the climate of the cast, and that of the west coast, in respect to mois ture, the former being comparatively dry, whilst the lat ter is exposed to constant and heavy rains. The watery vapour swept up by the wind, in its progress over the vast expanse of the Atlantic, is attracted by the summits of the great mountain chain, running along the western side of the island. It is there condensed, and thrown down on the
narrow stripe of country at their base, in heavy rains, con tinuing with a duration corresponding to that of the cur rent supplying them. But it is only when this wind blows with long and uninterrupted violence, that any great pro pottion of the aqueous accumulation thus formed is wafted over to the eastern side ; and when this does happen, the extent of country between the hills and the sea, being in finitely greater there, the rains arc more diffused, less violent, and less continued. But as the rain falling on the east coast, comes more frequently from the sea in its own immediate vicinity, it is generally remarked, that when it occurs, it almost always furnishes a security of the weather being fine on the west coast. Upon the whole, now lies for a shorter period on land of the same height on the western, than on the eastern coast. These obser vations are to be understood as being merely general ; particular places being subjected to particular modifying rendering them exceptions to these laws.
soil and surface of Inverness-shire is very various. It has been calculated, that only about one fortieth part of the county is arable land ; and that probably twenty-six of the remaining parts are hills in a great measure covered with heath. Deducting these hills and moors then, the rest consists of clay, haugh or holm land, loam, gravelly or sandy soil, and till. Of these different descriptions of soil, the three first are the most rare, and the two last the most frequent. According to the map accompanying the agri cultural in of Inverness-shire, clay only appears ex tending m a very narrow stripe along the shores of the Beauty and Moray firths. Haugh or holm is found on the banks of the river Ness, in Glen Urquhart, at Inver morriston, at Fort Augustus, Loch Oich, on the river Lochy, and in Glenspean ; on the west coast at Moidart and Glenclg, and some few intervening spots ; along the river Spey in Badenoch, where it is most extensive ; and on the river Findhorn, near Freeburn, and about the Loch of Moy, ttibutary to it. The loam is found at Inverness, stretching to the cast of the town, and from the Caledo nian Canal, running westward to Beauty, along the edge of the clay just noticed. There is a small patch of it strech ing northwards front Boleskine ; Glen Roy is all loam, and part of the banks of the river and lake of Treig, the north shore of Loch Ilourn, and the coast towards Glenelg, the banks of the river Nairn above and below Cantray, and the north bank of the Spey from Rothiemurchus to below Grantown, are all of this description of soil. To enume rate the gravelly, sarhly, or tilly localities, would lead us beyond the bounds prescribed for this article.