£79I' LITERARY INTELLIGENCER. 315 



Ihe Farijh af Holywood^from Sir "John Sinclair'' i Jia^ 

 tijlical Account of Scotland. 



Origin of the Name. 

 HoLYwooD is evidently derived from the holy wood, or 

 grove of oak trees, which iurrouiided a large Druidlcal 

 temple, Hill itanding, within half a mile of the parilli 

 church. • It is formed of twelve very large whin or moor 

 ftones, as they are calle^, which indole a circular piece of 

 ground of about eighty yards in diameter. The oaks have 

 mow all perillied ; but there is a tradition of their exifting in 

 the laft age. Many of their roots have been dug out of the 

 ground by the prefent minillcr ; and he has liill one of them 

 in his poifeflion. 



Situation^ Extent, and Surface. — Tlie parifl'. lies in the divi- 

 fion of the county of Dumfries called Nithfdale. in the Pref- 

 bytery and Synod of Dumfries. It is about ten Engliih miles 

 Jong, and one and an half broad, on an average. It is 

 bounded by the pariih of Dumfries on the eaft j by Terregles, 

 Kirkpatrick-Irongray, and Kirkpatrick-Durhnm, on the fouth^ 

 by a fniall part of Glcncairn, and a large traft of Dunfcorc, 

 on the well, and north ; and by Lirkmahoe on the north-cuil. 

 Being fituatcd in the middle of a broad valley, it is in gene- 

 ral flat and low land. The hills in the.paiifli are neither 

 high nor rocky. 



Rivers. — Tht river Nith runs along the whole of the eaft 

 end of the parilli, interfccting it, however, in one place for 

 above a mile in length. The river Cluden, alfo a confidera- 

 ble one, runs along the fouth fide of the pariih above eight 

 miles, and intericcls it in three places, emptying itfelf intq 

 the Nith in the fouth-eail; corner of the pariih, near the old 

 College or Provelby of Lincluden, which ifands on the 

 Galloway fide of the rivei, in the pariih of Ttrregles. 



fijh — The Cluden abounds in fine burn trouts, a fevir 

 pike of a middle fize, and of excellent quality, feme falmon, 

 ibmt ica trout, and herlings *. The Nith produces the 



* Hcrling^, arc a fniall kind of trout, u little larger tlian aherrinj;, and 

 fliapcd like a falmon ; its, I'clh is rcddiih, like that of the falmon ui" ft-? 



