Field Meetings. •'^»>5 



"raids" into Liddesdale for the purpose of collecting 

 material for his Minstrelsy. In tlic iirsl edition of thai 

 work was a view of Hermitage Castle, the original sketch of 

 which was made by Scott himself. Lockhart says that in 

 order to make a drawing of the castle Scott stood for an hour 

 or more up to the middle in snow. William Clark afterwards 

 made a better drawing based on that of Scott, and a further 

 improved copy was done by Hugh Williams, and this was 

 used in the book; and " Scott used to say," declares Lock- 

 hart, " the oddest thing of all was that the engraving, 

 founded on the labours of three draughtsmen, one of whom 

 could not draw a straight line, and the two others had never 

 seen the place meant to be represented, was nevertheless 

 pronounced by the natives of Liddesdale to give a very fair 

 notion of the ruins of Hermitage." 



After lunch had been partaken of, and an hour or so 

 enjoyably spent in examining the castle from without and 

 within, Mr G. \\'. Shirley, the honorary secretary of the 

 Society, ably acting as cicerone, the journey was resumed 

 along the side of the Hermitage \\'ater. The road leads 

 through a wild hill country which might well be described as 

 desolate, though the scenery on all sides is full of rugged 

 grandeur. For much of the way the narrow road descended 

 steeply along the hillsides overlooking the glen, and the 

 company was pro\ided with many thrills, but the heavy car 

 was most skilfully and carefully driven, and the Ewes \'alley 

 was reached without mishap. The run through the beautiful 

 \'ale of Ewes, with tlie memories of the Dumfriesshire poet, 

 Henry Scott Riddell, the author of " Scotland Yet," and of 

 William Knox, the poet-friend of Riddell, was greallv 

 enjoyed, and Langholm was reached about five o'clock. 

 After tea at the Eskdale .Arms Hotel, a pleasant time was 

 spent in viewing the sights of Langholm. The homeward 

 journey was made by way of Canonbie and .Annan, and 

 Dumfries was reached about nine o'clock. 



30th July, 1914. 



Dundrennan Abbey. 

 On Thursday afternoon a party of twenty members made 



