ELGIN, or Morayshire, a maritime county in the north of Scotland. bounded on the N. by the Moray Firth, along which it extends for thirty miles, on the E. and by Bantfshire, on the S. and S.W. by Inverness-shire, and on the W. by Nairnshire. The distance from the sea. to its furthest inland point is 33 miles. It contains, since the alterations made by the Inverness and Elgin County Boundaries Act, 1870, about 487 square miles, or 312,375 acres, nearly one-third of which may be considered as under cultivation. As thus limited, the county comprises but the eastern portion of the ancient province of Moray, which extended from the Spey on the east to the river Beauly on the west, and from the sea to the Grampians southwards.
Elginshirc naturally divides itself into two portions, dis- tinguished not less by physical aspect and geological struc— ture than by the products of the soil—the seaboard and the upland. The surface of the former, as its local name, “ laigh o' Moray,” implies, is level, rising, however, be- tween the mouth of the Lossie and Burghead, and westward from Elgin, into ridges of some height. Throughout this district the prevailing rock is sandstone, overtopped to the south and east of Elgin, and in several other localities—as at Lossiemouth—by a species of limestone or “ cherty rock.” From the mouth of the Spey west and south till the gneissose rocks of the uplands are reached, the sandstone is of a dark red colour, and belongs undoubtedly to the Old Red or Devonian formation. Elsewhere in the district it is grey or yellow, apparently overlying beds of this Old Red, but almost destitute of fossils, except in the coast ridge and the parallel portion of the inland ridge already mentioned, where are the famous reptilifcrous strata whose age has lately given rise to so much discussion. ()olitic patches, indicative of a formation of mesozoic age having once existed in the neighbourhood, are also found scattere'l between Elgin and the sea. Favoured by an ex- cellent climate and rich soil, the lowlands of Moray have been long noted for their fertility. Wheat, barley, and oats are all grown in great perfection, and exotic fruits of various kinds ripen freely in the open air. Since the beginning of the present century, agricultural pursuits have been carried on in a spirit that has greatly increased the natural resources of the district. Within the same period the breeding and rearing of cattle has become one of the most profitable occupations of the farmer; and some of the finest short- horned and polled cattle in Scotland are to be seen here, as well as crosses between these two breeds. On a number of the more extensive farms large flocks of sheep, chiefly Leicesters, are kept all the year round. The upland portion of the county is hilly, gradually rising higher and higher above the level of the sea,—the loftiest of its ridges being the Cromdale hills, one point of which has an elevation of 2328 feet. Here the rocks are metamorphic, with asso— ciated limestones and veins of granite, closely resembling the rocks elsewhere met With around the Grampians, between the Old Red and the central masses of granite and other once molten matter. Their strike is NE. and S.W., the same as prevails between Aberdeen and Argyll. The climate of this district is much colder and damper; oats is the principal cereal, barley being confined to the glens and straths; the cattle partake more of the character of the Highland breed; and the blackfaced sheep takes the place of the Leicester.
in the east, the Lossie in the centre, and the Findhorn in the west. The first of these rises in Badenoch, a. district of Invcrness-shire, and, after flowing north-east for a distance of about 1‘20 miles (including windings), of which 50 are in Elginshire, falls into the Moray Firth at the village of Gannouth. It is said to be the most rapid river in Scotland, and to discharge a larger volume of water than any other Scottish stream, the Tay alone excepted. The Spey receives a number of tributaries, the chief of which are the Truim, the Dulnain, the Avon, and the Fiddich. The Lossie, by far the smallest of the three, and the only one of them that rises within the boundaries of the county, issues from a small loch of the same name in the uplands, and, after a somewhat tortuous course of about 25 miles, empties itself into the sea at Lossiemouth. The Findhorn, like the Spey, has its source in Inverness-shire, in the western slope of the Monadleadh mountains, which for a number of miles form the watershed between it and the Spey. It then flows through parts of Nairn and Moray shires, and, after running in a north-easterly direction for about 70 miles, of which not more than 11 are within the boundaries of the latter, reaches the sea at the village of F ind- horn, where it expands into an estuary of some extent. For seven or eight miles after it enters Moray-shire, the scenery along its banks is among the grandest and finest of the kind in Britain. Of all the rivers affected by the memorable rainfall that occurred in the north of Scotland in August 1829, none rose higher or committed greater havoc than the Findhorn. Both the Spey and the F indhorn abound in salmon and grilse, the fisheries for which are very valu- able. West of the estuary of the latter are the Culbin sandhills, some of which, though ever shifting, have an average height of 118 feet. They cover what was 200 years ago an extensive estate, then comprising thousands of acres of the finest land, but now presenting an impressive scene of desolation and solitude. The lochs are small and few in number. The sea coast is very exposed; rocky be- tween Lossiemouth and Burghead, elsewhere low and sandy. Of its few harbours, Burghead is the most sheltered by position ; but a good deal has been done by art for that of Lossiemouth, in which a number of vessels may sometimes be seen lying. For a number of years the herring fishery was successfully prosecuted at Lossiemouth, Burghead, Hopcman, and Findhorn, there being one season as many as 1‘20 boats fishing from Lossiemouth alone; but latterly it has been more or less a failure, owing to the herring, for some cause or other. having become scarccr in their old feeding grounds. Large quantities of haddock, cod, and ling are caught in the firth and sent south during the winter and spring. Elginshire is not particularly rich in minerals. No true coal has yet been discovered within its limits; and though iron ore is said to exist in the higher parts, it cannot, owing to the absence of coal, be profitably worked. Lead occurs to the west of Lossiemouth. Attempts formerly made to extract it from the rock in sufficient quantities to prove remnnerative failed ; but operations lately undertaken give promise of success. The yellow sandstone of the lower district is a building-stone of supe- rior excellence, practically inexhaustible,—the distinct glacial striae, seen on most of its outcropping strata, prov- ing how capable it is of resisting all atmospheric in- fluence. The rough impracticable gneissose beds of the upper district offer no favourite building-stone, and true slates are unknown. The plantations consist of larch, fir, and to a less extent oak. The country is well wooded, but since the introduction of railways a considerable quantity of timber has been cut down. The forest of Damaway, on the left bank of the Findhorn, is believed to be a remnant of the natural wood with which a great part of Scotland was once covered. The manufactures are by no means important. Shipbuilding is carried on at the mouth of the Spey, though not on a large scale. The Highland Railway. which traverses Morayshire from east to west, is joined at Alves and Kinloss by branches from Burghead and Findhorn respectively, the latter of these being at present (1878) disused. At Forres the
main line of the same railway strikes off for Perth by the