Rum

   RUM, one of the Hebrides or Western Islands, forming part of the parish of Small Isles, in the district of Mull, county of Argyll, 12 miles (N. W.) from Arisaig, and 20 (N.) from the island of Mull; containing 124 inhabitants. This island, which is the largest of the four islands that constitute the parish, is supposed to have derived its name, in the Gaelic language signifying "room" or "capacity," from its superior extent. It is situated in the Atlantic Ocean, between the islands of Eigg and Canna, from which it is nearly equidistant; and is of circular form, and from eighteen to twenty miles in circumference, comprising 26,000 acres, of which a very small proportion is arable and in cultivation, and the remainder hill-pasture, moss, and waste. The surface is generally elevated, and in parts mountainous; and though the hills in some few places are of verdant aspect, yet the far greater number are abrupt and of rugged character. On the eastern and north-eastern borders of the island, the lands are overspread with heath and coarse grass; on the west and north-west the surface is covered with fine soft and luxuriant verdure, affording rich pasturage for sheep, and displays a beautiful contrast to the less fertile portions. Amidst the mountainous districts in the interior are numerous fresh-water lakes of considerable extent, in some of which trout of small size are found in great abundance, and of good quality. The moors are frequented by numbers of grouse; and on some of the higher hills, ptarmigans, curlews, snipes, herons, and various other birds are to be seen. Deer were formerly abundant; but since the destruction of the woods they have altogether disappeared. The coast is bold and rugged, more especially on the south and west sides, where it is lined with one continuous rampart of precipitous rock; and the island is indented with several small bays, of which the principal is Loch Seresort, on the eastern coast, at the head of which is the small hamlet of Kinloch, originally belonging to the Clanranalds, but now the property of the Macleans. A harbour has been formed here, which is easy of access, and affords good anchorage for vessels of any burthen. The bay is about two miles and a half in length, and from five to seven fathoms in depth; it is open only towards the east, and defended on the north and south by lofty hills rising from the extremities of the loch, and affording secure shelter from the prevailing winds. A commodious pier has been constructed, which gives every facility to vessels in loading and unloading their cargoes, and to the boats employed in the fisheries, the principal of which is the herring-fishery, carried on, however, only to a moderate extent; the herrings appear in the loch generally in the month of August, but the inhabitants seldom take more than is sufficient for the consumption of their own families. There is a great variety of other fish.

   The soil of the arable grounds is tolerably fertile, producing crops of oats, barley, and potatoes; but from the great inequalities of the surface, the lands are better adapted for pasture than for tillage, and the inhabitants place their principal dependence on the rearing of sheep and cattle. The sheep, of which about 8000 are pastured, are of the black-faced breed, and, though small in stature, are much prized for the delicacy of their flavour and the peculiar fineness of their wool, of which much is forwarded to Inverness, where it obtains a very high price. The cattle are all of the Highland blackbreed, and are chiefly purchased by drovers for the markets of the south; considerable numbers of horses of the native breed are reared in the island, and also numerous herds of swine, the latter for the Glasgow market. There are no plantations except on the lands of the principal heritor. The island is of the old red sandstone formation, and the cliffs on the western coast are amygdaloid, in which occur beautiful specimens of chalcedony, heliotrope, and other minerals; the principal strata are, red sandstone, and clay-slate of a reddish colour. The only seat is the residence of Dr. Maclean, a neat mansion with extensive offices, erected by him as tenant in 1826, at the head of Loch Seresort, and situated in a highly improved demesne embellished with thriving plantations. There is no village; and the sole means of communication with the post-office of Arisaig, on the main land, or with the adjacent islands in the parish, is by small boats, of which every family keeps one for its own accommodation. Steamers between the Clyde and Inverness pass and repass along the channel several times every week. A missionary who received £75 per annum from the Royal Bounty, and for whom a house was built by the heritor, formerly resided here, and officiated in his own house, in which a large room was appropriated as a place of worship, and also in the island of Canna; but the mission was suppressed in 1835, since which time there has been no minister.