INVERARY CASTLE.

Globe, Volume VIII, Issue 1039, 24 October 1877, Page 3

INVERARY CASTLE.

Coming after the news of the destruction of Inverary Castle by lire, which was recently received by telegram, (he following account of the castle and its surroundings may not be without interest to our reader s. The data are from “The Scottish Tourist.” On crossing the Bridge of Sidra, and rounding the Bay, tiro road takes to the left, along the shore of the Loch, amidst lofty trees, and crossing the Hay by a handsome bridge, reaches Inverary, twenty-three miles from Arrochar ; here the accommodation is excellent, and suited to ail ranks of life. Inverary is the county town of Argyleslure, aud was converted into a royal borough in 1648 by Charles X., who granted to it its present

charter, while lie was confined in Carishrook Castle. The New Town holds the Duke of Argyle, who lias laid out large sums of money on its improvement. The houses are uniform and neatly built, facing the lake. The Old Town was situated upon the north side of the hay, upon a lawn in front of the Castle, but was removed by the late Duke. The principal inn and the town hall are handsome buildings, and the church and spire give the whole a fine effect. A barbarous execution of the Campbells took place in 1688, and a monument is here erected to commemorate the event, which happened by authority of a writ of fire and sword against the whole clan. The courts of justice for the whole county are held in the town, which, with Oban, Campbelltown, Irvine, and Ayre, sends a member to Parliament. Its principal trade is the herring fishery, for which it has been famous from the earliest periods of history. The town’s arms represent a net with a herring in it. The herrings caught in Loch Fyne are allowed to be superior to any other. The number of boats generally engaged, for six months in the year, from July to January, are from 300 to 500, and the quantity of herrings taken run from 15,000 to 20,000 barrels annually; the greater part are exported. Between the town house and the inn is an iron gate, which opens into a long vista of aged trees, leading to the romantic glen of Essachosen. A short distance from the town, on the way to the glen, is seen a large lime tree, called the Marriage Tree, from the singular circumstance of its trunk separating a few feet from the ground, and again uniting twenty feet higher. The junction is formed by a small branch extending from the one stem to the other ; and so complete is the union that it is impossible to say from which the union branch has sprung, or which has made the advance, but the growing attachment gives strong signs of durability. At the end of the glen, the banks of which are luxuriantly wooded, is a beautiful cascade. Tire tourist would not fail to visit Inverary Castle, the noble residence (till now) of the Argyle family. This was their chief abode while in Scotland, and has been for upwards of 400 years. The lands were conferred upon one of the ancestors of the family for military services. The foundation of the Castle was laid by Duke Archibald in 1745, but it was not finished for many years afterwards. It was after a plan by Adam, in the castellated style, and had a bold and imposing appearance, with towers at the angles, surmounted by a square pavilion, which rose high above its circular towers. The blue granite with which the structure was built gave a severity to its whole aspect that harmonised well with the surrounding objects. The hall was spacious, and decorated with warlike implements, arranged with great taste. A superb gallery ran to the other apartments, which were all fitted up in a style of princely splendour. The pictures were well worthy of inspection, among the portraits being those of the Earl who was beheaded during the reign of Charles 11., and the unfortunate Marquis who suffered in the time of James VII. Some fine landscapes by Nasmyth and Williams, and the tapestry of the drawing-room would not escape observation ; indeed, the whole interior was showy and sumptuous in a high degree. The domain is upwards of thirty miles in circumference, and highly picturesque. On traversing the park, the visitor crosses an elegant bridge over the Aray, on the way to the romantic hill of Duniquaich, and having reached the tower on its summit, a height of 700 feet, would there obtain a fine view of the pleasure grounds and other objects of interest near at hand; and further off, to the north, the mountain of Grlenorchy ; on the west, those of Argyle proper; towards the south, Loch Fyne, with the hills of Cowal in the distance, forming a fine contrast to the tideless serenity of Loch Lomond: and eastward, a beautiful view down Glenshira, to which a fine walk descends, with majestic trees. At the bottom of the glen is Loch Dubh, famous for its fresh-water fish. The rides and walks within the grounds are romantic and beautiful, and the waterfalls and cascades upon the river Aray never fail to afford delight to the visitor. Those most worthy of attention in this romantic dell are Carlonan Fall and Lenach Gluthin. Three miles below the town of Inverary is an ancient Roman bridge across the Douglas, a stream that flows into the lake. The bridge is curious, and the scenery around truly picturesque. Loch Fyne is one of the most beautiful scalochs, as well as one of the largest, being about thirty-two miles long, measuring from three to twelve in breadth. In the “Legend of Montrose,” Sir Walter Scott describes the view from (lie bosom of the loch as “ one of the grandest scenes which nature affords.” Tlie charming scenographic appendages of Inverary, consisting of lawn, mountain, wood, and water prospects, are pregnant with beauty, life, and animation, and have been chosen as subjects for the pencil by some of the most eminent artists; and it may be mentioned that perhaps one of the most interesting may be obtained from under the branches of an aged tree at the foot of the hill of Duniquaich, having the Castle on the right, the bridge over the Aray on the left, and in the centre the bay, town, and shipping of Inverary.