This reverse tendency of the country is peculiarly marked in that immense though somewhat intricate valley, which crosses the whole of Sutherland, from the western to the,eastern sea. This commences west ward at Loch Laxford, and holding its course through Loch More, Loch Merkland, and Loch Shin, termi nates in the eastern sea at the firth of Dornoch, forming a total length of more than eighty miles, and in a south-east direction. Thus it crosses the course of the great Caledonian valley at right angles; while it pos sesses about the same length, and is very nearly on a similar level throughout; the altitude which separates the very few waters that run west, being very little elevated above that which distributes the great body of water eastward.
Here, could it be of any use, is afforded a certain facility for a water communication through Scotland; the quantity of land to be traversed being very small in proportion to the great extent of navigable water, or of land that, under other circumstances, which can never occur, might be rendered navigable.
We need only further remark, respecting this part of the mainland, that even in the vicinity of this pro longed valley, the courses of the ridges which deter mine Loch Eribol, the lochs of Tongue, and of Duir ness, and the courses of the Naver and the Hallodale, are north.
Such is the irregularity of distribution which marks the mountains of the Highlands, as determined by the courses of the lakes and some of the greater valleys. But those of the rivers, while they mark the courses of the valleys, determine also the directions of the bounding hills, and indicate an equal Uncertainty in the distribution of the higher lands.
The courses of the Nairn, the Findhorn, and the Spey, are those which principally indicate that con formity of the ridges to the stratification which is so strongly marked by the Glen More. But, as we just remarked, the northern rivers of Sutherland run due north, while the I3rora, the Helmsdale, the water of Shin, and others, tend to the south-east, together with the Oikel, among the larger and more extensive, and the Glas, the Conan, and many more among the smaller. Farther south, we find the Don running a long course to the south-east, and the Dee meeting it with an easterly one, while the Tay, with its several branches, receiving the Tilt, the Garry, the Tumel, the Almond, the Isla, and the Earn, combines within itself a discordancy of course which marks the equally irregular tendency of the valleys and ridges which conduct and accompany its waters.
It is unnecessary to illustrate this part of the physi cal geography of the Highlands further, by pursuing the Forth, with its various tributaries, or the smaller streams, which equally indicate the uncertain and varying distribution of the hill lands. If a north easterly bearing in the ridges is seen in some parts very conspicuously, this is overwhelmed by a multi tude of exceptions; and if we can sometimes trace ridges, or the indications of them, somewhat prolong ed, the number of short and indeterminate ones put it out of our power to describe the mountains by ridges, and completely demolish the notion of chains of hills.
•K Outline of the Coast in the Highland Districts.
Though the general tendency and the prolongation of the interior ridges of mountains in the Highlands is very irregular and deficient, the outline of the coast accompanies, though with many striking exceptions, the general bearing of the stratification, and, in some remarkable instances, varies with the variations of this.
Commencing with the Mull of Cantyre, the tenden cy of both the eastern and western shores is nearly north. At Oban it begins to incline to the eastward, and the prolongation of this line may be conceived to be through the Glenmore na Albin. Thus far the stratification might appear to be coincident with the outlines; but although this is true in the Glen More. it is not so to the south of Oban, where it lies oblique ly to the coast line.
If now from Oban we take up the coast from tho point of Morven, it will be seen that this line is nearly at right angles to the north-eastern tendency, which is however resumed in a general manner from Ardna murchan to Cape Wrath, though the total outline of this portion deviates but by two or three points from the north. The boundary of the north shore of Su therland and Caithness deviates, on the contrary, by as much from the east, forming at Cape Wrath nearly a right angle; whereas, at Duncausbay head, the di rection, in a general view, becomes, once more, that of the Glen More, which is always the standard. From Fort George to Kinnaird's head, the line is again east, after which, with some vacillation and irregularity, it may be conceived to be renewed even to the Tay, in a line laterally coincident with the standard. Thus the total outline of the coast, in a certain limited sense, may be conceived as regulated by the positions of the rocks, or by the course of the stratification.