Report of Meetings for 1888. By J. Hardy. 203 



of several of these still being left ; possibly this was once a 

 small walled-in plantation. A few scattered white-thorns also 

 remained. The Mote is a well-known landmark. '• The 

 Cumbrians," writes Mr H. Kerr, "have no old world stories 

 connected with their Mote. They have a local couplet on the 

 junction of the two streams, the Esk and the Liddel on the vale 

 below, which sets forth that 



" The Esk and Liddel 



Ran astriddle, (a-straddle) 



And meet at the Mote." 



An extensive red sandstone quarry (of a pinky red) is wrought 

 near the Mote, and the stone is greatly in request, being taken 

 to Melrose and Galashiels to erect houses ; and it is also much 

 employed for tomb-stones, as was observed at Canonbie and 

 Wauchope churchyards. It is soft when cut, but hardens after 

 exposure. It is of Permian origin or New Eed Sandstone. A 

 white sandstone quarried near Kiccarton, is equally useful. 



Netherby mansion-house was not far distant but was invisible 

 in the enveloping woods. 



Leaving the Mote the company walked by the planting side 

 and then through fields of a poor thin wet mixed yellowish sandy 

 and clayey soil, much requiring drainage. On the hedge bank 

 much wild-strawberry grew. Blue-bells ( Campanula rotundifolia) 

 were scarce. Fox-gloves were scattered in the drier spots. The 

 fields were overrun with Polygonum acre in the water-logged 

 furrows. Mentha arvensis was a field weed ; also Cerastium 

 vulgatum, Bartsia Odontites, Gnaphalium Germanicum and 6. 

 uliginosum ; and Scabiosa succisa in the pastures. The ground on 

 the Cumberland side was minutely subdivided into small fields, 

 mostly under culture ; the farm houses were mostly white-washed 

 and blue-slated. Large flocks of geese were kept in the very 

 bare grassy enclosures. In general, the country was extensively 

 wooded with Oak, Beech, and Fir plantations. The tops of the 

 potato plots were already much blasted and frost-bitten. Farther 

 on some very good crops of Sandy Oats were being cut. From 

 the tract that we had traversed most extensive prospects of the 

 singularly varied alternations of dusky wild hills, gentler mostly 

 cultured slopes, and stripes of greener dale, surrounding us, were 

 caught. To the north were the Dumfriesshire billowy hills and 

 the fair vale of the Esk — the Whita or White hill, near Langholm, 

 that bears General Sir John Malcolm's obelisk — the great dark 



