168 FIELD AND FERN. 



runts. There were no bridges in those days. It 

 came on a severe frost after the cattle had swam the 

 river. Their bones bleached in the sun on the braes 

 of Auchindown for more than thirty "years, and re- 

 mains of them were visible within the last few years. 

 My father not only carried on a very large trade 

 at the Falkirk markets, but had a very extensive 

 business to England; he kept a salesman who attended 

 all the great English fairs, particularly in Leicester- 

 shire, and sold drove after drove that were bought 

 by my father here. Referring to documents in my 

 possession, I find he had in one year 1,500 cattle 

 at the October Falkirk tryst, 900 of which were 

 Highlanders, and the remainder Aberdeen cattle. 

 The Highlanders were grazed in Braemar, on the 

 Geldie, Boynach, and Corryvrone, the property of 

 the Earl of Fife. These were, in fact, his special 

 glens, and the greater part of the .3,500 which he 

 made at Falkirk in two successive years came off 

 them. Prices of cattle were very high at the time of 

 the war* I observe the prices of three heavy lots of 

 horned Aberdeen cattle sold into Cumberland, viz., 

 22, 23 10s., and 25 a-head. A Carlisle carrier, 

 I have often heard iny father say, was the purchaser. 

 He declared that he bought them for eating up the 

 horse litter. Heavy losses were sustained when the 

 peace came. The late well-known George Williamson 

 had a very large drove of cattle in hand when the news 

 of peace arrived, and he was passing through Perth 

 himself with his drove at the time the bells were 



