General view of the agriculture of the county of Argyll : with observations on the means of its improvement / Drawn up for the consideration of the Board of Agriculture and Internal Improvement by John Smith.

  • John Smith
Date:
1798
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: General view of the agriculture of the county of Argyll : with observations on the means of its improvement / Drawn up for the consideration of the Board of Agriculture and Internal Improvement by John Smith. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    25/354 (page 11)
    built, the lapis ollaris; faid to be the fame with that of the king of Denmark’s palace at Copenhagen. A ftone fomcwhat fi- milar in colour, but harder and coarfer in the grain, is found in Glenurchay, and feems to be the fame with that of which the old croffes and monuments in Icolumkill were formed. On this kind of ftone, time and the weather feem to make little or no imprellion ; fo that it is the fitteft of any for monuments. Efdale and its neighbourhood abound in Hates, of which about five millions have for fome time been fold annually, at 25s. per thoufand *. A flate quarry is alfo wrought in Ba- lechelifti, in Appin, and there are flate rocks on the eftate of Mr. Campbell of Rofs, in N. Knapdale, but not yet wrought. A kind of granite, which takes fuch a polifh as to refemble fpotted marble, is found near Inveraray. A marble quarry has been wrought at Ardmady in Lorn j but the colour, being a dull red ftreaked with white, rendered it lefs marketable than it might otherwife have been, and occafioned its being given up, with fome lofs f. A kind of gray marble is alfo found on Lochiel’s eftate in Kilmalie Some more may perhaps be difcbvered in other parts of the county ; though none of them probably will be found fo valuable as the beautiful marble of the Ifland of Tiree. ■» Limeftone, which is of more value than marble, becaufe caller wrought, abounds in moft parts of the county, info- much that we may be faid to have, not quarries, but almoft mountains of it. * This work employs commonly about 3C0 men; whofc wages amoum to above 40eo]. a-year. 'I'hc flate quarry at Balcchelifli employs about 90. Sid‘ tiflical A'count. ‘ f It may be proper to obferve here, for the fake of thofe wlio may not know it, that marble is of the fame quality with limeftone; fo tliat farmers within reach of the quarry at Ardmady may avail tbcmfclves of a vaft heap of broken ftones and rubbifli there prepared to their Ivmd. ^ A particular defeription of this marble may be fecn in Mr. IViUlamt't Natural Hifory of tb* Mineral Kingaom. B ij