Vitrified 
boats 
526 
rupted, the situation of the hills would render it easy 
for a small party to coop up the garrison. But as an 
always endeavour to approach unseen, 
and to prevent the country from being alarmed, these 
stations would undoubtedly be objects of attack ; and 
henee we should be warranted in supposing that they 
were, to a certain os fortified, varen were the ap- 
pearance of ramparts less unequiy 
Nor are we disposed to deny, that, in some instances, 
the fusibility of ane 8 have been cw: me of 
to assist in stren ing ramparts ; no- 
thing has yet occurred to our observation, or in the 
course of our reading, which we consider as carrying 
with it any thing like demonstration, or even the sug- 
gestion of any such method of constructing them. 
Our object, in this article, being chiefly to excite cu- 
riosity, and to induce such of our readers as may have 
an opportunity of visiting these curious remains, to ap- 
ly, on the spot, the different hypotheses which have 
stated, and to favour the public, through some 
channel or other, with the result of their observations, 
we shall now proceed to point out the situations of 
some of the most remarkable vitrified forts in various 
parts of Scotland, besides these already mentioned. 
In Kirkcudbrightshire, 
enemy wou 
ire, about half a mile S, E. from 
the church of Anwoth, is a steep rocky hill about $00 
feet high, which has been fortified on the most accessi- 
Sepleg apresdeeet: coped Ghababees he davai 
ces t ves, as 
by the Rev. Hugh Gordon. “ The which forms 
a level area, 30 paces long and 20 broad, is nearly sur- 
rounded with an irregular ri of loose stones, inter- 
mixed with vast quantities of vitrified matter. The 
stones, consisting of the common blue schistus of the 
country, have been softened, twisted, and partly fused 
by the fire. These heaps of loose stones and vitrified 
matter are scattered irregularly over the top of the fort, 
and exhibit no nee of having ever formed a 
continued wall. e. vitrification is only partial and 
superficial, and seems to have been the accidental ef- 
fect of fires kindled on these high rocks, either 
for some estic purpose, or for signals to,alarm the 
country on the of an enemy. It was former- 
5 hese that these vitrified forts were peculiar to 
ode of the island which is north of the Forth, But 
ides the one described above, there are two others 
in the re be and they all command a very extensive 
of the sea.” 
In the island of Bute, in the parish of Kingarth, there 
is a vitrified fort; and in Cantire, at the entrance of 
the bay of Carradale, on a small island, vitrified masses 
enclose about a rood of We believe that some 
others have been observed in Argyllshire, particularly 
one on the hill of Dunskeig, which commands the en- 
trance of Loch Tarbert. On the same hill, ramparts 
are seen constructed with dry stones, without any vi- 
trification. 
In Perthshire, the hill called hill, in the parish 
CY eee ified with particular 
care, Playfair thus describesrit : “ Its summit was 
levelled into an area 180:feet long, and 72 broad. A+ 
round the area, a mound of earth was raised from 6 to 
OS cae 20 StS Reodhies top. On this mound 
a wall of freestone was built, without any cement what- 
ever, The foundation of the wall was of 
rough granite, and still remains. It is of same 
with the summit of the mound; but the hei 
of the wall cannot be known. Gordon's estimate of it 
is very erroneous, Among the ruins there are several 
FORTS, VITRIFIED. 
ploces of vitrified stone; but these vitrifications must 
Bere 
if 
the hill gently slopes, there is a ditch10 
and 12 to 16 feet below the foundation of the 
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feet lower than the summit of the mound. T 
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ate 
ige of a well within the fort; but, westward, 
ge basis of ne mound ee ipice, there 
was a pond or lake, recently up 
nants im. thet neighbourhood, About a 
mile eastward, on the declivity of the hi 
some.remains of another oval fort, of less extent than - 
the preceding, consisting of a strong wall and diteh. 
Tronlition says that there was a subterraneous commu- 
nication between these forts, which ismot improbable.” 
attention 
fied that it must have been used as a bridge ; but he 
afterwards decidedly says that the approach to, the fort 
was on the north-east side, while bridge is at the 
south-east extremity. We are inclined to)think, that, 
The vitrifications on the. hill called Top»of Noth, 
have already been noticed, on: account: of their bei 
found insi _® fact con- 
to have Leith of 
“ The summit, on all sides, presents to a person whoap- 
