162 HEPORT OF MEETINGS FOR 1907 



Mr H. Sanderson, Galashiels; Mr A. P. Scott, Amble; Miss 

 Macmillan Scott, Kelso ; Mr William Shaw, Galashiels ; Miss 

 Simpson, Coldingham ; Surgeon-General Sinclair, C.I.E., Edin- 

 burgh ; Sheriff P. Smith, and Mrs Smith, Selkirk ; Mr Jas. A. 

 Somervail, Hoselaw ; Mr Philip Sulley, F.S.A. (Scot.), Gala- 

 shiels; Rev. A. Pollok Sym, B.D., and Mrs Sym, Lilliesleaf; 

 Mr George Tancred, Weens House, Hawick ; Mr James A. 

 Terras, B.Sc, Edinburgh; Mr John Turnbull, Galashiels; and 

 Mr Jos. Wilson, Mr David Veitch, and Miss Veitch, Duns. 



The day proved singularly bright and warm as the party 

 set out on foot to visit the Abbey whose remains, while 

 beautiful in themselves, and rendered more charming by 

 reason of his affectionate regard who sang "Saint David's 

 ruined pile," disclose only the Church of a great monastic 

 establishment ; for it cannot be too strongly urged that the 

 organised demolition of Reformation times was directed not 

 so much against places of public worship as against private 

 monastic dwellings connected with them, and that the dis- 

 appearance of much of the material out of which they were 

 constructed may be accounted for by its greater suitability 

 for building purposes, than the carved and moulded stones 



which enriched the cathedrals and churches of 

 Melrose mediaeval days. Such portions as have been 



Abbey. preserved, however, though of different periods 



of erection, show the sequence of building stages 

 fairly clear, first the three bays of the nave with the crossing 

 and North transept ; then the South aisle and the Eastermost 

 chapels of the have ; next the South transept ; and last of 

 all the East end of the choir. Very fortunately the party 

 had secured for their guidance the presence of Mr John 

 Ferguson, F.S.A. (Scot.), whose careful study of the ruins 

 and acknowledged mastery of their details warranted their 

 expectation of a sympathetic and scholarly treatment of the 

 history and architectural features of the Abbey ; and having 

 assembled on the sward of the roofless nave they were 

 favoured by him with the following descriptive paper: — 



"An entire day would be much too short for a thorough 

 examination of Melrose Abbey. According to our programme 

 the time at our disposal is little more than an hour; you 



