Transactions. 51 



a plan for a new building, but, being too expensive, one prepared 

 by the tradesmen, on whose reports the reverend court acted, was 

 preferred, and IMr M'Diarmid has suggested, in accounting for the 

 elegance of the church, that the design must have been partly 

 borrowed from Mr Adam's plan. A careful perusal of the process 

 before the Presbytery and of the proceedings of the Town Council 

 in the matter will, I think, lead to the conclusion that another 

 and more likely explanation is to be found. 



Estimates submitted to the Presbytery along with the reports 

 on the reparation of the Old Church had been approved, and on 

 the amount brought out, the proportion to be paid by the land- 

 ward heritors had been arranged. Being thus restricted, the 

 Council, on Mr Adam's plan proving too expensive, arranged one 

 Avith the tradesmen on the lines of their reports and estimates, 

 but with such modifications as the new conditions seemed to re- 

 quire. In this way the design originated and grew out of the 

 form of the Old Church. The ground plan almost exactly follows 

 the old one ; the central division correnponds in position and 

 width M'ith the old chancel and nave, as do the aisles with those 

 preceding ; and the most prominent feature, viz., the arcades, a 

 pre-Eeformation characteristic, is also can-ied forward from the old 

 church. Even the number of the pillars and half pillars agree, and 

 the roof, although of pavilion form, was intended to be triple like 

 the old one, the arcades being Isuilt for its support ; but a change was 

 afterwards arranged, as, according to a minute of Council dated 

 25th June, 1745, it was agx'eed on the suggestion of the trades- 

 men to alter the plan, and, instead of three roofs, to adopt a design 

 of one span, with a platform on the top, which the tradesmen 

 represented would be as sufficient and much more beautiful. The 

 pulpit now occupies exactly the place Avhere the ancient altar 

 stood. 



III. A Bronze Ewer Found near Moniaive. By Mr JoHN 

 COREIE of Moniaive. 

 The brass tripod ewer was found during May, 1885, by a 

 drainer employed on the lands of Craigmuie, an estate on the 

 boundary line between Dumfriesshire and Kirkcudbrightshire. 

 The soil in the vicinity is of the character of moss, and the ewer 

 was found embedded therein at a depth of about three feet from 

 the surface. The broken foot Avas found lying close beside. Mr 

 Thos. Conchie, mole-catcher, Moniaive, noticing the strange shaped 



