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by two semi-circular stono stairs, which evidently form " the front 

 stair " mentioned in the letter of ■28th December, because in the 

 draft the word " front " is interlined, and immediately after the 

 word " stair " the words " upon the front of the house " are 

 deleted, and this was tlierefore the stair up which, according to 

 Mr Fergusson's statement, the Highlanders "made a shift" to 

 get their horses. The main door opens off the above-mentioned 

 terrace into a corridor, which originally communicated with the 

 inner court by several arches which have now been filled in with 

 glass. Over this corridor was a large apartment originally used 

 as a picture gallery, and I therefore fix upon the corridor as the 

 place " under the gallery " where the Highlanders stabled their 

 horses after getting them up the front stair. The court is now 

 partly occupied by a cliapel, but originally it was quite open, 

 and there was a large doorway on the opposite side from the front 

 door entering into an apartment, from the other side of which 

 access was obtained to the garden by a stone staircase. This 

 apai'tment, I think, is the " vestibule " where the sheep were 

 killed, because there was originally adjoining it a large staircase 

 which led to a fine apartment on the next floor, now used as a 

 drawing-room, but which was then probably the main banqueting 

 hall. It is rather difficult to determine what was the " low 

 dining-room " mentioned by Mr Fergusson, but it was probably 

 tlie I'oom to the west of this staircase, whicli had originally direct 

 communication with the kitchens. The space occupied by this 

 staircase has now been formed into a service-room, and the 

 vestibule and a room to tlie east have now been thrown together 

 and form the dining-room, and a room still further to the east is 

 now occupied by the present main staircase. The basement 

 storey is occupied by the kitchen premises and servants' apart- 

 ments, and there is access from it to all parts of the house by 

 four circular stairs, which ascend at each of the four corners of 

 the inner court. The stair at the south-west angle formed the 

 access from the kitchens to the room which I have indicated as 

 the low dining-room, but the doorway between that room and tlie 

 stair has now been built up. With regard to the pictures at 

 Drumlanrig, there is a tradition that the Highlanders cut the 

 portraits of King William, Queen Mary, and Queen Anne with 

 their swords and dirks, and certainly these pictures do bear 

 evidence of some slight ill-treatment of this kind, but it is curious 

 that in his letters Mr Fergusson does not mention this fact (if, 



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