60 Report of the Meetings for 1892. 



At the end of the Kaleudar for September, the following note is written 

 in red ink in a cursive Gothic hand — 



" Undecimo kl. octobris vig. sal. sci mathei anno dni m.cccc.xcvii. 

 "fait promot. illastrissim. princeps Jacob, priaceps Scocie g'man. 

 " Jacobi quarti reg. scotor. ad archiep-atntn sci andree. cuius pro- 

 " motionem sollicitavit et expediri fecit gravi labore et magna 

 " expensa Magist. Jacobus brown decan. aberdonen. in romana curia 

 "eiusdem decani credencia qui fuerat euisdem principis procurator 

 "et eundem principem pronunciavit S. in,xpo pt do. Alexander pp. 

 "sextus." (Sauctissimus in Christo pater dominus Alexander 

 "papa sextus.) 



This curious and interesting note, probably written by Master James 

 Brown himself, gives us information regarding the means by which the 

 elevation of the Duke of Ross, younger brother of James IV., to the 

 Archbishopric of St. Andrews was procured,which I have not been able to 

 fall in with elsewhere. The name of James Brown, dean of Aberdeen, 

 occurs twice in the Register of that Cathedral in connection with an 

 Inventory of the Cathedral jewels, one of which — a gold ring — is men- 

 tioned as being for a time in his possession, but afterwards given 

 back. 



On two of the fly leaves at the end of the volume are written a list 

 of the books of the Bible — those of the Apocrypha of course included — a 

 Latin elegy on the death of the Elizabeth Lauder whose obit appears in 

 the Kalendar, and a more extended notice of her death in the following 

 terms : — 



" Die sci barnabe apli. videlicet mercurii xi Junii anno domini m.cccc. 

 " xciiii obiit elysabeth lauder nobilis fidelissima et castissima filia quondam 

 " Roberti lauder de bas cuius anime propicietur deus cuius corpus traditur 

 " sepulture in chore fratrum predicatorum de edinburghe." In another 

 hand are added the words "Mater Willim et Johane brown," which form 

 a rather singular commentary on the adjective "castissima," if, as it 

 would appear, the lady was single. The elegy is framed on Roman 

 models, and is not remarkable, except for the Pagan spirit which 

 pervades it. 



Several of the party went to the Gardens, where the three 

 splendid Araucarias — the admiration and despair of arbori- 

 culturists in other parts of the country — were viewed. Mr Loney 

 by means of a recently invented instrument measured the heights 

 of the trees, the highest being found to be 46 feet. 



Duns Castle, 14th September 1892.— The approach by the North Lodge 

 to the Castle passes through a fine avenue of Lime trees. The disastrous 

 gale of the 14th October 1881, made sad havoc here ; but Mr Hay was 

 determined to raise the blown-down trees, and our inspection of them 

 to-day proved to the hilt that he was right. He is now rewarded by 

 seeing the avenue restored almost as good as it was previous to that 



