Elgin, a S. W. county of Ontario, Canada, on the N. shore of Lake Erie, traversed by Otter creek, and bordered by the Thames river; area, about 730 sq. m.; pop. in 1871, 33,606. Capital, St. Thomas.

Elgin #1

Elgin, a city of Kane co., Illinois, on both banks of Fox river, which is spanned by an iron bridge, and on the Chicago and Northwestern railroad, 35 m. W. N. W. of Chicago; pop. in 1870, 5,441. It is laid out with broad streets, contains many brick blocks, and is well provided with shade trees. There is good water power and an active trade with the surrounding country. It is chiefly noted as the seat of the national watch factory, established in 1866, which has a capital of $1,500,000, employs 550 hands, half of them females, and manufactures 50,000 watches a year, valued at $850,000. There are also a woollen mill, a flouring mill, a butt and screw factory, a milk-condensing establishment, and two national banks. The city contains 16 public schools, including a high and two grammar schools, with an average attendance of 928 in 1872 ; two newspapers, a monthly periodical, and several churches.

Elgin #2

Elgin, a royal, parliamentary, and municipal burgh and market town, capital of Elginshire, Scotland, on the S. bank of the Lossie, 115 m. N. of Edinburgh; pop. of parliamentary burgh in 1871, 7,339. It is surpassed by few cities of Scotland in the number and interest of its ancient monuments. In former times it was a bishop's see; its cathedral was founded in 1224, and was burned in June, 1390, by Alexander Stuart, commonly called the wolf of Badenoch. Bishop Barr soon after erected in its stead a cruciform church with three towers. About 1568 the privy council ordered the lead to be stripped from the roof and sold to maintain the soldiers of the regent Murray. The noble structure has ever since been falling piecemeal to destruction. The great central tower and spire, 198 ft. high, fell in 1711. The chapter house, a beautiful octagon building, with a groined roof, supported by a handsome column in the centre, and elaborately ornamented, is still entire. As late as the beginning of this century Elgin bore an antiquated look, but new houses and streets have taken the place of the old; assembly rooms have been fitted up; a neat modern church has been built; and the streets are well swept, drained, and lighted with gas.

Gray's hospital or infirmary, an institution endowed with £26,000, occupies an elevated site in the western part of the city. An orphan asylum here was endowed with £70,000. Elgin has a considerable trade in corn and wool, and markets are held on each Tuesday and Friday. It has also a woollen manufactory, tannery, millstone quarry, and lime works. Three weekly newspapers are published.

Elgin Cathedral.