FIELD MEETINGS. 



First Field Meeting— June ii. 



The following report of the meeting is taken from the 

 Dumfries Standard : — 



The members of Dumfriesshire and Galloway Natural History 

 and Antiquarian Society had their first field meeting of the 

 summer session on Saturday, when they spent the afternoon in a 

 round of interesting visits at Sanquhar and Eliock. A party of 

 nineteen journeyed from Dumfries, and at Sanquhar they were 

 joined by Mr Wilson, banker ; the Rev. James Hay Scott, of 

 the North United Presbyterian Church ; the Rev. James Wood, 

 of the Parish Church ; and Mr Salmon, teacher. They pro- 

 ceeded first to the Parish Church, where they were shown the 

 mason work, indicating the wall-lines of the pre-Reformation 

 building, which have been revealed and permanently marked at 

 the cost of the Marquis of Bute with consent of the heritors ; 

 and in the church itself the stone figure which is believed to be 

 that of Mr William Orichton, rector of Sanquhar. A number of 

 curious stones in the churchyard also engaged attention. There 

 is one centenarian commemorated — William Crichton, of the 

 same family as the famous Provost Abraham Crichton, his age 

 bein" »iven at 103 years. On a flat and much worn stone is a 

 single letter, the remnant of a black letter inscription ; and 

 beside it a well-sculptured hand holding some object between 

 finder and thumb. The singular name " Oliver " also appears on 

 the stone. Against the churchyard wall there has been set up 

 a long slab, with the date 1674, in memory of John Broun in 

 Gateside and Janet Dalyell liis spouse ; and below the names is 

 some florid lettering, apparently their monograms. Another 

 stone in the same neighbourhood is ornamented with a bold 

 device of a winged head, and is dated 1738. 



Part of the company proceeded from the churchyard to the 

 Manse, where Mr Wood exhibited his extensive collection of old 



