Transactions. Si 
its medieval origin all around—an ideal place for studious 
meditation. 
When the late Mr Thomas Nelson came into possession of 
Friars’ Carse, he found the Hermitage in ruins. The window 
was gone, the roof had fallen in, and the walls were 
crumbling to pieces. With great good taste he restored the 
little building, and placed in it a new window similar to the old, 
on which the same verses are inscribed in facsimile of the poet’s 
singularly clear and beautiful handwriting. 
The mansion-house of Friars’ Carse occupies a lovely situation 
on the banks of the Nith. The house as Burns knew it was 
built in 1772, and still stands; bunt the additions made by the 
late Mr Nelson have improved and beautitied it almost beyond 
recognition. Its dining-room was the scene of the ignoble 
contest celebrated in “The-Whistle.” Its hall contains a 
singularly beautiful piece of sculpture—the original cast for the 
monument by Watson erected in the Savoy Chapel, in memory of 
Dr Archibald Cameron, who acted as a surgeon at Culloden on 
the side of “Bonnie Prince Charlie.” After seven years of 
exile Cameron returned to Scotland. He was arrested, taken to 
London, tried, and, although a non-combatant, executed for the 
part he had taken on the fatal day of Drummossie. The work, 
which is quite worthy of the subject, was carved on Caen stone, 
and placed in the Savoy Chapel in 1847, but unfortunately fell 
amongst the ruins of the fire that destroyed the Chapel in 1864. 
Around the mansion and within it are many memorials of its 
history, and not far away is the circle of stones set up by 
Riddel, Burns’s patron, in imitation of a Druidical Temple. 
To mark the new departure in his life, the farmer of Hllisland 
began to go regularly to church. This exemplary conduct 
continued until differences of opinion with the Rev. Joseph 
Kirkpatrick led—first to hard words between them, both in 
speech and writing, and finally to their utter estrangement. 
Mr Kirkpatrick was minister of Dunscore from 1777 till 1806, 
when he was translated to Wamphray. From December 11th, 
1780, down to 1806, there is a complete blank in the Session 
Records; which fact is apt to prejudice one against the minister 
and in favour of the poet. We regret that at such an interesting 
period in the history of the parish no account of it should have 
been kept by those whose duty it was to do so. 
One more memorial of Burns exists in the tombstone of James 
