Dinhur Castle, its Gardens and Gardeners. 415 



viz. " The velocity with which a liquid issues from an infinitely small orifice in 

 the bottom or side of a vessel that is kept full, is equal to that which a heavy 

 body would acquire by falling from the level of the surface to the level of the 

 orifice." He next informed them of many things which they did not know 

 respecting the motion of water in various channels, such as rivers, pipes, &c. ; 

 pointed out to them the wise provision of Providence in regulating the flow of 

 water in rivers, and preventing it from bringing destruction on the earth ; and, 

 by means of the garden-syringe and garden-engine, explained the difference 

 between the ordinary lift-pump and forcing-pump, and the principles on 

 which they act. 



It would occupy too much of the pages of this Magazine to state all the 

 varied and interesting information that Colin Forbes imparted that night, in 

 the bothy, to his attentive listeners. He tried to make his statements as 

 plain as he could, illustrated his discourse with very simple apparatus. Some 

 may be deterred from the pursuit of science when they see or read about the 

 splendid apparatus employed in the lecture rooms of wealthy institutions, but 

 it will often be found that the same truths may be conveyed to the minds of a 

 homely audience by means of simple things, easily got, and costing little. 



It happened that Bauldy Black was cook in the bothy on the night on 

 which Colin Forbes was to deliver his discourse. Bauldy was rather later 

 than he should have been in preparing the supper, and, during the time he was 

 cooking, Colin was arranging the few things he had collected in order to make 

 his remarks better understood ; when it was agreed that he should proceed 

 with his discourse while the supper was cooling. Finding that his remarks on 

 Hydraulics had occupied more time than he intended, he determined on 

 leaving the remainder for another occasion, to the great delight of Bauldy, 

 who appeared very impatient to question him on some things. He told Colin 

 very plainly that he " could na tak in some o' the things that he heard him 

 say." Colin asked him to mention the things he had said which he did not 

 believe, and he would try and help him to understand them better. " Weel," 

 said Bauldy, " didna ye say that a wee drap water in a dish could be made to 

 balance as much as if the dish had been fu o' water ? I canna believe that sic 

 a thing can happen." — " Well, Bauldy," said Colin, " would you hke if I were 

 to tell you that you were a poor hand at making porridge ? " — " No, I wouldna 

 like it, for I will tak in hand to mak parritch wi ony man in Scotland or his 

 wife either; and nane o' yer gruel-like parritch would I mak, that might run a 

 mile on a deal board and burn a body at the end o't ; and I'll warrant ye'll get 

 them to yer supper this night that the skin hasna cracked in the coolin, and 

 ye may whommil them out on yer loof and nae scaith come o'er them." — " Well 

 that is just what I want," said Colin ; " for you know that when they are well 

 made, like most other substances, they contract in cooling, and a small space is 

 left between the sides of the basin and its contents." — " That's a' true," re- 

 plied Bauldy. — "Well, if you pour a small quantity of milk into that space 

 you will find that it floats the porridge in the basin." — "I hae done that 

 mony a time," said Bauldy ; "but what does that signify?" — "That small 

 drop of milk will press as heavily as if the basin were full of milk, and you sus- 

 pended the porridge so as to have no weight on the basin." — " Weel, weel, 

 that will soon be tried," said Bauldy. So away he went and got a clean piece 

 of net, and, turning his porridge out of the basin, placed his supper in the net. 

 According to Colin's direction he poured a few spoonfuls of milk into the 

 basin, and placing it in one scale put weights in the opposite one. He then 

 gently lowered the porridge in the net into the basin. The milk rose in it 

 and brought down the opposite scale, so that it required more weight to 

 balance it. When it was brought to balance, the height which the milk rose 

 to in the basin was marked, and he was directed to take out the porridge, 

 which he suspended in his hand, and let the basin remain in the scale. He 

 was then told to pour milk into it until it would balance the weights in the 

 other scale. He thought a small quantity would do it, and as he kept pouring 

 he often looked at the other scale, but it showed no signs of rising until the 



E E 2 



