president's abdeess. 235 



others tlie projector of the trip, who thus left the other members 

 to their own devices, unaided by the experience that previous 

 visits had afforded him). 



The first part of the day's proceedings was a visit to Otterburn 

 Tower, the seat of the James family, a fine castellated building, 



" Bosomed high in tufted trees," 



which we were kindly allowed by the proprietor to inspect. The 

 northern corner of the modern tower includes part of the walls 

 of the old castle beleagured by the Scots several days before the 

 celebrated battle of Otterburn. Three very perfect Roman Altar 

 Stones, said to have been brought from Eochester, are placed at 

 the entrance to the tower. 



A pleasant walk by the side of the little burn that gives its 

 name to the place brought us out upon the moor, and with the 

 aid of an intelligent guide we started for the Quarry, where we 

 expected to find much to interest and instruct us. A good 

 stretch of about three miles brought us to the scene of recent 

 explorations, but nothing of interest was found to reward us for 

 our long and weary, walk, as every vestige of a fossil footstep had 

 been removed. But fortunately there was in the company a 

 member of the Club capable of redeeming the time lost. Mr. 

 Thomas Arkle undertook to conduct us from the scene of our 

 disappointment over the moor to the battlefield of Otterburn, 

 where the headlong Hotspur fought and the doughty Douglas fell. 



On the way we passed many spots marked with stones set in 

 circles, indicating ancient places of burial, and saw the entrenched 

 camp occupied by the Scots before the battle, which was taken 

 and retaken more than once during the fray. "We saw too the 

 stone cross erected not far from the spot where the Douglas was 

 slain. In the evening^ after dinner, Mr. Arkle, who assisted 

 Mr. Robt. White in the preparation of the maps illustrating his 

 admirable "History of the Battle of Otterburn," read portions 

 of a paper written by him on the subject. White says "there 

 can be no doubt whatever that the ancient ballad of Chevy Chase 

 was founded upon the battle of Otterburn." We read towards 

 the close of the ballad — ■ 



