the parishes of Innerkip and Greenock; on the east, by Kilmalcolm, Lochwinnoch, and Kilbirnie; on the south, by Dalry and West Kilbride; and on the west, by the Frith of Clyde. Its breadth is not much more than four miles. Topographical Appearances.-We cannot give a better or more accurate general account than that which is to be found in the second Statistical Account of this parish in the former work, Vol. xvii. p. 503. "No parish in the west of Scotland, and few in the Highlands, can afford such a variety of beautiful and romantic scenes. The hills, which begin to rise in the neighbouring parishes of Greenock, Kilmalcolm, Lochwinnoch, Kilbirnie, and Dalry, meet in a kind of general summit at the eastern boundary of Largs, from which they gradually descend as they approach the shore, till they terminate at last in a variety of abrupt declivities, some of which are almost perpendicular, as if part of their base had been torn away by force. Notwithstanding the vast height of these hills, they are covered during the greater part of the year with verdure, and afford such excellent pasture for sheep, and some of them for larger cattle, as can hardly be found elsewhere in similar situations. "The quantity of heath, even on the highest hills, is comparatively small; and, from indisputable marks, it appears that some of them have once been cultivated." The hill of Stake, 1691 feet above the Along the coast from West Kilbride to Kellyburn, there is a tract of rich land, the mean breadth of which is about a quarter of a mile. The tract narrows towards the north. To the east the ground rises abruptly to a very great height. which is the extreme boundary on the east, is level of the sea; and to the south of that mountain Irishlaw stands 1576, and Knockside hill, 1419 feet above the same level. The half of the whole land in the parish is hill pasture, and occupied as such. The temperature of the town of Largs, which is protected from the east winds by a range of high ground, is considered mild and salubrious; and the situation has become a favourite and fashionable watering-place. The high grounds above Largs afford very delightful prospects. The admirers of nature need not travel out of this district in search of fine scenery, as few scenes can equal in rich variety what the enraptured eye of the beholder can witness from the grounds above Kelburn. There may be enjoyed the boundless store Of charms which Nature to her votary yields, . The warbling woodland, the resounding shore, Climate and Diseases. *— The quantity of rain which falls at Largs has never been ascertained, but there is no doubt that it is considerable. A rain-gauge was kept for some time at the Brisbane Observatory, two miles from Largs, from which it appeared that the quantity which fell at Brisbane was very great. There is reason to believe, however, from the situation of the observatory, that showers frequently fall there, which do not reach the plain of Largs. The town of Largs is pretty much exposed to wind from all points, but it suffers only from the east and north-west. The former comes down the Brisbane and Gogo glens, frequently with great violence, yet it is not found that these winds produce those pernicious effects on the health which are ascribed to them on the east coast of Scotland, the wind being dry and clear. Largs is, generally speaking, a very healthy place, the mortality in ordinary years varying from I in 50, to 1 in 65 of the whole population, exclusive of strangers. To this rule there have been some exceptions. In 1828, an epidemic dysentery prevailed throughout the whole of the west of Scotland, and added ten or twelve to our bill of mortality for that year; and also in 1836 and 1837, an epidemic erysipelas, of a peculiarly intractable character, prevailed, and proved fatal in a considerable number of cases. In 1832, cholera appeared in three houses; the number of deaths was five. To two of the houses it was brought by persons arriving from Glasgow, in the third instance it appeared spontaneously. In no case did it spread to the neighbouring houses. Typhus fever appears in Largs occasionally, seldom spreading to any great extent, and for the most part confined to the poorer and worst lodged part of our population. Poverty, filth, and intemperance, will produce their usual effects on the physical and moral health in the healthiest locality. The writer has long been impressed with the necessity of having a separate building for the reception and treatment of contagious diseases in Largs, and in all considerable towns and villages, where the patients would enjoy the benefit of thorough cleanliness and ventilation, and where the sick would be separated from the healthy. In this way, he thinks, many valuable lives might be saved, and much misery prevented. The agricultural portion of the inhabitants are remarkably • This department has been furnished by Dr John Campbell, Largs. healthy. Those who reside in the town being generally weavers, and the females chiefly engaged in sewing muslin, and other sedentary employments, are liable to the complaints and deterioration of health incident to such occupations. These are, however, partly counteracted by cultivating patches of potato ground, sailing, fishing, &c. in which many of them occasionally engage. Largs has long been in high repute as a watering-place. From the end of May till the middle of October, there is an additional population, varying from 300 or 400 to upwards of 1000. Few places afford greater facilities for sea-bathing, it being easily practicable to bathe at all times of the tide, and to obtain a proper depth by wading a few yards. The whole coast is perfectly safe. The sea-breezes are of a peculiarly bracing and invigorating character, and their salutary effects evident on crowds of annual visitors from the densely peopled towns of the interior. Although showers often fall, the whole plain on which Largs stands is singularly dry, from the pure gravel which forms the subsoil speedily absorbing the water, and rendering our roads and walks dry and pleasant a few hours after the heaviest rain. From the keenness of the easterly winds in winter and spring, it may be doubted whether the climate of Largs is well adapted for patients liable to spitting of blood, or inflammatory affections. of the lungs. In such cases, Rothsay is preferable. Yet phthisis is not a disease of frequent occurrence in Largs, the deaths from it seldom exceeding three or four annually. In some consumptive cases, when there is little tendency to inflammation or hemorrhage, the writer of this has seen decided amendment from a residence in Largs. Croup in some seasons has prevailed to some extent; but for several years past, it has been of rare occurrence. No instance of wonderful longevity exists at present in the parish, but the number of persons betwixt the ages of seventy and ninety-three is very considerable. Hydrography.-There are only two rivers in the parish which call for notice, the Gogo and the Noddle. The former rises in the south-east part of the parish, and falls into the sea at the town of Largs. The word is said to be Celtic, and signifies a branching river. It has accordingly various branches and tributaries, and its water is considerably augmented by that of the Greeto, which joins it about the middle of its course. The Noddle takes its rise in the north-east of the parish, and, after winding its way through the vale of Brisbane, falls into the sea about half a mile to the north of Goge. Both of these rivers are noticed by Pont. Of the former he says, "Gogo fluvius, a small river running by the church of the Largs," and of the other he merely says, "Nodle fluvius." The water of Rye takes its origin in this parish, near the source of the Gogo, but runs to the south through the parish of Dalry, and joins the Garnock at Ryesholm. A small streamlet runs to the west through the grounds at Kelburn, from which it takes its name, and on the south boundary of the parish another stream, called Fairlyburn, rises in the high grounds, and runs for about a mile, when it joins its waters to the Frith of Clyde, forming the boundary of the parishes of Largs and West Kilbride. To the north of Fairly, is a small stream called Kepping burn. The north-east of the parish is bounded by Routenburn, which rises at the Hill of Stake, and runs to the north. It is called by Pont "Rottin burne." Some fanciful etymologists have derived its name from the routing or defeating of the Danes, as if it had been written rout-Dane burn, but this is not deserving of any serious consideration. It is obvious that the name is descriptive of the noise which the water makes, when roaring through its rocky bed, especially after heavy rains. The northern boundary of the parish is Kellyburn, which takes its rise in what was of old called "the Forret of Kyith," and which was latterly called “the back of the world." It runs for near two miles, and falls into the sea at Kelly bridge, to the north of the grounds of Skelmorlie. There was formerly a small island opposite the harbour of Fairlie. It is laid down in Bleau's map of Cunninghame; but, owing to the receding of the water, the island is no more visible. At low water, there is a large extent of the channel laid bare between Fairlie and Hunterstone, and it has been thought that this land could, by a strong embankment, be entirely gained from the sea; but, as this would not be a productive enterprise to the undertakers, it is not likely to be attempted. Geology. The geology of this parish is not interesting. The lowest rock, visible in situ, is old red sandstone, or old red sandstone conglomerate, visible about Quarter on the one hand, and Fairly on the other. Upon this old red sandstone, or sandstone conglomerate, is superimposed secondary trap, which forms the summit of the highest hills towards the sources of the Greeto, the The bridge over Noddle being narrow, and high in the arch, was taken down, widened, lowered, and rebuilt in 1824. Gogo, and the Noddle. The old red sandstone, in no instance, rises in this parish to nearly the elevation of the sources of these streams. The bed of secondary trap, here alluded to, may be traced from the German Ocean, throughout Scotland, to the island of Little Cumbrae, Arran, &c. In Little Cumbrae it is distinctly stratified, as may be seen from our side of the Frith, with an inclination of about 10° to the west or south-west. The same stratification of trap, on the large scale, may be seen on the Clyde near Kilpatrick. Near Quarter, in this parish, is a small miniature coal-field, but not conformable, inserted in the old red sandstone. This field is exposed on the beach. It consists of limestone and shale. The old red sandstone is here and there cut by dikes of greenstone, which pass into the superincumbent trap. Their direction is most frequently from north to south, or from north-west to south-east. But to this there are exceptions, as at Fairly Brae, &c. Few, if any, organic remains have as yet been discovered in the old red sandstone, and none in the trap. The other formations in the parish are either diluvium or alluvium. The higher parts of the Noddle may be given as a locality for the first. The site of Largs itself for the second. The first is nowhere distinguished for fertility, but the second forms very fertile land; while the soil, mostly formed from the disintegration of old red sandstone, is generally very barren. cess. Coals have been looked for in the parish; hitherto without sucThe basis of our rocks are under the coal formation, properly so called, and the superimposed trap only forms the rough basin in or on which the coal formation rests. One of the most interesting geological phenomenon to be observed in this parish, is the subsidence of the water of the Frith, or the elevation of the land. The one or other has been the case. The clifts near Quarter leave no doubt on this subject, as an inspection of them will testify. A line of old beach rock, forty feet above the present high-water mark, shows that we must come to the one or other conclusion. The hill on Gogo, too, which marks one of the points of a meridian line, leads nearly to the same conclusion, having most probably been deposited in still water by the stream when it was at least a quarter of a mile shorter, or, in other words, when the Clyde washed the base of the trap rocks near this place. Others may settle this point; but the matter referred to is well deserving examination.* * The department of this report on Geology has been furnished by William Mont |