FIELD MEETINGS 



Saturday, Ath of June. 



Leaving Dumfries with the 8.55 morning train, the members 

 arrived at Newton-Stewart, on the banks of the Cree, shortly after 

 eleven o'clock, and set immediately to work, under the guidance 

 of Sergeant M'Millan, a local antiquary. Among those who 

 swelled the contmgent at Newton-Stewart, beside Mr M-Millan, 

 were— Sheriff Watson, the Rev. W. Reid, parish minister of 

 Minigaff ; Mr Mackie, rector of Wigtown Grammar School ; and 

 Mr and Miss St Clair, of the Ewart Institute. 



Crossing the Cree into the Stewartry of Kirkcudbrig'ht, the 

 members of the Society next passed through the small rustic town 

 of Minnigaff, which looks like a suburb of Newton- Stewart, but is 

 in reality a much older town. Here our guide directed attention 

 to a worn stone, like a whinstone boulder, at the centre of the 

 village, which bore traces of an old dial plate carved on the upper 

 surface. Unfortunately, the custom of lighting a bon-fire around 

 it on New-Year's morning had split the stone. A watch was also 

 displayed, made in Newton-Douglas, 1772, that being then the 

 name of the town, so called in honour of Mr W. Douglas, an 

 enterprising merchant, proprietor of the village of Carlinwark, the 

 name of which was changed to Castle -Douglas. The name 

 Newton-Stewart was, however, afterwards reverted to when Mr 

 Douglas's carpet manufactory proved a failure. The church and 

 manse of Minnigaff stand in the peninsula formed by the junction 

 of the Penkill burn with the Cree. Evidently these important 

 buildings are not conveniently situated for the bulk of the 

 parishioners, but are in a corner of the parish, and not far from 

 the neighbouring Parish Chuich of Penuinghame. The avenue 

 towards the manse was glowing with rhododendrons, and no grass 

 could be greener than that in the lawns around. The party next 

 ascended the Court Moat, close to the church, near the verge of 

 the peninsula. No finer view could be had in the South of 

 Scotland than the view from this. The Cree and the Penkill were 

 seen on either side winding underneath overhanging trees, many 



