196 FIELD AND FERN. 



Troup's voice was heard from behind " Mr. Bos- 

 well, Mr. Boswell ! ye'll soon be at sax miles an 

 hoor, and that winna dee, avar"; and so "Kingcausie >r 

 touched up the horses, and the Captain retorted for 

 about the hundredth time by telling Davy to " touch 

 up your lingo." 



Mr. Dyce Nichol, of Ballogie, has taketf up the 

 Boswell system, and drained and clayed the moss on 

 his estates adjoining the mail road which runs past 

 The Bush towards the South. On the hill to the right 

 is the white castle of Muchalls, looking down on old 

 pasture, which has hardly an equal, save in some 

 of the Home Parks near the Bridge of Dun. There 

 is also rich grass and turnip land at Cowie and He- 

 gray; but we only cared just then to know the 

 whereabouts of Ury, which is on the higher road, 

 and touches the east end of the Forest of Cowie, 

 about a mile or so to the right as you enter Stone- 

 haven. 



The estate of Ury, &c., on part of which the new 

 town of Stonehaven is built, contains about 4,000 

 acres, of which the Captain had 700 in his own hand ; 

 but all has passed away from "Barclay Allardyce," as 

 he was wont to sign himself, by purchase to the Baird 

 family. His father was a man of vigorous will and 

 industry ; and as a proof of it, he thoroughly im- 

 proved 200 acres, reclaimed 200 more from heather, 

 and planted 1,200 in the space of twenty years. In 

 his speech at the public dinner which was given to 

 the Captain A.D. 1838, in the Glen Ury Distillery at 



