Scotland

a division of the United Kingdom. It occupies the northern part of the island of Great Britain. It is separated from England chiefly by the Firth of Solway, the Cheviot Hills, and the Tweed. The distance from sea to sea is about sixty miles in a straight line; but the "Border" with its windings is about one hundred miles in length. The mainland is surrounded, especially on the west and northwest, by numerous islands. There are 160 islands of some size and about 600 smaller islets. The shores are, for the greater part, rocky and abrupt. They are penetrated on the west and north by deep firths whose beds were furrowed out in glacial times by streams of ice.

Leaving out of consideration the Cheviot region, Scotland may be said to be divided into two physical regions, the Highlands and the Lowlands. The Highlands, occupying the northwestern two-thirds of the country, are mountainous. The best known peaks are Ben Nevis and Ben Lomond. The surface is intersected by glacial valleys and contains a very great number of fine, clear lakes. The larger are known as lochs; the smaller as tarns. Among the more noted are Lochs Lomond, Katrine, Ness, Leven, and St. Mary's. The more noted of the rivers flowing easterly are the Tweed, the Forth, the Tay, and the smaller Spey. The Clyde is the chief river of the west. Other western streams are the Ayr, the Doon, the Nith, and the Annan.

Scotland is rich in rocks and minerals. The Highlands may be said to be composed of schists, gneiss, and other old rocks. The granite quarries of Aberdeen are noted. Enormous bodies of coal and iron are found in the lowlands, and make that district one of the wealthiest regions in the world.

The most southerly point of Scotland lies five degrees farther north than the most northerly point of the United States. The northern extremity of Scotland lies farther north than Sitka, Alaska. The climate, however, is oceanic. The summers are cool; the winters are comparatively mild and cloudy. The coasts are swept by more severe storms than are known in the interior of the United States. Sleet, hail, and snow are common; but blizzards, as we have them, are unknown. The lochs freeze over in winter. At this season curling is the national pastime.

Forests cover about four per cent of the total area. They lie chiefly in the northern counties. One-fourth of the surface is devoted to grazing, fifty-nine per cent is in field and meadow, and twenty-one per cent is described as uncultivated, being chiefly rock or morass. Agriculture is confined chiefly to the Lowlands. Scottish plowmen are noted for even, straight furrows. Oats and hay are the chief field crops. The soil and climate are well adapted to turnips, potatoes, and other root crops. The summers are too cool for the production of corn or melons. Orchard fruits, strawberries, and other small fruits do well. American farmers are indebted to Scottish stock raisers for Clydesdale horses, Polled Angus and Galloway cattle, and for the Ayrshire strain of dairy cows.

The population in 1905 was rated at 4,676,-603, somewhat in excess of 150 to the square mile. About one-tenth of the people of Scotland are engaged in farming. Another tenth follow commercial pursuits. About half are engaged in mining and manufacturing. Owing to the growth of manufacturing, the rural population is decreasing; the town and city population is growing. The leading manufactures are those of iron, woolens, and cotton goods. There were, in 1903, 3,580 miles of railway and 150 miles of canals.

In a recent year the postal authorities delivered 222,000,000 letters, 54,000,000 post cards, 87,000,000 book packets, and 21,000,000 newspapers. The express system of this country is replaced by a parcel post in connection with the postoffice. Ten million packages are delivered a year. In 1870 telegraph lines were taken over by the state. Ten million telegrams are sent yearly. Savings banks in connection with the postoffice held $28,000,000 in 1902.

Scotland is divided into thirty-three shires or counties. The criminal judge of a county is known as the sheriff. There are nine cities having a population of over 30,000 each. Named in order of population they are Glasgow, Edinburgh, Dundee, Aberdeen, Paisley, Leith, Greenock, Kilmarnock, and Perth. The chief magistrate of a town is known as a provost. Aldermen are called bailies. The counties are subdivided into parishes. Each parish maintains a clergyman of the Established Church of Scotland (Presbyterian) at public expense. A parallel system of independent churches, known as the United Free Church, is maintained by voluntary contributions. The Church of Scotland and the United Free Church have about half a million adherents each. Third in order comes the Roman Catholic church with 400,000 adherents.

Education is looked after with care. Il-literacy is rare. Parish schools were maintained for two or three centuries. In 1872 a system of public schools was inaugurated. It does not differ materially from the American organization. As a consequence, most of the parish and private schools have been discontinued. Of 3,145 schools in 1902, 2,786 were public schools, with an average attendance of nearly 600,000 pupils. In the more advanced schools, instruction is given in domestic economy, needlework, and the use of tools. The state maintains several training schools for teachers, Various municipalities support high schools. There are four Scottish universities. They are situated at Edinburgh, Aberdeen, Glasgow, and Saint Andrews respectively.

Prior to the dawn of history it is thought that a people similar to the Basques inhabited the greater part of Scotland. When the Romans invaded Scotland, however, a Celtic people occupied the country north of the Firth of Clyde. They were called Caledonians by the Romans. The country was called Caledonia. The southern part of Caledonia was occupied by another Celtic tribe more closely related to the Welsh. These Celts or Caledonians were later called Picts. About the sixth century a horde of Scots, a third Celtic tribe from Ireland, invaded western Scotland and gave their name to the country. The Highlanders are descendants of the Picts and Scots; the Lowland Scotch, like the English, are the descendants of Teutonic tribes who crossed the North Sea into Britain during the fourth century and later. Norse colonies also were established in the Highlands of the north and west, as far south as the Isle of Man. The Donalds, Kenneths, Malcolms, Duncans, and Macbeths of early Scotch history were Celtic. The Teutonic or Lowland element asserted itself later. At present the various elements are hardly distinguishable.

The political history of Scotland is one of constant warfare with the Irish, the Norse, the Danes, and the English. The annals are filled also with a long series of conflicts between rival chieftains, a sufficient account of which has been given under separate titles. In 1603 James VI of Scotland inherited the throne of England. The two kingdoms were united into one monarchy. In 1707 the English and the Scottish parliaments were united, at which point the political history of Scotland as a separate nation ceases.

See Macbeth; Wallace; Bruce; Alexander; Stirling; Argyll; James; Mary; Glasgow; Edinburgh; St. Andrews; Ayr; Golf; Curling; Bagpipe; Scone; Tartan; Scott; Burns; Baillie; Hogg; Campbell; Hume; Smith; Robertson; Law; Carlyle; Clyde; Covenanters; Free Church; Lomond; Balmoral