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BUTE , the most important, though not the largest, of the islands constituting the county of the same name, in the Firth ofSee also: Clyde, Scotland, about 18 m
.
S.W. of See also: Greenock and 40 m., by See also: water, from See also: Glasgow
.
It is hounded on the N. and W. by the lovely Kyles of Bute, the narrow winding strait which separates it from See also: Argyllshire, on the E. by the Firth of Clyde, and on the S. and S.W. by the See also: Sound of Bute, about 6 m. wide, which divides it from See also: Arran
.
Its See also: area is about 49 sq. m., or31,161 acres
.
It lies in a N.W. to S.E. direction, and its greatest length from Buttock Point on the Kyles to Garroch See also: Head on the Firth of Clyde is 151 M
.
Owing to indentations its width varies from 1* m. to 41 M
.
There are piers at Kilchattan, Craigmore, See also: Port See also: Bannatyne and See also: Rothesay, but Rothesay is practically the harbour for the whole See also: island
.
Here there is See also: regular communication by railway steamers from Craigendoran, See also: Prince's Pier (Greenock), See also: Gourock and See also: Wemyss See also: Bay, and by frequent vessels from the Broomielaw See also: Bridge in Glasgow and other points on the Clyde
.
Pop
.
(1891) 11,735; (1901) 12,162
.
The See also: principal hills are in the See also: north, where the chief are See also: Kames See also: Hill (911 ft.) and
See also: Kilbride Hill (836 ft.)
.
The streams are mostly burns, and there are six lochs
.
Loch Fad, about 1 m . S. of Rothesay, 21 M. long by a m. wide, was the source of the power used in the Rothesay See also: cotton-spinning See also: mill, which was the first establishment of the kind erected in Scotland
.
In 1827 on its western
See also: shore Edmund See also: Kean built a cottage afterwards occupied by Sheridan Knowles
.
It now belongs to the See also: marquess of Bute
.
From Loch Ascog, fully 1 m. long, Rothesay derives its water supply
.
The other lakes are Loch Quien, Loch Greenan, Dhu Loch and Loch Bull
.
Glen More in the north and Glen Callum in the See also: south are the only glens of any See also: size
.
The See also: climate is mild and healthful, fuchsias and other See also: plants flowering even in winter, and neither snow nor See also: frost being of long continuance, and less rain falling than in many parts of the western See also: coast
.
Some two-thirds of the area, mostly in the centre and south, are arable, yielding excellent crops of potatoes for the Glasgow market, oats and turnips; the rest consists of hill pastures and plantations
.
The See also: fisheries are of considerable value
.
There is no lack of See also: sandstone, slate and whinstone
.
Some See also: coal exists, but it is of inferior quality and doubtful quantity
.
At Kilchattan a See also: superior See also: clay for bricks and tiles is found, and See also: grey granite susceptible of high See also: polish
.
The island is divided geologically into two areas by a fault See also: running from Rothesay Bay in a south-south-west direction by Loch Fad to Scalpsie Bay, which, throughout its course, coincides with a well-marked depression
.
The See also: tract lying to the north-west of this dislocation is composed of the metamorphic rocks of the Eastern High-lands
.
The See also: Dunoon phyllites See also: form a narrow See also: belt about a mile and a See also: half broad See also: crossing the island between Kames Bay and Etterick Bay, while the area to the north is occupied by grits and See also: schists which may be the western prolongations of the Beinn Bheula See also: group
.
Near Rothesay and along the hill slopes west of Loch Fad there are parallel strips of grits and phyllites
.
That See also: part of the island lying to the See also: east of this dislocation consists chiefly of Upper Old Red Sandstone strata, dipping generally in a See also: westerly or south-westerly direction
.
At the extreme south end, between Kilchattan and Garroch Head, these conglomerates and sandstones are overlaid by a thick cornstone or dolomitic See also: limestone marking the upper limit of the formation, which is surmounted by the cement-stones and contemporaneous lavas of See also: Lower Carboniferous age
.
The bedded volcanic rocks which form a series of ridges trending north-west comprise porphyritic basalts, See also: andesite, and, near Port Luchdach, brownish See also: trachyte
.
Near the See also: base of the volcanic series intrusive igneous rocks of Carboniferous age appear in the form of sills and bosses, as, for instance,the See also: oval mass of See also: olivine-See also: basalt on Suidhe Hill
.
Remnants of raised beaches are conspicuous in Bute
.
One of the well-known localities for arctic shelly See also: clays occurs at Kilchattan brick-See also: works, where the dark red clay rests on tough See also: boulder-clay and may be regarded as of See also: late glacial age
.
As to the origin of the name of Bute, there is some doubt
.
It has been held to come from both (Irish for " a cell "), in allusion to the cell which StSee also: Brendan erected in the island in the 6th century; others contend that it is derived from the See also: British words ey budh (Gaelic, ey bhiod), " the island of corn " (i.e. See also: food), in reference to its fertility, notable in contrast with the barrenness of the Western Isles and See also: Highlands
.
Bute was probably first colonized by the vanguard of Scots who came over from See also: Ireland, and at intervals the Norsemen also secured a footing for longer or shorter periods
.
In those days the Butemen were also called Brandanes, after the See also: Saint
.
Attesting the antiquity of the island, " Druidical " monuments, barrows, cairns and cists are numerous, as well as the remains of See also: ancient chapels
.
In virtue of a charter granted by See also: James IV. in 15o6, the numerous small proprietors took the title .of " baron," which became hereditary in their families
.
Now the title is practically
See also: extinct, the lands conferring it having with very few exceptions passed
by See also: purchase into the possession of the marquess of Bute, the proprietor of nearly the whole island
.
His seat, See also: Mount See also: Stuart, about 42 M. from Rothesay by the shore road, is finely situated on the eastern coast
.
Port Bannatyne (pop
.
1165), 2 M. north by west of Rothesay, is a flourishing watering-place, named after See also: Lord Bannatyne (1743-1833), a See also: judge of the See also: court of session, one of the founders of the Highland and Agricultural Society in 1784
.
Near to it is Kames See also: Castle, where See also: John Sterling, famous for Carlyle's biography, was
See also: born in 18o6
.
Kilchattan, in the south-east of the island, is a favourite summer resort
.
Another See also: object of See also: interest is St See also: Blane's See also: Chapel, picturesquely situated about a m. from Dunagoil Bay
.
Off the western shore of Bute, ; m. from St See also: Ninian's Point, lies the island of Inchmarnock, 2 M. in length and about t m. in width
.
See J
.
See also: Wilson, Account of Rothesay and Bute (Rothesay, 1848) ; and J
.
K
.
Hewison,
See also: History of Bute (1894-1895)
.
. BUTE, or BUTESHIRE, an insular county in the S.W. of Scotland, consisting of the islands of Bute, from which the county takes its name, Inchmarnock, See also: Great Cumbrae, Little Cumbrae, Arran, See also: Holy Island and Pladda, all lying in the Firth of Clyde, between See also: Ayrshire on the E. and Argyllshire on the W. and N
.
The area of the county is 140,307 acres, or rather more than 219 sq. m
.
Pop
.
(1891) 18,404; (1901) 18,787 (or 86 to the sq. m.)
.
In Igor the number of persons who spoke Gaelic alone was 20, of those speaking Gaelic and See also: English 2764
.
Before the Reform See also: Bill of 1832, Buteshire, alternately with See also: Caithness-See also: shire, sent one member to parliament—Rothesay at the same See also: time sharing a representative with See also: Ayr, See also: Campbeltown, See also: Inveraray and See also: Irvine
.
Rothesay was then merged in the county, which since then has had a member to itself
.
Buteshire and See also: Renfrewshire form one sheriffdom, with a See also: sheriff-substitute See also: resident in Rothesay who also sits periodically at Brodick and Millport
.
The circuit courts are held at Inveraray
.
The county is under school-See also: board jurisdiction, and there is a secondary school at Rothesay
.
The county council subsidizes technical See also: education in See also: agriculture at Glasgow and See also: Kilmarnock
.
The See also: staple crops are oats and potatoes, and cattle, See also: sheep and horses are reared
.
Seed-growing is an extensive industry, and the fisheries are considerable
.
The Rothesay See also: fishery See also: district includes all the creeks in Buteshire and a few in See also: Argyll and See also: Dumbarton shires, the See also: Cumbraes being grouped with the Greenock district
.
The herring fishery begins in See also: June, and See also: white fishing is followed at one or other point all the
See also: year round
.
During the season many of the fishermen are employed on the Clyde yachts, Rothesay being a prominent See also: yachting centre
.
The exports comprise agricultural produce and See also: fish, See also: trade being actively carried on between the county ports of Rothesay, Millport, Brodick and Lamlash and the See also: main-See also: land ports of Glasgow, Greenock, Gourock, See also: Ardrossan and Wemyss Bay, with all of which there is regular steamer communication throughout the year
.
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