Bute, the most important of the several islands in the Firth of Clyde which constitute the county of the same name, is situated about 18 miles west of Greenock, and 40 by water from Glasgow. It is about 15 miles in length, extending from the picturesque “Kyles ”—the narrow winding strait which separates the island on the north from the district of Cowal—to the Sound of Bute, about 8 miles in width, which separates it on the south from Arran. In breadth the island is unequal, from the deep indentations, on both sides, of its numerous bays, but it averages from 3 to 5 miles, having on the east the Cumbraes 5 miles and the Ayrshire coast 8 miles off, and on the west Inchmarnoch (with an area of 675 acres) close at hand, and Ardrishaig, the highway to the Hebrides, within little more than two hours’ sail of Rothesay.

The island has an area of 31,161 acres, two-thirds of which are arable, the remainder consisting of hill-pasture, plantings, moors, and sheets of water. Of the latter there are six. The largest, Loch Fad, 3 miles from Rothesay, is nearly 3 miles in length and about ⅜ mile in breadth. From this copious source the Rothesay cotton-spinning mill, the first establishment of the sort erected in Scotland, derived by gravitation its propelling power. The mill continued in active operation, giving employment to some hundreds of people, until a few years ago, when, from the machinery having become antiquated and other causes, it ceased to be remunerative, and was closed. There are still two factories in the neighbourhood, with more modern machinery, for the weaving of cloth, but they are driven by steam-power. Loch Fad has a peculiar interest attaching to it, from having, on its western bank, the cottage built in 1827 by Edmund Kean, the great tragedian, who there found it “glorious through the loopholes of retreat to peep on such a world.” The cottage, after Kean’s death, fell into the hands of Mr J. B. Neilson, the ingenious inventor of “the hot-blast,” and is now the property of Lord Bute. Notwithstanding the change of hands, the drawing-room is still retained precisely as Kean left it. Loch Ascog, within two miles of Rothesay, is less than Loch Fad, but quite as useful. It covers an area of 72 acres, and supplies the inhabitants of Rothesay with excellent water for domestic purposes. Quien Loch covers 54 acres, Greenan Loch 12, Loch Dhu 9, and Lochantarb 5 acres. The climate of Bute is mild, genial, and healthful, and is likened, not unfrequently, to that of Devonshire or of Montpellier. The mountains of Argyll and the peaks of Arran breaking the clouds as they pass from the Western Ocean, less rain falls on Bute than on any other part of the west coast; and the sea-breeze, generally blowing from the west and south, keeps the air cool in summer, and prevents snow from remaining or frost from continuing long in winter. The soil of Bute, for the most part light and gravelly, produces, under skilful treatment, excellent crops, particularly of potatoes, which, being readily disposed of by the acre while growing, are conveyed in barrels day by day to the Glasgow market. The farmers are a respectable class of men, intelligent, able-bodied, and long-lived. Coal has been found in the island, but of inferior quality and doubtful quantity. Supplies of this indispensable mineral are therefore brought from the fields of Ayrshire and Lanarkshire. Native limestone has been burned and used, but of late years it has given way almost entirely to Irish lime, which is extensively imported for building and manuring purposes. Of soft red sandstone, slate, and whinstone there is no lack, but they are chiefly used in the building of dykes and the gables and back walls of tenements, white sandstone and slates being largely imported for the front elevations and roofing of the better class of houses, which are now rapidly increasing in number. At Kilchattan there is an abundance of superior clay, and a thriving brick and tile work. Granite of a grey complexion, susceptible of a high polish, is also found at Kilchattan.

The islands of Bute and Inchmarnoch, excepting the small estates of Ascog and Ardbeg, the burgh lands, and one or two trifling holdings adjoining the town, belong to the marquis of Bute, whose favourite seat, Mount Stuart, is four miles from Rothesay on the eastern shore. The house, for which a much better site, commanding a view all round the island, might have been found, was begun in 1719 by the second earl, and finished after his death, in 1723, by Lady Bute, a daughter of the first duke of Argyll. It is a plain unpretentious mansion of moderate dimensions, recently much improved internally by the present marquis.

To the geologist, Bute offers little attraction as compared with Arran; yet the masses of conglomerate on the beach and forming the bold cliffs at Craigmore; the dykes of trap which crop up strikingly through the red sandstone and conglomerate at Ascog, and which may be traced shoreward towards Bogany Point and across the island to Ettrick Bay; and the vitrified forts at Dunnagoil (Garroch-head) and Island-bui (Kyles),—whether the' result of volcanic action or only of beacon fires is doubtful,— will not be found unworthy of his notice. To the antiquary and the student of mediaeval history Bute offers ample scope. The Druidical monuments, and the barrows, cairns, and cists are numerous throughout the island, as are also the remains of ancient chapels. For an account of Rothesay Castle and its deeply interesting historical associations, see Rothesay. Another object of interest is St Blane’s chapel, picturesquely situated in a sheltered nook in the parish of Kingarth. It is believed to have been founded in the reign of Malcolm Canmore, tow ards the close of the 11th century, on the site of a much older edifice. This seems not improbable, as St Blane, who is said to have been a nephew of St Cattan, lived in the latter half of the 6th century. At all events, the names of both saints have been perpetuated in connection with the chapel and the neighbouring bay of Kilchattan. In the year 1204, Walter, Steward of Scotland, anxious “for the souls of kings David and Malcolm, and the souls of his own father and mother,” as well as for “the salvation of himself and heirs,” granted a charter conveying St Blane’s, with all its valuable belongings in Bute, “to the monastery at Paisley, and the monks serving God therein.” Time out of mind the chapel has been a ruin, surrounded by numerous graves of the forgotten dead; and having passed long ago from the custody of the church, it again belongs, with the lands attached to it, to a Stuart, Lord Bute.

There are still extant and habitable several old mansions in Bute, one or two of which may be pointed out. The most considerable is Kames Castle, three miles north-west of Rothesay. It stands in an extensive well-wooded park opposite the fine bay of the same name. It was long the residence of the Bannatyne family, a member of which, Lord Bannatyne, a judge of the Court of Session, projected the Highland Society in 1784, and founded the village of Port-Bannatyne, an abode of hardy fishermen, and now also a flourishing watering-place. Kames estate and castle are now the property of Lord Bute. Ascog House, about three miles from Rothesay in the opposite direction coastwise, is another old mansion in the Scottish baronial style. Standing on a richly-wooded height, it commands extensive views of the firth, and whether regarded from the road or the w ater contributes largely to enhance the beauty of perhaps the finest landscape in the island. The estate of Ascog belonged at one time to a branch of the Bute family. In 1815 it was purchased by the late Mr Robert Thom, C.E., of the Rothesay spinningmill, who acquired celebrity by successfully engineering the introduction of water to the town of Greenock.

The island is divided into four parishes,·—Rothesay, New Rothesay, Kingarth, and North Bute.

Rothesay, with its population of 7760 souls, has two Established churches, with a Gaelic chapel, two Free churches, with a Gaelic chapel, one United Presbyterian church, and three chapels — Episcopalian, Baptist, and Roman Catholic; while at Kingarth there are two churches, Established and Free; at Ascog one, a Free church; and in North Bute an Established and a Free church. The school accommodation is likewise ample, both in town and country.

Touching the origin of the name of Bute, there is considerable doubt. It has been written Both, Bote, Boot, and Botis, and may thus be derived from “Both,” which is the Irish for “a cell,” St Brendan, an Irish abbot, having, it is said, caused a cell to be erected in the island in the 6th century; or it may have been derived from the old British words “Ey Budh,” or the Gaelic words “Ey Bhiod,” signifying the “island of corn,” or tl island of food,” from its fertility as compared with the neighbouring islands and Highland districts. Although now all but obsolete, Gaelic was formerly the current language spoken. The Butemen in fighting times were called Brandanes, a distinction which they prized; and the numerous small landed proprietors, in virtue of a charter granted them in 1506 by James IV., took the title of baron, which became hereditary in their families. The title is now all but extinct, the lauds which conferred it having passed by purchase from time to time, with one or two trifling exceptions, into possession of the Bute family. The descendants of the Brandanes were among the earliest to take part in the volunteer movement, by furnishing a couple of batteries to Lord Lome’s battalion of Argyll and Bute Artillery Volunteers, as well as a company to the Renfrewshire Rifles.

Great improvements have been recently made and are now (1876) in progress in Bute. The renovation, all but completed, of the grand old castle, and the formation of the esplanades of Rothesay,—together with the erection of an aquarium, and of an iron pier, where the accommodation was wanted, at the entrance to the bay, will tend, with other appreciated advantages, to give the island and shores of Bute a higher place than ever among the attractions of the Clyde. (r. h.)

BUTE, John Stuart, third Earl of (1713-1792), for a brief time prime minister of England, was born in 1713, and was educated at Eton. Horace Walpole, who was one of his contemporaries there, tells us that Bute “studied simples in the hedges about Twickenham.” For many years he resided in the remote island of Bute, where he appears to have diligently studied mathematics, mechanics, and natural science. He married the daughter of Mr and the celebrated Lady Mary Wortley Montagu, an alliance which subsequently brought the large Wortley estates into his family. A mere accident introduced him at court; a shower of rain interrupted a cricket match at Cliefden, and led to his services being required by the Prince of Wales. He received a bedchamber appointment in the household of the prince. Prince Frederick died, however, next year, and Lord Bute lived in retirement. On the formation of a separate household for the princess and the young princes, he received the appointment of groom of the stole, somewhat to the dissatisfaction of the old king, George II., who gave him the gold key of office in an ungracious way. In the household of the Prince of Wales Lord Bute acquired great influence over the mind of the youthful heir of the throne and his mother. The scandal of the last century associated his name most intimately with that of the princess, but for this cruel and persistent rumour there appears to be no foundation either in contemporary literature or in the large inedited Bute MSS.

Lord Bute does not appear to have had much to do with the education of the future king and his brothers, which was chiefly left in episcopal hands. He took, however, some part in the direction of his studies, and is known to have read Blackstone’s Commentaries, when still in MS., with him. He seems also to have inculcated him with the writings of Bolingbroke, whose theory was that a king should not only reign but govern, and who had sketched out the ideal of a patriot king. The constant language of the Princess Dowager, re-echoed by the groom of the stole, was “George, be king!” In 1760 George II. died, and the young king proceeded to put in practice the teachings he had received. This marked an important era in constitutional history. Then began the era of the “king’s friends;” the royal will was to be supreme; the ministers were simply to act ministerially, giving expression to and carrying out the sovereign’s pleasure. It is manifest that this doctrine weakened the responsibility of ministers and the authority of parliament, and invited dangers in the direction both of absolutism and of anarchy. Bute, however, was prepared to carry out a scheme very like Strafford's “Thorough” with zeal and energy. The day after the accession Bute was made a privy councillor. A little later he was made secretary of state. Afterwards he was made Knight of the Garter. The king told the ministers, “Lord Bute is my very good friend;” and the royal will was expressed through him. The extraordinary spectacle was witnessed, on the meeting of parliament, of a man with no political connection, who had never been in the cabinet, and who had never served in any ministerial office, being practically prime minister. What he was in reality he soon became in name. In the Shelburne Correspondence we find him asserting that there was nothing which he could not do. The ministers at the time of the accession, who both in the Eastern and the Western World were maintaining the war with France with the greatest glory and success, were William Pitt, the duke of Newcastle, and Mr Legge. The last, Mr Legge, was ignominiously dismissed. Pitt could not carry the support of the cabinet in his proposal to declare war against Spain, and therefore resigned, —a resignation which probably prevented a dismissal. Such insults were heaped upon the duke of Newcastle that, although he long clung to office, he was at last compelled to resign.

As premier, Bute showed considerable ability. Lord Mansfield said he never knew any man come to business so late who did it so well, and he proved an extremely good speaker. He also gave considerable patronage to literature and art. He had several distinct points of policy. He wished to close the era of war and make peace with France. He wished to sever the political connection between England and Hanover. He wished to humble the dominant Whig families, and to make the king supreme. In all these objects he was to a considerable extent successful. The popular feeling against the peace was intense. Still the minister had secured a large majority in the House of Commons; but although he had spoken much of purity of election, it is not to be denied that there had been extensive bribery in the elections. Confident of the royal support and a parliamentary majority, he seemed secure of a long lease of power.

After being premier for eleven months, to the astonishment of all, he suddenly resigned. He was unable to face the black tide of personal unpopularity which set in so heavily against him. Wilkes’s publication of the North Briton had both expressed and intensified his unpopularity. He was in danger of being impeached; he was in danger of being torn in pieces by the mob. He went about disguised. He attempted to conciliate popularity by recalling Pitt to office; but Pitt would only return with his Whig friends, to which the king would not consent. Then Lord Bute’s courage gave way. His own explanation was, “The ground I stand upon is so hollow that I am afraid, not only of falling myself, but of involving my royal master in my own ruin.” But although he resigned office, his influence with the king was hardly impaired. It was the king’s custom, at least for some time, to write a minute daily journal of events and transmit it to Lord Bute. Both Grenville who succeeded him, and Rockingham who succeeded Grenville, regarded him with the utmost jealousy. Grenville made it an absolute condition that Bute should retire from the presence and counsels of the young king. He retired to Luton; he afterwards travelled on the Continent under the name of Sir John Stuart He complained bitterly that he was not allowed “to enjoy that peace, that liberty, which is the birthright of the meanest Briton, but which has been long denied me.”

The influence of Lord Bute over the king was great for a time, but it has been much exaggerated. After a few years it seems to have declined altogether. Both the king and Lord Bute soon disclaimed its existence, and there is no lack of corroboratory evidence But it was impossible to eradicate the notion that there was a back-stairs influence personified in Lord Bute. He was denounced in popular addresses before the king himself as a betrayer of the constitution, and mobs regularly broke his windows. Wilkes reviled him; Junius thundered against him. Lord Chatham declaimed against him as one behind the throne greater than the throne itself. For twenty years he was regarded with invincible hostility and suspicion, yet we find him complaining that he had not the influence of an aiderman in obtaining a position for his son. Horace Walpole gives a curious account of an offer being made to Chatham shortly before his death of making him premier with a dukedom, he himself being a secretary of state. The facts are not well ascertained, but Lord Mountstuart, afterwards first marquis of Bute, wrote to assert upon his honour that his father, Lord Bute, assured him that he had not thought of coming into place again.

Lord Bute had purchased an estate at Luton in Bedfordshire, where Adams, the Scottish architect, had built him a magnificent residence. Here he formed an immense library, a superb collection of astronomical and philosophical instruments, and an admirable gallery of pictures, which are preserved in a large house appropriated to them in Warwick Square, London. On the summit of a plain Tuscan pillar in the grounds is an inscription in honour of his great friend and benefactress the Princess Dowager. Pie took great delight in architecture, and among other edifices built himself a marine villa on the edge of the cliff, in Hampshire, overlooking the Needles and the Isle of Wight. He is said to have been an admirable tutor and father to his children, and to have taken a greater pleasure in simple,· natural delights than he could have found in courts. His death was occasioned through that intense love of natural science which had followed him through life. Seeing a new plant on the cliff he climbed towards it, and received a severe fall, which brought on an illness of which he died.

The eleven months’ premiership, during which he was mayor of the palace, was a singular episode in his prolonged life,—a remarkable and unconstitutional experiment in politics which has never been repeated. Lord Bute possessed great virtues, great energy and ability, and was as able a premier as Newcastle, Grenville, or Rockingham, But the royal favouritism on which he relied proved the greatest bar to his political success, and has left a slur, exaggerated, but not altogether ill-deserved, on his memory. (f. a.)