There are numerous mountain streams, but no navigable rivers. The two principal are the Orchy and Awe. The former flows from Loch Tulia through Glen Orchy, and falls into Loch Awe at its northern extremity; and the latter forms an outlet for the loch across the neck of land which lies between it and Loch Etive. The other streams are the Add, Aray, Coe or Cona, Creran, Douglas, Echaig, Etive, Euchar, Feochan, Finart, Fyne, Kinglas, Kinloss, Large, Leven, Nell, Ruel, Shiel, Shira, Strae, Talaken, Uisge-Dhu, &c. Most of these yield excellent salmon and trout fishing. There are also some good fishing streams in the islands. The county is remarkable for the numerous inlets of the sea with which it is deeply indented, the principal of them being Loch Long, with its branch Loch Goil; Loch Fyne, with Loch Gilp; Loch Etive; Loch Linnhe, with its branches Loch Creran, Loch Leven, and Loch Eil; and Loch Sunart. There is also a large number of inland lakes, the total area of which is about 25,000 acres. Of these the principal are Loch Awe, Loch Avich, Loch Eck, Loch Lyndoch (partly in Perthshire), and Loch Shiel.

The principal islands are Mull, Islay, Jura, Colonsay, Lismore, Tiree, Coll, Gigha, Muck, Rum, and Canna. Besides these there are the two small but interesting islands of Staffa and Iona—the one famous for its basaltic caves and rocks, and the other as the earliest seat of Christianity in Scotland.

The whole county is rugged and mountainous, and many of the peaks are among the loftiest in the kingdom; as Ben Cruachan (3689 ft.), Ben More, in Mull (3172), Ben Ima (3318), Buchael Etive (3345), and Ben Arthur, “The Cobbler” (2891), on the borders of Dumbartonshire. To the tourist it offers a rich variety of Highland scenery, culminating in the gloomy grandeur of Glencoe.

The situation and conformation of Argyllshire tend to produce a very abundant rainfall. At Oban, the average annual amount is 64Ί8 inches; in Glen Fyne, 104T1 inches; at the Bridge of Orchy, 113 ’ 62 inches; and at Upper Glencoe, 127’65; while at Edinburgh the average quantity is only 26 - 40 inches. The prevailing winds, as observed at Callton-More, near Crinan, are the S.W. and S.E., and next in frequency are the N.W. and N.E. The average temperature is 48° Fahr.

Geologically, the mainland consists principally of the metamorphic or so-called primary strata, covered in part by newer formations. In the portion west of Lochs Linnhe and Eil—the districts of Sunart, Ardgower, and Morven—gneiss is the prevalent rock, broken through by granite near Strontian, and by trap rocks in Ardnamurchan and Morven. In the other portion east of Loch Linnhe, the lower rocks are chiefly mica slate and clay slate, the continuation of the strata forming the great range of the southern Grampians. Mica slate is the most important and oldest of these formations, rising up into the wild and rugged mountains so conspicuous near Loch Long and Loch Fyne. In Appin it is partly replaced by quartz rock, remarkable for bare sterility, and on Loch Fyne by chlorite slates running down into Knapdale or the upper portion of the promontory of Kintyre. These slates form a good building stone, being readily cut even with a saw, and are the material of which the ducal castle at Inveraray is built. Mica slate again forms most of Kintyre south of Tarbert, with occasional beds of dark coloured limestone.

Clay slate is far less common on the mainland, but occurs near Dunoon and Toward Point on the Clyde. It has been long quarried extensively at Ballachulish, and again appears near Oban and further south, often as a dark coloured carbonaceous-looking rock. From this it extends into Kerrera, Seil, Easdale, Luing, and the other so called slate islands. It haβ everywhere a very marked cleavage, distinct from the stratification, and some of the beds furnish a very durable roofing slate, which has been long wrought in Easdale, and with which many houses in Scotland are covered. Cubical crystals of iron'pyrites abound in all these slates, which, though no organic remains have yet been found in them, are probably the equivalents of the lowest Silurian formations.

To the same period may also be referred the quartz rock mentioned as occurring in Appin, specially near the lower part of Glencoe, and more extensively in Jura and Islay, along with the clay slate. From its hardness and indestructibility it would form a valuable building stone, but is little used. These properties also cause it to project in singularly sharp ridges and conical summits, of which the Paps of Jura are the best known.

The limestone associated with these older strata, though seldom in large masses, is yet widely spread. It has been wrought near Ballachulish and in various parts of Appin, in several places near the Crinan Canal, and along the whole peninsula of Kintyre as far as Campbeltown. The largest masses are found in some of the islands. Thus it covers the whole of Lismore and a large tract in the centre of Islay near Bowmore. A magnesian variety found on Iona, associated with serpentine, takes a good polish, and the red or flesh coloured marble of Tiree, often with embedded crystals of green hornblende, occurs in beds in the gneiss of that island.

Red sandstones, probably belonging to more than one period in the history of the earth, are found in different parts of Argyllshire. Some portions, resting conformably on the mica slate of Kintyre, may belong to the Torridon sandstone or Cambrian of the north-west coast, whilst other portions are of Devonian age. Some beds near Oban and on the Sound of Mull are probably Trias. True coal, a continuation of that in Ayrshire, has been wrought near Campbeltown. At various points on the coast of Mull, Morven, and Ardnamurchan, beds belonging to the Lias, Oolite, and even perhaps the Cretaceous formations, appear underlying the trap rocks. Though of much interest in a scientific point of view they have little influence on the general character of the county. More recent formations are the leaf beds, with remains of Miocene plants discovered in the trap tufa at Ardtunhead, in Mull, by the duke of Argyll in 1850. Raised beaches with fossil shells are also known on several parts of the coast, e.g., at the Sound of Kerrera.

Of the igneous rocks, granite chiefly occurs in a large mass round the upper end of Loch Etive, extending south to Ben Cruachan near Loch Awe. Smaller masses appear near Ballachulish and at the Ross of Mull. In the latter place it has been extensively quarried and used for the magnificent fighthouse erected on the Skerry Vohr. Veins are common near these masses and in other places. Felspar porphyries, in great variety of forms and colours, abound in Glencoe, in large masses in the mountains north of Loch Fyne below Inveraray, and again in Davar Island, and at other points'near Campbeltown. Trap rocks—greenstones, dolerites, basalts, claystone porphyries, amygdaloids, and tufas—cover great extents both of the mainland and islands. In the west of Lorn they enclose the lower part of Loch Etive, stretching north to Loch Creran, and south nearly to Loch Awe and Loch Melfort From this place, running westward through Kerrera, they form nine-tenths of Mull and a wide tract on the opposite coast of Morven aud Ardnamurchan. The islands of Muck, Eig, Rum, and Canna are more remote outliers of these formations to the north-west, which also form the Treshinish Islands —Ulva, Gometra, and Staffa, with its far-famed caves and beautiful columnar cliffs. From their relation to the stratified beds, these rocks evidently belong to a recent period in the history of the earth, many of them not older than the upper tertiary. At that time the west of this county, and especially the island of Mull, had formed the site of active volcanoes, rivalling in extent and activity any now known at least in Europe. The trap rocks in Kintyre connect them with those in central Scotland and the north of Ireland, whilst those in Skye are their continuation to the north.

Argyll is not rich in mineral products possessing an economic value. The lead mines of Strontian, in Sunart, produced in 1872 about twelve tons of lead ore. A vein of arsenical nickel was discovered in 1849 by the duke of Argyll near Inveraray. Fine •specimens of the harmotome or cross-stone occur at Strontian, of the heliotrope or bloodstone in Rum, and of natrolite, siolezite, stilbite, and other zeolites in the trap-rocks of Mull, Morven, and Lorn.

Argyllshire was formerly interspersed with natural forests, remains of which—consisting chiefly of oak, ash, pine, and birch—are still visible in the mosses. But, owing to the clearance of the ground for the introduction of sheep, and the neglect of planting, the county is now remarkable for its want of wood, except in the neighbourhood of Inveraray, where there are extensive and flourishing plantations. A great part of the county is unfitted for agriculture; but many districts afford fine pasturage for the hill sheep; and some of the valleys—as Glendaruel—exhibit great fertility. The usual Scottish grains and roots are all more or less grown.

The chief branches of industry are the rearing of cattle and sheep, and the herring fishery. The cattle, though of small size, are equal, if not superior, to any other breed in the kingdom, and are in great demand in the markets of the south, to which they are sent in immense numbers. Dairy husbandry is practised to some extent in the southern parts of Kintyre, where there is a large proportion of arable land. In the higher tracts sheep have very advantageously been substituted for cattle. The blackfaced is the species that is now almost universally reared.

Argyllshire is an attractive field for the sportsman, its deer forests, grouse-shootings, and salmon-fishings being among the best in Scotland. The rents derived from these sources have greatly increased during the last half century. As examples of these it may be stated, that the deer-forest of Blackmount is let for about £3000 a year, and the salmon-fishing of Ardnamurchan for upwards of £600. Loch Fyne is celebrated for its herring fishery; but during 1873 and 1874 the shoals have not advanced beyond the Sound of Kilbrannan.

The manufactures of Argyllshire are very limited, consisting solely of whisky and gunpowder; the former is produced at Campbeltown and in Islay, and the latter at Kames (Kyles of Bute), and at Melfort, Furnace, &c.

There were originally only military roads in Argyllshire, but these were gradually supplemented by others formed at the joint expense of Government (by a grant and maintenance) and the county, by means of assessment under the Road Commissioners—consequently there have never been any tolls. The Government grant was withdrawn about 1860, and the roads are now maintained solely by assessment, which is levied equally on landlords and tenants. By means of steamers there is regular intercourse between various parts of the extensive, coast and the Western metropolis. In order to avoid the circuitous passage round the Mull of Kintyre the Crinan Canal was constructed, extending across the isthmus from Ardrishaig to Loch Crinan, a distance of 8 miles; and another canal unites Campbeltown with Dalavaddy. The Crinan is deep enough for vessels drawing 12 feet of water; its breadth at the surface is 66 feet, and at the bottom 30, and the passage is interrupted by fifteen locks. There are about twenty bank branches in the county. There are (1875) four weekly newspapers published in Argyllshire.

The antiquities of the county comprise monoliths, circles of standing stones, crannoges, and cairns. In almost all the burying grounds—as at Campbeltown, Keil, Soroby, Kilchousland—there are specimens of sculptured crosses and slabs, many of which are figured in The Sculptured Stones of Scotland, vol. ii., published by the Spalding Club, and Archoeological Sketches in Kintyre, by Capt. T. P. White. For other subjects of archaeological interest see The Proc, of Antiq. Soc. of Scotland, vols. iv. vi. viii. Besides the famous ecclesiastical remains at Iona, there are ruins of a Cistercian priory in Oronsay, and of a church founded by Somerlid at Saddel. Among castles may be mentioned Dunstafihage, Ardtornish, Skipness, Kilchurn, Ardchonnel, Dunolly, Dunderaw, and Carrick.

The earliest recorded event in the history of Argyllshire is the settlement in the 4th or 5th century of a body of Irish Scots, under the leadership of Erc, who soon extended their power and established a dynasty. The most famous of their kings was Aidan, the friend of Columba. In the 8th century the district fell into the hands of Norwegian adventurers, and continued for five or six hundred years under Norwegian control, till the rise of a deliverer called Somerlid. Along with the Hebridean Isles, all the western parts of Argyll came to the Scottish monarchs by conquest in the 14th century. Some time after, Macdonald, the representative of this region, obtained leave from the Scottish crown to hold his possessions as a feudatory to that kingdom; but his turbulent spirit involved him and his family in repeated rebellions. These were at last punished by the forfeiture of the estates, which, along with the titles, were bestowed on the Campbells of Lochow, who have ever since retained them. Cohn, second Lord Campbell, was created earl of Argyll in 1457; Archibald, second earl, fell at Flodden; Archibald, fourth earl, was the first nobleman in Scotland who declared himself a Protestant; Archibald, fifth earl, is famous as the supporter of Queen Mary; Archibald, the eighth earl, and other prominent holders of the titles, are noticed in the article immediately preceding. The tenth earl was raised to the dukedom of Argyll in 1701. The title is now (1875) held by a member of the same family, George Douglas Campbell, eighth duke.

Like other parts of the Highlands of Scotland, this county was the seat of several clans, of which the principal were the Campbells, the Macleans, the Stewarts of Appin, the Macdonalds of Glencoe, the Macquarries, and the Macdougalls; and the number of Campbells is still a striking feature of the personal nomenclature of the county. Gaelic is still to a considerable extent the vernacular dialect. The chief proprietors are the duke of Argyll and earl of Breadalbane, whose estates are respectively 168,000 and 179,000 acres in extent. The other principal estates, according to extent, are those of Poltal-loch (183,000 acres), Islay f67,000), Jura (55,000), Ardnamurchan (55,000), Sunart (54,418), Kildalton (54,250), and Ardkinglass (51,670). The total number of owners of land possessing one acre or upwards was, in 1872-73, 581, and of owners who had less than one acre, 2283.

The valued rent of the county for 1874-75 is (exclusive of burghs and canals) £416,543. The valuation of the burghs is—Campbeltown, £20,624; Oban, £11,763; Inveraray, £3323. The county returns one member to parli∙ir ment, and had in 1873-74 a constituency of 3010. Inveraray, Campbeltown, and Oban are contributory burghs to Ayr. It is governed by a lord-lieutenant and high-sheriff, about 48 deputy-lieutenants, a sheriff, and four substitutes. The justiciary circuit-court for the counties of Argyll and Bute is held at Inveraray in spring and autumn. Sheriffcourts are held at Inveraray, Tobermory, Campbeltown, and Fort-William; and courts for small-debt actions, four times a year, at Oban, Lochgilphead, Dunoon, and Bowmore, in Islay. There are three prisons (at Campbeltown, Inveraray, and Tobermory), five poorhouses, an asylum at Lochgilphead for the Argyllshire and Bute district, seaside homes for convalescents at Dunoon and at Kilmun, and a county militia barracks at Campbeltown. The ecclesiastical statistics of the county are as follows :—The Established Church of Scotland has a synod, 6 presbyteries, 40 parish and 18 quoad sacra churches, and 14 chapels of ease. The Free Church has a synod, 5 presbyteries, and 46 churches. The United Presbyterians have 8 churches connected with 2 presbyteries. The Episcopalians have a bishopric (Argyll and the Isles), a dean, and 17 clergymen; and the Roman Catholics have 5 priests. In 1871 there were 79*18 per cent, of the children between 5 and 13 years of age receiving education—Argyllshire in this respect standing above ten counties, but 7 ’ 36 below the highest, Perth. The population of Argyll has been decreasing since 1831, from the extensive emigration that has been going on, principally to Canada. The following is the state of its population since the commencement of the present century—1801,81,277; 1811, 86,541; 1821, 97,316; 1831, 100,973; 1841, 97,371; 1851, 89,298; 1861, 79,724; 1871, 75,679.