232 Field Meetings. 



and he turned a deaf ear to the summons that would have drawn 

 him into the same net. 



Ruskin, as we have said, counted kindred with the Galloway 

 Gordons. He and the present laird of Kenmure trace a common 

 descent from Captain Adair of Gennoch, through an older and a 

 younger daughter. The former married the Rev. John Garlics 

 Maitland, who became minister of Minnigaff in 1798. His son 

 became Dr Maitland, minister of Kells, and married Miss 

 Gordon, heiress of Kenmure. The other daughter of Captain 

 Adair was the great-grandmother of John Ruskin ; as she was the 

 grand-aunt of the present owner of Kenmure. 



In the Castle grounds is an ancient sun-dial, on which twice 

 over is cut the date "1623. 11th Dec." It is noted as the 

 second oldest known to be extant in Scotland, and it is curious 

 because of the elaborate inscriptions cut on it. The dial is in 

 two parts, each of them a slate slab, three-quarters of an inch 

 thick. These are set up against each other (on a modern shaft) 

 at an angle like the sides of a church lectern ; from which this 

 form gets the name of the lectern dial. The inscriptions are of a 

 pedantic nature — understood to be the composition of a local 

 schoolmaster — and chiefly in Latin. There are, however, two in 

 Scotch. One is the familiar rhyme concerning the length of the 

 months. The other informs us that the stone for the dial was 

 obtained from the neighbourhood of Merrick, the highest hill in 

 Galloway, although the workman has in the name substituted two 

 n's for the two r's in " Merrok." It also has a play on the names 

 of the signs of the Zodiac. The figuring of the dial proper is 

 very elaborately done. An iron cannon ball lying beside the dial 

 is associated with the visit of the Commonwealth troops. A very 

 curious statuary group in miniature, at a corner of the orchard, 

 represents four little gentlemen in stone engaged in a game of 

 cards round a little stone table, and near them are placed a little 

 man playing the bagpipes and another beating a drum. Two box 

 trees clipped into the form of peacocks are reminiscent of the 

 ancient Dutch garden fashion. The gardens proper are at 

 present bright with bloom. 



The inspection of the Castle, both internally and externally, 

 afforded great pleasure to the visitors. They were also hospi- 

 tablv entertained to tea in the dining-room. Mr R. C. Reid of 

 Mnuswald Place and Mr John Maxwell, H.M. Provincial Com- 



