134 TRANSACTIONS. 
and expounds in some places, in some not ; then another psalm is 
sung, and after that their minister prays again, and preacheth as 
in England. Before sermon, commonly, the officers of the town 
stand at the churchyard gate, with a join’d stool and a dish, to 
gather the alms of all who come to church. The people here 
frequent their churches much better than in England, and have 
their ministers in more esteem and veneration. They seem to 
perform their devotions with much alacrity. There are few or no 
sectaries or opinionists among them ; they are much addicted to 
their Church government, excepting the gentry, who love liberty 
and do not care to be so strictly tied down.” The present practice 
of inviting to funerals by advertisement is thus practically a 
reversion to an old custom, which Ray found also at Nantwich, in 
Cheshire, and which was probably common throughout the North. 
There are no plant localities given, but a catalogue is referred to 
in a note, and I have observed Dumfriesshire habitats in the 
“Synopsis.” Perhaps it might be well to keep this in mind 
against the next edition of the Flora. 
The author of a “Tour through the Whole Island of Great 
Britain,” written in the first half of the last century, says of the 
burgh : “Dumfries was always a good town, with large streets, 
and full of reputable and wealthy merchants, who trade into 
foreign parts and employ aconsiderable number of ships, especially 
since they have embarked in trade to England and the English 
plantations. This town is also advantageously situated for an 
increase of commerce on the river Nid, or Nith, for, though it 
stands near two leagues from the sea, yet the tide flows up to the 
town, and ships of burden come close up to the quay ; and about 
four miles below it the largest merchant ships in Britain may ride 
in safely. . . . They had formerly a woollen manufacture here, 
but the Union has in a great measure suppressed these things in 
Scotland, the English supplying them better and cheaper ; yet, at 
the same time, the Scots have more than an equivalent by an open 
trade to England and all the English plantations. The castle in 
this town is very old, yet is still pretty good and strong.” 
In Chamberlayne’s “ Magnex Britannie Notitia” for 1718 the 
state of agriculture and horticulture in Scotland at the time is 
spoken highly of, and the country is described as abounding with 
the best timber trees. Regarding Dumfries it is said: “The 
streets are large, and the church and castle very stately.” 
