Report of Meetings for 1880. By J. Hardy. 373 



"Broughton Heights" terminate the view, combining eastwards 

 with equally elevated conspicuous blue hills, several of them 

 still retaining the Cymric names given by their ancient 

 inhabitants — Trahenna, Penvalla, Tareirish, and such like. In 

 front is the massive, bare, scaur-seamed hill of Drummelzier, 

 with Tinnies, its green outlier, and passing backward to amal- 

 gamate with the heights of Stanhope. Across the Tweed from 

 this is the dark-hued Woruiall hill, also of great bulk, and pos- 

 sessed of a distinct individuality, lying above Mossfennan ; then 

 Wrae hill behind the shattered Wrae peel, and Rachan hill still 

 nearer, with Rachan house, woods, and flats flanking its base. 

 Beyond Holms water cluster the boundary hills between Peebles 

 and Lanarkshire, the summits of Cardon and Culter Fell shew- 

 ing their pre-eminence. Although environed with hills, this is 

 altogether a very interesting portion of the district. Within its 

 compass were enacted events of considerable historical importance; 

 and it is still haunted by the memories of those who fought for 

 dominancy in settling or maintaining their rights in the land, 

 whether as peoples or as chartered occupants ; and still cherishes 

 the names of the heroes who contended here for national or 

 religious freedom. No one doubts that the Cyniri would long 

 continue their latest struggles against the invading Saxons 

 among the mountain fastnesses and rugged hollows of the 

 neighbourhood ; or that Wallace and Fraser and their com- 

 patriots when baffled or in extremities, betook themselves for 

 refuge to the sheltering depths of the ancient Caledonian 

 wood. 



We crossed the Biggar water, and passing underneath the Rail- 

 way skirted the woods of Rachan house. There was here much of 

 mountain ash and thickets of bilberry as undergrowth, and in a 

 square pond that appeared to have been used in times gone by 

 for steeping lint, there was a growth of Potamogeton and other 

 water-weeds worth examining. It was observed in a previous 

 visit I had made that the meadows in front of Rachan house 

 appeared to be moist, from the prevalence of Agrostis stolonifera, 

 which the grazing stock had left to run to seed in brown islet- 

 like patches. Rachan once belonged to the family of the 

 Geddeses, but is now the property of the representatives of the 

 late James Tweedie, Esq., of Quarter. 



Crossing the Tweed at Drummelzier village, the carriages 

 proceeded to Drummelzier Castle, which stands in a low position 



