432 Particulars connected with the late Earthquake in Scotland. 



people were coming to their labour, they all expressed a 

 considerable degree of astonishment at the extraordinary num- 

 ber of every species of swaliou', that are common in this quarter. 

 The number was far beyond any thing ever seen before, except 

 when they assemble before their departure for the season. 



The swallows continued to fly about the field for some days, 

 and then dispersed. They had abandoned their young to 

 perish. In many nests in the neighbourhood and about the 

 field, the whole young were found dead ; also a considerable 

 number of the old ones, six of which I opened, and not the 

 smallest vestige of flies or any other thing was found within 

 them. Tliey had died of want, the number of flies had been so 

 much diminished from the excessive rains preceding that date. 



But to the earthquake. — It had been distinctly felt in Kirkaldv 

 and Leslie, but nowhere nearer, nor round Loch Leven, that I 

 can learn. But on Thursday morning about nine o'clock an 

 old man, George Braid, who has lived in this neighbourhood, 

 and been working as bleacher, waulker, &:c. upon the banks of 

 Leven, all his life, had just come to the field to waulk some 

 plaidings, and had gone to let down the bye sluice. His atten- 

 tion seemed quite arrested by some appearance in the stream. 

 Standing at a little distance, I called to him, " What's the mat- 

 ter, George ?" " Come and see," Avas his reply. I went and 

 observed the water perfectly thickened with moss, clay, sand, and 

 every description of mud, to a most extraordinary degree. This 

 was the more remarkable as the women had just finished washing 

 a parcel of yarns, uhen the stream was clean and clear as usual. 

 I observed to the old man,' — that the mud and dirt must be the 

 effect of the millers cleaning out Arnott mill dam, and would soon 

 go by. " No," said he, " that is iiot Arnott mill dam, nor will 

 it go by for these eigkt-and-forly hours at least." 



Seeing his consternation, and the manner in which lie spoke, 

 I asked. What made him think so ? Did he, who had lived so 

 long on the banks of the Leven, recollect having ever seen a 

 similar appearance before? " Never," said he, " but 077ce; and 

 that was when an earthquake happened at Comrie : and be as- 

 sured there has an earthquake happened somewhere, be where 

 it may." 



Nothing of an earthquake had been felt here, nor had the 

 slightest knowledge of any such thing reached this ])lace at the 

 time of this conversation. Struck with the old man's remarks, 

 and his manner of making them, I went up the river to the junc- 

 tion of Arnott mill dam, and found the dam clear as a fountain; 

 but the river under Auchmoor bridge dirty and foul beyond 

 description, and as far up the Leven as the eye could reach. 



From 



