Anniversary Address. 361 



Forbes ; Revs. P. M/Kerron, J. Hunter, D. Paul, W. Stobbs, 

 A. I. Ritchie, F. A. Wilkinson ; Messrs. John Bertram, J. 

 Hunter, C. Duncombe Shaftoe, A. Brotherston, W. Shaw, J. 

 Smail, J. Wood, D. Croal. 



After breakfast, the members of the Club walked to 

 Prestonkirk. A part of the Tower is said to be Saxon, but, 

 (except the chancel windows, of Early English, the interior 

 of which is now used as a burial place,) of nearly every 

 part of the building it may be said, in the language of an 

 inscription over the chancel : " Antiqua — nunc renovata." 

 On the northern wall of the Tower are the remains of a 

 mutilated figure of St. Baldred, which was broken by a 

 mason during the rebuilding of the Church. This was one 

 of the three churches of that famous East Lothian saint. 

 On some of the tombstones, as on several of those in 

 Roxburghshire Churchyards of the 18th Century, the trade 

 of the deceased is indicated by symbols cut upon the stone, 

 e.g., a pick and wheel for a miller, a set of scales for a grocer, 

 and such like. The Rev. A. I. Ritchie, minister of the 

 parish of Whitekirk, read a short and very interesting- 

 paper on the Church. Pellitory of the Wall grows on the 

 churchyard wall. Yellow Toadflax, Tansy, Common Mallow, 

 and the Bitter-sweet (Solarium) grow plentifully on the 

 side of the road which leads to Tynninghame. Passing 

 through the village and the lodge, an avenue of beech leads 

 to the Park. Many fine timber trees grow here. The 

 far-famed holly hedges are showing symptoms of decay. 

 The Club walked through the gardens, which are well 

 sheltered. There was a plant about a yard high growing 

 near the south-east door into the garden. I asked the 

 gardener, but he did not know what it was. Having one 

 myself, I was ' anxious to get the name. Subsequently I 

 wrote to Professor Balfour, who kindly gave me the name, 

 which is Phytolacca decandra (Virginian Poke). It was 

 originally imported from North America, and is used in 

 cases of typhoid fever. The Club next proceeded to the 



