422 
indeed, theep-farming is chiefly attended to 
by the farmers. Oats and barley are the 
‘principal produce of the low grounds in 
cultivation. IF have all along kept the ri- 
ver on my left, fometimes at a greater and 
fometimes at a lefs diftance; often almoft 
elofe to its margin, and rarely fo far off as 
to lofe fight of it. This river, which car- 
ried a large body cf water when I firft 
came in fight of it near Melrofe, is here a 
moderate {tream, and dwindles away every 
mile or two. I now reach the great Edin- 
bergh road, and turn along it towards 
Carlifle. The valley contracts, and the 
hills for fome diftance become more ele- 
vated. After a pleafant morning’s ride, 
I reach the Bield Inn, which is a large 
farm-houfe, and about fifteen miles from 
Moffat. Decent accommedations for tra- 
vellers are not frequertly met with upen 
this road; there are feldom more than one 
or two good houfes in a ftage. Here I 
dined on a good joint of roaft lamb, for 
which I was charged one fhilling, and 
proceeded towards Moffat. ‘The face of 
the country now changes very materially, 
the vale contraéts, and mofly ground de- 
Scends from the heights to the river on 
each fide, and wholly fhuts out cultiva- 
tion. Nothing now appears but a dreary 
defert, marfhy and barren, except the 
wretched cottage of a fhepherd here and 
there planted on the mols, with a {mall 
cabbage-yard adjoining, and a peat-ftack 
en one fide almoft twice the fize of the 
humble habitation. Notwithftanding their 
niferable appearance, one is generally 
pleated to fee thofe indications of human 
exiftence, after having rode for fome miles 
in thefe wilds, without feeing any profpect 
of their termination. However, one may 
travel in thofe peaceful fequeftered dales 
without the leaft fear of any thing befides 
bad weather or fudden ftorms: here are 
no defperate highwaymen, no daring foot- 
pads, to be dreaded; no human being is 
met with, except now and then a traveller 
haftening to the fcenes of more buly life, 
or the innocent fhepherd, accompanied by 
his faithful dog and daily companion. 
‘The road is remarkably fine, at leat it 
is fmooth on the furface; but the fame 
unpardonable negleét in planning, which I 
mentioned before, occurs here, and even, I 
think, in a greater degree. I am likewile 
itruck with another {pecies of public omif- 
fion,—a want of mile-ffenes. I have {carce- 
ly obferved more than one in four or five 
miles; and thofe fo funk and defaced that 
no intelligence can be gained from them. 
At length I arrive near the fource of the 
Tweed, having followed its courfe for about 
Houfinan’s Tour in Scctland. 
[ Dee. r 
fifty miles. The wildnefs of the country 
{tiil continues, and the road now, for the 
firft time, begins to afcend gently upa hill, 
being no longer able to find a paflage 
along a vale. Obferving my map, I find 
I am not far from the fources of the rivers 
Annan, Clyde, and Tweed, and confe- 
quently muft expeé& a termination of this 
vale. Being in a pretty elevated fituation, 
I have a diftant view to the north and 
welt; but the eye difcovers nothing be- 
fides a cofle€iion of brown and blue moun- 
tains, one peeping up behind another. 
Farms are here almoft wholly in mountain 
pafturage, rented by people who live in 
diftant and more profitable vales, and 
who keep hinds or fhepherds here, with 
fmall cottages to live in. The rent from 
1s. to 2S. or 3s. per acre; but which is 
indeed more generally calculated by the 
number of fheep it will fupport, than the 
number of acres a farm contains. 
I had nearly reached the fummit of this 
hill, and, not being aware of my elevation, 
was fuddenly prefented with a fceae which 
firuck me with aftonifhment. I had vifited 
the wonderful rocks, mountains, caverns, 
and precipices in Yorkfhire, Cumberland, 
and Wettmoreland, but here a fight very 
different to any of thofe opened before me 
almoft inftantaneoufly. I was proceeding 
without making much obfervation, when FE 
came all at once on the margin of a huge 
bafon, fhaped like an urn, or an iverted 
bell, and of wonderful dimenfions; its 
top may be more than a mile in diameter, 
bottom two hundred yards, and depth 
more than a quarter of a mile. The 
beautiful flopes, and level bottom of this 
immenfe funnel are verdant, fmooth, foft, 
and pretty regular, and form a pleafing 
contraft with the mofly heathy tra&t [ 
have juft been exploring for feven or eight 
miles. A {mall opening on one fide ad- 
mits a paflage for all the water colleéted 
here into the adjoining vale, and keepsits 
bottom always perfectly dry and green ; 
but the near approach of the oppofite 
mountain clofes up the chafm, fo that, 
from this point of view, the orifice is 
hardly obfervable. I ftood with pleafure 
on the brink of this wonder of nature for 
fome. time, viewing its capacious bofom, 
and then continued my journey a little 
farther to the top of the hill, where I met 
the road from Glafgow, and immediately 
after had an extenfive view down the vale 
of Annan, which feemed to lie at my feet. 
At the parting of thefe roads no guide- 
poft is erected for the information of 
ftrangers, but fortunately a fhepherd’s 
hut itands near the place of feparation, 
otherwife 
~ 
