Bute

Bute, an island of Scotland, in the Firth of Clyde, forms with the islands of Arran, Great and Little Cumbrae, Inchmarnock, and Pladda, the county of Bute, covering an area of 225 square miles. The island is about sixteen miles long, and from three to five miles broad, and is separated from the Argyllshire coast by a narrow winding channel, the Kyles of Bute. The northern part is mountainous and rugged, but elsewhere the soil is fertile and agriculture in an advanced stage. The chief town is Rothesay, whose castle is among the most interesting of the antiquities of the island. Mountstuart is the seat of the Marquis of Bute, to whom the greater part of the island belongs. The climate is milder than in any other part of Scotland.