Report of Meetings. By James Hardy. 243 



the limbs was mutilated by the great October gale, 1881. These 

 dimensions do not quite correspond with the estimate in Dr. 

 Johnston's "Flora of the Eastern Border," p. 177. "It is 

 nearly 60 feet in height, and the branches spread over a space 

 23 yards in circumference. The trunk is sculptured with ridges 

 like a cork-tree, and is ornamented with some admirable tufts of 

 Polyporm squamosus.^' 



The bulk of the village consists of two rows of slated houses, 

 with gardens in front, decorated with flowers. Common rue 

 {Ruta graveolens) was noticed in two of them. The manse is sur- 

 rounded with young trees and shrubs. A line of old ashes en- 

 circles a portion of the churchyard. Cleanliness and order were 

 prevalent. Mr Pringle, the schoolmaster, officiated as guide. 

 A visit was paid to the churchyard, where the burial ground of 

 the ancient family of Edmonston was commented on, as well as 

 others, and some of the inscriptions on the older tombstones were 

 transcribed. The church is small, but neat and commodious. 

 Here was shown the old Session book kept in the time of the 

 Eev. Thomas Thomson, the father of the author of the 

 " Seasons,'' etc., who was minister here ; also a miniature por- 

 trait of the poet, consigned by the Earl of Buchan to the custody 

 of the minister of Ednam for the time being, to be handed down 

 as an heir-loom. The house where the poet was born was then 

 indicated to the members ; who next proceeded to Mr Burn's 

 home-stead to see the old residence of the Edmonstons, once 

 proprietors of the largest proportion of the parish, which is now 

 converted into a barn and thrashing-mill, and previous to that 

 used as the farm-house. It has been an oblong of no great 

 architectural pretensions, but of much capacity, as it could at 

 once accommodate 150 guests with beds. Beneath a portion of 

 the barn-yard, foundations of several old buildings were come 

 upon, when the house was adapted to its present purposes ; and 

 a staircase was discovered. This was conjectured at the time to 

 be some monastic edifice, but there is a greater likelihood that 

 it was the remnants of the old " bastel -house," which was 

 "strongly holden " when won, 24th July, 1544, by ihe English 

 under " Sir Bryan Laytton and Henry Ewry," when they also 

 burnt Ednam village. There was no other ecclesiastical estab- 

 lishment than the church, served by a vicar from Coldingham, 

 which stood near the present one, in the south-eastern corner of 

 the churchyard. The officiating priest would occupy the toft 



