376 Report of Meetings for 1886. By J. Hardy. 



water, and Tweed anciently to have descended by the Powsail 

 or Drummelzier Burn, to which it gained admittance by a back 

 entrance. That is the reason why the remaining valley of the 

 Tweed is so broadly excavated. The little width modern Tweed 

 occupies, shews the greater difficulty a river has in excavating 

 drift and clay, than wearing down rock. 



The company again left the carriages and descended on the 

 right hand side of the Powsail, to visit the supposed site of 

 Merlin's grave, which lies a considerable way down behind 

 Drummelzier church. The church, dedicated to St Cuthbert, stands 

 on a gravel knoll round which Powsail wheels. At the burn side, 

 low down at the base of the knoll, near a young hawthorn tree, the 

 grave is pointed out, or alternatively in a gravel ridge in a corn 

 field, on the side by which we reached the thorn. The winter floods 

 of this dashing streamlet scoop out the gravel ; a kaim between 

 this and Tweed, strengthened by beeches, is a remnant of its 

 devastated banks. The view in the cut is still lower down. 



. Junction of Powsail and Tweed. 

 Mercldin or Merlin Wyllt or the Wild, " was the son of Morvyrn or 

 Madog Morvyrn [descended from Coel Godebog, and kinsman of Urien 

 Rheged, twin brother- of Ganieda or Gwendydd.] He was a celebrated 

 poet, who nourished about 530 to 3S(J ; and in the Triads he is ranked with 

 Merddin Emrys and Taliesin, as the three ' privardd bedydd,' or chief 

 Christian bards of the Isle of Britain. There are six of his poems extant, 

 which are printed in the Myrvyrian Arehaiology, and from these, though 



