HH62/2/LANARK/13

Transcription

[Page] 12

and near Crossford the River Nethan. Hitherto its course
has been entirely through the Upper Ward, but a little
below its junction with the Nethan it forms the division
between the Parish of Dalserf in the Middle Ward, and the
Parish of Carluke in the Upper. From the village of
Dalserf it is entirely within the Middle Ward, through
which it flows until arriving nearly at Rutherglen.
In its passage through the Middle Ward it receives the
Avon, and the South Calder near Hamilton, the North
Calder and the Rotten Calder near Daldowie. In the
Lower Ward the only tributary of any importance is the
River Kelvin.
The length of the river from its source to its termination
in the Firth of Clyde is a little under 100 miles, about 90
miles of which are within the County of Lanark.

Geology. - The geology of the county has an important
bearing on its industries, and, consequently, on many of its
sanitary conditions. No apology, therefore, is needed for
a brief reference to it here.
A considerable part of the Upper Ward, and practically
the whole of the Middle and Lower Wards, are occupied by
the carboniferous strata, forming the coalfield of the Clyde
basin. "The formation rests on traps and ashes associated
with the Lower Calciferous Sandstones, which towards the
east separate the coalfield from that of the Lothians, and
in the west from that of Ayr. The middle portion of
the formation, which contains the best coal seams, with
blackband and other ironstones, is without limestone
and apparently of fresh-water origin, although a bed
of marine fossils has been detected in the series near
Glasgow. It also contains many valuable coal seams
and veins of ironstone. The line of junction between
this lower series and the Old Red Sandstone occurs in
the vicinity of the Falls of Clyde, Lanark, and Carstairs.
Besides the older trap rocks, which bound the field to the
east and west, others, probably of the same age as the

[Page] 13

Upper Carboniferous series, rise through and disturb the
strata of the interior in many places; and numerous basaltic
dykes, which, however, are generally unconnected with
faults in the strata, extend through the area of the coal-
field in an easterly direction. These, like the other erupted
masses, usually alter the strata with which they come into
contact, converting coal into coke, and clay into jasper, and
highly indurating the shales and sandstones. The isolated
coalfield of Lesmahagow, about 7 miles square, is nearly
surrounded by Old Red Sandstones, upon which also the
coal rests." *

Industries. - From what has been said it may be inferred
that over nearly the whole of the Upper Ward the in-
habitants are mainly engaged in occupations connected
with the soil - dairy farming, sheep farming, cultivation of
cereals, and fruit growing. The exception is to be found in
the Parishes of Carnwath, Carluke, and Lesmahagow,
where valuable seams of minerals are worked, principally
house coal, gas coal, and limestone, and where, consequently,
we find a large section of the population engaged in mining.
In the village of Leadhills the lead mines provide employ-
ment for a number of people.
In the Middle Ward the great bulk of the population is
dependent upon coal mining, and on the manufacture of
iron and steel, except in the Parishes of Avondale, Glasford,
Stonehouse, and East Kilbride, which are devoted almost
entirely to agriculture and weaving. In the Lower Ward,
also, the chief occupations are connected with coal, iron,
and fireclay.

Housing of the Working Classes. - This is a subject the
consideration of which I approach with a sense of no little
responsibility. In many things Scotland, and especially the
County of Lanark, can challenge comparison with the rest of

* Encyclopædia Britannica.