334 TRANSACTIONS, NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY OF GLASGOW. 



Spindle trees, Mahonias, Barberries, the floriferous New 

 Zealand shrub Olearia haasti, and many others, attracted 

 attention, as did also the clumps of Bamboo. 



After wandering over the beautifully kept grounds, the party 

 entered the garden and hotrhouses, where a wealth of colouring 

 and delightful perfume regaled the organs of sight and smell. 

 They next visited the modern castle, which stands on a plateau, 

 and is considered one of the finest examples of modern Gothic 

 architecture. It was designed by David Hamilton, who planned 

 the Royal Exchange of Glasgow. By favour of Captain William- 

 son, who agreed to let a steamer touch at Toward that was 

 not in the habit of doing so, the party had ample time to do 

 justice to the beauties of the estate. 



Arniston and Temple, 23rd September, 1901. — Mr. George 

 Cleland acted as conductor of this excursion, which was under- 

 taken, on the Glasgow Autumn Holiday, jointly with the Ander- 

 sonian Naturalists' Society. Arniston and Temple are situated 

 to the south-west of Gorebridge, along the Gore and the 

 South Esk, and were part of the land on the South Esk, 

 in Lothian, granted in the twelfth century to the Knights 

 Templars by David I. The estate on the South Esk was 

 the first settlement of the Knights Templars in Scotland. 

 These lands were subsequently formed into the Barony of 

 Ballintrodo, which was the principal seat of the Templars until 

 the suppression of the Order, in 1309. At that time the 

 Templars, stricken in Scotland as in every other country in 

 Christendom, disappeared from Scottish history, and the name 

 given to the parish of " Temple " is now the sole remaining 

 link between that once mighty Order and the lands upon the 

 South Esk, -of which for nearly 200 years they were the lords. 

 From the Knights Templars, Ballintrodo passed into the hands 

 of the Hospitallers or Knights of St. John. 



The morning opened threateningly after a night of rain, but, 

 by the time Gorebridge was reached, the sun was shining 

 brightly on the party, which numbered in all 38. The Rev. 

 D. W. Wilson, M.A., Gorebridge, met the members, and guided 

 them into the Arniston grounds. The route at first lay through 

 the woods along the banks of the Gore. Near the entrance 



