182 Transactions. 



FIELD MEETINGS. 



2nth of May. 



A visit was made to Drunilanrig Castle and Durisdeer Church, 

 under the direction of Mr James Fingland. 



Nev) Members elected : — Mr John Robson, clerk to the County 

 Council, and Major Young of Lincluden. 



z9th of June. 



A visit was made to Maxwelton House and Craigdarroch, on 

 tlie invitation of Sir Emilius Laurie and Captain Cutlar. 

 Fergusson. Under the guidance of the Rev. Thomas Kidd, the 

 places consecrated to the memory of Renwick were visited. 



New members elected : — Mr David J. Jardine of Applegirth ; 

 the Rev. Thomas Kidd, Moniaive ; Mr James M'Call of Caitloch ; 

 Mrs Thomas Shortridge, jun. ; Mr Robert Wallace, Brownhall 

 School. 



7th of September. 



A visit was paid to Birrens to inspect the excavation of the 

 Roman camp being made by the Society of Antiquaries of Scot- 

 land, assisted by Mr James Barbour, the representative of this 

 Society. 



At Birrens, Dr Macdonald gave a brief description of the 

 original extent of the fort or station, its defences, and the manner 

 in which the excavations were being carried out. His remarks 

 were supplemented by Mr James Barbour, who explained what 

 may be called the building plan of the interior, where the founda- 

 tions of numerous structures have been somewhat unexpectedly 

 discovered. The first antiquary, it appears, who took notice of 

 Birrens and described it as a Roman fort was Alexander Gordon. 

 Soon after Sir John Clerk confirmed Gordon's view by his dis- 

 covery, quite close to its defences, of the statue of the goddess 

 Brigantia and other Roman inscribed stones. General Roy 

 followed with a more accurate plan than Gordon's. To these 

 authorities all subsequent writers are indebted for what they tell 

 of it. The station proper, covering four acres, is enclosed within 

 a single rampart of considerable breadth and height, and was 

 further protected by six ditches on the north and apparently four 

 on the east and west. Of these last traces were visible a century 

 and a half ago. On the south all its defences have long since 



