210 Report of the Meetings for 1893. 



privilege of damming the whole stream between Saturday night 

 and Monday morning. Occasionally, however, it has happened 

 that the Sunday lasted a whole week. 



The embankment at the east end of the pond was formerly much 

 weaker than it is now ; and about 45 years ago, during a high 

 west wind, the pressure burst away this embankment, and for a 

 short time sent a great flood of water down the Eglingham valley. 



Looking at the configuration of the ground they had just 

 passed, there was good reason to believe that, at some former 

 period the whole of the Eglingham burn had flowed through 

 the pond to the Breamish valley, and not, as at present, to the 

 Aln. The gulley below the farm— about 30 feet in depth, 

 down which the millrace flows — was never excavated by 

 that millrace ; indeed, prior to the introduction of thrashing 

 machines in this neighbourhood in 1772, there would be no 

 need for a pond, and in all probability, in its embanked state it 

 did not exist. 



Now if this east embankment were taken away it would be 

 seen that a very few feet of level existed between it and the bed 

 of the burn ; besides a stronger argument was this, that while 

 below this point the excavating work done by the burn might 

 be compared to the little finger, the work done above could be 

 compared to the whole hand ; and the inference was strong, 

 that while all this large flat was being denuded, the course of 

 the stream was through the bed of the pond. A stream would 

 certainly exist in the Eglingham valley, and would gradually 

 deepen upwards, until a time came when the barrier wuuld be 

 broken, and the present would become the permanent channel ; 

 naturally also, as the great flat was laid dry, great shrinkage 

 would follow. 



The mounds all around are mostly of porphyritic gravel and 

 sand just as is found in the Breamish, and these stop abruptly 

 at the burn at a great depth, and then the great flat up to the 

 foot of Langside hill intervenes ; but very curiously, about half 

 a mile from here at the foot of the hill, is a large mound of the 

 same soil. This seems strong evidence that this large flat was 

 once all covered with the same drift gravel up to the base of 

 Langside ; and the present flat with its kaim-like wall of 

 porphyritic gravel is simply the work of the Eglingham burn. 



On this gravel mound at the foot of Langside are the remains 

 of several hut circles, and at a short distance is the site of one 



