INVERARY, a royal burgh of Scotland, and capital of the county of Argyle. It is delightfully situated on the west bank of Loch Fine, near its upper extremity, at the distance of 102 miles west by north of Edinburgh, 60 north-west from Glasgow, and thirty to the south-east of Oban. In front of the town is the small bay of Loch Fine, environed by romantic and woody hills; whilst, on its north side, with extensive and beautiful pleasure-grounds, stands the castle of Inverary, the seat of the ducal house of Argyle. Behind this spacious mansion the river Ary joins the loch, and from its margin rises the pyramidal hill of Duinicoch, to an elevation of seven hundred feet, embellished and wooded to the summit. The town of Inverary is small, consisting principally of a line of houses facing the lake. The town originally stood on the north side of the bay, but was removed by the proprietor to its present site. Within these few years several elegant residences have been erected, and the houses are generally well built. The town possesses a very comfortable modern church, a jail and court-house, with a parish, grammar, and charity school; the two latter being supported by the Argyle family. The herring fishery is the chief trade carried on here; and for the convenience of maritime traffic there is a well-built quay, which projects so far into the bay as to admit of vessels of considerable burden loading and unloading at low water. Inverary was an early seat of the Argyle family, under whose influence it was created a royal burgh by Charles I. in 1648, during his residence at Caresbrook Castle. By this arrangement its civic government consists of a provost, two bailies, a dean of guild, a treasurer, and a council appointed by the duke. The revenue arises from the petty customs, the rent of a common, and an annuity of L.20 conferred upon it by Duke Archibald. The castle is the principal object of attraction in this part of the county. It is a square edifice, built to replace one of more ancient date, and is constructed with a tower at each corner. The scenery around this elegant mansion attracts universal admiration, and the de [7:12:333]corations of the interior of the building are of corresponding splendour. The collection of old Highland armour which is to be found within the saloon, is particularly worthy of attention. No less than L.30,000 are said to have been expended in building, planting, improving, making roads, and in other works or utility and decoration in and around the castle. During summer Inverary is resorted to by an immense number of travellers. It can be approached from Glasgow by three routes, all of which are more or less calculated to delight the lover of the sublime or beautiful in nature. First, there are steamboats which sail down the Clyde, touching at Greenock and Rothesay, then through the tortuous and beautiful strait called the Kyles of Bute, and finally up the long arm of the sea called Loch Fine, near the head of which Inverary is situated. The second route is more direct, and occupies only about one half the time of the former. After passing down the Clyde, a small arm of the sea called Holy Loch is entered; and the traveller, after disembarking at the small village of Kilmun, crosses a wild vale of a few miles in length, and then enters upon the beautiful inland lake called Loch Eck, at the top of which he is transferred over land to the shores of Loeb Fine. The third route involves the famous scenery of Loch Lomond and Glencae, and is somewhat more circuitous than that just mentioned. By all these routes, scenery combining the grand with the beautiful is opened up to the eye of the tourist. The· population of the town and parish amounted in 1821 to 1137, and in 1831 to 2133.