42 TRANSACTIONS. 
time after the Roman legions left. Mr Whitelaw then went on to 
describe the baths, and in conclusion said they were a splendid 
memorial left by these old Romans, not only of the comfort, 
luxury, and splendour which they brought with them into this 
remote part of their dominions, but of that solid, all-enduring, 
time-defying work which they cid, and which was emblematic of 
the indomitable courage and perseverance which subdued the 
whole of the then known world. 
Il. Zhe Old Church of Dumfries. By Mr JAMES BARBOUR. 
St. Michael’s Church is still sometimes called ‘the Old Church,” 
but the title was first and properly applied to the building which 
preceded the present one, after the New Church, now Greyfriars’, 
was founded in the year 1727. It is the form and character of 
this earlier building, of which very little is known, although not 
quite one hundred and fifty years have elapsed since it was 
taken down, I propose endeavouring to elucidate in this paper. 
The site of the church is a conspicuous one, and with an 
outline showing that peculiar kind of eminence which is suggestive 
of the idea that it may have been a “high place” of heathen 
worship, afterwards appropriated to its present use when, under 
the influence of Christianity, such worship had ceased. This at 
least is the most ancient religious foundation in the town of which 
there is authentic record, receiving mention as early as the middle 
of the twelfth century, more than one hundred years before the 
founding of Greyfriars’ Monastery by Devorgilla. It has no doubt 
continued uninterruptedly to be a place of public worship ever 
since. Dedicated to the Archangel Michael, the patron of the 
Burgh, whose image the official seal bears, it and the old Castle 
which stood near were doubtless the two institutions under whose 
protecting shadow and fostering care the town was first planted 
and reared. Here the citizens worshipped, and in the small 
cemetery around, the only one existing in the town until quite 
recently, all their past generations are laid. 
Recently when repairs were being made on the existing 
building remains of old foundations were exposed, and some frag- 
ments of stones believed to be parts of the older church. Having 
these to start with, and wishing to follow out the subject, I 
examined the Records of various bodies likely to contain informa- 
tion, and fortunately found in those of the Presbytery, engrossed 
in extenso, the reports of tradesmen to whom remit had been made 
