50 Anniversary Address. 



thrown open to the Club by Mr Pringle Pattison. On passing 

 the Manse gate attention was directed to the unusual size of 

 many of the leaves of the Ivy covering the garden wall. The 

 Ivy is of the common variety, and hitherto had not presented 

 any peculiarity. This year, however, while all the leaves were 

 large and vigorous, a number grew to an enormous size. Four 

 taken at random, measured as follows : — Greatest breadth, 

 8-ro-, 7A, 81%, 8A inches ; circumference, measured from tip to 

 tip of the lobes, 23, 23^, 26, and 25|- in. The plants as usual 

 had been stripped of leaves during mild weather in March; 

 immediately after, such young leaves as escaped the pruning- 

 knife expanded and made some progress, thus getting ahead of 

 the rest which were but beginning to escape from the bud. Then 

 followed two or three weeks of cold weather, when growth was 

 arrested. On the return of mild weather the leaves which were 

 ready to take advantage of it shot ahead of their neighbours, 

 and proved conspicuous for size throughout the whole season. 



The property of Haining lies for the most part in the parish 

 of Selkirk, but extends southward into the parish of Ashkirk, in 

 Eoxburghshire. The mansion-house is in the immediate vicinity 

 of the town of Selkirk, the park-wall forming the boundary of 

 some of the streets. It occupies an elevated situation, about 600 

 feet above sea level, and is well sheltered by finely grown trees. 

 The principal front has a southerly aspect, and looks out on a 

 small sheet of water, Haining Loch, which is oblong in form, 

 about a third of a mile in length from N. to S., and less than half 

 that in breadth. The banks of the Loch are beautifully wooded, 

 the trees being of various kinds, and admirably disposed to suit 

 the varied and broken surface of the ground. The style of the 

 house is Italian, with porticoes on the two principal elevations ; 

 but the full design was never carried into effect, and the build- 

 ing is somewhat disfigured by a portion of the old house, of very 

 plain architecture, which was never taken down, but remains 

 attached to the west side, and contains the kitchen and servants' 

 apartments. The terrace between the front of the house and the 

 Loch is ornamented by a row of marble statues representing 

 various mythological personages. These were brought from the 

 Italian quarries by the late Mr John Pringle, who in this waj^, 

 and by utilising experience acquired in extensive continental 

 travel, gave to the buildings and grounds of The Haining a 

 unique character for which they were long distinguished. The 



