154 Transactions. 



Burnside, then minister of the New Church, afterwards minister of 

 the Old Church. It is given in full in the MSS. book lately com- 

 mitted to the custody of this Society, and in an abbreviated form 

 in the " Statistical Account of Scotland," edited by Sir John 

 Sinclair. I have lately had an opportunity of again reading the 

 MSS. book prepared by Dr Burnside, and have been much struck 

 with the very able manner in which it is written. I am convinced 

 that if printed and properly edited, it would form one of the best 

 contributions to the history of Dumfries that has yet been made 

 public. As a foretaste of what may be in store for those interested 

 in this subject when some one with suflScient leisure, knowledge, 

 and enthusiasm can undertake the work I have indicated, I give a 

 few notes shewing some differences between the Dumfries described 

 in Dr Burnside's Statistical Account and the Dumfries of 1889. 



Regarding the first head of inquiry, that of geography and 

 natural history, there is not much to notice. Physical conditions 

 do not alter greatly in the course of a century. Under this heading 

 he observes that the distempers, as he calls them, are fever, 

 rheumatism, and consumption. In this respect there is much 

 change for the better. Dumfries, thanks to improved sanitary 

 arrangements, is now more free from fever than almost any other 

 town in Scotland. As regards rheumatism, the statistics shew 

 that Dumfries occupies about an average position, and in regard to 

 consumption that the death-rate is, as it was a hundred years ago, 

 very high. Dr Bui-nside refers to the well-known characteristics of 

 our climate — the moisture of the air, the dryness of the soil, the 

 short time snow lies on the ground, and the high winds which often 

 prevail. There is mention of floods which are now unknown to 

 the extent to which they existed a hundred years ago. " The 

 parish is subject to considerable swellings of the river which often 

 lay the lower part of the town under water. In the houses near 

 the bridge it will sometimes rise two or three feet. These floods 

 are most frequent towards the end of harvest and the beginning of 

 winter. The two most remarkable of late were in October, 1778, 

 and in November, 1772. It was in the last-mentioned flood that 

 the Solway Moss was carried ofi"." 



There are more changes to note in regard to the second head 

 of enquiry, " Respecting the population of the parish." The 

 estimate of the population is given from information derived from 

 parochial visitations made by himself and his colleague in St. 



