KINCARDINESHIRE, or THE MEARNS, is situated on the east coast of Scotland, between 56° 43', and 57° 5' of North Lat. and between 1° 47' and 2° SC/ of West Long. from Greenwich. It is bounded on the east by the Ger man Ocean, for the space of nearly 35 miles; on the north, by the river Dee and part of Aberdeenshire ; and on the west and south by the county of Forfar, from which it is separated, almost through the whole boundary line, by the river of North Esk. It is of a triangular form, extending 32 miles in length from south-west to north-east, and 24 miles at its greatest breadth from north to south ; and com prehends an area of about 380 square miles, or more ac curately of 243.444 English acres.
There are only two lakes in the county worthy of notice, both of which are in the northern part of the Dee-side dis trict. The one is the loch of Drum, in the parish of Dru moak, but partly lying within the limits of Aberdeenshire. The other is the loch of Leys, in the parish of Upper Ban chory, the water of which is in general shallow, and capa ble of being drained, by deepening the channel by which it flows into the Dee. These lakes are nearly of equal ex tent, each being about three miles in circumference. Both of them are well stored with pike ; and frequented by geese, ducks, and other aquatic wild fowls.
Kincardineshire is well supplied with rivers and small streams flowing in a multitude of directions. The princi pal of these are, 1. The Dee, reckoned the sixth river in Scotland in point of magnitude, which rises at the head of Braemar, and flows nearly due east, through a course of seventy-five miles, eight of which are within the shire of Kincardine, and fourteen more form the boundary line with the county of Aberdeen. It is a pure limpid stream, flow ing over a light gravelly bed, and is well stored with sal mon, trout, and occasionally with eels, which pass up the stream in immense numbers (luring the months of May and June, and return to the ocean in September and October. Its banks, almost every where clothed with wood, abound in the most picturesque scenery, and produce some of the largest natural firs in Britain, particularly near the source of the river, where many of these trees are from three to four feet in diameter, and from 50 to 60 in height below the branches. 2. The North Esk, which forms the boun dary between the counties of Kincardine and Forfar, and has already been described in the account given of the lat ter in this work. 3. Bervie Water, a small river, but good trouting stream, rises in the centre of the county, among the braes of Glenbervie, about 12 miles west from Stone haven, and falls into the sea at the town of Bervie. 4. The
Cowie, a small river flowing from the foot of Kirloak, through a winding course of 12 miles, and falling into the sea at Stonehaven. There are, besides, the Carron, reach ing the coast at Stonehaven ; the Fuech, rising in the forest of Birse ; the Avon, which waters the vale of St•achan, or Strathavon ; the Dye, which flows from the Grampians into the Fuech, at the church of Strachan ; the Black Burn, which runs into the loch of Drum ; the Canny, which falls into the Dee at lnvercanny ; and the Luther, which rises above the castle of Drunitochty, and, passing the church of Fordoun, flows westward through the How into the North Esk. • The principal mountains in the county are the Gram pians, which, proceeding across the island from Dumbar tonshire, terminate on the north of Stonehaven, within about three miles of the sea. This elevated and dreary ridge of dark brown hills stretches through the whole breadth of the county-from west to east, occupying a space of above 18 miles in length, and eight in breadth. These hills, at the eastern extremity, are only 500 or 600 feet in height ; but rapidly rising into a range of lofty summits, they reach an elevation, in the west side of the county,.oF 3500 feet above the level of the sea. The more remark able of these mountains are, Mount Battock on the west, the highest in the neighbourhood, on the top of which the three counties of Forfar, Kincardine, and Aberdeen, join their limits ; Cloachnabane, or the White-stone-hill, about six miles farther east, remarkable for a protuberance of solid rock on its summit, about 100 feet in perpendicular height, which appears from the sea like a watch-tower, and forms a decided land-mark to the coasting vessels ; Kerloack, about four miles from the last mentioned, from the top of which a most extensive view may be command ed over the greater part of Aberdeenshire to the north, and southwards as far as the hills of Lammer Muir, in the Lothians ; Cairnmanearn,six miles more to the north-east, almost covered over its whole surface with large blocks of hard stone ; Cairnamount, in the south front of the Gram pians, about 2500 feet high, over which passes the public road from the How to Dee-side ; Strathfenella, also on the south, remarkable for its being cut off, on the north side, from the main body of the ridge by a narrow but pleasant cultivated vale. Besides the Grampians, there are the Garvock hills on the south, and the Arbuthnot hills on the east of the How, both of which are low ranges, never rising above 500 feet, and in most places cultivated nearly to their summits.