871); _Essay on Self-Culture_ (1874); _Horae
Hellenicae_ (1874); _The Language and Literature of the Scottish
Highlands_ (1876); _The Natural History of Atheism_ (1877); _The Wise
Men of Greece_ (1877); _Lay Sermons_ (1881); _Altavona_ (1882); _The
Wisdom of Goethe_ (1883); _The Scottish Highlanders and the Land Laws_
(1885); _Life of Burns_ (1888); _Scottish Song_ (1889); _Essays on
Subjects of Moral and Social Interest_ (1890); _Christianity and the
Ideal of Humanity_ (1893). Amongst his political writings may be
mentioned a pamphlet _On Democracy_ (1867), _On Forms of Government_
(1867), and _Political Tracts_ (1868).

See Anna M. Stoddart, _John Stuart Blackie_ (1895); A. Stodart-Walker,
_Selected Poems of J.S. Blackie_, with an appreciation (1896); Howard
Angus Kennedy, _Professor Blackie_ (1895).

BLACK ISLE, THE, a district in the east of the county of Ross and
Cromarty, Scotland, bounded N. by Cromarty Firth, E. by Moray Firth, S.
by Inner Moray Firth (or Firth of Inverness) and Beauly Firth, and W. by
the river Conon and the parish of Urray. It is a diamond-shaped
peninsula jutting out from the mainland in a north-easterly direction,
the longer axis, from Muir of Ord station to the South Sutor at the
entrance to Cromarty Firth, measuring 20 m., and the shorter, from
Ferryton Point to Craigton-Point, due north and south, 12 m., and it has
a coastline of 52 m. Originally called Ardmeanach (Gaelic _ard_, height;
_manaich_, monk, "the monk's height," from an old religious house on the
finely-wooded ridge of Mulbuie), it derived its customary name from the
fact that, since snow does not lie in winter, the promontory looks black
while the surrounding country is white. Within its limits are comprised
the parishes of Urquhart and Logie Wester, Killearnan, Knockbain (Gaelic
_cnoc_, hill; _ban_, white), Avoch (pron. Auch), Rosemarkie, Resolis
(Gaelic _rudha_ or _ros soluis_, "cape of the light") or Kirkmichael and
Cromarty. The Black Isle branch of the Highland railway runs from Muir
of Ord to Fortrose; steamers connect Cromarty with Invergordon and
Inverness, and Fortrose with Inverness; and there are ferries, on the
southern coast, at North Kessock (for Inverness) and Chanonry (for Fort
George), and, on the northern coast, at Alcaig (for Dingwall),
Newhallpoint (for Invergordon), and Cromarty (for Nigg). The principal
towns are Cromarty and Fortrose. Rosehaugh, near Avoch, belonged to Sir
George Mackenzie,