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



By winter storm deep scaured, 'neath summer sky 



Self shadowed ; throned above encircling heights, 



That rise and fall and fuse in myriad lines, 



All-motionless, yet, to the scanning eye. 



For ever passing on, as wave on wave, 



In one far flow, a vast earth sea of hills, 



That ever moves and ever is at rest!" 

 Many of the company compared the aspect of the country to 

 Cumberland. There was no great diversity in the high undu- 

 lating tableland that spread all around till framed by the hills. 

 The prevalent colour was a faded darkish boggy green, the green 

 of decayed junci, deer-hair and grasses, with a fresher verdure 

 from the bottom growths, and spots of white where the dry 

 spaces yielded only Nardus stricta. There was heather on the 

 far hills, but not much of it. This great extent of pasture land 

 is well intersected with high stone fences, but the building-rock 

 is rubbly and slaty, and difficult to procure when repairs are 

 necessary. There is a felt want of plantations to relieve the 

 nakedness and eerieness of the vast expanse. A goodly propor- 

 tion of the higher land on the east of the space facing us had 

 once been cultivated, as was discernible by the old ploughed 

 ridges ; and encouraged by enclosures new advances are again 

 being made to redeem it from the wilderness condition into 

 which it has lapsed, in order to grow corn and turnips for the 

 winter supply of stock. 



Not far across the hill, Borthwick Brae and other well-treed 

 and cultivated lands were visible, smiling in sunshine beyond the 

 Borthwick ; Borthwick shiels also on a vantage-ground position. 

 Our route was intended to have been, in that direction to reach 

 Harden, and see more of the country, but by some misunder- 

 standing another road was taken, which onducted us to the 

 proposed terminus, but under the disadvantage of always having 

 to look upwards. 



Before leaving the hill another camp, with camp-like mounds, 

 too strong for the walls of folds, was seen behind the Chapel-hill 

 shepherd's house. At the farm a young tree of Fagm incisa was 

 sporting foliage of Fagm sglvatica. We then drove on between 

 the green hills and the cultivated fields behind Branxholme 

 Town, formerly a small village. In the Hawick Museum is an 

 iron fetter, found three feet below the surface near this place. 

 The " Marchmen " here had not been so thrifty as "Mettled 

 Will Ha.' " See B.N.C. xi., p. 15, We crossed a burn fabled 



