LANARKSHIRE, the name of one of the counties in the southern division of Srotland.
The county of Lai.m.k is situated between 55° 14' 42". and 56' DP of North Lat. ; and 3° 22' 51", and 4° 22' 51" of West Long, from Greenwich. On the north it is bounded by the counties of Dumbarton, Stirling, and Lin lithgow ; on the south by Dumfries-shire ; on the east by Peebles and Edinburghshires ; and on the west by those of Renfrew and Ayr. The length of Lanarkshire, from Queensberry-hill on the south, to near the eastern extremi ty of the of Renfrew on the north-west, is 52 miles ; and its greatest breadth, nearly in a line at right angles to its length, from the confines of Peebles-shire on the east at Garvaldfoot, to the source of the Avon, on the frontiers of Ayrshire on the west, is 33 miles. It contains an area of 926 square miles, or 471.278 Scots statute acres.
The principal river of the county, and in point of Coln mercial importance the first in Scotland, is the Clyde ; which, travet sing the whole length of Lanarkshire, gives it the name of Clydesdale. It collects its supplies from no less than 1200 square miles of surface, including the areas de scribed by its tributary streams. Its farthest source is si tuated near Queensberry-hill, at the southern extremity of the county, at the head of a rivulet called the Crook-burn, flowing into the river Daer, and which, after a course of se veral miles, is joined by a stream called Little Clyde ; this last has its rise near the mountain of Clydeslaw, in the vi cinity of which the rivers and Annan have also their sou rces.
The general direction of the river is towards the north west. In its course, by a noble sweep, it winds around the base of the mountain of Tinto ; then leaving the hilly dis trict of the county, and entering the more cultivated divi sion, at no great distance from the southern extremity of the vale of Clyde, it forms the celebrated waterfalls of Bon nington, Corra, Dundaff, and Stonebyres, in the vicinity of the town of Lanark. Continuing to flow through this fine vale, it passes Hamilton, Rutherglen. and the city of Glas gow, a few miles above which it fit st receives the influence of the tide ; and then gliding onwards, with a smooth and gentle current, and passing Renfrew, Dumbarton, and Port Glasgow, it forms the Frith of Clyde, nearly opposite to Greenock, after a length of course from its most distant source to this point, including its various windings and si nuosities of miles, and during which it falls no less than 1100 feet.
The Clyde is navigable for upwards of two miles above Glasgow for small sessels and steam-boats, and to that city for such n 5 do not exceed 170 or 180 tons. The improve ment of this navigation has been alw ay s considered by the inhabitants of Glasgow as an object of great importance ; and from an early period, much attention has been paid to it, particularly of late years, by which the trade of the ri ver has greatly increased ; and vessels drawing 9 f..et 6 inches, can now navigate the de up to the city. This increase will appear from the following short statement, for which the writer of this article is indebted to the politeness of James Spreul, Esq. city-chamberlain and superintendant of the operations upon the river.
On the 3th January, 1813, the number of vessels at the Broomielaw was The revenue of the from 8th July, 1816, till 8th July, 1817, amounted to L7028 : 0 : 7 Sterling.
The tide flows up the river about three miles above Glasgow, and in spring tides even farther ; the flow conti nues at an average about 4 hours and 20 minutes ; and at that city the neap tides rise 3 feet 6 inches, and the spring tides 2 feet higher.
The Clyde is very subject to inundations. The most remarkable on record took place in the years 1712 and 1782. In the former of these years, the water rose 18 feet 6 inches higher than the level of the tide, and in the latter year, on the 12th of March, from 12 to 24 feet, according to the expansion or contraction of the banks in different places. The principal tributary streams of the Clyde are the Daer, the Coulter, the Metltvcris, the Douglas, the Mouse, the Nethan, the Avon, Calders, North and South, Rotten Cal der, Kelvin, Cart, and Leven.