134 account of antiquities in Scotland 'Jan. 5.5_ 



that these had been erected by our ancestors as 

 theatres of justice ; as all courts were held in the 

 open air by the Saxons ; and probably the same cus- 

 tom might prevail among other tribes of the same 

 people. Such of these mounds as have been demo- 

 lifhed, Were found to consist entirely of earth, with- 

 out having had any thing seemingly placed by de- 

 sign within them. There are usually some stones 

 placed on end round the base of these artificial 

 mounts. 



II. The cairns are evidently sepulchral monuments. 

 And as these could be reared in haste by a multitude 

 of people, this artlefs method of perpetuating the 

 memory of chiefs slain, in battle seems to have been 

 universally adopted by all the different tribes of the 

 uncivilized northern nations. 



What induces me to believe that this practice has 

 been confined to no particular nation, is, that these 

 cairns are to be met with in every corner of the 

 country, and, upon being opened, are found to con- 

 tain chests or coflins of various construction. In 

 most cases these coflins are of a size and fliape fitted 

 to contain the human body at full length. Some- 

 times they are formed of one stone, hollowed out 

 for that purpose ; although they are more usually 

 composed of separate flat stones fitted to one another. 

 In some of these tumuli there is found, in place of the 

 coflin, a kind of square chest, formed likewise of flat 

 stones, which seems to have contained only some 

 particular parts of the human body ; and in others, 

 especially in the internal parts of the northern high.p 

 lands, and 'wejlern isles, there is found, withla a 



