Fort-Augustus

   FORT-AUGUSTUS, a village, post-town, and lately a quoad sacra district, in the parish of Boleskine and Abertarff, county of Inverness, 131 miles (N. W.) from Edinburgh; containing 700 inhabitants. This place, situated at the south-western extremity of Loch Ness, in the middle part of the county, derives its origin from the establishment of a garrison here in 1729, for the purpose of checking the proceedings of some clans in the neighbourhood that were favourable to the house of Stuart; and is the central of a chain of forts, all built with the same design, across the Highlands. Its name was given to it in honour of the then Prince of Wales, father of George III. The fort, which stands on a peninsula formed by the rivers Tarff and Oich, is of a square form, with bastions at the corners, on which can be mounted twelve six-pounders; and it is defended by a ditch, with a battery, a covert-way, and glacis. The barracks are constructed for one field-officer, four captains, twelve subalterns, and 280 rank and file. In 1745 the fort was taken by the Highlanders, and dismantled, but was soon repaired, and became the focus of some of those severe military operations by which the Highlanders were completely subdued: it is now under the charge of a barrack-master and a few soldiers from Fort-George, whither the guns were removed a few years since. The village is seated behind the fort, on the slope of an alluvial terrace; and the scenery in the vicinity is altogether of a wild and mountainous character. Over the Tarff is a bridge, kept in repair by government; but it was till lately in a very ruinous state, and dangerous even to foot-passengers. Fairs are held on the Monday before the second Wednesday in June, and the 20th of September, or, if not on that day, on the Monday before the 29th. A mission church, containing 368 sittings, was built about seventy years ago, partly by subscription, and partly by aid from government; the minister's salary is £74 per annum, which is chiefly paid by the committee for managing the royal bounty; and an ecclesiastical district comprising the whole of the ancient parish of Abertarff was until lately attached to the church. An excellent and commodious school-house and dwelling have been built by subscription. Several Roman coins were discovered in 1767.