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firmed. Salt without duty, would be from ten fhillings to thirteen fhillings per ton.

A NEW SPECIES OF RYE GRASS.

As it is very material and defirable, to bring pafturage to perfection on arable lands, I thall beg leave, before I quit the fubject of graffes, to mention a new fpecies of rye grafs; and though to do this, I muft pafs a little beyond the bounds of this county, I trust the digreffion will be excufed, on account of the importance of the oc cafion; as I am fully convinced, from repeated obfervations at various fealons, that the grafs in queftion has a manifest fuperiority over the common forts. fhould alfo be noted, that the spot where I viewed this grafs, at North leach in Gloucestershire, is of that fhallow stone brush kind, with which a confiderable tract of Oxfordshire, about Burford, abounds.

that ingenious and intelligent farmer at Northleach, whose attention to the breed of sheep has made his name fo well known to the public. It first attracted his notice by continuing among fainfoin, which had flood feven years; the feed was therefore first felected for this fort, and from time to time multiplied, till the cultivator has been able to accommodate many of his friends and the public (who have now found its value) with confid rable quantities of the feed, but not fo much as has been lately required; fifty quarters having been fent for in one order in 1792, when the whole that was raifed that It did not exceed fixteen quarters. year It therefore feems to be of public utility, that this valuable feed fhould be difpofed of in fmaller quantities, in order that it may be more univerfally difperfed, and it has been the advice of feveral gentlemen, well withers to improvements in agriculture, to raise the price to 10s. 6d. per bufhel, including new facks to fend it in; which would have the good effect of caufing thofe farmers to fave feed, who now feed it off, under an expectation of procuring more feed from the fame place, at the origi nal price of 5s. per bufhel: and the cultivator is undoubtedly entitled to fuch an advance, for his attention to the public intereft, in felecting, cultivating, and preferving the feed. One bufhel is fuf. ficient to fow an acre; and as the plant comes up weak the first year, it is advifable to fow it among corn, in order that the weeds may not get the better of it; or it may be fown with turnips, by firft hoeing and then harrowing it in. But if the land is intended to be a permanent greenfward, a mixture of the dactylis glomerata, or rough cock's foot grafs, would prove beneficial, the feed of which is now selecting alfo by the fame perfon. (To be continued.)

The excellencies peculiar to this fpecies of rye grafs are the following: 1. That in the autumn, when the other forts are become of a ruffet hue, withered and decayed, and produce little feed, this is luxuriant and growing; the tufts thereof fpreading over more than twice the space of ground than the common fort does. 2. That it will remain in the ground for feven or eight years, or more, depending on the quality of the land; whereas the other fort will not continue above one or two years, which is too short a time to give fufficient reft to the poorer forts of land. 3. A particular advantage arifes by its being hamed up about Michaelmas, or before, whereby it will grow at all open times during the winter, and produce a valuable pafturage for the ewes and lambs in the fpring of the year, when the turnips are gone.

The merit of discovering and cultivating this grafs, is to be attributed to

TOPOGRAPHY AND NATURAL HISTORY OF SCOTLAND. CONTINUED FROM PAGE 518.

about 7 miles from Kelfo; it contains parish about 800 inhabitants. It is very plea 4 R 2

ROXBURGH-SHIRE continued. MOREBATTLE is a fmall lying at the foot of the Cheviot hills

fantly

fantly fituated, having the rivers Bow mont and Kale, befide fmaller ftreams running through it. The veftiges of feveral camps, and the ruins of Whit ton castle and Corbet-house, fhow that it must have been the scene of war and ftrife in former times.

of an arch, 2 feet 4 inches thick, to
connect the hills on each fide with one
another. The total length is 55 feet,
There is both
and the breadth 10.
coal and limestone here, and many of
the ftreams iffuing from the lime rock
have the quality of petrifying the moss
on their banks.

SELKIRK SHIRE.

THIS County is of an irregular fornt, meafaring about 20 miles from north to fouth, but where broadeft, only about 10 miles from east to west. It is bounded on the eaft by Roxburghshire, on the fouth by Dumfriesfhire, on the west by Peeblesshire, and on the north by the fhire of Edinburgh. Over the whole it Befides the is hilly and mountainous. Tweed, which runs through this county, it has alfo to boast of thofe pastoral rivers Etterick and Tarrow." Tweed enters this county near Elibank, and after a course of a few miles fouthweftward, during which it paffes the ro mantic feats of Yair and Fairnilee, it receives the united streams of the two

CASTLETOWN. This very extenfive parish lies at the head of the fhire of Roxburgh, and connects it with Damfriesshire. It is 18 miles long, and 14 in breadth, containing about 1420 in habitants; but it must have been for merly more populous, for there are the ruins of no less than 5 churches in this parish. It is very hilly and mountainous, but the banks of the rivers are beautifully fkirted with wood, affording a great variety of picturefque fcenes. The river Liddal runs through great part of the parish, and has given the name of Lidderdale to this diftrict. The river Tyne, which runs by New caftle, takes its rife from the fame fource. The river Hermitage, with feveral fmaller ftreams, alfo water this tract. Dr Armstrong, who was a native of this parish, celebrates the beauties of rivers above mentioned, near Sunder. Liddal in his poem on HealthSuch the ftream, On whofe Arcadian banks I firft drew air. Liddal, till now, except in Doric lays, Tun'dto her murmurs by her love-fick fwains, Unknown in fong; though not a purer ftream Through meads more flow'ry,-more roman

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land-hall, the feat of Mr Plummer. The Yarrow arifes from two contiguous lakes, St Mary's and the Loch of the Lows, about 20 miles above the town of Selkirk. The Yarrow joins the Etterick near the family feat of Philipbaugh. This district is called Etterick Foreft, from the abundance of wood formerly on the banks of that river: now they are mostly bare of timber. Thefe two rivers are famous in fong. Gala water is also celebrated by the poet in ruftic lays it falls into the Tweed a few miles above Melrofe*. This diftrict is without both coal and lime, and, excepting marl, no mineral fubftance of any confequence has been difcovered, if we except fand-ftone.

ASHKIRK lies partly in Roxburgh and partly in Selkirk fhires; it extends to about 7 miles in length and 3 in breadth, containing 540 inhabitants.

*This junction is 286 feet above the level of the fea.

The

The furface is hilly, but these are not high; they are covered with grafs. The foil, upon the whole, is light and gravelly. The land-rent is about 2000l. Sterling. The river Ale runs through it, and receives the waters iffuing from about 12 fmall lochs, all which are ftored either with trout, perch, or pike. SELKIRK parish alfo lies partly in Roxburgh fhire; it is nearly a fquare of 10 miles, containing 1700 inhabitants; 1000 of whom refide in the town, which is a Royal Burough. The land-rent is about 4230l. Sterling yearly. The whole parish is hilly, but the foil about the town, and on the banks of the rivers is light, and well fitted for green crops, which now begin to be well understood here. There is no manufacture of any confequence. The rivers Etterick and Yarrow unite near the town, and empty their waters into the Tweed about a mile and a half below. The fcenery on their banks is romantic and beautiful. Newark Caftle, fuppofed the birth place of Mary Scott the Flower of Yarrow, ftands on a peninfula, formed by the Yarrow, 2 miles from Selkirk. Haining, with its loch of filver waters, within half a mile of the town, is worthy of a vifit from the traveller: This is the feat of the Pringles, one of whom was Andrew, Lord Alemore, a diftinguifhed judge and eminent scholar. Selkirk is beautifully fituated, on the fide of a hill, but the houses are indifferent. The citizens of this burgh rendered themfelves famous at the battle of Flowden, in adhering to their fovereign James IV. One hundred of them, headed by the town clerk, fought with confpicuous bravery. The corporation of weavers are, to this day, in poffeffion of a standard taken from the enemy. There are inexauftible funds of fhell marl in this neighbourhood.

YARROW is a very extenfive parish, about 18 miles long and 16 broad, containing 1230 inhabitants. The face

The land-rent of this parish is about 7000l. and the valued rent no lefs than L. 31,377:9:8 Scots.

of the whole is rugged and hilly. These are moftly covered with grafs and heath, with fcarcely any rocks vifible ;-the highest, Blackhouse, measures 2370 feet above the level of the fea. The rivers Etterick and Yarrow run through the parish.

ETTERICK, about 16 miles above Selkirk, is alfo a very extenfive parifh, nearly io miles every way, containing only 470 inhabitants. It is likewife hilly and mountainous; the most remarkable are Ward Law, which rifes 1900 feet, and Etterick Penn 2200 above. the level of the fea. The hills are, however, moftly covered with grafs and heath.

PEEBLES-SHIRE.

FROM Mid Lothian by Pennycuick we enter the fhire of Peebles, 16 miles from Edinburgh, in the parish of

LINTON, which contains about 25 fquare miles of furface, and about 1000 inhabitants. The greatest part is hilly and bleak. The river Lyne runs through the parish, as does the North Efk. There is great plenty of peat in this quarter. There is alfo abundance of fand-stone, both of a white and red colour. Limestone is in plenty, and shell marl. There is alfo on the Carlops hill a ftratum of ftone-mar! above the lime-ftone; and a small feam of fullers-earth near Bridgehouse bridge, over the Lyne, on the eaft fide of the water. This mineral is by fome thought to be peculiar to England, which is a mistake. It is much used as a detergent in the manufactories of woollen cloth. There is a mineral fpring here, which a good deal resembles the Tunbridge water.

NEWLANDS. This parish alfo joins Pennycuick in Mid Lothian; it is pretty well diverfified with hill and dale. There is little or no heath, the hills being mostly green. The arable land is in general a clayey loam upon till. The number of inhabitants is about 890, and the grofs rental 2,500l. per

annum.

There is plenty of coal and

lime

limestone; and in the hills about Noble houfe, iron-ftone and iron ore abound ; of confequence there are many chalybeate fprings. The Wheam, belonging to Lord Chief Baron; Lamancha, to the Hon. Capt. Cochrane; and Magbie hill, to Mi Mongomery; are feats which beautify this parish. There is a manufacture for converting ochre into paint at Lamancha.

KIRKURD. This parish from E. to W. is 5 miles, and from 3 to 4 in breadth, containing 6,620 English acres. The number of inhabitants is only 310; the furface is pretty much diverfified, there being a good deal of flat ground in this parifh, confidering its fituation, 600 feet above the level of the fea. Upon the banks of the Tarth, which is a small stream, the foil is rich and loamy; in general it is light and gravelly. From the hill called Hell's Cleugh, there is a moft extenfive profpect; its height is 2,100 feet above the level of the fea. There is a fulphureous fpring near Kirkurd house, which approaches in tafte to Harrogate water. Two excellent modern houses, with extenfive plantations, decorate this quarthe one, Kirkurd, belonging to Mr Carmichael; the other, New Cairn muir, belonging to Mr Lawfon.

ter;

DRUMMELZIPR. This parish extends near 12 miles in length, chiefly along the banks of the Tweed; its breadth is at an average only 3. The foil in general is light and gravelly, but fertile; in the low grounds it lets at 203. per acre. This parish is but thinly inhabited, containing only about 270 perfons.

KILBUCHO. This parish lies in the S. W. corner of the county, and is 4 miles from E. to W. and about 3 from S. to N. containing nearly 360 inhabitants. The land rent is little above 1000l. Sterling per annum. Of between 4000 and 5000 acres, which the parish contains, the greater part is pafture; being at a distance from coal, peat is almost the only fuel.

TWEEDSMUIR. This parish is ex

qufive, being nearly 9 miles fquare, but contains only about 230 inhabitants. It is very hilly and mountainous, but thefe in general carry grafs even to the tops. The two highest are Hartfield and Broadlaw, which are about 2,800 feet above the level of the fea. The river Tweed has its rife in the South Weft corner of the parish. From the fame hill the rivers Clyde and Annar alfo flow. The Tweed is joined in this parifh by the Core, Fruid, and Fala. The Crook and Bild, two ftages on the Dumfries road, lie in the parish. Some ruins of ancient caftles are feen at Oliver, Fruid, and Hackshaw.

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LYNE and MEGGET are united parifhes, though they do not lie together. The former is between 3 and 4 miles long, and 3 broad. Megget, fituated in the fouthern extremity of the county, is between 6 and 7 miles both in breadth and length. Together, they do not contain above 160 inhabitants. The water of Lyne runs from one extremity of the parish to the other. the low grounds, the foil is a fharp gravel-the pafture on the hills about Lyne are good; thofe in Megget are bleaker, and the grafs much coarfer. Near the church of Lyne there is a famous Roman camp, of about 6 acres extent. In ploughing, many Roman coins were formerly turned up.

On

TRAQUAIR. This parish lies on the South banks of the Tweed, about 6 miles below Peebles. Its length is between 8 and 9 miles, and its breadth from 4 to 5 up to the fource of the river Quair. It is faid to contain about 17,290 acres English; the number of inhabitants is nearly 450. The general appearance is hilly and mountainous. The hills afford good fheep pafture, and the haughs are light and fertile. Gumf cleugh, the highest hill in this parish, is about 2,200 feet, and Minchmoor, lying on the road to Selkirk, is 2,000 feet above the level of the fea. There are fome flate quarries wrought here. Some fpecimens of lead ore have been found, but no attempts have been made

to

to work any mine. The old manfion of Traquair ftands on the banks of the *Tweed. A little above, on the S. E. face of the hill, the Bufb aboon Traquair overlooks the laa.

Croffing the Tweed we enter the parish of

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INNERLEITHEN, which is pretty extenfive, about 5 miles long, and 4 broad. The greater part is hill and fheep pafture. There is a fmall village on the water of Leithen, where a mineral well has lately been brought into fome repute. It is a faltifh fpring, and found efficacious in fcorbutic and coutaneous erup tions. The opening at the junction of Leithen water with the Tweed is a very pretty fpot, ornamented with the plantations of Traquair on the one fide, and

of Pirn on the other.

PEEBLES is a very extenfive parish, about 10 miles in length, and 5 in breadth from East to West, containing about 1,920 inhabitants. The face of the country here is hilly and mountainous, though these are in general gravelly, affording good fheep pafture. The haughs on the Tweed and Peebles water are a pretty rich loam, and fertile. The lands near the town let from 40s. to 50s. per acre. Peebles is a Royal burgh, 22 miles from Edinburgh. There are no manufactures carried on in it: But its romantic and healthy fituation induces many families to refide there. The Castle of Neidpath, embofomed in wood, the property of the Duke of Queenfberry, ftands adjoining to the town; and the caftle of Horfeburgh a few miles below. There are the veftiges of many Roman and Britifh camps in this neighbourhood. Peebles once was a royal refidence; it was there that James I. wrote his poem of "Peebles to the Play," in which he defcribes a great feftival of diverfions, feafting, and mufic."

EDDLESTOWN. This parish lies about 17 miles South from Edinburgh, on the Peebles road; it is about 10 miles in length, and 7 in breadth, containing above 700 inhabitants. Peebles

water takes its rife in this parish, where it is called Eddlestown water; at Cow ey's Linn it has a fall of 35 feet. The South Efk rifes out of a beautiful lake about 2 miles in circumference, within two miles of the village. From the top of Dundoich, or Druid's hill, which is 2,100 feet above the level of the fea, there is a very extenfive prof pect. The greateft part is hill ground. In the vallies, however, the foil is light, and produces good crops.

pa

STOBO parish is about 6 miles long, and from 3 to 4 broad, containing about 320 inhabitants. The hills afford excellent fheep pafture; the low grounds are a fharp gravelly foil, and not unproductive. The land-rent of this rifh is about 1,250l. Sterling per annum. There are two flate quarries in this parish, of excellent quality. They have been much afed in covering the houfes in the New Town of Edinburgh. The river Tweed runs through it.

MANOR parish is 9 miles in length, and about 3 in breadth, containing nearly 18,110 acres of ground. The number of inhabitants is about 230, and the land rent 1,685. Sterling per an num. The parish is hilly, like moft others in this county; but the ground on the banks of the river Manor is productive. From the hill called Dollarburn, which is 2,840 feet above the level of the fea, there is an extenfive profpect into the Lothians on the North and Eaft, and to the Cheviot on the South. There are the ruins of a watchtower on a very commanding fituation, near which are the vestiges of a Roman camp.

GLENHOLM. This parish lies about 28 miles from Edinburgh, on the road to Dumfries, extending upwards of 4 miles along the road, and containing 300 inhabitants. The greatest part is hill and pasture ground; on the banks of Holm's water and the Tweed it is cultivated. It yields about 1,000l. Sterling of rent yearly. It lies high, and is much exposed to rain and damp On the banks of the Tweed, there are

feveral

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