' ■— .--r ■ rMlTOl-tlti^^; 



Prehistoric Cremation in Scotland. 191 



most absurd notions on the subject of the disparity of 

 the sexes. I have conversed with politicians and read 

 the writings of politicians, but I have seldom met with 

 views more enlarged, more just, more truly patriotic ; or 

 with political reasonings more acute, or arguments more 

 forcible than in the conversation of Theroigne and the 

 writings of Miss Wollstoncroft. Let the defenders of male 

 despotism answer (if they can) " The Rights of Woman " by 

 Miss Wollstoncroft.' 



Dr. Ferriar addressed to him his essay entitled ' An 

 Argument against the Doctrine of Materialism.' 



Mr. Cooper was a great friend of Dr. Priestley's, and 

 was his companion, in this country as well as in America. 

 See also ^ A Political Episode,' pp. 121 and 171. 



Prehistoric Cremation in Scotland. 



On October 4, 1793, see vol. iv. p. 226, an account of a 

 rare method of cremation used in Scotland was read by Mr. 

 Alexander Copland, of Dumfries. We are astonished at an 

 attempt to prove that cairns are really places of sepulture, 

 following Pennant, and the difficulty of accounting for the 

 meaning of the word Strath Blane. We have now become 

 almost familiar with Blane as a saint, and cairns as places 

 for the dead. Fore-history has since become almost a 

 science, still there is an instrument described in this essay 

 which will be new even to many of its students. 



Some instruments for cremation were found in a cairn 

 in Galloway, near Knaer Castle. (The spot is not very 

 exactly described.) One of them consisted of three rods 

 set up so as to form a triangular stand, the rods meeting in 

 the centre, and seven feet high. From this when used hung 

 a chair by which the body was suspended, the fire being 



