here which afterwards ascend to Glasgow for cargoes, on which account the tonnage cleared from Greenock is only about half that which is entered at the port. In the summer season as many as fifty steamers laden with passengers for the numerous watering-places on the Clyde either start from or call at the piers of Greenock. Paisley, on the White Cart, about seven miles from Glasgow, is the next town in size, and has after remaining nearly stationary in respect of population between the censuses of 1861 and 1871, again advanced considerably between those of 1871 and 1881. In 1871 its population was 48,240; in 1881, 56,000. Early in the last century it became noted for its manufactures, chiefly of chequered linen cloth, to which branch of industry were afterwards added the weaving of linen and silk gauze, and the weaving of shawls chiefly in imitation. of those of India. At present the most important industry in the town is the spinning of cotton thread. Of the other manufacturing towns of Scotland the only one that need be mentioned is Kilmarnock (25,000), on a small stream of the same name in North Ayrshire. Its staple manufacture is carpets. Perth (29,000), on the Tay, though it carries on various branches of manufacture, is more celebrated on account of its historical importance. It is an ancient city, dating, it is said, from the time of Agricola, and till the death of James I., in 1437, was the capital of Scotland. Stirling (16,000), on the Forth, in the midst of one of the richest agricultural districts in Scotland, is another town of historical celebrity. Its ancient castle, crowning a high rock bearing a striking resemblance to that on which Edinburgh Castle is situated, was often used as a residence by the Scottish sovereigns. Inverness (17,000) is another ancient royal burgh, and still possesses a good deal of importance as the capital of the Northern Highlands. St. Andrews (6500), on the east coast of Fifeshire, was in former times the ecclesiastical capital of Scotland, and is still the seat of the oldest of the Scottish universities, which was founded here in 1411.

HISTORICAL SKETCH.-In the time of the Romans North Britain, like South Britain, was entirely occupied by Celtic tribes, all of which remained for the most part independent. More than once the Roman rule was temporarily extended as far north as the Forth and Clyde, and in the reign of the emperor Valentinian I. (364-375) this portion of territory was organized as a Roman province under the name of Valentia, but the duration of this organization was very short. On the foundation of the English kingdom of Northumbria in the middle of the sixth century, south-eastern Scotland as far as the Forth was included in it. At that time south-western Scotland, from the Clyde southwards, formed part of the Celtic kingdom of Cumbria, which extended sometimes as far as the Dee. The rest of Scotland was divided between the Picts and Scots, both probably Celtic races, the former occupying the eastern territory, and the latter, originally settlers from Ireland, occupying the western. About the middle of the eighth century these two territories were united under a Pictish king, and about a century later (in 843) they were again (and this time finally) united under the Scottish king Kenneth, the son of Alpin. In the reign of another Kenneth, about a century later, the dominion of the Scottish kings was extended nearly to the boundaries. it afterwards preserved, Strathclyde, the northern part of Cumbria, being then

acquired by conquest, and the district of Lothian ceded to Kenneth by the English king Edgar. In the beginning of the eleventh century, Kenneth's son, Malcolm II., received from the Earl of Northumberland the territories of Merse and Teviotdale; but the boundary between England and Scotland varied from time to time for a long period after this, and it was not till about 1240 that a border line was laid down, which was never afterwards materially altered. The Hebrides were acquired from Norway in 1266, and the Orkney and Shetland Islands from Denmark in 1369.

IRELAND.

Ireland, in Erse, Erin, the more western and less important of the two principal islands of which the United Kingdom is composed, is separated from Great Britain on the east by the Irish Sea, which, near its centre, attains a

width of 130 miles, but narrows between Holyhead and Howth Head to 60 miles; and between the Mull of Kintyre, in Scotland, and the opposite coast at Fair Head, to about 13 miles; and surrounded on all other sides by the North Atlantic Ocean. Measured diagonally, the greatest length, from Mizen Head, in the south-west, to Fair Head, in the north-east, is 300 miles; and the greatest breadth, from Carnsore Point, in the south-east, to Benwee Head, in the northwest, is 212 miles; measured on a meridian, and on a parallel of latitude, the greatest length and breadth, respectively, are only 230 miles and 180 miles; the central breadth, nearly between the bays of Dublin and Galway, is 110 miles. The area is 31,762 square miles. Ireland is divided into the four provinces of Leinster, Ulster, Munster, and Connaught, each of which is subdivided into

counties, of which there are 32 in all. These, with their areas and populations, are given in the following table :-

Area in Pop. April 4, Pop. per

sq. m.

157

203

355

162,823 315

129,008 173

205,443 110

282

118

202

205

197,233 157

817,197 119

99

146

114

139

110,955 153

Total,...... 32,531 5,159,839 158

PHYSICAL FEATURES.-The coast, forming a line of 2895 miles, is, in general, very bold and rugged. The most continuous portion is the east, where the only remarkable indentations are the Loughs of Belfast and Strangford, and the Bays of Dundrum, Dundalk, and Dublin. In all other directions, but more especially in the north-west, west, and south-west, the indentations follow each other in almost uninterrupted succession, and frequently cut so deep into the land as to give it a very broken and rugged appearance. In point of extent, depth of water, and shelter, many of these furnish natural havens which cannot be surpassed, fourteen of them affording accommodation for the largest ships. The rocky shores which line the most of these bays are formed by the abrupt terminations of mountain ridges, which, instead of stretching in continuous chains across the interior, rise rather in vast isolated masses at a short distance from the coast, and usually subside rapidly as they recede from it. Indeed, almost the only inland range worthy of the name is that of the Devil's Bit, and the Sliebhbloom Mountains, which stretch in an irregular curve of about 30 miles, from south-west to north-east, through the north-east of Munster and west of Leinster, and, in the Keeper, attain the height of 2265 feet. Most of the other masses attain their greatest elevation towards the exterior of the island, and thus give the interior the form of a vast plain, girdled all round by lofty mountain barriers. The most important of these which present themselves, in proceeding as before from the north, westward, are the mountains of Donegal, culminating in Mount Erigal, 2462 feet; those of Sligo, culminating in Truskmore; those of Mayo, culminating in Nephin and Muilrea; those of Galway, culminating in Twelve Pins; those of Kerry, culminating in Brandon and Carn Tual, the latter the loftiest summit of all Ireland, reaching the height of 3404 feet; those of Waterford, culminating in Mona Vallagh; those of Wicklow, culminating in

Lungaquilla; those of Dublin, culminating in Kippare; those of Down, culminating in Sliebhdonard; and those of Antrim, which are less remarkable for their height than the magnificence with which they terminate in the Giant's Causeway. Though the barrier thus formed presents numerous openings, and the plain inclosed by it is by no means a monotonous flat, it is not difficult to understand how a surface so formed is ill adapted for giving a free course to the water which collects upon it, and accordingly contains extensive tracts of bog.

RIVERS AND LAKES. Few countries of the same extent are so liberally supplied with rivers. They are not only numerous, but are equally distributed over the surface, so as to leave no district without sufficient means of water communication; and are, in general, admirably adapted for navigation, winding

along in deep and gentle currents, and not often much encumbered by rocks or other obstructions. The Shannon, the largest river of Ireland, if not of the United Kingdom, is navigable to its source, in Lough Allen; forming a navigable channel of 214 miles, continued through the very heart of the country; and though, of these, 144 miles are occasionally obstructed by shallows, over which only vessels of small burden can float, the remaining 70 miles, commencing at the town of Limerick, are safely navigated by vessels of 400 tons. The area of its basin is 6946 square miles. The other rivers of most importance are the Bandon, Lee, and Blackwater, almost confined within the limits of the county of Cork; the Suir and the Barrow, which, by the union of their streams, form the broad

estuary of Waterford harbour; the Slaney, which, at its mouth, expands into the large lagoon of Wexford Haven; the Liffey, which, from having the capital on its banks, is possessed of much more commercial importance than its mere magnitude could give it; the Boyne, the largest river which discharges itself on the east coast; and the Bann and the Foyle, which have their mouths at no great distance from each other on the north coast.

Besides the loughs or long narrow gulfs in immediate connection with the sea, to which reference has already been made, Ireland possesses a vast number of inland lakes, which, in some parts, lie so near each other as to form a continued series, easily available for purposes of navigation. Lough Neagh, in Ulster, is a large quadrangular expanse, 17 miles long by 10 miles broad, and is not only the largest lake of the United Kingdom, but ranks high among the secondary lakes of Europe. Its beauty, however, bears no proportion to its magnitude.

Its shores are low and marshy; only two small and uninteresting islands are seen upon its bosom, and the surrounding scenery possesses no attractions. The only remarkable thing connected with it is the petrifying property of its waters. The other more important lakes are Lough Erne, which, when its basin is full, stretches in one continuous sheet of water for nearly 30 miles; but at other times becomes divided, near its centre, into an upper and a lower lake-each, particularly the latter, studded with numerous islands, many of them inhabited, and several of them so well wooded as to form rich and interesting scenery; Lough Corrib, about 24 miles long, and at the broadest 14 miles wide; and,