DROITWICH DRYBURGH. 



447 



and, in connection with his preceding essays, it 

 procured him the distinction of M. A. from the 

 university of Aberdeen. Previously to the publi- 

 cation of this "Treatise," Mr Drew appeared as the 

 biographer of his friend Dr Coke. This life was 

 published by the Methodist Book-room, in 1816, 

 in an octavo volume; and before its appearance, he 

 had undertaken the compilation of a history of his 

 native county, in two quarto volumes. This was 

 not a work of his own suggestion, or one in which 

 he had any personal interest beyond his literary re- 

 putation. It was the speculation of a provincial 

 bookseller, who had already published a prospectus 

 of the work, as coming from another pen. The 

 gentleman who had engaged to be the compiler 

 died ere he had got beyond the dedication ; and 

 Mr Drew, as his successor, found himself thrown 

 entirely upon his own resources. This work occu- 

 pied his attention during the greater part of two 

 years; but the publisher becoming bankrupt before 

 its completion, Mr Drew suffered a heavy pecuni- 

 ary loss ; and the public had to wait till 1824 before 

 the concluding portion made its appearance from 

 the press. In the beginning of 1819, when Messrs 

 Nuttal, Fisher, and Co. of Liverpool, were about 

 to establish the " Imperial Magazine," Mr Drew, 

 at the recommendation of Dr Clarke, was engaged 

 as its editor. This led to his removal from St 

 Austell to Liverpool, and from thence to London, 

 where he continued to discharge the duties of his 

 responsible situation until the beginning of March, 

 1833. Besides the editorship of the " Imperial 

 Magazine," Mr Drew had the superintendence of 

 all the works issued from the Cexton press ; and 

 the proprietors of that establishment bear honour- 

 able testimony to his abilities, his industry, and his 

 moral worth. He died on the 29th March, 1833. 

 DROITWICH; a borough town in the county 

 of Worcester, six miles from Worcester, and 1 18 

 from London. It has from a very early period 

 been famed for its salt springs or wiches. The 

 brine pits are in the midst of the town, which 

 stands on the side of a narrow valley, at the bot- 

 tom of which runs the small river Salwarp. The 

 prevailing rock around Droitwich is a fine grained 

 calcareo-argillaceous sand-stone, of a brownish red 

 colour, with occasional spots and patches of a green- 

 ish blue; and the rock-salt and brine-springs of 

 Cheshire appear to be situated in strata of a simi- 

 lar nature. Before the year 1725, the usual depth 

 of the pits was about thirty feet, but at that period 

 an enterprising speculator resolved to try the effect 

 of boring to a much greater depth, and after per- 

 forating a bed of gypsum of considerable thickness 

 the workmen found a copious salt-spring strongly j 

 impregnated, which suddenly rising, overflowed ; 

 the mouth of the pit. This discovery occasioned 

 the ruin of the proprietors of the old pits, which 

 were no longer worth working. The pits now 

 open have been sunk from thirty-five to fifty-three 

 feet through the superior strata, and from one hun- ' 

 dred to one hundred and fifty feet through the 

 stratum of gypsum, immediately beneath which is 

 a river of brine flowing over a bed of rock-salt. 

 The head of the spring is obviously on higher 

 ground than the outlet, as the brine rises spon- 

 taneously to the surface. One ounce of brine con- 

 tains one hundred and forty grains and a half of 

 muriate of soda (common salt), two grains and a 

 quarter of sulphate of lime (gypsum), two grains 

 and a half of sulphate of soda, and a trace of mu- 

 riate of magnesia. From Droitwich to the Severn 



a canal has been constructed, navigable for vessels 

 of sixty tons burthen, by which most of the salt 

 here manufactured is conveyed for sale in different 

 parts of the kingdom, and the barges commonly 

 return laden with coal, of which large quantities 

 are consumed in the salt-works. This borough 

 formerly returned two members to parliament. It 

 now, in conjunction with the several parishes of 

 Dodderhill, Hampton-Lovett, Doverdale, Salwarp, 

 Martin-Hussingtree, Oddingley, Hadsor, Hindlip, 

 Himbleton, Elmbridge, the Moreway end division, 

 and the Broughton division of Hanbury, and the 

 extra-parochial places called Crutch and Westwood 

 park, returns one member. The franchise, for- 

 merly confined to twenty-eight, is now enjoyed by 

 about 311. Population in 1841, 2832. 



DRYBURGH. The ruins of Dryburgh abbey, 

 now rendered sacred as the resting-place of Sir 

 Walter Scott, are situated in Berwickshire, on the 

 north bank of the Tweed, about four miles from 

 Melrose. In the early part of the sixth century, a 

 monastery is said to have been founded here by St 

 Modan, one of the first preachers of Christianity in 

 Scotland. St Modan was abbot in 522, but it is 

 supposed, that after his death the community was 

 transferred to Melrose, since no subsequent men- 

 tion is made of the abbey till about the year 1150, 

 when the present structure was founded by Hugh 

 de Morville, constable of Scotland, and lord of 

 Lauderdale, the district in which it is situated. 



In 1322, a considerable portion of the abbey was 

 burnt and destroyed by the soldiers under Edward 

 II., in revenge for certain insults offered them by the 

 monks, who imprudently rang the church bells on 

 their departure. King Robert Bruce contributed 

 largely to its restoration, but it is doubtful whe- 

 ther it was afterwards rebuilt either in its original 

 style or magnificence. In 1545, Dryburgh abbey 

 was again plundered and burnt by the English, 

 under the earl of Hertford. At the dissolution in 

 1587, (at which period the lands and revenues 

 were annexed to the crown,) it was erected into a 

 temporal lordship and peerage, by James IV. of 

 Scotland, who granted the abbey and its demesnes 

 to Henry Erskine, created lord Cardross, the se- 

 cond son of John, earl of Mar, lord high treasurer 

 of Scotland, and Mary, daughter of Esme Stewart, 

 duke of Lennox, the direct ancestor of David 

 Stewart Erskine, earl of Buchan, elder brother of 

 Thomas lord Erskine, lord chancellor, and uncle to 

 the present proprietor, Sir David Erskine. 



The ruins are completely overgrown with foli- 

 age; evergreens may be seen flourishing amidst the 

 solemn desolation of a roofless apartment ; in others, 

 the walls are clothed with ivy to their summits; 

 and on the top of some of the arches, trees of con- 

 siderable growth have sprung up, which add to the 

 adornment of the venerable edifice. The age of 

 these trees is a certain proof of the antiquity of its 

 destruction. The original design of the abbey 

 was cruciform, divided in the breadth into three 

 parts, by two colonnaded arcades ; the transepts 

 and choir have all been short ; a part of the north 

 transept which is still standing, is called St Mary's 

 aisle, and is a beautiful specimen of early English 

 Gothic architecture. The fine Norman arch, ori- 

 ginally the western doorway, is enriched with orna- 

 ments in general use at the period the abbey is 

 said to have been founded ; the sculpture is chaste, 

 and unaffected by time, and it may, perhaps, be 

 considered the most striking feature of the ruins. 

 The last resting-place of Sir Walter Scott is a 



