74 Dumfriesshire and Galloway a Century Ago. 



of a few days Mr Reid secured, in the neig-hbourbood of the Mull 

 of Galloway, over 80 chests of tea, 140 ankers (that is 1400 

 gallons) of g-in and brandy, and nearly as many bales of tobacco. 

 A whilom excise officer of Wigtown, who died at an advanced age 

 toward the middle of this century, remembered having as a boy 

 counted 210 horses, laden with tea, spirits, and tobacco, and 

 guarded by about 100 men, passing in full daylight within a mile 

 of Wigtown, in open defiance of the excise officers and a party of 

 about 30 soldiers stationed in the town. He also remembered 

 going with his father, then excise officer in Wigtown, and a small 

 detachment of troops, to prevent a landing- of smuggled goods at 

 Port William. But the smugglers were in too great force, and a 

 conference took place. The commander of the gang said if any 

 interference was attempted he would clear the beach with his 

 guns, but if he was left undisturbed he would leave some spirits 

 thereon. Accordingly the excise party retired to a distance of a 

 few miles, and on their return found 3G casks of spirits awaiting 

 them at the appointed spot. Even as far as Sanquhar smuggling 

 transactions were briskly carried on. Some of you perhaps know 

 Pamphey Linns, a picturesque spot on the Barr Moor, immortalised 

 by our gifted countryman, Alexander Anderson. The caves there, 

 still in existence, were a century ag'o much more extensive than 

 now, and very useful for the storag-e of smuggled goods. Moi'e 

 than one worthy tradesman in Sanquhar, who towards the end of 

 last century throve amazingly and became an important person in 

 the burgh, owed his prosperity to transactions connected with 

 Pamphey Linns. 



As regards the social condition of Galloway and Dumfriesshire 

 at the period in question, it must certainly have been such as 

 would cause a sevei'e shock to our more Sybirite habits. Only as 

 a sarcastic relation of mine once remarked to me, " You know they 

 drank water out of any well or burn that came convenient, and 

 did'ut have any drains, so they never had typhoid fever." It has 

 lately been argued that colds are a product of civilisation. In the 

 presence of medical science I do not venture to embark on the 

 slippery ice of an attempt to prove typhoid fever to be another 

 beneficent result thereof ; but certainly the water supply and other 

 sanitary arrangements of even country houses of some importance 

 a century ag'o are subjects better left in the oblivion to which the 

 march of progress has consigned them. Whether or not the 



