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ISLAY

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Originally appearing in Volume V14, Page 874 of the 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica.
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ISLAY , the southernmost See also:

island of the Inner See also:Hebrides, See also:Argyll-See also:shire, See also:Scotland, 16 m. W. of Kintyre and 4 m. S.W. of See also:Jura, from which it is separated by the See also:Sound of Islay. Pop. (1901) 68J7; See also:area, 150,400 acres; maximum breadth 19 M. and maximum length 25 M. The See also:sea-lochs Gruinart and Indaal cut into it so deeply as almost to convert the western portion into a See also:separate island. It is See also:rich and productive, and has been called the " See also:Queen of the Hebrides." The See also:surface generally is See also:regular, the highest summits being See also:Ben Bheigeir (1609 ft.) and Sgorr nam Faoileann (1407 ft.). There are several See also:freshwater lakes and streams, which provide See also:good fishing. Islay was the See also:ancient seat of the " See also:lord of the Isles," the first to adopt that See also:title being See also:John See also:Macdonald of Isle of Islay, who died about 1386; but the Macdonalds were ultimately ousted by their rivals,the Campbells, about r6i6. Islay See also:House, the ancient seat of the Campbells of Islay, stands at the See also:head of See also:Loch Indaal. The island was formerly occupied by small crofters and tacksmen, but since 1831 it has been gradually See also:developed into large See also:sheep and arable farms and considerable business is done in stock-raising. See also:Dairy-farming is largely followed, and oats, See also:barley and various See also:green crops are raised.

The See also:

chief difficulty in the way of reclamation is the See also:great area of See also:peat (6o sq. m.), which, at its See also:present See also:rate of See also:consumption, is calculated to last 1500 years. The island contains several See also:whisky distilleries, producing about 400,000 gallons annually. See also:Slate and See also:marble are quarried, and there is a little See also:mining of See also:iron, See also:lead and See also:silver. At Bowmore, the chief See also:town, there is a considerable See also:shipping See also:trade. See also:Port Ellen, the See also:principal See also:village, has a See also:quay with lighthouse, a See also:fishery and a See also:golf-course. Port Askaig is the See also:ferry station for Faolin on Jura. Regular communication with the See also:Clyde is maintained by steamers, and a See also:cable was laid between Lagavulin and Kintyre in 1871.

End of Article: ISLAY

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