182 Transactions. 
FIELD MEETINGS. 
25th of May. 
A visit was made to Drumlanrig Castle and Durisdeer Church, 
under the direction of Mr James Fingland. 
New Members elected :—Mr John Robson, clerk to the County 
Council, and Major Young of Lincluden. 
29th of Tune. 
A visit was made to Maxwelton House and Craigdarroch, on 
the invitation of Sir Emilius Laurie and Captain Cutlar_ 
Fergusson. Under the guidance of the Rev. Thomas Kidd, the 
places consecrated to the memory of Renwick were visited. 
New members elected :—Mr David J. Jardine of Applegirth ; 
the Rev. Thomas Kidd, Moniaive ; Mr James M‘Call of Caitloch ; 
Mrs Thomas Shortridge, jun.; Mr Robert Wallace, Brownhall 
School. 
7th of September. 
A visit was paid to Birrens to inspect the excavation of the 
Roman camp being made by the Society of Antiquaries of Scot- 
land, assisted by Mr James Barbour, the representative of this 
Society. 
At Birrens, Dr Macdonald gave a brief description of the 
original extent of the fort or station, its defences, and the manner 
in which the excavations were being carried out. His remarks 
were supplemented by Mr James Barbour, who explained what 
may be called the building plan of the interior, where the founda- 
tions of numerous structures have been somewhat unexpectedly 
discovered. The first antiquary, it appears, who took notice of 
Birrens and described it as a Roman fort was Alexander Gordon. — 
Soon after Sir John Clerk confirmed Gordon’s view by his dis- 
covery, quite close to its defences, of the statue of the goddess 
Brigantia and other Roman inscribed stones. General Roy 
followed with a more accurate plan than Gordon’s. To these 
authorities all subsequent writers are indebted for what they tell 
of it. The station proper, covering four acres, is enclosed within 
a single rampart of considerable breadth and height, and was 
further protected by six ditches on the north and apparently four 
on the east and west. Of these last traces were visible a century 
and a half ago. On the south all its defences have long since 
