450 
attention of the parish minister, who had it cleaned, and a 
drawing of it taken. The material is a very coarse free-stone. 
The dimensions, five feet one inch in length, by two feet eleven 
inches broad, thickness fully four inches. It is carved on one 
side only. The emblematical devices are three figures on horse- 
back, a greyhound, a wild boar, a serpent, or dragon ; and the 
peculiar spectacle device 
like that on other old monuments in the north of Scotland. 
To these Ido not refer at present ; my business being with the 
inscription. Professor Stuart makes it probable that this mo- 
nument commemorates the assassination of King Kenneth III., 
in the year 994. His Majesty is said, by our historians, to 
have been assassinated at the instigation of Finele, ‘‘ daughter,” 
says the Professor, ‘* of Cruchné, Maormor of Angus.” This 
should be the Cruithne (Pictish) Maormor of Angus. The 
royal residence was at Kincardine. In the neighbourhood are 
Strath-Finella and Den-Finella. In this case, history is con- 
firmed by tradition and topographical etymology. A drawing 
of the fragmentary inscription will be found in the Areheolo- 
gia Scotica, vol. ii. p. 315. 
‘*'There has been another line, if not more, above what re- 
mains, and [ do not pretend to be able to decipher that with 
certainty; but it strikes me that it looks like Kenkardin or 
Kinkardin, the name of the royal residence. It is to be ob- 
served that the costume of the human figures on this monu- 
