BEESIDENI S ADDEESS. 1 



Pointed period, when slender pillars, composed of clustered 

 shafts round a circular pier, and lancet-headed windows, with 

 scanty feathering, bold buttresses, and high-pitched roofs were 

 in vogue among the ecclesiastical architects. In its early days 

 it must have been a magnificent building, and even now in its 

 ruined state is very beautiful, and, like all old ruins, in the 

 crannies and holes of its walls is the abode of ferns and wild 

 flowers, the well-known Wall-Eue, Asplenium, Ruta-miiraria, 

 being very abundant. As we drove along the road from the 

 Shanty to New Abbey the air was filled with the perfume of the 

 Sweet Gale, Myrica Gale — a deciduous shrub new to most of us, 

 which was growing in great profusion at the road side. We 

 were shewn several heads of the Eoebuck, which had been killed 

 near the Fisheries, and informed that they were not rare in this 

 part of Kirkcudbrightshire. A lovely drive through the cool 

 evening air brought us back to our comfortable quarters in 

 Dumfries. 



Tuesday morning we made an early start, and spent the 

 remainder of the time at our disposal in visiting the ruins of 

 Carlaverock Castle, which lies between the rivers Nith and 

 Lechar, about eight miles to the south of Dumfries. This is 

 said to be one of the finest specimens of castellated architecture 

 in all Scotland. A castle is supposed to have stood here in the 

 sixth century. In the year 1097 it was the chief seat of the 

 Maxwells, one Eugene Maxwell of Carlaverock having joined 

 in the siege of Alnwick during that year. The castle was 

 subjected to repeated sieges, and became so dilapidated that 

 about the year 1420 it was restored. It certainly is a most 

 beautiful ruin, and we spent two hours most pleasantly in 

 examining it throughout. As we drove down from Dumfries 

 towards the shores of Solway Firth the tide was out, and many 

 kinds of gulls and other birds were busy on the muddy flats 

 on the banks of the Nith. As we returned to Dumfries the tide 

 had risen, and the Solway and Nith looked altogether different; 

 instead of muddy flats was the broad expanse of blue water, 

 with Criffel as a background. We soon turned off, however, 

 and took a different road back to Dumfries. The weather had 



